"Opened from the stones?" Gu Yue Bo furrowed his brow deeply.
"That's right. At this point, I see no reason to hide anything." Fang Yuan spoke as though he had thrown caution to the wind, his tone hurried. "I bought six Purple Gold Stones at the Gambling Stone Hall. Because my True Essence wasn't enough, I only opened five of them on the spot. I took the last one back to the dormitory and opened it there — inside was a Wine Worm. I was overjoyed, because I had looked up records beforehand and knew the Wine Worm was a rare Gu Insect that could make up for my shortcomings in Aptitude. So I refined it immediately."
"Wait — you said you gambled on stones and bought six. One yielded a Warty Earth Toad, and another one actually opened to reveal a Wine Worm?" One of the Elders could no longer hold back, his voice thick with disbelief as he fired back the question.
"And what about that?" Fang Yuan replied matter-of-factly. Then he pointed at the female Gu Master and raised his voice: "She can testify for me!"
Everyone in the hall was taken aback. They all turned to look at the female Gu Master.
Feeling the oppressive weight of their gazes, she dared not lie and told the truth: "That's exactly right. Fang Yuan bought six stones. The fifth one yielded a Warty Earth Toad. He did take the sixth one away, but I don't know what it contained."
"He bought only six Purple Gold Stones and opened two Gu Insects in a row? His luck is absurdly good," several Elders muttered among themselves.
"What's so hard to understand about that? It's luck — nobody can predict it. Heh, back in the day when I was gambling on stones..."
"Hold on — Gu Insects are difficult to refine. Listening to Fang Yuan, it sounds like he refined it just like that?" one Elder said, puzzled.
"You must be getting senile. Don't you know that when Gu Insects are uncovered, they're extremely weak and on the verge of death? Even cross-level refinement is possible at that point. What's so strange about him refining a Wine Worm?" someone beside him immediately answered.
Fang Yuan continued: "After refining the Wine Worm, I went back to the shops the very next day. I arrived at a wine shop around noon and bought a cup of Monkey Wine. When I returned in the evening, I happened to witness a fraud dispute — Jia Jinsheng was passing off a Stinky Fat Bug as a Black Pig Gu, selling it to a Gu Master from our clan. Later, Lord Jia Fu appeared and resolved the dispute."
"When I went back to the wine shop again, I unexpectedly ran into Jia Jinsheng there, drinking alone in low spirits. I had just obtained the Wine Worm and was incredibly happy, so I wanted to ask how much the Wine Worm was worth in Yuan Stones. But when Jia Jinsheng learned I had a Wine Worm, he tried to force a purchase. Naturally I refused — I had no intention of selling the Wine Worm at all. I just wanted to confirm its value. If I were ever going to sell, it wouldn't be until after my Second Transformation at the earliest, so I left on the spot."
These words laid bare the conflict between Jia Fu and Jia Jinsheng for all to see. The Elders' gazes toward Jia Fu took on a meaningful quality.
Under the weight of those stares, Jia Fu cleared his throat. His eyes flashed as he pressed Fang Yuan: "Then did my brother Jia Jinsheng chase after you afterward?"
Fang Yuan nodded, mixing truth with fiction: "He not only chased after me but also added fifty Yuan Stones. But I had absolutely no intention of selling. He became furious, declared that the Guye Clan was nothing, and told me to watch my step from now on. After spouting those threats, he left. I never saw him again."
Jia Fu nodded inwardly. Knowing Jia Jinsheng's temperament as he did, his brother would certainly have pursued the matter. Blustering threats were very much Jia Jinsheng's style.
If Fang Yuan had claimed Jia Jinsheng never came after him, Jia Fu would have known it was a lie.
But Fang Yuan's account put Jia Fu in a difficult position. His investigation ended right here. Had Jia Jinsheng truly not sought out Fang Yuan again? Perhaps Jia Jinsheng had found Fang Yuan later, they failed to reach an agreement, and Fang Yuan killed him — that was entirely possible.
"Speak! Did you kill Jia Jinsheng?" At this thought, Jia Fu's expression turned severe as he pressed the interrogation, trying to overwhelm Fang Yuan with sheer force of presence.
Fang Yuan flatly denied it, insisting firmly that he had never seen Jia Jinsheng again after that.
Jia Fu had no other evidence. One side pressed, the other denied. The matter had reached an impasse.
Gu Yue Bo's expression grew increasingly displeased as he listened. This Jia Jinsheng actually dared to threaten a member of the Guye Clan on Qing Mao Mountain — clearly showing no respect for the clan whatsoever. And now Jia Fu was interrogating a Guye clansman right in front of the clan's leadership. If Jia Fu had conclusive evidence, that would be one thing, but he clearly lacked any critical proof. If word of this got out, where would Gu Yue Bo's face be?
"Brother Jia, I don't mean to be meddlesome," the Patriarch interrupted Jia Fu's interrogation. "Jia Jinsheng has been missing for so many days — I'm afraid the worst has already happened. The killer who committed this bloody deed would surely have left some trail. Has your investigation turned up anything further?"
Jia Fu glared hard at Fang Yuan, then threw his head back and let out a long sigh: "As if I wouldn't know what you're saying, Brother! If there were any trails to follow, I wouldn't have come here to confront you. That killer is clearly an experienced hand — ruthless and meticulous. To be honest, Brother, all the clues have gone cold. It was pouring rain the day we left, and even any scent of blood would have been washed away."
Gu Yue Bo smiled faintly: "Brother Jia, I hear that your Jia Family has a tracking Gu Insect called the Ming Lu Die, which can emit soul fragrance that can be planted on Gu Insects. The fragrance is colorless and odorless, yet it endures for a long time. The Gu Insects of Jia Family members are all marked with a trace of soul fragrance. As long as you use the Ming Lu Die to follow that thread of fragrance, you can locate the Gu Insect — and thereby find the person."
Jia Fu's face darkened: "I already used the Ming Lu Die — it had no effect at all. You've surely heard, Brother, that once a Gu Insect dies, the soul fragrance dissipates. Clearly, the killer destroyed every single Gu Insect on my brother's body one by one!"
Gu Yue Bo's tone shifted abruptly: "Now that is strange. The killer harmed your brother — took none of his Gu Insects, sent no ransom demand for Yuan Stones. What motive could the killer have for killing a mere First Transformation Gu Master?"
Yes — what motive?
Whether Jia Jinsheng was dead or not, the person behind it had to have a reason.
Not for the Gu Insects, not for the Yuan Stones — could it have been a crime of passion?
But if it were a crime of passion, there would have been a buildup over time, and Jia Fu shouldn't have come knocking here. The people in the merchant caravan who spent every day with Jia Jinsheng would be far more suspicious.
For a moment, the council hall fell into silence.
Fang Yuan swept his gaze imperceptibly over the assembled crowd, then suddenly spoke to Jia Fu: "Perhaps Jia Jinsheng was killed by you yourself. I've heard that your Jia Family was going to divide its assets — with one brother dead, your share would only grow larger, wouldn't it?"