Suicide

Chai Xing'er gave an innocent and bewildered smile, "What do you mean by that, Senior Xu?"

"What do you mean?" Xu Qi'an asked with a smile, "Aren't you the mastermind behind all of this?"

Li Lingsu's expression changed slightly.

The monks, including Jingxin, looked over in surprise, as did Jingyuan, who had already woken up but was pale.

Chai Xing'er shook her head. "Senior, you've misunderstood me."

The woman was indeed an actress; her eyes and tone were sincere and innocent, showing no sign of guilt.

You're putting on airs in front of the Great Feng Dynasty. Xu Qi'an scoffed.

"Don't rush to deny it, let me finish."

"Over this period of time, I have investigated Chai Jianyuan's case quite thoroughly. Let's go through the case from the beginning. First of all, according to your statement, Chai Jianyuan was killed by Chai Xian in the study at night. When you arrived, you saw Chai Xian and Chai Jianyuan inside the room."

"And the latter is already dead, isn't he?"

Chai Xing'er nodded. "This is something that everyone in the Chai family has witnessed. Does Senior think I'm lying?"

"Of course you're not lying; what you saw is real, but it may not be the whole truth."

Xu Qi'an said, "Both Chai Jianyuan and Chai Xian are fifth-grade Transformation Realm cultivators with superb defensive abilities. Even if Chai Xian launched a surprise attack, it would be impossible to kill Chai Jianyuan in a short time. However, by the time you arrived, Chai Jianyuan was already dead. The Chai residence is only so big."

Li Lingsu's eyes brightened slightly as she recalled Xu Qi'an's words, "It was poisoning; Chai Jianyuan was poisoned beforehand."

Jingxin nodded slightly, agreeing with Li Lingsu's statement.

The other monks listened in silence.

Xu Qi'an continued, "Therefore, I deliberately sneaked into the cellar and dissected Chai Jianyuan's body. I found that he did indeed show signs of poisoning."

As he spoke, he walked to Chai Jianyuan's side, tore open his shirt at the chest, revealing the stitched-up "wound" underneath.

Chai Xing'er's expression immediately became complicated. She said, "So that's how it is. You were the one who sneaked into the cellar that night."

She paused, then said in a deep voice, "It seems that Chai Xian had planned this all along, secretly poisoning my elder brother."

Everyone's gaze immediately fell on Chai Xian, who was questioning his existence. He was looking down, muttering something to himself, completely oblivious to his surroundings.

He became withdrawn.

"Amitabha."

Jingxin shook his head and softly chanted the Buddha's name.

"No, the one who poisoned me wasn't Chai Xian, it was you, Chai Xing'er," Xu Qi'an said loudly.

Everyone abruptly shifted their gaze to Chai Xing'er.

Li Lingsu's eyes widened.

Chai Xian paused in his rambling for a moment.

Chai Xing'er's pretty face stiffened slightly. "Senior still doesn't believe me?"

Xu Qi'an ignored them and continued talking:

"Do you all remember why Chai Jianyuan didn't tell Chai Xian about his background? Was it simply because he was afraid it would be a blow to him? Anyone who can cultivate to the fifth rank of Transformation Realm is bound to have a strong will. What is this little setback?"

"At first, I didn't understand either, but when I saw Chai Xian's dissociative identity disorder, I suddenly understood why Chai Jianyuan would hide his background. It would only worsen his condition and even lead to some bad things, like the ending we're seeing now."

Everyone seemed to be deep in thought.

Li Lingsu suddenly realized, then frowned and asked, "But what does this have to do with Xing'er?"

Xu Qi'an glanced at the beautiful married woman:

"Chai Xing'er's ex-husband died because of Chai Jianyuan, and you harbored resentment. So, you took advantage of the conflict between the father and son over Chai Lan's marriage to secretly let Chai Xian know about his background, which aggravated your dissociative identity disorder."

"At the same time, poison Chai Jianyuan, making his death at Chai Xian's hands seem plausible. Chai Xian has been extreme since childhood, and his other side is even more extreme and ruthless. He discovers that Chai Jianyuan is the culprit behind his tragic childhood, and that it is Chai Jianyuan who wants to marry his beloved girl off to someone else. How will he react?"

The inner hall suddenly fell silent.

