Chapter 232: Occasionally Clever

Just as the Hidden Earth Sect administrator had said, they had been in quite grave danger. The timing seemed random at first, considering it happened just as Qing Yanzi and his group had entered a new environment and were still on alert.

However, that was precisely why everyone hadn't paid attention to the tea. They had been busy observing one another, thinking about how the negotiations should proceed, and guarding against the other party. The Yin-Yang Sect's scheme would have succeeded if not for Xi Lian.

Qing Yanzi and the others had quickly returned with the Wood Elder of the Five Elements. The Special Warfare Unit lifted the lockdown, while the Special Investigation Unit searched all over the Hua Republic for the remaining two fugitives.

Based on past encounters where the enemy had used the Earth-Vein Shift Technique, the investigation unit was unlikely to track them down. On the other hand, this incident would surely make the research institute open a new project focused on the cultivation theories related to earth veins.

With permission from the investigation unit captain, the Wood Elder's interrogation would be conducted within the Hidden Earth Sect. The warfare unit sealed off the area around the Hidden Earth Sect's territory both as a warning and a show of force.

At nightfall, the Wood Elder and the three suspected traitors were brought to the small plaza in front of the community service building. Men and women of all ages gathered, filling the square, and lights shone brightly in every corner.

The Wood Elder was bound in iron chains and covered with talismans. Since Qing Yanzi had shattered his Golden Core with one cleave, he now clung to life by a thread.

Before interrogating him, though, they had to first identify the traitor.

Chairs had been moved from the meeting room to the front of the building. Qing Yanzi and several Daoist elders sat in the front row on the left, while Shen Sui'an sat at the center with a gloomy expression.

Xi Lian was in the corner of the second row. Wang Sheng, Mu Wanxuan, Liu Yunzhi, and Shen Qianlin stood beside her since no seats were arranged for the younger generation.

"Commandments team!" Shen Sui'an coldly asked.

More than ten middle-aged men in short jackets, trousers, and leg wraps stepped forward. With bamboo sticks in hand, they cupped their fists and lowered their heads. In unison, they shouted, "Sir!"

During festivals, their group formed the village's drum troupe. After all, they often performed for side income before the resurgence of primal qi. They were even sometimes summoned to welcome visiting officials, making them fairly well known in the local area.

Shen Sui'an's tone softened slightly. "Fellow clansmen, the Hidden Earth Sect does not meddle in worldly affairs. We never seek trouble, and we abide by our ancestors' precepts and have always been law-abiding. Yet somehow, we have still been dragged into the conflict between the righteous and the corrupt.

"The Yin-Yang All-Creation Sect must be unfamiliar to most of you. They are a group of corrupt cultivators who operate all over Sakura Island and the Hua Republic. With deep roots and many lackeys, they are genuine devils and heretics. In the past, they suffered heavy losses against the joint efforts of the authorities and righteous cultivators, forcing them to tone down their activities.

"They previously tried to make contact with us, but we ignored them to uphold the rules that our ancestors had passed down. Now, however, they covet the treasure of our sect and have tried to take this opportunity to harm our top experts and the government representatives who have come here to negotiate. Their intentions are truly unforgivable!

"Hanging over there is one of their elders. He attempted to sneak into our territory, but we struck first. Two of theirs were killed, two escaped, and this one was captured alive. But before we interrogate him, we must first identify the traitor who poisoned the tea to harm our sect elders, administrators, and clan heads."

The people of the Hidden Earth Sect stirred at once.

"Find them!"

"This is outrageous. We'll settle the score with those corrupt cultivators ourselves!"

𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Beat the traitor to death first!"

Shen Sui'an stood up and waved his hand, quickly quieting them down. "This is a lawful society. We must not resort to vigilante justice. If we do identify the culprit, we will hand them over to the authorities. Our ancient sect must not appear ignorant of the law. Now, bring those three suspects forward."

The crowd parted, and three women were escorted to the front.

The elder in charge also stepped forward, cupped his hands, and reported, "These three were the only ones who had access to all the tea. Little Li, my granddaughter-in-law, boiled the water used for brewing today's tea. The daughter-in-law of the Qin family selected and prepared the tea leaves, while the daughter-in-law of the Ma family brewed and served the tea."

After the elder finished the introduction, the three women hurried to explain themselves.

Mu Wanxuan tugged at Wang Sheng and whispered, "Qin family."

Wang Sheng immediately looked at the youngest of the three women. Appearing to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, she had a balanced figure, average looks, and a plain appearance with no makeup.

"Senior Sister, do you have any proof?"

"

Mm...

"

Mu Wanxuan thought for a moment, then snapped her fingers quietly. "Gut feeling."

Just then, Shen Sui'an shouted lowly. The three women immediately fell silent and lowered their heads.

