Chapter 225: Unfavorable Report

The items in the bag were Xia Fuli's personal belongings. Shi Chun didn't know if misusing some of them would cause trouble, so he told Wu Jinliang to use his own judgment.

Afterward, the two, having prepared, carried Xia Fuli's body and left.

After a thorough search, they finally located a huge pit in the mountain forest from the air.

After they descended into the pit on the Wind Scales, the light was already dim. Shi Chun, looking around, was about to activate the special ability of his right eye when he suddenly heard Feng Chi's voice calling, "Here."

The two turned their heads and saw Feng Chi waving to them from a dark spot. They then hurried over.

After they met, Feng Chi whispered softly, "Don't be afraid. Just tell them what happened; you won't be easily harmed."

The two brothers were startled. What did she mean?

At the very least, they both realized there were others present.

Shi Chun quickly whispered, "How is Bian Que?"

Feng Chi replied, "Bian Que, Bian Jixiong, and Bian Weikang have all been dealt with." She then waved, signaling them not to say more, and to follow her.

Shi Chun secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This would make things much easier.

At the same time, he couldn't help but exchange glances with Wu Jinliang, both feeling a sense of marvel. They hadn't expected the demonic cultivators to act so quickly and achieve their goal so soon.

Feng Chi led them into a stone cave, which was illuminated by a golden glow. Xiang Lan'er and the man in green were both inside.

Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang both felt an inward chill regarding the man in green. They had personally witnessed his power, and his presence here proved that Bian Que was indeed finished.

Shi Chun already knew the identity of the man in green. Among the various things Xia Fuli had frantically blurted out before his death, this man, a renowned figure in the cultivation world, had been mentioned.

The man in green ignored Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang. He raised a hand and pointed directly at Xia Fuli's body, gesturing for them to put it down.

Wu Jinliang quickly complied, placing the body on the uneven and somewhat damp ground.

The man in green crouched beside the body to examine it. After confirming that Xia Fuli was undeniably dead, he slowly stood up, his expression very grim. He mumbled to himself, "How could he have died? This is a huge problem…"

His words caused the few people present to look at him with some surprise. For an expert of the Earth Immortal realm to say such a thing and react this way made them feel that Xia Fuli was perhaps not so simple.

Shi Chun said, "I truly did my best. His injuries were too severe. If I had known you would emerge victorious, I shouldn't have gone to such trouble at that time. I should have left him for you to treat; perhaps there would have been hope of saving him."

The man in green was not swayed by this flattery. He had already examined the body; not only were the injuries severe, but Xia Fuli's heart was also damaged. Without a miraculous elixir to revive the dead, he was beyond saving. Even if he had tried to save him, it would have been the same. He countered, "When we contacted you, why didn't you reply promptly?"

Shi Chun glanced at Feng Chi and said, "I didn't dare reply. When I escaped, even you, Senior, were immobilized and beaten. Afterward, I didn't know what state you were in. What if you had fallen into Bian Que's hands? How would I dare to reply to your messages so easily? If it were you, you'd also have to be careful."

Feng Chi and Xiang Lan'er could both understand this. The man was indeed very cautious; if not for his caution, they might both have died this time.

The man in green also understood this point, having heard the full account from the two women. Just because "Nightingale" asked where they were, it made him feel unsafe and want to avoid them for a while. He was indeed cautious enough.

But facts proved that his caution was indeed correct; otherwise, the few people present might have been wiped out.

However, to some extent, it was also suspicious. He asked Shi Chun, "How do you think Bian Que found your meeting place?"

"How would I know?" Shi Chun said, then paused, immediately looking suspicious. "Senior, you don't think I informed Bian Que, do you? I've never met him, nor had the chance to approach him. How Bian Que found us, I truly don't know."

The demonic cultivators didn't know the sloppy old man was Bian Que, so what was there for him not to deny?

The man in green rephrased his question: "I'm just asking you to help analyze why Bian Que was able to find that location."

Shi Chun replied, "Senior, does this even need analysis? Isn't it obvious?"

The man in green's spirits lifted. He had pondered the question endlessly without success and hadn't expected someone else already had the answer. He quickly asked for an explanation, "How so?"

Shi Chun looked at Feng Chi and Xiang Lan'er. "You didn't tell him?"

The two shook their heads slightly. Feng Chi self-critically said, "We really couldn't figure it out. We'd be glad to hear your insights."

Shi Chun said in surprise, "Insights? What insights? Anyone can see it with their own eyes; it's obvious they followed Elder Xia. Does this require any special insight? You're kidding me."

Feng Chi and Xiang Lan'er were speechless on the spot. Now that he said it, on second thought, it did seem to be the case.

The man in green observed their reactions and also understood. What was clearly a simple matter seemed to have been complicated by their conspiracy theories.

Before, they hadn't dared to confirm if Shi Chun was problematic, and the reason was easy to explain: if Shi Chun were truly involved in such a scheme, there would have to be an incentive and a goal he was aiming for.

Neither the cause, the consequence, nor the process was something Shi Chun would have had any reason to orchestrate.

Furthermore, eliminating the three generations of the Bian family was originally Shi Chun's plan, so suspecting him would have seemed quite unreasonable.

Now, it was indeed proven that they had overthought it.

Shi Chun continued, "As for why they followed Elder Xia, to put it bluntly, we were completely in the dark. You'll have to ask yourselves if there were any oversights in your process. At that time, it nearly scared us to death."

