With the city lord's tacit approval, Wei Bian had no further concerns.
He waved his hand and ascended the steps.
"Go, search every corner again, thoroughly this time!" His voice carried a hint of anger.
As the city lord's right-hand man, failing repeatedly in his tasks was embarrassing—even if the city lord hadn’t blamed him.
Once inside the inn, Wei Bian began directing the search.
He pointed left and right, sending people to inspect any suspicious areas.
Sometimes, he even checked places himself.
Shi Chun, hiding under the eaves, remained calm despite the commotion downstairs.
He watched over Bian Weiying below as if he had forgotten the impending danger.
Instead of seeking shelter from the rain, Bian Weiying stood soaking wet.
As the city lord, she looked like a drenched chicken, her long hair clinging to her face and shoulders.
Her wet clothes stuck to her skin, emphasizing her body's curves.
Yet she seemed to enjoy it.
Occasionally, she tilted her head back, eyes closed, embracing the cool rain.
Shi Chun couldn’t fathom her intentions—whether it was indulgence or a desire for freedom.
He had never met a woman like her before, one who aroused his curiosity and suspicion.
Just then, he noticed several figures descending from the sky, landing outside the inn, near Bian Weiying.
They wore clothing typical of disciples from Wukang Mountain.
Following them, a man clad in dark attire gracefully landed—a middle-aged man with three dark strands of beard.
Despite his age, he looked attractive with fair skin and bright, spirited eyes.
His presence commanded respect.
Among the onlookers, a stir arose.
Those who recognized him knew it was Xia Fuli, one of Wukang Mountain's current elders.
Hearing movement behind him, Shi Chun turned and saw Wu Jinliang climbing out of the ceiling.
The search below was too obvious, prompting Wu Jinliang to check it out.
He leaned in and asked in a low voice, "Chun, what’s going on?"
Shi Chun merely shook his head, his attention still on the activities below.
"Elder Xia," the disciples greeted, including Bian Weiying.
After greeting Elder Xia, Bian Weiying expressed her surprise, "Elder, why did you come here at such a late hour?"
Elder Xia studied Bian Weiying's unseemly appearance and frowned slightly.
Then he glanced at the inn being searched.
"I was leading a patrol down the mountain and happened to pass by. Seeing the commotion, I came to check. What’s going on here with all this hullabaloo?”
Shi Chun’s brow twitched upon hearing "happened to pass by," and his eyes shimmered with understanding.
He couldn't help but smile, whispering, "I knew they wouldn't just sit idly by. No wonder—it's an elder! Seems our trouble flushed out a big fish. We've hit the jackpot this time!"
Wu Jinliang looked puzzled at first, then suddenly understood.
Below, Bian Weiying was briefing Elder Xia on the situation.
Shi Chun didn’t bother listening carefully.
He tapped Wu Jinliang's waist and said, "No time to waste. I’m going to change clothes. Wait here."
Saying this, he quickly retreated and slipped back through the ceiling.
Wu Jinliang had no idea what was going on but trusted there was a reason for Shi Chun’s words, so he remained where he was, continuing to watch the scene below.
After hearing Bian Weiying’s report, Elder Xia responded, "If it’s self-defense, then enough is enough. Why all this fuss? Look at you, have some dignity."
Bian Weiying smiled, "Elder, there's a procedure for everything. It’s customary to bring people in for questioning. If the inn can't find them, we have to look ourselves. It’s not meant to disturb anyone."
By citing procedure, Elder Xia couldn’t say much given the circumstances.
He turned to the inn again, seemingly curious.
"People in the inn just disappeared?"
"Perhaps they left, or maybe they’re hiding someplace. If Wei Bian's men can’t find them, your arrival means they’ll have to request you to use your powers to help," replied Bian Weiying politely.
Those in the know understood that Elder Xia, being at the Human Immortal Realm, though not fully mastered, had abilities far beyond the average person.
If he cast a spell to search, hiding from him would be near impossible.
Elder Xia gave a faint nod, indicating his consent.
Shi Chun’s movements were quick, and he soon reappeared back on the roof next to Wu Jinliang, asking, "How's it going?" He had changed back into his own clothes, discarding the Wukang Mountain clothing.
"Looks like we can’t stay hidden. Bian Weiying wants Elder Xia to use his powers to find us..."
Wu Jinliang whispered the situation.
To this, Shi Chun wasn’t particularly concerned.
"We don’t need him. That scarred guy can find us just fine. Time to make ourselves known. If they find the body, even Elder Xia can’t save us."
Wu Jinliang asked, "Not breaking through the walls and running?”
Shi Chun responded, "Only if it's the last resort. No need for that now. Let’s just show ourselves."
Wu Jinliang gently pressed against the tiles above him.
Seeing that Shi Chun didn’t object, he grinned and deftly pushed.
With a crash, several tiles fell from the eaves and shattered on the ground.
