Chapter 27: Grandson

　　Ling Bo had long noticed Kong Hou standing among the crowd. Within a group of people with average appearance, an exceptional young woman would be extremely eye-catching. However, she saw the other’s bone age was just fifteen or so yet she already had Base Building fifth level cultivation, so she moved her gaze away.

　　Seeing Kong Hou help her ask the guests at the inn, Ling Bo spoke, “Miss, you are?”

　　“This one is a disciple of Splendid Cloud Sect, Kong Hou.” Kong Hou bowed towards Ling Bo. “Greetings, Celestial Ling Bo.”

　　“Greetings, Celestial Kong Hou.” Ling Bo returned a bow, her expression growing slightly more solemn. She had heard of Kong Hou’s name before. Two years ago, Master had said to her that Splendid Cloud Sect had a genius just like her. The other had reached Base Building at the age of fourteen. She hadn’t expected they would meet here. Ling Bo felt complicated about Kong Hou. She admired the other’s talent, but disliked the other for stealing her limelight. So, at this moment, she didn’t know if she liked this young woman or not.

　　Everyone else was shocked. What day was it today that they encountered disciples from two big sects? Someone also thought about how a wastrel had propositioned Kong Hou during the day. If that wastrel knew that this miss was a disciple of Splendid Cloud Sect, his knees would go weak.

　　“When Miss Kong Hou was sleeping tonight, did you detect anything?” Ling Bo asked.

　　Kong Hou shook her head. “Tonight was exceptionally quiet. I only came out after hearing the scream.” She looked around. “Who screamed?”

　　That scream had been exceptionally harsh, so that she didn’t know if it had been a man or woman.

　　Surprisingly, everyone present said that they had come downstairs after hearing the scream. No one admitted they were the one to find the corpse.

　　Seeing this, Ling Bo’s expression turned ugly again. That scream had been to lure them out. Maybe the culprit was pretending to be clueless right now, smugly looking at them and laughing at the uselessness of Clear Dawn Sect.

　　He was embarrassing Clear Dawn Sect.

　　When she thought of this, Ling Bo’s beautiful face was stained with anger. “The culprit wants to become an enemy of Clear Dawn Sect?” She could endure many things, but she could not shame Clear Dawn Sect.

　　The other people saw Ling Bo become angry and swore at the evil cultivator among them. They also feared that they would be the next one to die and started to suspect the people around them.

　　“Celestial Ling Bo, since the matter occurred in Mound City, why do we not send someone to notify the mayor of Mound City so he can cooperate with the investigation?” Kong Hou saw Ling Bo’s servant girls blocking off the doors to stop everyone from leaving. “That way, you will have more helpers.”

　　“Had they been able to find the culprit, they would have caught the culprit last month—why would this have occurred today?” Ling Bo’s tone was slightly aloof. “Celestial Kong Hou, this is a matter of Clear Dawn Sect. Please, Celestial, allow this one to be in charge.”

　　This person disdained her for meddling?

　　Kong Hou leaned against the stair railing, her arms crossed as she said lazily, “As Celestial Ling Bo wishes.” Finishing, she closed her eyes and began to rest.

　　The other clearly had not argued with her and didn’t even say a heavy word, but Ling Bo felt, strangely, that she was choking on her breath but couldn’t vent her anger. She said to her servants with a dark expression, “Store away Yue Lian’s corpse. We will bury her tomorrow.”

　　“Miss, Yue Lian’s home is in Peace City. This servant wants to take her ashes back to Peace City for burial.” A servant girl who was good friends with Yue Lian knelt down. “Please, Miss, allow this.”

　　Ling Bo looked expressionlessly at the servant girl and said in a cold voice, “All right.”

　　Finishing, she looked at the crowd. “Before the matter is investigated, everyone, please stay for a few more days at the inn. This one will take care of the expense.”

　　While everyone wanted to flee from this place, no one dared to object to Ling Bo. They could only weakly agree. Those more brave only dared to mutter in low voices, not daring to object directly to Ling Bo’s face.

　　According to the rules, with a fatal crime having occurred at the inn, they could not leave. But if they were able to prove their innocence, they should be able to leave. This Celestial Ling Bo of Clear Dawn Sect clearly thought of all of them as suspects.

　　Ling Bo did not care what these people thought. She had reached Core Formation less than twenty years after she joined Clear Dawn Sect. She was extremely favoured in the sect, a genius famed in the cultivation world—who would not give her any face? As for these people who were of average cultivation or ordinary mortals, she was only polite to them on the surface. In truth, she thought nothing of them.

　　These people would complain in private. But who did not call her “Celestial” respectfully?

　　Just as everyone was preparing to go back to their rooms to rest, the mayor Du Bin became in. When he stepped through the door, he apologized to the crowd, “Du has not governed well and has given everyone a fright.” Finishing, he bowed to everyone.

　　Everyone responded with bows. They responded with things like “it is the fault of the evil cultivators, no blame to Mayor Du” and so forth. Mound City was not large, but it neighbored Splendid Cloud Sect and technically belonged under Splendid Cloud Sect. While Splendid Cloud Sect usually did not like to interfere in the governance of cities, if there was something major, Splendid Cloud Sect would not stand by.

