Chapter 64: Detective Faction
The three strange figures moved through the crowded streets of Green Hollow City, disappearing among merchants, cultivators, and rattling caravans. The man beneath the bamboo hat had already told the guards that they were searching for something that did not belong there; now, their path was locked toward the Cultivation Academy.
The evening streets of Green Hollow City remained crowded, the setting sun’s calm, vibrant orange rays lingering across the street. The three strangers walked silently through the streets. No one paid much attention, because Green Hollow City was surrounded by merchant roads and caravan halls. Many strange and new cultivators entered and left the city every day.
The bamboo-hat man walked in front, his dark-gray robe fluttering slightly behind him, while his single visible eye calmly darted over every street and building. The straight scar that crossed his closed right eye made his cold face appear even more threatening.
A few steps behind him walked the second man. He was tall and an enormous object wrapped by black cloth upon his back.
And between the two men, the small child walked silently, his hands remained shoved inside the long sleeves of his oversized black robe. He appeared like a thirteen or fourteen year old child.
After walking for a few minutes, the bamboo-hat man suddenly stopped.
"That should be the academy," the bamboo-hat man murmured, his gaze locked onto the academy outside the gate. The other two followed his gaze. A few paces ahead, beyond some stone buildings and residences, the Cultivation Academy is visible under the fading orange sky.
"Finally," the tall man grunted. "We travelled nearly six days for this."
The child didn’t reply.
"Do not complain, Xue Jianhong," the bamboo-hat man sneered, raising his head slightly.
"Tsk... I am merely saying that if the information is false, I am throwing the informant from the nearest mountain," the tall man clicked his tongue, turning his face away.
"Hahaha... And then the faction will investigate you," The bamboo-hat man laughed, squinting his eyes.
"Let them!" the tall man murmured, his voice low as whisper.
"You are an investigator."
The tall man didn’t answer, and suddenly, the bamboo-hat man stopped walking. For a moment, he stared at Xue Jianhong.
"Sometimes I wonder how you entered the Detective Faction," the bamboo-hat man muttered, waving his sleeve.
"Because I am strong," Xue Jianhong sneered.
"Unfortunately, that is true!!" the bamboo-hat man agreed, his voice cracking in arrogance.
"Both of you are noisy..." the child derided, walking calmly, his hand folded at his chest.
Instantly, the two men became silent. The bamboo-hat man coughed once before continuing forward. His name was Chi Leiyang, a member of the Chi Clan’s distant main branch and an investigator from the Qinglin Continent Detective Faction. His cultivation stood at the Spirit Beast Realm — Peak Stage, and his core beast was a Lightning Panther.
The second investigator was Xue Jianhong, a member of the Xue Clan. He was also a Spirit Beast Realm — Peak Stage cultivator and the holder of an Ice Bear Beast.
And the child’s name is Chang Ming. The three continued toward the academy. Just as they reached the long stone path leading toward the entrance, the voices of two disciples echoed nearby.
"That bastard Teng Lianhua has no heart!" Huo Ren cursed the combat master, his furious voice rattled across the pathway.
"How could you blame the master?" Lian Nichang asked calmly, walking beside him. "You tried to steal another team’s jade crystal and failed."
"I didn’t steal it!" Huo Ren bickered, nodding his head.
"You just said you used your Fire Falcon silhouette to snatch it," Lian Nichang sneered, clicking his tongue.
"I found it!"
"No, you didn’t."
"Tsk!" Huo Ren clicked his tongue. "Whatever."
Huo Ren’s face was still bruised from the beating he had received inside the Academy Great Forest. One side of his cheek remained swollen, a faint bruise had formed under his left eye.
Lian Nichang stared at his face for a moment, then he looked away, his shoulders trembled slightly.
"Are you laughing?" Huo Ren ranted, his face filled with anger.
"No!" Lian Nichang’s voice cracked with a faint mockery smirk.
"You are lying!" Huo Ren sneered, grabbing Lian Nichang’s shoulder. "Turn around."
"Hahaha!" Lian Nichang laughed hard, throwing his head back. "You look like a swollen Fire Toad!"
"You—!"
"Excuse me," a strange voice suddenly interrupted their argument. Huo Ren and Lian Nichang stopped, seeing the three figures standing a few paces behind them. The bamboo-hat man, the tall man, and the calm child.
"What?" Huo Ren frowned, his face twitching in irritation.
"You two are disciples of the Cultivation Academy, correct?" Chi Leiyang asked, smiling politely.
"Obviously." Huo Ren pointed toward the academy insignia on his robe. "Are you blind?"
Chi Leiyang’s smile twitched slightly.
"Hahaha! I like this brat," Xue Jianhong laughed, patting on Chi Leiyang’s back.
