Chapter 145: Lin Qixia and Ye Jinglan

"Ye Jinglan?" Gu Mo asked, "Are you sure?"

"It's not that simple," Zhuo Qingfeng chuckled. "Who is Ye Jinglan? He's third on the Qingzhou Heaven Ranking, the leader of the Sky Saber Sect of Jiangzuo. His influence in Qingzhou is immense. To declare him the culprit based on just a few traces... Qingzhou would never know peace. Who knows what kind of storm that would cause in the martial arts world?"

Zhuo Qingfeng pondered, then said, "At the very least, our Six Doors wouldn't dare declare Ye Jinglan the culprit so easily. You see, how the government operates is different from the martial arts world. In the martial arts world, people can pursue a culprit based on a few clues, or even just speculation. But the Six Doors needs solid evidence. Of course, if someone in the martial arts world independently decides Ye Jinglan is the culprit and wants to seek revenge or fight him, that's beyond our jurisdiction."

Gu Mo smiled slightly.

He had also seen how a little speculation in the martial arts world could stir up a huge commotion. Previously, in Dongping Commandery of Yunzhou, due to the false accusations from Nantin Villa, nearly half the martial arts world in Yunzhou pursued him, believing him to be a member of the Demonic Cult.

"So, what's the situation now?" Gu Mo asked.

Zhuo Qingfeng said, "I don't really believe Ye Jinglan did this. In fact, the Qingzhou Six Doors doesn't believe it either. That's why Commander Chen personally came to Listen-to-Pines Villa to investigate the scene, hoping to find other clues. There's a high probability this is a setup. Qingzhou hasn't been peaceful lately; undercurrents are swirling. Everything stems from the duel between Ye Jinglan and Chu Tianqing, which I assume you know about."

Gu Mo nodded, saying, "A duel between the second and third strongest on the Qingzhou Heaven Ranking is a major event in the martial arts world of the entire Qian Kingdom."

Zhuo Qingfeng explained, "Mainly, the beginning of this matter is a bit strange. It's widely known in the martial arts world that Ye Jinglan and Chu Tianqing broke ties because of Zhuo Fanghua, Qingzhou's most beautiful woman at the time. This then escalated into the rivalry between the Sky Saber Sect and the Nine Rivers Alliance. If this duel were a clash between two major powers, I wouldn't find it unusual. But for two exceptionally talented individuals to fight to the death just because of a woman, it feels very odd."

Gu Chodong said, "There's nothing strange about it, really. The Nine Rivers Alliance and the Sky Saber Sect are already the two most prominent forces in Qingzhou, and their open and covert struggles had reached a breaking point. Zhuo Fanghua's murder was merely a fuse."

"That's exactly the problem," Zhuo Qingfeng said. "Ye Jinglan wouldn't stoop to killing Zhuo Fanghua out of love-turned-hatred, would he? That's Ye Jinglan, the Saber Emperor! To be driven by love-turned-hatred to commit murder—it just sounds incredibly unreliable."

Gu Mo said, "You mean someone is framing Ye Jinglan? But Ye Jinglan hasn't offered any explanation so far and has even readily accepted Chu Tianqing's challenge to a duel to the death."

Zhuo Qingfeng said gravely, "So, the conclusion was drawn. And then, following this narrative, Ye Jinglan's massacre at Listen-to-Pines Villa becomes perfectly reasonable. Because Zhuo Fanghua isn't dead yet, but she's hanging by a thread, kept alive only by a Creation Pill. This Creation Pill was made by Medicine Saint Qi Miaoxuan and has life-extending effects, but it can only keep someone breathing. To truly bring someone back from the dead, a deeper level of Creation Sacred Pill is needed. The problem is, the Creation Sacred Pill hasn't circulated in the martial arts world; only Qi Miaoxuan possesses it in the entire world. Under these circumstances, it's very logical for Ye Jinglan to slaughter Listen-to-Pines Villa and abduct Qi Miaoxuan, because he doesn't want Qi Miaoxuan to save Zhuo Fanghua. And given Chu Tianqing's love for Zhuo Fanghua, if she dies, Chu Tianqing will undoubtedly be distraught, which would significantly increase Ye Jinglan's chances of winning the decisive battle at Soul-Severing Cliff. Alternatively, if Qi Miaoxuan were used as leverage to threaten Chu Tianqing, then Chu Tianqing would also be doomed to lose on the day of the battle."

Gu Mo pondered, then said, "When you put it that way, it does make sense."

Zhuo Qingfeng said, "There's something even more logical: Ye Jinglan is getting married in a few days."

"What?!"

Before Gu Mo and Gu Chodong could speak, Lin Qixia, who was nearby, suddenly cried out in alarm. Her reaction was immense; her face instantly turned pale, her breathing quickened, and her blood surged. Already suffering from internal injuries, she nearly couldn't hold back a mouthful of blood. Taking a deep breath, she asked, "He... he's getting married? To whom?"

Everyone was somewhat puzzled by Lin Qixia's reaction.

Zhuo Qingfeng looked at Lin Qixia, surprised, and nodded, "Yes. Aren't you from the Mystic Maiden Palace? How could you not know about this? Ye Jinglan is marrying one of your Mystic Maiden Palace disciples; it's already been announced in the martial arts world. He's marrying Nangong Yuexi, one of your Mystic Maiden Palace's Ten Fairies and currently Qingzhou's most beautiful woman!"

With a gasp, Lin Qixia couldn't suppress the surging blood this time; she spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and swayed, almost falling to the ground.

"Senior Sister!"

All the Mystic Maiden Palace disciples turned pale with alarm and quickly rushed to support her.

Lin Qixia pushed away the hands of a few junior sisters, stumbled a few steps, and sat on the stone steps, muttering curses, "It's that bitch, that bitch, that damn bitch..."

