Chapter 527: Yang Sixuan

Inside the deep valley.

The Sect Ancestor Lv Yinlin sat in the depths of his Cave Abode; mushrooms on the stone walls emitted a faint fluorescence, reflecting upon his face.

Chu Wushang bowed slightly, standing not far from Lv Yinlin.

Chu Wushang had already reported to Lv Yinlin about Xiao Qiwu's disappearance, the loss of the God-Striking Whip, and the fact that Duan Rong had walked out of Wanxiang Cave in just three days.

"He walked out of Wanxiang Cave in three days?"

After hearing the report, Lv Yinlin ignored the matters of Xiao Qiwu and the God-Striking Whip entirely, immediately asking with considerable surprise about Duan Rong exiting Wanxiang Cave.

Chu Wushang said, "Yes. When we entered Wanxiang Cave, that brat Duan Rong said he had already been waiting at the edge of Wanxiang Cave for two days."

Lv Yinlin's expression turned somewhat unpleasant, and he asked, "Where is he now?"

Chu Wushang said, "He should have returned to Yunfu Peak with Zhu He."

Lv Yinlin sighed, only then bringing up the matter of Xiao Qiwu and the God-Striking Whip. "Xiao Qiwu has disappeared? And the God-Striking Whip is lost?"

"Yes."

Lv Yinlin said, "Who is in charge of the case?"

Chu Wushang said, "It has already been handed over to Yang Sixuan. The Array Tablet for Wanxiang Cave was also left with him."

Lv Yinlin said, "Let him investigate. Xiao Qiwu is already half a cripple. That God-Striking Whip is nothing more than a sacrificial ornament anyway."

Lv Yinlin clearly did not care about this case; he waved his hand, signaling for Chu Wushang to withdraw.

After Chu Wushang exited the Cave Abode, Lv Yinlin took a sip of clear water with a grave expression.

What he worried about was not Xiao Qiwu or the God-Striking Whip at all, but Duan Rong.

That Duan Rong had walked out of Wanxiang Cave in three days left him very dissatisfied.

Lv Yinlin knew the structure of Wanxiang Cave best; this Symbol Array was one he had thoroughly fixed in place himself. Moreover, he also knew that beneath Duan Rong's Blade Radiance flickered over a hundred types of complex Artistic Conception.

Duan Rong's Divine Soul contained over a hundred types of complex Artistic Conception, making it easy for him to resonate with the turbulence of Artistic Conception from the Ghost Eye Light Spots within Wanxiang Cave. Therefore, for him, walking out of Wanxiang Cave was not difficult.

However, to fuse and unify over a hundred types of complex Artistic Conception in three days was absolutely impossible.

Furthermore, according to what Chu Wushang said, Duan Rong had actually sat idly at the edge of Wanxiang Cave for two days.

"This brat, I see that he didn't grasp the deep meaning of my letting him enter Wanxiang Cave at all."

"After all my arrangements, you came out in three days. And you even sat idly at the edge for two days. Truly a fine trick!"

The reason Lv Yinlin was indignant was that, in his view, Duan Rong had barely tempered his Divine Soul in Wanxiang Cave, walking out in three days and wasting the deep intentions behind his arrangements.

Meanwhile, on Yunfu Peak, Duan Rong carried Xiao Yu into his own Cultivation Secret Chamber.

Xiao Yu lay in Duan Rong's arms, still feigning drunkenness; she did not flush when drinking, but at this moment, her cheeks were crimson.

Duan Rong spread several meditation cushions on the floor of the Secret Chamber, then carried Xiao Yu and placed her upon them.

After settling Xiao Yu, Duan Rong stood up, took out a Fire Folder, and lit the Candle Lamp on the Stone Table not far away.

Feeling the light, Xiao Yu turned her head to look at him and asked, "Why are you lighting the lamp again?"

Duan Rong said, "I haven't seen you for over a year; I want to take a good look at you."

Hearing this, Xiao Yu's face turned red all the way to the roots of her ears.

Duan Rong came over and lay on the cushions as well, reaching out to embrace Xiao Yu's waist.

Xiao Yu grabbed Duan Rong's hand as it caressed her waist, lowered her head, and said, "Doesn't your master know the Wall-Passing Technique? Will he come over suddenly?"

Duan Rong had not expected Xiao Yu to suddenly mention this.

The day before yesterday at noon, Zhu He had suddenly appeared inside Fan Hongjiao's Cultivation Secret Chamber, giving Xiao Yu quite a fright.

At the time, Ximen Kankan was also there. After Zhu He left, Ximen Kankan had embellished the story while telling Xiao Yu about Zhu He's Wall-Passing Technique. He even said that when he and Duan Rong were cultivating in the Secret Chamber, Zhu He had used the Wall-Passing Technique to enter several times without a sound.