Shen Sui'an frowned at Qing Yanzi. "Daoist Master Bu Yan, got any ideas?"

"This isn't all that difficult. Why not take this chance to test my two useless disciples?"

Wang Sheng's mouth twitched.

That's really not necessary!

"Little Sheng, you try first. See if you can get the real traitor to confess without using force."

Wang Sheng dared not embarrass his master. He took a deep breath, straightened up, and stepped forward. When he reached the chairs, he cupped his hands respectfully.

Since Senior Sister suspects the Qin family's daughter-in-law, it is very likely her.

Unfortunately, he couldn't just say it out loud. He needed some evidence.

With a gesture, Mu Wanxuan quietly cheered for him. If this were a singing competition, she would probably be waving her phone's flashlight back and forth by now.

Xi Lian watched with an amused look, clearly waiting to see Wang Sheng mess up. Shen Qianlin also kept her eyes on him. Liu Yunzhi, however, shared the same hopeful gaze as Mu Wanxuan, silently rooting for him.

"Elder, is there any leftover water from brewing the tea?"

The elder replied, "We've already investigated that. Otherwise, we wouldn't still be unsure who the traitor is. The water, the utensils, and the tea leaves themselves were all clean. With their permission, we also frisked them and searched their homes. No trace of poison was found."

With a thoughtful expression, Wang Sheng nodded slightly and looked at the three women one by one. He then suddenly smiled and pointed at the youngest woman. "It's most likely her."

Many around them looked surprised. That seemed too casual.

"Daoist Master, you can't just accuse someone so casually! This concerns someone's life!" the young woman anxiously cried out.

A burly man in the crowd rushed forward and shouted at Shen Sui'an, "Sect Master, my wife and I went to high school together. Her family is from right here! How can you accuse her without proof, Daoist Master?"

Qing Yanzi raised his hand to calm the crowd, then asked, "Little Sheng, do you have any basis for that claim?"

Wang Sheng replied solemnly, "Master, I just made a random guess."

Qing Yanzi looked at him in helpless disbelief. Shen Sui'an and several Hidden Earth Sect elders frowned in displeasure.

One of the other women, around thirty, scolded, "Little Daoist Master, this is not something to joke about. You're slandering the Qin family girl for no reason."

"Don't worry," Wang Sheng replied calmly, "Aren't you all curious how I guessed?"

Qing Yanzi snapped, "Stop keeping us in suspense and tell us!"

"Yes, Master." Wang Sheng immediately backed down and quickly explained his reasoning.

"It's actually simple. Just use the process of elimination. If we assume the woman who boiled the water did it, then the only chance to poison would be while boiling. But there was leftover water, and it tested clean. Since she's only at the Spirit Convergence Realm, she couldn't have possibly extracted poison from the water, so that assumption doesn't hold.

"Next, suppose the woman who brewed the tea did it. There are two possible methods: sprinkling poison while pouring water, or applying poison to the utensils. In the second case, there would be residue left on the utensils. In the first, she wore short sleeves and had no cover. Poisoning dozens of cups would take many extra movements. There were likely people already waiting for the tea.

"Although we can't rule it out completely, the likelihood is low, so we can set her aside for now. Then we come to the woman who selected and placed the tea leaves."

He looked at the Qin family's daughter-in-law. She bit her lip, still looking innocent and scared.

"Suppose the one who handled the selection and preparation of the tea leaves was the one who poisoned it. If the remaining tea leaves are clean, then there's only one possible method. She must have applied the poison to her hands beforehand.

"But this woman is only at the Breath Condensation Realm. She started cultivating only after marrying into the Hidden Earth Sect. How could she ensure the poison would be sufficiently applied without harming herself with the Spirit-Annihilating Powder?

"I have only one question. When you were selecting the tea leaves and placing them into the bowl, did you, by any chance, wear those disposable plastic gloves with extra care?"

The woman trembled slightly and took a half step back.

Wang Sheng said, "Third Elder, please check the trash bins."

"Someone, bring all the trash bins here!"

"No need." The woman glanced at the hanging Wood Elder, then looked at her husband. She smiled bitterly and slowly knelt down.

The commandments team rushed over. Around them reverberated angry curses and cries of disbelief.

Several Daoist elders began clapping. Wang Sheng cupped his hands and returned calmly to his original spot with the sword case on his back.

Mu Wanxuan beamed at her junior brother and gave him two big thumbs up, as though she had just won a truckload of snacks.

Liu Yunzhi, however, frowned. "That logic has a flaw. Why couldn't the one who brewed the tea have poison on her hands and just let the hot water run over them?"

"Boiling water! Breath Condensation Realm!" Xi Lian rolled her eyes. "You're out of the group!"

Smiling awkwardly, Liu Yunzhi went back to being the quiet, handsome type.