The woman froze for a moment, then instinctively said, "He's already disappeared."
"Disappeared?" Li Ping frowned. "Why?"
The woman's eyes darted aside, and a trace of satisfaction crept into her voice. "My lord has been in seclusion these past few days. I... I discussed it with the Miao and Zhou Families, and afterward, he disappeared."
"Foolish!" Li Ping's expression darkened as he snapped, "He was such an important witness, and you let those two families silence him?!"
"But wasn't everything already clear as day?" the woman asked, bewildered. "Besides, Pei Ling may be a vicious little beast, but if that disciple hadn't been up to no good and arranged for such a beast to be sent to Si Guang and the others, how could this have happened?"
Li Ping sneered. "That's a woman's way of thinking! You believe whatever Deacon Hall says? Yes, their investigative methods are peerless. Since the Sacred Sect was founded, wrongful convictions have been rare! But even their account can't prove that Pei Ling was the real culprit!"
The woman was struck speechless. "B-but..."
"Pei Ling is only at Qi Refining Layer 4, and he doesn't come from a distinguished background. He likely has no resources to speak of," Li Ping said coldly. "At his age and cultivation, it would be impressive if he could defeat any one of the three children in a one-on-one fight. But where would he get the ability to face all three at once and kill them?"
The woman said, "Deacon Hall said he knows a powerful saber technique, as well as an escape technique..."
"Doesn't that settle it?" Li Ping said mildly. "He's Pei Hong Nian's cousin. Pei Hong Nian has been in the sect for years. Who doesn't know what he's capable of? Does Pei Hong Nian know such a powerful saber technique and escape technique? If he did, given how foolishly Sun Yinglan has been leading him around by the nose, wouldn't it have gotten out long ago? Since Pei Hong Nian doesn't know them, tell me, why would Pei Ling?"
"Perhaps he came across some opportunity on his own?" the woman protested. "After all, this isn't the time of year when the sect takes in new disciples, yet Inner Sect Pulse Master Zheng made an exception and brought him in. That must mean there's something special about him."
Li Ping looked at her as if she were an idiot. "Do you think the Pei Clan of Luquan City is full of corpses? A saber technique and an escape technique like that can't be mastered overnight. If Pei Ling had found such an opportunity himself, he grew up in Luquan City. How could the Pei Clan not notice? And once they did, wouldn't they tell Pei Hong Nian, their Sect Son?"
"...Then what do you think, my lord?" The woman opened her mouth. She could see there was some sense in his argument, and her voice sank as she asked hesitantly.
Li Ping sneered. "The key isn't Pei Ling at all! It's Zheng Jingshan of the Inner Sect!"
He pointed toward Affairs Hall. "After hearing about what happened to Si Guang, I already sent someone to make inquiries. On the morning Si Guang and the others were killed, Pei Ling showed up at the Miscellaneous Affairs Department, begging people everywhere to form a team... Chen Huan and the others took him away. By now, I'm afraid his cultivation, flesh, blood, and soul have all been refined into the Soul Summoning Banner. If he really were as vicious as you claim, would he have been so easily killed?"
"This was certainly Zheng Jingshan's doing!"
"As for why, hehe, most likely our Si Guang was dragged into it because of that Miao boy."
"Miao Chengan's elder brother, Miao Chengyang, is one of the Thirteen Meridians' Pulse Masters in the Inner Sect, just like Zheng Jingshan. The two of them have a grudge."
"Although Miao Chengyang doesn't consider Zheng Jingshan a match for him, Zheng Jingshan has ties to Li True Disciple... so Miao Chengyang doesn't dare go too far."
"Not long ago, the two meridians clashed, and Zheng Jingshan suffered a serious loss. He nearly had to ask Li True Disciple to clean up the mess."
"Although the other Pulse Masters eventually brokered a truce, Zheng Jingshan kept threatening to get revenge..."
