Chapter 1223: Points of Suspicion

Chapter 1223: Chapter 1223: Points of Suspicion

"Is there a problem?" Seeing Mei Simiao’s hesitant demeanor, Pei Yan leaned over and softly asked.

"Considering the situation at that time, the opponent could have caused us greater casualties, but they didn’t. After discovering someone was injured and dead, they withdrew. I originally thought there was an issue with the batch of documents transferred, possibly linked to the core of this incident. Yet, after reviewing them, none were missing, seeming like these people weren’t targeting them," Mei Simiao expressed her doubts under Pei Yan’s further questioning.

"Hehehe, and yet these people left the distinctive Sword Qi of the Hongjun Sword Furnace so easily identifiable inside Brother Wang, right?" Upon hearing this, Pei Yan roughly understood the concerns of Mei and Gu, as well as the reasons behind Feng Tianhe’s forceful persuasion, laughing coldly.

"Yes, after rescuing Wenzhe, we immediately discovered the lingering Sword Qi in his meridians. To neutralize it, we immediately invited a healing expert from the Immortal Palace for a diagnosis. As each of the four doctors examined Wenzhe’s body, their expressions changed dramatically. They continually waved their hands saying their skills were inadequate, refusing to treat him and using various excuses to leave. It was only when Old Gu became angry and forcefully pressured the last doctor that we managed to extract the truth from him."

"Hehehe, if I hadn’t absorbed the Sword Qi from the Hongjun Sword Furnace before, I wouldn’t have been able to discern it so easily." Hearing this, Pei Yan patted Wang Wenze’s injured leg with a smile and said, "Well, after suffering for these days, enduring a bit longer isn’t a big deal! Later, I’ll seek justice for you, brother! After the matter is settled, I’ll absorb the remaining Sword Qi in your body, and using the Power of Origin acquired from the Dragon Realm, you’ll be fully recovered in less than two days."

"Oh! I don’t mind! My legs are already much better than in the initial days after they were injured. Even without your help, I reckon I could recover within a month. But you need to stay calm. From Director Mei’s words and my own analysis, this incident doesn’t quite seem like the work of the Hongjun Sword Furnace!" Wang Wenze understood his friend’s temperament well. Unlike Jiang Feiyang, who would want Pei Yan to stand up for him immediately when slighted, he thought more about the big picture and Pei Yan’s safety.

"I understand what you mean." Pei Yan nodded, turning to Mei Simiao to continue questioning, "I saw Elder Feng from the Mo Sect pleading with me. Has this matter already circulated around the Immortal Palace? Haven’t the people from the Hongjun Sword Furnace expressed anything?"

"Express? They did come by after the incident. After checking Wenzhe’s body, they said they could take him back to heal, which I refused. Afterward, they left a message claiming they’d give us a satisfactory explanation, but since then, they haven’t reappeared." Mei Simiao snorted coldly, expressing dissatisfaction.

After hearing the whole sequence of events, Pei Yan pondered for a long time before slowly expressing, "In such an assassination action, leaving such obvious traces of sect techniques openly, I believe anyone with a bit of sense wouldn’t do that. Especially such a prominent sect standing in the Immortal Palace for a long time; the frame-up is too obvious! I think you, Director Mei, also see it this way. So, setting aside this evident culprit, do you have any suspicions? Or have your investigations over the days revealed anything?"

"The implication of framing the Hongjun Sword Furnace is clear, but I must say, whoever framed them or the sect isn’t shooting blindly." Mei Simiao said as he picked up the bottled water from the table, twisted the cap, and took a big sip before continuing, "If the previous trap against Celestial Sword Manor had a prime suspect, it would be the Hongjun Sword Furnace. Though these two sects appear amicable as leaders of the Sword Sect in the Daoist Realm, behind the scenes, they fiercely compete for the position in the Six Mansions of the Immortal Palace."

"Alas, their relationship is quite similar to that between the Mo Sect and the now-defunct Celestial Secret Pavilion, but unlike the Mo Sect consistently suppressing the Celestial Secret Pavilion, these two sects have had alternating victories. Both have been inducted into the Immortal Palace as part of the Six Mansions at some point. However, Celestial Sword Manor’s reputation suffered after Fan Ruyi’s malicious deeds were uncovered and punished in the cornerstone realm. Consequently, during the last Sword Discussion Conference, they were outmatched by the Hongjun Sword Furnace. This time, Celestial Sword Manor intended to make a comeback but got embroiled in the Blood Assassination’s attack on the Immortal Palace, which exposed them colluding with disciples from the sect, leading to the entire sect being detained."

Upon mentioning this, Mei Simiao clicked his tongue in dismay, "From a motive standpoint, Celestial Sword Manor’s downfall indeed benefits the Hongjun Sword Furnace the most, naturally making it a primary target of our investigation. Throughout this probe, we indeed uncovered several discrepancies about them. While I can’t be certain of any link between the Hongjun Sword Furnace and the Blood Assassination, I’m convinced they are one of the behind-the-scenes forces in Celestial Sword Manor’s collapse."

"However..." Pei Yan expressed these two words in a teasing tone after hearing about the inter-sect conflicts.

"Hm?"

"You’ve said so much, but you must have a ’however,’ right? You’re hinting there’s someone or a sect more suspicious than the Hongjun Sword Furnace!"

"Hahaha!" Mei Simiao burst into laughter, pointing at Pei Yan but not directly responding. Instead, he grabbed Pei Yan’s hand, using his fingertip to write several words in Pei Yan’s palm.

"Gasp! It’s them?" Upon seeing the written words, Pei Yan gasped, shaking his head repeatedly in disbelief, "Are you sure? This sect is quite low-profile! Among the Six Mansions of the Immortal Palace, I’m least acquainted with them."

"For an undercover operation, the lower the profile, the better, isn’t it? Wasn’t the previous Peach Blossom Spring famous in the Daoist Realm for avoiding fame and pursuing liberty and joy? But in the end, haha!" Mei Simiao coldly snorted with disdain.

"Do you have evidence?" Pei Yan asked again.

Without saying much, Mei Simiao pulled out two stacks of folders from his dimensional ring and placed them in Pei Yan’s hands. Pei Yan took the folders and upon flipping them open, saw they were records translated from the Heavenly Guardian Pavilion files. Although Pei Yan’s eyes were sealed, his merged supernatural computer functioned flawlessly, rapidly scanning through the documents with a face-mounted camera, memorizing them quickly.

"Tsk! They know this too?" As Pei Yan swiftly browsed through the files and opened a new Chapter, he suddenly paused, his face revealing an intrigued smile.

"What?" Seeing Pei Yan’s expression, Mei Simiao knew he had discovered something. Curious, she leaned over to look at the document in Pei Yan’s hands but found nothing unusual, asking, "Um, is there a problem with this record?"

"Um, the problem isn’t big, but it’s not insignificant either, haha!" Pei Yan laughed and whispered to Mei Simiao, sharing some of his experiences in the Dragon Realm.