After Li Wenxun spoke, he closed his eyes to doze in the corner as usual. As the disciplinary elder of the world’s foremost sect, his main concern was whether there were truly traitors among the six sects.
Song Shijun suddenly realized, “Right, someone must have been backing Wang Yuanjing.”
Cai Zhao quickly added, “Yes, the Tiangang Disha Camp leader said that while they attacked the Chang family, someone else led them there. They didn’t know who it was because the person hid their identity well.”
Qi Yunke abruptly asked, “Did Mu tell you this?”
Cai Zhao hesitated, “Yes.”
Song Yuzi said, “That person conspired with Nie Zhe for years. Elder Qiu Yuanfeng was deeply suspicious of Master Wang, and many of the six sects’ actions were unknown to him. So the person colluding with Nie Zhe probably wasn’t Master Wang.”
Cai Zhao supplemented, “Also when searching for the Shi brothers, we were ambushed downstream of Suchuan. Those black-clad attackers must have trained for years. Master Wang, being under control for so long, couldn’t have had his forces.”
Qi Yunke frowned, “Did Mu tell you this too?”
Cai Zhao stammered, “Um, yes.”
Cai Pingchun analyzed, “So, someone must have seen Wang Yuanjing near the Eight-Clawed Sky Prison, then learned through Nie Zhe that Wu Yuanying had been held there. They used this to blackmail Wang Yuanjing.”
Cai Zhao praised, “Father, you’re right! That’s exactly what we guessed. Then Mu Qingyan suggested confronting Wang Yuanjing to lure out the true culprit. Since he’s from the demonic cult, Wang Yuanjing might deny everything to six sect disciples but reveal the truth to a demonic cult member.”
Qi Yunke looked at Cai Zhao with concern.
Cai Pingchun surveyed the room, “Who was involved in the attack on Youming Huang Path? I wasn’t there, nor was Brother Yunke. What about the others?”
Zhou Zhizhen frowned, “Many were there, but we were in front. Taichu Temple disciples were in the rear. How could we have seen Wang Yuanjing’s movements?”
“Someone must have seen him,” Song Shijun said coldly. “We’ll investigate slowly and find the one who fell behind.”
Zhou Zhizhen turned to Cai Zhao, “Zhaozao, couldn’t you recognize the fighting style of the black shadow that killed Wang Yuanjing?”
At the mention of Wang Yuanjing’s killer, Li Yuanmin looked up.
Cai Zhao had been waiting for this topic. “Uncle Zhou, that’s a good question. The person was incredibly skilled with an eerie fighting style. I couldn’t identify their background. I chased them for a while but lost them at the rockery. However…”
She carefully chose her words, “I think there aren’t many people who know Taichu Temple’s layout well enough to outrun me tonight.”
The girl looked at everyone with a suggestive gaze.
Yang Heying, slow to catch on, said irritably, “Are you suspecting us?”
Cai Zhao replied, “I’m not suspecting you.”
Zhou Zhizhen spoke first, “You little schemer!”
Song Shijun calmed Yang Heying, “Hey, the child has a point. Don’t scare her, old Yang. Yuzi told me about Zhaozao’s lightness skills. Not to brag but in all of Taichu Temple…”
Qi Yunke finally interrupted, “What are you bragging about? You’re not her master, nor her aunt or parents. What connection do you have to her lightness skills?”
“Brother Yunke, don’t interrupt,” Song Shijun’s thick skin was unfazed. “From Brother Yuanjing’s quarters to the rockery is quite a distance. If Zhaozao couldn’t keep up, how many in Taichu Temple tonight could? We’re the elders here. Finding the traitor is paramount, so let’s set aside our status. I’ll start—after dinner tonight, I was lecturing Yuzi.”
Zhou Zhizhen asked curiously, “Lecturing about what?”
Song Shijun declared righteously, “A man’s responsibility!” In reality, it was about ‘steps to please young ladies.’
Ning Xiaofeng scoffed.
Qi Yunke turned, “Yuzi, is that true?”
Song Yuzi coughed lightly, lowering his head to hide his blush, “…Yes.”
Qi Yunke said, “After dinner tonight, I was discussing something with Zhaozao’s parents.”
