You Wicked Child, You've Been Exposed [5 Chapters, Please Subscribe]

Chapter 80 You Wretched Child, You've Been Exposed [Fifth Update, Please Subscribe]

Shock, disappointment, disbelief – these were Zhou Daoyi's expressions and feelings at that moment.

Listening to Zhou Chun's words, he never expected that Zhou Chun's suspect would be Zhou Zhengkang, a Foundation Establishment seed who was being nurtured and cultivated by the family!

This result shocked and disbelieved him.

He was very reluctant for Zhou Chun's suspicions to come true.

However, after carefully considering Zhou Chun's words, he found that the conclusion, which combined facts and speculation, was very reasonable and could not be completely denied.

For a moment, he stood there stunned, speechless for a long time.

Zhou Chun, observing his expression, knew that he would find it difficult to accept that his suspicions were true, and was even more worried that he would make a decision that would be detrimental to him.

After a slight hesitation, he suggested again, "Actually, if you want to verify the truth of my suspicions without harming Seventh Brother's trust in the family, it's very simple. You just need to ask the Supreme Elder if he has recently given him any honey flower tea."

"If the Supreme Elder bestowed a large amount of honey flower tea upon Seventh Brother, then it is a reasonable and normal thing for Seventh Brother to drink honey flower tea alone in the study. It proves that I am overthinking it."

Zhou Chun's suggestion was actually very risky.

Because once the Supreme Elder Zhou Mingde acknowledges the matter, whether it's true or false, and protects Zhou Zhengkang, then his suspicions will be unfounded.

But Zhou Chun did it anyway.

The reason is simple: he absolutely cannot let Zhou Daoyi get the wrong idea that he did this because he was jealous of Zhou Zhengkang.

Another point is that, based on Zhou Zhengkang's previous behavior, he was already 80-90% certain that the other party was a traitor.

Even if Elder Zhou Mingde protects him and helps him escape danger this time, as long as the level of surveillance on him is increased in the future, there is no need to worry about not being able to find evidence of his collusion with outsiders.

Even at this point, Zhou Chun herself never imagined that Zhou Zhengkang would be the murderer who killed Zhou Jiahui.

After listening to Zhou Chun's suggestion, Zhou Daoyi came to his senses and nodded repeatedly, saying, "Zhengchun, your suggestion is very good. I will verify this matter with the Supreme Elder."

After speaking, his expression turned serious, and he looked solemnly at Zhou Chun, instructing him: "Furthermore, you must not mention what you said today to anyone other than me, not even the other elders or the Supreme Elder, understand?"

"Yes, I understand!"

Zhou Chun felt a chill run down his spine and immediately agreed in a serious tone.

He knew in his heart that Zhou Daoyi was protecting him.

Zhou Chun was immediately sent back to Baozhi Peak to await news.

After sending Zhou Chun away, Zhou Daoyi spent several hours alone in the Zhongping Hall contemplating before finally calming down and adjusting his mindset.

Then he went to the cave of the Supreme Elder Zhou Mingde at the top of Pagoda Peak.

"Chief, what has happened to the clan today?"

Inside the cave, Zhou Mingde looked at Zhou Daoyi, who never comes to the temple without a reason, and asked him directly what his purpose was.

This Supreme Elder usually devotes himself to cultivation and does not concern himself with family affairs. He only consults Zhou Daoyi and others when they encounter problems that Zhou Daoyi and others cannot solve or when they cannot make decisions easily.

Therefore, he knew very well that Zhou Daoyi must have encountered something when he came to see him without asking permission beforehand.

Faced with his question, Zhou Daoyi first nodded, then shook his head and said, "There has indeed been a small matter in the family, but it is none of your concern, Uncle. I have come to see you today to ask for some honey flower tea to serve our guests!"

"Would you like some honey flower tea to serve our guests?"

Zhou Mingde was slightly taken aback, then carefully examined Zhou Daoyi.

