Chapter 337
Unable to find Han Xiaoyue, Lin Hui wandered the Royal City a while longer, gathering what information he could about Xie Chang'an and Zhang Yao. He managed to trace the origins of the Xie family, yet for reasons he couldn't determine, not even a whisper of news about Xie Chang'an had surfaced.
As for the Zhang family on Zhang Yao's mother's side—he found his mother's grave. Beside it lay a new tomb.
Outer City of the Royal City. Ninth Cemetery.
A fine drizzle fell. Dressed entirely in black, umbrella in hand, Lin Hui stood quietly before a rectangular gray-white tombstone.
Tomb of the Respected Master, Zhang Yao.
The name was etched clearly into the stone, beside a small carved portrait in black and white. The engraving was remarkably lifelike—undeniably the work of a martial arts expert. Its precision rivaled the machine-engraved stone portraits of his previous life, and it was this that told him instantly he was standing before Zhang Yao's grave.
A jug of rice wine and two clusters of incense and candles had been set before the monument.
"It seems Brother Zhang left behind a legacy of his own," Lin Hui murmured.
Zhang Yao's martial arts had never been exceptional, but his mastery over arrays surpassed that of the other two in their trio. Whoever had erected this monument was almost certainly a disciple who had inherited that legacy.