Chapter 855: Chapter 292: Traitor!
The yin wind dissipated, but the sky over the Black Marsh remained gloomy.
The ghost tide had just receded, and the White Paper Immortal City no longer retained its initial splendor. The city walls were mottled, the once pristine surface now either cracked or riddled with potholes.
Tie Guzheng struggled to hide his exhaustion, yet he gritted his teeth, dragging his injured body as he commanded his subordinates to first repair fortifications and then clean up the battlefield.
Not only the city walls were damaged, but many buildings near the walls were also destroyed.
The grand offensive brought by the ghost tide had already threatened the city. The ruins were filled with the smell of burnt paper, the metallic scent of iron from cultivators’ blood poured on the ground, and the breath of death pervaded among the corpses.
Many infirmaries were set up in White Paper Immortal City.
Each one was overcrowded.
Yet, being able to be admitted here was still a fortunate thing. Because many cultivators died on the spot without even a chance for healing.
The cultivators in charge of medical treatment shuttled through this place.
In normal times, Qing Chi was also active here.
Her Green Flame was a masterful treatment for the injuries of the living, often having miraculous effects with rapid results.
After each round of treatment, Qing Chi gained significant prestige, and her reputation steadily rose throughout the whole Immortal City.
But at this moment, she was still with Yang Sanyan.
Presiding over the scene here was the old scholar of Ink Pool, Zheng Shoumo.
“Lord Zheng, come quickly, someone is not going to make it!” a cultivator cried for help.
Zheng Shoumo rushed over to see the wounded soldier on the brink of death, with hardly a piece of complete armor on his body, his left shoulder was in a ghastly state. The scapula and clavicle were shattered, sharp bone fragments pierced through the flesh, exposed gruesomely under the dim light.
In one of the bone-cratered holes, there were clumps of thick black blood and gray-white bone debris.
With each difficult gasp, foul blood with bubbles surged from the depths of the cavity, trickling down along the tattered tunic, soaking the stretcher beneath.
His breathing was as weak as a candle in the wind.
Zheng Shoumo focused intently, then flipped his left hand to reveal a roll of light amber jade slip, neither silk nor satin, yet warm and lustrous.
He cradled the jade slip in his palm, channeling mana to emit a stream of light amber radiance.
The radiance shone upon the wounded soldier, revealing a passage of self-cultivation and health essays.
Countless words mingled with the warm yellow light, immersed into the soldier’s body.
The soldier’s body first stiffened abruptly, then relaxed. His furrowed brows slowly eased, and the wound healed at a pace visible to the naked eye.
Moments later, his tightly closed eyelids twitched and then slowly opened. Although his gaze remained unfocused, there was a glimpse of life.
After stabilizing the soldier’s life, Zheng Shoumo immediately halted the treatment.
It wasn’t that he was unwilling; rather, he had to deliberately hold back. There were too many soldiers injured, and occasionally some were on the verge of death, requiring urgent treatment.
He and some skilled medical cultivators primarily focused on timely intervention, pulling patients back from the brink of death.
“Lord Zheng, Lord Wen is at the camp gate and requests a meeting with you,” a cultivator came to report.
Zheng Shoumo’s eyes narrowed slightly, his expression calm, and he nodded: “I’ll be quick.”
He left the group of wounded and headed to the camp gate, where he saw Wen Ruanyu standing with hands clasped behind him.
Wen Ruanyu slowly turned around, and with his movement, two other cultivators revealed themselves.
They were Ning Zhuo and Yang Sanyan.
The three surrounded Zheng Shoumo at the center, their aura imposing.
Simultaneously, the surrounding environment began to change rapidly. Just a few breaths later, Zheng Shoumo found himself standing in a meadow.
Grassland dojo!
Zheng Shoumo showed a slight look of surprise, focusing on the source of the grassland dojo—Yang Sanyan: “You must be Lord Yang Sanyan from Myriad Images Sect.”
“May I ask your intention, my lord?”
Yang Sanyan: “Someone has exposed your identity as an internal traitor, Zheng Shoumo.”
Yang Sanyan glanced at Ning Zhuo.
Zheng Shoumo glanced at Ning Zhuo, but then turned to look at Wen Ruanyu: “This is slander. Does Lord Wen think the same?”
Wen Ruanyu’s expression was complex, sighing: “Elder Zheng, it’s just a suspicion. We need to confront each other for the time being.”
Only then did Zheng Shoumo turn to Ning Zhuo: “Little friend Jiao Ma, I didn’t expect our reunion would be under such circumstances. Can you tell this old one what I did to cause such a significant misunderstanding?”
Ning Zhuo’s expression remained calm: “A mass poisoning of male concubines at the Yang Enhancement Institute shocked the entire city. I investigated the scene and constantly felt something peculiar.”
“When alone, I finally realized where the odd feeling came from.”
“It was over there—Yang Weida.”
“When other male concubines died, their faces were contorted with pain, but not Yang Weida. He looked serene, as if unaware of any pain of life passing.”
“Why is that?”
Zheng Shoumo: “Perhaps the murderer acted too fast, leaving Yang Weida without suffering, dying too swiftly.”
Ning Zhuo shook his head: “There’s a crucial point here—how exactly did the male concubines die? The real cause of death for Yang Weida and others ultimately lies in the toxic spirit food.”
“Thus, it led to an innocent elderly man confessing voluntarily.”
“We all know he wasn’t the murderer. So who is the murderer, and how did they manage to poison so many male concubines?”
Zheng Shoumo remained expressionless: “Little friend Jiao Ma, if you haven’t even figured out this question, coming to confront me might be a bit hasty, don’t you think?”
Ning Zhuo gave a slight bitter smile: “I am indeed not as skilled as some in solving cases.”
“I suspect the murderer has always concealed their method of scheming.”
“Whether it’s the recent male concubine massacre, or the previous deaths of Shen Bing and Chen Sui, their causes of death are all hidden beneath the surface.”