That wretched vixen has disguised herself as my wife!

"I have no intention of trying to figure out the emperor's thoughts. I only know that he not only believed it, but also took it very seriously. He didn't discuss it with Xie Jichuan, probably because he knew that Xie Jichuan would definitely try his best to stop it. So, he chose the Shun family."

Chen Sha continued speaking quietly, his expression completely calm.

"And I am the liaison between them. The Shun family possesses puppetry skills, but they had previously declined the emperor's request to research a puppet army, arguing that puppetry required training and lacked variety, making it unsuitable for the battlefield. The emperor was not angered by this, but instead handed them the scrolls containing the techniques of the Corpse Demon, only requiring them to reproduce the Corpse Demon techniques and then personally build a Corpse Demon army for him."

"Has the Emperor gone mad! He'd rather believe those heartless bastards from the Shun family than the Divine Capital Guard?"

Xie Yunqi was both shocked and furious, gritting his teeth.

Jiang Jingming lowered his head and drank his wine. After a long while, he spoke softly:

"Suspicion and doubt can drive a person crazy, let alone an emperor."

"..."

A brief silence fell over everyone as the night wind rose, causing their clothes to rustle softly.

"However, since the Corpse Demon Technique uses blood and soul as a catalyst, there will definitely be side effects that are unimaginable to ordinary people if you want to use it."

Fang Zhiyi swirled her wine glass and asked gently:

"As the ruler of a country, is the emperor not worried that this technique will harm his health?"

"Compared to a great achievement that will be remembered for thousands of years, lifespan is nothing. The late emperor died young, but that does not affect his standing in the hearts of the people."

Chen Sha shook his head, recalling the emperor's eyes filled with a mixture of resentment and fervor when he entrusted this matter to him.

"That's because nobody knows about the shady things he did, like forcibly taking what wasn't his and breaking up couples!"

Xie Yunqi got furious just thinking about it, and slapped his thigh in anger.

Chen Sha paused slightly, then squinted at Wen Fuxiao.

"Chief Secretary Wen, you even told them about this?"

"Oh dear, it's nothing but old stories and palace anecdotes! I'm getting old, and I tend to talk nonsense when I drink."

Wen Fuxiao chuckled and nonchalantly took a big gulp of wine, choking until his face turned bright red.

"never mind."

Chen Sha sighed and continued:

"Because of these past events, in short, the emperor didn't care who the murderer of the Listening Waterfall Manor was. Originally, his concern about this matter was only because he had not yet obtained the complete and successful Corpse Demon Technique. However, there was another matter that the emperor cared about very much, and that was the blood-written words left by the murderer at the scene."

"The young master's wife of the Crossing Moon Sect."

Jiang Jingming said in a low voice.

The murderer's move to shift blame made everything involved in this family annihilation case even more complicated.

"The Emperor is far more wary of the Crossing Moon Sect than you imagine. Now that you've heard that old story and palace anecdote, I think you can guess why."

As Chen Sha said this, Xie Yunqi quickly realized what was happening and excitedly shook Jiang Jingming's arm.

"I know, I know! It's because of rumors that Han Baisong joined the Duyue Cult!!!"

Yes.

Jiang Jingming was being swayed around by her, but his mind remained perfectly clear.

Who is Han Baisong? He was the most important strategist who helped the emperor's father unify the country.

Such a person, no matter where he lives, is someone who can dominate the ups and downs of the world, and he chose to join the Crossing Moon Cult.

Thinking about this, the emperor probably couldn't even sleep well.

"That's right, and not only that."

Chen Sha paused, seemingly feeling that it was inappropriate for him, as a member of the Divine Capital Guard, to discuss these matters, but he continued anyway:

“You don’t understand the Moon Crossing Sect, so you naturally won’t understand why the Emperor is so wary.”

"Appreciate further details."

Jiang Jingming nodded seriously, his expression solemn.

He was also genuinely curious about what it was about those guys who spent their days drinking, playing cards, and shouting that made the current emperor so wary.

