Chapter 627

The yin wind dissipates, but the sky of the Black Swamp remains gloomy.

The ghost tide has just receded, and White Paper Xiancheng no longer has its initial freshness and beauty; the city walls are mottled, and the pale walls are either covered with cracks or pitted.

Tie Guzheng cannot hide his exhaustion, but he still grits his teeth, dragging his injured body to command his subordinates to first repair the fortifications and then clean up the battlefield.

It is not just the city walls that are damaged; the buildings near the city walls are also heavily damaged.

The massive offensive brought by the ghost tide has already endangered the city. The smell of burnt paper permeates the ruins, the metallic stench of cultivators bleeding on the spot, and the breath of death permeates among the corpses.

Multiple wounded camps have been set up in White Paper Xiancheng.

Each one is overcrowded.

But being able to stay here is still a lucky thing. Because many cultivators died on the spot, not even having the chance to heal their wounds.

The cultivators responsible for medical treatment shuttle back and forth here.

In normal times, Qing Chi is also active here.

Her green flames are good at treating the wounds of the living, often having miraculous effects and taking effect quickly.

After each round of treatment, Qing Chi can harvest a large amount of prestige, and her reputation climbs steadily throughout the Xiancheng.

But at this moment, she is still at Yang Sanyan's place.

Presiding over the scene here is the old Confucian scholar Zheng Shoumo of the Ink Pool.

"Lord Zheng, come here quickly, someone is about to die!" a cultivator calls for help.

Zheng Shoumo rushes over and sees this wounded soldier on the verge of death; he can hardly find a complete piece of armor on his body, and his left shoulder is even more unbearable. The scapula and clavicle are shattered, and the sharp broken ends of the bones pierce the skin and flesh, hideously exposed in the dim light.

In a hole of flesh and blood, there are clumps of viscous black blood clots and gray-white bone dregs.

Every time the wounded soldier takes a difficult breath, dirty blood with bubbles surges from the depths of the hole, winding down along the tattered lapels and soaking the stretcher underneath.

His aura is already as weak as a candle in the wind.

Zheng Shoumo stares intently, his left hand flipping over to reveal a pale yellow jade plate that is neither silk nor silk, with a warm luster.

He holds the jade plate in his palm, infuses magic power, and urges out a pale yellow radiance.

The radiance shines above the wounded soldier, revealing an article on self-cultivation.

Countless characters mix with the warm yellow light and sink into the wounded soldier's body.

The wounded soldier's body stiffens suddenly, then relaxes. His tightly locked brows slowly relax, and his wounds repair at a speed visible to the naked eye.

A moment later, his tightly closed eyelids loosen, and he actually opens his eyes slowly; although his gaze is still scattered, there is already a glimmer of life.

Stabilizing the wounded soldier's life, Zheng Shoumo stops the treatment immediately.

It is not that he is unwilling, but that he has to deliberately restrain his strength. There are too many wounded soldiers, and from time to time, there are wounded soldiers on the verge of death who need emergency treatment.

He and some cultivators with superb medical skills are mainly responsible for striking in time to pull the wounded back from the abyss of death.

"Lord Zheng, Lord Wen is at the camp gate, asking to see you." a cultivator comes to report.

Zheng Shoumo's eyes shrink slightly, his expression indifferent, and he nods: "I will go and return quickly."

He leaves this group of wounded soldiers and arrives at the camp gate, seeing Wen Ruanyu with his hands behind his back.

Wen Ruanyu turns around slowly; following his action, two other cultivators are revealed.

They are Unlike Ning Zhuo and Yang Sanyan.

The three surround Zheng Shoumo in the center, their momentum oppressive.

At the same time, the surrounding environment changes rapidly. A few breaths later, Zheng Shoumo is already in a grassland.

Grass-Head Dojo!

Zheng Shoumo shows a slight strange look, staring at the source of the Grass-Head Dojo—Yang Sanyan: "This must be Lord Yang Sanyan of the Myriad Phenomena Sect."

"May I ask the purpose of your visit?"

Yang Sanyan: "Someone has exposed your identity as a traitor, Zheng Shoumo."

Yang Sanyan looks at Unlike Ning Zhuo.

Zheng Shoumo glances at Unlike Ning Zhuo, but turns to look at Wen Ruanyu: "This is slander. Does Lord Wen also think so?"

Wen Ruanyu's expression is complex, and he sighs: "Old Zheng, it's just suspicion; we need to confront each other for now."

Zheng Shoumo then turns to Unlike Ning Zhuo: "Little friend Jiao Ma, I didn't expect that we would meet again in such a situation. Please tell the old man, what did I do to cause such a huge misunderstanding for you?"

Unlike Ning Zhuo's expression is calm: "The male concubines of the Virility Pavilion were poisoned on a large scale, shocking the whole city. I investigated the scene and always had a strange feeling."

"When I was alone, I thought of where the strange feeling came from."

"That is Yang Weida."

