Chapter 230: A Joke

The entire hall became deathly quiet in an instant.

Countless stares landed foolishly on Fang Cun and the Divine Eye Young Master Lu Xiao.

Who could have imagined that the Divine Eye Young Master, speaking so smoothly and logically with seeming proof, would ultimately point his finger at Shoushan Sect?

If he had stated this conclusion at the very beginning, no one would have believed him. But after meticulously laying out his deduction, step by step, it created a feeling that was hard to refute—even harder to disbelieve.

After all… he had even mentioned specific magical techniques…

Even if you didn’t admit it, wouldn’t demonstrating those two techniques and comparing the burn marks provide clarity?

The Young Master Bai of the Bai Clan, Elder Xue Wu, and Elder Baili from the Seven Clans exchanged glances, smiling as if they had just breathed out a sigh of relief. Clearly, they had long been convinced that the second Ghost Official attack was arranged by Fang Cun—believing it even without proof. Now that Divine Eye Young Master Lu Xiao had seemingly found evidence pointing that way, ecstatic joy surged within them!

This was especially true because the Divine Eye Young Master’s words carried weight theirs did not.

In terms of cultivation or seniority, Divine Eye Young Master might even rank lower, but his words were the evidence!

His accusations brooked no doubt!

…

“Oh no…”

Witnessing everyone’s gaze fix onto Fang Cun’s face within the hall, Lady Hongtao and her companions, hiding outside among the crowd to spy, were severely shocked. Since they heard the Divine Eye Young Master was investigating this matter, they had sensed trouble brewing. They could only cling to the hope that they had covered their tracks thoroughly enough, leaving no clues behind.

Logically, if the Divine Eye Young Master wanted to trace this to Shoushan Sect, to Second Young Master Fang, there should have been a sequence. He should first find those who physically acted, trace them back to her group, and only then, through them, discover Second Young Master Fang. This would have given them ample time to sever all connections, even resorting to silencing the assassins…

After all, those involved had been controlled with Life-Death Sigils—killing them was no loss!

But the plan had an unforeseen flaw… They had forgotten one crucial thing…

To control those assassins, they hadn’t just used the Life-Death Sigils—they had also taught them some Shoushan Sect techniques. It was precisely these techniques that exposed them instantly, diverting the Divine Eye Young Master’s gaze straight onto Shoushan Sect…

For Lady Hongtao and her group, this was an unforgivable blunder!

…

“Brilliant! Truly brilliant!”

Amidst the countless eyes turned his way, Fang Cun smiled softly and began to applaud.

In the tomb-like silence of the great hall, the sound was unnervingly distinct.

The Elders Green Pine and Cold Stone beside him, along with Young Sect Master Xu, He Zhenzhang, Meng Qing’er, and others, all stared at him, faces etched with confusion and doubt. Even Meng Zhixue, standing near Divine Eye Young Master Lu Xiao, wore a faint look of surprise, her expression complex as she turned to look.

“Second Young Master Fang, what do you think of my deduction?”

Divine Eye Young Master Lu Xiao’s gaze was calm and steady as he quietly looked at Fang Cun.

He seemed prepared to face any doubt Fang Cun might raise.

“It’s quite good!”

Fang Cun nodded gently, his eyes sweeping across the assembled crowd. He smiled. “Now that our young friend Lu has spoken to this extent, as his senior and as an Elder of Shoushan Sect, shouldn’t I cooperate and… demonstrate a little?”

Hearing this, many inwardly flinched.

Elder Xue Wu of the Seven Clans sneered. “Naturally. Even this old man didn’t expect that following Young Lu’s meticulous reasoning would lead us to Shoushan Sect… Heh. Shoushan Sect is one of the Six Sects of Qingjiang, always upright and forthright. To claim it was them, I cannot believe it. But since things have come to this point, why not demonstrate the techniques and compare the burn marks?”

He chuckled dryly. “If Shoushan Sect is falsely accused, this will clear your name!”

Many gazes in the hall became wary and uncertain.

The situation had progressed too far; refusal seemed impossible.

If Shoushan Sect refused to demonstrate those two techniques, it would be seen as proof of guilt.

And if the burn marks matched… they could never explain it away.

Meeting their stares, Fang Cun remained unruffled. Smiling, he said, “Exactly as it should be!”

As he spoke, he extended his palm. Upon it, a black lotus-like flame silently flickered into existence.

“This is Shoushan Sect’s Soul Refining Lotus Flame!”

Fang Cun announced, tilting his hand gently. The flame fell to the floor.

The green stone bricks beneath instantly seared with a distinct lotus-shaped burn mark. Black tendrils of smoke curled upwards.

Every person in the hall simultaneously craned their necks to see. A collective “Ah…” escaped them—it was obvious this burn mark was different.

Fang Cun moved deliberately. With both hands, he formed an intricate seal gesture before him.

“This is the Nine Earths Heart Burning Seal!”

As he spoke, tendrils of soft, yin fire gathered around the forming seal before gently floating down to land on the floor.

“Hiss!”

Green stone bricks sizzled as they were scorched, leaving behind a clear and unmistakable burn mark.

…

“This…”

Numerous people around watched Fang Cun’s actions with intense concentration. As the burn mark appeared, many gasped, eyes bulging in disbelief. From the Seven Clans’ contingent, voices rose: “Indeed!” “Exactly the same!”

Immediately after, every single gaze snapped towards Fang Cun.