He shook his head repeatedly, saying, "I don't have much honey flower tea left either. When we first came to Jingguo, we spent all our money giving gifts and entertaining guests, which depleted most of our stock. Now I only have less than two bottles left!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Daoyi frowned immediately.

"Even you, Uncle, don't have any left?"

Then he nodded and said, "Then I'll try to find a way from the other clansmen. I remember that Zhengkang got some honey flower tea from the clan before. He's so young, he should still have some of it!"

Unexpectedly, Zhou Mingde shook his head upon hearing this and said, "Don't count on Zhengkang. He drank some here a couple of years ago and begged me to give him half a bottle. I didn't have that much to give him, so I only gave him two pills to satisfy his craving!"

However, as soon as he finished speaking, he saw Zhou Daoyi's expression suddenly change drastically.

His face instantly contorted with rage as he shouted, "Then it really is him!!"

This sudden change caused Zhou Mingde's expression to change drastically. He immediately looked at him with a serious expression and questioned him repeatedly, "What do you mean, 'It really is him'? What are you hiding?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Daoyi immediately took a deep breath and said in a heavy voice, "Uncle, you are wise. It wasn't that I intentionally concealed anything earlier, but rather that I dared not let you know so easily before this matter was confirmed!"

"But now that everything is clear, I can only tell you the truth, Grand Uncle!"

Then it begins with Zhou Jiahui's disappearance, how the Zhou family couldn't find her, how they investigated the traitor, and how Zhou Chun deduced from the clue of "honey flower tea" that Zhou Zhengkang was the most suspicious.

He reported all the clues and suspicions to Zhou Mingde in their entirety.

Just like Zhou Daoyi's strong reaction when he first heard Zhou Chun mention that Zhou Zhengkang was a suspect.

When Zhou Mingde heard that one of his most beloved juniors was actually a traitor to the family, he was shocked and incredulous.

In particular, he didn't have any direct impression of Zhou Chun. He only knew that there was such a good junior among the younger generation of his family because of Zhou Chun's achievements in winning the top ten in the youth group of the five major cultivation families' martial arts competition and being the discoverer of the Crimson Iron Mine.

When he heard that Zhou Daoyi had suspected and concluded that Zhou Zhengkang was a traitor to the family based solely on the speculation of a junior in his twenties, he felt extremely absurd and angry.

"Just because of a teapot in Zhengkang's study that has been used to brew honey tea, you suspect him of betraying his family and murdering his elders? Daoyi, don't you find this absurd?"

"And that junior you mentioned, how do you know he didn't do this because he was jealous of Zheng Kang's treatment in the family, and jealous that Zheng Kang is about to take the Foundation Establishment Pill to establish his foundation?"

"Without any concrete evidence, is it reasonable for you to suspect a family's Foundation Establishment potential?"

Zhou Mingde glared at Zhou Daoyi with a look of shock and anger, his tone very intense.

No wonder he was like that.

After all, Zhou Zhengkang was the descendant of his elder brother, and he had been loved by him since childhood as if he were his own descendant, and he had placed high hopes on him.

Now that he hears that Zhou Daoyi suspects his most beloved descendant of betraying the family without any real evidence, how can he not be extremely shocked and furious?

However, Zhou Daoyi had spent several hours calmly thinking in the Zhongping Hall, so he remained very composed in the face of the expected reaction.

Zhou Daoyi didn't rush to argue with him, but instead met his gaze with a serious expression and said, "Grand Uncle, please calm down. I know you love Zhengkang very much. Over the years, I have given him more attention and support than you have. You wouldn't disagree with that, would you?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Mingde opened his mouth, but found himself unable to refute it.

Twenty years ago, he had just broken through to the Purple Mansion realm and was busy familiarizing himself with this realm and diligently cultivating his magic. He really didn't have much time to take care of Zhou Zhengkang, so he could only ask Zhou Daoyi, the clan leader, to look after him.