"When other male concubines died, they all had ferocious expressions, filled with pain. But Yang Weida didn't; he had a calm face, as if he hadn't noticed any pain of life passing away."

"Why is this?"

Zheng Shoumo: "Perhaps the murderer acted too quickly, so Yang Weida didn't suffer, dying too quickly."

Unlike Ning Zhuo shakes his head: "There is a key hidden here—how did the male concubines die? The true cause of death for Yang Weida and others was ultimately attributed to poisonous spiritual food."

"Because of this, an innocent old man took the blame voluntarily."

"We all know he is not the murderer, so who is the murderer, and how did he manage to poison so many male concubines?"

Zheng Shoumo has no expression: "Little friend Jiao Ma, if you haven't even figured out this problem, coming to confront me is a bit too hasty, right?"

Unlike Ning Zhuo shows a bitter smile: "I am indeed not as good as some people; as for solving cases, I am not actually good at it."

"I guess the murderer has been hiding his assassination methods."

"Whether it was this mass killing of male concubines or the previous deaths of Shen Bing and Chen Sui, the causes of death were hidden under the appearance."

"At first I thought the murderer forged the appearance of death to frame each other, sow discord, and disrupt the order in the city."

"Perhaps there is indeed this purpose, but it is not the main purpose."

"The murderer's main purpose is to camouflage, covering up his true means of assassinating others. And this means will be very characteristic; once discovered, it is likely to implicate the murderer!"

"If the means of assassinating others come from Confucian scholars, then it is very difficult for us to distinguish. Confucian scholars are rare here, too rare. And in the whole city, only Lord Wen and you, Lord Zheng, are Confucian scholars."

Zheng Shoumo: "There is some truth, but this is just a guess; how to prove that I am the murderer?"

"And according to what little friend Jiao Ma said, this confrontation is not just for me, but also for Lord Wen Ruanyu?"

Wen Ruanyu's eyes move slightly, still silent.

Unlike Ning Zhuo stares at Zheng Shoumo, his gaze sharp: "Yang Weida's death is a flaw."

"If he and other cultivators were poisoned, their expressions must be painful and twisted."

"But he didn't!"

"The murderer's assassination method was ineffective against him, forcing the murderer to find other methods to cause death. Or its assassination method had no such strong effect on Yang Weida."

"This makes me think about the difference between Yang Weida and the other male concubines."

"Obviously, the most obvious difference—he is an outsider!"

Zheng Shoumo has no expression throughout.

Unlike Ning Zhuo continues: "Then what is the huge difference between outsiders and the locals of White Paper Xiancheng?"

"There is one."

"That is the Ink Pool!"

Zheng Shoumo hears this and finally raises his eyebrows.

Unlike Ning Zhuo says again: "I also heard Senior Wen's guidance, and only then did I know the Ink Pool's contribution to the education of the entire White Paper Xiancheng!"

"The Ink Pool is a Confucian literary treasure, born from the inkstone among the four treasures of the study: brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. The water of the Ink Pool can educate the world, wash away the wild martial spirit, and submit to the literary path."

"Since the Ink Pool was built, it has been the main drinking water for the entire White Paper Xiancheng and even the surrounding villages and towns."

"And the Ink Pool is guarded by you, Old Zheng. In order to maintain the daily operation of the Ink Pool, you also go everywhere to observe the people's feelings, serve in various Xiancheng positions, visit alleys, and participate in many market lives."

"You are a Confucian scholar; it is too easy for you to do something in the ink."

"The drinking water of the Xiancheng is all ink; even if you make spiritual food, you can't escape using water. This is equivalent to poisoning, and the whole city is calculated by you."

"You use ink as a guide and use some Confucian means to carry out precise assassination of the target..."

Zheng Shoumo snorts coldly: "Enough, Jiao Ma, these are all your conjectures. If you have real evidence, please throw it out directly. I have a heavy responsibility and no time to listen to your nagging. Do you know that you have delayed me for so long, and it is very likely that some wounded soldiers will die because of this!"

Yang Sanyan and Wen Ruanyu cast their gazes at Unlike Ning Zhuo.

Unlike Ning Zhuo spreads his hands: "I have no evidence."

Yang Sanyan and Wen Ruanyu stare at Unlike Ning Zhuo together.

Unlike Ning Zhuo stands tall, without any timidity: "I said it earlier, I am not a divine catcher."

Yang Sanyan snorts coldly: "Kid, I am not here to play with you."

Wen Ruanyu says: "Perhaps we can ask the City Lord to take action and use the 'Suwen Heart-Dissecting Scroll'."

Unlike Ning Zhuo shakes his head: "Useless."

"I think before the thorough investigation of the traitor, the City Lord should have used the 'Suwen Heart-Dissecting Scroll' on all high-level officials."

"The traitor has not been checked out. It only shows two possibilities: one is that the traitor is not among the high-level officials, and the other is that the 'Suwen Heart-Dissecting Scroll' is ineffective."