The burn mark matched. It was undeniably identical to the one left by the Nine Earths Heart Burning Seal.

What could Shoushan Sect possibly say now?

Qi Refiners from the Seven Clans nearby shifted subtly, adopting forced postures.

Their demeanor suggested they might step forward to apprehend someone right then, though everyone knew: even with proof tracing the technique to Shoushan Sect, even with concrete evidence pointing to Fang Cun, they wouldn’t dare seize him. The entire county wouldn’t dare arrest a scion of the Fang family. Their pretense was purely an attempt to shame Fang Cun.

…

“It seems my memory serves me well, nothing was confused.”

After seeing the matching burn mark, Divine Eye Young Master Lu Xiao’s expression became aloof. He looked steadily at Fang Cun and spoke softly, “Lu Xiao believes there must be circumstances surrounding this incident. This second case does not prove the Ghost Official resides within Shoushan Sect. However, since Shoushan Sect is implicated, I ask Second Young Master Fang to enlighten me, resolve the doubts in my heart, so I may continue the pursuit of the Ghost Official matters.”

This was practically making his crucial demand.

“A reasonable point, yet this young master has one remaining confusion.”

Meeting their gazes, Fang Cun nodded lightly towards Divine Eye Young Master Lu Xiao. “You traced this matter to my Shoushan Sect based on this small burn mark, presenting it as ironclad proof, beyond explanation. But… it strikes me… where exactly did you find this burn mark recorded? Which dossier stated its origin?”

“Huh?”

People inside the hall looked startled, unsure why Fang Cun was asking this at such a juncture.

The Divine Eye Young Master, however, saw no harm in answering lightly. “The Qingjiang Green Ox Ridge Case. Volume Two. Page Seven.”

Fang Cun frowned slightly. “Might I examine it?”

Divine Eye Young Master slowly nodded. “Naturally.”

All the case files had been stored at the Qingjiang County Mansion. As an outsider, no matter his reputation, the Divine Eye Young Master couldn’t keep every original dossier. However, borrowing them or obtaining copies was permitted. When he had reviewed the files yesterday at the sacred platform, the Qingjiang County Mansion had utilized a small teleportation formation to send relevant copies to the Lingwu Sect.

Since Second Young Master Fang wished to see it, refusing was impossible.

Though the Nine Immortals Sect disciples seemed puzzled by his suspicion, they complied, retrieving the specific dossier as instructed.

It appeared an utterly ordinary dossier.

Fang Cun casually picked it up, flipped through a couple of pages, then suddenly stopped. He brought it slightly closer to the Little Fox at his side, murmuring a question. The Little Fox frowned, scrutinizing it intently for a moment, then tapped a small claw against a section. Fang Cun smiled then.

Smiling, he closed the dossier and tossed it unceremoniously onto the floor in front of Divine Eye Young Master Lu Xiao.

“Have another look!”

“You…!”

Seeing Fang Cun fling the dossier disrespectfully to the floor, the Nine Immortals Sect disciples instantly paled with fury.

To them, Lu Xiao was practically divine! Who dared show such insolence before him?

The Divine Eye Young Master, however, didn’t seem to view this as an insult. He naturally bent down, picked up the dossier, and began leafing through it calmly. He knew its contents by heart, but since Fang Cun insisted, he scanned the lines even more meticulously this time. His expression underwent a slow, visible shift, though…

…it was impossible to tell if he was angry or troubled; only that his brows subtly tightened.

“What happened?”

Sensing the sudden tension, everyone in the hall strained to see.

“Who handled this dossier?”

Divine Eye Young Master Lu Xiao asked after a prolonged silence.

Magistrate Xue from the County Mansion hurriedly replied nearby, “All were organized overnight by the County Secretary staff and sent via the small teleportation formation to the Lingwu Sect. They passed through no one else’s hands. They went straight from the temporary County Mansion archives directly to Young Master Lu’s possession…”

He couldn’t help adding with concern, “Is there a problem?”

“This dossier has been tampered with.”

Divine Eye Young Master Lu Xiao’s voice remained soft. “The handwriting from page to page… differs.”

“Ah—!”

An involuntary cry erupted through the hall. People stared, mouths agape.

The dossier had been tampered with?

If this document was unreliable… how could it serve as proof against Shoushan Sect?

“The differences in the handwriting are glaring—even this little fox could spot it. Why didn’t you?”

Fang Cun’s brow furrowed severely now, a flicker of stern displeasure directed at Divine Eye Young Master Lu Xiao.

Lu Xiao’s face tightened with evident awkwardness.

After a long pause, he sighed softly. “Perhaps… perhaps it was because I read it too quickly yesterday…”

…

Boom!

The hall erupted into an uncontrollable wave of shocked murmurs.

Instantly, every gaze became filled with the deepest suspicion… and a palpable sense of pure absurdity.

The Divine Eye Young Master Lu Xiao’s arrival at the Lingwu Sect had amazed everyone precisely because his talents were extraordinary, his abilities far surpassed the norm. He had reviewed all the Ghost Official case files in a single night, memorized every tiny detail, and sifted through the mountains of information to pinpoint—and present—one crucial piece of evidence pointing towards Shoushan Sect…

Amongst his astonishing feats, none was more astounding than his superhuman speed of comprehension.

Yet now… he himself admitted that this very speed caused him to overlook this critical flaw.

Didn’t that render his entire elaborate deduction… nothing more than a joke?