Song Shijun inquired, “Discussing what?”
“Never mind that,” Ning Xiaofeng said, glaring at Qi Yunke. “We were talking until the warning whistle sounded.”
Cai Pingchun suddenly sighed deeply.
They had been discussing Cai Zhao’s future marriage. Qi Yunke’s new candidate was fine, but his mother was troublesome, and his father was an unreliable frequent brothel visitor. The thought of their daughter bowing to Yin Qinglian’s memorial tablet and calling a brothel’s top client ‘father’ nearly drove the Cai couple mad.
Song Shijun seemed to guess something and retreated, touching his nose.
The remaining three—Yang Heying had gone to bed early, Zhou Zhizhen was reading alone by candlelight, and Li Wenxun was polishing his sword—had no one to corroborate their alibis.
Li Yuanmin suddenly spoke up, “Elder Li was checking the rooms. He came to ask me some questions.”
Fan Xingjia immediately shrank back. After breaking off his engagement with Song Yuzi, Qi Lingbo cried every night. Dai Fengchi inevitably went to comfort her. Song Yuzi was called away by his father. Ding Zhuo had pulled aside some Taichu Temple disciples to ask about techniques. Seeing his seniors gone, Fan Xingjia had snuck out to sell roast chicken.
In short, not one of them had stayed properly in their rooms. Li Wenxun initially thought he had gone to the wrong place. After clarifying with Li Yuanmin, he was quite angry.
Song Shijun seemed to guess something and retreated, touching his nose. The remaining three—Yang Heying, who had gone to bed early, Zhou Zhizhen, who was reading by candlelight, and Li Wenxun, who was polishing his sword—had no one to corroborate their whereabouts.
Suddenly, Li Yuanmin raised his head and reminded them, “Elder Li was checking the rooms and asked me some questions.”
Fan Xingjia immediately ducked his head. After breaking off his engagement with Song Yuzi, Qi Lingbo cried every night. Dai Fengchi, unsurprisingly, went to comfort her. Song Yuzi was called away by his father, while Ding Zhuo had gone to seek guidance on techniques from some Taichu Observatory disciples. Seeing his senior brothers absent, Fan Xingjia had slipped out to sell roast chicken.
In short, no one had stayed in their room to sleep properly. Li Wenxun initially thought he had gone to the wrong place, but after clarifying with Li Yuanmin, he was quite angry.
“Elder,” Fan Xingjia wanted to explain that he hadn’t even gotten to eat the roast chicken.
“Shut up,” Li Wenxun glanced at him, including Cai Zhao in his stern look. He then half-closed his eyes and said, “We’ll discuss this later.”
These four words were filled with power, sending chills down Fan Xingjia and Cai Zhao’s spines.
“What about this?” Yang Heying, sensing danger, was the first to defend himself. “Could my brother Zhou possibly be the one who killed Sect Leader Wang?”
Cai Zhao also found herself in a difficult position.
At this moment, Qi Yunke suddenly spoke up.
“Zhaozao, come here,” he beckoned to Cai Zhao, reminiscent of countless times in her childhood when she was called over to share snacks. “Sit in front of your master.”
Cai Zhao obediently sat on the small stool in front of Qi Yunke, placing her hands on her knees.
“Zhaozao, what I’m about to say might be hard for you to hear,” Qi Yunke’s eyes grew more worried, “but you must listen and take it to heart.”
Cai Zhao nodded vigorously, feeling confused.
The usually gentle Qi Yunke was uncharacteristically solemn, and everyone in the hall fell silent to listen.
Qi Yunke sighed and began, “Zhaozao, have you considered that there might not be a mysterious mastermind behind all this?”
Cai Zhao was puzzled.
Qi Yunke continued, “Who massacred the Chang family fortress? The Tiangang Dishacamps of the Demonic Sect.”
“Who told you there was an inside man? The Demonic Sect leader, Mu Qingyan.”
“Who informed you about someone colluding with Nie Zhe for years? It was Mu Qingyan.”
“But how do you know he’s telling the truth? What if all he said were lies? What if he’s trying to sow discord among the Six Sects, making us suspicious of each other and causing internal strife?”
With each sentence, Cai Zhao’s expression fell further.
