Super God Grandmaster
Chapter 1257 - 1257 1243 The Local Bully Isnt Dead

Chapter 1257: Chapter 1243: The Local Bully Isn’t Dead Chapter 1257: Chapter 1243: The Local Bully Isn’t Dead Shao Hengjiang guided their recollections, saying, “Do you still remember when we examined the body of the local snakehead and found that his hands lacked the calluses left by martial arts training?”

“Right, but there are ways to remove calluses from hands,” Guan Xun said, puzzled.

“True, indeed there are, but few people do so deliberately, especially men; who would bother removing the calluses on their hands developed from martial arts training.”

“But it’s not completely impossible,” Guan Xun added.

“Okay, you have a point there, but didn’t you notice that the man’s bones were very thin and frail, like a sickly person? How could a martial artist be a sickly person? Has anyone heard that the local snakehead was sick? I heard that last year, he led a team hunting in the mountains and even killed a tiger with his bare hands. Such a person could never be frail. The bones of a martial artist are generally larger and more robust. One can change the calluses on their hands, but not their bone structure,” Shao Hengjiang said.

Listening intently on the side, Nangong Yao also realized this issue as Shao Hengjiang spoke.

Guan Xun began to waver and muttered, “Could it be that the one who died wasn’t the local snakehead? Then where is the real snakehead?”

“Let’s go back to the night when the local snakehead was surrounded by the Thirty-Six Islands. At that time, the local snakehead showed up with his men, and people from the Thirty-Six Islands surrounded them from all sides. Then there was a chaotic battle, immediately followed by masked men in black throwing explosives from all directions and unleashing monsters and Winged Dragons, making the situation even more chaotic. Don’t you think those masked men in black were already lying in ambush here?” Shao Hengjiang continued.

“Yes, they were already lying in ambush. So, what does that indicate?” Guan Xun asked.

“This indicates that the masked men knew they would pass through here. But you know that the local snakehead fled from the inn, and the people from the Thirty-Six Islands chased from the east. They left the inn, reached the crossroads, and had three directions to flee. Yet they happened to choose the one where the men in black had been lying in ambush. How did they know the local snakehead would appear here?” Shao Hengjiang pointed out.

“Could it be that someone told them the local snakehead would take this route at that time?” Guan Xun suggested.

“Exactly. Only a few people close to the local snakehead could have known which route he would take.”

“So, the masked men and the local snakehead’s men might be colluding.”

“It’s not colluding with the local snakehead’s men; they are the local snakehead’s men.”

“What? I’m feeling quite confused,” Guan Xun exclaimed in surprise.

“Haven’t you noticed? That night, when the Thirty-Six Islands surrounded the local snakehead’s men, Yang Zuotai and Ma Zi were nowhere to be seen. They only showed up after everything was over, one hour later,” Shao Hengjiang said.

“Are you saying Yang Zuotai and Ma Zi disguised themselves as men in black?”

“Why couldn’t they?”

“But why would they do that? I heard they killed the local snakehead’s men,” Guan Xun questioned.

“Right, nobody would believe they would do such a thing, and that’s exactly why they did it. Sometimes, there’s a price to pay,” Shao Hengjiang explained.

“Then I don’t understand the purpose behind their actions,” Guan Xun admitted.

“It was to make us believe the local snakehead was dead and that the Sacred Spirit Stone had fallen into the hands of the men in black or those from Lion Head Island. Eventually, they pointed the finger at the people from Lion Head Island, claiming they killed the local snakehead and stole the Sacred Spirit Stone. When our investigation revealed that the Sacred Spirit Stone wasn’t in the hands of the Island Master of Lion Head Island, they then suggested it might have been a mistake and that the black-clothed people were responsible. They were misdirecting our attention, making us focus on the people from Lion Head Island. In the end, the people from Lion Head Island were indeed wiped out by the Immortal City Sect, and it turned out that the Sacred Spirit Stone was not in their possession,” Shao Hengjiang continued.

Still skeptical, Nangong Yao said, “Could everything really have been done by the local snakehead, and he’s not dead? Is it possible that it was his men who betrayed him and acted on their own?”

Shao Hengjiang smiled and said, “Any possibility exists. Let’s consider that Yang Zuotai was rescued by the local snakehead when he was desperate. From then on, the two were as close as a married couple, sharing weal and woe. Everyone should have heard about it. It was precisely because they went through thick and thin together that they grew stronger and established a foothold on Freedom Island. Yang Zuotai was almost like the local snakehead’s chief advisor. But after the local snakehead ‘died,’ Yang Zuotai was almost indifferent, handing over the bodies to some underlings and thinking of how to leave Taiping Island and return to Freedom Island, as if it had nothing to do with him. He even claimed that the Sacred Spirit Stone was harmful and would be better off discarded.”

Listening intently, Guan Xun said, “Right, how did I not think of that?”

“Moreover, the timing of the people from Lion Head Island was very convenient. They appeared just after the local snakehead was reportedly killed by the men in black, and most importantly, it was the local snakehead’s men who led them there,” Shao Hengjiang added.

“Indeed.”

“What’s more important is that the masked men easily and without trace shook off their pursuers at this street corner,” Shao Hengjiang pointed out.

