Chapter 94
Unraveling the mystery, gathering evidence!
Five days later.
Inside the inn.
The flower girl reported an important message:
"Lord Gu, Jueqing Manor is a top-tier sect in An'nan County. It has five Mountain and Sea Realm experts stationed there, among whom the Supreme Elder is at the ninth level of the Mountain and Sea Realm."
"This Supreme Elder has been absent from the An'nan County Sect Exchange Conference for three consecutive years. It is rumored that he has gone into seclusion or gone to other major states to seek opportunities."
As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Lin's eyes shone brightly.
The flower girl and the mute man also had their own guesses.
Could this Supreme Elder be hidden beneath the salt mine?
This premonition is growing stronger!
The flower girl said with great interest:
"My lord, it is extremely difficult for ordinary cultivators to break through to the Expansion Realm. They need exceptional talent, and those with outstanding talent are either in the Holy Land or, at the next level, in the Sword-Holding Official's Office."
"Could it be that this Supreme Elder was never able to break through, and his desire to do so gradually eroded his reason, leading him to choose a crooked path—cultivating evil arts to devour his own heart—and now he has broken through to the Frontier Realm in one fell swoop?"
Gu Lin nodded heavily:
"Very likely!"
"If my guess is correct, then the second clue is interesting."
"The Heartless Manor had contact with Sima Yao. Was Sima Yao aware of this?"
After a slight pause, he quickly asked:
"What else did you find?"
The flower girl shook her head:
"To avoid alerting the enemy, we did not go to the Heartless Manor."
"However, I have noticed someone. She is the ninth peak elder of the Heartless Manor, named Mu Yunxi. She is forty years old and has the cultivation level of the eighth level of the Knowing Fate Realm."
"She was kind-hearted and often went to the nursing homes and charitable institutions in the county town to help the elderly and paid for the treatment of the poor and sick."
"My lord, we can use her as a starting point to learn about the inner workings of the Heartless Manor."
Gu Lin nodded.
.......
[Remember to read the fastest novels online at 101 Reading Network, 101.com is super convenient!]
Annan County City.
Located in the north of the city are the nursing home and Anjifang.
These are all charitable institutions established by the Divine Dynasty out of concern for the people's livelihood. They exist in cities and towns, including Shiyang County, with the aim of helping the weak and providing shelter for orphans and elderly people living alone.
After waiting for three days, a woman dressed in a gorgeous light blue dress walked into Anjifang, carrying several bundles of medicinal herbs. As she entered the kitchen to prepare to brew the medicine, she saw a woman exuding the fragrance of flower petals washing the medicine pot.
"Mu Yunxi?"
The woman became wary upon hearing this:
Who are you?
The flower girl revealed a corner of a gilded token:
"We need to question you."
Mu Yunxi frowned, her expression showing some resistance.
Without a word, the flower maid handed over the medicine pot, and chuckled:
"Let's brew the medicine first. The Holy Land isn't asking you for a consultation; it's an order."
"You should know the consequences of disobeying the Holy Land."
Mu Yunxi remained silent, preoccupied with processing the medicinal herbs.
After working for an hour and administering medicine to several seriously ill children, the two left Anjifang one after the other.
We arrived at a private room in a restaurant.
Inside sat a young figure draped in a snow-white robe embroidered with the mythical beast Xie Zhi.
Mu Yunxi looked even more surprised and said respectfully:
"Greetings, Lord Gu."
Gu Lin asked with a smile:
"You recognize me?"
Mu Yunxi answered truthfully:
"At such a young age, to be a centurion in the Eastern Temple Examination must be Gu Lin, the champion of the Chuzhou Grand Examination. Although we commoners are in Anzhou, we have heard of Lord Gu's glorious deeds."
"A commoner?" Gu Lin smiled silently.
"The elders of the sect are by no means commoners."
"Please sit down."
The flower girl personally poured the tea.
Mu Yunxi was trembling with fear, her expression tense and anxious.
Gu Lin asked calmly:
"The Supreme Elder of Heartless Manor is cultivating beneath the salt mine?"
In an instant.
Mu Yunxi was struck dumb, her fingers holding the teacup trembling slightly. Although she quickly regained her composure, Gu Lin saw her every move.
"You need the hearts of innocent people to cultivate evil arts. After switching to evil arts, you've already broken through to the Expansion Realm, right?"
Gu Lin's voice was like a thunderclap, and Mu Yunxi remained silent, her face pale.
She couldn't understand how Lord Gu, who was far away in Chuzhou, knew so much about this inside story, which was clearly something only elders of the Heartless Manor would know.
Who leaked the information?
unexpected.