Now, as Duan Rong wished to engage in the act of clouds and rain with her here, Xiao Yu was naturally somewhat worried.

"My master won't come tonight."

"Are you sure?"

"Sure!"

Xiao Yu wanted to say something more, but her mouth was already blocked by Duan Rong's, and Duan Rong had already lunged over...

The two had not seen each other for nearly a year, so naturally, they were unrestrained.

After their intimate union, they lay together, covered in a fine sheen of sweat.

Duan Rong caressed Xiao Yu's shoulder, breathing heavily.

Xiao Yu also lay on Duan Rong's chest, panting softly. She suddenly raised her head and said, "Ximen Kankan said you took three lashes; where exactly are you hurt?"

Xiao Yu's eyes were full of concern.

Duan Rong's heart stirred, and he laughed, "Listen to his nonsense, where would I have any wounds?! If you don't believe me, look."

As Duan Rong spoke, he turned over and lay prone. Xiao Yu glanced at him by the light of the lamp, only to see Duan Rong's back was dark, smooth, and glistening with fine sweat; how could there be a single scar?

How could Xiao Yu know that the God-Striking Whip struck only the Divine Soul? Even if it struck a person until their soul scattered, there would not be a single scar on their body.

Seeing that Duan Rong was indeed uninjured, Xiao Yu finally set her heart at ease.

The two covered themselves with a blanket and slept in each other's arms within the Cultivation Secret Chamber.

Just as Xiao Yu and Duan Rong were intimate in the Secret Chamber, Yang Sixuan was alone inside Wanxiang Cave.

He had already personally interrogated the young attendant on Wuliang Cliff, as well as the Guards, one by one.

Wuliang Cliff was located in a remote area, far from the various peaks of the Sect. Xiao Qiwu had lived in seclusion here for over ten years and rarely interacted with others.

But in the few days before Xiao Qiwu disappeared, only three people had come to Wuliang Cliff to visit him: one was Zhu He, one was Chu Wushang, and between the two, there was actually another person—Jing Chou!

As for the day Duan Rong was punished, although many people came to Wuliang Cliff, according to the testimonies of the attendant and the Guards, no one had been alone with Xiao Qiwu.

Yang Sixuan had some impression of Jing Chou.

This Jing Chou was Ge Rusong's personal old servant.

When Ge Rusong died, he was the one who personally carried out the execution; that day, Jing Chou not only came to see Ge Rusong off but also collected Ge Rusong's body.

The eerie thing about this matter is that two days after Jing Chou came to pay his respects to Xiao Qiwu—that is, on the night before Duan Rong was to be punished—he suddenly hanged himself in his own room behind the Lower Courtyard.

Yang Sixuan deduced that Xiao Qiwu's disappearance must be related to the three people he had met.

Zhu He came to see him because of Duan Rong's affair, while Chu Wushang came to deliver a secret order from the Ancestor.

In Yang Sixuan's view, it was perfectly understandable for these two to meet with Xiao Qiwu.

But the meeting between Xiao Qiwu and Jing Chou was far too eerie.

First of all, Xiao Qiwu had lived in seclusion at Wuliang Cliff for over a decade, and his temperament had long since become very reclusive; Yang Sixuan found it quite inconceivable that he would be willing to see Jing Chou, an old servant whose master was dead.

Regarding this matter, he had interrogated the young attendant who served Xiao Qiwu closely. The attendant said that at the time, Jing Chou had given him an envelope, and after he took that envelope to Xiao Qiwu, Xiao Qiwu met with Jing Chou.

As for what was in that envelope, the attendant did not know.

Yang Sixuan felt that Xiao Qiwu's disappearance must have a great connection to Jing Chou and the envelope Jing Chou had given him.

Therefore, Yang Sixuan had Yang Yi stop the search around Wuliang Cliff for the time being, and had him take a Coroner to examine Jing Chou's corpse and search the room where Jing Chou had lived during his lifetime.

Yang Sixuan himself then entered Wanxiang Cave.

Because, relying on his many years of experience in handling cases, he had caught a scent.

What exactly was inside the envelope that Jing Chou gave to Xiao Qiwu?

Something capable of swaying a Dongming Realm powerhouse like Xiao Qiwu was certainly no ordinary item.

And how could such an item, capable of swaying a Dongming Realm powerhouse, be in the hands of an old servant?

There was only one answer: this item was obtained from his deceased master, Ge Rusong.

A treasure obtained from Ge Rusong, which Jing Chou suddenly brought out and used to pay a visit to Xiao Qiwu just before Duan Rong was to be punished.

The timing of Jing Chou's visit to Xiao Qiwu, as well as the source of his item, forced Yang Sixuan to think of the relationship between Duan Rong and Ge Rusong.

