That day, Jiang Father no longer had any intention of inviting a Daoist priest to perform rituals. He directly ordered people to set up a bonfire outside and cremate the two bodies on the spot...
Returning to his room at night, Jiang Heng didn't sleep a wink. He was looking at the Sifang Escort Agency's travel log that Lai Fu had obtained from his uncle.
Although Sifang Escort Agency was not a large escort agency, it had always maintained a rigorous attitude towards management. Every escort mission was recorded, which made it convenient for investigations if any situations or personnel losses occurred.
If a client had any objections to past escort missions, the records could also be retrieved for inspection.
Due to the difficulty of organizing older records, only the escort records from the most recent three months were available.
By the faint candlelight, Jiang Heng flipped through the pages one by one.
“Great Yan Tianyang forty-second year, third month, eighth day, escort mission, cargo. Transported to Li Family in the alley of Beijie, Cangzhou Prefecture City. Encountered heavy rain passing through Heiyun Mountain, took shelter in a ruined temple in the mountain. At night, a scholar visited, everyone was on high alert. As expected, the scholar was a skeleton transformed from the mountain. Fled with all their might, three died...
Great Yan Tianyang forty-second year, third month, twenty-first day, escort mission, jewelry. Escorted to Zhangji Business in Qing County. Stayed at Tingyun Inn in Tingshi Town. At night, suddenly heard sounds of someone swallowing. Everyone didn't want to cause trouble and ignored it. A quarter of an hour later, the innkeeper knocked on the door, saying there was food and drink as a gift. Seven died...
Great Yan Tianyang forty-second year, fourth month, eighteenth day, escort mission, human cargo. Escorted to Liu Yuanwai's house in the northeast alley of Prefecture City. Passing through Zhaojia Market, at night, the human cargo suddenly went mad, covered in black fur, roaring like a beast. Three died...
Great Yan Tianyang forty-second year, fourth month, twenty-ninth day, one died!
Great Yan Tianyang forty-second year, fifth month, eighth day, three died!
Great Yan...”
Looking at the shocking records in the escort log, Jiang Heng only felt his scalp tingle!
What kind of world was this?
In just three months, no less than thirty people had died!
Although his uncle’s writing was dry and unembellished, it was still heart-stopping to read!
Jiang Heng rubbed his aching brows. Thinking about it now, his initial thought of a life of wealth and ease was so ridiculous.
After reading the escort log, he asked Xiao Rou to fetch a few miscellaneous books from the study about strange tales and oddities of this world.
It wasn't until dawn that Jiang Heng finally finished a rough read, his emotions extremely complex.
He was now utterly convinced that this world was not as peaceful as he had imagined.
As for Liu Shi yesterday, at most, she was affected and corroded by the Yin Qi of a Ghost.
It was recorded in those miscellaneous books that Ghosts are formed by the grievances of the dead. Ordinary people, if they come into contact with Yin Qi, will be directly corroded and turn into monsters like Liu Shi.
But this was not a true Ghost. It is said that even a martial artist would have difficulty dealing with a true Ghost and would have to be extremely careful.
Although Jiang Heng had not truly seen a Ghost yet, he already knew that this world was probably fraught with danger.
Of course, if that were the only thing, his mood wouldn't be so complex, because besides Ghosts, there were even more sinister and bizarre things, things that even the miscellaneous books didn't describe in much detail.
Because no living person had ever truly seen those things; those who had seen them were already dead!
At this moment, the faint morning light outside the window shone on his face, which had not yet completely shed its childishness. But at this moment, his face was uncertain, as he pondered many things.
“In a world like this, how am I supposed to survive? Continue as before?”
Jiang Heng thought silently, living in his comfort zone as before?
That would definitely be a path to death!
But what will I rely on to survive in this world?
Jiang Heng pondered silently, then slowly rose and stretched.
“Young Master, do you want to wash up?”
Xiao Rou, who seemed to have been waiting outside the door for a while, said softly.
“Come in!”
After a quick wash, Jiang Heng tidied himself up and, with renewed spirits, walked out.
“Xiao Rou, tidy up the room. Don’t follow me today.”
Ignoring Xiao Rou's surprise, Jiang Heng walked out. As soon as he left his small courtyard, Lai Fu, the sycophant, was waiting by his side.
“Young Master, should you still have breakfast first today and then go to Shangyue Tower? I’ve already greeted them over there for you, and your spot is reserved!”
Looking at Lai Fu, who was full of sycophantic eagerness, Jiang Heng shook his head slightly, “Where is my Third Uncle?”
“Ah?”
Lai Fu was a little confused. Why did things feel a bit different today?
“I won’t be going to the brothels much anymore. Where is my Third Uncle?”
Lai Fu was stunned for a moment but quickly reacted. Although he couldn't quite understand it—just a few days ago, he heard the Young Master was happily going to the brothels to listen to music, and today he was like this... “Young Master, Third Master is practicing martial arts at the training ground!”
“Mm.”
Walking through the carved corridors, he arrived at the training ground. Jiang Heng's courtyard was quite close to it. Along the way, he encountered some house servants and maids, but most of them had lost their usual relaxed cheerfulness, carrying a hint of heaviness.
It seemed yesterday's incident had left a shadow in everyone's hearts.
The number of people at the training ground today was even more than usual. Besides some escort agency staff, many house servants had also joined in, and Third Uncle was bare-chested, sternly scolding something nearby.
“Third Uncle!”
“Why are you here?”
Looking at Jiang Heng, Jiang Sanhai couldn't help but frown.
Seeing this, Jiang Heng also gave a bitter smile. It seemed this body's previous behavior had always left a bad impression on this Third Uncle. However, in the past, with Jiang Tai as a more outstanding heir in the family, his uncle had been relatively indifferent towards him, his nephew, and was usually all smiles.
But with the death of the first heir, Jiang Heng, as the next in line, now seemed increasingly displeasing.
Logically speaking, the three Jiang brothers all had their own Zi Si. However, the eldest uncle's only son was now teaching in Prefecture City, a scholar with a title, clearly not interested in this path. The third uncle, meanwhile, had not yet married.
It could be said that Jiang Heng now carried the sole hope of the three brothers.
But the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment!
“Third Uncle, I want to learn martial arts!” Jiang Heng said calmly, facing his uncle directly.
At these words, Jiang Sanhai's tightly furrowed brows first quickly relaxed, then swiftly tightened again.
“Heng’er, don’t tell me you think your Third Uncle is easy to fool, do you?” Jiang Sanhai narrowed his eyes, his tone already carrying a hint of sharpness.
Jiang Heng suddenly remembered that this body had apparently made a mistake before, and to appease his Father, he had used this trick. In Jiang Sanhai's eyes, he was probably just an unlearned Young Master.
The Jiang Family placed great emphasis on literary pursuits and little on martial arts.
“Third Uncle, I truly want to learn martial arts?” Facing his uncle's sharp gaze, Jiang Heng did not back down.
Jiang Sanhai's eyes widened abruptly, and he began to scrutinize Jiang Heng carefully. After a long moment, he finally sighed.
“If you had said this to me three years ago, I would have been very happy, but... now...”
As he spoke, Third Uncle shook his head, seemingly unwilling to bother with Jiang Heng.
“Learning martial arts emphasizes physical conditioning. Twelve years old is the optimal age for learning, and one should not exceed fifteen. Heng’er, your bones are already formed. Learning martial arts now... it’s too late!”
“Third Uncle, I want to try!” Jiang Heng looked at his uncle with determined eyes.
He wasn't just simply learning martial arts; he also wanted to verify something.