"You've all heard of the leader of the Crossing Moon Sect, right? Jiang Wuwang, a demon who appeared out of nowhere, a living hell, killing without hesitation. Countless righteous people have died under his blade. Some say he was born to be a vengeful ghost who came to claim lives."

"I've heard of it, I've heard of it!"

Xie Yunqi nodded repeatedly.

In fact, there should be no child in Zhongzhou who hasn't heard of this devil's name.

"When I was a kid, if any child dared to cry, the adults would threaten him, saying that if he cried again, Jiang Wuwang would come and grab him and eat him raw!"

"...Is that so?"

Jiang Jingming scratched his hair, which had been blown about by the night wind, and was at a loss for words.

"Yes! Have you seen Jiang Wuwang's portrait? It's terrifying! I was scared to tears when I was a child!"

Xie Yunqi grinned and made faces, trying to recreate Jiang Wuwang's appearance in the portrait.

Jiang Jingming looked at her and smiled helplessly.

To be fair, although Jiang Wuwang always sported a wild, lion-like head of hair, he wasn't scary-looking at all; in fact, he could be described as handsome and unrestrained.

If she dressed up properly, she would be the kind of woman who is very popular with women.

According to Miss Xie, the portrait of Zhongzhou probably depicts him as a nine-headed, six-armed demon.

"Besides Jiang Wuwang, the leader of the Duyue Sect, there are also the Seven Star Protectors, each of whom is extremely difficult to deal with."

Chen Sha's face was serious, as if facing a formidable enemy:

"Han Baisong, whom I just mentioned, is one of them. According to intelligence, among the protectors, there are those skilled in stealth and assassination, who can kill without leaving a trace; there are descendants of former generals who are good at military formations; and there is even a martial arts fanatic who is unparalleled."

"That is indeed something to be very wary of."

Jiang Jingming nodded and tried to appease him, while secretly trying to figure out who he was talking about.

The art of assassination is undoubtedly Shen Zhuo's.

He is from a family of generals from the previous dynasty, but I haven't heard them mention him. Judging from his demeanor, he is probably He Quan.

The martial arts fanatic who is unparalleled in the world is clearly Gu Tinghan.

According to his master, he lost a sword fight to Jiang Wuwang, which led to him being saddled with the Duyue Sect. Therefore, the statement that he was "never born into this world" is not wrong.

"That sounds pretty impressive! But we're not bad either!"

Xie Yunqi was filled with excitement upon hearing this. He flipped himself up and, with a "Ha!", struck a beautiful palm strike.

She probably copied her father's mannerisms.

"Chen Sha, don't you have any confidence in beating them? I think you're quite the martial arts fanatic."

Xie Yunqi nudged Chen Sha's shoulder and asked curiously.

"To be honest, I don't have confidence."

Chen Sha shook his head, then swung his right palm, creating a powerful palm wind.

“Young Miss, your starting stance is wrong. Your center of gravity is unstable and you haven’t built up enough power. It’s all just for show.”

"Hey! I use a sword!"

Xie Yunqi, his face flushed, sat back down with a thud and angrily hid both hands in his sleeves after being exposed.

Jiang Jingming looked at her and chuckled to himself.

However, Chen Sha's strength is among the best in the martial arts world today, yet he would say something so unconvincing.

Jiang Jingming thought that the reason he was surprised by this was probably because he had never seen the Crossing Moon Cult at its peak.

This group of people, gathered from all corners of the country, easily turned the martial arts world of Central China upside down, leaving behind legends of cannibalistic demons or monsters, indicating that none of them were simple characters.

In Jiang Jingming's memory, everyone was always unserious and extremely lazy.

Compared to the righteous martial arts world, which was on high alert and ready to fight, the Duyue Sect was extremely relaxed and had no preparations for war whatsoever.

This further convinced Jiang Jingming that, whether ten years ago or ten years later, they were simply people forced onto the battlefield by the chaos of the times.

