Chapter 38: A Calculated Suspect

Su Yun watched Fan Yang, who looked as if he had discovered a new world, and chuckled as she introduced the item.

“This is something I stumbled upon and developed myself,” she explained. “It’s not a magical artifact, just a common tool I call a ‘telescope’.”

Upon hearing it wasn’t a treasure, Fan Yang nodded even more emphatically in admiration.

“What a remarkable device,” he exclaimed. “It requires no spiritual energy to operate. If this were given to the armies in the mortal world, it could achieve astonishing results.” Fan Yang had immediately grasped its most significant application.

Indeed, the item was inherently a military invention.

“Right, Junior Sister,” Fan Yang continued, returning the telescope to Su Yun. “Why have we been trailing them without making contact? And who exactly are you observing with this telescope?”

Su Yun took the telescope back, resuming her close watch on their every move.

“Senior Brother, let me ask you a question,” Su Yun began. “If, and I mean *if*, there were someone with malicious intent hidden among this group, and they used this sect incident to harm fellow disciples, how likely do you think that would be?”

Su Yun was undoubtedly thinking of Deng Wenqing, but lacking concrete evidence, she could only present it as a hypothetical.

Truth be told, if Deng Wenqing hadn’t been among them, Su Yun might not have suspected any issues with the mission. However, with both Deng Wenqing and Lin Xue coincidentally present, she couldn’t help but assume the worst.

Fan Yang paused, taken aback by her words.

“To harm fellow disciples? The situation here changes rapidly. If we were to encounter enemies, Junior Sister Zhou and the others might struggle to look after everyone. If someone with ulterior motives were hidden among us, a chaotic battlefield during a confrontation would be the perfect moment to strike.”

“Wait, hold on,” he then exclaimed, a sudden realization dawning on him. “You insisted on coming along. Are you suggesting someone here might secretly harm a fellow disciple, or do you believe this ‘sect incident’ was deliberately orchestrated by someone?” Fan Yang’s mind had suddenly become sharper, catching the hidden meaning in Su Yun’s words.

However, Su Yun immediately interjected.

“I didn’t say that. It’s merely a precaution. If something unexpected happens later, Senior Brother, I implore you to help protect Senior Sister Lin Xue.”

Fan Yang listened to Su Yun, feeling increasingly bewildered and unable to make sense of her intentions.

****

Soon, the two began to change positions, as Deng Wenqing’s team was gradually moving beyond Su Yun’s monitoring range.

Su Yun hadn’t kept her gaze fixed on Lin Xue, for in her eyes, Deng Wenqing was the true focus. If that fellow truly harbored ill intentions, he would undoubtedly find an excuse to leave the team later. Such an act would strongly indicate a problem with the entire operation.

Humans are like that; once suspicion falls on someone, even their trip to the latrine becomes a cause for doubt.

Observing Deng Wenqing, Su Yun noticed he consistently lingered at the very back of their Blazing Flame Peak team. In his hand, he clutched a communication artifact unlike those from Spirit Sword Mountain, seemingly in constant contact with someone.

“Hmm… Senior Brother, take a look at what this fellow, Deng Wenqing, is holding,” Su Yun said, noticing Deng Wenqing’s unusual behavior. She promptly handed the telescope to Fan Yang.

Fan Yang immediately took the telescope and squinted through it. His brows furrowed in confusion.

“That’s a communication artifact, but it’s not from our Spirit Sword Mountain. This lad seems to be contacting someone,” Fan Yang remarked, his voice tinged with suspicion.

Secretly communicating during such an operation made even Fan Yang suspect that something was amiss with the fellow. Connecting this to the fact that Deng Wenqing had recently injured Lin Shuang, coupled with his junior sister’s vigilant watch, he suddenly understood everything.

“Is this fellow Deng Wenqing? Oh, I see now, Junior Sister. Are you suspecting that this Deng Wenqing intends to harm Junior Sister Lin Xue?” Fan Yang asked, a look of dawning comprehension on his face.

Su Yun shook her head, uncertain.

“It’s hard to say. But I heard that this Deng Wenqing was originally the most promising candidate to become our Spirit Sword Mountain’s next Sect Master. He is also the great-grandson of Blazing Flame Peak’s Second Elder, Deng Taiyan. Think about it: if he wants to ascend to the position of Sect Master, who would be his biggest obstacle?” Su Yun posed a question to Fan Yang.

“Does that even need to be said? It would undoubtedly be Junior Sisters Lin Xue and Lin Shuang,” Fan Yang replied without a moment’s hesitation.

With that, Su Yun didn’t need to prompt him further; Fan Yang understood on his own.