　　“This disciple greets Kong Hou *Shishu.” Du Bin passed through the crowd, came in front of Kong Hou and respectfully performed the bow of a junior.

　　“No need for such courtesy, no need.” Kong Hou straightened and pointed below. “You will take care of this matter. I’m going back to sleep.” She yawned and prepared to go back to her room.

　　Suddenly, she paused in her steps and pointed at the grandly dressed youth hiding by the door. “This is?”

　　“Shishu, this is my son Du Jing,” he said with slight shame. “This year, he did not pass the tests, so he had no chance to join the sect. But based on ranking, he is in the generation of grand-disciples.”

　　“Oh, grand-disciple.” Kong Hou looked wryly at Du Jing. “He seems… pretty energetic.”

　　“Shishu is too complimentary. This bastard only plays around all day and does not do anything. Over twenty and doesn’t have much cultivation.” He turned and scolded Du Jing. “What are you standing there for? Come here and greet your grand-shishu.”

　　Du Jing grimaced inside. If he had known beforehand, he would not have come. He essentially brought humiliation upon himself. How could there be something so unfortunate? His mind had been heated for a moment, he hadn’t managed to control his mouth, and now he offended a grand-shishu.

　　What was going on with Splendid Cloud Sect? How could such a young disciple become his grand-shishu?

　　“Junior… greets Grand-Shishu*.”

　　“Louder. You are usually pretty loud—why do you seems as though you haven’t eaten?” Du Bin looked at his son with his head shrinking down and felt his anger rise. He slapped his son’s head.

　　“No manners at all!”

　　Du Jing looked at Du Bin. This really was his actual father working to entrap his own son. If he knew that his son had propositioned the grand-shishu today, would he be angry enough to kill his son?

　　“Shizhi does not need to be so polite. Members of our family do not have to attend to these courtesies.” Kong Hou smiled as he looked at Du Jing from the staircase. She reached out and patted his head. “Good grandson.”

　　Du Jing: …

　　The invincible dictator of Mound City had fallen to the point of being the grandson of a young girl of sixteen. He had no face to be a wastrel anymore. He was the embarrassment of the wastrels, a failure among the dictators.

　　Just as he was suffering, a red brocade bag appeared in his hand. Kong Hou had shoved it onto his hand. He looked with puzzlement at Kong Hou. What did this mean—was this poison for him to kill himself?

　　While he was the embarrassment of the wastrels, he did not want to die. The common saying was that living badly was better than dying a good death. He had no good traits; he just had a thick face. In order to live, he could give up his face.

　　“Good grand-disciple, this is Grand-Shishu‘s first meeting gift to you.” Kong Hou patted his shoulder and said, in a pleased mood, “See you tomorrow.”

　　“Goodbye, Shishu.” Du Bin saw his son not responding and kicked him.

　　Du Jing hurriedly bowed. “Goodbye, Grand-Shishu.”

　　“Good grandson.”

　　Du Bin watched as Kong Hou left and thought inside, as expected of Splendid Cloud Sect’s apprentice, a pentad spirit base genius. This person’s bearing was completely different. Then he looked at his failure of a son. He sighed, all right, all right, this was his son; he would not compare them.

　　If he kept on comparing, he would not be able to control himself from beating this failure.

　　When Ling Bo saw Du Bin walking towards Kong Hou, she knew that Kong Hou had used a sound seal to notify him. While she was slightly unhappy, since he was here, she did not want to make the atmosphere too awkward. She left behind the servant girls to converse with Du Bin and returned to the back of the inn.

　　Du Jing said to Du Bin in a small voice, “This Celestial Ling Bo of Clear Dawn Sect really is composed. Her servant girl has been killed and she is still able to go back to sleep.”

　　“Shut your mouth.” Du Bin glared at him and ordered his subordinates to surrounded the inn to prevent the culprit from escaping. When he went to inspect the corpse, the servant girl from Clear Dawn Sect did not permit it. She said that Yue Lian was a woman, and should not be touched by men.

　　“She’s already dead, but you will not let her pass peacefully. You still abide by these common traditions—are you stupid?” Du Jing said scornfully. “Or is the culprit one of your own, you are afraid that we will discover it, so you find an excuse to not let us get close?”

　　“Nonsense!” The servant girl was so angry her brows rose and she took out her sword.

　　“What do you want to do?” Du Jing howled. “Clear Dawn Sect is bullying people, wanting to kill to keep their secret!”

　　“Mayor Du, Master Du is blackening our sect’s reputation—is this appropriate?” The leading servant girl had a dark expression. She wanted to stab the howling Du Jing to death.

　　“Miss, please forgive this; my son usually is like this. This one will definitely take him home and teach him more strictly.” Du Bin smiled apologetically, his face as docile as it could be. But he, who spoke of teaching his son, did not stop Du Jing from shouting at this moment.

　　Knock, knock, knock.

　　A man in a black robe stood at the inn’s door and knocked three times.

　　“My apologies, are there empty rooms?”

　　Everyone turned back and saw a man dressed in white amidst the snow outside. In this moment, the room went silent. The candlelights waved in the night wind and left behind shadows on the face of the dead.

　　The black-robed man looked at the corpse on the ground, turned and said to the man, “Master, someone died in this inn; no one can live here.”

　　The guests at the inn: “…”

　　All of them who were standing in the room were not people?