Yet proud though she was, the dilemma before them was no small matter; one false step could lead to complete ruin and infamy.
"Shangguan Tusu is the Valley Master of Huichun Valley. Cultured and refined, steeped in literature and classics, he treats martial luminaries and common folk alike with the same gentle warmth and magnanimity.
"Though he has led Huichun Valley for merely three years, his renown already rivals that of the late Valley Master. Just days ago, he broke through to the realm of a Grandmaster and is now hailed as the valley's greatest talent in three hundred years."
Ruan Qiufei looked toward the four youths and got down to business.
"Even if he cannot produce concrete evidence that Sun Wenzhu secretly murdered the old valley master, his word itself carries the weight of proof. What is more, his account sounds thoroughly reasonable.
"Unless you can unearth solid proof that Shangguan Tusu killed the old valley master, no one can clear Sun Wenzhu's name. Not even I would be able to shield him."
The Meishan Sect naturally did not fear Huichun Valley—in terms of sheer martial might, it was even superior. But Shangguan Tusu did possess an impeccable reputation, commanding even higher regard among ordinary martial artists than the Meishan Sect did.
Huichun Valley had already issued a bounty calling for the execution of Sun Wenzhu for defying his master and betraying his sect. If the Meishan Sect insisted on shielding him, then even if it could not be called defying the entire realm, it would still place them directly at odds with the righteous sects of Liangchuan.
Well, actually, it was not as though there was no way out. Ruan Qiufei could personally pay a visit to Shangguan Tusu to negotiate, persuading Huichun Valley to retract the bounty and letting it be known that Sun Wenzhu showed remorse and repentance. With time, the matter would naturally blow over.
Since ancient times, the Buddhist monastic order had taken in countless villains under the banner of "putting down the butcher's blade to attain Buddhahood on the spot." If monks could do it, why couldn't the Seven Great Sword Sects?
Under normal circumstances, conflicts between renowned, prestigious sects were resolved through similar compromises; they rarely erupted into life-or-death extermination wars.
Of course, these youths were still young. Just by glancing at their expressions, Ruan Qiufei knew they would never choose such an option—at least not before all hope was thoroughly exhausted.
Therefore, she did not voice it.
Yet their attention was not on that point at all.
Leng Jiangzhu smiled upon hearing this. "Master, you believe Brother Sun isn't the killer of the old valley master either, don't you?"
Ruan Qiufei raised an eyebrow and huffed. "You are my disciple. If I don't believe you, am I supposed to believe Shangguan Tusu, who is bosom friends with that Sima Fei—a man who goes around gossiping and slandering my Meishan Sect just because his pursuit of my junior sister failed?"
In truth, while Sima Fei had bad blood with the Meishan Sect, he was not truly an evil person and held quite a chivalrous reputation in daily life; otherwise, he could never have maintained such an open, intimate friendship with Shangguan Tusu.
Leng Jiangzhu nodded vigorously. "Exactly! Exactly!"
In truth, had it been only Leng Jiangzhu and Sun Wenzhu, Ruan Qiufei would never have said such a thing.
After all, while she was not well-acquainted with Shangguan Tusu, she had never even laid eyes on Sun Wenzhu before, knowing nothing of his true character. There was always the real possibility that her disciple had been blinded by infatuation, bewitched by some sweet-talking rascal.
The real reason she spoke this way was that Fang Shaobai and Wang Yu were also standing firmly beside Sun Wenzhu—one guarding the door sword in hand, the other detoxifying and healing his wounds. Neither of these two could be treated as mere ordinary juniors.
With both of them standing steadfastly on Sun Wenzhu's side, added to her own disciple vouching for him, Ruan Qiufei was willing to believe them rather than Sima Fei's claims.
Ruan Qiufei looked at the group, particularly at Sun Wenzhu. "You have no evidence, nor do you know why Shangguan Tusu would murder the old valley master. What do you intend to do?"
Sun Wenzhu did not answer, merely looking toward Wang Yu.