Gu Lin leaned down and stared at her, his voice filled with absolute authority:
"You were involved too; you are an accomplice to this sin!"
"I didn't!" Mu Yunxi stood up and firmly denied it:
"I didn't, I despise the Supreme Elder just the same!"
The Wind Woman asked in a cold voice:
"Why didn't you report it?"
"You knew perfectly well that she was using the hearts of innocent people to practice her evil arts!"
Mu Yunxi's face was as pale as paper, and she said in a trembling voice:
"The sect leader threatened that if any of us dared to leak the secret, he would use the lives of the disciples on the peak as leverage. For the sake of the disciples' lives, we have no choice but to keep the secret."
Gu Lin stared at her for a long time before asking directly:
What was the connection between Sima Yuan, the Salt Commissioner of Anzhou, and the Heartless Manor?
Mu Yunxi shook her head.
Just as Gu Lin was getting angry.
She further revealed:
"There should be no collusion of interests. It's just that Sima Yuan is lustful, and my Heartless Manor has many beautiful virgins. The sect leader often selects a group of disciples for Sima Yuan."
"If we're talking about collusion, it should be Wei Pu."
Janna immediately explained:
"My lord, Wei Pu is the person in charge of the salt mine, a confidant of Sima Yi, and a seventh-rank official."
Mu Yunxi remained silent for a long time. Faced with the pressure emanating from the youngest trial centurion of Dongsi Temple, she knew that not cooperating would mean certain death.
She said in a hoarse voice:
"The First and Second Elders of the Heartless Manor are responsible for capturing innocent civilians outside. The sect leader has connections with Wei Pu and sends generous bribes of spirit stones every month. These are transported via the Annam Canal on salt-carrying ships. The various border posts of the Divine Dynasty do not inspect the salt-carrying ships, and the innocent civilians imprisoned in the cabins are successfully sent to the Heartless Cliff."
"The sect leader secretly dispatched trusted confidants to send innocent people to the Qiaonan Salt Mine, where Wei Pu was in charge of handling the bodies."
Gu Lin asked sternly:
How many victims are there?
Mu Yunxi looked somber and said sadly:
"In these three years, it's been at least several thousand."
The Wind Maiden and the Mute Girl looked at each other, furious.
The sins are truly heinous!
The five corpses appeared to have been left exposed because Wei Pu had not properly disposed of them.
Gu Linsu said in a solemn voice:
"You'll stay with us for now."
Mu Yunxi hummed in agreement and was led away by the ghostwriter.
"My lord!" the flower girl quickly said.
"Is Sima Yi truly unaware of this?"
Gu Lin sneered, his tone chilling:
Does it matter whether he knows or not?
"Since she accepted the bribe of beautiful women from the Heartless Manor, that's irrefutable evidence!"
"We don't need to investigate whether he knew about the crimes committed by his confidant Wei Pu. As long as the evidence of him accepting bribes with women is complete, we can arrest him directly!"
"Once the two sword-wielding masters arrive at the Frontier Realm, we'll strike with lightning speed and wipe them all out!"
Gu Lin's expression was icy.
This case will inevitably lead me to break through to the realm of knowing destiny.
Moreover, they achieved great merit.
The progress of promoting 100 households is about halfway complete.
We still need two more royal-grade bloodline demons or to eliminate a treacherous official of the fifth rank or above from the divine dynasty.
The flower girl, though excited, was also filled with worry:
"Sir, we have no official investigative documents and no authority to make an arrest. What should we do?"
The rules of the Holy Land are paramount, and each position has different powers.
For example, with Wei Pu, a seventh-rank official, Lord Gu could have simply executed him first and reported later, then collected evidence of his crimes, as long as the evidence could pass through the Daoji Division.
Sima Yuan was a fourth-rank official, and only a centurion could issue investigation documents and arrest warrants.
If they overstep their bounds, the Sima clan will surely rise up against them.
Even if the evidence is complete, if the process is irregular, it still violates the rules and should be severely punished.
If we were to request Commander Cao to issue the transfer order, regardless of whether Commander Cao was willing or not, even if he was, whose credit would be given in the end? The document clearly bears Commander Cao's seal!
Gu Lin paced back and forth, and said in a deep voice:
"Let me think about it."
If all else fails, he still has another option.
Send a message to Xuanyuan Qinyin, instructing her to issue an official document stating in black and white that "Gu Lin is solely responsible for this case, bearing full responsibility for any merits or demerits," and finally affix the seal of a centurion, which would then be used to arrest Sima Yao.
But once I find Xuan Yuan Qin Yin, the 120,000 contribution points he owes me will definitely be erased, and I might even have to manipulate him to make him compensate me with spirit stones and contribution points.
