Chapter 652: The Vanished Murderer

"Anyway, stay in your room and don't wander around. The other major sects are prejudiced against you, and they might use this as an excuse to cause trouble." Leng Qingxuan shook out his Daoist robe and stood up from his chair. "Jiangcheng is about to descend into chaos. Look out for yourself."

He gave me a few more instructions before leaving.

After seeing Leng Qingxuan to the door, I looked down the empty hallway, feeling rather uneasy.

I was the one who had murdered Chen Jiuge. But as long as there was no proof, no one would ever discover that secret.

'My only weakness is Tie Ningxiang. I hope that this time, she can choose between justice and me.'

After running around all night, I was utterly exhausted. But it wasn't time to rest yet; the police could arrive at any moment.

'The bizarre death of Xiao Zhuang Taoist Temple's top disciple of this generation will definitely drag in all the factions in Jiangcheng. Neither the Jiang family nor Ganding Pharmaceuticals will be able to stay out of it. Still, the more chaotic it gets, the better it is for me. Who would ever suspect that the real murderer is right under their noses?' Out of habit, I wanted to light a cigarette, but after patting down my pockets, I realized I had nothing on me.

'I need to find a way to leave and exchange my Live Show Points for items. I also made an agreement with Daoist master Wan during the broadcast. I need to find the traditional Chinese medicines he mentioned and keep them on me.' Daoist master Wan was one of the livestream viewers. No one knew his true identity, but judging by his usual speech and demeanor, he was definitely someone significant. He might even be able to help me resolve this crisis.

'Worldly affairs are inconstant; it's better if I stay careful.' One crucial reason I had survived so many broadcasts was that I rarely relied on others or external forces. I often broke through dead ends alone, finding the single path to survival amidst impossibilities.

Shortly after eight in the morning, police cars drove into Century New Garden one after another. No one had expected a murder to occur in Jiangcheng's most luxurious and heavily guarded five-star hotel.

Pushing open the window, I stood on the sixteenth floor, looking down at the winding stream of vehicles with a faint smirk.

'I'm right here. Can you catch me?'

The late autumn morning breeze carried a chill. It had been a long time since I'd quietly observed the city beneath my feet. Only now did I suddenly realize that the vegetation in this ancient city had withered. Yellow leaves carpeted the ground, filling the air with a desolate, murderous chill.

"Knock! Knock! Knock!"

That was the third time someone knocked on the door. I took my time walking over to open it. As the wooden door swung inward, a face I utterly despised appeared in my line of sight.

"Gao Jian, why is it that you're connected to every murder case? Come with me. The police cars are downstairs."

The man outside was Chen Feng, one of Tie Ningxiang's pursuers. His old man was Chen Jianguo, captain of the armed police brigade, who had targeted me multiple times. Back when I was wanted across the whole city, this father-and-son duo had spared no effort in hunting me down.

"You're a criminal detective from the Municipal Sub-bureau. Why are you wearing an armed police uniform? As far as I know, those two departments don't belong to the same system, do they?" I studied Chen Feng, wanting to bait some information out of him. In my eyes, this guy's IQ was below average. He had only made it this far by relying on his father, Chen Jianguo.

"Cut the crap! Get out here!" Chen Feng's expression instantly changed, though I didn't know what sore spot I had poked.

"Isn't it a good thing to become an armed police officer? Could it be that you weren't officially transferred, but kicked out of the Municipal Sub-bureau instead?" Seeing Chen Feng pull out his handcuffs, I grinned and stopped pressing the issue. Looking completely relaxed, I followed behind him.

As we walked down the corridor, the rooms on both sides were empty. The sect members staying inside had already left ahead of time.

'Good thing I came back early. If I had been even a step slower, I would have been caught red-handed.' Taking the elevator down to the seventh-floor lobby, I swept my gaze across the room and saw that aside from Chen Jiuge and Lu Chen, all the sect cultivators were present.

The banquet hall, large enough to accommodate hundreds of diners at once, was now packed with armed police and hotel guests. On the elevated banquet stage, several sect cultivators wore solemn expressions.

Daoist Master Xu Yan of Qingcheng and Lu Jingxiu, the mountain guardian of the Lingbao Sect, sat in the center. The other sect disciples stood behind them. The seats further out were left for Jiang Chen and Huang Boyuan. The Jiang family patriarch, Jiang Detao, had not shown up.

"Why did you bring us here? What gives you the right to do this?"

"I have a business deal to discuss today! Since you've delayed my itinerary, you can talk directly to my lawyer!"

"There are so many police officers!"

"I heard there was a murder in the hotel last night. A Daoist priest was killed."

"Killed a Daoist priest? Is the murderer fucking crazy?"

"Everyone, please quiet down. Trust the police. The truth will come to light very soon."

The gathered guests whispered among themselves. One by one, they were taken into partitioned rooms for questioning. Their reasons for traveling and their luggage were all thoroughly inspected.

The police interrogated them in great detail. I simply sat by a dining table, dozing off. 'Looking at this lineup, these sect cultivators are dead set on finding the murderer.'

Chen Jiuge's death had created a terrible impact, and if not handled well, it would implicate even more people. I surveyed my surroundings from the corner of my eye. All the exits had been completely sealed off. The hall was filled with both armed police and criminal detectives, all carrying loaded weapons.

'The stakes really are quite high this time.'