Chai Xing'er could feel all those gazes focused on her at that moment.

She glanced at Li Lingsu and said:

"Senior Xu, these are all your speculations, without any evidence. Moreover, Xiao Lan's whereabouts are still unknown. She was close to Chai Xian, so she might know his identity and may have even seen his six toes. Therefore, she wouldn't fall in love with Chai Xian."

"You can find out by asking Chai Xian if he knows he has six toes on his left foot."

Chai Xing'er continued, "She didn't want to marry into the Huangfu family, so she poisoned her eldest brother and secretly revealed Chai Xian's true identity before fleeing. To this day, her whereabouts are unknown. Senior, is my speculation reasonable?"

Still won't admit it!

"Just because she doesn't want to get married?"

A young monk couldn't help but voice his doubts.

"Then Xing'er wouldn't kill her own elder brother just because Chai Jianyuan turned her ex-husband into an iron corpse."

Li Lingsu whispered, "Senior, Chai Jianyuan was forced to turn Xing'er's ex-husband into an iron corpse; it wasn't intentional. Even if Xing'er harbors resentment, it's just resentment."

Xu Qi'an ignored it and smiled:

"I don't really understand your motives, but that's a story for later. Chai Xing'er, do I need to tell you who's imprisoned in the secret room beneath the ancestral hall?"

Chai Xing'er's face turned pale instantly.

Xu Qi'an looked around at everyone, then turned to Chai Xian: "Chai Lan has been locked up in the secret room of the ancestral hall by Chai Xing'er. I've found her."

Chai Xian suddenly raised his head, his lips trembling. "How... how is she?"

"Li Lingsu, go and bring her here." Xu Qi'an gestured with his chin toward the door.

"Me?" Li Lingsu pointed to herself.

"Could it be me?" Xu Qi'an asked back.

But I don't know where the secret room is. Li Lingsu instinctively didn't want to go, afraid of uncovering the truth, but he saw an orange cat standing at the door and angrily raised its paw to slap the threshold.

Knowing that Xu Qian, that old geezer, would get angry if he didn't go soon, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and head out the door.

The inner hall fell silent; no one spoke.

The Buddhist School monks were half expectant and half apprehensive. They were expectant because they were looking forward to the progress of the case, but apprehensive because they didn't know how Xu Qi'an would deal with them later.

The Zen masters still had a fighting chance, but they knew they had no chance against that unpredictable and divine strike. Moreover, their opponent also had a puppet that could be used to counteract their precepts.

As for Jingxin, he was the one who knew Xu Qi'an's identity and cultivation level best.

Others might still have the idea of taking a gamble, but Jingxin had absolutely no such wishful thinking.

Half an hour later, Li Lingsu carried in a disheveled woman in her arms; the orange cat that had left with her earlier did not come with her.

Chai Xing'er's face paled even more.

Chai Xian stared intently at the woman. As he got closer, he could see her face clearly through her disheveled hair.

"Xiao Lan."

He trembled and made sounds that resembled crying.

Chai Lan opened her mouth, but overwhelmed with emotion, she couldn't speak and burst into tears.

"Xiao Lan, Xiao Lan"

Chai Xian shifted his body, moved closer to her, and examined her carefully several times, his expression a mixture of sorrow and joy. "It's good that you're alright, it's good that you're alright."

Xu Qi'an scrutinized the beautiful married woman. "What else do you have to say for yourself?"

Chai Lan's appearance is irrefutable evidence against Chai Xing'er. There's no point in trying to deny it, because there are still rules to follow.

Chai Xing'er understood this principle. She said nothing more, slowly walked towards Li Lingsu, raised her hands, cupped the Holy Son's handsome face, and said softly:

"Li Lang, I knew you were a libertine from the moment I saw you. I knew what kind of person you were."

She sighed, "I didn't want to pay any attention to you, but you insisted on provoking me. After you came back from Thousand Desolation Valley, I couldn't go against my heart and fall in love with you again. At that time, I thought, even if you are a playboy, a man who is willing to risk his life for you, even if he is a playboy, I will still like him."

"Xing'er, why are you doing this?" Li Lingsu said with pity.

Why go to such lengths for a mere grudge? Simply because Chai Jianyuan turned her deceased husband into an iron corpse?

