Clues

Three days later.

Qianji and Litu entered Yuanji Palace almost one after the other.

Li Tu had a loud voice; he started shouting before he could even stand up straight:

"Master, something's happened! Zhou Fang has disappeared!"

Chu Yuan put down the jade slip in his hand and looked up at him.

"What do you mean by 'disappeared'?"

"It's gone, literally!"

Li Tu scratched his head:

"My men saw him enter Hundred Flowers Valley with their own eyes, and waited for three days, but he didn't come out. I thought he slipped out through another gate, but when I sent people to check, there was no record of him leaving Hundred Flowers Valley at all. A perfectly healthy person just vanished into thin air!"

Chu Yuan didn't speak, but looked at Qianji.

Qianji stepped forward, his expression more solemn than usual:

"Master, I also have news on my end."

"explain."

"The whereabouts of the stolen supplies have been traced."

Qianji paused:

"In a side hall in Hundred Flowers Valley that has been abandoned for many years. The person in charge of that area is a rogue cultivator who has only recently joined. He is usually responsible for cleaning, and no one pays any attention to him."

He took out a portrait from his sleeve and presented it with both hands.

Chu Yuan took it and glanced at it.

The portrait depicts a middle-aged man with an ordinary face, the kind of person you would never recognize in a crowd.

But the more Chu Yuan looked at it, the more familiar it seemed.

He looked up at Qianji:

"This person..."

"My subordinate also felt it looked familiar, so I had someone compare it with mine."

Qianji said, word by word:

"He bears a seven-tenths resemblance to Elder Sun Yan, who guards the heart meridian."

The hall fell silent.

Li Tu opened his mouth wide:

"Sun Yan? Isn't that the one who's been in seclusion for years? The last time I saw him was fifty years ago!"

Youyue suddenly looked up, her face beneath the veil turning deathly pale in an instant.

Sun Yan?

That's her martial uncle!

Chu Yuan didn't speak, but tapped the armrest lightly with his fingers.

Qianji continued:

"Sun Yan has been in seclusion for many years, claiming to be breaking through a bottleneck, and has not participated in any sect affairs. But what if he has already emerged from seclusion and infiltrated Hundred Flowers Valley under a different identity..."

"What's in it for him?"

Li Tu scratched his head:

"A Void Refinement stage elder going to a righteous sect to become a rogue cultivator? Is he out of his mind?"

"It's not for any particular reason."

Chu Yuan suddenly spoke up, "Someone instructed him to do it."

The three of them looked at him at the same time.

Chu Yuan's gaze remained calm:

"Zhou Fang's trip to Hundred Flowers Valley wasn't orchestrated by Xue Lie. It was Sun Yan. And Sun Yan isn't one of Xue Lie's men."

He paused, a cold smile playing on his lips:

"Sun Yan is exploiting Xue Lie."

Li Tu couldn't process it:

"What do you mean?"

Qianji had already figured it out:

"Does the leader mean that Sun Yan feigned allegiance to Xue Lie, helping him devise strategies to deal with Shou Xinmai, but in reality, he was using Xue Lie to achieve his own goals?"

Chu Yuan nodded.

"Then what is his purpose?"

Youyue's voice was strained.

Chu Yuan looked at her:

"Don't rush. Go investigate something."

"Please give your orders, Master."

"The files of all disciples guarding the heart meridian, especially orphans or those with blood ties to high-ranking members of the sect."

Youyue was taken aback, then realized what was happening:

"Does the cult leader suspect that Sun Yan's choice of Qin Shuang wasn't random?"

Chu Yuan didn't answer, he just looked at her.

Youyue took a deep breath, turned around and left.

She was quick and returned half an hour later.

He was holding a stack of yellowed files and a letter.

She walked up to Chu Yuan, knelt on one knee, and presented the letter with both hands.

Chu Yuan took it and looked down at it.

The envelope was old, the edges were worn, and four characters were written on it in neat handwriting:

Dear daughter,

The envelope was unopened.

Chu Yuan looked up at You Yue.

Youyue's voice trembled:

"This is a letter that her mother entrusted to someone to deliver to her before she passed away. Qin Shuang never wanted to open it and kept it hidden inside."

Chu Yuan remained silent for two seconds before pulling the letter out of the envelope.

