Chapter 166: Would I Dare?

Chapter 166: Would I Dare?

Wu Heng looked at the man.

His hand gripped the hilt of his sword.

He wanted to kill him right then and interrogate his corpse.

But with so many gang members outside, he couldn't kill him.

If he provoked the gang, it could lead to chaos.

Maybe that was the archer's true goal.

He took a deep breath to calm himself down.

On second thought, it was unlikely the gang was behind it.

After all, no one would risk the accusation of killing a Guild captain over something so trivial.

And the man had been captured on the spot.

"I believe you..." Wu Heng said.

"Yes, yes, it couldn't have been me! Even if I were crazy, I wouldn't do something that stupid," the man quickly agreed.

Wu Heng continued, "I believe you, but tomorrow the entire outer district, maybe even the outer city, will be talking about how the 'Scorpion Claw Gang' tried to assassinate a Guild captain. How do you think the Guild will react to save face?"

The man's face went pale, cold sweat once again covering his forehead.

Does the truth even matter?

The gangs in the outer district were just thugs collecting taxes for the city lord.

If one batch was wiped out, another would take their place.

If the Guild sought revenge, he'd be dead for sure.

"Captain, I swear it wasn't me."

Wu Heng asked, "Then why did you block us?"

"The homeowner said there was a fight here, so we came over," the man quickly answered.

"I'm asking why you kept stalling us, talking so much?"

During a typical Guild operation.

Not even the 'Iron Guard Knights' from the inner city would interfere.

But these people had blocked their way, and it made Wu Heng suspicious.

The man thought for a moment and quickly replied, "My subordinate said there was a lot of money in the room, and I got greedy and started talking nonsense."

He regretted it deeply.

If he had just let them leave, everything would have been fine.

Now it had turned into this mess.

"Call that subordinate in here," Wu Heng said.

The man's eyes lit up, and he opened the door, shouting to someone in the distance.

Soon, a man in leather armor with messy hair entered the room.

He glanced nervously at the people inside.

Wu Heng asked, "What were you doing earlier? What did you say?"

The subordinate, clearly frightened, kept looking at the goateed man beside him.

Only after hearing the question did he speak, "I was just standing outside. I didn't do anything."

The goateed man cursed, "Didn't you say there was a lot of money here? Be honest!"

The subordinate suddenly understood and said, "I didn't see it myself, I just heard someone next to me say the house was full of money. And you saw it too, there really was a lot of money inside."

Involved another person?

"Who told you that? Point them out."

"I—I don't know them. It was a man, about 30 years old."

"You son of a...!" The goateed man kicked him twice in frustration.

He realized that his group might have been used.

In Rentam City, this wasn't uncommon.

Often, the identity of the real culprit didn't matter. A few people would die, and the matter would be considered resolved.

The only reason they were still alive was that Wu Heng hadn't been injured.

If Wu Heng had been hurt or killed, they would all be dead by now.

Wu Heng sent the subordinate out to look around.

As expected, they couldn't find the person.

Wu Heng remained silent, waiting.

Before long, Glenda and Xiaoxiao, both in stealth mode, returned.

In the shared images, the crowd had grown larger.

No suspicious figures were found, but everyone was talking about the sneak attack.

Wu Heng looked at the two men and said, "Come with me. You'll submit to the Guild's investigation. If it wasn't you, they'll let you go."

"No, no, I'm not going to the inner city! You know I didn't do it!" The goateed man quickly pleaded.

He regretted everything.

Why did he have to get involved with the Guild?

"Think carefully. If you come with me, I trust you. But if the Guild sends people to arrest you, your name will be on the wanted list."

The man swallowed hard, hesitated, and finally said, "Alright, I'll go with you."

"Have your people disperse the crowd and prepare a carriage."

"Alright!"

The man opened the door and gave orders to his people outside.

The crowd was dispersed, and a carriage pulled up in front.

Wu Heng and the wanted criminal's corpse were loaded into the carriage.

With Duke and the others providing cover, they headed for the inner city.

......

Adventurer's Guild.

Steward Gomes personally interrogated the gang leader from the outer district.

A few days ago, a captain from Team 8 was killed, and the culprit hadn't been caught. Now, Team 12 had been targeted for assassination.

It was a disgrace for the Rentam City Guild.

Gomes, as a Steward, was furious.

He almost killed the goateed man and his subordinate on the spot, corpses don't lie.

But he held back in the end.

The gangs managing local security were also tied to the city lord's administration, so some face had to be saved.