Wang Yu blinked. "What are you looking at me for?"
Sun Wenzhu said, "You said you had a way."
"You believed me just because I said so? I was only comforting you, afraid you'd get distracted during the detoxification." Wang Yu's expression turned serious. "Though we can certainly put our heads together to figure out a plan right now."
Sun Wenzhu's eyes flickered, but he remained silent.
Fang Shaobai scratched his cheek, looking up at the tattered scroll hanging on the wall as though studying a masterpiece of art.
Hearing this, Leng Jiangzhu frowned. "Shangguan Tusu's words have holes in them. We can find—"
"Finding anyone is useless. None of it is ironclad proof," Wang Yu cut in once more.
If his earlier cough outside the house to interrupt Leng Jiangzhu could still be considered a coincidence, this direct interruption inside made even Ruan Qiufei realize what was happening.
He did not trust her?
Ruan Qiufei's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, a glint of cold light flickering within them, only to see Wang Yu sizing up the swords held by Zeng Yi and Hu Qing.
Understanding struck Ruan Qiufei at once, and a flicker of admiration entered her gaze.
It was not that he distrusted her; he distrusted Zeng Yi and Hu Qing. Or rather, he was concerned that Zeng Yi and Hu Qing might let slip whatever Leng Jiangzhu was about to say.
They must have a lead.
Though slightly displeased, Ruan Qiufei greatly appreciated Wang Yu's caution and prudence. She stood up and beckoned Zeng Yi and Hu Qing to her side.
"As for what exactly to do, you'll have to figure it out yourselves," Ruan Qiufei told them. "You don't have much time. If you can't clear your name quickly, this will soon become an open-and-shut case."
With that, Ruan Qiufei took Zeng Yi and Hu Qing and departed.
Leng Jiangzhu asked, "Why wouldn't you let me tell Master about Xu Hao?"
Wang Yu said, "I'm not worried about your master. I'm worried about your two senior sisters."
Leng Jiangzhu frowned. "You don't trust them?"
Wang Yu shook his head. "It's not that I distrust them, I just worry they can't keep a secret." Wang Yu spread his hands. "If I lay out my plan, can you guarantee they won't mention it to those around them, until it spreads far and wide?"
Leng Jiangzhu's momentum instantly deflated, because she could not guarantee it.
Fang Shaobai asked curiously, "You really have a plan?"
Wang Yu rubbed his chin. "I can't say it's guaranteed to work, but we can give it a try."
At that, even Sun Wenzhu and Leng Jiangzhu could no longer hold back. "What plan?"
Sun Wenzhu had been away from Huichun Valley for three years. Over these three years, he had certainly tried to find a way to expose Shangguan Tusu's true colors, but he had never managed to think of one.
Wang Yu first posed a question: "Can that three-pointed horned hemp serve as evidence?"
Sun Wenzhu shook his head. "No. The one Shangguan Tusu grew isn't the only stalk of three-pointed horned hemp in existence. He could brush it off with any casual excuse."
Leng Jiangzhu said, "But Xu Hao can at least serve as a witness to prove that Shangguan Tusu was lying!"
Fang Shaobai noted, "Still, neither is direct evidence."
"Exactly." Wang Yu nodded. "In truth, the most important thing right now is to understand why Shangguan Tusu wanted to kill the old valley master."
Sun Wenzhu's cheek twitched, and he said in a strained voice, "That is what baffles me the most."
When the old valley master died, the one to succeed him was Shangguan Tusu. Back then, when Sun Wenzhu discovered that the old valley master had died of poison and suspected a traitor within the valley, the very first person he went to inform was Shangguan Tusu. That showed how even he had never imagined Shangguan Tusu could be the culprit.
Fang Shaobai pondered for a moment. "It couldn't be that he thought the old valley master had lived too long and was standing in his way, could it?"
Sun Wenzhu denied it. "Actually, the old valley master had long since stepped back from affairs. Shangguan Tusu was already handling all matters inside and outside the valley."