A full hour passed before it was my turn. Led by an armed police officer, I entered a VIP room that had been converted into a temporary interrogation room.

The door closed. I sat on one side of a round table, facing three police officers and a Daoist priest. They were all familiar faces.

Chen Jianguo and Lu Chen sat in the middle. Flanking them were Chen Feng and Wu Meng, the deputy captain of the Municipal Sub-bureau's Criminal Police Brigade.

"Captain Wu, is Captain Tie here? I haven't seen her in a while, and I actually miss her," I greeted Wu Meng naturally.

"She had some family matters to attend to and took an hour off. She probably won't be here until the afternoon." Wu Meng coughed dryly and took out a pen and paper. The lead interrogator this time was Chen Jianguo; Wu Meng was just taking notes.

Tapping his fingers against the table, Chen Jianguo stared at me with a face as cold and rigid as a dead donkey's. His voice was dry. "Gao Jian, why are you everywhere? Out with it. Where were you between eight o'clock last night and four o'clock this morning? What did you do?"

"I was in my room the whole time. I didn't go anywhere." Leaning back in my chair, I glanced at Chen Jianguo, completely disregarding them. I had seen much bigger setups than this and wasn't intimidated in the least. "Got a smoke, gentlemen?"

"Stop trying to act friendly! Be detailed! What exactly did you do last night? Even if you just went to the bathroom or watched TV, you'd better tell me exactly what show you watched!"

"An upright person doesn't fear a crooked shadow. Last night, these Daoist priests locked me in my room and grounded me. They wanted to imprison me, so of course, I had to resist. Around eight or nine o'clock, I tried to sneak out once, but the building's Security Guard caught me. After that, I stayed in my room the entire time." I "honestly" confessed the nonsense I had fabricated.

Chen Jianguo raised an eyebrow. "You say you were in your room the whole time? Can anyone prove it?"

I feigned an expression of exasperated amusement. "Captain Chen, if you want to use your public office to settle a private grudge, just say so. There's no need to beat around the bush. I was imprisoned in that room by myself. Where exactly am I supposed to find a witness?"

"I can testify to that," Lu Chen, who had remained silent until now, said flatly.

As soon as Lu Chen spoke, Chen Jianguo's attitude instantly shifted, and his tone softened considerably. "Daoist Master, this person has a criminal record. He is a prime suspect."

After saying that, he asked me a barrage of other questions, but I easily deflected every single one of them. I was very good at dealing with interrogations. It wasn't a natural talent, but simply a matter of practice making perfect. Carrying too many secrets meant that sometimes, lying became instinctual.

An hour later, Chen Jianguo lost his patience. He pulled out his communicator, called in two armed police officers, and pointed at me. "This person is highly suspicious. Take him back to the station for a thorough investigation."

Chen Jianguo hadn't figured out whether I was the murderer at all. He simply wanted to make my life miserable and was preparing to abuse his power for personal revenge.

"Does doing this honor the police badge on your hat? Chen, I want to call my lawyer!" I had just stood up from my chair when the armed police on either side raised their guns and pressed them against my body.

"I am a police officer. I am responsible for the security of this city." Wearing a cold sneer, Chen Jianguo waved his large hand. "Take him away!"

"Wait!" No one expected an elderly voice to ring out from outside the door at this moment. I turned to look and saw, to my surprise, Daoist Master Xu Yan of Qingcheng.

Seeing Xu Yan enter, Chen Jianguo lowered his posture even further. "Daoist Master, this man is full of tricks and extremely meticulous. We must take him back to the station for a careful interrogation."

"There's no need. He never left his room last night, and Jiuge was murdered outside. Therefore, he shouldn't be the killer." Xu Yan's voice was ancient and heavy, instilling a sense of conviction.

Hearing his words, Chen Jianguo looked conflicted, while I was overjoyed on the inside.

Xu Yan had given me the Vermilion Fruit, and he had personally planted the Divine Talisman inside it. His absolute confidence in his talisman caused him to make a critical misjudgment.

Furthermore, based on my guess, there was another reason why Xu Yan stepped forward to stop Chen Jianguo from taking me away.

He still wanted to track me in order to find the Ghost Mother's whereabouts. If I were locked up in the police station, I would completely escape his control, which went against his plans.

"Old Daoist, you've finally said something fair." I leaned back in my chair, my body thoroughly relaxed, knowing that I had just passed the hardest hurdle. If the sect members hadn't noticed anything, then everyone else would be misled, searching all over Jiangcheng for a murderer who didn't exist.

Seeing Xu Yan's firm attitude, Chen Jianguo didn't dare go against him. He waved his hand, having the armed police lead me out before continuing to interrogate the next guest.

Leaving the VIP room, I had just stepped out the door when I saw a tall, capable figure emerging from the stairwell.

The women's police uniform fit her as if it had been custom-tailored, perfectly displaying her commanding aura.

A unique fragrance drifted past my nose, and my eyes met hers.

"Senior? I was just asking Captain Wu about you. He said something came up with your family. Is it serious?" Many people in the lobby were secretly watching me, so I couldn't afford to show any flaws right now.

"It's nothing major. A relative asked me to help look after their kid." Without even turning her head, Tie Ningxiang walked straight into the VIP room.

I stood in place, looked at the back of her neck hidden beneath her hair, and strode away.