“Indeed, that’s quite possible. The Deng family, where Deng Wenqing hails from, is comparable to a medium-sized sect in the Southern Wilderness. If they intended to pull some strings in secret, they could certainly carry it out.” Fan Yang’s expression grew increasingly solemn.

As he spoke, Fan Yang felt an urge to contact the sect and inform them of their suspicions.

“No, I must contact the sect. I need them to warn Junior Sister Zhou and the others,” Fan Yang immediately thought of sending a message to the sect.

Even if it was just a suspicion, it was well-reasoned and logical, leaving Fan Yang no room to dismiss it.

“Don’t, Senior Brother,” Su Yun quickly interjected, stopping Fan Yang. “These are just our conjectures, without evidence. If we send such baseless suspicions back to the sect, and it turns out to be nothing, wouldn’t that undermine the sect’s internal unity?”

Su Yun made a valid point, leaving Fan Yang in a dilemma.

“Then, what do you suggest we do?” Fan Yang asked seriously. “Even a one percent possibility of such a matter must be eliminated. Junior Sister Lin Xue is a direct disciple of the Sect Master, and one of the two most talented individuals in our Spirit Sword Mountain in nearly a thousand years. Her safety concerns the future of our sect; there can be no mishaps.”

Su Yun naturally understood this principle and began to devise a plan.

“I have an idea, Senior Brother. You can secretly follow Senior Sister Lin Xue’s team, and I will continue to monitor Deng Wenqing. If that fellow truly causes trouble, I will send you a message immediately. How does that sound?” Su Yun proposed.

Fan Yang nodded.

“That’s a good plan, then I’ll—” Fan Yang began to move towards Lin Xue’s group, but as he turned, he felt something was amiss.

“Wait, no, Junior Sister,” Fan Yang quickly turned back. “Master instructed me to protect you, not to participate in their mission. Your cultivation isn’t high; if something were to happen to you, I couldn’t bear the responsibility.”

Su Yun rolled her eyes at him.

“Senior Brother, you must distinguish between urgent and less urgent matters,” Su Yun said with an incredibly serious expression. “I am perfectly fine right now and don’t need your protection. Your strength needs to be used where it matters most, do you understand?”

Fan Yang was torn, but ultimately, he conceded to Su Yun’s words. Su Yun was not in any immediate danger, and his continued presence by her side held little significance. It was better for him to go and keep an eye on Lin Xue’s side first.

“Very well, then. Junior Sister, you must be careful. If there’s any danger, you must contact me immediately,” Fan Yang instructed.

“Go on,” Su Yun urged him again.

Only then did Fan Yang swiftly mount his flying sword and follow after Lin Xue’s team.

Once he had departed, a murderous glint flashed in Su Yun’s eyes. Regardless of what Deng Wenqing was plotting, in her mind, that fellow had to die.

As the saying goes, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Knowing someone is likely problematic yet waiting for solid proof before acting is truly foolish.

This world was not her previous one. Her former world emphasized the rule of law, while this one revolved around gains and losses. For profit, people would do anything.

Su Yun continued to trail Deng Wenqing and his group.

Meanwhile, the leader of the rogue cultivator group seemed to have received new information.

“Everyone,” the man named Ran said gravely, addressing the group before him. “The Spirit Sword Mountain disciples have arrived. We will split into seven groups. Six of these groups will each take one person and flee in different directions. Remember, do not engage them head-on. If you can’t win, abandon the person and save yourselves. Your lives are paramount.”

The cultivators nodded, then began to act according to their previous plan. The six individuals who remained consisted of two Foundation Establishment cultivators and several Qi Refinement cultivators.

Among them, the man named Ran was a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

“Our objective is to kill the target and complete the mission. Let’s move,” Ran declared.

The purple-clad woman and the others simultaneously nodded, then ascended into the air and departed the valley.

Soon, the tracking spells used by several of the Spirit Sword Mountain teams simultaneously reacted.

“Hey? There’s movement, up ahead! Quickly, send word to Senior Sister Zhou and the others,” the leaders of the six teams urgently called out.

On the other side, Zhou Xueqi also received reports from all six teams at once.

“What? What’s going on? How can all six teams report detecting something?” Zhou Xueqi’s delicate brows knitted together in confusion.

This was abnormal. It seemed almost as if the enemy was deliberately trying to distract them, or perhaps to divide their forces, preventing them from regrouping quickly and making it impossible for Zhou Xueqi and her comrades to provide immediate assistance to their fellow disciples.

There was no way around it; the tokens had split, but the people might not have. Perhaps the enemies were carrying the tokens, leading them astray?