Star Trace Gate

Clan Hall, Council Hall.

Amidst the elders' heated discussion, Sun Michen gradually came to his senses and looked up to ask, "Nephew, this doesn't make sense either. Huang clearly wrote in his daily report that he went to your Zhao family after finishing his duties that day and stayed for more than an hour. The traitor's footprints were found in the array chamber, but he was at your house at that time! I remember he seemed to have arrived at the prison with you... The timing doesn't match up; he has a solid alibi."

“Reporting to Uncle, this is precisely Huang’s cleverness.” Zhao Haochen replied softly, “Why did he choose to deliver the antidote to No. 79 using a plate, and why did he insist on coming to my house to chat with me… This was actually to create an alibi for himself.”

"How do you explain the footprints in the eye chamber?" an elder pressed.

"The footprints were found at the scene of Prison Break, but that doesn't mean they were left during the escape," Zhao Haochen said calmly and confidently. "Let me briefly recount the whole incident. Before Prison Break, Huang took advantage of his position as someone exploited and manipulated by his colleagues to contact Prison Break multiple times, negotiate terms, and ultimately decide to help him escape. As the saying goes, only what actually happened can withstand scrutiny and remain undetected. On the day of the incident, all his actions were typical of his daily routine. He went to the kitchen as usual, briefly stole a plate, and then slipped the antidote inside… and upon finishing his shift, he immediately went to my house, creating a plausible alibi. He might even have anticipated that if the incident occurred, I would arrive at the scene immediately, allowing him to follow me and secretly observe whether Prison Break had left any clues for future action…!"

"He is an extremely meticulous and intelligent person. He must have sent his aunt to steal the antidote on the day the Yin family was in chaos, and only after learning that the entire Yin family would be relocated did he finally decide to take action. In this way, the problem of the scarcity of the Divine Elixir was solved. Even if the clan hall ordered a thorough investigation, the Yin family members would be gone, and there would be no way to prove anything."

"Then, he conspired with the storyteller and another accomplice to go to Zhou Taozhi's residence at the No. 1 Enlightenment Academy in the Heavenly Realm. They provoked Zhou Taozhi with past events, ultimately causing him to go mad and kill people before passing away in the peach grove." Zhao Haochen, with his rigorous thinking and strong logic, said, "Then why did he have to go to Zhou Taozhi?!"

"It's simple. Zhou Taozhi was the only surviving tomb keeper he encountered the night before he left the tomb. He was certain that the other person knew something, which is why he took such a risk to go and interrogate him, trying to find out the truth."

"What truth?!" an elder asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The truth behind the loss of his original eyes." Zhao Haochen replied without hesitation: "He probably believed that the loss of his original eyes was a conspiracy. He was also unwilling to be a stray dog ​​in this illusory village forever, so... he chose to help the storyteller escape from prison. That's why he risked committing so many major crimes, willing to risk his life for a chance to turn his life around!"

"His aunt was the fire master of the Yin family; and he himself was a jailer in the death row, who not only had access to cell 79, but also had the habit of investigating any area at any time; the people in the kitchen had seen him squatting down next to the food tray; in addition, Zhou Taozhi was the only survivor and had once guarded his grave... If there was only one coincidence in a matter, it might make sense, but so many coincidences, so much evidence put together... that must be the only truth."

"He is the traitor, an undeniable traitor."

Zhao Haochen sighed and shook his head slightly, saying, "To be honest, if the people patrolling the hall hadn't accidentally discovered the blood-stained stone and hadn't had Master Wei Zhen summon the blood to see his true face, and ultimately deduced his entire crime from the result... I would never have imagined that he would be the traitor, even if I racked my brains."

Qian Zhongge frowned and looked deep in thought, then said in a hoarse voice, "There's one more thing that doesn't add up. Three major cases have occurred recently, but you only mentioned two and not the third."

"Are you referring to the matter of Huang being framed?" Zhao Haochen asked cleverly.

“That’s right.” Qian Zhongge nodded slightly: “If Huang is the traitor, how do you explain this frame-up case?! And what about those three rogue cultivators who insisted on leaving a pair of jailer’s shoes in his house?”

"I would like to ask Uncle Qian, who exactly told you that these three thieves were going to leave shoes at Huang's house?" Zhao Haochen asked in return.

Upon hearing this, Qian Zhongge immediately raised his eyebrows.

"This is just Huang's own testimony. Only he said that the three thieves wanted to leave shoes in his house, but no one else saw it," Zhao Haochen said excitedly. "That's what I admire about him. Regardless of what the three thieves wanted to do at his house, as long as he said that they wanted to leave shoes in his house... no one will suspect him in the future! Besides, when he gave his statement, Brother Yu and the other two were already dead, so it's as if there's no way to verify it."

“Uncle Sun, you must know, on the night of No. 79's escape, I took him to the scene of the prison. And because he knew me well and was familiar with the illusions of the prison, I even ordered him to lead the way. So, he knew that there were shoe prints left at the scene…!”

Zhao Haochen offered a word of reminder.

Sun Michen nodded slightly: "That's true. He was right next to us when we discovered the shoe print clue. You mean... he used those three thieves to frame himself, fabricating the story that the other party wanted to put shoes in his house?"

“That’s right. And these flawless statements were all come up with on a whim, which shows how deep his mind is.” Zhao Haochen couldn’t help but sigh.

"You mean that the case of those three framing someone is unrelated to the other two cases? And you haven't found out their true motives either?" Qian Zhongge asked.

