Chapter 712 - 387: Reasoning (2)
Chapter 712: Chapter 387: Reasoning (2)
Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but glance at Jiang Qianliu.
Today, upon arriving at Immortal Cloud Mountain, he unexpectedly encountered Cheng Xiao trying to escape along with her lover.
In a fit of anger, he argued with them, attracting quite a crowd.
At this moment, it was a disciple of the Profound Mystery Sect who discovered the long-lost Jiang Qianliu.
Looking at his haggard appearance, he must have suffered considerable hardships before finally striking out in fury.
Unexpectedly, this resulted in the current situation.
I really wonder what kind of trouble Jiang Qianliu encountered?
Liu Jinghan’s order was stopped by Chu Qing, who naturally didn’t get angry but merely asked:
"What’s the matter?"
Chu Qing smiled:
"Let me first say a few words...
"Young Sect Leader Zuo wanted to fight and kill right away without clarifying the situation, causing a death, which is rather inappropriate.
"We should first clarify the cause and effect, so that Young Sect Leader Zuo understands what exactly happened, instead of punishing without teaching."
Zuo Zhongtang took a deep breath:
"Earlier, you mentioned wanting an explanation?"
"That’s right."
Chu Qing nodded:
"As I was roaming the Martial World, I happened to meet someone.
"This person had some conflict with the Mirror of Sin, although he hasn’t done anything evil in his life, he was repeatedly targeted for assassination by the Mirror of Sin."
"What does that have to do with my Profound Mystery Sect?"
Zuo Zhongtang listened impatiently.
Chu Qing chuckled:
"That’s exactly the problem.
"A few days ago, I went to the Yao Tai Sect to find someone, but to my surprise, I stumbled upon two generals under the General’s command leading the Celestial Evil Cult disciples in a secret attack on Yao Tai Sect.
"During the battle, the assassins from the Mirror of Sin took advantage, attempting to murder, resulting in one dead and one captured!
"Young Sect Leader Zuo, you should know what I’m getting at... the one captured was none other than your Profound Mystery Sect’s Deceit Hall Steward, Jiang Qianliu!"
"That’s absolutely impossible!"
Zuo Zhongtang instinctively countered, but looking at Jiang Qianliu lying there at Chu Qing’s feet, a sense of uncertainty crept into his heart.
Jiang Qianliu had suddenly disappeared.
And the very place he vanished from was a Mechanical Room within the Deceit Hall.
The Profound Mystery Sect’s Mechanical Art is renowned, and the Mechanical Room is where their experts study mechanisms.
Usually, even if someone stays inside for ten days to half a month, no one asks questions.
Initially, no one noticed anything amiss.
Everything sent in daily was eaten clean...
But on that particular day, a dispute among disciples over a Mechanical Art issue led to a tussle, almost turning into a fight.
One of them, being pushed, happened to hit the door of the Mechanical Room.
This door should have been locked from the inside with a Profound Mechanism Lock, to prevent others from bumping into it or interrupting the thoughts of those inside.
To their surprise, the mechanism wasn’t engaged, and the pushed individual walked right into the Mechanical Room.
He stood face-to-face with a young man inside.
The commotion was brought to the main hall, and upon inquiry, they learned that Jiang Qianliu had long left the Profound Mystery Sect, his whereabouts unknown.
The person left in the Mechanical Room was his disciple...
As a result, disciples of the Profound Mystery Sect scattered to search, but found nothing, and Jiang Qianliu was deemed missing.
Yet now, this person here claimed he infiltrated Yao Tai Sect, intending to assassinate!?
Now captured by Chu Qing, if he hadn’t been caught or if he’d succeeded, would he quietly return to the Profound Mystery Sect and re-enter the Mechanical Room?
All could have remained completely unknown!
With this thought, Zuo Zhongtang stared intently at Jiang Qianliu, hoping to find a clue on his face.
Unfortunately, Jiang Qianliu simply lowered his head, avoiding eye contact.
This was a statement in itself.
Zuo Zhongtang momentarily felt helpless, sensing disquiet from all directions.
The woman he married was troublesome, always plotting to escape and elope with her lover.
The disciples were troublesome too. Instead of being a proper Profound Mystery Sect disciple, one ran off to become an assassin for the Mirror of Sin.