After the Zhou family settled in Jiufengling, he was well aware of his importance to the Zhou family and felt a great responsibility on his shoulders. Therefore, he had been diligently practicing and had no time to take care of Zhou Zhengkang.

In addition, Zhou Zhengkang had grown up by then, so all he needed to do was bestow more treasures upon him and occasionally call him to his side to give him some pointers.

At this point, Zhou Daoyi was unable to refute his own words, and he felt reassured. He continued, "You said that we suspected Zheng Kang without any evidence, which is obviously wrong."

"Zhengkang happened to leave the family on the same day Jia Hui left, and shortly after Jia Hui left, he came to me saying he wanted to go out for a walk. The timing of this walk is too much of a coincidence!"

"And the time when Zheng Chun witnessed him leaving the Spirit Beast Pavilion—wasn't that shortly after the Qinglian Temple finished recruiting disciples, and just a few days after you and I lifted his confinement order, Uncle?"

"Going to the Spirit Beast Pavilion at that time, was it also a way to relax?"

"And there's the scent of honey-flower tea that Zheng Chun smelled in his study. You and I both know that tea is only meant for one person to drink alone in a study, and that teapot must have just been used to brew tea less than a day ago!"

"And this happened exactly ten days after Jia Hui went missing."

"You yourself said that you haven't given him much honey flower tea, and the Spirit Beast Pavilion only sells spirit honey, not honey flower tea directly. So where did he get this honey flower tea? Can you explain that to him?"

"There's something else. Since he returned from his trip to clear his head, he's asked me several times when I'll be able to receive the Foundation Establishment Pill. If I hadn't suspected him before, I wouldn't have thought much of it, but now I can't help but wonder what his purpose is!"

It was clear that with each word Zhou Daoyi spoke, Zhou Mingde's expression grew more unpleasant, and the anger on his face diminished.

After Zhou Daoyi finished summarizing the information from all sides, the anger on his face almost completely dissipated.

Before Zhou Daoyi could finish speaking, he quickly continued, "I believe I understand Zhengkang fairly well. He is indeed very talented, but it is precisely because of this that he has developed a proud heart. He always believes that his future achievements will definitely not be limited to my level, and may not even stop at the Purple Mansion stage!"

"It's nothing unusual. Young people aren't young and impetuous; who hasn't been ambitious and unrealistic in their youth?"

"But as you know, Grand Uncle, our previous attempt to prevent him from joining the Qinglian Temple dealt him a heavy blow, even making him feel that we were blocking his path!"

"Of course, as you and I both know, once he reaches the Foundation Establishment stage, he will gradually understand how difficult it is to open up the Purple Mansion and how rare spiritual items that can be useful to Foundation Establishment cultivators are. He will naturally figure these things out at that time, so we didn't pay too much attention to his naive ideas."

At this point, Zhou Daoyi couldn't help but let out a bitter smile and a deep sigh, saying, "But now it seems that the stupid things that neither you nor I thought he would do are actually things he could very well do! There are always abnormal people who will do things that normal people wouldn't do!"

Only Zhou Daoyi himself knew the depth of his heartache and sorrow contained in those last words.

If it weren't for so many clues pointing to Zhou Zhengkang, Zhou Daoyi would never have believed that Zhou Zhengkang, the foundation-building seed of the family, would betray the family!

If this were to be told, very few members of the Zhou family would believe it, or even dare to believe it.

Because Zhou Zhengkang's conditions are so outstanding, with his excellent spiritual root talent and excellent family background, he is destined to become one of the most powerful people in the Zhou family in the future, and there is even a high probability that the word "one of" will be removed.

With such favorable conditions, only a madman would think of betraying and leaving the family.

"Although I still find it hard to believe that Zheng Kang would do such a thing, Dao Yi, since you are so convinced of its truth, I will let you verify it. What do you plan to do?"

