Chapter 8 (1/2)
FRS: Chapter 8 – Unknown Murderer (8)
Translator: Momoe Pom
TLC: Puissansa
Editor: Isabelle
Quality Check: Kittsune
First Published on Ainus.h.i.+.
Hua HuaiXiu stood agape as he listened. If Guan Xing’s words were in fact the truth, then it could be said that Bu LouLian intentionally tried to kill s.h.i.+ JiZhong and Zhu LiaoDa. What kind of grudge could they have between them that would lead to a master wanting to kill his own disciple despite their decades of master-disciple relations.h.i.+p?
He could not imagine. Although his father was enraged by his escape from the marriage arrangement, he would never drive him towards death.
Fan JiJing was obviously stunned by the truth. He cried out ”eldest s.h.i.+xiong” feebly a few times, but said nothing after.
Guan Xing was not surprised by how far he had lost himself. He had experienced the exact same phase before.
Since Hua HuaiXiu was an outsider in this case, he collected himself quickly from the initial astonishment and seized the occasion to ask, ”Do you know the reason?”
s.h.i.+ JiZhong pivoted his head in silence. He raised his hand as if he was going to wipe the corner of his eyes.
Guan Xing slightly turned his body to block Fan JiJing and Hua HuaiXiu's line of sight for him.
A moment later, s.h.i.+ JiZhong turned back his head, revealing a face that looked a bit dry: ”I have asked myself and can answer with a clear conscious that I have always treated Master as my blood-related elder ever since I was young without a single thought of disrespect. I too have no idea why Master would treat me like this.”
Fan JiJing instantly thought of something: ”Does second s.h.i.+xiong know about this?”
s.h.i.+ JiZhong's face froze.
Guan Xing answered with a poker face: ”I have reminded him implicitly, but he didn't take it to heart.”
At first, Hua HuaiXiu only felt everyone in the Jiuhua Sect was indifferent; but now, it was just bizarre.
Master tried to harm his disciples in all possible ways, and s.h.i.+xiong looked cold-heartedly at s.h.i.+di's life and death as well. The only normal person was Fan JiJing, yet Hua HuaiXiu suddenly felt that a person like him was actually the oddity in a sect like this, as he was incompatible with the entire Jiuhua Sect.
After hearing Guan Xing's words, Fan JiJing became anxious as expected: ”I'll go tell second s.h.i.+xiong.”
Guan Xing's lips moved a bit, but he was able to hold back in the end.
Hua HuaiXiu kept an eye on him and asked, ”How can you prove that you only stayed in the garden and didn't go to other places?”
”I can't.” Guan Xing answered honestly. ”Just like how you had no way to verify whether we were really chatting in our rooms or not.”
Normally, Hua HuaiXiu would admire his honesty, but at the moment, no matter how he looked, he could only see provocation from his expression. As the story Suspecting Others of Stealing the Axe [1] states, when you suspect someone, you would find every move of theirs shady regardless of their deeds.
s.h.i.+ JiZhong suddenly spit out a sentence: ”We did not kill Bu LouLian.”
The way he referred to Bu LouLian by name directly instead of calling him Master like before revealed the amount of hatred that had already acc.u.mulated inside him. Originally, he had at least worn a disguise, but since the disguise was torn, the emotions buried deep inside his heart were now exposed to the light.
Fan JiJing said in a low voice, ”Perhaps Master had his own difficulties.”
s.h.i.+ JiZhong stared at him, as if trying to find the tiniest bit of insincerity on his face. However, after staring for a long time, what he saw was only the determination hidden under Fan JiJing's bewildered expression, as if his respect to his master was already rooted in his heart so deeply that nothing could ever shake it.
Guan Xing said, ”A man dies the way a lamp goes out. Whatever he has done while he was alive, there's no need to go after it now.”
”But there's a need to find out who the murderer is,” said Hua HuaiXiu.
Guan Xing looked at him with eyes as cold as ice.
The fairness and elegance of Hua HuaiXiu's countenance hardly had an equal in this world, but Guan Xing looked at him in a way that was no different from looking at a piece of wood.
Fan JiJing couldn't stand it anymore. He took a step forward and pulled Hua HuaiXiu back one step. Then he said, ”Eldest s.h.i.+xiong, I hope you really live up to what you just said.”
The cold light in his eyes vanished. Guan Xing glanced at him indifferently and said, ”Although I am not the murderer, I admire the one who is.”
Fan JiJing's face stiffened, but Guan Xing turned around and walked towards the garden.
s.h.i.+ JiZhong followed him, but after a few steps, he turned back his head: ”I don't know who is the murderer, but I think he must have had his own difficulties.”
After the two of them left, Hua HuaiXiu and Fan JiJing stood where they were, both in a daze.
Hua HuaiXiu was staring at Fan JiJing's hand which was holding his arm, while Fan JiJing was staring in the direction the two of them had headed off to.
A long time pa.s.sed.
Fan JiJing couldn't help but to put down his hand, perhaps because he was tired, but Hua HuaiXiu caught it right away.
”Cousin?” Fan JiJing looked at the overlapping hands with a puzzled expression.
Hua HuaiXiu gave a few dry coughs, raised Fan JiJing's hand, then asked, ”When was the last time you cut your nails?”
Fan JiJing didn't catch his words for a moment. He blinked a total of seven or eight times before he could answer. ”Three days ago.”
”No wonder they are so long.” Hua HuaiXiu lied right to his face, then set his hand free and changed the subject. ”What were you thinking just now?”
Fan JiJing let out a faint sigh and said, ”I was thinking maybe I shouldn't find the murderer.”
Hua HuaiXiu raised his eyebrows: ”Because of what your eldest s.h.i.+xiong and fifth s.h.i.+di said?”