Chapter 683: Double Edges

"Something's not right?"

Li Fei looked at He Jian.

He Jian: "Just a gut feeling."

Li Fei dared not ignore the intuition of this master detective: "Where does my lord feel something is off?"

"What if it was wrong from the very beginning?"

"Huh?"

Li Fei was stunned, but quickly reacted:

"Does my lord mean those letters?"

A look of appreciation appeared in He Jian's eyes: "Correct. What if those letters were intentionally left behind by people from the New Heaven Society?"

Li Fei carefully recalled the situation at the time:

"I struck suddenly; the other side couldn't have anticipated it beforehand. Furthermore, they misjudged my strength and never thought they would lose to me. Their retreat must have been an emergency evacuation. Under such circumstances, would they intentionally leave letters?"

This possibility did exist, but there was no evidence for it for the time being.

"I thought my lord always insisted on evidence when investigating cases."

Li Fei smiled.

He Jian: "Of course one must rely on evidence when investigating, but many times, this old man's intuition has been proven correct in the end."

Li Fei nodded: "Make bold conjectures, seek verification with caution?"

A smile appeared on He Jian's face: "Lord Li summarizes it very well."

Li Fei looked at He Jian: "My lord, after this case is finished, could you come help me investigate another one?"

"Oh?"

"As my lord taught me, one must leave professional matters to the professionals."

"As long as the Inspection Pavilion issues an order, this old man will naturally give it his all."

"Good, then I'll reserve your schedule for the time being, my lord."

Li Fei smiled.

He Jian had never heard the term "schedule," but he understood what Li Fei meant, and a trace of a smile appeared on his stern face.

Inside the dim prison cell, the old man and the young man walked out from the shadows together.

On the afternoon of the day Shao Sirou, the proprietress of the Red Sleeve Pavilion, was taken into the Inspection Department prison, the Inspection Department mobilized frequently and brought in more people.

These people were all those who had been in close contact with the Red Sleeve Pavilion in the past; they were all members of the Entering the World Society!

Now, many people began to realize the severity of the situation, and those big shots who had been continuously pressuring the Inspection Department also paused.

If the Entering the World Society was truly linked to the Heavenly Altar assassination case, then pressuring the Inspection Department at this time carried an entirely different meaning.

February 25th, morning.

The day after Shentu Yue was taken away, less than 10 hours remained of the 48-hour limit.

By this time, the Inspection Department had already seized over 30 people, every one of them a prominent figure in Gansu Province!

That afternoon, the Inspection Department released a piece of news to the public:

Evidence had already been found proving Shentu Yue was involved in this case, so her detention would no longer be limited to 48 hours!

After this news spread, it immediately caused a huge uproar.

Although Shentu Yue held no official rank or position, nor did she hold any post within the Entering the World Society.

But her status was too important!

Given the aptitude she had displayed and the affection the Pavilion Master of the Red Dust Pavilion held for her, many tacitly assumed she was the Young Pavilion Master of the Red Dust Pavilion and the future leader of the Entering the World Society.

For such a person to be accused of involvement in a prison break, or even the Heavenly Altar assassination case, the impact was truly too severe!

The Entering the World Society finally stopped being silent, and overwhelming pressure surged toward the Inspection Department and toward Li Fei!

That night, a man carrying a sword walked into a residence.

The man did not knock, but pushed the door open directly; formless sword Qi snapped the door lock.

From the first step he took into this residence, cold killing intent shrouded the entire courtyard!

The electric light in the room was turned on, and a voice came out:

"Brother Huang, what is the meaning of this?"

The newcomer's tone was icy: "You all guaranteed to me back then that this matter would absolutely not implicate my Junior Sister. What do you have to say now?"

"..."

The room fell silent for a moment, "Brother Huang, come in and talk."

Huang Jin carried his sword and walked in.

Inside the room, Zhu San was sitting on a chair waiting for him.

Once Huang Jin walked into the room, he used his spiritual sense to activate the sound-dampening array in the room, ensuring the voices here would not leak out.

"Brother Huang, sit."

"No need."

Huang Jin was like a sharp sword about to be unsheathed, not hiding his edge in the slightest.

At this distance, facing a Great Mage of the Possession Realm, he could take Zhu San's life with a single sword strike!

Zhu San sighed: "Brother Huang, from beginning to end, Shentu Yue has never participated in any plotting; Li Fei and He Jian are just bluffing."

Huang Jin was not satisfied with such an explanation: "What if the other side is intentionally framing her?"

Zhu San frowned: "Brother Huang, let alone the fact that Shentu Yue truly hasn't participated in these matters, even if she really did commit some mistake, would your Master sit by and watch her get into trouble?"

Huang Jin shook his head: "Junior Sister is innocent; she should not be implicated. I demand that you close the net early."

"That is impossible!"

Zhu San refused flatly, "Brother Huang, Shentu Yue cannot possibly get into trouble. I hope you can calm down."

After Huang Jin and Zhu San stared at each other for a moment, he said coldly: "Understood."

Then he turned and left.

Zhu San watched his departing back, his brows locked tight.

After Huang Jin left the small courtyard, the man wearing a Confucian robe walked out from behind the main hall.

"My lord."

Zhu San hurriedly stood up to salute.

"Is this chess piece about to become uncontrollable?"

The man in the Confucian robe asked casually.

Zhu San thought for a moment: "It shouldn't come to that."

"He betrayed his own sect long ago; could he really go back on his word suddenly because of a woman?"

"Being heartless does not necessarily make one a true hero."

"My lord perhaps overestimates him."

Huang Jin returned to his residence alone.

He drew his sword in the courtyard; the blade was like a pool of autumn water, bright and sharp.

