"If you have things to handle, go on," Ryou's father said.
Ryou nodded, then left Uncle He's house with Keqing, Xingqiu, Chongyun, and the others.
They had barely stepped outside when Dunyarzad slowed down.
"Ryou," she said, uneasy, "there won't really be monsters, will there?"
She looked embarrassed even as she said it.
"I… maybe Dehya and I shouldn't go. I'm a little scared."
"That's fine," Ryou said.
He had already been thinking the same thing. Dehya was not the type to be scared of this kind of mess, but Dunyarzad's condition was still unstable. If she got frightened and something happened, that would be much worse.
Ryou turned to Xingqiu. "Take Dunyarzad and Dehya around Qingce Village for a while. We'll meet at the village entrance later."
"Got it," Xingqiu said.
Once Dunyarzad and Dehya were settled, Ryou took Keqing, Tabibito, Chongyun, and Taroumaru to meet Hu Tao.
Hu Tao was waiting with a middle-aged man. The man kept rubbing his forehead and looked like he had not slept at all.
Ryou could see something off about him. His yang energy was weak, his whole body dragged down by exhaustion. Most likely, he had kept vigil overnight, and something had happened during the watch.
That probably had something to do with the strange ghostly air around Qingce Village.
Hu Tao must have arrived early in the morning. As Director Hu of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, she would have noticed right away if the mourning hall was wrong.
Maybe she had called Ryou over because of what he had mentioned yesterday—the cold, yin-heavy feeling around Qingce.
The moment Hu Tao saw them, she came over with her hands behind her back and a grin on her face.
"You finally came. I've been waiting forever."
Ryou glanced past her. "What happened?"
"You'll understand once you see it." Hu Tao turned around. "Come on. Inside."
Ryou followed, half doubtful.
Behind him, Keqing and Tabibito both moved a little closer.
Chongyun tugged lightly at Ryou's sleeve and lowered his voice.
"Ryou, be careful. The yin energy here is heavy. Something inside may be wrong."
Ryou nodded. "Got it."
They entered the inner hall.
A coffin sat in the main room.
There were not many people around. Several tables had been placed near the coffin, and the food on them looked as if someone had eaten from it. The bowls and chopsticks had been set down neatly.
Before Ryou could take a closer look, Taroumaru barked.
Ryou looked back.
[Taroumaru: This house isn't clean. I smell something buried in the corner of the backyard.]
[Taroumaru: I also saw a few strange people moving around the Village before. They might be involved.]
Ryou's brow tightened.
So it really was not simple.
[Ryou: Taroumaru, dig it out.]
[Taroumaru: Yes, Master!]
Taroumaru shot toward the back.
Keqing noticed at once. "Ryou, what's wrong with Taroumaru?"
"Don't worry. He found something."
Ryou did not explain further and followed Taroumaru.
He had only taken a few steps when the backyard exploded into noise.
"What is going on?"
"Is that dog a spirit? Stop him! Wait, how did he dig that up so fast?"
"Son! What is this? Did you bury this?"
"Mother, I don't know!"
"There's more? What is this thing?"
Ryou quickened his pace. "Come on."
When he reached the backyard, Taroumaru had already dug several holes.
In the open space between them lay a few strange objects. The Wang family stood around them, pale and confused, not daring to touch anything.
Keqing tugged lightly at Ryou's sleeve. "Ryou, what are those?"
Ryou shook his head.
Hu Tao stepped closer, and the smile on her face faded.
"Yin objects," she said. "Things used to harm people."
She crouched down and looked them over.
"Someone set these up against the Wang family. Elder Wang was probably only the first one to suffer. If this hadn't been found, the rest of the family might not have lasted more than a few days."
The Wang family went cold.
Ryou looked at the elderly woman and the Wang family's eldest son.
"Have you offended anyone?"
"No," the eldest son said at once.
The old woman looked at Taroumaru, still shaken.
"So that dog saved our family's lives…"
Ryou said, "Think carefully. These things didn't bury themselves. Whoever did this came here to kill."
The old woman looked around helplessly.
"I… I really don't know."
Then she turned to Ryou and pleaded, "Please help us. If your dog can find these things, then maybe he can find the person too, right? We can pay Mora."
"Mother, stop," the eldest son said suddenly.