“Well said!” Yang Heying cheered loudly. “I’ve thought of this too, but I didn’t want to seem petty by mentioning it. Those Demonic Sect fiends may appear decent, but they’re the most cunning and despicable!”
Song Yuzi disapproved and was about to speak up when Song Shijun held him back, shaking his head slightly to indicate he shouldn’t intervene.
“But, but…” Cai Zhao stammered, “Sect Leader Wang…”
“The hardest deception to discern isn’t one that’s entirely false, but one that’s half-true or even nine-tenths true,” Qi Yunke said gravely. “Indeed, Wang Yuanxing didn’t save Wu Yuanying, but who says it must have been a disciple from the Six Sects who saw it and then blackmailed Wang Yuanxing?”
“Exactly, it doesn’t have to be one of our people who saw it,” Song Shijun added. “It could have been a hidden jailer. Nie Zhe was a good-for-nothing who never looked into it. But Mu Qingyan is different. He came out to challenge Nie Zhe’s authority over four years ago. He might have discovered something to threaten Wang Yuanxing then!”
“That’s right!” Yang Heying said through gritted teeth. “He took advantage of Master Chang’s kindness and hid in the Chang family fortress to recover for a whole year. Maybe Master Chang noticed something was amiss. That scoundrel decided to go all in and led the Tiangang Dishacamps to annihilate the Chang family!”
“The black-clad attackers at the lower reaches of Suchuan and the shadow that killed Sect Leader Wang could have been Demonic Sect members in disguise,” Zhou Zhizhen chimed in.
“Indeed, the Demonic Sect has plenty of skilled fighters to spare for such tasks,” even Cai Chunqiu agreed this time.
Li Yuanmin suddenly stood up, as if he had found a direction for his anger: “Even if my elder brother, the Sect Leader, made mistakes, it was the Demonic Sect that caused his downfall! I swear I won’t rest until this vendetta is settled!”
Qi Yunke ignored the others and kept his gaze fixed on Cai Zhao. “Mu Qingyan didn’t even need to act personally. He could have sent someone to threaten Wang Yuanxing, then pretend to interrogate him, clearing himself of suspicion and making you believe there was a traitor within the Six Sects. In reality, all the talk about a ‘true culprit behind the scenes’ comes from Mu Qingyan’s one-sided account.”
Cai Zhao had never considered this perspective before, but as she followed her master’s reasoning, everything seemed to fall into place.
She hadn’t personally heard Nie Zhe’s confession about his collusion, nor had she witnessed the destruction of the Chang family. She didn’t know who had seen Wang Yuanxing mistakenly enter the Eight-Clawed Heavenly Prison years ago. As for the black-clad attackers and the shadow that killed Wang Yuanxing, there was no way to investigate them.
All her speculations about the entire incident were built on her trust in Mu Qingyan.
“Your master doesn’t deny that there are honorable individuals in the Demonic Sect, like Lu Chengnan,” Qi Yunke’s voice became exceptionally stern. “Lu Chengnan proved his words with his life. But what about Mu Qingyan? This ambitious new leader of the Demonic Sect wants us to doubt each other based solely on his word, allowing the Demonic Sect to reap the benefits of our discord!”
His words made everyone’s expression turn grave.
Zhou Zhizhen sighed, “The world has been at peace for over a decade. Not just the younger generation, but even the older ones have almost forgotten the bloody battles with the Demonic Sect. Whether it’s Nie or Mu, the Demonic Sect remains what it always was.”
Song Shijun added emotionally, “Brother Qi’s words today show the responsibility befitting the leader of the world’s premier sect.”
Qi Yunke grasped the young girl’s arm, repeatedly emphasizing, “Zhaozao, remember the ‘human skin demon’ story your master told you? Before being exposed, it can laugh, get angry, and scold just like a real person. It might even be more likable and trustworthy than a real person—but it’s not human! It will deceive you, harm you, and by the time you realize it, it will be too late.”
“Zhaozao, remember your master’s words. Don’t trust the human skin demon! Don’t trust him!”
Qi Yunke’s eyes were filled with the pain of past experiences. Cai Zhao felt as if he was looking through her, speaking to someone else.