The three of them walked towards the gate of the adjacent courtyard. As they approached, Kong Nantai and the others outside the courtyard also looked at them. Li Yan felt two gazes like venomous snakes looking at them. Although he pretended to be terrified on the surface, under the perception of his Divine Sense, the two cold gazes came from under the hoods of the black-robed figures. To be precise, their gazes were locked on the master and servant pair in front of him.
As the three of them approached, the four, including Kong Nantai, who were spread out in an encircling formation, exchanged glances. Kong Nantai's eyes flickered a few times, but in the end, he did not speak to stop the three of them. In their hearts, Li Yan's group of three was just as suspicious. Being in the adjacent courtyard, they had enough time to kill someone and then quickly return. It was just not as suspicious as these two black-robed figures who seemed to have been caught on the spot.
Suspecting Li Yan's group of three was one thing, but on the surface, they still had to be reasonable. Besides, they were so close to the murder scene; the Sect Master Senior Brother should be summoning the three of them over soon.
When Li Yan's group of three reached the courtyard gate, they couldn't get in. The entrance was now guarded by ten disciples who blocked their way.
"Let them in. I have some questions for them." Just then, Daoist Gong's voice sounded from within the courtyard. Anyone could hear the suppressed anger in his voice.
The disciples outside the gate heard this and cleared a path, signaling for the three to enter. Since they were here, Li Yan's group of three naturally had to go in and have a look.
As the three entered the courtyard, they found that it was already lit up with lamps. Daoist Gong stood alone in the courtyard, while a corpse lay on the ground. The three of them looked intently. The person was lying face down on the ground, wearing the robes of Xuanqing Temple. There was a large, bloody hole in his waist, and a large patch of bright red, dazzling blood on the ground, some of which had already clotted with the soil into a black color.
Under the moonlight and the flickering lamplight in the courtyard, Daoist Gong's face was dark and uncertain. The pale, dazzling hands of the corpse on the ground were exposed. A night breeze blew past, rustling the leaves in the courtyard, and a thick smell of blood filled the space. The three of them felt a chill run down their backs; it was eerie and sinister.
Of course, cultivators no longer mainly used their eyes to see things. Li Yan's Divine Sense swept over. Although the person's face was facing down, he recognized the lean figure and recalled the Qi Condensation disciple who had shouted "Senior Martial Uncle Song." He remembered that this person seemed to be a Foundation Establishment cultivator who had been standing next to Luo Sanpang in the afternoon. The bloody hole in his waist had pierced him through.
Just as the three of them were observing with their Divine Sense, a somewhat ferocious look appeared on Daoist Gong's flickering face. To think that in just half a day, two of his junior brothers had died one after another in the temple. These were two Foundation Establishment cultivators. They had only nine senior and junior brothers and sisters in total. Now the strength of Xuanqing Temple had plummeted sharply.
"No need to observe. Junior Brother Song was ambushed from behind. His Dantian's Purple Mansion was directly destroyed, and he died instantly," he took a deep breath, suppressed the anger in his heart, and said slowly to the three of them.
Hearing this, the three of them couldn't help but raise their heads at the same time to look at Daoist Gong. The purple-robed youth paused for a moment and suddenly asked, "In that case, the murderer should be acquainted with this deceased senior. Otherwise, how could a Foundation Establishment cultivator get so close to someone and still be completely unaware? In that case, unless the murderer is a Golden Core or higher cultivator, they could make a Foundation Establishment cultivator completely unable to resist."
Hearing the purple-robed youth's words, Daoist Gong's gaze rested on him, looking at him a few more times. He had originally intended for his words to be heard by the hunchbacked elder. The purple-robed youth suddenly felt as if he were being stared at by a ferocious beast and was instantly unable to move. At this moment, the hunchbacked elder, however, casually shifted his feet, and a small half of his body blocked the purple-robed youth. The pressure on the purple-robed youth instantly disappeared, and he was already sweating profusely. The hunchbacked elder still did not speak, just looking at Daoist Gong.
