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    Translator: Raznick

     

    White Orchid Peak was where Zhou Jiahui made her home. Unlike Zhou Jiahe, who had never married or had children, Zhou Jiahui leads a life enriched by her Dao companion, Shen Xin, and their children.

     

    Originally a disciple of the Three Absolute Sect, Shen Xin’s journey took a different turn after the sect split. Instead of joining the Spirit Beast Manor, he chose to remain with his family in Zhou Clan, relocating with them to accompany Zhou Jiahui at Nine Peaks.

     

    Seven days had passed since Zhou Jiahui left Nine Peaks, and her absence was weighing heavily on Shen Xin’s mind. His worries were evident as he paced the room, his temples beginning to show signs of gray. “It’s already been a week—how come Jiahui hasn’t returned yet? She usually only stayed out for five days at most,” he muttered.

     

    After much deliberation, he could not shake his concerns and decided to travel to Pagoda Peak to pay respects to Clan Leader Zhou Daoyi and inquire about the situation. As the Dao companion of Zhou Jiahui, he was aware that her departure from the clan had been ordered by Zhou Daoyi, despite not knowing the specifics of her mission.

     

    Realizing that his Dao companion had been absent for several days without returning, he felt compelled to seek out Clan Leader Zhou Daoyi for further details.

     

     

    “What? Jiahui has been away for seven days and is still hasn’t returned?”

     

    Clan Leader Zhou Daoyi’s expression shifted with surprise in the Central Palace. His concern evident, he nodded towards Shen Xin and stated firmly: “I understand the situation. I will immediately send someone to investigate. You may return home and await my word.”

     

    Shen Xin paid deep respects to Zhou Daoyi and said, “Thank you, Clan Leader.”

     

    After Shen Xin had left, Zhou Daoyi pondered for a moment before summoning Peak Head Zhou Jiahe from Ganoderma Peak. In a serious tone, he instructed, “Jiahui went to the underground river to collect mucus. It has been seven days since she departed, and I am worried something may have befallen her. You must rush to the Red Cliff Market at once, taking Zhengchun with you to investigate the situation.”

     

    Zhou Jiahe’s heart jolted with concern, and a look of worry immediately spread across her face. She promptly replied in a solemn tone, “Understood, I shall comply with Clan Leader’s order without delay.”

     

    Without wasting any time, she set off at once, taking two Horned Goats to the Red Cliff Market.

     

    “What, it’s been seven days since Nineteenth Aunt hasn’t returned?”

     

    Within the Spirit Beast Pavilion, upon learning of this from Zhou Jiahe, Zhou Chun was likewise stunned. He quickly consented with a nod, “Very well, I shall accompany Twelfth Aunt to look into this matter at once.”

     

    The two left the market and switched to Zhou Jiahe’s Horned Goats at some location in the Red Rock Mountains, heading straight for the underground river.

     

    Despite their urgency, both remained cautious, employing various skills to monitor their surroundings and ensure no one was following them.

     

    Upon reaching the mountains, they placed the two Horned Goats in a cave where Luo Guangshun had once stored horses. Then, together, they walked toward the water pond.

     

    “There are no signs someone was here; Nineteen Sister definitely hasn’t been here in the past seven days.”

     

    At the pond’s edge, after Zhou Jiahe’s Divine Sense meticulously scanned the shore, her expression turned grim as she shared her findings.

     

    For safety reasons, following Luo Guangshun’s prior example and at Zhou Chun’s suggestion, Zhou Jiahui never ventured deep into the underground river when alone at the pond to catch Venomous Thornfish for their mucus. Instead, she only used bloody bait.

     

    Therefore, if she had recently been here fishing, even after cleaning up before leaving, some trace would still remain.

     

    The crucial point was that every time Zhou Jiahui came, she would leave a scratch on an otherwise unremarkable stone by the pond to confirm her presence. Zhou Jiahe saw no such mark. “It seems,” Zhou Chun murmured, his tone heavy with concern, “that Nineteenth Aunt had met with misfortune midway.”

     

    Seven days had passed since Zhou Jiahui’s disappearance, and she had not even reached the pond. If she truly encountered misfortune, it would likely be for the worse!

     

    “Since being tasked by Clan Leader to take on this mission, Nineteenth Sister had been granted access to a Heart-tied Cricket,” Zhou Jiahe explained. “Even if she met with misfortune, as long as she wasn’t instantly killed, she could use the Heart-tied Cricket to leave a trace behind.”

