Truth Behind the Speculation

The thought of how important the Earth Spirit Pearl was to him made Meng Zhao's already foul mood turn even worse. His face darkened as he stared at the pit ahead and said coldly,

"So this Medicine Field originally produced an Earth Spirit Pearl, but someone secretly took it?"

Lü Zhong nodded. His withered hand clenched lightly, and the Earth Spirit Stone in his palm was instantly crushed to powder by an incomparably terrifying force. A gust of wind scattered it across the lifeless ground.

"That should be the case. Otherwise, there would be no reason to find an Earth Spirit Stone while the Earth Spirit Pearl had vanished without a trace.

"The person who burned down the Medicine Field must have feared that, after the Earth Spirit Pearl was taken, the field's spiritual essence would leak away and expose the truth.

"That was why they set this place ablaze, hoping to conceal it."

It was only a conjecture, but Meng Zhao and the others felt that it was already very close to the truth.

They had initially believed that looting the Herbal Ingredients from the two warehouses had been the objective, while burning the Medicine Field had merely been done along the way. Now, it seemed the priorities had been reversed.

Destroying the Medicine Field had been the carefully planned act. The stolen Herbal Ingredients from the two warehouses had, instead, not been all that important.

To be honest, neither Meng Zhao nor Lü Zhong cared much about the Medicine Field, the loss of Herbal Ingredients, or the casualties among the guards.

The Second Branch had vast wealth and resources. It could afford such losses.

But the Earth Spirit Pearl was different. This thing was a rare treasure that could only be encountered by chance, never sought.

There were not many first-rank earthly treasures in the entire Meng Family, and the Second Branch, which had been dormant for years, possessed absolutely none.

Given that, it was no wonder Lü Zhong had been so anxious and furious when he discovered this.

In any world, the law of the jungle, where the weak were prey to the strong, would always exist.

And in this world, martial arts were the greatest guarantee of power. Before martial artists, ordinary people were as frail as children.

Likewise, martial artists themselves could be strong or weak.

The Earth Spirit Pearl could help Meng Zhao sail smoothly along the path of martial arts.

In Lü Zhong's eyes, returning from Great Compassion Temple was merely Meng Zhao's first step. If he wished to completely take control of the Second Branch, or even restore and expand its glory,

then besides possessing exceptional ability, Meng Zhao also could not lack personal strength.

How could someone with mediocre martial talent and mediocre strength possibly subdue those unruly martial men?

Meng Zhao was in much the same mood. Within a short span of time, he had tasted every flavor of life—sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy.

It was like buying a lottery ticket, learning after the draw that he had won five million, rejoicing wildly, then going to claim the prize the next day only to discover that someone had stolen the ticket. He truly did not wish to experience such loss and frustration a second time.

"Sun Chuanshan, the guard who escaped by faking his death, and the group of killers who looted the estate and ambushed me.

"Uncle Zhong, whose hands do you think the Earth Spirit Pearl is in now?"

With his personal interests at stake, Meng Zhao's thoughts were exceptionally clear. He directly set his sights on these three parties.

As for the two brothers from the First Branch, he had completely cast them from his mind.

In his view, Sun Chuanshan was merely a cudgel. It was more likely that he had been used by someone as a smokescreen.

The guard who had colluded with Sun Chuanshan to loot the estate and had deliberately produced a corpse to fake his death was the most suspicious.

Lü Zhong's reply gave Meng Zhao a definite answer.

He also believed that the Earth Spirit Pearl was most likely in the hands of that guard who had escaped by faking his death.

Using the information they currently possessed, the three could even deduce some of the origins and developments of the matter.

The guard who had colluded with Sun Chuanshan should have been the key figure in the entire affair, the source of all evil.

He had been stealing and diverting the estate's resources for his own pleasures for several years. The deficit was enormous, and it was only a matter of time before he was discovered.

As the day of Meng Zhao's return to the Meng Family from Jade Capital drew nearer, he had likely grown increasingly anxious. He feared that the truth would come to light, that the tiger skin he had borrowed would be stripped away, and that he would meet a bad end.

Thus, he began actively contacting disciples of prominent families such as Sun Chuanshan, building bridges and paving roads for his future escape.

Then, by a twist of fate, he discovered the secret hidden within the estate's Medicine Field and learned of the Earth Spirit Pearl's existence.

His greed surged, and he planned this raid on the estate.

Sun Chuanshan's role in all this had actually been that of a scapegoat. He had received some trifling benefits, yet because of his identity and actions, he had drawn the Meng Family's hatred to the fullest and become a smokescreen meant to divert everyone's attention.

Meanwhile, this guard had quietly made a fortune, disappearing with the most precious Earth Spirit Pearl after faking his death.

Even if the fake death was eventually exposed, outsiders might still see him merely as an accomplice in the entire incident, and the force directed against him would not be particularly great.

He might even be overlooked for a time after provoking a war between the Sun and Meng Families.

A mere pawn—no one would pay much attention to him.

After all, Meng Zhao and Lü Zhong had both previously believed Sun Chuanshan to be the most hateful person.

If not for the child's crying that had drawn the three of them over, or if Lü Zhong had failed to recognize the Earth Spirit Stone,

then everything might truly have unfolded exactly as that person had anticipated.

If the above conjecture was true, then this person could indeed be considered a capable talent.

After pondering for a long while, Meng Zhao finally instructed Lü Zhong and Lü Yue,

"Since this concerns the Earth Spirit Pearl, there is no need to inform my eldest uncle.

"I will handle Sun Chuanshan's matter myself. There is no need to involve the conflict between the two families.

"Uncle Zhong, your most urgent task now is to mobilize all the resources at our disposal and find that traitor as soon as possible."

Lü Zhong and Lü Yue exchanged a glance and immediately understood Meng Zhao's intentions.

He feared that news of the Earth Spirit Pearl would leak out and arouse the covetousness of the two brothers from the First Branch.

After all, if they obtained an earthly treasure capable of raising one's inner power cultivation, they could undergo a leap in improvement within an extremely short time. It would greatly benefit their struggle for the position of family head.

When the time came, if those two brothers came shamelessly asking for it, should he agree or refuse?

Agreeing was impossible.

To Meng Zhao, the Earth Spirit Pearl represented, to a certain extent, an increase in his personal strength and safety. It was an immense stroke of fortune.

Many people would not encounter such a thing even once in their entire lives. He would never hand it over on a silver platter.

As for refusing, honestly, the price would also be great. By then, he would have offended both brothers and become unwelcome on either side, leaving himself in an even more difficult position.

Therefore, it was best that everything which had happened at this estate rotted here and did not spread outside, lest new complications arise.

"This old servant understands. Young Master, go ahead and act boldly. Whatever happens, this old servant will support you."

Lü Zhong heard some unspoken meaning in Meng Zhao's tone. Thus, he gave him a reassuring look, promising to cover for him so that he would not be constrained when handling matters.

Meng Zhao smiled and nodded. Times had changed, and so had his circumstances. Naturally, his attitude toward the entire affair was no longer the same.

He had no interest in disputes of pride, but when it came to conflicts of interest, he would not yield an inch.

Moreover, stirred by the Earth Spirit Pearl, Meng Zhao abandoned the idea of staying overnight at the estate.

In the end, under the protection of Lü Yue and a group of attendants, he rode in a carriage back to the residence...