The letter was short; it was simply a mother's advice to her daughter: cultivate yourself well, take good care of yourself, and don't worry about her.

But Chu Yuan's gaze fell on the bottom of the letter.

There was a very faint mark there, as if it had been accidentally rubbed on, and you wouldn't notice it unless you looked closely.

It is a small plum blossom, imprinted with spiritual power.

The unique mark of Elder Sun Yan, who guards the heart meridian.

Chu Yuan handed the letter to You Yue.

Youyue took it, glanced at it, and froze on the spot.

Her hands, holding the letter, began to tremble.

The elder of the same lineage personally selected the mother of her disciple, arranged everything, and then waited for the child to grow up and become the most suitable vessel.

Qin Shuang, on the other hand, knew nothing about it from beginning to end.

She couldn't even bear to open her mother's letter.

Youyue's eyes reddened, and her fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

Chu Yuan stood up and walked up to her.

He didn't say anything, but simply reached out and gently patted her shoulder.

Youyue shuddered.

She raised her head and looked at Chu Yuan.

The anger in those eyes hadn't subsided, but there was something else indescribable about it.

Chu Yuan spoke calmly:

"I have said before that whoever it is, I will make them pay the price."

Youyue took a deep breath and stood up.

His eyes have completely changed.

She knelt on one knee, speaking each word clearly:

"Your subordinate will personally capture this traitor to appease Qin Shuang!"

Chu Yuan nodded, about to speak.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps came from outside the hall.

A messenger rushed in, knelt down, and reported:

"Master, Elder Xue Lie publicly criticized the Guardian of the Heart Meridian for mismanagement at the elders' meeting, leading to the theft of supplies and the defection of disciples. He demanded an explanation from you! He also said that the elders should temporarily take over the defense and resource allocation of the Guardian of the Heart Meridian!"

The hall fell silent.

Li Tu exploded on the spot:

"Bullshit! He hasn't even cleaned his own mess, and he dares to jump out and bite others?!"

Qianji frowned:

"He's taking advantage of the chaos to cause trouble. How many elders are supporting him?"

The messenger disciple said:

"Fifth Elder, Eighth Elder."

Chu Yuan smiled.

He laughed rather calmly, as if he had heard something insignificant.

"What else did he say?"

The messenger disciple bowed his head:

Elder Xue Lie said that if the sect leader cannot handle this matter properly, it may cause unease among the people. The Xuan Tian Sect's ten-thousand-year foundation cannot be damaged by the loss of one lineage.

Chu Yuan nodded:

"Understood. You may leave."

The messenger disciple acknowledged the order and withdrew.

Li Tu couldn't hold back any longer:

"Master! You're just going to let him act like this? I'll go and arrest him right now!"

Chu Yuan glanced at him:

"Why capture him?"

Li Tu was taken aback:

"Uh... interrogate them!"

"What are you interrogating? Are you interrogating him for saying something wrong?"

Chu Yuan picked up his teacup and slowly took a sip. "He's right. Something did happen to the Heart Meridian Guardian. The supplies were stolen, and the disciples defected. These are all facts."

Li Tu opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word.

Qianji seemed to be deep in thought:

"What the cult leader means is..."

Chu Yuan put down his teacup and stood up.

"Go and deliver the message."

He said calmly, "Just say that the case will be publicly tried in the Xuantian Palace in three days. At that time, I will present evidence that no one can refute."

He paused, then looked outside the hall:

"Let Xue Lie wait."

……

After the elders' meeting ended, Xue Lie was surrounded by several elders who echoed him, with smiles on his face.

The Fifth Elder lowered his voice:

"Brother Xue Lie, how do you think the sect leader will respond?"

Xue Lie snorted coldly:

"How should we respond? The facts are right in front of us, what can he say? Someone has to take responsibility for what happened to Shouxinmai."

The Eighth Elder nodded:

"Exactly. If he sides with Youyue, who will respect him in the future?"

As they were talking, a messenger disciple rushed over.

"Elders, the Sect Leader has given an order!"

Xue Lie was secretly delighted, but remained outwardly calm:

"explain."

The messenger disciple shouted:

"The Master said that the case of guarding the heart meridian will be publicly tried in the Xuan Tian Hall in three days. At that time, the Master will present evidence that no one can refute!"