C4 The Parents' Deaths Were Filled with Doubts

It's not possible to start off invincible, with a stunning consort by your side, playing the fool to catch the wise, lounging on a beauty's lap, and waking up to hold the reins of power. Having a harem is certainly appealing, but that's a scene from "Kangxi's Secret Visit," not reality.

It took Jia Jiucheng a moment to massage his throbbing head and take in the bewildering scene before him. The Super Captor System? He had taken a tour of the hall, which seemed to contain an endless variety of wonders. Was this a gift crafted just for me by some divine creator? It seems my luck has finally turned.

The Super Captor System boasts an extensive array of divine and supernatural abilities. In essence, it offers the host a repertoire of sword techniques. Soon, I'll master the Solitary Nine Swords, Extraterrestrial Flying Immortal, Thousand Flying Sword, Sword Saint's Limitless Slash, Sword Twenty-three, and the all-encompassing art of the Thousand Swords Returning. The beauty of this system is its ability to facilitate leveling up through quests and battles, enhancing my physical attributes to rival that of a Titan.

The system also includes Life Skills like Cooking, Fishing, and First Aid, as well as Professional Skills in Medicine, Blacksmithing, Leatherworking, and Tailoring. It seems capable of anything and everything, limited only by one's imagination. However, to acquire and upgrade these skills, I'll need Righteousness Coins.

Righteousness Coins? So, I need these to progress. It feels like I'm being nudged towards sainthood!

On the right, there's a notice board with three main missions assigned to Jia Jiucheng. The first mission is a vow to avenge "Father Jia," refusing to live a life of numb indifference. A good beginning is half the battle, and the reward is a Divine Art that sharpens perception — the Blind Sword, along with a bonus of +200 Righteousness Coins. The first mission, repeated for emphasis, is a pledge to seek justice for "Father Jia," to avoid a life of complacency. A solid start is key to success, and the prize is the perception-enhancing Divine Art, the Blind Sword, with an additional +200 Righteousness Coins.

The second mission required the elimination of Ge Teng, the Third Boss of Gale Stronghold, who had slain Jia Yong. Success would yield a set of ancient swords (complete with a set effect), a set of Breathing Exercises Spell, the Eight Trigrams Sword Technique, and an additional 500 Righteousness Coins.

The third mission entailed tracking down and executing the mastermind behind the deaths of Jia Yong and his wife, thus avenging his father. Completion of this task would be rewarded with a set of Qi Cultivation Technique, the Gale Step Combat Skill, and 2,000 Righteousness Coins.

Jia Jiucheng had already completed the first of these three missions, which meant he had nothing further to do except to seek out the truth, a decision that had set everything in motion. Consequently, the Blind Sword technique was bestowed upon him by the Super Captor System, along with a bonus of 200 Righteousness Coins.

The second and third missions, however, took Jia Jiucheng by surprise. He had initially believed his mother, Lee Xiangru, had died from a fall due to poorly maintained railings. It was unexpected to learn that her death, like Jia Yong's, was a murder. Who could be behind it? Ge Teng was merely following orders in killing Jia Yong, suggesting that the same individual was orchestrating both crimes. But who could it be, and what was their motive?

"Who has the power to command Ge Teng to commit murder? Could it be the Great Boss or Second Boss of Gale Stronghold? No, that doesn't add up. If it were them, they could have acted on their own without using a proxy. There must be another person involved. But who could Lee Xiangru, a woman who seldom left her home, have possibly angered to the point of being killed? If this was a premeditated act of vengeance, why was my grandfather oblivious, and why was the rest of the family unharmed?"

Jia Jiucheng knew all too well that Jia Yong was merely a common Captor, not a legendary hero retired from a life of martial exploits. He wasn't skilled in martial arts; he only had a rudimentary understanding of a simple sword technique, which he executed with brute force—a gift from the county official who had once promoted him.

Why would someone order the assassination of an ordinary constable? If he had truly offended someone, stripping him of his position would make him an easier target. For a constable with no significant backing, this would be a simple task.

Which is more significant, the death of a commoner or a constable? It's clear to anyone who considers it. If this wasn't the case, then reflecting on Ge Teng's brazen attempt to commit murder at the yamen suggests that the opposing force must be powerful enough to disregard the consequences.

Furthermore, if Jia Yong were the reason, the killer, capable of commanding Ge Teng, would have targeted Jia Yong first.

It must be because of Lee Xiangru, and the murder was likely a crime of passion. The only reasons to kill a woman would be for money or desire. The Jia family's wealth would hardly impress, so it must be a matter of desire!

Lee Xiangru was a renowned beauty, cherished and protected by her scholarly grandfather since childhood. Jia Yong, being a Captor, might have uncovered some sensitive information. To conceal this, the killer must have directed Ge Teng to commit the murder. This explanation holds water.

"Who could order the death of a woman and ensure that a Captor wouldn't dare to openly investigate? Who could enable Ge Teng to murder so boldly? The lack of concern following the incident indicates someone from Dingyuan with considerable wealth and influence."

In Dingyuan County, those with the means and motive to commit such an act are well-known as the Four Playboys.

The Strange Item King, who covets the wives of others, and the Poison Young Master, master of all toxins.

The Earth Emperor's son, who rules with an iron fist, and Xiao Sanpang, who conceals a knife behind his smile.

The Strange Item King, son of the Changsha King, represents the most powerful royal authority of the dynasty.

The Poison Young Master, heir to the largest local gang, the Prospering Gang, embodies the dark underbelly of power.

The County Magistrate's son, known as the Earth Emperor, never steps out without his 'Thirteen Protectors,' each a master of advanced external martial arts. In Dingyuan, where the sky is high and the emperor is far, the County Magistrate's son has dubbed himself the Earth Emperor.