Yet, he couldn’t let the sect’s reputation be trampled on, so he said solemnly:
"This is just your one-sided story, the truth is yet to be known.
"Moreover, even if what you say is true, any traitor from our Profound Mystery Sect should be dealt with by us.
"It is not for others to interfere!"
Chu Qing examined him and suddenly laughed:
"I think you’ve misunderstood something; I’m not intending to interfere, nor do I suspect your Profound Mystery Sect has traitors.
"What I suspect is... Your Profound Mystery Sect has long been in cahoots with the Mirror of Sin.
"Using the guise of ’acting on behalf of the heavens, taking murder as punishment’, to wreak havoc in the Martial World!"
"You’re speaking nonsense!"
Zuo Zhongtang was furious:
"Our Profound Mystery Sect acts with integrity and righteousness; how can we allow such slander?"
"Whether it’s true or not, let’s leave that aside.
"Now that the beginnings have been clarified, what does the Young Sect Leader think would be a suitable explanation?"
"... Our Profound Mystery Sect will definitely get to the bottom of this."
Zuo Zhongtang immediately said:
"However, Jiang Qianliu is ultimately our sect’s steward, we cannot treat him lightly; hand him over to us, and I’ll give you an explanation sometime."
But Chu Qing shook his head:
"That won’t do. You’ve forgotten what I said earlier; I suspect your Profound Mystery Sect has long been in league with the Mirror of Sin.
"Asking a thief to investigate another thief’s identity naturally results in false accusations.
"Letting you handle this investigation, to be frank, I don’t trust you..."
"Then what do you intend to do!?"
Zuo Zhongtang’s face turned livid.
Chu Qing chuckled:
"It’s simple, why not surrender voluntarily and cooperate with our investigation?"
Isn’t he about to take them all down?
Liu Jinghan was speechless for a moment, but after thinking about it, he realized that the biggest difference between Chu Qing and himself was explaining the situation before acting.
This approach prevents confusion among onlookers, as they now understand that Chu Qing’s actions are based on capturing the Mirror of Sin assassin, who is connected to the Profound Mystery Sect.
Hence, people easily accept his actions without jumping to conclusions.
He realized that acting without explaining to others is a personal style.
But misunderstandings often stem from vagueness, which, if prolonged, is not beneficial.
It can be exploited by the malicious, creating disastrous situations.
Zuo Zhongtang certainly wouldn’t surrender, he sneered coldly:
"Such arrogance! Do you expect us to surrender just like that?"
But as soon as he finished speaking, he felt a chill suddenly envelop his heart and quickly realized this was no illusion.
Indeed, a vast cold aura was spreading from Chu Qing’s feet in all directions, forming a layer of frost on the ground wherever it touched, rapidly filling the entire area.
Those caught within felt their limbs stiffen, their minds seemingly frozen by this cold aura.
Every single disciple of the Profound Mystery Sect was encased in ice from their feet, immobilized on the spot.
Zuo Zhongtang’s heart tightened, what sort of technique was this?
Suddenly, he leapt into the air, attempting to capture the leader first.
He reached behind his back with one hand and pulled out an iron umbrella.
With a flick of his wrist, the umbrella opened, spinning towards Chu Qing. Just when Chu Qing thought he was going to use the umbrella in his attack, eight chains suddenly shot out from behind the umbrella, aiming for Chu Qing’s limbs and torso.
Chu Qing smiled slightly, took a step forward, and an immense pressure seemed to descend from the heavens. In an instant, the umbrella drooped, and the chains that seemed to dance like spirited snakes suddenly fell lifelessly to the ground like dead serpents.
Zuo Zhongtang was forced from the air by this overwhelming pressure, as he watched Chu Qing slowly approach him, speaking calmly:
"I think you’ve misunderstood; my suggestion for you to surrender was merely to avoid some hassle and to cut off your hopes.
"It doesn’t mean that if you don’t surrender, I can’t deal with you."
"You... who exactly are you!?"
Feeling the dreadful pressure, Zuo Zhongtang finally realized he had run into a formidable foe.
Chu Qing placed a hand on his shoulder, channeling his inner strength into him, sealing his Eight Extraordinary Meridians.
His voice followed:
"You are not yet qualified to know my name."