Zhuo Qingfeng asked, puzzled, "What's this about?"

Gu Mo shook his head, saying, "I'm not entirely sure, but I have a rough idea. This Fairy Lin and that Fairy Nangong are very much at odds; they're sworn enemies."

Zhuo Qingfeng realized, "So, she's unbalanced because Nangong Yuexi is marrying into a good family?"

"Not at all!" Xie Liuying, who was nearby, retorted angrily. "Don't talk nonsense! Senior Sister Lin isn't like that!"

Zhuo Qingfeng pointed at the blood Lin Qixia had spat out and chuckled, "Then how do you explain this?"

Xie Liuying huffed, "It's all because of Nangong Yuexi! Originally, Senior Sister Lin was the one in love with Ye Jinglan. This was several years ago. Ye Jinglan was injured and unconscious when Senior Sister Lin happened to find him. She saved him and diligently cared for him for a long time. At the time, Senior Sister Lin didn't even know he was Ye Jinglan; he had given her a false name. They lived together for quite a while until Ye Jinglan recovered from his injuries and they parted ways. But during their time together, they fell in love and made a promise to each other. However, later, Nangong Yuexi appeared. She wanted to compete with Senior Sister Lin for everything: martial arts, status, even our master's favor. And finally, even a man."

Zhuo Qingfeng was silent for a moment, then asked, "Did she win every competition?"

Xie Liuying's mouth twitched.

Lin Qixia, now composed, said from the stone steps, "Yes, she won every time. It's no secret in the Qingzhou martial arts world. My martial arts skills aren't as good as hers, nor is my appearance, talent, or ability to manage sect affairs. It's perfectly normal that I couldn't compete with her."

Gu Chodong asked, puzzled, "I can understand those things—status and position can certainly be competed for. But how can love be stolen? If you and Ye Jinglan were in love, how could Nangong Yuexi steal *that* love between you two?"

Lin Qixia slowly said, "Nangong Yuexi is more beautiful than I am."

Gu Chodong said, "You already mentioned that. I'm talking about love—it's intangible. How could she steal that?"

Lin Qixia looked up at Gu Chodong, meeting her clear gaze, and slowly said, "Lady Gu, Nangong Yuexi is Qingzhou's most beautiful woman. You haven't seen her, so it's hard for you to imagine how beautiful she is. Even as a woman, I have to admit, she is truly, incredibly beautiful. The key is, she's not just beautiful; she's outstanding in every aspect: music, chess, calligraphy, painting, martial arts, personality, interpersonal skills—she's practically perfect. When a woman like that deliberately approaches a man, tell me, who could refuse her? Forget men; even women might not be able to resist. When such a perfect woman wants to take your man, no amount of love can stand against it. She *is* love!"

Gu Chodong frowned deeply, saying, "So, you're saying Ye Jinglan betrayed you? What a scoundrel! A grandmaster, a titan of the martial arts world, unable to resist mere beauty—how detestable!"

Lin Qixia chuckled softly, "Lady Gu, you're still young, you wouldn't understand. That's just human nature."

"No, it's not! Surely not everyone is like that!"

The more Gu Chodong thought about it, the angrier she became. She indignantly said to Gu Mo and Zhuo Qingfeng, "Brother, Centurion Zhuo, you two certainly wouldn't be like that, right? If Nangong Yuexi approached you, you'd definitely be able to resist her beauty, right?"

Gu Mo said nothing, nor did Zhuo Qingfeng.

Gu Chodong's eyes widened.

Gu Mo quickly said, "I can't see, so beauty is meaningless to me."

Gu Chodong looked at Zhuo Qingfeng.

Zhuo Qingfeng's eyes widened, and he secretly gave Gu Mo a thumbs-up. Then, facing Gu Chodong's questioning gaze, he slowly said, "Sister Chodong, you know me. I've remained unmarried because of a past heartbreak. I'm over forty now. Ordinary beauty is useless to me. If it were, why would I still be alone?"

Gu Chodong frowned slightly. She felt there was something off about Zhuo Qingfeng's words, but couldn't pinpoint it, so she stopped thinking about it and said to Lin Qixia, "Fairy Lin, you see? I told you it's impossible for everyone to be like that."

Lin Qixia smiled faintly, saying, "Lady Gu, once you've seen Nangong Yuexi, you'll understand why everything makes sense."

Gu Chodong wanted to argue, but then she remembered she hadn't seen Nangong Yuexi and felt she had no right to speak, so she said nothing more.

Zhuo Qingfeng then returned to the main topic, saying, "The duel is imminent, yet Ye Jinglan still has the presence of mind to get married. What does this indicate? It shows that Ye Jinglan feels no pressure and doesn't consider Chu Tianqing a threat; he's absolutely confident he can defeat him. So, from this perspective, it further validates the possibility that Ye Jinglan massacred Listen-to-Pines Villa and abducted Qi Miaoxuan to threaten Chu Tianqing. Therefore, considering these factors, plus the traces of the Twelve Blades of Heavenly Inquiry found at Listen-to-Pines Villa, it's largely conclusive that Ye Jinglan is the culprit. However, I'm hesitant to believe it, and the Qingzhou Six Doors is also skeptical. We feel that the entire affair seems abnormal. Of course, the main reason is Ye Jinglan's immense influence in Qingzhou; without solid evidence, the Six Doors wouldn't dare convict him. Furthermore, with the duel approaching, it's a grand event in the martial arts world, attracting attention from all sides. If the Six Doors were to make any rash moves now, it would be easily sensationalized, especially concerning a central figure who the entire martial arts world is currently focused on. So, for now, we still need to continue searching for relevant clues."