When it came down to it, Ge Rusong had actually died at the hands of both Duan Rong and his master, Zhu He. Zhu He was the planner of the chess game, while Duan Rong was the core piece and the key move in that game.

Moreover, Xiao Qiwu had then gone missing precisely after Duan Rong entered Wanxiang Cave.

The various clues of this case were unexpectedly pointing, more or less, toward Duan Rong.

Yang Sixuan caught a scent.

He felt that behind this matter, Duan Rong was vaguely highly relevant to many things. And in a case, once one encounters such a figure, they are usually the breakthrough point for a fog-like mystery.

Yang Sixuan had already decided to interrogate Duan Rong again, but before the interrogation, he had to do his due diligence.

After Duan Rong fell unconscious on the day of his punishment, he was thrown into Wanxiang Cave by Xiao Qiwu.

And on the morning of the second day after that, Xiao Qiwu had already gone missing.

Within these two days, how exactly did Duan Rong in Wanxiang Cave and Xiao Qiwu's disappearance become linked?

While investigating inside Wanxiang Cave, Yang Sixuan pondered deeply with his eyes narrowed.

He walked very slowly, holding a lantern in his hand, the dim candlelight illuminating the area in front of his feet.

Yang Sixuan suddenly bent down and picked up a gray hair from the ground.

Yang Sixuan pinched the hair and brought it close to the light; the gray hair was clearly not Duan Rong's, and Yang Sixuan turned his head while holding the lantern to glance at the entrance of Wanxiang Cave.

The place where this hair had fallen was deep within the heart of Wanxiang Cave, already a considerable distance from the entrance.

Looking at the gray luster of the hair, it very much resembled Xiao Qiwu's hair.

As the Enforcement Elder of the Wuliang Cliff Wanxiang Cave, Xiao Qiwu would certainly enter Wanxiang Cave, so it was normal for a hair to fall out inside.

Or perhaps this hair did not originally fall in this deep area, but was brought here later by someone walking by, or perhaps it was blown here by the wind stirred up by people entering and leaving Wanxiang Cave these past few days.

But... what if... this hair had fallen within those two days?

Xiao Qiwu had walked into the heart of Wanxiang Cave within those two days.

What was he going to do?

At that time, Duan Rong might have been unconscious in Wanxiang Cave, or perhaps Duan Rong had already woken up.

Did Xiao Qiwu come in to check on Duan Rong's condition?

No, if he were checking on Duan Rong's condition, there would be no need to walk so deep inside.

With the keenness of a Dongming Realm powerhouse's six senses, and with Wanxiang Cave being so quiet, he could have discerned Duan Rong's condition just by listening.

Then why did he have to walk into the heart of the cave?

What if Duan Rong was awake at that time?

If Duan Rong was awake, why would he have to walk into the heart of the cave?

Yang Sixuan's mind suddenly flashed like lightning, and a thought struck him. That thought, in an instant, gathered many clues into a single whole!

Xiao Qiwu was going to kill Duan Rong!

And the motive? Jing Chou used the item left behind by Ge Rusong to entice Xiao Qiwu to kill Duan Rong while he was unconscious in Wanxiang Cave, to avenge the dead Ge Rusong.

Xiao Qiwu killed Duan Rong, then went missing and fled.

No!

Duan Rong was not dead!

But, if Duan Rong was not dead!... Yet Xiao Qiwu had gone missing!

Thinking to this point, Yang Sixuan suddenly felt a chill all over his body.

An inconceivable answer suddenly flashed in his mind.

Was it Duan Rong who killed Xiao Qiwu!?

If this were the case, everything made sense. The cause and effect were perfectly clear.

The logical contradiction of Xiao Qiwu stealing the God-Striking Whip and fleeing also vanished instantly.

However, this answer, which resolved all contradictions and connected the cause and effect, seemed utterly absurd to Yang Sixuan!

How could someone who had just stepped into the Qi Cyclone Realm a month ago kill a Dongming Realm powerhouse who had cultivated for over two hundred years?

It was simply the biggest joke in the world!

Yang Sixuan stood holding a lamp, unable to help but shake his head with a bitter smile; he felt his reasoning had fallen into some kind of dead end.

The next morning, Duan Rong got up early, while Xiao Yu was very lazy, reluctant to wake up. It was no wonder she was like this; for the past few days, she had been anxious about Duan Rong's safety and had not slept soundly for a single day.

Duan Rong got up, and Xiao Yu wrapped herself in a blanket and continued to sleep.

Duan Rong put on the clothes that had been thrown all over the floor; he planned to take Xiao Yu, Ximen Kankan, and Shen Mizhi to have a good time in the mountains today.

However, before going out to play, he still had one thing to do.

