Do you really think you can get me with just a banana?

Yan Ruchen had also come here on orders, and for the past few days, he had been assisting the elders in handling the affairs of the Heavenly Sword Sect. Besides helping to gather clues about the lightning strike at the library, he was also conducting a thorough search of all areas of the sect for any broken barriers, traces of demons, and any signs of demons in the disciples' living rooms and other key locations.

Besides doing all this, he also had to calm the panicked disciples. The death of the Tianjian Sect elder hadn't yet been announced publicly, remaining a closed-door matter within the sect. However, due to the intense search pressure over the past two days, some disciples were already feeling overwhelmed and were considering leaving the mountain. As the most prominent figure in the Tianjian Sect, Yan Ruchen naturally shouldered all the responsibilities of assisting with the investigation and providing comfort.

Of course, Si Hongyin helped.

Fortunately, Si Hongyin had a good relationship with her. He had helped her several times when he passed by the Ziwei Society before, and he could see that she was interested in him. But now, she was in a difficult situation. Her father had died of unknown cause, and the murderer might have been a disciple from within the sect. Under these blows, Si Hongyin's spirit had long been weakened. She had fainted several times from crying in front of the elder Si's funeral hall. Even so, Si Hongyin suppressed her grief and insisted on being appointed as the assistant disciple of the Tianjian Sect. Although it was not reasonable, the Tianjian Sect seemed to have no better candidate, so the heavy responsibility fell on her.

Yan Ruchen rubbed his brows tiredly. He had to go to various places in the sect to conduct a large-scale investigation in the next two days. He also needed to take care of Si Hongyin's emotions, so that she would not get angry and directly pick up the sword to chop Guan Shanyu before the truth was revealed.

Speaking of Guan Shanyu, Yan Ruchen felt a headache again. Ever since going up the mountain, Guan Shanyu's personality had changed a lot.

In the past, Liu Qi and others in the village either beat or scolded him, and bullied him in various ways. However, after going up the mountain, Guan Shanyu's attitude towards him was obviously much better, and he even seemed a little... afraid of him.

Specifically, he'd been chatting and laughing with other disciples on the road, carrying buckets of water, but upon seeing him, he'd immediately dropped his smile and turned and ran away. He'd used to be sarcastic and mocking, but now, hearing his name, he'd be at a loss, speechless, as if facing a formidable enemy. Even at the Wuzijian hunting grounds, they were clearly rivals, but when he was being chased by a black python, he'd run towards him, crying, as if grasping at a lifeline...

All of this was confusing. Yan Ruchen attributed it to Qing Yuanzi's good teaching. No matter how naughty and mischievous a disciple was, he could always turn him back to the right path.

Now, this disciple who had been redressed was imprisoned in this dark water dungeon for being suspected of assassinating the elder. Following Qing Yuanzi's instructions and out of friendship with his fellow townsman, Yan Ruchen felt that he should come and take a look. Perhaps he could learn something from Guan Shanyu and find out if there could be any breakthrough in the investigation of this accident.

Before bidding farewell to the two bearded disciples, they kindly reminded Yan Ruchen, "This guy is very fragile. He'll faint after just two whips. Don't say anything to scare him. If he really needs to ask something, I suggest you use gentle persuasion."

Yan Ruchen looked down at the two men holding the canes, thick as his arms and studded with rows of sharp barbs. Could this be how they were trying to "persuade" him? Yan Ruchen unconsciously raised his eyebrows. He politely said goodbye to the two, accepted their "kind" reminder, and turned to walk back into the dark water dungeon.

The walls of this water dungeon were pitch black, made of a special material that was indestructible, impervious to water and fire. Furthermore, an undercurrent swirled beneath, like water mixed with mercury, making it difficult to exert spiritual power. Add to that the fact that there was a guard every ten steps and a sentry every five, and escaping from this prison would be incredibly difficult.

Yan Ruchen looked around and was hit by a cold and damp air. The air was filled with the smell of decay and mold, which made people feel very uncomfortable. So he wanted to end the battle quickly and get away from here as soon as possible.

The cell door creaked open as Yan Ruchen pushed it open, but amidst the mud and tangled hay, he couldn't see Guan Shanyu. Puzzled, he turned his head to the sides before spotting Guan Shanyu shivering in a corner.

It certainly looked like he'd been severely beaten. Yan Ruchen stared at him carefully for a few moments. Guan Shanyu's body was covered in whip marks and bruises. His snow-white school uniform was shredded and hung in tatters on his body. Blood-red whip marks, like serpentine snakes, were deeply embedded in his flesh. Some had already scabbed over, while others were still oozing blood, staining his clothes a shocking dark crimson. The contrast between his snow-white skin and the scarlet scars was striking and shocking.

