Chapter 1345: Moonless Windy Night of Murder

**Chapter 1331: Murder on a Dark and Windy Night**

Wanqiu Feng arrived in Liuxian to rendezvous. He held several sheets of paper and immediately reported: "My lord, these are the optional targets for our next operation. I've screened out three." He pulled out one of the sheets. "Do you think we should go to Greenery Villa first?"

"What's special about this one...?" Dong Rui also leaned in. Wanqiu Feng rarely made such suggestions to He Lingchuan. Anyone on this list was an unpardonable villain, so what made this particular one so deserving of Wanqiu Feng's priority elimination?

Dong Rui took just two glances, then uttered an "Oh," understanding immediately.

The primary target Wanqiu Feng enthusiastically recommended was at "Greenery Villa."

The villa was owned by the Wuma clan. The owner was Wuma Dan, but the person Wanqiu Feng suggested He Lingchuan prioritize for execution was Wuma Dan's second son, Wuma Xu. His crimes weren't as heinous as those of other targets on the list, mainly summarized by four words: "Cruelty to children."

"That's utterly disgusting," He Lingchuan declared after seeing it. "Let him jump the queue; he gets a priority trip to the netherworld."

As per He Lingchuan's request, Wanqiu Feng had prepared quite comprehensive information, including a background investigation of Greenery Villa.

Wuma Dan's father was once a renowned military general. Although he died young, it didn't prevent the Wuma clan from continuing as a local powerful family. They primarily dealt in timber, gradually expanding into other lucrative businesses, wanting a share of any profitable venture.

From the county seat down to the surrounding towns and villages, government offices repairing buildings, wealthy merchants constructing homes, coffin makers crafting coffins, and even the building of jetties and docks on rivers and lakes—all required purchasing timber exclusively from the Wuma clan. They were known as the "Timber Overlords."

Even the Yangshan Chamber of Commerce, when trying to acquire a deserted farmhouse nearby to convert into a branch office, was informed that at least thirty percent of their timber had to be purchased from Wuma Timber.

At this point, the Wuma clan was no longer just ordinary wealthy merchants. Even strict local tax audits couldn't find any issues with their family.

After accumulating immense wealth, the Wuma clan built Greenery Villa into a grand and luxurious estate. Even royalty and nobles had stayed there during their tours of the region.

However, Wuma Dan had a troublesome son.

His second son, Wuma Xu, had been surrounded by women since childhood. He quickly lost interest in concubines and beautiful maids, developing a unique fondness for girls under the age of thirteen, claiming that only such girls were pure and untainted.

This "fondness" eventually led to trouble.

Initially, Wuma Xu injured several girls, and his family paid to settle the matters. With no fear of repercussions, he soon began causing deaths.

The Wuma family's method was straightforward: pay for silence.

Poor families often sold their children through brokers. The compensation these girls' families received was usually much higher than what they typically got, so they wouldn't report the incidents.

But constantly treading a dark path eventually leads to reckoning.

Yet, one family adamantly refused to agree, no matter how much money the Wuma clan offered for a settlement. After being thwarted locally, the girl's elder brother pursued higher appeals.

Each time he tried to appeal, the Wuma clan broke one of his legs. Yet, the man was unyielding; even with both hands broken, he found someone to write petitions, determined to seek justice for his sister.

When soft tactics failed, the Wuma clan resorted to force, directly eliminating the entire family of five from the town.

The incident immediately caused a huge uproar. The local authorities were forced to issue a case report, stating that the family had too many debts and were thus killed by their creditors. As for the culprits, despite a lengthy investigation, they remained unapprehended.

Local residents didn't believe it at all, but with no victims left to press charges, no one dared to report it.

It took more than three months for the scandal to slowly die down.

Despite this lesson, Wuma Xu remained incorrigible and continued to crave more. The Wuma clan, feeling helpless and believing that prevention was better than suppression, had to arrange for child brokers to purchase young girls from other regions and bring them to Greenery Villa for Wuma Xu's pleasure. This way, they eliminated problems at the source.

Over the past two years, how many young girls had been sold into that den of iniquity, never to emerge? Outsiders had no way of knowing.

"We've questioned the townspeople," Wanqiu Feng continued. "They still vividly remember the murder of the family of five and recalled many other atrocities committed by the Wuma clan. This so-called 'prominent family' truly holds absolute power locally; even murder and silencing witnesses are considered minor matters to them. Ordinary people who suffer at their hands can only consider themselves unlucky."

Wanqiu Feng added, "We also abducted three individuals from Greenery Villa: one of Wuma Xu's personal attendants and two who had served as servants there for many years. Their confessions largely align with our existing information and even provide specific details about the girls Wuma Xu harmed over the past few years."

"Absolutely certain?"

"Absolutely certain! Furthermore, they revealed that most of the main personnel have been taken east by Wuma Dan's eldest son, Wuma Yang, to collect goods these past two days. Only about two hundred people remain in the villa, and after deducting maids, cooks, and other servants, the actual able-bodied guards protecting the villa number no more than a hundred. Patrols are stretched thin. This situation will only last for two more days; once everyone returns, it won't be like this."

"Wuma Xu is in the villa?" He Lingchuan asked, hoping they wouldn't rush there only to find an empty house.

"He is."

He Lingchuan glanced up at the sky.

"Tonight, with the moon obscured and the wind high, it's a good night for murder."

