Chapter 46: The True Culprit

“Carry the Enshrined Expert inside,” Xiao Buhui said, looking back. Because Shadow had followed Long Qi the earliest, he ranked first among the Enshrined Experts.

Several Martial Artists from the Miaodao Pavilion carried Shadow’s body into the room and placed it on the floor. Xiao Buhui leaned over and gently undid Shadow’s clothes. Shadow’s chest had been almost blasted open by a fierce attack from the enemy, leaving a blood hole the size of a large bowl. There were deep gashes along the edges of the hole, faintly forming the pattern of a seven-pointed star.

“These are sword wounds,” Tong Fei said. Wen Xiang and the others were experts in killing; having seen many such things, they had naturally learned to recognize them.

“Seven swords were stabbed in at the same time and pulled out at the same time,” Wen Xiang’s face looked very grim. “Seven swords… when did we offend a Grandmaster?!”

Only a Grandmaster could control three or more Spirit Tools at once. An enemy who could control seven swords was an elite even among Grandmasters.

“Impossible,” Xiao Buhui shook his head. “If it were a Grandmaster, they could have killed Shadow with any single sword. The fact that seven swords were used proves that he used his full power!”

“Then who do you say it was?” Tong Fei asked.

“Some people possess very special talents. I once met a man who could control seven longswords simultaneously when he became a high-level Martial Artist.”

“Gu Qijue? The Seven Absolute Swords?!” Wen Xiang suddenly remembered. “Is he in Changshan County?”

“I don’t know,” Xiao Buhui said. “Anyway, the last time I saw him was in Shangjing.”

Su Tang’s gaze slowly moved away from Long Qi’s body. Now was the time to decide between life and death; he had no time for grief. “Do you think it could have been the Tie, Bai, Cheng, or Mu families who did this?”

“Not very likely,” Xiao Buhui said. “If it were them, they should have acted long ago and wouldn’t have waited until today. Moreover, Changshan County has been very quiet these years. Everyone has been recovering and hoped the peaceful times would last longer. Even when accidents occurred, everyone was very restrained and tried their best to keep things small.”

“That is exactly the key to the problem. Why today?!” Su Tang pondered as he spoke. “Thinking it over, there are only two possibilities. One is that they could no longer bear it; the Miaodao Pavilion put too much pressure on them, so they decided to fight to the death against the Miaodao Pavilion. However… we have been on the defensive these past few days. First, I faced an assassination attempt, and now Brother Long… at least recently, we definitely did not actively make enemies. This possibility is small. The other is that he originally hated the Miaodao Pavilion very much, but since his own strength was limited, it would have brought him no benefit to truly break ties, so he could only endure for a time. But today, he obtained a powerful ally and realized the balance in Changshan County had been broken. He could now recklessly turn his thoughts into reality.”

“Sir, are you talking about… Madam Red?” Mo Xiaobai shouted as if waking from a dream. “I remember now! My people heard from the Cheng family’s servants that Madam Red was originally exploring ruins at Moyun Ridge. She left Moyun Ridge in a hurry and arrived in Changshan County after receiving an invitation from the Cheng family.”

“Are you sure?” Su Tang asked.

“Absolutely,” Mo Xiaobai said. “My people said the Cheng family is acting very arrogant now. They are afraid others won’t know about their relationship with Madam Red, so they are proclaiming it everywhere.”

“Madam Red is in Changshan County?” Xiao Buhui asked in astonishment; he did not know this news.

“Yes,” Mo Xiaobai nodded.

Xiao Buhui looked hesitant. “What is the status of the Cheng family? And what is the status of Madam Red? Would she travel thousands of miles to Changshan County just to support the Cheng family? If that were true, Madam Red probably couldn’t stay idle for a single day. There are countless small families dependent on the Xia Family who could keep her busy, and… she doesn’t seem like the kind of person willing to help the weak.”

“Then how do you explain this?” Tong Fei shook the piece of cloth in his hand again. “This scent is very special. We don’t have this kind of incense in Changshan County. Although I cannot tell exactly which kind it is, I know it must be very expensive.”

“Perhaps the killer left it on purpose,” Xiao Buhui said.

“On purpose? Why?”

“Madam Red couldn’t have brought only one piece of clothing. The killer could have picked any garment, torn off a strip of cloth, and thrown it at the scene to shift our attention to Madam Red. If we were too emotional and offended Madam Red, the killer could use her to get rid of us. If we had self-awareness and gave up the investigation, it would also benefit the killer; at least they could be at peace.”

“Wen Xiang, did you say the killer came from Moyun Ridge?” Su Tang asked.

“Yes,” Wen Xiang replied. “There is no mistake.”

“Those are indeed red dandelions found only at Moyun Ridge,” Xiao Buhui said. “But dandelions can be faked. If someone searched Madam Red’s carriage carefully, they could certainly find similar things. Then, by placing what they found here, they could make us misunderstand.”

“What about Shadow?” Su Tang said calmly. “Sword wounds cannot be faked, can they?”

Xiao Buhui was speechless. He could find reasons for other clues, but the sword wounds left no room for argument. A Battle Fighter who could control six or seven Spirit Tools at once was absolutely a rarity!

After a long time, Xiao Buhui gave a bitter smile. He realized that because he did not want a direct conflict with Madam Red, he had intentionally looked for other explanations. This proved that he was afraid.

“The Miaodao Pavilion… is probably going to fall apart…” Xiao Buhui murmured. If the matter ended without a resolution, he could not move past the hurdle in his heart. They had been friends for over ten years; he could not let Long Qi die in vain. Yet, avenging Long Qi was clearly like hitting a stone with an egg—there would be no coming back.

“Actually, it’s easy to find out. Just send someone to ask if there is a person named Gu Qijue among Madam Red’s followers, and everything will be clear,” Wen Xiang said.

“I will send someone over right now,” Mo Xiaobai said hurriedly.

“You all go out first. I want to stay with Brother Long quietly for a while,” Su Tang said softly.

Wen Xiang and the others looked at each other and left one after another. Su Tang pulled over a chair, sat opposite Long Qi, and looked at him silently.

After an unknown amount of time, the candles in the room had burned out. The flame flickered a few times and quietly extinguished, plunging the room into darkness. Su Tang slowly stood up, walked to Long Qi, covered Long Qi’s eyes with his palm, and sighed softly. “Brother Long, the Grand Exalted was right; you were a man of great wisdom. But you… missed one point. Without enough power, where can one find peace and happiness?!”

Su Tang walked outside. Mo Xiaobai was pacing anxiously in the courtyard, clearly impatient. Wen Xiang and the others had not left; with disaster looming, they all had their own concerns.

“Bury them together,” Su Tang said softly.