Li Lingsu couldn't understand. Just as he was about to say something, Chai Xing'er, who was holding his cheeks, suddenly turned her palm over and slapped her own forehead.

The change happened too fast, and Li Lingsu was caught off guard. She could only watch as the palm, imbued with energy, struck Chai Xing'er's brow as her pupils contracted sharply.

Suddenly, a hand appeared in Li Lingsu's pupils and grasped Chai Xing'er's wrist.

"Want to commit suicide? Did I give you permission?"

Xu Qi'an sneered.

"Senior Xu"

The sage was overjoyed, thinking to himself, "Senior, you are so reliable. You will always be my support."

Immediately, a wave of fear washed over Li Lingsu, who pressed down on Chai Xing'er's shoulders, her expression a mixture of shock, anger, and pity:

"Suicide? You kept saying you loved me, and then you turned around and killed yourself? Why?"

Chai Xing'er ignored him, turned to look at Xu Qi'an, and said bitterly, "Senior, I have nothing more to say, I can only atone with my death, do you still care?"

"You haven't even finished asking the question, and you're already thinking about dying? Isn't that a bit too hasty?"

Looking at Xu Qian's ambiguous smile and meeting his intense gaze, Chai Xing'er suddenly felt as if she had been stripped naked, with no secrets left to hide.

What's the meaning?

The mastermind behind the murder has confessed, the truth of the case has come to light, is there anything else to ask?

Amidst the surprised expressions of the crowd, Li Lingsu asked, "Senior?"

"I have two questions that I would like Aunt Chai to answer."

Xu Qi'an swept his gaze across the crowd. "Don't you all find it strange? Chai Xing'er's ex-husband has been dead for nearly three years. Why has she remained inactive for all these years, waiting until now to make her move?"

Jingxin and Li Lingsu frowned simultaneously.

They understood Xu Qian's words: patience was predicated on finding an opportunity or accumulating strength. But what had stopped Chai Xing'er from seeking revenge over the past three years?

Chai Xing'er pursed her lips and said frankly, "I'm waiting for an opportunity to worsen Chai Xian's dissociative identity disorder. The marriage between the Chai family and the Huangfu family is that opportunity."

"Ha, given Chai Xian's condition, this didn't happen overnight. Even without the Huangfu family's affair, he would probably still commit patricide. Of course, if you insist on waiting for an opportunity, that's fine too."

Xu Qi'an's expression was calm, displaying the composure and confidence of a veteran criminal investigator.

"The second point of contention is, why did you imprison Chai Lan?"

"Assuming your entire scheme is for revenge, Chai Jianyuan is your enemy, Chai Xian is your tool, but Chai Lan is an outsider, why did you imprison her?"

Chai Xing'er remained silent for a long time, a flash of resentment in her eyes, "Do you know why my husband and elder brother were ambushed by our enemies when they went out on business that day?"

She scoffed, glanced around at everyone, and sneered, "There are no enemies at all; it was all a scheme set up by Big Brother."

"Nonsense."

Chai Lan vehemently retorted, her voice choked with emotion, "Why would Father do this? Aunt, you've already harmed Father, and now you're going to slander him too?"

Chai Xing'er sneered:

"Of course, it's for his bastard child. My husband and I are both fifth-rank officials. My husband married into the Chai family, so he's now a member. His two sons are both good-for-nothings, only Chai Xian is exceptionally talented, but he suffers from dissociative identity disorder. While searching for a cure, he worries that if Chai Xian's dissociative identity disorder can't be cured, how can he, as an adopted son, inherit the position of family head?"

"Will the clansmen support an outsider, or will they support us, my wife and me? He is confident that while he is alive, he can keep us in check, but once he dies, the Chai family will be ours to keep."

"So, he wanted to get rid of my husband while I had no children in order to maintain the balance. That way, even if Chai Xian's illness couldn't be cured in the future, Chai Xian could still be adopted to assist the second or third son."

"I want to ensure that the position of head of the Chai family does not fall into my hands."

"He caused my husband's tragic death, so I wanted to retaliate in kind, even against his most beloved daughter. But Lan'er is still my niece, and I couldn't bring myself to kill her."

"How could this be?" Li Lingsu had no idea that there was such a secret behind this case.