“Not easily, but because they were prepared here, with someone ready to cover their retreat. Otherwise, they couldn’t have escaped so effortlessly from those following them,” Guan Xun said.

Shao Hengjiang smiled and added, “Exactly, that’s what’s so peculiar; they managed to time it perfectly. Someone had prepared to cover their retreat, and they left almost without a trace.”

“It’s as if everything was planned in advance.”

“It’s not just a possibility, it’s a planned arrangement.” Nangong Yao couldn’t help but speak out.

“Feigning death to fool everyone, then claiming the Sacred Spirit Stone was robbed by the people of Lion Head Island to extricate oneself is indeed a good idea. And then finding a way to leave Taiping Island—a really smart plan,” Guan Xun said. “If that’s the case, we should keep a close watch on Yang Zuotai and his group, as they might be planning to escape.”

“Yes, they could flee at any moment,” added Shao Hengjiang.

“It seems it’s really not so simple.”

Shao Hengjiang summarized, “With so many coincidences, we can draw a conclusion, that is, the black-clothed figure definitely has connections with insiders, and it’s very likely to be Yang Zuotai. It might be his design, having killed the insiders and monopolized the Sacred Spirit Stone, putting the blame on Lion Head Island. Although Yang Zuotai doesn’t have the ability to do this on his own, despite being somewhat smart, I’m more inclined to believe that he and the insiders orchestrated this together, that is, the insiders aren’t dead.”

The insiders never expected the Immortal City Sect would wipe out the people of Lion Head Island; they thought the chaos would last a while longer, which would give them the chance to leave Taiping Island. But things happened faster than they anticipated, and they hadn’t expected that the people of Lion Head Island would be wiped out overnight, leaving them no time to disentangle themselves.

Scared, Ma Zi, the dwarf, said, “We must leave immediately. It’s only a matter of time before something happens if we stay on Taiping Island. We still don’t know where the people from Immortal City Sect are.”

“The Immortal City Sect’s people failed to snatch the Sacred Spirit Stone from those of Lion Head Island, and they will eventually turn their investigation to us,” said Yang Zuotai.

“Not eventually, they’ve already started inquiring,” Ma Zi said. “Today, several of our brothers were taken in for questioning.”

“Questioning? What did they ask?” inquired the insiders.

“They asked them if they were sure they saw the people of Lion Head Island take the Sacred Spirit Stone.”

“And how did they respond?”

“They said they might have seen wrong and that it might have been the black-clothed figure who took the Sacred Spirit Stone.”

After a pause for thought, Yang Zuotai said, “That means they’ve started to have doubts.”

The insiders had not planned for the Immortal City Sect to be part of this. Their design was to divert attention using the people of Lion Head Island so they could quickly extract themselves and flee Taiping Island before the situation got clear. However, they dare not leave too hastily, as doing so might arouse more suspicion.

Therefore, they didn’t leave immediately, but they hadn’t anticipated that on the second day, the people of Lion Head Island would be wiped out. Since the Immortal City Sect’s people didn’t get the Sacred Spirit Stone from those on Lion Head Island, they would trace it back to its origin and search for who had really taken the Stone, which could likely land on the black-clothed figure.

Even though their plan was nearly perfect, no one could ensure there were no flaws. A thorough investigation would surely reveal some, and it was plausible that the investigation would point to their side. The questioning by Nangong Yao’s men was the best proof of this.

“We need to leave immediately,” Yang Zuotai declared.

“Right, we have to leave at once. Those villains from the Immortal City Sect are on Taiping Island now, and it’ll be bad if they set their sights on us,” Ma Zi expressed his worries.

“They might already suspect us, or they might have even started watching us,” Yang Zuotai said.

“So, what do we do? We can’t just stay here and wait for death. Sooner or later, we’ll be found out,” Ma Zi argued.

“But leaving in haste is even more dangerous. Those people from the Immortal City Sect might just be waiting for us to come out,” explained Yang Zuotai.

“We can’t stay here, though.” Ma Zi was scared at the thought of how the people of Lion Head Island had been killed—those people had died horribly, and he feared they’d be next.

However, the insiders knew that fear was not an option at this point. The more fearful they were, the more likely they were to slip up. Originally, they only needed to be wary of Shao Hengjiang and Wan Liyun, but now they also had to deal with a group of ruthless people lying in hiding; he did not want to end up like those from Lion Head Island.

“The Immortal City Sect’s people are too cruel. If they capture us, they will surely treat us the same way,” said Ma Zi.

“I know you’re anxious, but the more anxious you are, the more things can go wrong. I want to leave too—I can’t wait to get off Taiping Island,” the insiders said, clearly also anxious, but aware of the dangers. They weren’t certain if they had been found out yet. No one could guarantee they wouldn’t be the ones investigated next, but they just hadn’t expected it to happen this quickly.

Yang Zuotai lamented, “The Immortal City Sect’s appearance and the extermination of Lion Head Island’s people were totally unexpected and not included in our plan.”

“If only we knew, we would have left a couple of days ago,” Ma Zi said with frustration.

“Your rush to leave would have raised suspicions too. What would you have done if someone began tailing you?” retorted the insiders.

Ma Zi was left speechless after hearing this.

“You think I don’t want to leave quickly? Of course, I do. If only the people of Lion Head Island could have bought us a few more days.”