Chapter 79, Wicked Offspring, Your Time is Up

Translator: Raznick

 

Shock, disappointment, and disbelief—these were Zhou Daoyi’s current expressions and state of mind.

 

He listened as Zhou Chun spoke, completely unprepared to hear that Zhou Chun’s suspicions were directed at Zhou Zhengkang, who had been the focus of the clan’s intensive grooming efforts!

 

This revelation left him deeply shocked and utterly incredulous. He was unwilling to accept Zhou Chun’s suspicions were true. Yet, upon carefully consideration, he realized that the combination of facts and conjectures led to a conclusion that was all too plausible—something no one could completely dismiss.

 

For a moment, he stood there in stunned silence, unmoving for quite some time.

 

Zhou Chun, observing his demeanor, knew well how difficult it would be for him to accept her suspicions as fact. He also worried about what decisions he might make that could harm his interests.

 

Upon hesitating slightly, Zhou Chun suggested, “Actually, if Clan Leader wishes to verify my suspicions without harming Seventh Brother’s trust in the clan, it is quite simple. You just need to inquire with Grand Elder whether he has recently bestowed Honey Flower Tea upon Seventh Brother.

 

“If Grand Elder has indeed gifted a large quantity of Honey Flower Tea to Seventh Brother, then his secluded study sessions while sipping the tea can be understood as perfectly reasonable, which would mean my suspicions were unfounded.”

 

Zhou Chun’s suggestion was extremely risky.

 

Should Grand Elder Zhou Mingde, regardless of whether he confesses or not, choose to protect Zhou Zhengkang, Zhou Chun’s doubts would crumble.

 

Yet Zhou Chun proceeded nonetheless.

 

The reason was simple: he must ensure that Zhou Daoyi did not perceive his actions as stemming from jealousy towards Zhou Zhengkang.

 

Additionally, based on Zhou Zhengkang’s prior behavior, Zhou Chun had already attained nearly ninety percent certainty in labeling him a traitor.

 

Even if Grand Elder Zhou Mingde were to shield Zhou Zhengkang this time and aid in his escape, Zhou Chun remained confident that with increased surveillance, evidence of Zhou Zhengkang colluding with outsiders would eventually be uncovered.

 

Even Zhou Chun hadn’t imagined that Zhou Zhengkang would be Zhou Jiahui’s killer.

 

Zhou Daoyi snapped out of his thoughts and nodded repeatedly, saying, ” Zhengchun, your suggestion is sound. I will go to the Grand Elder to verify this matter.”

 

He adopted a serious expression and instructed Zhou Chun solemnly: “Additionally, you must not repeat what you said today to anyone else, not even to other Elders or the Grand Elder. Do you understand?”

 

“Yes, I understand!” Zhou Chun replied, his heart tightening.

 

He was well aware that Zhou Daoyi was protecting him. Subsequently, Zhou Chun was sent back to the Ganoderma Peak to await news.

 

After sending off Zhou Chun, Zhou Daoyi spent several hours deep in thought within the Central Palace, eventually managing to compose himself.

 

He went to the estate of Grand Elder Zhou Mingde at the top of Pagoda Peak.

 

“Clan Leader, why the sudden visit? Is it about something happening in the clan?”

 

Zhou Mingde looked closely at Zhou Daoyi, who rarely visited unless there was a good reason. He knew that Zhou Daoyi wouldn’t drop by without an important matter to discuss.

 

Zhou Daoyi nodded and shook his head, saying, “There’s indeed a small issue within the clan, but it doesn’t require your concern, Senior Uncle. I came here today to ask if I could obtain some Honey Flower Tea for entertaining guests.”

 

“Honey Flower Tea?”

 

Zhou Mingde blinked in surprise and then studied Zhou Daoyi carefully.

 

Without hesitation, he shook his head and said, “I don’t have much either. When I first came to Jing Kingdom, we were constantly giving out gifts and entertaining guests, which depleted most of my stock. Right now, I only have less than two vials!”

 

Upon hearing this, Zhou Daoyi frowned immediately.

 

“Even you, Senior Uncle, don’t have much?”

 

He nodded in succession and replied, “Then I’ll think of other ways by asking the younger members of our clan. I remember that Zhengkang once received some Honey Flower Tea. Since he’s still young, it should still be with him.”

 

Zhou Mingde shook his head and said, “There’s no point bothering Zhengkang. After he drank once in my place two years ago, he also begged me to give him half a vial of it, how can I have so much to give him, and ultimately only gave him two pellets to satisfy his craving!”

 

The expression on Zhou Daoyi’s face suddenly changed dramatically.

 

His face immediately flushed with anger as he bellowed, “Then it must be him!!!”

 

This abrupt change caught Zhou Mingde completely off guard. His own expression shifted sharply, and he couldn’t help but gaze at Zhou Daoyi with a solemn air, repeatedly asking in concern, “What do you mean by that? What exactly are you hiding from me?”

 

Zhou Daoyi paused, then took a deep breath and spoke in a serious tone: “Senior Uncle, please understand. It’s not on purpose. It’s just that before things were clear, I really dared not inform you.