Fortunately, the onlookers had been cleared out.
An array of eyes swiftly turned to where the tiles had fallen.
Elder Xia simply waved his sleeve, and a powerful force blasted away a large section of the roof, breaking it into pieces with a loud crash.
Though he had reprimanded Bian Weiying for creating a commotion earlier, Elder Xia showed no concern for the noise himself.
He didn’t bother informing anyone, simply demolishing the roof.
Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang exchanged glances, feeling the raindrops on their faces, surprised at how quickly they were exposed.
With no place to hide, both men slowly stood.
It was indeed those two.
Feng Chi, observing from a nearby rooftop, felt speechless.
How could they not find such an obvious hiding spot?
Even she wanted to question the efficiency of the search team from Wukang Mountain.
Hearing the noise upstairs, Wei Bian immediately flew to the top of the building, breaking through the ceiling and emerging atop the roof.
A quick glance identified the two who stood up.
His eyes instantly showed killing intent, and he grasped his sword hilt to draw it.
Yet, seeing Elder Xia floating mid-air, he hesitated and reluctantly sheathed the newly drawn blade.
During their encounter, Shi Chun noticed Wei Bian's eyes filled with a murderous glint, spotting the half-drawn sword that retreated back into its scabbard with the influence of Elder Xia’s presence.
Witnessing this, Shi Chun felt secretly alarmed, with a trace of his own killing intent rising in his eyes.
Onlookers below the rooftop quickly joined them, surprised at finding Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang hidden there.
Upon seeing this, Bian Weiying's cold eyes instantly swept over to Wei Bian.
Feeling ashamed due to understanding the implication, Wei Bian turned his gaze towards the group of searchers who had come out from inside.
Not being fools, they understood his meaning.
The search team, influenced by Wei Bian’s reprimanding gaze, found it hard to explain themselves.
They were sure they had thoroughly searched the spot earlier and found no one.
Consequently, those specifically tasked with searching the ceiling became the focus of everyone's scrutiny.
Several observers leapt onto nearby rooftops, eager to watch the drama unfold.
Elder Xia, standing at the eaves level and taking a step forward, found himself on the roof.
He looked at Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang, asking, "Is it those two?"
"Indeed, it's them," Bian Weiying confirmed and nodded slightly at Shi Chun, hinting that there was no need for concern.
"Brother Chun, I’ve heard about what happened. Just come with us for a formal process, explain the situation, and you’ll be fine."
Shi Chun was muddy and dirty from his earlier scuffle in the rain and crawling around in the dusty ceiling.
Despite this, he maintained a skillfully practiced civilized smile, saying, "Alright."
He casually tossed his knife down, "Proprietor, hold onto my knife for me!"
With a clatter, the knife bounced off the ground.
"And mine too!" Wu Jinliang called out.
However, mimicking certain things was hard.
His knife toss was more akin to smashing it.
With a loud bang, the blue stone pavement shattered, sending debris flying and ruining several pieces of stone slabs.
Numerous onlookers focused their gaze on Wu Jinliang as if he were some sort of curiosity, including the scruffy old man across the street.
Wu Jinliang looked somewhat awkward under their stares, uncomfortable at the attention.
Seeing Shi Chun jump down, he quickly followed suit.
The Wukang Mountain group also descended one by one.
Shi Chun, watching from below, noted Wei Bian’s descent location and pretended to casually take a few steps closer.
Landing on the ground, Wei Bian glanced coldly at the scruffy man before him, reeking yet trying to appear genteel.
"Take them away!" he ordered, his eyes filled with disdain as he turned to leave.
As the two passed each other, Shi Chun, hands clasped in a humble manner before him, quickly pulled out a blade from his sleeve.
Though swift and silent, he acted with a nonchalant air, smoothly stabbing Wei Bian in the back.
It was a clean, precise strike that pierced the heart, free from any semblance of common violence.
Wei Bian stopped dead, eyes wide, his body trembling.
Trying to turn, he felt his blood and energy swirling chaotically, half-aware yet unable to fully process the unfolding reality.
Some people saw it while others didn’t, but soon everyone realized.
What happened? Even those who witnessed it were momentarily dumbstruck, unsure if they had seen it right.
Reality quickly dawned on everyone.
Bian Weiying, drenched, stood there stunned, unusually losing her composure.
The scruffy old man under the eaves was dumbfounded.
Feng Chi, watching from the rooftop, was bewildered, as the thin green-clad figure beside her remarked, “What’s he doing?”
Xia Fuli, descending gracefully, eyes wide, lost his usual calm demeanor.
Most of the Wukang Mountain group wore expressions of shock, utterly taken aback.
As for the onlookers—surprised beyond belief.
They weren’t alone; even Wu Jinliang stood frozen in shock, inwardly questioning Shi Chun’s sanity or self-destructive tendencies.
(End of Chapter)