     

    Zhou Jiahe turned to Zhou Chun and said, “We should return to the clan immediately and ask Clan Leader to deploy the mother bug of the Heart-tied Crickets to locate Nineteenth Aunt’s whereabouts!”

     

    “Alright.” Zhou Chun nodded and immediately returned to the mountain cave with Zhou Jiahe where they kept the Horned Goats. Without waiting for the goats to rest, they began feeding them a strong pill to tap into their vitality and make them sprint at full speed.

     

    They ran the major part of the journey before exhausting both goats. Then Zhou Chun and Zhou Jiahe took control of a flying artifact and quickly finished the remaining shorter distance, returning to Nine Peaks as fast as possible.

     

    “I understand the situation now. You two should rest while I send Third Elder with the Heart-tied Cricket mother bug to handle this.”

     

    Inside the Central Palace, Zhou Daoyi listened to Zhou Chun and Zhou Jiahe’s urgent report, his expression growing serious as he responded.

     

    Meanwhile, Zhou Chun and Zhou Jiahe were both physically and mentally exhausted, returning together to their quarters on Ganoderma Peak to rest.

     

    After half a day of rest, Zhou Chun woke up with his mind heavy with concerns.

     

    Zhou Jiahui’s disappearance at this critical moment was extremely delicate.

     

    Spirit Beast Pavilion had just barely revived its fortunes thanks to the massive success of Touch of Despair. If there were any issues with its production, that would be a major problem indeed. Moreover, Zhou Chun was deeply concerned about another matter: if Zhou Jiahui were to meet with misfortune, would the location of the underground river become known to outsiders? Overwhelmed by these anxieties, he decided to pay a visit to Medicine Peak.

     

    “Touch of Despair’s powder formula was complex, but since it wasn’t an actual pills, there were no real challenges in terms of alchemy. If cultivators skilled in alchemy who fully understood its ingredients were to conduct a detailed analysis of the powder, they might very well reverse-engineer the formula!

     

    “If we want to keep monopolizing the poison, the key is to keep the secret of the mucus as hidden as possible. The potency of the powder rests solely on it, making any reproduction useless without it as the main ingredient!”

     

    At Medicine Peak, in response to Zhou Chun’s inquiries, Zhou Jiawei frankly shared his own insights. This answer only served to weigh Zhou Chun’s heart heavier.

     

    When Third Elder Zhou Daoquan returned from outside, his words left several informed members of the Zhou Clan with grim expressions indeed.

     

    “I took the Heart-tied Cricket mother bug and ran back and forth four times, changing routes, but it showed no change at all. From this, we can tell that the Heart-tied Cricket larvae on Jiahui is either dead or taken to a very far place!”

     

    In the Central Palace, several Zhou Clan members who knew about this event listened to the Third Elder Zhou Daoquan’s explanation.

     

    The Heart-tied Cricket was a special insect domesticated by the Zhou Clan. Even if its mother bug and larvae were hundreds of miles apart, they sensed and locked the location of the larvae.

     

    Every core member of the Zhou Clan, as well as some elite members who receive special attention, carried a Heart-tied Cricket larvae with them, hiding it in the soles of their shoes or pockets.

     

    In this way, if they encounter mortal danger, they could let the Heart-tied Cricket larvae drill deep underground, allowing the clan to find the place where they were killed, to help catch the killer.

     

    Hearing that Zhou Daoquan had taken the Heart-tied Cricket mother bug out to search for several times but failed to find the larvae on Zhou Jiahui, all the Zhou Clan members realized the seriousness of the matter.

     

    Coincidentally, Zhou Chun and others looked at Clan Leader Zhou Daoyi, waiting for his response.

     

    “The Heart-tied Cricket is a special spiritual insect that we trained after taking root in Nine Peaks. Even ordinary members don’t know about its existence. It has no spiritual power and is unlikely to be discovered by the enemy!

     

    “However, Jiahui, even if captured by others, should have been aware of the importance of leaving the Heart-tied Cricket to pinpoint her location. She wouldn’t be so foolish as to allow her enemies to take both herself and the Heart-tied Cricket!

     

    “I have reasons to believe that Jiahui was not only killed but it’s also possible that the Heart-tied Cricket she carried with her was discovered and destroyed by others.”

     

    Zhou Daoquan raised an eyebrow and said in a somber tone, “Does Clan Leader believe that someone within the clan leaked information about the existence of the Heart-tied Cricket, and that this person collaborated with outsiders to murder Jiahui?”

     

    “I can’t rule out the possibility!”

     

    Zhou Jiahe continued, her words filled with venom, “It does make the most sense. Only Spirit Beast Manor would have the easiest access to information about the Heart-tied Cricket’s existence through their spies within our clan!”

