Chapter 392 - 221: The Way of a Grandmaster, Resistance in Jinling

Chapter 392: Chapter 221: The Way of a Grandmaster, Resistance in Jinling

As for what this important matter was, he and Qin Zhenyang knew it was most likely the irregularities among the noble families that Wang Zhiyi had been investigating. The others probably only had a vague idea.

"Then, Master Wang’s mind was completely occupied by that important matter. As he turned, the other party launched a surprise attack, killing Master Wang in a single blow."

Xie Yuan said in a somber voice.

Yu Wensheng and Ning Zi thought about it. It seemed plausible, but they felt it was all speculation on Xie Yuan’s part. Unable to hold back, Yu Wensheng stepped forward and asked quickly,

"Nephew Zhang, do you have any proof of that?"

"I wouldn’t call it proof, but look at Master Wang’s hand. I’ve been examining it for a while. It seems to have been forced open."

Hearing this, the group looked closely. They saw Wang Zhiyi’s hand was open and relaxed. What was wrong with that?

"Master Wang was clearly tense and on guard before he was killed. At a time like that, how could his hand be completely open? Normally, one’s fist would be at least clenched, or the fingers would be slightly curled, ready to grip a sword. Why would it be straightened out like this? If you look closely, there are very faint pressure marks. The killer must have forced it open."

At his words, they all took a closer look and, sure enough, discovered it was just as Xie Yuan had said!

Yu Wensheng’s eyes were wide. He had looked several times but had never noticed this detail!

Ning Zi’s mouth was also agape. She said in disbelief,

"Senior Brother Qin said you were observant, and I was a little skeptical. Are your eyes really that sharp? You can even see marks like these?"

Qin Zhenyang also nodded slightly, his gaze filled with approval.

Xie Yuan shook his head.

"The marks are minuscule; the killer was clearly very careful. I didn’t see them at first, either. But the state of his fingers just felt wrong. Only after looking closely did I spot the clue. The killer is actually quite meticulous, but in this case, they tried to be too clever and it backfired."

A look of admiration appeared in Yu Wensheng’s eyes, mixed with some confusion. He subconsciously asked,

"Then why did the killer insist on straightening Senior Brother Wang’s fingers? Was it..."

"To take what was in Master Wang’s hand. Their initial goal wasn’t to straighten the fingers, but to get whatever Master Wang was gripping so tightly. They probably handed him this object to distract him, gained his trust, and then made their move. Afterward, they took the object. Fearing we’d notice something was off, they specifically arranged Master Wang’s hand into a relaxed posture so we wouldn’t realize he had been holding something."

"But in doing so, they drew your attention to it! Junior Brother Zhang, how are you so amazing?"

Ning Zi clapped her hands, having figured out the whole process, and exclaimed excitedly.

’Because I’ve watched over seven hundred episodes of Conan...’

Xie Yuan shook his head. It was just that he happened to think a little more than the others and had already made some guesses about the reason for Wang Zhiyi’s murder, which was why he could make these deductions.

But even knowing all this, it was of limited help in identifying the real killer.

However, that didn’t stop both Yu Wensheng and Ning Zi from looking at him with new admiration. Yu Wensheng said with some excitement,

"Excellent! Nephew Zhang, your observations are so meticulous! You’ve solved a question that’s been nagging me for so long the moment you arrived! I’m ashamed to say, I’ve been here all this time and haven’t seen as much as you did in a single glance. How have I never heard of such an outstanding junior before?"

Qin Zhenyang explained,

"Junior Brother Zhang only joined the Sect last year. He performed a meritorious service at the beginning of this year and entered Sword Peak, where he stayed for just nine days. Back then, he was still at the External Training level. Now, he’s already in the Qi Blood First Transformation Realm."

’One year to a Qi and Blood transformation? An External Training practitioner, for nine days on Sword Peak?’

Yu Wensheng was stunned. He understood all the words, but when put together with the numbers, something felt off. ’Surely they don’t combine like that?’

’But a Qi and Blood transformation in nine days, or an External Training practitioner on Sword Peak for a year, seemed even more absurd...’

He took a moment to process it all. When he looked back at Xie Yuan, his expression had changed again. He sighed and said,

"The Sect has gained another prodigy. This is truly Cloud Mountain’s good fortune."

Xie Yuan offered a few modest words, then glanced at Wang Zhiyi’s body again and sighed.

"We’ve seen pretty much everything there is to see at the scene. Let’s go outside and talk."

The group quietly left the side room, closed the door properly, and went to the main hall. Yu Wensheng asked excitedly,

"Nephew Zhang, do you know who the killer is?"

Xie Yuan was silent. ’I’m not a god; how could I possibly know that?’

But he did have some suspicions. He asked,

"Master Yu, who has Master Wang been in contact with recently?"

"Senior Brother Wang represented the Sword Sect here and had a wide circle of acquaintances. Besides the local prominent families, led by the Yao family of Jinling, there were also the sects of Jiangnan, several chief officials of Jinling Prefecture, and, oh, Duke Ning."

Xie Yuan fell silent. This meant Wang Zhiyi had associated with every influential person in and around Jinling.

He was indeed a capable man dispatched by the Sect—a perfect fit for the job, one might say—but this also made things extremely difficult for Xie Yuan.

Seeing Xie Yuan lost in thought, Qin Zhenyang and the other two fell silent, afraid of disturbing his train of thought.

Qin Zhenyang had been briefed by Li Xingtuo and already knew the backstory, so he trusted Xie Yuan from the start. As for the other two, after just a few sentences in the side room, they were completely in awe of him. They felt he was like an incarnation of a Divine Catcher from the Spring Rain Building, that even Su Xing himself was probably no better.

Xie Yuan thought for a moment, let out a breath, and said,

"Since we don’t have a clear direction, we’ll have to use the slow method."

Qin Zhenyang nodded.

"Go on."

"The Yao family, as our hosts, have invited us to a banquet tomorrow, haven’t they? We’ll start looking for clues with them."

「The next day.」

In an elegant waterside pavilion in Jinling Prefecture, Xie Yuan and the other Sword Sect members sat across from representatives of the Yao family. The tables before them were laden with all sorts of delicacies, while the music of strings and flutes drifted by and beautiful women danced lightly.

"Ah, such corruption..."

Xie Yuan mused, deeply moved by the sight. This was a top-tier private club, the kind he could only ever look at online in his past life.