Guan Shanyu sat in the corner in a daze, his legs hugged tightly, his hair disheveled, and covered in grass debris. Although there were no scars on his face, it was covered with some dust after rolling around in the prison. On his gray face hung a pair of big, wet eyes, his eyes were red and tearful, and he looked at himself pitifully.

It really looks like it has been ravaged.

Seeing Guan Shanyu staring at him in confusion, not saying a word, and not surprised at why he came, Yan Ruchen asked with concern, "Shanyu, are you okay?"

As soon as these words came out, Guan Shanyu's eyes, which had been a little out of focus, gathered a little. The bloodless mouth on Mumu's face instantly collapsed, and he complained in a crying voice: "What a bullshit, they always beat me, and they also..."

At this point, his eyes finally focused, and when he looked closely, he found that the person coming was Yan Ruchen. Guan Shanyu immediately became alert and did not continue to speak, only asking: "Why are you here?"

Yan Ruchen answered truthfully: "Elder Qing asked me to come."

Guan Shanyu looked alert and asked, "Why did he ask you to come?"

Yan Ruchen hesitated for a moment. He remembered Qing Yuanzi anxiously running up to him, holding his hand and telling him that when he went to apply medicine to Guan Shanyu, Guan Shanyu kept mumbling his name. He must have something urgent to ask him...

Yan Ruchen didn't think that Guan Shanyu had any good intentions in looking for him at this time. According to his stereotype of Guan Shanyu, Guan Shanyu should either be planning to put the blame on him or to cry out for injustice and ask him to help clear the suspicion.

After all, the news from the Council of Elders suspected that Guan Shanyu was a spy from the Demon Clan in two timelines of evidence, and he was also involved.

However, Yan Ruchen still told the truth, saying, "Elder Qing came to apply medicine on you at noon and said that you kept calling my name and hoped that I would come."

Guan Shanyu was still confused and asked again: "What about Master? Where did Master go?"

Yan Ruchen said, "It seems he went to the Elders' Council. But Shanyu, what exactly do you want to talk to me about?"

Guan Shanyu let out an "Oh," his chaotic mind finally clearing up a bit. He remembered that he had initially wanted to remind Yan Ruchen to go to Ming Wuya, but who knew that this person would actually appear in front of him. He hadn't thought of the wording yet. Should he just ask him to go there? Tell him that he could gain the sword-making spiritual consciousness after going there?

Who the hell believes this!

Now he is still a prisoner, and only if his brain is stuck in the door would he listen to him and jump off the cliff.

It was obvious that Yan Ruchen's brain was not pinched!

He had originally planned to think of a specific strategy before trying to find a way to call Yan Ruchen over, but he hadn't expected that before he could figure out the tactics, he had already arrived. Facing Yan Ruchen's puzzled expression, Guan Shanyu swallowed hard and changed the subject dryly, saying, "Master, why are you going to the Elders' Council?"

Yan Ruchen looked at Guan Shanyu, who was shocked and frightened. After a moment's silence, he shook his head gently, "I'm sorry, Shanyu, I really don't know. So, why did you call me here specifically?"

Guan Shanyu lowered his eyes, picking at the scab on the back of his hand. His hair was a mess, looking quite pitiful. He really didn't know how to start. The two of them were in an eerie silence for a long while before Guan Shanyu replied in a whisper as soft as a mosquito: "Why don't you come back in two days... Come back in two days..." "I'll come back when I figure out how to tell you."

Yan Ruchen couldn't help but feel puzzled when he heard this, and his brows furrowed slightly. He noticed that Guan Shanyu always seemed to have something else in his words. After all, when he fainted from the torture, he kept calling out his name, but when people arrived, he looked reluctant to speak. Either he was frightened and lost his memory from the beating, or something else.

He grew up with Guan Shanyu and others in Fengping Village. He knew Guan Shanyu and others' personalities best. Not to mention it was something they had not done, even if they really did it, they would definitely try their best to shift the blame. Now that Yan Ruchen is one of the parties involved, it is easy for Guan Shanyu to put the blame on him.

After all, he hates himself so much, there is no reason for him not to do something like dragging others into trouble.

Yan Ruchen thought about it and basically concluded that Guan Shanyu was testing him. Perhaps the torture in the past few days had frightened him too much, and he couldn't think of how to put it for a while, but since he was already here, there was no need to make things more complicated.

Yan Ruchen said bluntly, "Shan Yu, I clearly contacted you several times before the Elders' Council hearing. Why didn't you mention me during the Elders' Council hearing?"