I'm in the Demonic Sect, but my cultivation techniques are being used for palace intrigue!

After Zhao Shigang left, Zhu Jingguang immediately went out to the river to wash himself thoroughly.

After finishing his business, Zhu Jingguang slowly made his way towards his residence along the winding mountain path.

However, just as he rounded a bend in the mountain and saw the scattered lights in the disciples' gathering place, suddenly, at that very moment, a strong sense of crisis... abruptly swept over his heart!

That was his instinctive intuition as a Qi Refining Level 3 cultivator!

Zhu Jingguang abruptly stopped, his body tensing instantly, and his right hand clenched unconsciously, gathering strength in his fist.

"Your vigilance is quite good!"

As Zhu Jingguang was on high alert, a cold, hoarse voice suddenly rang out from his side.

Zhu Jingguang immediately looked in the direction of the sound.

From the shadows beneath a tree to the side, a dark figure rose from the shadows and quickly condensed into a human shape.

The figure, which had materialized into a human form, was dressed in black and almost blended into the night.

Zhu Jingguang narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze quickly sweeping over the other person's attire.

However, upon looking at it, Zhu Jingguang's pupils suddenly contracted.

The reason was that there was a token hanging on the other party's waist—a token that Zhu Jingguang was familiar with, because just now, he had taken out an identical token from Senior Sister Tan's storage bag!

According to the original owner's memories, although there are many "outer disciples" of the Demonic Sect, not every outer disciple has such an identity token that can represent their identity as an outer disciple of the Demonic Sect.

Among the outer disciples of the Demonic Sect, only one or two out of ten possess such a token.

Because of the rarity of this token, the benefits of possessing it are also enormous.

Having this token not only grants a monthly subsidy of two low-grade spirit stones from the Holy Sect's "Hall of Affairs," but also allows direct participation in some low-level secret realms that the Holy Sect opens periodically, unlike ordinary outer disciples who have to painstakingly exchange spirit stones for entry slots.

Furthermore, because this token is an anonymous token, meaning that whoever obtains it will have the officially recognized status of an outer disciple of the Demonic Sect, disciples who obtain this token generally will not expose it to the public to prevent others from snatching it.

The fact that this person dared to expose this token means that he is very confident in his own strength and is not afraid of others trying to snatch it!

In a flash, Zhu Jingguang made a judgment on the current situation—there was no chance of winning in a direct confrontation, so if possible, Zhu Jingguang would never want to have a conflict with them!

Thinking this, Zhu Jingguang immediately released the short blade from his sleeve, and at the same time, his face quickly changed to a respectful and slightly fearful expression.

Then, Zhu Jingguang bowed deeply and said:

"Greetings, Senior Brother! May I ask what brings you here so late at night?"

The man in black did not speak immediately, but instead looked Zhu Jingguang up and down with the same scrutinizing gaze one would give to any merchandise.

After a long silence, the man's tightly clenched lips finally twitched slightly, forcing out a smile that was more like a grimace: "To be able to kill that poisonous woman, Junior Sister Tan... you're quite good!"

These words, like a thunderclap, exploded directly in Zhu Jingguang's mind.

Why...did the news get out?

He had clearly followed Zhao Shigang's instructions and cleaned up all the traces in the stone chamber!

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And... the speed at which the message was transmitted seems a bit too fast, doesn't it?

You should know that from the time Zhu Jingguang saw Zhao Shigang off and then left the stone chamber to wash up and return, only half an hour had passed. So why... did this person find him so quickly?

"Could it be... that Zhao Shigang leaked the information?"

Such a thought involuntarily arose in Zhu Jingguang's mind.

Then, a surge of anger and chill from betrayal, along with an uncontrollable murderous intent, rose in Zhu Jingguang's heart.

At the same time, Zhu Jingguang gathered all his strength into his fist, preparing for a desperate fight.

However, just as Zhu Jingguang began calculating his chances of injuring his opponent if he suddenly attacked, and his chances of escaping unscathed, the man in black opposite him seemed to sense the fluctuations in his spiritual energy, or perhaps he saw through his suspicions. He took a slight step back to show he had no ill intentions, and then…

"I am the steward of the outer sect disciples' life tablet hall, responsible for managing the life tablet register of all outer sect and miscellaneous disciples."

The man in black pointed to his own clothes, his tone carrying a hint of arrogant self-importance.

"Although Junior Sister Tan acts discreetly, she is, after all, an outer disciple, and therefore, her life tablet is also under my jurisdiction."

"Half an hour ago, Junior Sister Tan's life tablet suddenly went out. As her steward, I naturally learned of her death immediately!"

…………

Hearing this, Zhu Jingguang's doubts dissipated by half, but his vigilance remained undiminished.

The extinction of the life tablet would indeed allow this person to know the news of Senior Sister Tan's death immediately, but... how could he be so sure that he killed Senior Sister Tan in such a short time?

Knowing Zhu Jingguang's doubts, the man in black continued:

"I know you're curious about how I was able to pinpoint you, the real culprit who killed Junior Sister Tan, so quickly!"

"Actually, the reason is quite simple. Within a sect, the deaths of disciples are due to only a few reasons—upper-level cultivators taking advantage of them, infighting among those of the same level, and lower-level cultivators attacking them!"

"I have no say in the matter of who selects materials for the upper levels, nor do I have the authority to do so!"

"It is absolutely impossible for those of the same level to kill each other. As for the reason, you do not need to know it for now!"

Therefore, the most likely outcome is a downward revision and reversal!

"It just so happens that I am acquainted with the steward of the sect's miscellaneous affairs hall. Therefore, I asked him to check whether Junior Sister Tan had retrieved the records of the miscellaneous disciples before her death."

"Then, I saw your name in the roster!"

…………

The man in black took a small step forward, and in an instant, his imposing aura enveloped Zhu Jingguang.

Fortunately, the person did not make a move, so Zhu Jingguang suppressed his urge to attack.

"Afterwards, I asked around and learned that you came here to wash!"

"A servant disciple who was taken away by Junior Sister Tan was unharmed after Junior Sister Tan's death. So, who killed Junior Sister Tan? Is there any need to guess?"

The man in black looked into Zhu Jingguang's eyes and spoke with a light laugh.