"The 'Suwen Heart-Dissecting Scroll' is a Confucian means; Old Zheng may have relied on this to safely pass every review."

Zheng Shoumo sneers: "The old man understands; after all, this is your guess. Do you know that you are wronging the innocent!"

Unlike Ning Zhuo is about to speak, Wen Ruanyu suggests: "If Old Zheng did something in the Ink Pool, perhaps I can go and survey it, and use my Confucian means to check for any suspicious clues."

Unlike Ning Zhuo waves his hand: "How could Old Zheng not guard against this?"

"I also remember, Lord Wen, you once told me. The Ink Pool has been repeatedly destroyed for a long time."

"You told me that the ghost race is inherently ghostly and unwilling to be changed by external Confucian forces, so they tried every means to destroy it."

"I understand this point, but what I don't understand is, why did their destruction succeed many times?"

"The Ink Pool is so important to White Paper Xiancheng; according to common sense, shouldn't it be heavily protected?"

Wen Ruanyu smiles bitterly: "It has already been heavily protected, but every destruction by the ghost race is very tricky; sometimes internal members are turned, and others are whimsical ideas. You absolutely can't imagine how magical their destruction methods are..."

Speaking of this, Wen Ruanyu shows a strange look, stopping himself first.

His pupils shrink, staring at Zheng Shoumo.

Before, he didn't feel it. But now reflecting, he suddenly finds: such an important facility as the Ink Pool can be repeatedly destroyed; it is really a strange thing.

And as Zheng Shoumo who defends the Ink Pool, either he is incompetent, or he cannot get rid of the relationship.

Then, is Zheng Shoumo incompetent?

For this question, Wen Ruanyu shakes his head and denies it without thinking.

Zheng Shoumo exceeds him, a Jin Dan cultivator, in many aspects. For example, the understanding of the "Recruitment Contract Outline." As for the matter of recruiting ghost generals, Wen Ruanyu took the initiative to give up, and Zheng Shoumo is more proficient than him.

This is a prosperous age of cultivation!

In such a prosperous age, various cultivation techniques are like a hundred flowers blooming and a hundred schools of thought contending.

Just as Wen Ruanyu introduced to Unlike Ning Zhuo before, Confucianism is a school that starts late and arrives early. The reason why it can occupy a wall of the world is that it mixes many cultivation techniques in its cultivation methods.

For example, the traditional four arts of scholars: zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting; and for example, the six arts of gentlemen: rites, music, archery, riding, calligraphy, and mathematics.

Cultivation base is only one aspect of measuring a cultivator's strength.

Mastering advanced techniques can often allow a cultivator with weak cultivation to defeat opponents with higher cultivation.

Confucian scholars have deep knowledge of zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and of various works, and can also do things that Confucian scholars with high cultivation cannot do.

Zheng Shoumo can exceed Wen Ruanyu in the "Recruitment Contract Outline"; why can't he exceed the latter in other aspects?

This is a very likely thing.

Thinking of this, Wen Ruanyu's gaze at Zheng Shoumo changes significantly.

Zheng Shoumo snorts coldly and questions Unlike Ning Zhuo again: "Jiao Ma, do you have any evidence? From beginning to end, you are guessing out of thin air. If you have evidence, throw it out. If not, get out! Don't delay my work."

Unlike Ning Zhuo has no expression: "I said it earlier, I have no evidence."

Zheng Shoumo raises his eyebrows, about to scold, Unlike Ning Zhuo continues on his own: "I am not a divine catcher."

"But I am the Vice City Lord!"

"I do things without evidence."

Zheng Shoumo's expression stagnates.

Wen Ruanyu frowns, his expression hesitant.

On the contrary, Yang Sanyan looks up and laughs, clapping his hands: "This words are very much to my heart! Zheng Shoumo, you surrender, anyway, the city lacks you, it's just a few more cultivators dead. The huge White Paper Xiancheng can still bear such losses. You look at yourself too heavily; it doesn't matter without you!"

Zheng Shoumo's lips move, staring at Unlike Ning Zhuo, seemingly wanting to curse, but due to his demeanor, he didn't curse out loud.

Unlike Ning Zhuo's gaze seems to be able to penetrate people's hearts; he says slowly: "Old Zheng, if you are innocent, you should bind your hands and let us seal you and detain you for a period of time. But I think, hehehe, you may not be very willing."

Speaking to the end, Unlike Ning Zhuo smiles meaningfully.

"What does this mean?" Wen Ruanyu frowns, expressing confusion.

Zheng Shoumo's anger suddenly disappears, becoming expressionless: "Yes, I am not willing."

Wen Ruanyu and Yang Sanyan look sideways, staring at Zheng Shoumo tightly.

Zheng Shoumo's words are very problematic, equivalent to indirectly admitting Unlike Ning Zhuo's accusation against him.

However, the next moment, Zheng Shoumo actually says directly: "Yes, I am the traitor you have been looking for."