Tumor Sword Immortal

Chapter 43 is truly a headache!
A deathly silence flowed along the shores of the lake.

Ten years ago, Pei Xia left because he knew that Pei Xi was shrewd and ruthless.

As a mere youth who had just transmigrated, he was no match for the enemy and had no choice but to retreat.

Unexpectedly, ten years later, he still couldn't escape this calamity.

Pei Xia didn't try to argue. He looked into Pei Xi's eyes and said, "So, you tricked me into coming back, what method are you planning to use to kill me?"

Pei Xi turned his head, looking at the wine jug in his hand: "...Did my son die because of you?"

"It was an accident, you should know that yourself."

"If I kill you, will he come back to life?"

"……cannot."

The old man struggled to lift the wine pot, slowly took a sip, and perhaps because of the spiciness, his expression contorted for a moment.

He swallowed the wine and slowly said, "If you are unwilling to investigate the cause of my death, then you will die."

Pei Xi determined that the boundary between life and death was defined by ethical principles.

If a man is willing to do his best for his deceased father even though his father is dead, then the person who has taken over his son's body can still be considered a human being.

"You are human, not a demon. As for Xia'er, she's already dead. It's not a bad thing to leave her body to someone who can be of use," the old man said.

This is Pei Xi.

Even though he was skin and bones, looked like he was about to die, and found it difficult to even lift a wine pot.

But just a few words are enough to send chills down one's spine.

Pei Xia calmed herself down and said, "So, you specifically asked me to do this so you could test me?"

Pei Xi gazed at the shimmering lake and said softly, "Although I am not dead, my days are numbered. I have few things left to think about, so I'll just have to live them off."

Okay, so that explains why it was Pei Xia.

"Then why does the Princess insist that I start the investigation from the academy? Isn't that redundant?"

The murder at the Holy Palace did not require any poisoning during the entire process.

To put it simply, Pei Xia considered the methods and conditions for poisoning the academy, and ultimately concluded that "if it could succeed, he wouldn't use blood poison." This seemingly helped him focus his attention on another target with the ability to freeze blood.

But in fact, if it weren't for the Princess's initial guidance, Pei Xia might have noticed the Palace of the Holy Emperor much earlier, given the directions about the academy and the spies.

After all, Luo Xiaojin was a blood cultivator, and she returned to Beishi City with Pei Xia.

Pei Xia didn't notice it during the process, but now, looking back, she still couldn't understand why Luo Xian would take off his pants to fart.

In response, Pei Xi patted the person next to him and said, "Sit down and talk."

Pei Xia could only sit down on the terrace floor next to him.

As you get closer to the lake, you can feel a slight chill.

He glanced at Pei Xi's open shirt and well-defined chest, and sighed, "You really shouldn't be exposed to dampness and cold."

Pei Xi curled the corners of her lips: "What, are you trying to sweet-talk me and curry favor?"

"It's just a matter of respecting the elderly and the weak; don't take it personally."

Pei Xi picked up the wine pot, slid it across the terrace floor, and tapped Pei Xia's knee.

Pei Xia glanced at him, picked up her drink, and took a sip.

It tasted strange, probably because Pei Xi had drunk it; it had a musty, rotten smell.

But as the wine passed over the tip of his tongue and entered his throat, it burst forth with an extremely powerful and chilling energy. A surge of energy flowed down to his dantian and up to his crown chakra, giving Pei Xia a jolt.

This wasn't the Beishi Mian wine that Er Kui drank that day. Pei Xia looked at the old man in surprise: "What is this?"

"Just a pot of old wine."

The lake reflected scattered light, but to the old man's eyes, it seemed as if it had all been extinguished.

Pei Xi's voice was slightly hoarse: "The fact that you think Luo Xian's request for you to investigate the academy is unnecessary proves that you are indeed not suitable for the court. You are too naive."

Pei Xia's expression twisted: "Me, naive?"

"You think you've figured out my death, that you've read through three layers of narrative, and that makes you incredibly intelligent?"

Pei Xi shook his head, then reached out and touched the rim of the wine jug in Pei Xia's hand, dipped his hand in the wine, and slowly drew a circle on the ground.

"This is poisoning."

After saying that, he raised his finger slightly and drew a circle in the air: "This is murder."

Then raise it a little higher and draw another one: "This is feigned death."

Indeed, this is the three-layered narrative that Pei Xia derived.

The first layer of poisoning was extremely crude, riddled with flaws.

The second layer of murder is quite ingenious. In this layer, the motive, method, and cover-up of the Holy Palace are all complete, and all the necessary labels for the murderer are in place.

In particular, the Holy Palace actually did nothing; it was a castle in the air built entirely on language guidance, information piecing together, and environmental influences.

Upon reaching the third floor and witnessing Pei Xi's faked death, Pei Xia concluded that he had fully grasped the situation.

"So you're an amateur."

Pei Xi looked at him, then slowly lowered her hand and drew another circle next to the first one, passing through it.

The schemes are not confined to one place, and the scope extends far beyond the palm of one's hand.

Pei Xi lay back on his emaciated body and said, "Martial arts cultivators live a life of ease, while court officials are fed and clothed, yet they are the emperor's dogs. The world is bustling with activity, always with interests and scheming, but what about those who control the Holy Palace?"

The Palace of the Holy Guardians is the Great Feather Protectorate Sect. Its twelve white-robed figures hold a prestigious position and wield immense power and authority, especially in Beishi City, where they are almost as powerful as any other government department.

At the same time, they claimed to "not interfere in politics," refused to accept titles and appointments from the court, and called themselves "Jianghu people" and "cultivation sects," obeying orders but not summons.

The Palace of the Holy Lord is indeed an existence that those in power cannot tolerate.

Pei Xi asked, "Now that Luo Xian has an excellent reason and excuse, do you think she will eradicate the Holy Palace completely?"

Pei Xia pondered for a moment and shook his head: "Putting aside the resistance, even if it could be done, such a huge undertaking would inevitably cause serious damage. Moreover, although the Holy Palace is too big to be turned away from, objectively speaking, apart from threatening the imperial power, it has mostly played a positive role. Abolishing it... is unlikely."

"If it were you, what punishment would you think would be appropriate?"

"Since it's for consolidating power, they'll probably use this as leverage to weaken those in the Palace who don't submit to the royal family."

"A handle, that's right."

Yes, if this is to be done, it will most likely be done in secret.

The murder of the prime minister is a colossal case that would shock everyone in the Great Ling Kingdom. If the perpetrator is the Grand Master of the Holy Palace, the impact would be even more immeasurable.

No one can bear such guilt, and this matter will most likely be orchestrated by Luo Xian and end with a power transaction.

Pei Xi reached out at the opportune moment and tapped the original circle: "So, who should be held responsible for the Prime Minister's death now?"

Pei Xia slowly opened her eyes wide.

This is an assumption riddled with errors.

But it was the answer that the people of Da Ling were most willing to accept, even the one they most hoped to receive—that a cruel and barbaric Northern Barbarian spy had killed their beloved Prime Minister Pei Xi.

(End of this chapter)