By the moonlight, he looked at his own reflection on the blade, remembering what the first master who taught him to use a sword had told him when he first started practicing:

"The way of the sword prioritizes balance above all, for the sword has two edges; it can hurt others, but it can also hurt oneself."

However, his talent was extremely high; from the day he held a sword, he learned any technique the moment he saw it.

The sword in his hand seemed to be endowed with life, full of spiritual essence!

Huang Jin had never been hurt by his own sword edge, so he believed that only low-class swordsmen needed to worry about being hurt by their own swords.

The sword had two edges, but both edges were perfectly controlled by him.

It was not until the day he committed a grave mistake that Huang Jin finally woke up.

That sentence the master said back then was not just talking about sword techniques, but also the sword heart!

A sword heart that is too sharp and exposed will hurt oneself...

Huang Jin had displayed extraordinary talent since childhood. After becoming a disciple of the Red Dust Pavilion, he was dazzling all the way, eventually being taken in as a personal disciple by the Pavilion Master.

With his career flourishing and everyone envious, he always felt there was nothing in this world he could not accomplish, and nothing he could not obtain.

Unknowingly, Huang Jin's sword heart had lost its balance.

Five years ago, after drinking, he had a verbal altercation with a fellow disciple, which eventually escalated into a physical fight.

As a result, he failed to control his strength and accidentally beat the person to death!

Even as a personal disciple of the Pavilion Master, there was a price to pay for accidentally killing a fellow disciple.

Just as Huang Jin fell into panic and anxiety, people from the New Heaven Society, who had been observing him in the dark, took the initiative to find him and helped him settle the matter.

In the end, the death of that fellow disciple was framed by the New Heaven Society on a demonic cultivator. The Red Dust Pavilion killed that demonic cultivator, and the matter was successfully resolved.

But Huang Jin's life trajectory was completely changed because of this.

The New Heaven Society seized this handle and made Huang Jin help them do things time and time again over the past five years.

At first, it was just some insignificant trifles, but later on, the damage Huang Jin caused to his sect became greater and greater.

He could no longer turn back.

It was just that the New Heaven Society only knew he had accidentally killed someone due to a verbal altercation with a fellow disciple, but they did not know what he had the altercation about.

It was because of Shentu Yue.

At that time, Shentu Yue had not yet broken through to the Dao Foundation Realm, and her strength was far inferior to what it was now.

Huang Jin was responsible for guiding Shentu Yue's martial arts at the time, and he was deeply attracted to this girl who was like a bright moon.

He did not know if he had been influenced by the "Red Dust Heart-Cleansing Art."

Every disciple of the Red Dust Pavilion, after entering the world, would choose a method to temper their "Red Dust Heart-Cleansing Art."

Huang Jin chose to "enter the Dao through emotion," using this to break through the "Red Dust Heart-Cleansing Art."

He felt that Shentu Yue was his destiny.

He had not told anyone about this matter.

That fellow apprentice had been very close to Shentu Yue during that period, which made jealousy burn in Huang Jin's heart.

That argument was merely a fuse; deep down, Huang Jin had long wanted to teach that fellow apprentice a lesson!

In the courtyard, Huang Jin swished his sword back into its scabbard.

He often recalled that night five years ago, and then asked himself the same question:

When he killed that fellow apprentice back then, was it truly unintentional, or was it done on purpose?

The people of the New Heaven Society thought he would not do anything out of line because of a woman, but to him, Shentu Yue was not only the woman he admired, but also the "Dao" he sought!

Cleanse the heart in the red dust, enter the Dao through emotion.

Huang Jin left his residence once again.

"Marquis, Huang Jin requests an audience."

In the main courtyard of the Supervision Department, Lu Wenxing suddenly found Li Fei and said to him.

"Huang Jin?"

"He is Shentu Yue's senior brother, and also a personal disciple of the Pavilion Master."

"Oh."

Li Fei remembered the swordsman who had challenged him at the banquet.

The other party seemed to be on the candidate list for the Wind and Cloud General Ranking; his strength was not bad.

"Invite him over."

Li Fei said, then had someone go call He Jian.

A moment later, Lu Wenxing brought Huang Jin into the room.

He looked at Li Fei and He Jian, and cupped his hands in salute:

"Greetings, Marquis of Jing'an; greetings, Lord He."

"Please sit."

After Huang Jin sat down, Lu Wenxing walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.

"If you have something to say, you may say it now."

Li Fei did not exchange pleasantries with the other party and spoke directly.

"The Entering the World Society and the New Heaven Society have always had cooperation, but after the assassination case at the Altar of Heaven occurred, the Entering the World Society was eager to draw a line with the New Heaven Society, not wanting to be implicated."

Huang Jin did not waste words either, stating the important information directly.

Li Fei and He Jian exchanged a glance; they had not expected to actually hook a big fish!

The evidence regarding Shentu Yue was actually false information.

He Jian had only wanted to use it to see the reactions of all parties and see if anyone would reveal a flaw because of it.

He had not expected it to actually lure in a Huang Jin.

"Continue."

Li Fei said to Huang Jin.

"The New Heaven Society wants to suppress the influence of the Entering the World Society in Gansu Province so they can take the opportunity to develop themselves. At the same time, they also want to lead you astray, so they deliberately guided you step by step to investigate the Entering the World Society."

Huang Jin continued.

"Anything else? How do you know all this?"

Li Fei asked.

Huang Jin looked at him and said word by word:

"If you still want to know more inside information, you must first release Shentu Yue!"

"Is this your condition for exchange?"

"No, this is just the condition for our two sides to cooperate together."

A sharp edge appeared in Huang Jin's eyes:

"You want to solve the case, and I want to eliminate the New Heaven Society; our goals are the same."

(End of chapter)