After hearing him out, Xu Jiuling hurriedly asked, "Who was it? Someone from the Xu Household on Sea Prosperity Island? Someone from the demonic path? Or someone else?"
Qing Chen replied, "None of those. It was Mo Qiuxian."
Xu Jiuling visibly paused. "Mo Qiuxian? He ambushed you?"
Qing Chen nodded in confirmation.
Xu Jiuling's gaze changed at once. "Do you have evidence?"
Qing Chen hurriedly handed over two Recording Stones. One was Qin Zigu's; the other was one Qing Chen had secretly used to record events before his battle with Mo Qiuxian. Then he said,
"On Mysterious Mountain Island, Qin Zigu attacked me. He failed, and I captured him, whereupon he confessed to certain things.
"But those matters were so shocking that I intended to investigate them before reporting them.
"Yet Mo Qiuxian seemed to have received some information. While I was carrying out orders to encircle and exterminate the rebels, he actually joined forces with the rebellious Wang Household to attack me!"
Xu Jiuling finished watching the contents of the Recording Stones and listening to Qing Chen's account.
He gave Qing Chen a somewhat knowing look and said,
"Mm, you needn't concern yourself with this matter anymore. Mo Qiuxian belonged to another faction. With the Recording Stones as evidence, his collusion with rebels to surround and kill you is indeed an established fact.
"With a major battle imminent, the higher-ups of that faction are unlikely to defect to the enemy. We must not shake military morale at this time. Leave the rest alone. I will handle it myself.
"You have rendered a great service this time, performing admirably in the encirclement and extermination of the Wang Household rebels and killing the sect traitor Mo Qiuxian. I will report your merits to the sect."
Qing Chen cupped his hands in