     

    Her speculation was reasonable enough.

     

    But Zhou Daoyi, as the Clan Leader, couldn’t make such a determination based on just one conjecture.

     

    He hurriedly waved his hand and said, “We can’t be so rash in making decisions. Perhaps there’s no traitor at all—maybe Jiahui simply encountered a powerful opponent who ambushed her, leading to her being eliminated or captured!”

     

    After saying this, he spoke firmly, “The pressing priority now is to locate where Zhou Jiahui’s incident actually occurred. By investigating the area, we can uncover the truth.”

     

    Right as he finished speaking and was about to assign people to search extensively for Zhou Jiahui’s location, Zhou Chun, who had remained silent until then, suddenly spoke up.

     

    “If,” Zhou Chun began cautiously, “if my conjecture holds—if the enemies who killed Nineteenth Aunt was motivated by a desire for the mucus of the Venomous Thornfish—wouldn’t they have waited until Nineteenth Aunt lured the fish to the pond before attacking?

     

    “And if the motive wasn’t the mucus, what kind of expert could have targeted Nineteenth Aunt? Considering her cultivation, even a formidable opponent would find it difficult to capture her without leaving any trace of the Heart-tied Cricket. Why would such a figure target Nineteenth Aunt?”

     

    As Zhou Chun spoke, he noticed everyone’s attention had shifted to him. He pressed on:

    “If it’s the former case, since there are no traces of Nineteenth Aunt at the pond, it means she was killed halfway through her journey. Moreover, this indicates she had discovered her pursuer beforehand and had ample time to leave behind the Heart-tied Cricket.

     

    “Meanwhile, the fact that the enemy knew she was responsible for collecting the mucus and could accurately track her, only to be discovered by her afterward, yet managed to eliminate the Heart-tied Cricket afterwards—this can only mean there’s a leak within our clan.

     

    “If it’s the latter case, we need to consider why a stronger individual would target Nineteenth Aunt. What benefit would they gain from doing so?”

     

    Compared to Zhou Jiahe’s conjecture, which was fueled by personal grievances, Zhou Chun’s analysis was more logical and unbiased. This naturally garnered greater attention from Zhou Daoyi, the Clan Leader, and Zhou Daoquan.

     

    Zhou Daoyi pondered slightly before speaking up: “Let’s first discuss what Zhou Chun said about the latter scenario. If it’s the latter case, then the motive of the person who killed Jiahui can only be one—to mislead us and divert our hatred toward the Spirit Beast Manor.

     

    “However, with no solid proof, we cannot accuse the Spirit Beast Manor. To incite a conflict between Zhou Clan and the Spirit Beast Manor, the perpetrator would need to employ further tactics.”

     

    By this point, Zhou Daoyi’s tone turned cold as he stated firmly: “If that’s the case, then we should remain steadfast in our stance. We’ll wait for the murderer to reveal themselves again.”

     

    He knew in his heart that the chances of success were slim.

     

    Therefore, his expression quickly darkened as he spoke with a solemn tone, “That would be disastrous for the clan!”

     

    After hearing his analysis, everyone felt that the truth was likely one of these two scenarios.

     

    Third Elder Zhou Daoquan also spoke up promptly, saying, “Let us pursue both avenues at once. On one front, we’ll keep the news of Jiahui’s disappearance under wraps and avoid making a big fuss, to see if there truly is a mastermind behind it all!

     

    “On the other, we need to closely monitor and investigate those clan members who are aware of the Heart-tied Cricket, to see if we can identify any traitors!”

     

    These words should have been spoken by Zhou Daoyi, the Clan Leader. However, since Zhou Daoquan was a senior member of the clan, it wasn’t entirely inappropriate for him to speak them. At most, it felt slightly out of place.

     

    But Zhou Daoyi clearly had no intention of dwelling on such details.

     

    He nodded in agreement right away, “Yes, let’s do so. I’ll personally instruct and remind her Dao companion and their children about this!”

     

    Having finished speaking, his gaze swept across the multitude in the hall, finally resting on Zhou Chun.

     

    “Zhengchun, you won’t need to return to the market for now. I will arrange someone else to take your place. From this point on, remain within the clan and assist me in investigating the traitors within our ranks!”

     

    Zhou Daoquan’s gaze momentarily tightened, as though deep in thought. As for Zhou Jiahe, she remained unmoved, still immersed in grief.

     

    Zhou Chun initially hesitated before hastily responding, “Understood.”

     

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