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墨書 Inktalez
Because of this incident, everyone was summoned to the central clearing in the middle of the night.
Just as we had set out, we lost one person, and the atmosphere on site was clearly very tense. Everyone wore a gloomy expression, especially the master of the Taoist Priestess.
When the mood turned sour, people became reluctant to speak.
Chen Jiang, the leader, naturally had to step up and address everyone. After all, he was the one who had called us together, and to some extent, he had to take responsibility for all of us.
"Listen to me for a moment. We are in a primeval forest. As you all saw, the wounds on the deceased were caused by a sharp weapon. Therefore, the real culprit must be among us. What we need to do now is to identify the murderer."
As soon as he finished speaking, those below immediately applauded in agreement.
Faced with this group of sycophants, I could only watch coldly from the sidelines.
Chen Jiang instructed those who had attended the meeting to stand on one side and those who hadn't on the other. There were about ten people in attendance, and I was among them, standing directly across from Mu Xuanche.
This left a dozen or so others under suspicion. Chen Jiang suggested that they prove their innocence, but after doing so, only three remained: Mu Xuanche, Chen Han, and a man whose name I couldn't recall. The most agitated among them was Chen Han.
He shouted at Chen Jiang, "Uncle, I absolutely did not kill anyone! I was just really tired today and went to rest early."
This man truly lacked intelligence; I felt worried for Chen Jiang watching him. How could he have chosen such an incompetent successor?
Previously, I had heard that Chen Jiang had no sons. So he chose his brother's child, Chen Han, as his successor. Unfortunately, Chen Han was like mud that couldn't be molded into shape—there was no saving him.
He called out "Uncle Chen Jiang" in public, putting their relationship on display. Chen Jiang wanted to help him, but it was difficult; seeing Chen Jiang's tightly furrowed brows made it clear how angry he was.
Sure enough, as soon as Chen Han finished speaking, he received a glare from Chen Jiang, who began to reprimand him.
"Chen Han, this is not just your problem. If you have evidence to prove your innocence, then you cannot be wronged. If you don't, then you are indeed suspicious."
Chen Han wanted to argue back but was silenced by another glare from Chen Jiang, prompting him to obediently stop.
That old fox, Chen Jiang, was really protective. If it had been someone else, they would have resorted to violence by now; he merely shot a look at Chen Han.
Mu Xuanche remained inside the tent and hadn't gone anywhere, but there was no evidence.
Another person's situation was similar; three people without evidence were being discussed regarding how to determine their guilt.
In the end, it was decided that all three would be detained temporarily.
I couldn't believe it; they were actually going to imprison Mu Xuanche. That absolutely could not happen.
"I oppose this."
As I shouted loudly, all eyes turned toward me collectively.
"Gu Si. What do you mean by this?"
Chen Jiang was somewhat angry because his authority had been provoked. He squinted at me, a look of dissatisfaction on his face.
I didn’t care what he thought; it didn’t matter to me. Locking up my husband was simply unacceptable.
“Chen, the Sect Leader, I believe my person is innocent. He was just resting inside the tent, so please don’t wrongfully accuse him.”
Chen Jiang earnestly explained to me. It wasn’t about wronging anyone; it was about avoiding suspicion. He even used Chen Han as an example, emphasizing the principle of justice over familial ties, saying that he had locked up his own nephew without hesitation.
The people around us kept agreeing, saying that Chen Jiang was truly principled and that I, being a girl, shouldn’t be too stubborn.
I wanted to rush over and scold all those old men, coldly telling them, “There’s nothing to discuss here. I guarantee with my own integrity that he is innocent. If you think there’s a problem with him, you don’t have to keep us here; we can leave.”
I grabbed Mu Xuanche’s hand and was about to walk away when a few idiots with dull minds decided to stir up trouble.
Several people surrounded us, their faces filled with anger. “You think you can just leave after killing someone?”
Mu Xuanche stood calmly beside me, looking at those people as if they were a joke.
“Oh? What do you want? Are you relying on your numbers?”
I said this, and their expressions changed instantly. They seemed ready to charge at us but hesitated, fearing to be the first one to act.
