Chapter 621: The Traitor!
The Yin Wind dissipated, yet the sky above Yin Tide Black Marsh remained overcast and heavy.
The Ghost Tide had only just receded. White Paper Immortal City was no longer as radiant and resplendent as it had been at the beginning. The city walls were mottled and scarred; the pale-white surfaces were either crisscrossed with cracks or riddled with pits and dents.
Tie Guzheng could not conceal the exhaustion on his face, yet he still gritted his teeth and dragged his wounded body about, directing his subordinates—first to repair the fortifications, then to clean up the battlefield.
It was not only the city walls that had suffered damage. Many of the buildings near them had also been destroyed.
The massive offensive brought by the Ghost Tide had already threatened the interior of the city. The smell of burnt paper lingered among the ruins, mingled with the rusty stench of blood spilled by cultivators who had fallen where they stood. The aura of death hung thick among the corpses.
Several wounded camps had been set up throughout White Paper Immortal City.
Every single one was packed to capacity.
Yet being able to stay here was still considered fortunate. Many cultivators had died on the spot, never even given the chance to receive treatment.
Medical cultivators moved swiftly through the camps.
Under normal circumstances, Qingchi would also have been active here.
Her Azure Flames were exceptionally effective at healing the living. They often produced miraculous results and worked with remarkable speed.
After each round of treatment, Qingchi would gain a substantial amount of prestige, her reputation steadily rising throughout the entire Immortal City.
But at this moment, she was still at Yang Sanyan’s side.
Presiding over matters here was Zheng Shoumo, the Elder Confucian of the Ink Pool.
“Lord Zheng, quickly, over here! Someone’s about to die!” a cultivator called out urgently.
Zheng Shoumo hurried over and saw that the wounded soldier was barely clinging to life. There was almost no intact armor left on his body. His left shoulder was a horrifying sight. The scapula and clavicle were completely shattered, jagged bone fragments piercing through flesh and skin, grotesquely exposed beneath the dim light.
Inside a cavity of torn flesh and bone were clotted masses of dark, sticky blood and gray-white bone debris.
Each time the wounded soldier struggled to draw a breath, foul blood bubbled up from deep within the cavity, trailing down along his tattered clothing and soaking the stretcher beneath him.
His aura was as faint as a dying candle flickering in the wind.
Zheng Shoumo focused intently. With a flip of his left hand, he produced a pale-yellow jade tablet that was neither silk nor brocade, its surface smooth and warm with a gentle luster.
He supported the jade tablet in his palm and infused it with mana, releasing a faint yellow radiance.
The radiance shone above the wounded soldier, revealing an article on self-cultivation and moral refinement.
Countless characters, suffused with warm yellow light, sank into the wounded soldier’s body.
The soldier’s body first stiffened abruptly, then gradually relaxed. His tightly furrowed brow slowly smoothed out, and his wounds began to mend at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Moments later, his tightly shut eyelids trembled and slowly opened. Though his gaze remained unfocused, a thread of vitality had returned.
After stabilizing the soldier’s life, Zheng Shoumo immediately ceased treatment.
It was not that he was unwilling to continue—he had to deliberately hold back. There were too many wounded. From time to time, someone would hover on the brink of death, requiring urgent intervention.
He and several other highly skilled medical cultivators were primarily responsible for stepping in at critical moments to pull the wounded back from the abyss of death.
“Lord Zheng, Lord Wen is at the camp gate. He requests a word with you,” a cultivator reported.
Zheng Shoumo’s eyes narrowed slightly. His expression remained calm as he nodded. “I will return shortly.”
He left the wounded behind and walked to the camp entrance, where he saw Wen Ruanyu standing with his hands clasped behind his back.
Wen Ruanyu slowly turned around. With that movement, two other figures revealed themselves.
They were Ning Zhuo and Yang Sanyan.
The three of them encircled Zheng Shoumo, their presence pressing down upon him.
At the same time, the surrounding environment changed rapidly. Within a few breaths, Zheng Shoumo found himself standing in the middle of a grassland.
Grass-Head Dao-Field!
A trace of surprise flickered across Zheng Shoumo’s face as he looked toward the source of the Grass-Head Dao-Field—Yang Sanyan.
“You must be Lord Yang Sanyan of the Myriad Phenomena Sect.”
“May I ask the purpose of your visit?”
Yang Sanyan replied, “Someone has exposed your identity as the traitor, Zheng Shoumo.”
He glanced toward Ning Zhuo.
Zheng Shoumo cast a glance at Ning Zhuo, then turned his gaze to Wen Ruanyu instead. “This is slander. Does Lord Wen believe the same?”
Wen Ruanyu’s expression was complicated. After a sigh, he said, “It is only suspicion for now. We require a confrontation.”
Only then did Zheng Shoumo look toward Ning Zhuo. “Young friend Jiao Ma, I did not expect our next meeting to occur under such circumstances. Please tell this old man—what have I done to cause such a grave misunderstanding on your part?”
Ning Zhuo’s expression was calm. “The mass poisoning of the male consorts at Zhuangyang Courtyard shocked the entire city. I investigated the scene and always felt something was amiss.”