Duan Rong left the Cultivation Secret Chamber and came to the back of the Main Hall on the first floor, where two Attendants were standing with weary faces, clearly having not slept all night.

Upon seeing Duan Rong pass by, the two immediately cupped their fists and bowed, saying, "Lord Duan!"

Duan Rong asked, "Is Senior Sister Fan still inside the Cultivation Secret Chamber?"

One of the Attendants replied, "Reporting to Lord Duan, after Lord Fan went in to cultivate last night, she did not come out. She should still be inside!"

Duan Rong nodded slightly, turned around, and returned to the space of the Cultivation Secret Chamber, stepped toward Fan Hongjiao's Cultivation Secret Chamber, and called out softly, "Senior Sister! Senior Sister!"

Duan Rong called out a few times in succession before the stone door opened with a rumble.

Fan Hongjiao was neatly dressed, with faint signs of fatigue on her face. She had actually cultivated in the Secret Chamber for the whole night. Only after Duan Rong called at the door did she finish her practice and get down from the meditation cushion.

Fan Hongjiao glanced at him and said, "It's early in the morning, why aren't you accompanying your wife instead of coming to shout at my door again?"

Duan Rong said, "Senior Sister, I have something I want to ask you."

"Come in." Fan Hongjiao turned and entered the stone room.

Duan Rong followed her in and closed the stone door.

Fan Hongjiao sat before the Stone Table, looked at Duan Rong, and asked, "What is it? Speak."

Duan Rong's expression shifted, and he said, "Senior Sister, when we were drinking yesterday, I talked to you about how Xiao Qiwu and the God-Striking Whip disappeared together at Wuliang Cliff."

"Ah, what about it?" Fan Hongjiao looked at Duan Rong and asked.

Duan Rong said, "Because this happened while I was locked in Wanxiang Cave. I feel it's suspicious. Now this case is being investigated by the Ruling Sect Justice Division. I just don't know if our Yunfu Peak has any way to get access to the case files they are handling over there?"

Fan Hongjiao said, "This matter is indeed suspicious. A powerhouse in the Dongming Realm, who is also an Elder of the Elder Council, suddenly ran off with the God-Striking Whip—no matter how you look at it, it's suspicious. Sigh... wait, Junior Disciple, when did you become so gossipy?"

"Senior Sister, this happened while I was locked in Wanxiang Cave, didn't it? I suspect there might be something going on, and I was kept in the dark, escaping a disaster in a daze. Think about it: a powerhouse in the Dongming Realm, who is also an Elder of the Elder Council, suddenly goes missing—could that be a small matter?"

"That's true!" Fan Hongjiao was clearly swayed by Duan Rong, and she said, "If we wait for the Ruling Sect Justice Division to close the case, a copy of the file will naturally be archived in the Inner History Department. However, a case like this might not even be closed in half a year. If you want to use our secret agents over there to get the file in advance, you have to ask Wu Shidao specifically; he has always been in charge of this aspect. However, for confidential files personally supervised by someone like Yang Sixuan, if you want to steal the secrets, you probably need Master's nod."

Duan Rong said, "Oh, I see. Never mind then, I was just asking casually. I'll just wait until the file is sent over for archiving and take a look at it then."

Duan Rong then stood up, bid farewell to Fan Hongjiao, and left her Cultivation Secret Chamber.

The moment he walked out of the Secret Chamber, Duan Rong's expression turned somewhat gloomy.

He would not go ask Wu Shidao; Fan Hongjiao was fine, but he couldn't quite trust Wu Shidao. The Inner History Department did indeed have secret agents planted within the Ruling Sect Justice Division, but the agents capable of obtaining such confidential files were managed by Zhu He.

Clearly, he could not yet mobilize that kind of power.

Yang Sixuan must now have all the people from Wuliang Cliff locked in the Dungeon of the Ruling Sect Justice Division, interrogating them strictly.

Duan Rong was not worried that Yang Sixuan could find him, because he was certain that Yang Sixuan could not find any evidence or clues; even if he had suspicions, they could only remain at the level of suspicion.

What made Duan Rong wary was the person behind Xiao Qiwu.

Who exactly was using Xiao Qiwu's hand to kill him? And such a scheme must have been carried out around the time he was being punished.

He believed that Yang Sixuan would definitely be able to find some clues regarding this matter, so if possible, he really wanted to see the files from Yang Sixuan's side.

After all, now that all the people from Wuliang Cliff were locked in the Dungeon of the Ruling Sect Justice Division, even if he wanted to investigate himself, he had no way to start!

But this matter was of great importance to him.

Without digging out the person behind it and eliminating the hidden danger, he always felt like a sharp sword was hanging over his head, making it hard to eat or sleep!

(End of this chapter)