Suddenly, an Old Taoist Priestess rushed forward. Her weapon was her injured Whisk, and she swung it toward my face.
The tip of the Whisk seemed to have a hook, glinting silver as it swept through the air.
Despite her age, the Old Taoist Priestess moved with remarkable speed, and I barely managed to dodge her attack.
The close call left me a bit shaken, and I almost strained my back in the process.
She attempted to lunge at me again, but Mu Xuanche seized her Whisk with a firm grip.
She sneered, confident that the iron hook on her Whisk would tear Mu Xuanche apart. She pulled back forcefully, but in the next moment, she was stunned.
Her Whisk twisted in Mu Xuanche's hands a few times before turning to ash. Mu Xuanche provocatively scattered the ashes in front of her, nearly causing the Old Taoist Priestess to faint from rage.
While I felt sympathy for her deceased disciple, her current state was no different from that of a madwoman.
Mu Xuanche's swift action shocked everyone else, and they hesitated to approach.
Chen Jiang sensed the tension. He stepped forward to ease the awkwardness.
"Gu Si, how can you be so impulsive as a young lady? We don't doubt your abilities, do we?"
I looked at Chen Jiang, who smiled warmly at me, and I felt like retching; this Old Fox was quite the actor.
"Chen, the Sect Leader, what will you do about this?"
I didn't want to beat around the bush, so I asked directly. There was no need to dance around the issue with him. I just wanted to know how we could get some rest.
Old Fox smiled as soon as he saw my straightforwardness.
"Since Gu Si is so direct, I'll be straightforward too. As long as you can find the real culprit by tomorrow, your suspicions will be cleared, and naturally, there will be no issues."
Old Fox really had the audacity to say that. He wanted us to investigate the murderer—why didn’t he just take care of it himself? If we couldn’t find anything, would they just blame us for their own actions? It felt like they were ready to dump all the blame on us.
I was about to voice my objections when Mu Xuanche unexpectedly jumped in and agreed.
To my surprise, Old Fox pressed on, asking Mu Xuanche what gave him the right to make such a decision. What if we failed?
I quickly responded that if we couldn't do it, we would accept whatever consequences came our way.
Under such an unequal agreement, we were finally released.
Back in the tent with Mu Xuanche, I asked him why he had agreed.
"What else could I do?"
He was so calm about it. What was I supposed to say?
"But what if we can't catch the murderer by tomorrow?" I asked him, a bit worried.
He pretended to be furious as he lunged toward me. "How dare you not believe your husband, Wife? Are you looking for a fight?"
I couldn't help but laugh at his antics, my mood instantly lifting. "Haha, if you think you can, go ahead!"
In a swift motion, he flipped me onto him, his warm breath brushing against my face, creating an uncomfortable tickling sensation.
"Am I capable or not? You should know that. Or should we verify it once more?"
Instantly, I felt my cheeks flush. In this tent, I truly couldn't bring myself to do that; the lack of soundproofing made it feel like there was no difference between having it and not.
I quickly covered his mouth with my hand, trying to prevent him from succeeding, begging him to let me go.
In the end, he couldn't overpower me. He collapsed onto my shoulder, panting heavily for a moment before finally stopping.
"Don't worry, Husband won't let anyone bully you. Now get some rest."
With those words from him, I felt reassured. I entrusted everything to him, wrapping my arms around his strong waist and finding comfort in his presence as I drifted off to sleep.
When I woke up on the twenty-first day, Mu Xuanche was already gone.
As I stepped out of the tent, I noticed that nearly everyone had arrived.
I hadn't expected them all to be so eager; they must be ready to witness the spectacle of Xuanzong's misfortune.
Seeing that I was the only one who had arrived, Chen Jiang furrowed his brows, looking quite displeased.
That was what outsiders could see. What I noticed, however, was the hint of a smile in his eyes; Old Fox was quite ruthless.
"Gu Si, where's your companion? He hasn't run off, has he?"
As Chen Jiang said this, the people around us erupted into chaos, crowding towards me.
Especially Old Taoist Priestess; now that Mu Xuanche wasn't around, she looked like she wanted to eat me alive.
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