57 A gentleman’s lie (2/2)

The footprints extended from the family head pavilion into the academy hostel and then to the academy and circulated. Other than that, it reached the mountain village’s inn.

The powder cloud became smaller as it flew, and finally at the 30,000th step, it vanished.

The results were clear, everyone had checked and knew that Fang Yuan was innocent, there were no suspicious points.

Jia Fu sighed, taking out a small jade box.

He opened the jade box, where there was only a jade piece inside.

The jade piece was a translucent emerald colour, and there was a Gu sealed inside.

This was a phasmids(1), its body long and slim, with the colour of jade, its entire body looking like a bamboo tube.

The phasmids was normally longer than a palm, but this one wasn’t, being only the size of a fingernail. On its surface, it emitted a white glow.

”Green jade as its body, white light enveloping its form, this is the Bamboo Gentleman!” At once, some of the elders recognised this Gu worm and exclaimed.

Even Gu Yue Bo was moved. He could not refrain from advising, ”Brother Jia, this Bamboo Gentleman is a Rank four Gu, it is not easily refined. Why waste it here?”

Jia Fu shook his head, looking at Fang Yuan: ”This Bamboo Gentleman was obtained through gambling rocks when I was young. The rock was only opened halfway before it could no longer be extracted. As everyone knows, this Gu worm is fed honesty as food, being able to detect lies from birth. Only an honest gentleman who has never lied can refine and feed this Gu.”

”Fang Yuan, you just have to open this rock and keep the Bamboo Gentleman in your aperture. Whatever I ask you, you will answer. Next, we will take out this Gu and let everyone see if it changed colour. If the Gu changes colour, you’re lying!”

”No problem.” Fang Yuan did not hesitate. He immediately opened the jade piece and did as Jia Fu instructed.

The Bamboo Gentleman appeared in his aperture and emitted a faint green glow, covering the primeval sea.

Fang Yuan felt that if he said a single lie, the Bamboo Gentleman could detect it and turn its body from green into another color.

But he only accepted it because he had his trump card.

”Spring Autumn Cicada!” With a thought, the Spring Autumn Cicada awakened and let out a trace of its aura.

This aura was overpowering, and it immediately suppressed the Bamboo Gentleman.

The Bamboo Gentleman emitted a green glow and immediately shrunk its body. Its entire body was curled up, trembling in fear. How could it have the excessive spirit to detect lies?

Jia Fu begin interrogating, with his first question hitting home, ”Fang Yuan, did you harm my brother Jia Jin Sheng?”

”No!” Fang Yuan affirmed.

Jia Fu asked, ”Do you have any other information about him?”

Fang Yuan shook his head, ”No idea.”

Jia Fu asked again, ”Did you say anything dishonest to us earlier?”

Fang Yuan shook his head again, ”No.”

”Alright, you can take out the Bamboo Gentleman now.” After finishing with three questions, Jia Fu instructed Fang Yuan.

Fang Yuan took out the Bamboo Gentleman, and everyone saw that it was still an emerald green colour with no changes.

The clan elders heaved a sigh of relief.

Jia Fu’s expression became milder as he kept the Bamboo Gentleman, cupping his fists towards Gu Yue Bo, ”Much offense this time, brother Gu Yue.”

”No matter, the truth is what we wanted to see as well.” Gu Yue Bo waved his hand, then sighed, ”But what a pity for this Bamboo Gentleman.”

The Bamboo Gentleman had the ability to detect lies and was a Rank four Gu, thus it was very valuable. But feeding and refining it was not easy. It had to be refined by an honest gentleman. If any other Gu Master had said a single lie, the refinement would fail and the Bamboo Gentleman would die on the spot.

Its food was honesty. It would reside in the aperture of an honest gentleman and consuming the gentleman’s honesty as food to survive.

Now that the Bamboo Gentleman had been opened, it was extremely weak, but it had no food to restore its strength. After being treated so harshly by Fang Yuan, its death was set in stone.

Jia Fu shook his head, looking at the Bamboo Gentleman in his head, not feeling any pity.

He said solemnly, ”I have already done my best to investigate, but I received no results. This time, when I get back to the family, I will employ the divine investigator Tie Xue Leng(2), it would definitely get this matter cleared up! Goodbye.”

Saying so, he cupped his fists towards Gu Yue Bo and left, crisp and quick, with a certain elegance to it.

Seeing Jia Fu and the rest leaving, Gu Yue Bo heaved a sigh of relief and said, ”You can all leave now.”

He waved at the clan elders, but suddenly thought of something and said, ”Academy elder please stay back.”

Without losing a single drop of sweat, Fang Yuan walked out of the family head’s pavilion safe and sound.

(1) Phasmids: Stick-bugs.

(2) 铁血冷 - Tie Xue Leng, Tie means Metal and is the name of the Tie clan. Xue Leng means cold blood. This name will be important.