Revelation of the Way of Heaven

Chapter 358 Conspiracy

I am currently reading Chapter 360, Conspiracy (4), of the novel "Cola Novel" and am completely absorbed in it.

The Gold Priest casually flipped through the files that the Fire Priest had previously slammed on the council table and said, "Everyone already knows the situation. The outlook is not optimistic. Let's all share our thoughts."

The council chamber was silent; no one spoke until the fire priest finally broke the silence and said, "I am in charge of criminal law, and I am under the most pressure right now. Since none of you are speaking, I will go first. I think the sheriff's suggestion is worth considering; it is the best solution at present."

The Golden Priest glanced at Qin Xiaochuan and asked, "I wonder what the Uncrowned One thinks?"

Qin Xiaochuan said coldly, "Shiyi has nothing to do with this matter. She doesn't need to prove her innocence for something she didn't do."

Faced with Qin Xiaochuan's attitude, the Golden Priest remained calm but did not back down in the slightest. He said, "What we are discussing now is not whether Miss Guo did this or not, but how to quell these rumors before the situation escalates. I wonder if the Uncrowned One has any better suggestions?"

Qin Xiaochuan said, "I will find the real culprit as soon as possible and give everyone an explanation."

The fire priest snorted and said, "What is the shortest time? The security team has already deployed a large number of people and spent a lot of time investigating, but they still haven't obtained any useful clues. However, the current situation doesn't allow us much time. I wonder what exactly the shortest time the Uncrowned One mentioned is, so that we can make the necessary arrangements in advance to prevent the situation from worsening."

Qin Xiaochuan remained silent, pondering. After several days of searching, he knew that finding the real culprit wouldn't rely entirely on time, but also on a bit of luck. He really didn't know how much time he should give.

"Five days. I think we should give the Uncrowned One at least five days to find the real killer. After all, there is no direct evidence to prove that Miss Guo is a suspect, and it is not her obligation to prove her innocence." The Wood Priest gave him a deadline.

Qin Xiaochuan glanced at the Wood Priest. Five days was not a short time. With the rumors intensifying, this was the longest he could afford. If he couldn't find the culprit after five days, he would send Guo Shiyi out of Crescent City. Therefore, Qin Xiaochuan remained silent and tacitly agreed to the Wood Priest's suggestion.

"Three or five days is too long. I'm afraid that even if Miss Guo comes forward to prove her innocence, it will be to no avail. As the future Blood Witch King of Crescent City, she naturally has the responsibility to contribute to the stability of Crescent City. We cannot let the current rumors become a thorn in the hearts of our people," the Golden Priest said coldly.

Just as Qin Xiaochuan was about to speak, he heard the Gold Priest say to the Wood Priest, "It's settled then. Wood Priest, do you think a vote is still needed?"

The Wood Priest smiled slightly and said, "No need. Since the Gold Priest has made up his mind, then let's make it three days."

Seeing that the Wood Priest had also compromised, Qin Xiaochuan knew that it would be futile to raise any further objections, so he had no choice but to swallow his words.

After the council dispersed, the Wood Priest returned to the inner court's front hall with Qin Xiaochuan. Qin Xiaochuan asked, puzzled, "Why didn't we vote to try and get five more days? Three days is far too short; we might not even be able to find the primary crime scene."

The Wood Priest calmly said, "Judging from the situation just now, even if there is a vote, the Water Priest and the Earth Priest will vote for three days. This will only diminish your prestige. It's better to go with the flow and demonstrate your responsibility."

Upon hearing this, Qin Xiaochuan angrily said, "Are the Water Priest and the Earth Priest really such two-faced people? They side with whoever is stronger?"

The wood priest glanced at Qin Xiaochuan, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "The two of them may not have made this choice for their own benefit; perhaps they were simply acting in the best interests of the bigger picture."

Qin Xiaochuan was taken aback, then realized that he had been a bit emotional and shouldn't have questioned the character of the other two high priests in front of a high priest. He said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I've been a bit impatient these past two days, so some of my words were unintentional. Please forgive me, High Priest Mu."

