Chapter Ninety-One: Acting According to Plan

Long Jiu’s voice was loud. The moment he started walking over to speak with Long Wei, Zi Xuan had already noticed him; he had only not expected that Long San would be the one to bring the subject up.

Last time, during the investigation of the Two Strange Ones of Tian Shan, all the clues had plainly pointed toward the Ouyang family and the Chen family. Long Jiu had used that very fact to steer everyone’s thinking toward the Xuan Yuan family. This time, they had found Ya Ya in the basement of the old Xuan Yuan residence, and Zi Xuan’s suspicions only deepened. This Long Jiu seemed to know something. It was just impossible to tell what scheme he was plotting now. Zi Xuan acted as though he did not care, made no effort to walk over and discuss it with him, and simply waited to see what would happen next.

Sure enough, just as Zi Xuan expected, Long Jiu began bringing up the matter on Changbai Mountain.

“Captain, yesterday while we were examining the Two Strange Ones of Tian Shan, I had my doubts. Why did every clue point to the Ouyang family and the Chen family? If not for the captain’s carefulness in discovering the silkworm thread on the White Brow Duster, I’m afraid everyone would have suspected those two families at the time! That was when I began to think: on the surface, the three great families seem harmonious, but in secret they have been fighting for thousands of years. That is something everyone knows. Could this time have been the Xuan Yuan family stirring up trouble behind the scenes? And sure enough, as I suspected, didn’t they expose themselves today with White Brow?”

“Oh? Then did you find any new clues today?” Long Wei could not help asking. Naturally, it would be best to have solid evidence.

Long Jiu nodded, his expression grave. “Just now, while the chief was still in meditation, I overheard the two seniors interrogating White Brow. White Brow admitted that a black-clad man had traded ten boys with spiritual roots for that girl. That alone is suspicious. People with spiritual roots are rare enough, and the demand was for all of them to be boys. Think about it: which family could suddenly produce ten boys with spiritual roots? I remember that recently only the Xuan Yuan family has been recruiting disciples, right?”

“That doesn’t prove much. If someone is determined enough, any family could find them!” Long San did not necessarily disagree with him; it was just that everything had to be supported by evidence. Reasoning was not impossible, but it could not serve as the basis for a final verdict. Even an investigation had to be exacting and meticulous; only hard proof would do.

“But from the time the Two Strange Ones of Tian Shan snatched the children to the time the little ones disappeared, the window was so short. It would be very hard for an ordinary person to gather ten boys in that time.” Long Jiu was so anxious he nearly stamped his feet, again convinced that the Xuan Yuan family was the culprit, and trying hard to make everyone present believe him.

“Long Jiu, being anxious won’t help. None of what you’ve said proves anything. What if someone had planned this long ago? Then all of this would be easy enough to do. Investigations can’t rely on one person’s speculation to reach a conclusion. We need real evidence.” Long San remained unmoved, stroking his chin as he asked the question in a practical manner.

“It’s simple. If it really was the Xuan Yuan family, then the people must still be with the Xuan Yuan family. We just need to send people to search both their branch and their main residence thoroughly! Otherwise, with the way the three great families do things, how could we ever catch them with hard evidence so easily?” Long Jiu proposed searching the Xuan Yuan family, gradually steering the discussion onto the main issue.

“Long Jiu, you’re thinking too simply. If it really was the Xuan Yuan family’s doing, would the children be hidden in their own home? Wouldn’t that be the same as waiting for people to come and demand them?” Long Wei had been silent all along, listening to their discussion. When he heard that they wanted to search the Xuan Yuan family, he quickly smiled and denied it.

“Besides, such a large family—do you think we can search them just because we want to?” Long San also felt this was unlikely. The head of the three great cultivation families—how could that be something you simply decided to inspect? If you barged in and searched their home like that, what authority would they have left? It was far too impractical.

“How is it impossible? The more dangerous the place, the safer it is. Besides, isn’t the Xuan Yuan family head supposed to be an upright gentleman? If they haven’t hidden any children, why can’t they let us search? With the chief and the two seniors here, they won’t be in a position to refuse!” Long Jiu was clearly planning to use force now.

Long Wei did not dare make that decision on his own. Although the security department had, to some extent, old grievances with the three great families, and some selfish desire to take the opportunity to suppress their arrogance, if they took this step, they would truly become irreconcilable enemies with the Xuan Yuan family. Glancing at Zi Xuan and the others, he tossed the ball back and asked loudly toward them, “What do the two fellow Daoists think?”

Zi Xuan had been listening with great interest, only to be interrupted by Long Wei. In his heart, he could almost be certain that this Long Jiu was ninety percent some spy planted within the security department. Otherwise, why would he work so hard to guide everyone along, not even fearing he might drag himself into the pit? Did he hate the Xuan Yuan family that much?

Zi Xuan could only hold back his laughter, take Tang Wei by the hand, and walk over. In a meaningful tone he asked, “I have no particular opinion. I only wonder: if Long Jiu is right, and we search the Xuan Yuan family but still find no one, then what?”