 

“But now that everything is clear, I have to be honest with you and tell you the truth!”

 

Starting from Zhou Jiahui’s disappearance, he told how the Zhou Clan searched for her without success, how they investigated the traitor, and how Zhou Chun deduced through the Honey Flower Tea that Zhou Zhengkang was the prime suspect.

 

He presented all the clues and suspicions to Zhou Mingde as they were.

 

Just like when Zhou Daoyi first heard Zhou Chun suggest that Zhou Zhengkang might be the traitor, he was also shocked.

 

When Zhou Mingde learned that his most favored junior had betrayed the clan, he was equally stunned and found it hard to believe.

 

Especially since he didn’t have a strong impression of Zhou Chun. He only became aware of him when he made it into the top ten in the youth category during the five cultivating clans’ martial competition activities, as well as being the discoverer of the Scarlet Glow Iron vein. Only then did he realize there was such a capable young member in the younger generation of the clan.

 

Now that he heard Zhou Daoyi relied solely on this inference from a twenty-something-year-old to suspect and accuse Zhou Zhengkang of being the clan’s traitor, he also found it absurd and outrageous.

 

“Because of a teapot that was steeped in Honey Flower Tea in Zhengkang’s study, you suspect he betrayed the clan and plotted against his Senior? Daoyi, don’t you find this accusation completely absurd?

 

“Then there’s Zhou Chun. How do you know for certain that it wasn’t out of jealousy—jealousy that Zhengkang receives such favorable treatment within the clan, and is about to take the Foundation Establishment Pill—that he would slander Zhengkang like this?

 

“And there’s no concrete evidence at all. Isn’t it unreasonable for you to accuse a Foundation Establishment seed just based on mere suspicions?”

 

Zhou Mingde glared at Zhou Daoyi, his tone filled with intense anger.

 

It was no wonder he reacted this way.

 

After all, Zhou Zhengkang was the son of his elder brother, someone he had cherished and nurtured with high hopes since childhood.

 

Hearing that Daoyi suspected his most beloved protegé of betraying the clan without any substantial evidence, it was impossible to keep cool.

 

However, Daoyi, who had spent several hours in the Central Palace beforehand, meditating and thinking things through, remained remarkably composed despite Mingde’s anticipated reaction.

 

Zhou Daoyi did not rush to argue with him; instead, his expression grew serious as he stared at him and said, “Senior Uncle, please calm down. I know how much you care for Zhengkang. These past years, my attention and support for him have been no less than yours. You wouldn’t deny that, would you?”

 

Zhou Mingde opened his mouth but could not refute the claim.

 

Twenty years ago, he had just broken through to the Purple Palace Stage and was busy acquainting himself with his new strength while diligently cultivating his mystical arts. As a result, he had little time to spare for Zhou Zhengkang and had relied on Zhou Daoyi to look after him.

 

After the Zhou Clan settled at Nine Peaks, he became fully aware of how crucial his role was to the clan and felt deeply responsible for his duties. This left him no time to specifically focus on caring for Zhou Zhengkang.

 

Moreover, Zhou Zhengkang had already grown up by then. All Zhou Mingde needed to do was occasionally call him to his side for guidance and bestow some precious items upon him.

 

Now, faced with Zhou Daoyi’s words, Zhou Mingde found himself unable to argue further. Satisfied with this silence, Zhou Daoyi continued, “You say we have no evidence yet still suspect Zhengkang. That is clearly unjust.

 

“Zhengkang left the clan the very day Jiahui departed, and it was only a short while after Jiahui had left that he came to me asking to go out for a walk. The timing of this so-called walk seems far too convenient, don’t you think?

 

“Additionally, Zhengchun saw him leaving the Spirit Beast Edifice around the same time Green Lotus Monastery finished recruiting its disciples. That was just a few days after you and I had lifted the restriction order on him, wasn’t it?

 

“At that point in time, going to the Spirit Beast Edifice, wouldn’t that also be considered a way of going out for a stroll?

 

“He also mentioned the Honey Flower Tea he smelled in his study. Senior Uncle, you and I both know that drinking tea in a study is something one does alone, and that teapot would have been used no more than a day ago.

 

“And this was only several days after Jiahui went missing.”

 

“Now, you yourself said you didn’t give him much Honey Flower Tea. The Spirit Beast Edifice only sells spirit honey, not Honey Flower Tea. So where did he get all that tea? Can you explain that for him?

 

“There’s one more thing. Since he came back from his stroll, up until now, he’s asked me several times when he could collect his Foundation Establishment Pill. If there hadn’t been any suspicion cast his way before, I wouldn’t have thought much of it. But now, I just can’t help but wonder what his true intentions are!”

 

It was clear that as Zhou Daoyi spoke each word, Master Zhou Mingde’s expression grew more displeased, and the anger on his face gradually lessened.

 

After Zhou Daoyi had finished summarizing all available information, the anger on his face had mostly faded away.