The old woman looked at him. "What is it?"
The eldest son's face had turned grim.
"I might know why this happened."
Everyone looked at him.
"I may have a chance to join the Liyue Qixing," he said. "This could be someone trying to remove a competitor."
Keqing's surprise showed at once. "You may join the Liyue Qixing?"
As far as she knew, none of the current Qixing were planning to step down. Uncle Tian was the most likely, but after his health improved, he had not mentioned retirement again. Keqing had not heard even a rumor about this.
The eldest son nodded awkwardly.
"I only learned about it a few days ago. And I only have a chance. There are several people like me."
His hand tightened at his side.
"I just didn't expect someone to go this far."
He let out a bitter breath.
"Maybe I should withdraw. If I survive this time, I may not survive the next."
"Can you explain the situation?" Keqing asked.
He hesitated.
"Wait," Ryou said. "Walls have ears."
He looked around the courtyard.
"Taroumaru, search the area. See if anyone suspicious is nearby."
"Woof!"
Taroumaru ran out at once.
The eldest son stared after him, stunned.
Ryou said, "I picked him up here in Qingce Village. He listens well."
"No, that's not what surprised me," the eldest son said quickly. "That dog is just… incredible."
He pointed at the holes.
"He dug those in seconds. And when he ran just now, he was too fast. I've seen the dogs in Qingce. None of them can do that."
He looked at Ryou, still amazed.
"Ryou, you found a treasure."
Ryou did not deny it.
The eldest son invited them inside.
Keqing followed behind, smiling a little.
When Ryou first picked up Taroumaru, the dog had been filthy and half-starved. Now he was stronger, faster, and sharper in every way.
It had to be the water and food Ryou had been giving him.
Those things worked on people too, but the effect took time. On animals, the change seemed much more obvious.
Her husband really was amazing.
He could make even a stray dog this powerful.
Inside, Ryou let Keqing take the lead.
He sat to the side and listened while the Wang family's eldest son explained.
Only then did Ryou understand what had happened.
Uncle Tian was getting older and wanted to prepare a successor. After the last incident, he had quietly arranged for several candidates to be observed and trained. The whole thing was supposed to be secret.
Somehow, the news had leaked.
And that leak had nearly destroyed the Wang family.
Ryou studied the eldest son for a moment.
He did not look especially remarkable, at least not at first glance. The Liyue Qixing should have strict standards, so Ryou could not tell what Uncle Tian had seen in him.
Then again, if the successor needed long-term training, it made sense to choose early.
Before the conversation could go further, Taroumaru's voice appeared in Ryou's mind.
[Taroumaru: Master, I caught someone!]
Ryou stood up. "Taroumaru caught someone. I'm going to take a look."
"I'm coming too," Tabibito said at once.
"Then let's all go."
Ryou had just reached the doorway when the system sounded.
[Ding! Hand entering Darkened Mode!]
[Ding! Hand Darkened Mode active. Your beast-taming skill has improved. Your current taming slots have increased to two, pet level cap has increased to fifteen, each reinforcement now increases by five points, and mental strength cost has doubled!]
Ryou paused only briefly.
That could wait.
He stepped outside and saw a man being dragged across the ground by Taroumaru, who had his teeth clamped firmly on the man's pants.
The man looked miserable. Scrapes and bruises covered him, and a thin trail of blood marked the path where he had been dragged along the ground.
Before Ryou could speak, Keqing walked over.
"Taroumaru, what happened?"
[Taroumaru: Master, he was sneaking around nearby. I knocked him down and dragged him back.]
Ryou understood the situation at once and patted Keqing's shoulder.
"Let me handle this."
Keqing looked at the man, then at Taroumaru, and frowned slightly.
"All right."
She was worried.
Taroumaru had bitten him and dragged him all the way here. In Qingce Village, that was already troublesome. If something like this happened in Liyue Harbor, it could become dangerous very quickly.
Still, she did not stop Ryou.
She trusted him to handle it.
Ryou walked over, hauled the man up, and slapped his face until his eyes opened.
The man woke slowly.
The moment he saw Taroumaru, terror flooded his face. He flailed, trying to crawl away, but Ryou held him in place.
"Talk," Ryou said. "Who are you, and why were you sneaking around here?"
[End of chapter]
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