The man in green's gaze returned to Xia Fuli's body. He suddenly frowned and asked, "What about the items on him?" He then looked up at Shi Chun.

Shi Chun asked, "What items?"

The man in green replied, "His Qiankun bag or similar items."

Shi Chun said, "Senior, don't accuse me unfairly. When I rescued him from the top of Solitary Blade Mountain, he was already in this disheveled state. All of you witnessed it."

Feng Chi confirmed, "That's right. I personally saw it when Shi Chun rescued him; Xia Fuli indeed had nothing extra on him." She pointed to Xia Fuli's disheveled and torn clothes. "Could his belongings have been knocked off by Bian Que at that time?"

Xiang Lan'er looked at her with some surprise, not having expected her to be so meticulous as to notice such details from such a distance and in such a rush.

Little did she know that Feng Chi hadn't actually noticed those details; she was purely speaking up for Shi Chun.

Shi Chun was also a bit surprised. Based on her words, he could confirm that this woman was speaking up for him, because if she had truly seen it with her own eyes, she would have known Xia Fuli had items on him when he was taken away.

Combining this with the woman's repeated helpful actions, he secretly grew vigilant. Could this woman genuinely be interested in him?

Not just him, Wu Jinliang also realized it.

The man in green silently recalled. When he rushed to the top of Solitary Blade Mountain, he had merely glanced at Xia Fuli, and he couldn't recall the details of Xia Fuli's attire now. He only knew that Xia Fuli had items on him when he bid farewell.

Looking again at Xia Fuli's torn clothes, it was indeed possible that it was as Feng Chi had said.

The key point was, this was no longer important. Regardless of whether Shi Chun had taken advantage of the situation, at this stage, his value outweighed that bag.

Whether Shi Chun took it or not, the demonic cultivators still needed to use him.

And this was why, as soon as Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang arrived, Feng Chi had secretly reassured Shi Chun not to be afraid. She knew clearly that with the death of Bian's grandfather and grandson, Shi Chun's value had returned.

The man in green's gaze returned from the torn clothes to Xia Fuli's face. He let out another soft sigh. "He's dead; it'll be difficult to report this…"

Seeing him repeatedly dwelling on this point, which didn't seem consistent with his rank or modus operandi—at least not matching Xia Fuli's perceived importance—Xiang Lan'er tentatively asked, "The incident happened so suddenly; no one expected it. Do you need me to explain it to my Master?"

The man in green shook his head slightly and waved his hand gently. There was no need, he indicated, because the few people present simply didn't understand the trouble Xia Fuli's death would cause.

Xia Fuli was directly involved in the private affair with Yin Huixin and was a key witness. There were certain matters Xia Fuli knew best. Without his testimony, if they wanted to coerce Yin Huixin and her daughter and drag them into trouble, they would have to rely solely on verbal threats.

If an outsider just popped up claiming someone had an affair with someone else, without any proof, how could anyone believe it?

In short, if they couldn't produce evidence, it would lack leverage, and things could easily go wrong.

This matter would be far more deterrent if Xia Fuli personally delivered the threat.

"You are quite close to Bian Weiying," the man in green suddenly asked Shi Chun, "You previously said you would try to persuade her and bring her over to our side. Do you still have confidence in that?" He wanted an alternative method to cover the shortfall.

Shi Chun was startled. The other party's sudden change of mind made him realize that Xia Fuli's death was connected to dragging Bian Weiying into trouble. Combined with the private matters Xia Fuli had divulged before his death, he instantly understood what the demonic cultivators were planning and why they had previously cast him aside—it turned out they had found a better method. He also understood why this "Green Master" sighed so heavily over Xia Fuli's death.

However, he had never intended to drag Bian Weiying into trouble. Bian Weiying and Wukang Mountain, if controlled by the demonic cultivators, would not align with his interests. His previous statements were merely to deceive them.

Therefore, he countered with a question, "Are all three Bian family members gone?"

The man in green nodded slightly. "Yes," he said, "the plan went rather smoothly; they have all been successfully dealt with."

Shi Chun shook his head. "Alas," he said, "her ascent to power is now a foregone conclusion. She no longer needs anyone's help. Do you think trying to persuade her now would still be effective?"

The man in green thought for a moment, then his gaze swept over everyone as he said, "Xia Fuli's death must not be revealed to anyone, not a single word. If there is the slightest leak, it will certainly be attributed to one of you, and you will be severely punished!"

"Yes," Shi Chun replied along with the others. He understood in his heart that this was an attempt to deceive Yin Huixin and her daughter, making them unaware, and continue to use Xia Fuli as a bargaining chip to threaten them.

The man in green then said, "It's getting late. The three of you should return to Wukang Mountain now."

Wu Jinliang was startled. "How can we go back?" he asked. "Isn't that seeking death?"

The man in green said, "Don't worry. As soon as Bian Que and his son died, the higher-ups immediately took action and cleared out all those who were aware of the situation. No one knows you are demonic cultivators. We will ensure your safety. At most, you'll face some grievances upon your return; there won't be any major problems. Being expelled from the sect is certain."

These words startled everyone present. Even Feng Chi and Xiang Lan'er, although they knew what the outcome would be, had not expected the higher-ups' efficiency to be so high and that they would resolve the issue so quickly.