Looking at Zhou Daoyi's complex expression, Zhou Mingde remained silent for a long time before making a decision befitting his status.

His willingness to step forward and lead the Zhou family cultivators to establish a foothold in Jiufeng Ridge demonstrates his unwavering loyalty and care for the Zhou family.

Therefore, even though he found it hard to believe that Zhou Zhengkang would betray the family, he would not forcibly stop it for his own personal reasons after Zhou Daoyi, the clan leader whom he also trusted and relied on, had expressed his intention to investigate the matter.

However, such investigations and verifications must be conducted under his supervision.

Zhou Daoyi understood this as well, and thus quickly said, "It's very simple. If Zhengkang is truly such a foolish and oblivious idiot, we only need to summon him for a face-to-face confrontation and search him. Under the watchful eyes and questioning of you, Uncle, if the clues pointing to him are true, he won't be able to remain completely oblivious!"

"Okay, let's do it that way!"

Zhou Mingde's eyebrows twitched, and he immediately went to the "Zhongping Hall" with Zhou Daoyi. Then he watched as Zhou Daoyi assigned the blue parrot "Lanlan" to summon Zhou Zhengkang.

Not long after, Zhou Zhengkang arrived inside the hall.

It was clear that when Zhou Zhengkang saw Zhou Mingde in the hall, a look of panic appeared in his eyes.

Although he quickly covered it up, it still didn't escape the notice of Zhou Mingde and his companion, and their hearts sank immediately.

Then, as if he had completely forgotten the procedures he had discussed with Zhou Daoyi, Zhou Mingde, his hair and beard bristling, glared at Zhou Zhengkang, who had just entered the hall, and shouted, "You wretch, you've been caught!"

what! !

Zhou Zhengkang was taken aback and stumbled back several steps, hurriedly saying, "Grand Uncle, what did you say? I don't understand!"

"Still trying to argue!"

With a roar, Zhou Mingde immediately raised his hand and cast a "body-freezing spell" to freeze Zhou Zhengkang in place.

Then, with a wave of his hand, the storage bag at Zhou Zhengkang's waist fell into his hand.

He easily opened the storage bag and shook out all the contents.

He quickly took the jade bottle containing the remaining "Honey Flower Tea" pills into his hand.

Upon seeing the few relatively new tea pills inside, Zhou Mingde's angry expression was no longer feigned.

"For just a few tea pills, you betrayed your family and murdered your elders!!"

He gripped the jade bottle tightly in his hand, glaring angrily at Zhou Zhengkang, his eyes burning with fury.

Zhou Daoyi then used his divine sense to scan the pile of things on the ground, and quickly spotted a money bag containing a large amount of spirit coins. He said, "The spirit coins have increased significantly. He has been cultivating within the family, so I know his net worth. The amount of spirit coins in this storage bag clearly far exceeds what he should have!"

Reminded by him, Zhou Mingde also glanced at the bulging money bag, and then his anger intensified.

With a wave of his hand, he delivered a resounding slap that knocked Zhou Zhengkang to the ground, simultaneously breaking the "immobilization spell."

"Speak! I'm waiting to hear your sophistry. Let's see how capable you are of fabricating the origins of these things so flawlessly, without finding a single mistake!"

At this moment, Zhou Mingde was like a furious lion, staring fiercely at Zhou Zhengkang, which was quite frightening.

The more he had previously found it hard to believe that Zhou Zhengkang would betray the family, the angrier he felt now.

Even Zhou Daoyi, who knew him quite well, couldn't guess how he would deal with Zhou Zhengkang at this moment.

That concludes today's 20,000-word update. Starting tomorrow, there will be a guaranteed minimum of two updates totaling 8,000 words per day, one at 6:30 AM and one at 8:00 PM. Please remember the update times! Thank you to all the readers who have subscribed to all chapters, thank you to all the readers who have given rewards, and thank you for your monthly votes!

(End of this chapter)