A great wind rose.

The Black Armored Army, stealthily like the wind, infiltrated the night, committing murder without a sound.

The well-trained Yangshan warriors effortlessly eliminated the outer sentries and breached the main gate of Greenery Villa.

"Alright, mount your horses, display our identity, and kill anyone who stands in our way!"

At He Lingchuan's command, the Black Armored Army mounted their horses and galloped boldly along the main road into the villa.

Only then did the villa's able-bodied men realize the intrusion, whistling and grabbing their weapons to intercept.

The Black Armored Army, with a sword for one and a spear for another, enjoyed their relentless assault.

They headed directly for the southeastern part of the villa. According to Wanqiu Feng's intelligence, Second Master Wuma Xu's courtyard was in that direction.

Along the way, they were, of course, unstoppable.

He Lingchuan rode his horse while looking towards the north.

To the north was the residence of Villa Master Wuma Dan. After the Black Armored Army's disturbance, that area was already brightly lit.

Clearly, Wuma Dan had been startled awake and was mobilizing his forces.

He Lingchuan paid it no mind. With only about a hundred thugs at most in the villa, Wuma Dan posed no threat at all.

His current target was Wuma Xu.

Along the way, the Black Armored Army casually apprehended a few people and confirmed the Second Master's exact location.

"This villa is indeed vast," Wanqiu Liang said bitterly. "Those who commit heinous acts grow rich, while good people struggle."

Wanqiu Feng glanced at him. "Otherwise, what good are you and I?"

Amidst the sound of hooves, they approached the southeastern courtyard.

He Lingchuan remained mounted. With a flick of his Soaring Dragon Spear, the bolt behind the gate shattered, and his steed crashed through the wooden door.

A quiet garden, a pitch-black courtyard.

He Lingchuan frowned.

With such a loud commotion from the Black Armored Army's charge, how could anyone in the courtyard be completely unaware and still fast asleep?

"Search!"

This courtyard contained three or four buildings, two to three stories high. Splitting up to search would be the fastest method.

He Lingchuan himself chose the most impressive building, which was undoubtedly Wuma Xu's sleeping quarters.

However, he quickly circled through it, finding no one.

He Lingchuan's first thought: Could this be a trap?

No, that's not right. The Black Armored Army had only recently appeared, so their patterns shouldn't have been discovered by anyone plotting against them. Besides, his choice of Wuma Xu as a target was largely random.

Who could have predicted his presence here?

Or perhaps Wanqiu Feng's intelligence was mistaken, and Wuma Xu wasn't staying at Greenery Villa tonight, or at least not in this small courtyard?

Before he could finish these thoughts, Wanqiu Liang's voice came from outside, just two short words: "The garden!"

There was something unusual in the garden.

A few breaths later, all Black Armored Riders gathered in the garden.

Wanqiu Liang held up a luminescent spore, revealing four bodies lying on the ground.

"Is the target among these?"

Wanqiu Feng immediately said, "I'll go grab someone to identify them!"

He swiftly ran out of the courtyard and, in less than thirty breaths, returned with a living person.

It was a gardener who lived nearby. Hearing the commotion, he couldn't help but peek out, only to be caught by Wanqiu Feng.

Before he could beg for mercy, a blade was already at his throat.

"These people on the ground, do you recognize..."

Before the question was finished, the gardener gasped, "Second Master!"

"Which one?" Wanqiu Feng pressed him to the ground and told him to point. "Which one is the Second Master?"

In fact, as soon as the gardener cried out, everyone already knew.

It was likely the fattest one, the one with the finest clothes.

"He, he is!" The gardener indeed pointed at the fat man on the ground, his voice cracking with surprise. "He's Second Master Wuma Xu!"

"Are you sure?"

"Certain, certain!" The gardener nodded profusely. "I come into this garden every three days to tend to the flowers and plants; I've seen the Second Master countless times!"

The Second Master lay stiffly on the ground, while the gardener's gaze kept darting towards the Black Armored leader.

Who were these strange people? In this region, someone dared to lay hands on the Wuma family?

"When was the last time you saw the Second Master?"

"Although I didn't see the Second Master today, I saw his personal attendant fetching food for him from the small kitchen. That was already around 2:30 PM, past the usual mealtime; the Second Master woke up late."

"Anything else?" Wanqiu Feng noted the flicker in his eyes, sensing he had more to say.

The gardener swallowed. "Actually, last night, last night I also heard noises coming from this courtyard."

"What kind of noises?"

The gardener timidly replied, "The Second Master had a new 'toy,' apparently a little girl from out of town. He kept her occupied all night, and the commotion only stopped at dawn."

Wuma Xu had harmed someone again last night? Everyone exchanged glances, all feeling that this fellow truly deserved his death. Wanqiu Liang even gave Wuma Xu's corpse a hard kick.

"Where is that girl?"

"I-I don't know."

Wanqiu Feng asked again, "Have you seen her?"

"No, no!"

"Does anyone know her whereabouts?"

"These ones." The gardener pointed to the other dead bodies on the ground. "These were all the Second Master's personal attendants, but they're already... already..."

They couldn't speak.

But such an answer certainly wouldn't satisfy them, and the gardener felt his life was in peril.

Under the immense pressure of facing the Black Armored Riders, his reaction speed surged several notches. A sudden thought flashed through his mind: "Right, you can ask Butler Zou!"