Li Yan nodded and began to speak. "First, you absorbed a portion of the spiritual qi from a spirit stone, then carefully cut a slit in it. After that, you placed the 'Attacker's Tear' poison inside, and finally, you carefully used your spiritual power to seal the slit on the spirit stone. At this point, as long as no one uses this spirit stone to activate anything, the 'Attacker's Tear' poison inside will not be triggered.
Next, while gambling with the other three, you deliberately lost all your intact spirit stones. Finally, pretending to have lost everything, you lost this spirit stone and a few other similarly depleted ones to them. Oh, and here, you would only lose this spirit stone to either Fellow Daoist Liu or Fellow Daoist Luo, not to Fellow Daoist Song. I imagine you know the reason better than I do."
Li Yan didn't explain the reason at this point but continued, "I said just now that you placed the 'Attacker's Tear' poison in one of the spirit stones. The reason I judge that you only had one poisoned spirit stone is that 'Attacker's Tear' is almost extinct, so you wouldn't have much of it. If you did, you would definitely put it in at least two spirit stones and lose them separately to Fellow Daoist Liu and Fellow Daoist Luo. That way, you could reduce the time needed to achieve your goal. Moreover, this method is almost flawless and doesn't require you to use later methods to kill, which would be more likely to expose you.
After you returned to the sect, your plan began automatically, without you having to worry about it. All you needed to care about was how to get what you wanted without being noticed.
What I mean by the plan starting automatically is where your meticulous mind lies. You take one step and calculate ten.
First, you calculated people's hearts. Anyone, when using something they have on hand, will subconsciously use the one that was not finished last time before using a brand new one. The same goes for spirit stones. So, you deliberately absorbed some of the spiritual qi from a few spirit stones at the beginning. This way, you could ensure that they would be the first to use the spirit stones with less spiritual qi that you lost to them.
Second, the depleted spirit stones you lost to the other three that night, each person would definitely not get more than two. This was also calculated by you. A Foundation Establishment cultivator needs at least four to five low-grade spirit stones for daily cultivation. You even took into account the possibility that they already had unused spirit stones in their own storage pouches. This way, there was a high probability that they would use the spirit stones you gave them the next day, and your plan would automatically unfold."
Li Yan said thus.
Seeing the brilliant light flash in Qin Chengyi's eyes, Li Yan sighed in his heart. 'Such a brilliant and talented person, what a pity.'
But he continued speaking, "This poisoned spirit stone was obtained by Fellow Daoist Liu. And after he returned to his own courtyard, just as you had predicted, he was the first to use the few spirit stones that were lacking spiritual qi. It's just that he wasn't cultivating, but placed this poisoned spirit stone into the spirit stone slot of the courtyard's protective formation. When the formation was activated, the spirit stone in the slot would operate on its own. At that time, because the spirit stone released its spiritual qi, it directly triggered the 'Attacker's Tear' poison within it to erupt in the courtyard.
When Fellow Daoist Liu was cultivating in his room, he unknowingly inhaled the poisoned spiritual qi. Unfortunately, by the time he discovered it, it was too late. 'Attacker's Tear' had already launched its fatal blow. Perhaps the 'Attacker's Tear' poison was too rare, and you didn't have much of it, or perhaps Fellow Daoist Liu had a life-saving magical treasure or secret technique. This ancient strange poison, in one blow, actually failed to kill him immediately. At the same time, you and Fellow Daoist Luo also arrived at his courtyard gate. After hearing Fellow Daoist Luo's voice transmission, Fellow Daoist Liu gathered his last bit of magical power and blasted open the door of his room. At the same time, he took out a token and tried to open the formation on the courtyard gate. But unfortunately, by this time, he was already at the end of his rope, and it was too late to save him. In the end, even his soul was corroded away by 'Attacker's Tear.' This is also the reason why his soul could not be found.
Also, you and Fellow Daoist Luo met on the way, which should also have been your deliberate arrangement. Your purpose was to get Fellow Daoist Liu's storage pouch and, by the way, prove that you had no time to commit the crime in front of everyone.
After you and Fellow Daoist Luo blasted open the formation, you pretended to be anxious about the situation in the courtyard and should have been the first to arrive. This matter was almost brought up when Sect Master Gong was questioning Fellow Daoist Luo later, but you quickly interrupted and confused the order of entry, saying that you were knocked to the ground by Fellow Daoist Luo in his haste, and then immediately changed the topic, saying that the storage pouch was already gone by then. In fact, you arrived at the door a step earlier, then deliberately let Fellow Daoist Luo knock you over. In the moment you fell into the room, you had already taken Fellow Daoist Liu's storage pouch. This is also why Fellow Daoist Liu's token was in his hand, but the storage pouch was missing.
I imagine that at that time, apart from you being mentally prepared, Fellow Daoist Luo's first reaction after seeing the deceased must have been shock and panic. How could he have had time to check if Fellow Daoist Liu still had a storage pouch on him? You could then also pretend to be in a panic and shout from outside the courtyard. After getting outside the courtyard gate, you had many ways to hide Fellow Daoist Liu's storage pouch elsewhere. Naturally, no one could find any clues in the courtyard or on you. Afterwards, you could retrieve the storage pouch when no one was on guard."
Li Yan paused here. Qin Chengyi, on the other hand, had a smile on his face and said slowly to Li Yan, "Hehehe, cough... cough..., Fellow Daoist Li is truly remarkable. I never paid any of you any mind from the beginning, but I didn't expect to have misjudged. What you said is exactly the trap I set up this time based on their nature. They like to gamble, so I let them gamble their lives away."