Chapter 128 Burning Old Hatred, Unresolved

"Do you think the killer's motive was revenge?"

Chen Sha raised an eyebrow and looked at Jiang Jingming.

"Yes."

Jiang Jingming quietly looked back at him, certain that his guess was correct.

"Is the involvement of the Duyue Cult merely a tactic used by the murderer to divert attention?"

"Yes."

Jiang Jingming nodded:

“Vice Envoy Chen, you know more about the Duyue Sect than any of us do. So, you should know whether the Duyue Sect has a personal grudge against Tingpu Manor. If the murderer is related to the Duyue Sect, their suspicions should also point to the Divine Capital Guard or the Xiquan Sword Sect, right? After all, they were the ones who made the grudge ten years ago.”

"That's not wrong."

Chen Sha pondered for a moment and then temporarily accepted this explanation.

"The problem now is that the Shun family's way of doing things has made countless enemies in the martial arts world, and no one can settle accounts with them all."

He shook his head again at this point.

"Although we may have many enemies, there probably aren't many who hate us to the point of using such ruthless methods to wipe out the Shun family, leaving no one alive, not even the elderly or children."

Jiang Jingming lowered his head slightly, his fingers tracing the patterns on the wine glass.

What are you trying to say?

Chen Sha understood his implied meaning and frowned slightly.

“When I was investigating the scene, there was one thing that caught my attention: the murderer wrote the words of provocation in blood, as the wife of the young master of the Duyue Cult, on the altar that the Shun family valued most. Later, I also found some letters in the secret room from Shun family members who asked the family head for help but were ignored. Every word was written in blood.”

As Jiang Jingming spoke, he thought of the person named Shunzhong and the despair that permeated those letters.

"I think that's enough hatred."

"Yes!"

Xie Yunqi had the same thought as him and nodded repeatedly.

"Chen Sha, you have no idea. There's a man named Shunzhong who's so pitiful! His wife is seriously ill, and his daughter is young. He's really desperate and sent the last of his possessions to the head of the family, begging for some help. But that damned bastard received the letter and completely ignored it, heartlessly throwing it aside!"

Xie Yunqi gritted his teeth, immersing himself in the instantaneous weight, and felt a chilling hatred hissing out from the depths of his heart, not caring how many people he had to kill.

"Tell me! How could you not want to kill them? How could you not kill them?"

“Shunzhong... I remember this person.”

Chen Sha stroked his beard, drawing upon fragments of memory about this person from the depths of his mind.

He had been secretly working for the emperor, monitoring the Shun family's movements, mainly because he was afraid they would monopolize the fruits of their mastery of the Corpse Demon Technique.

However, he was also forced to learn many other secrets of the Shun family from the informants he had planted.

For example, they squeezed out the living space of other aristocratic families in Fengling City, monopolized businesses, and annexed land, practically living like local emperors in the city.

For example, they treat the offshoots that they have abandoned with even worse attitude than they would treat stray dogs on the street.

The man named Shunzhong was a cautious and timid man who didn't seem to have much potential.

However, in his earlier years, thanks to the wealth his father had accumulated throughout his life, he managed to obtain a low-ranking official position in the city, which allowed him to barely work for the Shun family.

So although they didn't have the right to perform ancestral rites, they weren't completely abandoned by their families, but this also offended many other forces in the city.

Chen Sha once came to Fengling City on official business in his early years, and the person who received him at the city gate was Shunzhong.

He was clearly a nice guy, because he was always navigating the complexities of various factions and always had a fawning smile on his face. Even though he was only in his thirties or forties, he was already so hunched over that he couldn't straighten his back.

However, later, because Shun Huai ascended to the position of city lord, the city's officials were reshuffled, and Shun Zhong was kicked out. It is said that he could only make a living by doing small businesses.

"But he offended so many people while working for the Shun family, so his business must be very difficult."

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhao's tone was full of reluctance.

"Yes."