A look of surprise flashed in Daoist Gong's eyes. He had long seen that this hunchbacked elder was very strong, but he hadn't expected him to resolve his pressure so easily. He himself had one foot already touching the Golden Core realm.
His expression remained unchanged as he continued, "This little friend is right. The protective formation here is still in a semi-open state. This means that Junior Brother Song should have stood up to see the murderer off. When he walked into the courtyard, he opened the restriction at the courtyard gate, intending to let the murderer leave. The murderer deliberately fell a step behind Junior Brother Song and then dealt a fatal blow from behind, directly piercing his internal organs from the waist and destroying Junior Brother Song's Dantian's Purple Mansion, causing him to perish instantly."
As he said this, his anger surged. For Xuanqing Temple, this was a naked provocation. The attack in the morning had been somewhat concealed, but in the evening, it was a direct kill. At the same time, he was also conflicted. All the signs indicated that the results of his and Hall Master Ji's previous deductions were all true. It was precisely this result that made it unacceptable to him. In this case, the murderer must be someone from the temple. No matter how urgent the business these visiting cultivators had with Junior Brother Song, he would not have been so lax. The murderer was not only acquainted with Junior Brother Song, but they were quite close. This was also why he had not yet given the order to apprehend the two black-robed figures outside the gate.
There was one more thing he didn't say: Junior Brother Song's storage pouch was also missing.
"Then may I ask, Senior, from the time the tragic cry was heard here to the time you seniors arrived, the total time was not long. Logically speaking, this senior's resentful soul should still be nearby. Has it been found?" The purple-robed youth thought for a moment and still asked. As long as the resentful soul was found, the problem could be solved. He was anxious to leave this place and couldn't care about Daoist Gong's opinion of him at this time.
"No. Same as Junior Brother Liu this morning, his soul was completely annihilated," Daoist Gong's face was so gloomy it seemed water could drip from it.
Just then, Li Yan's expression moved, but he still kept his head down, so no one could see his face. A moment later, the hunchbacked elder seemed to inadvertently look up at the side courtyard wall. At this time, a voice came through.
"You three fellow Daoists, the Sect Master Senior Brother's meaning is to ask if the three of you in the next room saw anyone else pass by, or heard any sound." As the voice came out, the purple-robed youth and Li Yan seemed to be startled awake. They followed the sound and looked at the newcomer. A figure on the courtyard wall slowly became clear from a blur. It was Hall Master Ji of the Xuanqing Temple's Disciplinary Hall. After he appeared, he first shook his head at Daoist Gong and then flew silently to Daoist Gong's side.
Seeing Hall Master Ji shake his head, Daoist Gong's face became even more gloomy. After the two of them entered the courtyard, they first checked all over the place here, and then the two of them split up and searched the surroundings. Apart from searching for clues, they also hoped to find Junior Brother Song's soul, even if it was just a wisp. The murderer would then be exposed.
With the cultivation of the two and their own understanding of the temple's formations, their search was naturally very fast. After searching a circle without results, Daoist Gong returned here first. Seeing that Hall Master Ji was also the same, it was as if this murderer was like a shadow, coming and going without a trace. And they didn't even spare the soul, leaving no chance for reincarnation. How could this not make Daoist Gong's heart sink even more? It made him feel that everyone around him could potentially erupt and kill again under the right circumstances.
After hearing Hall Master Ji's words, the purple-robed youth looked at Li Yan, who had a fearful expression, then at the hunchbacked elder in front of him, and slowly shook his head. "The events of this afternoon were already shocking. After returning, the five of us each chose a room to rest. Because of today's events, Uncle Sang and I have been talking in the room. It was only when we heard the tragic cry outside that we came out of the room. Oh, this can be proven by this fellow Daoist. He did indeed come out of the room a step earlier." At this point, he pointed at Li Yan, then smiled slightly at him and continued, "When the three of us were in the courtyard, no other sound came from next door, nor did we see anyone walk past outside the gate. But during this period, we never saw the other two black-robed fellow Daoists appear. While we were wondering, we heard someone shouting outside again. Someone had already come. It was only then that we came out of the courtyard gate and saw Senior Kong from the temple leading people to surround the two black-robed fellow Daoists not far away. But I don't know when those two black-robed fellow Daoists went out." Speaking of which, he respectfully bowed to Hall Master Ji and Daoist Gong.