Long Jiu thought about it and felt this method was a little problematic, but they still had to lead people to the Xuan Yuan family somehow. After pondering for a moment, he came up with another idea. “Why not say that after searching for so long without finding anything, it must have been the work of some great power. To avoid suspicion, the major families and our security department should set an example. If we want to prove our innocence, the two seniors may search us at will. Our security department, as a state institution, can be the first to accept inspection. Since the Xuan Yuan family is the first of the great families, being placed second would also be perfectly reasonable!”

Zi Xuan did not hold back either. He simply followed the line of thought. “If even the national security department can be searched, would the Xuan Yuan family dare refuse inspection? Could their family be bigger than the entire nation? Refusing a search is surely because they have something to hide, isn’t it?”

Seeing someone agree with him, and with Zi Xuan also endorsing the idea, Long Jiu grew even more enthusiastic. He laughed and said, “Senior’s plan is truly excellent. If we still fail to find anyone in the end, we can also save face by saying that the Xuan Yuan family truly deserves to be the first great family—indeed they have the bearing of a great clan, open and aboveboard, absolutely a model of propriety.”

Long Wei saw the two of them talking so eagerly and could not say much more, so he could only try asking, “Then if we don’t find anyone in the Xuan Yuan family, wouldn’t we really have to search the other two great families as well?”

“What’s the problem with that, Chief? Haven’t we always suspected that the three great families had been doing some illegal things behind the scenes? This time, isn’t it just the perfect chance to investigate them all at once?” Long Jiu was clearly trying to persuade Long Wei with all his might. After all, judging by Zi Xuan’s attitude just now, it seemed he approved of the idea.

“And what do the two of you think?” Long Wei did not dare shoulder this matter alone. He still had to hear what Tang Wei and the other man thought. The three great families had never put the security department in their eyes. If they could use this opportunity to suppress them through their own hands, Long Wei was very interested. Of course, he also wanted to take the chance to bring Zi Xuan and Tang Wei onto their side. If this succeeded, then even if the three great families joined forces later, with three Foundationless-stage cultivators on each side, it would at least be a fair contest. In ordinary times, this was something he would never even have dared think about.

Zi Xuan, too, was quite interested. “As long as your security department will open the door and let me investigate, what do I have to fear? Let’s search them!”

“Our security department stands straight and sits upright; there’s nothing we can’t let people see. Let’s start with us.” Long Wei burst out laughing. He was already thinking that even if this search yielded no one, it would still be enough to give the three great families a bad headache. How satisfying.

So several people gathered together and discussed the details of the search. Tang Wei was not interested in any of it; she yawned repeatedly, and sitting under the tree nearby, she was almost asleep.

At last, White Brow stood up. Tang Wei excitedly rushed over first and asked, “Hey! How are you? Did that pill work? How do you feel?”

White Brow bent his back and replied, “Many thanks for the master’s gift. White Brow has already recovered seventy or eighty percent, though my cultivation may have to start over from the beginning.” This was already the best possible outcome. He had originally thought that the rest of his life would have nothing to do with cultivation; being able to begin again was entirely thanks to his master.

“Oh no, then won’t you be unable to save people? I’ll have to do it myself after all! I’m going to be exhausted to death!” Tang Wei lamented. She did not want to go around saving people one by one either; it was truly tiring. But if she did nothing, she would feel guilty. People would die. She could not bring herself to watch so many die before her eyes.

Fortunately, White Brow immediately answered, “Please rest assured, Master. Although my cultivation has not yet recovered, I am still quite accustomed to soul-refinement and it will not affect the rescue. It will only be somewhat less simple than before, and may take a fair amount of time.”

“Then why are you still talking nonsense? Hurry up and go save them!” Hearing that she would not have to do it herself, Tang Wei happily grabbed his sleeve and dragged him over.

Just then, the others who had been chatting nearby also came over. Seeing Tang Wei pulling at the man’s sleeve, Zi Xuan knew it was nothing serious, but he still felt very uncomfortable. With a dark expression he said, “White Brow, since you’re up, why aren’t you saving people yet? So slow and indecisive. You’d better be careful—my pill wasn’t given for nothing.”

White Brow did not mind. He knew perfectly well that he was being unfairly taken out on. Hadn’t he noticed that his master’s eyes were practically drilling a hole through his arm? How could he not know what was going on? Bitterly, he thought: Master, I’m the victim here. Besides, I’m almost sixty years old—what could I possibly do to the young lady mistress? Was that really necessary?

But outwardly, he still answered respectfully, “Yes, Master. I’ll prepare at once!” With that, he hurried toward the row of living dead.

After a bitter struggle, White Brow finally managed to save the more than one hundred people before nightfall. Though they had been saved, their souls had still suffered severe damage. Without three to five years of rest, recovery would likely be difficult.

By then, White Brow could be considered one of Zi Xuan’s people. When one’s subordinates made mistakes, as the master one ought to shoulder some of the responsibility. Thus Zi Xuan took the initiative to give each of them a Foundation Spirit Pill, counting it as a free gift to them. Though this thing was of little use for damaged souls, it would allow one’s cultivation to advance by two or three levels in one go in the future, so however one looked at it, it was not a loss. Besides, if they relied only on ordinary cultivation, even after three to five years they might not advance a single level.

The wounded accepted the pills and, delighted, followed the main group back.