Chapter 174: Give Us an Explanation

Upon witnessing this scene, Master Chen staggered, and the disciples beside him quickly tried to reassure him. "Don’t worry, Master! If Duke Fang destroys one of your artificial mountains today, he'll surely return two in the future."

The disciples hurriedly agreed. "Yes, yes."

Only Yu Zhang remained silent. The moment he saw the artificial mountain disintegrate, most of his strength seemed to drain out from his body. He felt his legs go weak, to the point where he found it difficult to stand.

King Xiang approached where the mountain was. "What is this..." He discovered that beneath the debris, there was actually a dark passage, from which within occasional sobs and cries echoed off of its dark walls.

Everyone felt their skins pimple with goosebumps, and a shiver ran down their spine. They couldn’t even tell if these sounds were let out by a human or a ghost.

"Xu Ge, Jue Panshi, take a few people with you and go down there. Bring a few sets of clothes with you,” ordered Fang Chen calmly.

"Yes."

The two immediately nodded. They quickly got new sets of clothing from one of the sellers in the crowd and then took a group down with them into the passage.

Before long, angry roars echoed from within the tunnel. The voices were unmistakably Xu Ge and Jue Panshi.

The onlookers stood still, glancing between the tunnel and Master Chen. Their expressions showed disbelief. Could it be that... Master Chen was really the true culprit behind Zhao Yan's case?

The disciples beside Master Chen were sweating profusely. Their hearts told them that Master Chen could never be such a person. However, their reason hinted that the outcome might be different from what they had imagined.

Everyone anxiously waited.

After an unknown period, the group finally emerged again. However, with them now were decayed corpses riddled with holes. One body, two bodies, three bodies...

In the end, they placed eighteen corpses in front of everyone. They were all women, and some were even quite young.

The putrid smell permeated the air, and the atmosphere among the crowd became exceptionally heavy. It was so heavy that one could only hear the heavy breath of those close.

Jue Panshi and Xu Ge were the last to emerge from the group, each supporting a woman. The women looked terrified. When they exited the tunnel, they instinctively closed their eyes. They were trembling all over. They seemed to have not seen the sun for quite a long while.

These women were now dressed in the clothes Xu Ge and the others had brought down. However, the exposed arms and faces bore the marks of brutal torture.

Fang Chen turned slowly, eyeing Master Chen. "Do you have anything else to say for yourself?"

All eyes were fixed on Master Chen, and under the scrutiny of their eyes, he gradually regained his composure. He calmly said, "Fang Chen, how did you discover this place?"

He had considered his actions very, very carefully. It should’ve been impossible for anyone to find his dungeon. Why was Fang Chen able to pinpoint the location of it within a single night?

Suddenly, Master Chen glanced at the hunchbacked old man.

"You don't need to know these things," replied Fang Chen with a faint smile. He couldn't help feeling a bit amazed. If it weren't for his ability to project his divine soul, even if he took over this case, he might not have suspected Master Chen, let alone find the dungeon.

He couldn't just say, "I've got special powers," to Master Chen, could he?

The students from the academy were shocked, and they slowly retreated with disbelief written all over their faces. "Master, you..."

King Xiang stared coldly at Master Chen. His face alternated between shades of blue and white, only breaking his silence after a while. "What a despicable beast hiding in a human’s flesh!”

"It's all just a matter of winning or losing, really," replied Master Chen with a thin smile. "If all of this hadn't been discovered, I would’ve still been the dean of South Mountain Academy, and you all would just be clowns played by me in the applause of the audience."

Zhao Yan spoke slowly. "Master, why did you frame me?"

The gazes directed at Zhao Yan became very complex. They knew that he had been wronged over the years. A promising scholar had now aged beyond his prime. He had even lost one eye.

Xia Song was so guilty he dared not look directly at Zhao Yan.

"Because you saw something you shouldn't have seen," answered Master Chen. "With your intellect, it wouldn't have been difficult for you to connect the dots, so you had to die. I just didn't expect you to be so strong. You’ve deceived even me."

𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Saw something I shouldn't have seen?

Zhao Yan tried to recall what it was that he had seen. After a few moments, he said coldly, "It's that little girl, isn’t it? That homeless girl who was begging on the street that day. I intended to offer her help, but you beat me to it." His fingernails had unknowingly sunk deep into his flesh, blood dripping onto the ground, yet Zhao Yan seemed oblivious, smiling indifferently. "She should be dead by now, right?"

Master Chen sneered.

Zhao Yan looked at Yu Zhang. "And you? What role did you play in all of this?"

"Him?" Master Chen laughed. "He hates you. He hates the fact that you entered the academy. He hated that you excelled in everything. He hates that you defeated him in debates, hates that you became close to the young Xia Song. He hates..."

Everyone was stunned as they stared at Yu Zhang in disbelief. What the hell! That guy was actually so damn petty!

Even Xia Song was a bit confused, realizing he had become a reason for Yu Zhang to hate Zhao Yan. Just because he was friendly with Zhao Yan...

"A person filled with hatred is the easiest to control. Sometimes, when I can't act directly, I let him be responsible for finding candidates for me. It works well; no one would suspect him, and even if they did, they wouldn't suspect me," explained Master Chen calmly as a faint smile appeared on his face.

Yu Zhang's entire body went limp.

Zhao Yan spoke coldly. "How were you so sure he wouldn't betray you?"

Everyone was curious; Yu Zhang had indeed shown no intention of betraying Master Chen before.

Master Chen only chuckled and didn’t answer his question. Instead, he turned to face Fang Chen and said, "You’ve solved a major case today, Duke Fuke, and without a doubt, you will be even more famous throughout Grand Xia from here on out. I wonder when is it that you plan to chop off this old man's head?"

Fang Chen showed a smile. "First, tell me, which of these people was the one you sent to kill Huang Xin? Was it that deaf, hunchbacked warrior at the peak of the Qi Detonation Stage?"

People were taken aback, and the guard standing beside him gripped his sword tightly while glaring at the hunchbacked old man.

Seeing this, the old man suddenly rushed to Master Chen and yelled, "Master, leave!"

He grabbed Master Chen, attempting to throw him out of the crowd, hoping to help him escape. However, he barely managed to move when a blade stabbed into his forehead.

Naturally, the blade belonged to Huangfu Jie, and it hovered in mid air with the assistance of his internal energy.

People were shocked by Huang Fu Jie's increasingly profound skills.

Master Chen sneered, glancing at the corpse of the old man. "What a fool."

Everyone finally realized that the seemingly kind and amiable Master Chen was actually such a ruthless person.

"Master Chen, there's no reason to hide why you were able to have a hold over Yu Zhang, don’t you think?" said Fang Chen with a faint smile. "He will accompany you to the Underworld either way. So why not make things clear? You can die with clarity that way, as well, can't you?"

"That does make sense..." murmured Master Chen softly.

Yu Zhang's face became extremely pale. He knelt on the ground, continuously kowtowing to Master Chen. "Master, please don't say it, even if I die and go to the Underworld, I'll still serve you in death. Please don't say it!