“It was only when I was alone that I realized the source of that strange feeling.”
“It was Yang Weida.”
“When the other male consorts died, their expressions were twisted in agony, filled with pain. But Yang Weida was not. His face was calm, as though he had not sensed any of the suffering of life slipping away.”
“Why would that be?”
Zheng Shoumo replied, “Perhaps the killer acted too swiftly, giving Yang Weida no time to suffer. He may have died too quickly.”
Ning Zhuo shook his head. “There is a key point here—how exactly did the male consorts die? The true cause of death for Yang Weida and the others was ultimately attributed to poisoned Spirit Food.”
“And because of that, an innocent old man was led to confess.”
“We all know he was not the killer. Then who was the killer, and how did they poison so many male consorts?”
Zheng Shoumo remained expressionless. “If young friend Jiao Ma has not even clarified this question and yet comes to confront me, is that not somewhat rash?”
A faint bitter smile appeared on Ning Zhuo’s face. “I truly am not as skilled at solving cases as some.”
“I suspect the killer concealed their method of assassination.”
“Whether it was the recent mass killing of the male consorts, or the earlier deaths of Shen Bing and Chen Sui—the true causes of death were hidden beneath appearances.”
“At first, I believed the killer fabricated false causes of death to frame others, sow discord, and disrupt the city’s order.”
“Perhaps that was indeed one purpose, but not the main one.”
“The primary purpose was disguise—to conceal the true method used to assassinate the victims. And that method would bear distinctive traits. Once discovered, it would very likely lead directly to the killer!”
“If the assassination method originated from Confucian cultivation, then it would be extremely difficult for us to discern. Confucian cultivators are rare here—far too rare. In the entire city, there are only two: Lord Wen and Lord Zheng.”
Zheng Shoumo nodded faintly. “There is some logic to that. However, this is merely speculation. How do you prove that I am the killer?”
“And according to your reasoning, young friend Jiao Ma, is this confrontation not also directed at Lord Wen?”
Wen Ruanyu’s eyes flickered slightly, yet he remained silent.
Ning Zhuo fixed his sharp gaze on Zheng Shoumo. “Yang Weida’s death is a flaw.”
“If he had been poisoned like the others, his expression would have been contorted in agony.”
“But it was not!”
“The killer’s assassination method was ineffective against him, forcing the killer to seek another method to cause his death. Or perhaps the method’s effect on him was much weaker.”
“That led me to ponder the difference between Yang Weida and the other male consorts.”
“It was obvious—the most striking difference was that he was an outsider!”
Zheng Shoumo’s expression did not change.
Ning Zhuo continued, “So then—what is the major difference between outsiders and the locals of White Paper Immortal City?”
“There is one.”
“The Ink Pool!”
At these words, Zheng Shoumo finally raised his brow.
Ning Zhuo went on, “It was only after receiving guidance from Senior Wen that I learned of the Ink Pool’s great role in civilizing the entire White Paper Immortal City!”
“The Ink Pool is a Confucian literary treasure, derived from the inkstone among the Four Treasures of the Study—brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. The waters of the Ink Pool can civilize the populace, wash away barbaric martial ferocity, and guide them toward the literary path.”
“Since its construction, the Ink Pool has served as the primary source of drinking water for the entire White Paper Immortal City and the surrounding villages.”
“And it is you, Elder Zheng, who oversees the Ink Pool. To maintain its daily operations, you personally observe public conditions, hold multiple city posts, walk through alleys and streets, and participate in much of the city’s daily life.”
“You are a Confucian cultivator. If you wished to tamper with the ink water, it would be exceedingly easy.”
“The city’s drinking water is ink water. Even Spirit Food preparation cannot avoid using water. It is equivalent to planting a Gu worm—the entire city has been calculated against.”
“Using the ink water as a trigger, you employed some Confucian method to carry out precise assassinations…”
Zheng Shoumo snorted coldly. “Enough, Jiao Ma. This is all your conjecture. If you have evidence, present it directly. I bear heavy responsibilities. I do not have time to listen to your rambling. Do you know that by delaying me this long, a wounded man may die untreated?”
Yang Sanyan and Wen Ruanyu both looked toward Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo spread his hands. “I have no evidence.”
Yang Sanyan and Wen Ruanyu both glared at him.
Ning Zhuo lifted his chin proudly, showing not the slightest trace of fear. “I said it earlier—I am no Divine Constable.”
Yang Sanyan snorted coldly. “Boy, I did not come here to play with you.”
Wen Ruanyu said, “Perhaps we could ask the City Lord to intervene and employ the ‘Plain Inquiry Heart-Dissection Scroll’.”
Ning Zhuo shook his head. “It would be useless.”
“I suspect that during the previous thorough investigation for a traitor, the City Lord already used the ‘Plain Inquiry Heart-Dissection Scroll’ on all high-level members.”
“The traitor was never uncovered. That can only mean two possibilities—either the traitor is not among the upper ranks, or the ‘Plain Inquiry Heart-Dissection Scroll’ is ineffective.”