Before long, Wu Heng returned from the interrogation room.

Duke and Marta immediately stood up, concerned. "Captain, how did it go?"

Wu Heng sat down on the sofa and said, "The Steward is taking this seriously, but there's no conclusion yet. Be careful for the next few days."

"We're fine, Captain. You're the one who needs to be careful. It feels like they're targeting you," Duke said.

Wu Heng nodded. He had the same feeling.

When Duke had spoken to them earlier, nothing had seemed wrong.

But the moment Wu Heng stepped outside, an arrow was fired.

If Bagdong hadn't blocked it, he could've been killed.

"It's fine. Let's split the money, then everyone can head home. I'll contact you if there's another mission," Wu Heng said.

He then distributed the reward from the mission and the money they had scavenged.

After taking their share and chatting for a bit.

They all went home.

......

Evening.

Knock, knock, knock~!

A knock came at the door.

The door opened, revealing Wen Mansa standing at the entrance with her arms crossed.

"Sister," Minnie greeted sweetly.

Even though she always talked about getting strong enough to beat up the gang members.

She was still very well-behaved in front of the gang leader's wife.

"Hmm." Wen Mansa nodded, stepping inside and quickly removing her coat. She hurried inside, saying, "Master, I heard you were in danger today. You weren't hurt, were you?"

As she spoke, she rushed over, bringing with her a pleasant fragrance.

Wu Heng replied, "I'm fine. What are they saying outside?"

"They're saying the Scorpion Claw Gang tried to kill you but failed," Wen Mansa said as she checked him over.

Due to their contract.

If Wu Heng were to die, Wen Mansa and the other slaves who bore the soul brand would also be affected.

Those of lower levels would have their souls collapse, while those of higher levels would suffer mental deterioration, becoming mindless.

So their fates were tied to Wu Heng's.

If something happened to Wu Heng, none of them would survive.

Hearing that Wu Heng had been in danger, the other two maids also rushed over, faces full of concern.

"It wasn't related to you. Someone was pulling the strings," Wu Heng said.

"Was it the Scorpion Claw Gang?" Wen Mansa asked.

"Probably not. Have someone keep an eye on this. See if you can find out who it was," Wu Heng said.

The Guild was also taking this seriously, with various teams quietly investigating the matter.

Relying on the Guild to find the culprit wasn't likely.

He had no close ties with other teams.

So they wouldn't put in the effort to investigate thoroughly.

"I will. Do you want me to send people to wipe out the Scorpion Claw Gang tonight?" Wen Mansa asked bluntly.

Wu Heng pinched her cheek and said, "No need, they were probably just being used."

He had a few suspicions in his mind.

The first possibility was that the wanted criminal's accomplice saw his partner killed and took a shot from

the shadows.

The second was the 'Tianyan Secret Cult,' unhappy with the high price he'd demanded and deciding to take action.

The third possibility was that an enemy of the Scorpion Claw Gang set them up.

A fourth option was a former enemy or an accomplice of a previous wanted criminal, but that would make the suspect pool too large to narrow down.

The first three possibilities seemed most likely.

"Alright, but this won't go unpunished. If there was trouble in the Scorpion Claw Gang's territory, they'll have to pay the price," Wen Mansa said through gritted teeth.

That was definitely a gang mindset.

"By the way, do you know a man named 'Gianluan'?" Wu Heng asked.

Gianluan was the old man from the Tianyan Secret Cult who had tried to bribe him with five women to befriend him.

He needed to investigate this guy's background.

Wen Mansa shook her head. "No idea. What business is he in? I'll have someone look into it."

"He seems to own the Blue Howl Tavern and has a few other businesses in the city. I don't know much more than that," Wu Heng said.

"Alright, I'll have someone look into it. Asking for information shouldn't be too difficult," Wen Mansa said.

They chatted for a few more minutes.

Minnie and Andviel, seeing that Wu Heng was unharmed, returned to the kitchen to continue preparing dinner.

Wen Mansa glanced around.

She then sat down on Wu Heng's lap.

"Master, I'm sorry. It was my fault for giving you bad information and putting you in danger," Wen Mansa said with a look of regret.

A soft, fragrant sensation enveloped him.

"It wasn't your fault. The intel was fine."

Wen Mansa leaned in closer, whispering, "No, I made a mistake and need to be punished."

Wu Heng wrapped his arms around her waist, seeing her blushing face, and understood what she meant.

Since signing the contract with him, Wen Mansa had become increasingly bold.

It was as if she had unlocked some hidden side of herself.

"Alright."