"Amitabha Buddha, fame and fortune are all fleeting clouds. Benefactor Chai Jianyuan committed a grave mistake due to his own selfishness. Benefactor Chai Xing'er also committed a grave mistake because she could not let go of her hatred."

Jingxin shook his head and sighed.

"I don't believe it, I don't believe it!"

Chai Lan shook her head frantically.

Chai Xing'er looked at Xu Qi'an: "Senior Xu, if you don't believe me, you can use the precepts to interrogate me."

"I believe you." Xu Qi'an nodded and smiled, "But you still lied."

Now, everyone's attention shifted from Chai Xing'er to Xu Qi'an.

Chai Xing'er's expression changed.

"You're telling the truth. Chai Jianyuan may have really harmed your husband back then. But that has nothing to do with you imprisoning Chai Lan. If you can't bring yourself to kill her, then don't. If you can, then kill her. You've said a lot of things with such conviction, but you're really just trying to distract us."

Trying to distract me with this kind of diversionary tactic, woman, you don't even know how to spell Xu Yinluo. Xu Qi'an only wished he had eyes, that he couldn't see clearly.

"Furthermore, Chai Jianyuan has two sons. If you wanted to take revenge on him, shouldn't you have chosen one of your two nephews? Why did you choose your niece? If I'm not mistaken, your purpose in imprisoning Chai Lan is to keep Chai Xian in Xiangzhou."

Thump, thump, thump. Chai Xing'er retreated repeatedly, her expression strange, as if she had seen a demon.

All her secrets have been seen through.

"Who, who are you?!" Chai Xing'er screamed.

Li Lingsu and Jingxin vaguely understood some of it, but the others couldn't keep up with the train of thought.

This includes Chai Xian and Chai Lan.

"Who I am is unimportant. Now, please answer my last question: Why did you leave Chai Xian in Xiangzhou?"

Chai Xing'er gritted her teeth and refused to utter a single word.

Xu Qi'an snapped his fingers.

Hengyin straightened up, stepped forward, and raised his hand in a military salute. "Yes, sir."

Then, the abbot of Sanhua Temple clasped his hands together and said slowly, "I will not lie!"

An invisible yet powerful force enveloped Chai Xing'er, rendering her unable to lie.

"Why are you imprisoning Chai Lan?" Xu Qi'an asked.

Everyone, including Li Lingsu, turned to look at Chai Xing'er.

Chai Xing'er's face twisted in pain, but she couldn't go against her conscience and truthfully replied, "To keep Chai Xian in Xiangzhou."

That's really true!!

Everyone present immediately understood that everything was as Xu Qian had predicted.

"What's the reason?" Xu Qi'an asked the most crucial question.

Chai Xing'er's beautiful face was completely distorted as she spoke, word by word:

"He... he is the host of dragon energy. I cannot let him leave Xiangzhou before our superiors arrive."

She knows who the dragon energy host is?! Xu Qi'an and Jing Xin's expressions changed drastically.

Dragon Qi Host? Dragon Qi again? What is Dragon Qi? What happened in the outside world during the six months I was held captive by the Dongfang sisters? Li Lingsu wondered blankly.

Inside the pagoda, he learned that the golden dragon that Xu Qian and the Buddhist School were fighting over was called Dragon Qi.

But he didn't know any more information; Xu Qian didn't tell him.

Xu Qi'an's expression turned solemn. After a moment of contemplation, he asked, "What is your identity?"

Chai Xing'er struggled for several seconds. "I am a spy for the 'Tianji Palace,' gathering intelligence on Zhangzhou and the martial arts world for the organization."

What kind of organization is Tianji Palace, and to what power does it belong?

"I... I don't know."

"Tell me everything you know," Xu Qi'an said in a deep voice.

"Not long ago, the organization sent me intelligence, asking me to pay attention to any unusual occurrences in the Zhangzhou area. This includes sudden major events, martial arts figures who suddenly become famous, and masters whose cultivation levels improve by leaps and bounds."

"The intelligence said that the Great Feng Dragon Vein collapsed, and the dragon energy scattered to various states in the Central Plains, choosing a master to reside in. Not long after, I discovered that Chai Xian's cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds, and he had actually comprehended the Transformation Realm in a short period of time."

"You know, he only just entered the sixth rank last year, and with his aptitude, it would take him at least five years to comprehend the Transformation Realm. I reported the information to my superiors and waited for news while observing Chai Xian."