“Yes, I still haven’t figured out why these three people went to Huang’s house that night, and who they were working for.” Zhao Haochen shook his head slightly before adding in a low voice, “However, as long as the Huang family aunt and niece are arrested, I believe the truth of this case will come to light soon.”

After he finished speaking, the council hall fell completely silent.

Seeing that everyone was silent, Zhao Mi took the initiative to ask, "Has anyone made a decision?"

"Regardless of other matters, the case of colluding with the intruders and murdering the prison guards is enough to sentence him to death." An elder stated, "I agree to arrest him, directly detain his soul, and contemplate his memories."

"Agree."

"can."

"...!"

After the elder made his statement, the others all echoed his sentiments in unison. Even though Sun Michen, Qian Zhongge, and Uncle Li all wanted to speak up for Ren Ye, they all seemed powerless in the face of such irrefutable evidence.

If the witnesses from the kitchen and the evidence from the Heavenly Spirit Rat were merely supplementary inferences that could be questioned, then the bloodstains on the stone were irrefutable proof. The texture of that stone was easy to verify; a simple examination would reveal it to be a fragment of the steps in Zhou Tao's courtyard, and it could even be pieced together with other stones.

The great wizard couldn't be wrong either. Everything he saw with the blood-summoning technique was the ultimate truth, and the bloodstains on the stone were left by Ren Ye.

After receiving feedback from everyone, Zhao Mi spoke briefly: "Arrest the Huang family aunt and nephew and imprison them in the Heavenly Prison. No one except members of the Clan Hall is allowed to contact them. The arrest process requires the joint action of the three major halls. In addition, Huang has already colluded with 79. When arresting him, be sure not to make a fuss. Just secretly bring him back, and then interrogate him to find out the whereabouts of 79, and finally bring him to justice."

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Haochen immediately clasped his hands in a fist salute and replied, "That young Huang is currently unaware that he has been exposed. According to his habits, he will be at home right now. I have gathered the patrol experts and we are preparing to join forces with the other two major halls to head to the Huang family...!"

"Sigh." Upon hearing this, Uncle Li turned to look at Qian Zhongge and sighed, "I never imagined that the traitor would be him...!"

Qian Zhongge frowned slightly: "I still think that framing myself is too crude an idea, and I can't say whether it's stupid or smart."

“It’s over. Based on this evidence alone, the Huang family is probably doomed.” Uncle Li shook his head and said, “I don’t know why, but I suddenly feel a little sad.”

……

Ruined temple.

Ren Ye disguised himself as an old man in a straw hat, squatted down beside the dry well, and cursed, "Damn it, why isn't that fatso here yet?! He's so late! I hate punctual people more than anything in my life...!"

"Yes," the storyteller said, somewhat puzzled, "He's usually quite punctual, why is he so late today? Did he get caught when he was trying to drug Sixth Grandfather...?!"

After finishing his business, Little Bad King immediately rushed to the dilapidated temple. According to the pre-arranged meeting time, Li Xiaopang should have appeared at the end of the You hour (5-7 PM), but it was already past Xu hour (7-9 PM), and he still hadn't shown up.

What on earth is this kid up to? Could he have really gotten caught red-handed while drugging someone...?

Ren was getting a little impatient and turned to the storyteller, saying, "If he doesn't show up today, then we're in trouble. To put it in the worst-case scenario, if he exposes himself, then based on my understanding of him, this guy is shameless and spineless, and there's a high probability he'll betray us."

“If the Li family discovers his secret, that’s fine. After all, this kid is the only heir of the Li family in this generation, and he’s exceptionally talented. They probably won’t expose this matter themselves. At most, they’ll just put him under house arrest.” The storyteller analyzed carefully: “But if the three main halls find out a clue, then I’m in trouble. They know I’m hiding here… No, I can’t stay here any longer.”

The cunning storyteller was ready to make his escape, but Ren Ye wasn't as afraid as him because he had been in disguise all along, and Little Fatty didn't know his true identity.

"Wait another fifteen minutes. If he doesn't come, we're done." Ren blinked. "You'll need to find somewhere else to hide, and I'll try to find out what's going on with him first thing tomorrow morning...!"

"Hmm." The storyteller secretly channeled his spiritual power, preparing to erase his personal aura at any moment and teleport away from this place.

And so, the two waited anxiously for about fifteen minutes, after which Ren suddenly stood up, ready to leave.

"Don't move, there's movement." The storyteller closed his eyes slightly and suddenly waved his hand, saying, "He's here. He's entered my divine sense range, and he's all alone. He's moving very fast."

"Are you sure it's not a trap?" Ren replied cautiously. "How about I go first, and you carry it yourself?"

"We're in the same boat. Without me, how could you escape?" The storyteller slowly opened his eyes: "Let's wait for him together."

“…Okay.” Ren replied helplessly.

After the words were spoken, the two waited for half an incense stick's time before they saw a chubby figure approaching in the quiet wilderness, under the moonlight.

That's right, the figure was indeed Li Xiaopang. He looked very anxious, sweating profusely from running, and when he looked up and saw the old man in the straw hat disguised as Ren Ye, he couldn't help but curse, "You son of a bitch...!"

Ren saw that he had come alone and looked anxious, clearly preoccupied with something, not at all like someone who had come fishing after being captured. So Ren took the initiative to go out and greet him, asking urgently, "Why are you so late?!"