 

But before Zhou Daoyi could finish speaking, he quickly added, “As for Zhengkang, this young lad, I believe I understand him fairly well. He has exceptional talent and innate abilities, but precisely because of that, it’s led to a sense of pride in him. He always believes that his future accomplishments will surpass even my current level, and perhaps not even stop at the Violet Palace Stage!”

 

“It’s not abnormal for young people to be a little ambitious. Who hasn’t had unrealistic ideas when they were young?

 

“But Senior Uncle, you also know, after we stopped him from joining Green Lotus Monastery, he was deeply affected. He even came to believe that we were blocking his path.

 

“You and I both know that when he reaches Foundation Establishment, he will gradually understand how difficult it is to open up the Purple Mansion and how rare spiritual objects that are useful to Foundation Establishment cultivator are. Then he will figure out these hard facts. So we didn’t care too much about his naive ideas.”

 

At this point, Zhou Daoyi couldn’t help but smile bitterly and sighed deeply: “But now it seems that even though neither you nor I thought he would do anything stupid, he went and done it! Abnormal people will always do things normal people won’t!”

 

Only Zhou Daoyi himself knews how much bitterness and sorrow were contained in these words.

 

If not for the many clues pointing to Zhou Zhengkang, Zhou Daoyi would never believe that Zhou Zhengkang, as the Foundation Establishment seed of the clan, who had almost everything, would actually betray the clan!

 

If this got out, even some Zhou Clan members wouldn’t believe it, let alone conceive it.

 

Zhou Zhengkang really had everything: great spirit roots and an excellent background. These two points combined made him destined to become one of the most powerful figures in Zhou Clan, with a high chance to go even further.

 

With such advantages, only someone with a damaged mind would think of betraying the clan and trowing all of that away.

 

“I still find it hard to believe that Zhengkang could do such a thing. However, since you are so sure, I will let confirm it. How do you plan to proceed?”

 

Zhou Mingde looked at Zhou Daoyi, who had a complex expression on his face. After pondering for a while, he made a decision befitting his status.

 

He had stepped forward to lead the Zhou Clan’s cultivators to establish roots on Nine Peaks. His loyalty and affection for the Zhou Clan were unquestionable.

 

He might grapple wiht the idea that Zhou Zhengkang betrayed the clan, but he would not stop the investigation out of personal feelings, especially since Zhou Daoyi had offered to handle it.

 

However, the investigation must be conducted under his supervision.

 

Zhou Daoyi understood this and quickly responded, “This is simple. If Zhengkang is truly that foolish and blind, we just need to summon him for a confrontation and search him. Under our questioning, if the clues pointing to him are genuine, he won’t be able to keep silent!”

 

“Agreed. Let’s go with it.”

 

Zhou Mingde’s eyebrows trembled, and he immediately went to Central Palace with Zhou Daoyi. He watched Zhou Daoyi send a big blue parrot to summon Zhou Zhengkang.

 

When Zhou Zhengkang saw Zhou Mingde in the palace, a trace of panic flashed across his eyes. He was quick to hide his emotions, but it did not escape the keen eye of Zhou Mingde and Zhou Daoyi, working to verify their suspicions.

 

Zhou Mingde seemed to have forgotten the process of discussing with Zhou Daoyi before, and suddenly his beard and hair stood up, staring at Zhou Zhengkang who had just walked into the palace, and shouted: “Foul spawn, you are in trouble now!”

 

Zhou Zhengkang was terrified, staggering back and hurriedly said: “Grand Uncle, what are you saying? What did I do?”

 

“You’re still making excuses?”

 

Zhou Mingde roared, casting Restraint and immobilized Zhou Zhengkang. He gestured with his hand, causing Zhou Zhengkang’s storage bag to fall into his hand. With ease, he opened the storage bag and emptied its contents onto the ground.

 

Quickly, a jade vial containing several tea pellets still fresh was brought into his grasp. Upon seeing those tea pellets, Zhou Mingde’s anger was no longer feigned; it was genuine. “Were these few tea pellets all it took to sell out your clan and kill your Senior?”

 

He gripped the jade vial, his face filled with rage as he glared at Zhou Zhengkang, his eyes nearly blazing with anger.

 

Zhou Daoyi swept his Divine Sense over the pile of items on the ground and soon pointed to a money pouch filled with numerous spirit coins. He said, “There are far more spirit coins than there should be. I know how much wealth someone cultivating within the clan should have. The number of spirit coins in this storage bag is way beyond what he could reasonably possess!”

 

Upon hearing his warning, Zhou Mingde cast a glance at the bulging pouch, his already flushed face growing even redder with anger. He raised his hand and, with a resounding slap, struck Zhou Zhengkang from afar, knocking him to the ground and breaking the immobilizing art.

 

“Speak,” Zhou Mingde said, his voice filled with fury, “Let’s hear your excuse. Let’s see what reason will you come up with to explain these items.”

 

Zhou Mingde was like a furious lion, his intense gaze locked onto Zhou Zhengkang, looking quite intimidating.

 

How difficult it had been for him to believe that Zhou Zhengkang would betray his clan was now matched by how angry he felt.

 

Even Zhou Daoyi, who knew him well, couldn’t guess what he would do to Zhou Zhengkang at this point.