In the Great Soong Dynasty, Dingyuan County held the record for the highest official salary, despite being impoverished. The County Magistrate, a ninth-grade official, earned a monthly wage of 58 taels of silver. This sum alone was insufficient for sustenance; even if he devoted his entire salary to his son for the upkeep of thirteen dogs, it would fall short. Consider that an eighth-grade external martial arts expert could earn a starting salary of five taels per month as a Martial Master at a Martial Club, with additional commissions for the disciples they trained. A ninth-grade expert earned eight taels, while an eighth-grade escort master could make eight taels and a ninth-grade, eleven taels. These thirteen individuals represented two-thirds of Dingyuan's most skilled martial artists. The remaining high-level experts were few and far between. He was the face of the largest legitimate force in the area.

Xiao Sanpang, the local young master of the prominent Qii Lian business, symbolized the greatest wealth.

These four men embodied power, the legitimate sphere, the criminal underworld, and wealth. The people of Dingyuan would steer clear of them at all costs. Renowned both near and far, the nefarious deeds of these four were too numerous to record, often leaving people pale at the mere mention of their names.

A glint of icy determination flashed in Jia Jiucheng's phoenix eyes as he contemplated this. His fists clenched, veins standing out against his pale skin. Even without a mission from the system, he was compelled to uncover the truth. He was Jia Jiucheng now, and the quest for justice for his father's murder was personal.

Yet, the thought of the system's mission brought a sense of foreboding. Ignoring the shadowy figure pulling the strings, the formidable Big Sword Ge Teng alone was more than he could currently handle.

Gale Mountain Stronghold was notorious among Dingyuan and the neighboring counties as the most infamous band of brigands. They frequently ambushed travelers on the Nine-form Mountain, extorting money from merchants and often abducting local villagers. Despite repeated attempts by the authorities to eradicate this scourge, the dark force remained untouchable, with each campaign ending in failure.

Among them, the Great Boss was notoriously reclusive, with his real name remaining a mystery. He was commonly referred to as Big Beard. The renowned Captor of Dingyuan County had once clashed with him and suffered a crushing defeat, necessitating over a month of convalescence at home to heal. Rumors abounded that he was a master of internal energy.

The Second Boss, known as Poison Scholar, had mastered a more feminine form of inner strength and was infamous for his deviousness. The government's repeated attempts to besiege the Gale Mountain Stronghold with troops had all been thwarted by his clever stratagems.

Particularly notable was the incident two years ago when Dingyuan, Dao County, Hua Yong, and Nanshan mobilized a force of 200,000 County Soldiers. They tightened their encirclement with the aim of eradicating the stronghold once and for all. Faced with overwhelming odds, Poison Scholar devised a strategy to disperse and hide their forces in the mountains, engaging in guerrilla warfare, which ultimately forced the four counties to retreat without success.

The Third Boss of Gale Mountain Stronghold was none other than Ge Teng, the very man who had slain Jia Jiucheng's father, Jia Yong. Jia Jiucheng had never laid eyes on him but was well-acquainted with his reputation.

A Dingyuan County native, Ge Teng was once a renowned butcher in the West Market, standing nine feet tall with prodigious strength. His steel butcher knife weighed an impressive 70 kilograms. Lacking knowledge of internal energy, he was nevertheless a master of the Extreme Dissection Blade Technique, skillfully and swiftly carving meat and bones with precision and ferocity.

His strength was legendary; he had once cleaved a stone lion weighing over 500 kilograms in half with a single blow, leaving the West Market in awe. Even martial artists of lesser internal strength met their demise at the edge of his blade. Following a deadly altercation over a meat sale, where several bystanders were killed, he was forced to flee to the mountains and turn to banditry. Leveraging his might, he rose to power within the Gale Stronghold, claiming the third seat of authority.

Consider this: even the Green Dragon Crescent Sword wielded by the famed Second Master Guan weighed only 81 kilograms. Ge Teng's ability to handle a 70-kilogram blade marked him as a formidable warrior. For Jia Jiucheng, with his slender frame, attempting to defeat such a man would be akin to a futile strike against a stone.

Not to mention that this individual held a lofty position within the Gale Mountain Stronghold as the Third Boss. To approach him, one would have to bypass at least a few hundred fierce bandits.

However, Jia Jiucheng was not disheartened, for he possessed the Super Captor System. He was aware that Ge Teng had slain Jia Yong, yet Ge Teng neither knew nor recognized Jia Jiucheng and likely never paid much mind to Jia Yong's teenage son. Thus, with the element of surprise on his side, Jia Jiucheng saw an opportunity.

Moreover, Jia Jiucheng had recently joined the ranks of the Prefecture Yamen, becoming one of the select few Captors. Perhaps he could leverage the authority of the government to fulfill his objective.

But these considerations were for later. At present, Jia Jiucheng's immediate concern was whether he could rapidly advance his martial arts skills. After all, it would be quite embarrassing if, when the moment to confront Ge Teng arrived, he found himself lacking in prowess and ended up losing his own life instead.

With a swift movement, Jia Jiucheng shifted from a kneeling to a cross-legged position, facing Jia Yong's spirit tablet with a serious expression on his otherwise unremarkable yet handsome face. He concentrated intently on the three sets of martial arts techniques that the Super Captor System had recently imparted to him.

The Blind Sword was a technique every Captor yearned to master to enhance their innate intuition and subtle sensory perception. Those without knowledge of the technique had to rely solely on talent, but now, Jia Jiucheng eagerly anticipated the extent to which this art could bolster his combat abilities.