Revelation of the Way of Heaven

Chapter 357 Conspiracy

Qin Xiaochuan rode Kaiming and landed on the roof of a shop facing the street. From there, he could overlook the entire alley. The victim's body had already been taken away by the security team, and the corner where the body was found had been sealed off. There were also two security guards standing guard nearby.

Although the body was taken away, a number of people still gathered in the alley. They pointed at the crime scene and whispered among themselves. Because this murder case touched on the taboo of the Blood Witch Clan, they privately called it the "Curse Case." Such cases never lack topics.

Qin Xiaochuan's mental space enveloped the past, and he could clearly hear their words. Just as the Wood Priest had said, rumors were spreading among the people like a virus.

"To use such a vicious method, they deserve to die! Goddess Nuwa will definitely not let the murderer get away with it."

"This murderer must go to hell."

"It is said that in the human world there is a type of person called a demon hunter, who specializes in hunting down our Blood Witch Clan. They know what we are afraid of, so they use this method to kill our companions."

"As expected, Zhuang Yihu was right. The humans do deserve to die. We must pay for their crimes with our blood, capture them, and execute them."

"Speaking of which, it's been quite a while since I've seen any human executions at the execution platform."

"Didn't you know? After the Uncrowned One returned, he forbade any further conflict with the human race."

"I heard that among those who returned with the Uncrowned One was a human."

"Yes, I saw it with my own eyes, on the very day the Uncrowned One returned."

"Have you heard...?"

"What?"

"I heard that the woman who came back with the Uncrowned One was... was a Witcher before."

"What? Could it be...?"

"Shh..."

Listening to their conversation, Qin Xiaochuan's brows furrowed even more. The rumors were spreading faster than he had imagined, but he thought it was only natural. Although some people suspected Guo Shiyi, without clear evidence, even the Fire Priest, who was in charge of criminal law, could not directly accuse Guo Shiyi. Only when public sentiment was agitated and rumors were rampant could the Fire Priest use the pretext of quelling public anger to begin an investigation into Guo Shiyi.

Judging from the current situation, the Fire Priest will launch an attack on Guo Shiyi in the council within two days.

Qin Xiaochuan withdrew his attention from the crowd. He didn't have time to investigate who was spreading the rumors, and even if he did, it wouldn't help, because the rumors had already spread. All he needed to do now was wait for time to ferment. His main task now was to find the murderer.

So he focused his attention on searching for nearby animals to find the memories he wanted. However, the timing of the murderer dumping the body was too coincidental. It was the early morning, a time when all things were dormant. Finding an animal that happened to witness the murderer dumping the body was like finding a needle in a haystack. But Qin Xiaochuan had no other choice but to search slowly.

For two consecutive days, Qin Xiaochuan searched the vicinity of the crime scene. Apart from a short rest of one or two hours at noon, he searched for nearby animals almost without sleep. Only now did he realize that using his mental space and memory search abilities was also extremely energy-consuming. In a daze, he recalled the unforgettable time when he raised his spiritual power from level 1 to level 2. Fortunately, he had the spiritual power in the Witch Ring to replenish it, otherwise his own spiritual power would not have been able to support such continuous consumption.

However, after two days of searching, he still hadn't found any clues, which made him somewhat impatient. Meanwhile, rumors had spread like wildfire throughout the city, and some people had begun to secretly attack the security team. Clearly, the people in Crescent City were trying to put pressure on the rulers. Qin Xiaochuan was also aware that someone was secretly plotting this behind the scenes.

Sure enough, the next morning, before the morning assembly even began, the fire priest rushed into the council hall, sat down in his high-backed chair with a face full of anger, and when the water priest tried to greet him, he ignored her completely.

"Looks like the Fire Priest has been consuming quite a bit of gunpowder these past few days," the Water Priest joked as he settled into his high-backed chair. The Earth Priest glanced at the Wood Priest and Qin Xiaochuan with a smile. The two high priests were naturally well aware of the major events that had occurred in Crescent City, and they were also aware of the subsequent conflict, knowing that another new conflict was bound to occur today.

The wood priest sat in his high-backed chair with his eyes closed, looking calm and composed. Even Qin Xiaochuan no longer felt the tension he had at the beginning; his expression was calm and indifferent, and he was already showing some of the temperament of the Blood Witch Clan.

The High Priest was the last to enter the council hall. Always meticulous and precise, he appeared precisely on time for the meeting to begin, then sat in his high-backed chair, engrossed in his book, the "Revelation of the Heavenly Way," reading it whenever he pleased. He then announced the start of the morning meeting.