“The ‘Plain Inquiry Heart-Dissection Scroll’ is a Confucian method. Elder Zheng may very well have relied upon that to pass every inspection safely.”
Zheng Shoumo let out a cold chuckle. “I understand now. From beginning to end, this has all been your speculation. Do you know that you are slandering an innocent man?”
Ning Zhuo was about to speak when Wen Ruanyu suggested, “If Elder Zheng tampered with the Ink Pool, perhaps I could inspect it myself. With my Confucian methods, I could examine whether there are suspicious traces.”
Ning Zhuo waved his hand. “Would Elder Zheng fail to guard against that?”
“I still remember, Lord Wen—you once told me that for a long period, the Ink Pool was repeatedly sabotaged.”
“You explained that the Ghost Race, being Yin souls by nature, resisted being altered by Confucian external forces and therefore sought every means to sabotage it.”
“I understand that. But what I do not understand is—why were they able to succeed so many times?”
“The Ink Pool is so vital to White Paper Immortal City. By all logic, it should have been heavily protected, should it not?”
Wen Ruanyu gave a bitter smile. “It was already heavily protected. But each time the Ghost Race’s sabotage was exceedingly cunning. Sometimes internal members were turned. Other times their ideas were so bizarre you could never imagine how ingenious their methods were…”
As he spoke, Wen Ruanyu’s expression changed. He stopped mid-sentence.
His pupils contracted as he fixed his gaze upon Zheng Shoumo.
In the past, he had not thought much of it. But now, upon reflection, he suddenly realized—such a critical facility as the Ink Pool being sabotaged repeatedly was indeed strange.
As the defender of the Ink Pool, Zheng Shoumo was either incompetent or unable to dissociate himself from responsibility.
Was Zheng Shoumo incompetent?
Without even thinking, Wen Ruanyu shook his head internally.
In many aspects, Zheng Shoumo surpassed him, a Golden Core Cultivator. For instance, his understanding of the ‘Comprehensive Outline of the Surrender Contract.’ In fact, when it came to recruiting and subduing Ghost Generals, Wen Ruanyu had voluntarily yielded the task to Zheng Shoumo, who was more adept.
This was a flourishing era of cultivation.
In such a prosperous age, all kinds of cultivation techniques bloomed like a hundred flowers and contended like a hundred schools of thought.
As Wen Ruanyu had previously explained to Ning Zhuo, Confucian cultivation was a later-rising school. The reason it occupied such a significant position was that it incorporated many cultivation arts into its practice.
For example, the traditional four arts of the scholar—zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. And the six arts of the gentleman—rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics.
Cultivation level was only one measure of a cultivator’s strength.
Mastery of profound techniques often enabled a cultivator of lower cultivation to surpass an opponent of higher realm.
Confucian cultivators might have deep knowledge of zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, and various classical works—allowing them to accomplish things that even higher-realm Confucian cultivators could not.
If Zheng Shoumo could surpass Wen Ruanyu in understanding the ‘Comprehensive Outline of the Surrender Contract,’ why could he not surpass him in other aspects?
It was entirely possible.
Realizing this, Wen Ruanyu’s gaze toward Zheng Shoumo changed dramatically.
Zheng Shoumo snorted again and questioned Ning Zhuo, “Jiao Ma, do you have any evidence at all? From beginning to end, you have been making baseless guesses. If you have evidence, present it. If not, get lost! Stop delaying my work.”
Ning Zhuo replied expressionlessly, “I already said—I have no evidence.”
Zheng Shoumo’s brow lifted as he was about to rebuke him, but Ning Zhuo continued on his own.
“I am no Divine Constable.”
“But I am the Vice City Lord.”
“When I act, I do not require evidence.”
Zheng Shoumo’s expression froze.
Wen Ruanyu frowned deeply, his face filled with hesitation.
On the contrary, Yang Sanyan threw back his head and burst into laughter, clapping his hands. “Those words suit my heart well! Zheng Shoumo, surrender without resistance. If the city loses you, at most a few more cultivators will die. A city as vast as White Paper Immortal City can bear such a loss. You overestimate your own importance. Without you, nothing changes!”
Zheng Shoumo’s lips trembled. He stared fixedly at Ning Zhuo, seemingly wishing to curse, but restrained himself out of decorum.
Ning Zhuo’s gaze seemed to pierce straight through him as he spoke slowly, “Elder Zheng, if you are innocent and pure, then bind your own hands and allow us to seal and detain you for a period of time. But I suspect… hehe… you would be unwilling.”
As he finished, Ning Zhuo let out a meaningful chuckle.
“What do you mean by that?” Wen Ruanyu frowned, confused.
The anger on Zheng Shoumo’s face abruptly vanished, replaced by an expressionless calm. “Yes. I am unwilling.”
Wen Ruanyu and Yang Sanyan both turned sharply to stare at him.
Zheng Shoumo’s words were problematic—they were tantamount to indirectly acknowledging Ning Zhuo’s accusation.
Yet in the very next moment, Zheng Shoumo spoke plainly:
“Yes. I am the traitor you have been searching for.”