Suspicion

Chapter 48: Suspicion

Wang Sen's residence.

Luo Qiuzhen stood in the courtyard, surrounded by men from the Inspection Hall.

Sunlight spilled into Wang Sen's small courtyard; despite the bright weather, Luo Qiuzhen felt a chill reminiscent of autumn.

Xi Jiang retrieved a glass cup from inside the room: "These are Xuan Mulang's belongings. There are also some other items here that are Li Baidao's relics."

Fu Dongliu beamed, his eyes crinkling as he spoke in a voice as shrill as a woman's: "Excellent! Excellent! Where is Wang Sen?"

Xi Jiang lowered his head: "He is not in his room. The night patrol disciples reported that he left the mountain late last night, claiming he had a sect mission."

"A sect mission?" Fu Dongliu's duck-like voice suddenly rose in pitch: "Was this arranged by Chang Duanhun?"

Xi Jiang shook his head: "I have already sent a message to inquire; there was no such arrangement."

"Good!" Fu Dongliu was overjoyed: "Then it is beyond doubt. Wang Sen committed murder and robbery, used a Ground Rat Puppet, and is confirmed to be a spy for the Wood Puppet Sect. Furthermore, this matter ties perfectly into the previous murders at Huaiyin Mountain and the theft from the pill room. We have finally found the true culprit. Pass the order: arrest him immediately. Also, request the Divine Mechanism Hall to track his location and the Wind Chasing Hall to apprehend the criminal!"

The Inspection Hall already had a scapegoat for the arson case, and Fu Dongliu had no intention of getting involved in that.

"Yes!" A disciple of the Inspection Hall acknowledged the order and left.

Luo Qiuzhen stood there, staring at the ground, motionless.

Fu Dongliu looked at him: "Qiuzhen, what are you thinking about?"

Luo Qiuzhen forced a smile: "I originally had some thoughts, but I didn't expect things to go so far beyond my expectations. It truly caught me off guard."

Fu Dongliu wore an expression of complete understanding: "Wang Sen was not among those you suspected, right? So you feel a bit disappointed? That is not strange; your investigative methods rely too heavily on speculation. But the human heart is hard to define, and the secrets of heaven are hard to predict—how could everything possibly go according to plan? Judgments based on guesswork are inherently illusory, so it is normal for them to fall through."

Luo Qiuzhen wanted to say that this wasn't just random guessing, but knowing he couldn't reason with Fu Dongliu, he could only nod in agreement.

Fu Dongliu was in high spirits, stroking his goatee as he said: "Continue the search. See if there is any other evidence. This case must be made into an ironclad one, with evidence as solid as a mountain, so that it can never be overturned!"

Luo Qiuzhen couldn't help but say: "Envoy Fu, there is one thing I don't understand. If the incident at Xuanyu Pavilion was Wang Sen's doing, how did he sneak in? The defenses of the Green Wood Hall are strict; it's not that easy to infiltrate."

Fu Dongliu was impatient: "He is a spy for the Wood Puppet Sect. The Wood Puppet Sect is a major immortal sect on par with our Black and White Divine Palace. Isn't it enough that they gave him some treasures to conceal his tracks?"

In terms of logic, this did hold up.

"But why did it have to be the Green Wood Hall?" Luo Qiuzhen still wouldn't give up.

Fu Dongliu became even more dissatisfied: "That's a strange question to ask. What he wanted to steal is his business; why are you asking me? Won't we know once we catch him?"

I'm just afraid you won't be able to catch him.

Luo Qiuzhen knew that continuing to ask would only annoy Fu Dongliu, but he was unwilling to give up just yet: "If that is the case, I have one last question."

"What else do you have? Spit it out!" Fu Dongliu's anger was already surging, threatening to drown Luo Qiuzhen at any moment.

Luo Qiuzhen bit the bullet and said: "How did Wang Sen know that I didn't die?"

Fu Dongliu faltered, unable to provide an answer.

While Luo Qiuzhen was still feeling helpless at Wang Sen's residence, Ning Ye was also nursing a headache in his own room.

Inside the small hut, Ning Ye curled up in a dark corner where the light couldn't reach, as if this could make him feel safer.

Leaning against the wall, Ning Ye sighed: "Luo Qiuzhen already knows that the items lost by Xuan Mulang included a Thousand Mechanism Hall Fragment."

"Ah? Didn't he say that Xuan Mulang hadn't finished cataloging everything that was lost?" Tianji asked, bewildered.