Fang Shaobai shook his head. "Then I can't guess it."
Wang Yu looked at Sun Wenzhu. "Actually, you've already noticed a clue."
Sun Wenzhu was confused. "What do you mean?"
Wang Yu said, "Shangguan Tusu had long been the acting valley master of Huichun Valley, with real power firmly in his hands. He had no motive at all within the valley to murder the old valley master. Therefore, the reason lies not inside the valley, but outside."
Sun Wenzhu caught on immediately. "When he sneaked out suspiciously to meet someone!"
"Exactly." Wang Yu nodded. "Sima Fei mentioned that Shangguan Tusu often leaves the valley to practice medicine. He has no enemies in the outside world and is a Xiantian Grandmaster to boot. Why would he disguise himself and act so secretively?"
Leng Jiangzhu said, "The person he met must be no ordinary figure!"
Fang Shaobai asked, "It's already been three years. Could that be related to the old valley master's death?"
"I don't know, but this is the only lead we have right now." Wang Yu shook his head, then smiled. "Yet I think it's very likely. Otherwise, doesn't Shangguan Tusu have far too many secrets?"
Sun Wenzhu's eyes lit up as his mind filled in the blanks. "Shangguan Tusu was colluding with villainous figures on the outside and was found out by the old valley master! The old valley master wanted to strip him of his position, so he secretly murdered him!"
"Very likely!" Leng Jiangzhu nodded repeatedly. "With the old valley master dead and him succeeding as the valley master, he became even more unrestrained."
Fang Shaobai smiled. "Yet he still couldn't meet in his true identity, so he had no choice but to sneak around in disguise."
Sun Wenzhu showed a rare trace of vexation. "Alas, I didn't think of it back then and didn't dare get too close. I don't know who Shangguan Tusu was meeting, and they've certainly left by now."
"Let's go to Qushui Prefecture first and see," Wang Yu said. "Besides, we must keep watch on Shangguan Tusu. If he sneaks out of the valley again for a secret meeting, we cannot miss it this time."
Sun Wenzhu frowned and asked, "He was struck by my Three-Phase Three-Extinction Powder. What if he focuses on healing and expelling the poison during this period and doesn't leave the valley at all?"
Wang Yu nodded. "That's why we need to split our forces."
Wang Yu looked toward Fang Shaobai. "Brother Fang, this relies on you."
Among them, Fang Shaobai possessed the highest martial arts, and the Taihua Sect was also renowned for its lightness skills.
Although Shangguan Tusu had attained the Grandmaster realm, it was achieved through the power of medicinal pills. In a real fight, he might not even be Fang Shaobai's match, to say nothing of the fact that he was currently afflicted with Sun Wenzhu's poison.
As long as he secretly left the valley, Fang Shaobai would have no trouble tailing him.
Sun Wenzhu carefully described Shangguan Tusu's appearance, build, gait, and even subtle behavioral mannerisms.
Over these three years, Sun Wenzhu's mind had been consumed by thoughts of Shangguan Tusu, reliving his memories constantly. It was fair to say he could recognize Shangguan Tusu even if the man were burnt to ashes, let alone describe him.
Fang Shaobai nodded. "I will set out tomorrow."
Sun Wenzhu cupped his fists, saying nothing.
As the saying went, great kindness was beyond mere words of thanks. Sun Wenzhu did not speak a single word, yet between him and Fang Shaobai, there was already a bond forged through life and death.
"Tomorrow, I'll go to Qushui Prefecture with the two of them," Wang Yu said, "to see if we can uncover any clues."
By now, Sun Wenzhu and Leng Jiangzhu were thoroughly convinced by Wang Yu's keen observation and sound judgment. With him accompanying them to Qushui Prefecture, they had no worry about overlooking anything.
"Alright." Wang Yu clapped his hands. "Let's get some rest now and set out early tomorrow morning!"
Chapter 139