The wood priest said, "I understand your feelings, Your Excellency. I will do my best to help you find the real culprit and clear Miss Guo's name."

"Then I'll leave it to you." Qin Xiaochuan said sincerely. After saying goodbye to the wood priest, he dragged his tired steps back to the meditation room, where Han Kexin and Guo Shiyi were waiting for him.

"How did it go? Did the council discuss that case today?" Han Kexin asked as soon as she entered the training room. Although her tone was still indifferent, it clearly revealed a rare sense of urgency.

Qin Xiaochuan nodded, sat down sideways on the training platform, and said succinctly, "You've given me three days to find the real culprit."

"They said Guo Shiyi should prove her innocence to the public. I don't know how they're going to prove it, but if it really comes to that, I'll send Shiyi away from Crescent City." Qin Xiaochuan said, looking at Guo Shiyi. Guo Shiyi smiled sweetly at him, seemingly not taking these things to heart at all. Qin Xiaochuan knew that she just didn't want him to worry about her too much.

"Prove your innocence?" Han Kexin frowned slightly. "Was there any mention of which method to use to prove your innocence?"

Qin Xiaochuan paused for a moment, then said, "No, isn't proving one's innocence about providing an alibi or finding the real culprit?"

"Generally, there are two ways to prove one's innocence. What you mentioned is one of them. One is to proactively apply to the court for a defamation investigation and then submit witnesses and evidence to prove one's innocence through court proceedings. The other is through religion. The Blood Witch Clan believes in the ancient witch religion. If they disagree with the court's judgment, they can apply for a Holy Spirit's judgment to have the Goddess Nuwa prove their innocence. No one would dare to question that."

Qin Xiaochuan said, "But Shiyi is not a member of the Blood Witch Clan and does not have this belief, so it would be difficult for her to be accepted."

Han Kexin shook her head and said, "This has little impact. In the eyes of the Blood Witch Clan, Goddess Nuwa is omnipotent, so her judgment is absolute and unaffected by the identity of the person being judged. However, the Holy Spirit's judgment is dangerous. If one is not innocent, one may die during the judgment."

Qin Xiaochuan nodded knowingly and said, "No matter what, the second method feels like drawing lots. There's no 100% probability. The first method is more reliable."

"That's exactly how they want you to do it. Nothing establishes your authority better than defeating the uncrowned king in court," Han Kexin said calmly.

"The same applies to us," Qin Xiaochuan said nonchalantly. Opportunities always come with risks, and thinking about them now is pointless. His priority is to find clues. "Alright, I came here to tell you about the council's information so you don't worry too much. I'm going to search for clues now." With that, he walked out of the meditation room.

"You haven't had much rest these past few days, why don't you rest for a while before going?" Guo Shiyi said.

Qin Xiaochuan turned back and smiled at her, saying, "It's alright. Don't forget, my mental strength is very strong. This kind of intense work is nothing to me." After saying that, he left the cultivation room.

After Qin Xiaochuan left, Han Kexin said, "I should go out too. After all, this is Crescent City, and there are some things that are more suitable for me to do."

Guo Shiyi nodded and said, "It's all my fault for dragging everyone down. I really wanted to go out and search for intelligence with you all. No matter what happened before, we always faced it together." When she said this, her expression was disappointed, completely unlike the sunny and cheerful one she had shown when facing Qin Xiaochuan earlier.

Han Kexin gently patted her head and said, "Don't worry, we've always been together. You're the focus of the entire city now, so it's best not to leave this inner palace easily, or you might encounter unexpected trouble."

"Yes, I know." Guo Shiyi nodded obediently. "It's just that everyone is working hard, and I'm the only one hiding in this training room. I feel like I'm just holding everyone back."

Han Kexin smiled and said, "Silly girl, don't overthink it. How could you be a burden? You are the pillar of our future Blood Witch King."

"Pfft." Guo Shiyi laughed shyly, the gloom in her heart vanishing. She took Han Kexin's hand and said gently, "Sister Kexin, you're so kind. I feel safe as long as you're here."