Li Ping narrowed his eyes. "Otherwise, why would Pei Ling, with his low birth and weak cultivation, go after Si Guang and the other two as soon as he entered the sect? Was he crazy?"
"I'm afraid he joined the sect specifically to kill Miao Chengan on Zheng Jingshan's orders, as revenge."
The woman stared blankly for a moment. Something still didn't seem right, and she couldn't help pointing out, "My lord, you just said that if Pei Ling knew powerful saber and escape techniques, the Pei Clan would have noticed, and Pei Hong Nian would have learned them too! But Pei Hong Nian doesn't even know saber techniques... And it seems Pulse Master Zheng only went to Luquan City recently. How could Pei Ling have mastered such powerful techniques in so short a time..."
"Why are you so stupid?" Li Ping sighed helplessly, interrupting her. "Pei Hong Nian has been Zheng Jingshan's disciple for years. Who would know if he secretly passed some techniques to his cousin? As for why Pei Hong Nian and the Pei Clan don't know them, that's simple. Zheng Jingshan only wanted a pawn. Why would he care if Pei Ling lived or died? Truly excellent techniques are incredibly precious! The Pei Clan isn't important enough for him to pay such a great price to win them over."
"Those techniques must be immensely powerful and quick to master, but they come with a terrible price and no regard for the consequences."
"The Pei Clan might be willing to send a collateral-line son to serve Zheng Jingshan, but how could they sacrifice their prized Sect Son?"
"Pei Ling, on the other hand, lost his birth mother young. After his stepmother married into the family, he became an outsider in the Pei Clan. Someone with his background was perfect as a sacrificial pawn!"
He sneered again. "This is one of Zheng Jingshan's old tricks. Don't forget, when he first entered the Inner Sect, he killed his own father to cultivate and seize the position of Pulse Master! If he could use his own father as a stepping-stone, what was one mere Pei clansman to him?"
The woman clenched her teeth as she listened, then rose to her feet. "My lord! Now that we know Zheng Jingshan did this, we absolutely cannot let him get away with it!"
"Too late!" Li Ping said coldly. "The Sect Rules are merciless, but they require evidence. Pei Ling has almost certainly become a wraith under the Soul Summoning Banner by now. He's dead, and there's no one left to testify. No matter how much we suspect Zheng Jingshan, we can't convince Deacon Hall to act against him. If we go to confront him without proof, we might accidentally violate the Sect Rules and end up paying a fine!"
He let out a slow breath, exasperation clear in his voice. "That's why I asked where the disciple was who assigned Pei Ling to Si Guang and the others. I'd hoped that if we could find evidence against Zheng Jingshan, we'd have a trace of him bribing or conspiring with that disciple. Otherwise, what are the odds? Pei Ling had only just arrived in the Outer Sect. Among all those ill-tempered Outer Sect disciples, why was he assigned to the very same residence as Miao Chengan?"
"It's obvious Zheng Jingshan bribed that disciple and arranged it on purpose, giving Pei Ling the chance to strike."
"But I never expected you'd act so rashly and help Zheng Jingshan clean up after himself!"
The woman couldn't hold back her tears. "My lord, he was your own grandson! You may have other children, but he was the only bit of your blood that I bore you. Are you really going to do nothing?"
"Of course I'm not doing nothing." Li Ping glanced at his concubine. After all, she had served him for many years, and his heart softened. He hesitated, then said, "But Zheng Jingshan is in the Inner Sect, and as an Outer Sect elder, I can't make a move. Here's what you'll do: inform the Miao and Zhou Families, and ask Zhou True Disciple to keep Li True Disciple occupied, so Miao Chengyang can deal with Zheng Jingshan. Without Li True Disciple's protection, Zheng Jingshan would be no match for Miao Chengyang!"
"Yes!" The woman hastily wiped her face, her expression twisted with hatred as she curtseyed. She turned and strode outside, her voice ragged with fury. "I'll go avenge Si Guang right now!!!"
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