The purple-robed youth's words sounded like a plain account of what he had seen and heard, but his words seemed to point vaguely to the two black-robed figures, and he also included Li Yan.
After respectfully bowing, the purple-robed youth couldn't help but feel a little apologetic towards Li Yan. He thought to himself, 'I'm sorry, fellow Daoist, but I really have to leave early. But I didn't lie either. When I came out, you were indeed already standing in the courtyard.' He even looked at Li Yan with an apologetic smile.
Daoist Gong and Hall Master Ji then looked at Li Yan. Although the two of them didn't feel any threat from a Qi Condensation cultivator, Hall Master Ji still spoke, "This little friend, when did you come to the courtyard? Did you see anything unusual? If so, please tell us. Our humble temple will definitely reward you heavily." Although he spoke so politely, his gaze was as sharp as a knife, staring at Li Yan. At the same time, he thought, 'This person is from the Bloodleaf Sect, which is just a third-rate sect. If he can give a reason, then fine. Otherwise...' Although both he and Daoist Gong had already judged that Junior Brother Song's death was more than seventy percent likely to be an inside job, any accident could still happen. If Li Yan couldn't say anything, in his frustration, he would just take Li Yan's storage pouch and check if there was any magical treasure inside that could kill a Foundation Establishment cultivator. That would also be straightforward, eliminating a suspect.
Li Yan sneered inwardly at the purple-robed youth for pushing him out. Although he looked even more fearful on the surface, he also quickly spoke, "Reporting to the two seniors, this junior did indeed arrive in the courtyard a step earlier, but I also only came out to have a look after hearing the tragic scream. That Senior Qin who arranged our accommodation this afternoon can attest to this. At that time, he was still sitting at the window opposite, drinking wine. When he saw this junior, he even raised his wine to me in a toast. This cannot be wrong. It was at that moment that the tragic scream was heard.
After I came to the courtyard, no other sound came from here. Until I walked out of the courtyard with the two of them, I didn't see anyone pass by outside the gate."
"Oh? You're talking about Junior Brother Qin? Hmm... what you say is possible. The windows of these few courtyards are diagonally opposite the courtyard where Junior Brother Qin lives." Hall Master Ji's gaze froze for a moment. After some thought, he felt it was possible.
Just then, a clear voice came over, "Oh, what this fellow Daoist said is true. I was indeed sitting by the window drinking wine at that time. And it was when I saw this fellow Daoist look over that I raised my wine in a toast. Senior Brother Song's tragic scream also occurred at that time. This fellow Daoist is indeed not related to this matter." The crowd followed the sound and saw a figure walking in from the courtyard gate. It was Qin Chengyi.
"Junior Brother Qin, why did you only come over at this time?" Hall Master Ji looked at the newcomer, unhappy. Such a thing had happened here. Although this Junior Brother Qin's cultivation was still at the Qi Condensation stage, he should have arrived no matter what. It seemed he wasn't taking it seriously.
"Greetings, Sect Master Senior Brother, Senior Brother Ji. I rushed over as soon as I heard the abnormality here. But when I passed by Senior Brother Liu's courtyard gate, I was stopped by Senior Brother Luo who asked about the situation. I said a few words to him and was afraid he would act recklessly and wander around. I was afraid something might happen at Senior Brother Liu's courtyard that he was guarding, so I told him to stay there and guard it, and that I would go over and explain to him later. Just as I arrived outside the courtyard, I saw Senior Brother Kong and his group surrounding two guests, so I also asked about the situation. That's why I was late," Qin Chengyi said.
After hearing Qin Chengyi's explanation, Hall Master Ji's expression finally softened. Daoist Gong also nodded. If Qin Chengyi hadn't run into Luo Sanpang, that fool might really have left his post and come here directly. If the murderer had then gone to destroy the scene, it would be really hard to explain when their Master returned.