"That was something he said on purpose."

"How do you know?"

"Because he said he would help me restore my appearance."

The biggest difference between Heavenly Mechanism Sect disciples and spies from other sects is that their identities can be verified. Spies cultivated by other sects don't need to disfigure themselves to infiltrate, but for Heavenly Mechanism Sect disciples, it is necessary.

Precisely because of this, when Luo Qiuzhen offered to help Ning Ye restore his appearance, Ning Ye knew that Luo Qiuzhen must have already known that a Thousand Mechanism Hall Fragment was among the stolen items.

It was only because more than just the Thousand Mechanism Hall Fragment had been stolen that Luo Qiuzhen couldn't be certain, but even so, this was an important clue—had Wang Sen not suddenly appeared to take the fall.

Tianji also grew anxious: "Does that mean Luo Qiuzhen hasn't given up his suspicion of you?"

Ning Ye smiled: "It would be normal for him not to give up. If he gave up so easily just because of Wang Sen, he wouldn't be worth the high regard I hold for him."

"Then what if he really does restore your appearance?"

Ning Ye raised an eyebrow: "Is it that simple? My face was ruined during the dissipation of my cultivation; my internal energy is fused, making it extremely difficult to restore through ordinary means. Even if Luo Qiuzhen really had the ability to obtain such a treasure, would he be willing to use it on me?"

Hearing his arrogant tone, Tianji pouted: "Everyone else hopes for recovery, but here you are, feeling proud and happy that it's difficult to fix."

Ning Ye laughed: "I'm not happy about that. I'm happy because Luo Qiuzhen, in his attempt to test me, has inadvertently leaked a piece of vital information."

"Hmm?" Tianji was confused, but then saw Ning Ye's expression darken.

At that moment, Tianji felt Ning Ye's entire aura shift suddenly. His energy became heavy, his expression cold, and the killing intent within him began to leak out. The entire room was filled with a bleak, murderous atmosphere, and then, with a series of cracks, the surrounding tables, chairs, and cups began to fissure.

Tianji was startled. They were talking perfectly fine, so why did he suddenly turn so ruthless?

Fortunately, it was a natural straight man to his act, asking: "What information?"

Ning Ye's tone was chilling: "That the traitor of the Heavenly Mechanism Sect is right here in the Black and White Divine Palace!"

This sentence, however, was truly filled with endless malice and resentment.

When the three of them fled that day, Ning Ye knew that there must have been a traitor in the Heavenly Mechanism Sect, though he did not know which faction they belonged to. But looking at the situation back then, the Black and White Divine Palace had put in the most effort and dispatched their most prominent figures, so Ning Ye suspected that the traitor was within the Black and White Divine Palace; this was also the reason he chose the Black and White Divine Palace.

Luo Qiuzhen was not stupid, but he did not expect that his parting words had also revealed his hand, because if the traitor were not in the Black and White Divine Palace, then even if Ning Ye restored his appearance, no one would be able to recognize him.

Since Luo Qiuzhen used the restoration of his appearance as a test, it went without saying that the traitor from the Heavenly Mechanism Sect must be here.

And dealing with the traitor was precisely the second step of Ning Ye's plan, one of the two major tasks he had sworn to resolve during his time in the Cang Xiang Realm—provided that the traitor was indeed in the Black and White Divine Palace.

Upon understanding this logic, Tianji was also stunned, but then it began to pace anxiously: "You still want to kill the traitor? You can barely protect yourself as it is!"

"What is there to be unable to protect?" Ning Ye raised an eyebrow: "The case is already closed. I know people like Fu Dongliu and Yue Xinchans too well; for them, a closed case must never be reopened, otherwise, it would be a slap in the face in front of everyone. Luo Qiuzhen cannot obtain the support of the Black and White Divine Palace, so he cannot do anything to me openly, and besides, Luo Qiuzhen may not necessarily want the support of the Black and White Divine Palace..."

The last part was somewhat cryptic, and Tianji did not understand, as it was more concerned with the immediate problem: "But even if he cannot investigate openly, he can still investigate in secret."

"Then let him investigate!" Ning Ye replied decisively.

When soldiers come, block them; when water comes, earth covers it. Ning Ye was already prepared to have a proper battle of wits with Luo Qiuzhen.

A sense of heroism suddenly surged within his heart; only such an opponent could ignite his full fighting spirit.