Ye Chang'an stepped out from behind Ye Chongguang, his brow knitted tightly in anger as he shouted, “Our Taiqing Pavilion's Elder Huaisang also died here last night. How could we possibly...”
Mid-sentence, he suddenly caught sight of Song Yao sitting on the threshold of the front hall. His tongue inexplicably tied itself in knots, and his momentum weakened by a fraction.
But then, remembering something, he hardened his posture again and continued, “How could it possibly be my father's doing? Besides, my father wasn't even at the Wen residence last night!”
Song Yao let out a soft, surprised hum.
Elder Huaisang was dead too?
Two people had died at the same time in the Wen family estate—one was the family head, and the other was an elder of Taiqing Pavilion.
Looking at it this way, the ones under the greatest suspicion were indeed the members of Nine Saints Hall who had stayed at the Wen estate last night.
Zhu Zhao sneered. “Your father couldn't have, but we could? You just said that Family Head Wen and Elder Huaisang died in the same room, correct?”
Wen Yu's eyes flashed with resentment as she nodded. “Yes.”
“Then are you suggesting—”
Zhu Zhao spoke unhurriedly, laying out her points clearly layer by layer. “That the few people from Nine Saints Hall—not counting myself, as you should know best where I slept last night—including a talisman cultivator, an artifact cultivator, two half-grown children, and a few minor cultivators, could somehow silently kill a family head and a Taiqing Pavilion elder right under the Wen family's nose without alerting a single soul?”
When she finished, a rare trace of ridicule appeared in her cold, sharp eyes. “If you truly want to claim that our Nine Saints Hall is that capable, then I have no objections.”
Her presence was imposing. Standing alone against so many cultivators from Taiqing Pavilion and the Wen family, she did not yield an inch.
Wen Yu immediately lost half her confidence. She opened her mouth, her throat feeling as though it were being squeezed. “Who... who knows if you used some underhanded trick...”
Zhu Zhao scoffed and said no more.
That airy scoff was more humiliating than any counterargument. Wen Yu's face instantly flushed red from pale.
Sitting on the threshold, Song Yao shook her head as she munched on a piece of poria cake left over from yesterday for breakfast.
She had heard that Wen Yu had been pampered and spoiled by Wen Meijue since childhood, making her perhaps the most normal member of the Wen family.
Now that Wen Meijue was dead, she couldn't even speak a proper sentence, completely incapable of holding her own.
Fortunately, Ye Chongguang finally spoke up, his heavy gaze pressing down on Zhu Zhao. “If it wasn't Nine Saints Hall, could it be that our Taiqing Pavilion and the Wen family did it to ourselves?”
Zhu Zhao took inspiration from his words. “Since they died in the same room, perhaps they killed each other.”
Song Yao burst out laughing.
How bizarre.
Her Second Senior Sister, usually such a rigid and dogmatic person, had actually become so sharp-tongued.
Not bad, not bad at all.
Ye Chang'an poked his head out again to argue, “What nonsense! How could Elder Huaisang kill someone for no reason!”
Zhu Zhao countered, “Then you mean to say our Nine Saints Hall just kills people on a whim?”
Ye Chang'an stuttered, “You... I...”
The Third Elder, who had been looking down in deep thought, cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention. “Since Taiqing Pavilion and the Wen family are dead set on accusing Nine Saints Hall, you might as well produce some evidence.”
With that, he turned to Wen Yu, his gaze as heavy and steady as a boulder. “Where are the bodies of Family Head Wen and Elder Huaisang? If Nine Saints Hall did it, there will surely be traces of our techniques on the corpses.”
Faced with such an esteemed senior, Wen Yu grew even weaker, stammering out, “The... the bodies were already burned last night.”
The faces of the Nine Saints Hall group darkened in unison.
They were that eager to destroy the evidence?
Ye Chongguang sneered, his voice icy. “Given the cultivation realms of Family Head Wen and Elder Huaisang, even in death, their remains would not be so easily burned. However...”
He glanced at the Third Elder. “Elder He has a fire spiritual root, so burning them would probably be child's play for him.”
The Third Elder's expression shifted slightly. Before he could speak, Zhu Zhao took a sharp step forward. “How dare you slander us!”
A sharp bird cry pierced the sky as the Black Bird flew in from the mountains. Its wingspan stretched several yards wide, its pitch-black feathers gleaming with a cold luster in the sunlight. It circled above her head, its golden eyes staring intently at the opposing crowd.
The cultivators of the Wen family and Taiqing Pavilion were startled. They drew their swords one after another, their blades gleaming like snow in a sudden, uniform flash.
“Hey—”
Amidst the tense standoff, a voice drifted in from outside the crowd.
Everyone turned toward the sound. Ji Duchuan strolled over. “Don't be hasty, don't be hasty. No need to start fighting just yet.”
He cupped his hands to the crowd. “Even ashes can reveal the cause of death.”
When Ye Chongguang saw who it was, his face instantly darkened, a trace of gloom flitting across his eyes.
He stared at Ji Duchuan, his voice dropping. “You are... from Medicine King Valley? Young Master Ji, this matter has nothing to do with Medicine King Valley. It would be best if you did not interfere.”
Ji Duchuan replied politely, “Pavilion Master Ye, please do not be in such a hurry to drive me away. I have met Elder Huaisang and Family Head Wen a few times. Passing by today and hearing of this tragedy, I merely wish to offer my assistance to seek justice for them.”
He paused. “After all, we wouldn't want to falsely accuse the innocent while letting the true culprit go free, would we?”
Ye Chongguang frowned, his lips parting. Before he could speak, the Third Elder beat him to it: “Then we shall trouble Young Master Ji.”
Ji Duchuan nodded slightly and turned to Wen Yu. “Where are the ashes? Please allow me to examine them.”
Wen Yu's face grew even paler than before. She instinctively glanced at Ye Chongguang, then quickly withdrew her gaze, gritting her teeth. “There are no ashes.”
The members of Nine Saints Hall and Ji Duchuan were all stunned.
Ji Duchuan tilted his head slightly, wondering if he had misheard. “No ashes?”
Wen Yu nodded. “Yes...”
Suddenly, someone burst out laughing in the corner.
The sound wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally jarring in this solemn atmosphere.
Everyone couldn't help but look in that direction.
Song Yao was still sitting on the threshold, her robes loosely draped, her hair slightly messy with a few stray strands sticking up, gilded with a fuzzy, pale gold by the morning light.
Her eyes curved like crescents, looking thoroughly entertained by the spectacle.
Ye Chang'an seemed to have found an outlet for his anger. Straightening his back and lifting his chin with self-righteous, lapdog-like indignation, he snapped, “What are you laughing at?! Family Head Wen and Elder Huaisang have met with disaster, and you still dare to laugh! This is a complete lack of respect for your seniors! Is this how Nine Saints Hall teaches its disciples?!”
“Since there are neither bodies nor ashes, on what grounds do you claim that Family Head Wen and Elder Huaisang are dead?”
Song Yao leaned against the doorframe, crossing her arms, and smiled again. “For you all to curse them like this, isn't that the real disrespect?”
Ye Chang'an's words were instantly choked back down his throat. The expressions of the surrounding crowd froze as well, seemingly finding some sense in her words.
Ye Chongguang's brow twitched. He said coldly, “Elder Huaisang's soul lamp has gone out, so he has naturally passed away. I must ask this young friend to refrain from speaking nonsense.”
Rate on N.U.
