Chapter 111: A Tangled Web (3rd Update, for 'Foggy Morning')

On Fang Yue's side things were still fine, but Hua Wuye coughed several times in agitation and coughed up blood—her injuries had never healed in the first place, and under the emotional strain they flared up again, leaving her whole person much weaker, her face pale.

"Lie back down on the bed first, quick!"

Lin Ling hurriedly carried her onto the bed. Fang Yue's heart stirred at that moment, and he asked, "You said it was me who killed your family. Then the one who killed your family last night—was the blade used this one?"

What Fang Yue took out was, shockingly, the Leng Yue Blade.

"No! But I recognize your face—that face of yours, I won't forget it even in death! You beast!"

Miss, could you stop calling me a beast every other word, it sounds awful…

Fang Yue knew Hua Wuye was in a fit of rage, so he didn't argue with her, and instead calmed himself to think, asking another question.

"Besides the face, was that person's build the same as mine? Or taller, or shorter?"

"What do you mean! Lin Ling, kill him! Kill him!!"

Hua Wuye was nearly going mad, her emotions so stirred her mind was no longer normal, but Lin Ling had become completely calm.

He gave Fang Yue and An Shenyi a look, signaling the two of them to step outside first.

Then, after Hua Wuye broke down sobbing into his arms, he asked on Fang Yue's behalf: "Wuye, last night that person—what was his build like? Truly exactly the same as Xiao Ye?"

"…You also suspect it was someone else!"

Hua Wuye's tone immediately cooled.

"I just want to know the truth. This is a serious matter—think back carefully."

In the end, facing Lin Ling, Hua Wuye couldn't work up her anger, and only muttered sullenly: "I'm not familiar with that beast, but from what I saw just now, last night's person was a bit thinner, a bit shorter, and slightly on the feminine side. But there are so many martial arts under heaven! Maybe he used some bone-shrinking disguise to throw off suspicion!"

That last remark Lin Ling ignored—he knew Fang Yue didn't have that kind of ability.

It seemed the matter had grown complicated.

First, going along with Hua Wuye's feelings, soothing her for a while and letting her rest and recover, only then did Lin Ling step out and invite An Shenyi in.

Letting Fang Yue follow him outside, Lin Ling said in a low voice: "The one who killed Hua Wuye's family last night wasn't you, but someone else! That person at least has the ability to disguise his face, but can't change his build."

Fang Yue breathed a sigh of relief—suspicion cleared, now only one question remained: who was the murderer… or rather, the traitor!

Exchanging a glance with Lin Ling, the two of them almost thought of the same thing at once.

"That person is the traitor!"

"We have to find him!"

But how to find him? Fang Yue had no idea.

"Right, where's Lord Han?"

"Lord Han's injuries seem to have worsened somewhat, so he went to rest. At a time like this, unless it's something major like the annihilation of a team, we won't go disturb Lord Han."

His injuries worsened?

Fang Yue was slightly taken aback.

"Speaking of which, I've never actually asked—Lord Han's injuries, even An Shenyi can't do anything about them?"

"Lord Han's injuries are extraordinary, I don't understand them either, but An Shenyi did say he's powerless. Otherwise, given his money-grubbing nature, he'd spare no effort to treat Lord Han—after all, Lord Han's wealth might exceed that of everyone in our Gu Yue Cun combined."

That was true…

Hopefully Lord Han doesn't run into trouble, otherwise any 【Edge-less Wraith】-level aberration could wipe out the village in minutes.

Lin Ling asked: "Then how do we investigate the traitor now?"

Fang Yue thought for a moment: "First tell me how many people in the Guard Team use Blade Techniques, then take me to Hua Wuye's home to look at the corpses."

"Those who primarily practice Blade Techniques—only a bit over ten. Eleven team members, four leaders, three Deputy Captains."

The Guard Team's situation, Lin Ling knew like the back of his hand, and was generally never vague about it.

But Blade Techniques were easy to investigate—disguises were hard.

Because according to Lin Ling, no one in the village practiced this kind of Martial Arts, and the Library Room of the Guard Team didn't have anything like it either.

"Have them all come over. Compare builds—anyone shorter and smaller than me. Although Hua Wuye said slightly feminine, men can't be ruled out either. Line them all up and let me compare. First, get all the suspects under control."

"Alright."

With the safety of Gu Yue Cun at stake, and the incident so vicious, Lin Ling didn't hold back either, and directly called all eighteen people over.

Fang Yue first asked each of them what they had done last night, then compared the builds of these eighteen people, and finally narrowed it down to six.

Three team members, two leaders, one Deputy Captain.

"The traitor is among these six!"

Lin Ling's face darkened, his icy gaze sweeping over the six, frightening them into standing at attention, gulping saliva, completely clueless as to why Captain Lin Ling was looking at them with such a vicious expression.

"Detain them all for now."

Their testimonies were all flawless. Either they were sleeping, or on night patrol, and all had alibis confirmed by family or teammates—no flaw to be found.

But Lin Ling wasn't thinking that far; he just felt the traitor was among these six, his killing intent nearly spilling over.

Perhaps this was the effect of caring for someone—since it concerned the murderer who killed Hua Wuye's family, he inevitably got a bit heated and emotional.

"I need to go look at Hua Wuye's family's corpses."

"Alright."

Fang Yue followed Lin Ling, only to find that Lin Ling wasn't taking him to Hua Wuye's home, but to a somewhat familiar place.

"Wait! Isn't this the place I almost picked as a residence before—crematorium on the left, graveyard on the right, what a great spot…"

"Mm. Hua Wuye's family's corpses have already been moved out of the house and brought here first."

Arriving at the place, Fang Yue found that the area really was large, with a big square in front of the crematorium.

Hua Wuye's family's corpses were laid out here.

"Their corpses are here."

Fang Yue looked carefully, and his pupils immediately contracted.

"What vicious Blade Technique!"

That was Fang Yue's first impression, but he quickly realized that wasn't quite the case.

At the wound on Hua Daniang's body, the cut was clean and sharp, and the body parts were scattered in pieces, some whole, some in fragments.

Hua Daniang's body was cut clean in two, without the slightest sense of hesitation.

Hua Xiaomei's neck wound—just a casual slash, half her neck severed on the spot, dead instantly!

The wounds were indeed brutal, but the Blade Technique itself wasn't actually all that refined!

It was more like killing through brute force—a crude miracle-working kind of way—nowhere near the Starfire Blade Technique Fang Yue had learned, not even on par with the Water-Sky Blade Technique… No, it wasn't that it was inferior, but it gave off an oddly unfamiliar feel.

"Well? Did you see anything?"

"The killer's Blade Technique isn't refined."

"Anything else?"

"Uh… that's it."

"…Is that even useful?"

"How would I know? It's just a new discovery…"

"As expected, those six people are the problem. As long as we confirm it was a blade that killed them, that's enough."

Saying that, Lin Ling was about to head back to interrogate those six people under torture.

Fang Yue hurriedly grabbed his hand.

"Wait! Brother Lin, do you have any Black Ember? Give me 1g, I need it."

There's more today, don't rush.

(End of chapter)