Inside the inn.
The flower girl reported an important message:
"Lord Gu, Jueqing Manor is a top-tier sect in An'nan County. It has five Mountain and Sea Realm experts stationed there, among whom the Supreme Elder is at the ninth level of the Mountain and Sea Realm."
"This Supreme Elder has been absent from the An'nan County Sect Exchange Conference for three consecutive years. It is rumored that he has gone into seclusion or gone to other major states to seek opportunities."
As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Lin's eyes shone brightly.
The flower girl and the mute man also had their own guesses.
Could this Supreme Elder be hidden beneath the salt mine?
This premonition is growing stronger!
The flower girl said with great interest:
"My lord, it is extremely difficult for ordinary cultivators to break through to the Expansion Realm. They need exceptional talent, and those with outstanding talent are either in the Holy Land or, at the next level, in the Sword-Holding Official's Office."
"Could it be that this Supreme Elder was never able to break through, and his desire to do so gradually eroded his reason, leading him to choose a crooked path—cultivating evil arts to devour his own heart—and now he has broken through to the Frontier Realm in one fell swoop?"
Gu Lin nodded heavily:
"Very likely!"
"If my guess is correct, then the second clue is interesting."
"The Heartless Manor had contact with Sima Yao. Was Sima Yao aware of this?"
After a slight pause, he quickly asked:
"What else did you find?"
The flower girl shook her head:
"To avoid alerting the enemy, we did not go to the Heartless Manor."
"However, I have noticed someone. She is the ninth peak elder of the Heartless Manor, named Mu Yunxi. She is forty years old and has the cultivation level of the eighth level of the Knowing Fate Realm."
"She was kind-hearted and often went to the nursing homes and charitable institutions in the county town to help the elderly and paid for the treatment of the poor and sick."
"My lord, we can use her as a starting point to learn about the inner workings of the Heartless Manor."
Gu Lin nodded.
.......
[Remember to read the fastest novels online at 101 Reading Network, 101.com is super convenient!]
Annan County City.
Located in the north of the city are the nursing home and Anjifang.
These are all charitable institutions established by the Divine Dynasty out of concern for the people's livelihood. They exist in cities and towns, including Shiyang County, with the aim of helping the weak and providing shelter for orphans and elderly people living alone.
After waiting for three days, a woman dressed in a gorgeous light blue dress walked into Anjifang, carrying several bundles of medicinal herbs. As she entered the kitchen to prepare to brew the medicine, she saw a woman exuding the fragrance of flower petals washing the medicine pot.
"Mu Yunxi?"
The woman became wary upon hearing this:
Who are you?
The flower girl revealed a corner of a gilded token:
"We need to question you."
Mu Yunxi frowned, her expression showing some resistance.
Without a word, the flower maid handed over the medicine pot, and chuckled:
"Let's brew the medicine first. The Holy Land isn't asking you for a consultation; it's an order."
"You should know the consequences of disobeying the Holy Land."
Mu Yunxi remained silent, preoccupied with processing the medicinal herbs.
After working for an hour and administering medicine to several seriously ill children, the two left Anjifang one after the other.
We arrived at a private room in a restaurant.
Inside sat a young figure draped in a snow-white robe embroidered with the mythical beast Xie Zhi.
Mu Yunxi looked even more surprised and said respectfully:
"Greetings, Lord Gu."
Gu Lin asked with a smile:
"You recognize me?"
Mu Yunxi answered truthfully:
"At such a young age, to be a centurion in the Eastern Temple Examination must be Gu Lin, the champion of the Chuzhou Grand Examination. Although we commoners are in Anzhou, we have heard of Lord Gu's glorious deeds."
"A commoner?" Gu Lin smiled silently.
"The elders of the sect are by no means commoners."
"Please sit down."
The flower girl personally poured the tea.
Mu Yunxi was trembling with fear, her expression tense and anxious.
Gu Lin asked calmly:
"The Supreme Elder of Heartless Manor is cultivating beneath the salt mine?"
In an instant.
Mu Yunxi was struck dumb, her fingers holding the teacup trembling slightly. Although she quickly regained her composure, Gu Lin saw her every move.
"You need the hearts of innocent people to cultivate evil arts. After switching to evil arts, you've already broken through to the Expansion Realm, right?"
Gu Lin's voice was like a thunderclap, and Mu Yunxi remained silent, her face pale.
She couldn't understand how Lord Gu, who was far away in Chuzhou, knew so much about this inside story, which was clearly something only elders of the Heartless Manor would know.
Who leaked the information?
unexpected.
