Chapter 81: Who Told You?

Just imagine, to poison a Semi-Sage, could an outsider do it?

Not to mention that such a possibility is very low, who would poison Shen Kangbo for no reason? An outsider would gain nothing; it could only be the direct descendants of the Shen family who would benefit.

That is why Lu Fang set his sights on the two most powerful people in the Shen family.

Without a doubt, if Shen Kangbo were to die and Shen Xiaoqi were framed, who would benefit the most?

"Wah!"

Under the light barrier of the Small Bell treasure, Shen Kangbo opened his mouth and vomited several large mouthfuls of black blood.

In a short time, his eye sockets had sunken, his muscles had atrophied, and he seemed unable to even open his eyes.

Shen Qicheng knelt before the light barrier, tears and snot streaming down his face, "Father! Wake up! If you don't lower the protective barrier, we cannot know what poison you have been struck with."

Shen Qiheng also wiped away tears, "Big Brother, Father has lost consciousness. I have already sent people to invite Venerable Wang."

Semi-Sage Wang?

Wang Luo.

Lu Fang remembered that this man was a close friend of Shen Kangbo. After the Shen family grew powerful, this Semi-Sage became the Shen family's retainer.

This person was obsessed with cultivation and had once told Shen Kangbo that he would only intervene when the Shen family was on the verge of destruction.

It was precisely because of the deterrence of these two Semi-Sages that the petty outsiders dared not make any small moves against the Shen family.

It did not take long.

A disciple of the Shen family came to report, "Second Uncle, Ancestor Wang is behind closed doors and told us not to disturb him!"

"Ancestor Wang is actually so heartless? Knowing the Ancestor is in this state, he won't even come to see him?" Shen Lingyun complained.

"Shut up!"

Shen Qicheng scolded, saying:

"We cannot entirely blame Venerable Wang. He has always been obsessed with cultivation and knows little about minor arts like alchemy. Even if he came, it would be useless."

That's not right! Lu Fang felt suspicious in his heart. Shen Kangbo had been poisoned, and Wang Luo, as a close friend, still wouldn't intervene—this was clearly wrong.

It wasn't just him; others in the hall were also blaming Wang Luo.

Shen Qiheng spoke up to stop them:

"This matter is my fault; I shouldn't have taken the initiative to invite Venerable Wang. If the time comes, he will naturally intervene. I know everyone is anxious, but we cannot lose our footing and make reckless speculations!"

"Venerable Wang promised Father that he would not interfere in the Shen family's affairs unless it was a critical moment, so he is not wrong for not coming."

Understood!

Listening to Shen Qiheng's tone, Lu Fang guessed that it was Shen Kangbo who had personally requested that Wang Luo not intervene in the Shen family's affairs at will.

Shen Lingyun suddenly said viciously:

"It's all the fault of these three. Someone, throw them into the dungeon! The Ancestor is hanging by a thread, and the situation is critical. As long as we use torture to force a confession from them and pry open the culprit's mouth, we might be able to know what poison the Ancestor has been struck with."

This proposal immediately gained the agreement of most of the Shen family.

"Right! We must pry open the culprit's mouth to save the Ancestor."

"We must use torture!"

"I agree, but unless it's a last resort, we cannot torture Shen Xiaoqi. We can torture the other two first to see if they are the culprits."

Shen Qicheng gritted his teeth, "Someone, take all three of them to the dungeon..."

Shen Qiheng frowned:

"Big Brother! Lu Fang is, after all, the Marquis of Lord Wenguan, and Xiaoqi is the successor the Ancestor intended to cultivate. Torturing them both is probably inappropriate. Why not find a breakthrough from this woman disguised as a man first?"

"If it's not her, it won't be too late to take the next step."

"Fine!" Shen Qicheng stared fixedly at Shen Xiaxuan, "Someone, take this woman down first. No matter what method you use, you must pry her mouth open immediately!"

Shen Xiaxuan was terrified, hiding behind Lu Fang, her voice trembling with tears:

"Brother Lu, I really didn't poison him. You have to believe me. I won't go with them. I am clearly innocent; what use is it for them to torture me?"

Lu Fang sighed, "Rest assured, no one will torture you. You are just an innocent person who was inadvertently caught up in a conspiracy. Just explain it clearly."

Shen Qicheng snorted, "That's not up to you! Marquis of Lord Wenguan, you said you just happened to meet her on the road. We are interrogating her; do you have an objection?"

"You are so certain she is innocent; could it be that you were the one who poisoned him? Or do you know who did?"

"If you can convince me, I can refrain from torturing her!"

"Otherwise, even if you are the Marquis of Lord Wenguan, you have no special privileges on our Shen family mountain. Don't say you can't protect her; you can't even protect yourself!"

Lu Fang shook his head and sighed:

"I indeed did not poison him, nor do I have the motive to poison him, and I don't know who did. However, I am certain that the person who poisoned him is right here in this hall."

"Everyone, I would like to ask: as outsiders, what would we gain by poisoning the Shen family Ancestor?"

"If the Shen family Ancestor were truly to meet with misfortune, who would benefit the most?"

Shen Lingyun interjected, "Perhaps you are colluding with Shen Xiaoqi, wanting to seize control of our Shen family, so..."

Lu Fang interrupted, "Your words are incorrect. Don't you think it's contradictory? Shen Xiaoqi is also deeply caught in your suspicions right now; how could she seize control of your Shen family?"

Just then.

Shen Dadan ran into the hall, came to Shen Xiaoqi's side, and grabbed her hem:

"Master, someone put a bag of medicinal powder in your bedroom. I took advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention and swapped it for croton powder. As soon as I finished, Shen Lingyun came in and confiscated it."

Shen Xiaoqi stepped forward, her eyes burning as she stared at Shen Lingyun:

"Could it be that you were the one who poisoned him? And then framed me? I was wondering earlier, you took a bag of croton powder, so how did you decide it was the poison that harmed the Ancestor?"

Shen Lingyun panicked, "You are making false accusations! I..."

Perhaps because it was too unexpected, he stammered and could not provide a reason.

Shen Qiheng stepped forward, took the bag of powder from Shen Dadan's hand, sniffed it cautiously, and frowned, "Someone, send this powder to be identified to see what poison it is."

After doing all this, Shen Qiheng said coldly, "Big Brother, do you have anything to explain? Lingyun alone probably wouldn't dare to poison him!"

Shen Qicheng looked at his son angrily, "You unfilial son, what exactly is going on? Tell the truth. If you dare to say one false word, see if I don't skin you alive!"

Shen Lingyun was so frightened that he fell to the ground, shaking his hands desperately:

"Father, believe me, I really didn't poison the Ancestor. Even if you gave me a hundred guts, I wouldn't dare."

Shen Xiaoqi sneered, "Then why did you happen to find the poison so coincidentally? Don't tell me it was a coincidence. Your demeanor just now was not right!"

Shen Lingyun said exasperatedly, "Someone told me there was poison in your bedroom!"

"Who told you?"

Lu Fang asked somewhat urgently. As long as he could find this person and follow the trail, perhaps he could find out who had poisoned him. ===== CHAPTER 82 =====