Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 222 - One Hundred and Seventy-Six: The Pond_2

Chapter 222: Chapter One Hundred and Seventy-Six: The Pond_2

"The core of the Soul-Attracting Formation was researched personally by me. That some of the peripheral patterns were bought by you, a young whelp, has turned into the entire...."

"..."

"..."

Listening to the inconsistent arguing within the hall, Elder Five and the man with the mutton chop mustache caught each other’s eyes as they entered, both seeing a hint of helplessness in the other’s gaze.

Seeing the two enter, the Sect Master of the Myriad Manifestation Sect, who sat in the principal seat resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes and said in a clear voice:

"Elder Five and the Youngest have arrived. Let’s all stop for a moment, shall we?"

"..."

His voice was vigorous and powerful, echoing directly into the minds of everyone present in the hall.

Seeing this, the feuding high-level officials all ceased their arguing, although they still glared angrily at one another.

They could disregard the Sect Master’s commandments, but they still had to give face.

The Sect Master of Myriad Manifestation Sect exhaled and asked evenly:

"What progress have you two made?"

The two were in charge of intelligence and information gathering, which was almost the most important task in the current stage of the Myriad Manifestation Sect.

The troop movements of the local county, the activities of other prefectural armies, and even the content of the memorials presented to The Imperial Court all depended on their investigation.

The current discord among the high ranks was largely a result of the fear from insufficient information.

They didn’t know the current status of the three responsible for the Formation; they didn’t know whether the people in Shengshan County were all dead; they didn’t know how much of their plan had been exposed; they didn’t even know the current stance of The Imperial Court.

All they knew was that The Imperial Court was dispatching more troops to Shengshan County.

Beyond that, they knew nothing.

Ants on a hot pan.

Elder Five made a bow, bringing news that was useful yet unfortunate:

"Sect Master, I had spies follow the reinforcements to Shengshan County. Just today, we received word that the Demonic Beast tide has been held back. The reinforcements cleaned up over ninety percent of the Demonic Beasts, and over two hundred thousand people died within the city."

The Sect Master of Myriad Manifestation Sect asked the most crucial question:

"Did you find out who helped Shengshan County from within the city?"

This matter was related to their next countermeasures.

"..."

Hearing this question, Elder Five took a seat and said in a low voice:

"We only know that two individuals had been there. Colonel Wang Jiadian from Shengshan County personally received them. One is a Great Grandmaster, and the other’s cultivation level is unknown, but it appears that the Great Grandmaster is his attendant."

The Sect Master of Myriad Manifestation Sect narrowed his eyes:

"Can we continue the investigation?"

Elder Five shook his head, somewhat helplessly:

"The highest rank our spy holds is just a commander of a thousand, and... the trail has gone cold."

...

...

Shengshan County, county government office.

A man with a stern face stood inside the slightly dirty and disordered government office, smiling at the deputy officer seated on the dais.

After Colonel Wang left, the deputy officer took over his position, looking somewhat indecisive:

"Mr. Yi, are you saying we should not erect a shrine for Young Master Zhou? Should we even erase the message that he has been here?"

Yi Tian performed a salute:

"I hope Deputy Officer Li understands that those of us in the intelligence business generally can’t afford to be too well-known."

Deputy Officer Li pondered for a moment and then said:

"But many commoners have seen them."

Yi Tian smiled, his eyes narrowing slightly as he replied softly:

"We will take care of these people.

"You just need to omit Zhou Chen’s name from your report to the prefectural government. Can you do that?"

....

....

....

The hall for deliberation was quiet.

"The trail has gone cold?" the Sect Master of Myriad Manifestation Sect frowned.

Elder Five’s voice was very certain:

"Someone is interfering with our investigation of this matter."

After a pause,

Elder Five looked around and spoke slowly and softly, "However, we can narrow the scope."

As he spoke,

he raised three fingers, retracting one finger with each point he made:

"Breaking the Formation, assassinating three Great Grandmasters, and having direct contact with the high officials of The Imperial Court—everyone here is clear about the few capable of these three things within the region."

As soon as he said this, the hall erupted into noise.

"Is it Tianyin Temple? Or Fengqing Sect?"

"It’s unlikely. Those two Sects have always been on good terms with us, and our interests around here are mostly aligned."

"Then, who could it be?"

"There are too many possibilities."

"....."

Amid the noisy discussions, a young man holding a folding fan suddenly said:

"I think it’s the Qin Family of the state government or Nangong Family of Anxi Prefecture. The two families have always had conflicts with us over market shares in this region, and not long ago, our disciples suffered losses at their hands while travelling. If it were not for the state government’s intervention, we would have become mortal enemies."

Hearing this, the tipsy man across suddenly spoke up:

"Market share conflicts? Mortal enemies? He Jigu, don’t just say what sounds good. They were originally sheltering their assets under our names to avoid The Imperial Court’s taxes, but you wanted to annex and occupy their properties outright. If it truly is them, then this trouble started because of you."

At these words, the young man’s forehead veins bulged, his Origin Qi surged, and his fan creaked as he squeezed it, his words emerging through clenched teeth:

"Old drunk, mind your damn tongue. It’s the Sect’s decision...."

"Enough from all of you!"

The Sect Master of Myriad Manifestation Sect suddenly interjected sternly.

He felt tired; if he didn’t speak up, the bickering below would erupt once again.

Suppressing the crowd, he looked towards Elder Five who was frowning:

"Elder Five, what do you make of this situation?"

Elder Five looked up, his voice tinged with complexity:

"Sect Master, Elders, what you say makes sense. But if it really is them, we still have some room for maneuver."

"....." Silence.

The individuals present pondered the meaning of his words, and those who reacted quickly soon displayed an expression known as uncertainty in their eyes.