As he said this, he had a smile on his face, without a trace of ferocity, as if he were talking about a very ordinary matter.
Daoist Gong was at the side, listening to their conversation and Li Yan's analysis. He felt a mix of shock and anger in his heart, but also a chill down his spine. Even with his centuries of cultivation experience, he felt like a young boy in front of these two. One person could plan and calculate everything from timing, location, people's hearts, habits, and so on, as if everyone else had to follow his will. Just thinking about it made his hair stand on end.
Li Yan first glanced at Daoist Gong beside him, then continued to look at Qin Chengyi and said, "This plan also utilized the characteristics of the 'Attacker's Tear' strange poison to absorb a large amount of spiritual power and condense according to the breath of living creatures.
Even if this poisoned spirit stone was held in Fellow Daoist Liu's hand for cultivation, that spirit stone would also become like a pile of powder after its spiritual qi was completely absorbed, and it would not arouse anyone's suspicion.
This point is just like when I first saw only a pile of spirit stone powder in the spirit stone slot of Fellow Daoist Liu's courtyard protective formation. I just thought it was because the protective formation had been attacked by Fellow Daoist Qin and Fellow Daoist Luo's magical power, and the spiritual qi was exhausted. So you used this point to destroy the tool of the crime.
Furthermore, after the 'Attacker's Tear' strange poison erupted, it would only leave residual spiritual qi fluctuations, diverting our attention.
These two points would only make others more and more confused. How could they find the truth?" At this point, Li Yan looked at Qin Chengyi calmly.
The light in Qin Chengyi's eyes grew brighter and brighter, and in the end, he actually laughed. "Hehehe, you can actually analyze it so thoroughly. Then the first murder is considered done. How did I kill the second person?"
Hearing Qin Chengyi's words, Li Yan shook his head. His action stunned Daoist Gong and Qin Chengyi. Qin Chengyi was even a little anxious. "What? You don't know?" In comparison, Daoist Gong was much calmer. Anyway, Qin Chengyi had already been captured. Under his Master's soul-search in the evening, what secrets could there be?
Unexpectedly, Li Yan spoke again, "You are wrong. The first murder is not over. At least there is still one doubt that has not been explained clearly."
As soon as he said this, the two were stunned again. Then Qin Chengyi's eyes narrowed, as if he had thought of something. He did not speak, just quietly waiting for Li Yan to speak. Daoist Gong, on the other hand, lowered his head and thought for a moment, but he felt that the first murder was already very clear. How could there be any omissions?
Looking at Qin Chengyi lying on the ground, although his breath was chaotic, his eyes were shining with brilliance. "You, how did you put the 'Attacker's Tear' strange poison into the spirit stone? This is the key. Otherwise, all your subsequent plans would be in vain. I said before that 'Attacker's Tear' strange poison kills on contact. Using spiritual power would allow it to follow the source of the spiritual power back to the source, poisoning the source.
Your desire to put it in a spirit stone to activate it is an excellent method. A spirit stone itself is a place rich in spiritual qi. If you are not careful when putting it in, this poison will be activated instantly. At the same time, you also have to ensure that this spirit stone looks intact, without any traces.
Both of the above points require extremely high spiritual power control. Therefore, you must first wrap the 'Attacker's Tear' strange poison with spiritual power, and then, under careful control of the spiritual power, you can avoid destroying the spiritual qi balance in the spirit stone. Finally, you have to use spiritual power to restore the spirit stone to its original state bit by bit. None of these steps do not require manipulation of spiritual power, and they require extremely precise spiritual power control. A single mistake, and either the plan is ruined, or you yourself are ruined. It's just that 'Attacker's Tear' strange poison precisely does not allow you to use spiritual power. Otherwise, you would already be a dead man now." Li Yan said this seemingly tongue-twisting passage, which made even Daoist Gong a little dizzy, but in the end, he still understood. Sealing the 'Attacker's Tear' strange poison requires spiritual power, but the controlling spiritual power cannot touch this poison. It is a mutually exclusive problem.
"Oh? So you know now?" Qin Chengyi asked with a burning gaze.
"I know now. But this problem has also troubled me for a long time. Now I have confirmed the method you used, and it also explains the second murder," with that, Li Yan looked at Qin Chengyi's side. There lay a person quietly, with a lean body and unusually long hands and feet, but without a trace of life in his body.
Qin Chengyi followed Li Yan's gaze to his side. His face did not show any surprise, as if he had known all along. He said softly, "This is another purpose of your ambush here, right? One is to judge whether I have a companion, and the second is to force me to take this thing out. Although the method is simple, it really achieved its purpose."
Lying at his side was a puppet, a humanoid puppet. Its appearance was that of a long-faced person with a dull expression. Its feet were spread apart, and its hands were in a lifting posture, as if it were about to lift something up.
Li Yan looked at Qin Chengyi, who had already lost his feet, with a look of pity in his eyes. This person's intelligence was like a demon's. As long as his words revealed a slight clue, he immediately guessed the result, and he did not try to argue.
The "Quicksand Art" from before was set up by Li Yan. The surroundings were caged by spiritual power, and the sand pit below was Li Yan's Fragmented Poison Body's "Triumphant March." This poison was domineering and chilling. It could seep into the interior of plants and animals through their stems and leaves and pores, liquefying their trunks from the inside out, finally turning them into a pool of black water. It was just that the current Li Yan was no longer the Li Yan who had just arrived at Little Bamboo Peak. He had already completely controlled this poison. Before, he had controlled a very, very small amount of poison in the sand pit. Otherwise, when Qin Chengyi stepped into it, he would have instantly turned into a pool of black water.