Gu Lin leaned down and stared at her, his voice filled with absolute authority:
"You were involved too; you are an accomplice to this sin!"
"I didn't!" Mu Yunxi stood up and firmly denied it:
"I didn't, I despise the Supreme Elder just the same!"
The Wind Woman asked in a cold voice:
"Why didn't you report it?"
"You knew perfectly well that she was using the hearts of innocent people to practice her evil arts!"
Mu Yunxi's face was as pale as paper, and she said in a trembling voice:
"The sect leader threatened that if any of us dared to leak the secret, he would use the lives of the disciples on the peak as leverage. For the sake of the disciples' lives, we have no choice but to keep the secret."
Gu Lin stared at her for a long time before asking directly:
What was the connection between Sima Yuan, the Salt Commissioner of Anzhou, and the Heartless Manor?
Mu Yunxi shook her head.
Just as Gu Lin was getting angry.
She further revealed:
"There should be no collusion of interests. It's just that Sima Yuan is lustful, and my Heartless Manor has many beautiful virgins. The sect leader often selects a group of disciples for Sima Yuan."
"If we're talking about collusion, it should be Wei Pu."
Janna immediately explained:
"My lord, Wei Pu is the person in charge of the salt mine, a confidant of Sima Yi, and a seventh-rank official."
Mu Yunxi remained silent for a long time. Faced with the pressure emanating from the youngest trial centurion of Dongsi Temple, she knew that not cooperating would mean certain death.
She said in a hoarse voice:
"The First and Second Elders of the Heartless Manor are responsible for capturing innocent civilians outside. The sect leader has connections with Wei Pu and sends generous bribes of spirit stones every month. These are transported via the Annam Canal on salt-carrying ships. The various border posts of the Divine Dynasty do not inspect the salt-carrying ships, and the innocent civilians imprisoned in the cabins are successfully sent to the Heartless Cliff."
"The sect leader secretly dispatched trusted confidants to send innocent people to the Qiaonan Salt Mine, where Wei Pu was in charge of handling the bodies."
Gu Lin asked sternly:
How many victims are there?
Mu Yunxi looked somber and said sadly:
"In these three years, it's been at least several thousand."
The Wind Maiden and the Mute Girl looked at each other, furious.
The sins are truly heinous!
The five corpses appeared to have been left exposed because Wei Pu had not properly disposed of them.
Gu Linsu said in a solemn voice:
"You'll stay with us for now."
Mu Yunxi hummed in agreement and was led away by the ghostwriter.
"My lord!" the flower girl quickly said.
"Is Sima Yi truly unaware of this?"
Gu Lin sneered, his tone chilling:
Does it matter whether he knows or not?
"Since she accepted the bribe of beautiful women from the Heartless Manor, that's irrefutable evidence!"
"We don't need to investigate whether he knew about the crimes committed by his confidant Wei Pu. As long as the evidence of him accepting bribes with women is complete, we can arrest him directly!"
"Once the two sword-wielding masters arrive at the Frontier Realm, we'll strike with lightning speed and wipe them all out!"
Gu Lin's expression was icy.
This case will inevitably lead me to break through to the realm of knowing destiny.
Moreover, they achieved great merit.
The progress of promoting 100 households is about halfway complete.
We still need two more royal-grade bloodline demons or to eliminate a treacherous official of the fifth rank or above from the divine dynasty.
The flower girl, though excited, was also filled with worry:
"Sir, we have no official investigative documents and no authority to make an arrest. What should we do?"
The rules of the Holy Land are paramount, and each position has different powers.
For example, with Wei Pu, a seventh-rank official, Lord Gu could have simply executed him first and reported later, then collected evidence of his crimes, as long as the evidence could pass through the Daoji Division.
Sima Yuan was a fourth-rank official, and only a centurion could issue investigation documents and arrest warrants.
If they overstep their bounds, the Sima clan will surely rise up against them.
Even if the evidence is complete, if the process is irregular, it still violates the rules and should be severely punished.
If we were to request Commander Cao to issue the transfer order, regardless of whether Commander Cao was willing or not, even if he was, whose credit would be given in the end? The document clearly bears Commander Cao's seal!
Gu Lin paced back and forth, and said in a deep voice:
"Let me think about it."
If all else fails, he still has another option.
Send a message to Xuanyuan Qinyin, instructing her to issue an official document stating in black and white that "Gu Lin is solely responsible for this case, bearing full responsibility for any merits or demerits," and finally affix the seal of a centurion, which would then be used to arrest Sima Yao.
But once I find Xuan Yuan Qin Yin, the 120,000 contribution points he owes me will definitely be erased, and I might even have to manipulate him to make him compensate me with spirit stones and contribution points.