No sooner had the Golden Priest finished speaking than the Fire Priest slammed the case file onto the council table, angrily saying, "If this case isn't resolved for the residents of Crescent City, those madmen will storm into my house."

Faced with the fire priest's anger and loss of composure, the gold priest remained calm. He slowly picked up the case file on the table and said calmly, "Is this the 'curse case'? How is the investigation going? There are rumors all over the city lately."

"If it weren't this serious, I wouldn't have brought it up in council. Our security team is practically a rumor fire-extinguishing team," the fire priest said angrily. After calming his anger slightly, he continued, "As for the progress of this case, I think it would be better for the sheriff himself to explain."

The high priest nodded, and the sheriff quickly entered the council hall. He was a tall, robust man, clearly shrewd and capable. He first bowed to the six men with his hand on his chest and said, "Your Excellency, High Priest, in the days since the incident, our security team has been investigating this heinous curse case with all its might, but with little success. We have conducted a comprehensive and extensive search, but the perpetrator's methods are too clean and efficient. To date, we have not found the primary crime scene, yet rumors are spreading everywhere, and we are powerless to stop them. These rumors have greatly affected the city's security."

"What kind of rumors are these?" the Golden Priest asked calmly.

The sheriff hesitated, glancing at Qin Xiaochuan before stopping himself from speaking.

"Just say what's on your mind, be honest. How can we help you solve your problem if you don't tell us?" the fire priest said impatiently.

"Yes." The sheriff replied respectfully before speaking, "The rumors say that only humans could do such a thing, and currently, the only human in Crescent City is Miss Guo, whom the Uncrowned One brought back. So some people say that the murderer is... is her."

As soon as the sheriff finished speaking, the council hall fell silent. The water priest glanced at Qin Xiaochuan, who was sitting at the front of the council table, and the wood priest sitting next to him. Qin Xiaochuan and the wood priest remained seated without showing any emotion, seemingly unaware of the sheriff's words. The earth priest was as still as a meditating monk, oblivious to the events around him. The fire priest glanced at the gold priest opposite him.

"What evidence do they have to say that?" the Golden Priest asked calmly.

"No...no," the sheriff stammered.

"Without evidence, it's just a rumor. Can't you, a dignified sheriff, even stop a rumor? How could you let such a rumor spread like wildfire throughout the city?" Priest Jin said angrily. Priest Jin was always calm and rarely lost his temper in public, so when he did get angry, it was like a dark cloud pressing down on the city, making it hard for people to breathe.

Under such pressure, the sheriff immediately knelt on one knee and said, "I know this is a rumor, but there are too many people spreading rumors after the incident. It's like a flood. We have limited manpower and can't stop them at all."

"Although controlling rumors is also the responsibility of the sheriff, the law does not punish the masses. After all, this case can be said to be the most serious case in the past ten years. If the residents are not given an explanation in time, I am afraid it will get worse and the consequences will be unimaginable," the fire priest said in defense of the sheriff.

The Golden Priest calmed his anger, but his gaze remained coldly fixed on the sheriff. He said, "Your incompetence is always your responsibility. Go and apologize to the Fire Priest yourself. The most urgent thing is to solve the problem. In your opinion, what do we need to do to stop these rumors?"

The sheriff, head bowed, replied, "I dare not act on my own."

The fire priest said somewhat impatiently, "I asked you to express your thoughts and suggestions, not to give orders. You are the sheriff and know the current situation in the city best. If you don't have your own ideas, that would be dereliction of duty. Just express your thoughts. As for whether to implement them, our council will discuss it. The consequences are none of your business."

"Yes," the sheriff replied respectfully. "Then I will speak frankly, just as the fire priest said, the people in the city are indignant. If we do nothing, the consequences will be unimaginable. The most urgent task is to quickly stop these rumors. It would be best to have Miss Guo prove her innocence to the public, so that..."

Just as the sheriff was about to continue speaking, a beam of spiritual energy suddenly shot out from Qin Xiaochuan's cold gaze. A sense of soul-shaking fear rose in his heart, causing him to immediately lower his head, unable to utter a word. Sweat quickly poured from his forehead and dripped onto the floor.

The high priest noticed the sheriff's unusual behavior and waved his hand, calmly saying, "We are aware of your suggestion, and our council will discuss it seriously. You may leave now."

The sheriff stood up, bowed to the six men again, and then left the council chamber.

If you could only read one fantasy novel in your lifetime, it would probably be "The Revelation of the Way of Heaven".