"I suddenly realized this was an opportunity—a chance to get revenge on my elder brother and seize control of the Chai family. So I orchestrated all of this."

Li Lingsu closed her eyes and sighed, "Xing'er, it was you who leaked information about me and Senior Xu to Jingxin and the others, wasn't it?"

Chai Xing'er nodded bitterly:

"I imprisoned Xiao Lan to keep Chai Xian in check while waiting for my superiors to arrive. But I never expected to be greeted by you all, and the Buddhist School as well. What frustrates me even more is that you all have a strong curiosity about Chai Xian."

"To prevent you from finding Chai Xian and ruining my plans, I leaked your information about him to the Buddhist School, so you could focus on dealing with each other and ignore Chai Xian. It's a pity Jingxin couldn't find Senior Xu."

I possess the "Shifting Stars and Changing Constellations" Law Technique of the Heavenly Gu, so of course they can't find my Heavenly Mystery Palace. That familiar name, if I'm not mistaken, is the spy organization established by that inhuman son.

Ordinary martial arts forces would never know about the dissipation of dragon energy. As one of the culprits behind the dissipation of dragon energy, how could he not collect it?

As a second-rank "Qi Refinement cultivator" planning to rebel, his spies and informants couldn't possibly be limited to Yunzhou. I never expected to run into one of them.

"Perhaps I could follow Chai Xing'er's lead and eradicate that scoundrel of a bitch." "Uh, that would be too easy. With that scoundrel's intelligence, he couldn't possibly be that stupid, "Xu Qi'an rubbed his temples.

The Great Feng Dragon Qi has dissipated? What are they talking about? Li Lingsu inexplicably felt out of touch with the times.

He quickly looked at the others and was surprised to find that, apart from the siblings Chai Xian and Chai Lan, who were just like him, the others were not surprised at all, as if they already knew.

Wait, dragon energy? Dragon vein?!

Li Lingsu suddenly remembered that she had read about dragon veins in the ancient books of the Heavenly Sect.

This reminded him of the incident where the Emperor of Great Feng was beheaded by Xu Yinluo.

Could the two be related?

At this moment, Jingxin suddenly asked, "How does Benefactor Xu intend to deal with them, and how does he intend to deal with us?"

The power of life and death over everyone present was entirely in Xu Qi'an's hands.

He looked at Chai Xian first.

Extracting the dragon's energy is necessary. As for Chai Xian, he committed numerous murders, but he was a mental patient, not a criminal. According to the laws of my previous life, such a person should be locked up in a mental hospital for life and never be released. But according to the laws of Great Feng, such a person should be executed by slow slicing. I am indeed only suitable for solving cases, not as a judge.

Xu Qi'an was considering it.

At this moment, Chai Xian raised his head and said, "Can you untie my ropes?"

His expression was calm, and his tone was unperturbed, as if he had already made up his mind.

Xu Qi'an drew his Taiping Blade, and with a flash of light, easily cut through the ropes binding the Law Artifact.

Chai Xian nodded to him and said softly, "I will atone for the mistakes I have made with my life. He is right, I was too cowardly, and I have never dared to face myself."

This "he" refers to another personality.

"When I was eight years old, my mother passed away, and I began begging for a living. I suffered all kinds of bullying, and when I was starving, I even had to fight with dogs for food. During the most unbearable times, I wished I could die immediately; death would be a relief. I hated my biological father every moment. Later, my adoptive father found me and took me back to the Chai family."

He turned his head to look at Chai Lan beside him, his smile gentle, "I've found a reason to live, but unfortunately, it's just a mirage."

Chai Xian reached out his palm, wanting to touch Chai Lan's cheek, but his hand froze halfway through.

"If I could go back in time, I wouldn't have entered the Chai family; I'd rather I had never met you in this life."

He withdrew his hand, which had been frozen in mid-air, and patted it on his forehead.

Bang!

Amidst the cracking sound of bones and Chai Lan's scream, Chai Xian's body suddenly stiffened, blood welled up in his eyes, and he collapsed limply to the ground.

A thick dragon aura shot out from Chai Xian's body, baring its fangs and claws as it rushed towards the roof, trying to leave.

PS: Finally finished writing, nearly six thousand words.