Mouthpiece

Su Jingyuan nodded and did not dwell on the matter any further.

He still held the handkerchief over his nose and mouth, his voice coming from behind it.

"I made a circuit."

"Judging from the traces at the scene and the positions of the bodies..."

"It was obvious that, under the Tianfu Group's direction, the people in this village had formed an encirclement."

"There were only a few people under attack—perhaps even just one."

"The Tianfu Group accepted the mission I issued, so I boldly speculate that the person they surrounded was our target."

"The young man who killed Ke Zhen and took the 'Chaoyin' device."

Bai Yun leaned against the wall and pulled out a cigarette. Jiang Yiming came over and lit it for her.

Bai Yun exhaled a cloud of smoke and said flatly, "And then?"

Su Jingyuan's gaze was deep. "I think the Tianfu Group initially believed they were squeezing a soft persimmon."

"But judging from the result, what they squeezed was clearly a firecracker—or even a detonator."

"So all the Tianfu people died."

"Outside the village, I saw Liu Dao's corpse."

"He was Ruan Tianfu's 'close minister.' His presence here meant that someone from the Ruan family had been at the scene."

"Ruan Tianfu has rarely ventured out over the past two years, so the person directing this operation was probably his daughter, 'Heavenly Official' Ruan Xiu."

"Among the Tianfu Group's three 'Heavenly Officials,' Ruan Xiu ranked last, but her strength was by no means weak."

"She was skilled at charming and maneuvering among people. Only she could gather so many surface hunters and adventurers in such a short time."

"She herself was an Advanced level expert. With the Divine Treasure 'Thunderclap' as her foundation, she cultivated lightning arts alongside the Five Thunders Orthodox Method."

"There