"Shut up," Chi Leiyang muttered before turning toward Huo Ren again. "We need to ask you about someone."
"Who?" Lian Nichang’s voice became slightly cautious.
"Gu Shiyan.." Chi Leiyang replied, his voice remained calm.
The amusement immediately vanished from Huo Ren’s face. Lian Nichang’s expression also changed. Both of them didn’t answer.
Chi Leiyang observed their reactions carefully. Huo Ren and Lian Nichang’s faces changed between interest, fear, disgust, and anger expressions.
"Why are you asking about that monster?" Huo Ren bellowed, taking a step forward.
Chi Leiyang didn’t answer immediately, and Huo Ren’s doubt grew suspiciously. "And who the hell are you?"
"Are you people related to Gu Shiyan?" Lian Nichang held Huo Ren’s shoulder, stepping beside him.
"No," Xue Jianhong raised an eyebrow.
"Then why are you asking about him?" Lian Nichang asked immediately.
"Because—"
"Are you also one of his types?" Huo Ren interrupted, stepping forward again.
The atmosphere changed, and Xue Jianhong’s smile disappeared. A faint coldness emerged from his body.
Crack!
A thin layer of frost formed under his right foot, and Huo Ren instinctively stepped backward.
’Beast essence...’ Lian Nichang analysed, his eyes widening. ’Strong!’
"Jianhong," Chi Leiyang bellowed, raising his hand.
The frost stopped spreading, while Xue Jianhong clicked his tongue.
"These academy brats have terrible manners," Xue Jianhong complained, waving his sleeve once.
Chi Leiyang removed his bamboo hat, his scarred face became visible under the evening sunlight. "My name is Chi Leiyang."
"Chi?" Huo Ren’s voice became calm.
"I belong to a distant branch of the Chi Clan, although that isn’t important." Chi Leiyang nodded, a faint spark of lightning flashed behind him.
For a fraction of a second, the silhouette of an enormous panther appeared.
Huo Ren froze, petrified. The aura disappeared immediately.
"Spirit Beast Realm..." Lian Nichang whispered.
"Peak Stage," Chi Leiyang continued with a calm voice. "Lightning Panther Beast holder."
Xue Jianhong stepped forward next.
"I am Xue Jianhong from Xue Clan." He lazily pointed his thumb toward himself. "Ice Bear holder, and Spirit Beast Realm — Peak Stage."
Huo Ren swallowed hard, seeing the two Spirit Beast Realm Peak Stage cultivators. His eyes slowly moved toward the child. "And... Who is he?"
"I am also a member of this group," The child slowly raised his head, his face remaining emotionless.
The child opened his eyes completely for the first time. Huo Ren felt as if an invisible mountain had suddenly descended upon his shoulders. It was neither beast essence nor killing intent that appeared around the child that caused this, his gaze alone carried a terrifying pressure. The child stared at them for another breath.
"We are investigators from the Detective Faction of the Qinglin Continent," the child elucidated, a faint smirk appearing on his face.
"Huh?" Huo Ren gasped, his face frowning.
Lian Nichang took two steps backward.
"Now..." Chi Leiyang continued, calmly placing his bamboo hat back upon his head. "Can we talk without accusing us of being demonic cultivators?"
Huo Ren didn’t answer.
"The Detective Faction..." Lian Nichang muttered, looking between the three strangers. "You came here because of Gu Shiyan?"
"Correct," Chi Leiyang replied, nodding his head slightly.
"Why?"
"Because we got information that someone used a forbidden demonic cultivation method in Green Hollow City." Chi Leiyang’s expression became serious. "Such incidents are not ordinary disputes anymore."
"Demonic cultivators rarely invent methods by themselves," Xue Jianhong spoke, crossing his arms.
"What does that mean?" Huo Ren frowned, his face filled with confusion.
"It means someone taught him," Xue Jianhong boasted confidently.
Lian Nichang’s face became solemn.
"We received a report about a young cultivator whose aperture released corrupted essence mixed with blood aura," Chi Leiyang continued, explaining the report they received. His visible eye sharpened. "Tell us everything."
Huo Ren and Lian Nichang exchanged glances. After a moment, Lian Nichang slowly nodded.
"It happened during the Grand Academy Competition." Lian Nichang started explaining the things that happened in the competition. "Gu Shiyan fought Lin Yuan."
At the mention of the name, Chi Leiyang’s eye moved slightly. "Lin Yuan?"
"Yes."
Lian Nichang began explaining everything. He spoke about Gu Shiyan’s strange behavior before the battle. His unnatural calmness, the terrifying changes inside his aperture. The moment his Beast Essence began changing, the dark-green aura and the blood-like strands mixed within it. And finally, the shudder of the strange layer surrounding his aperture.
"Blood came from his eyes," Huo Ren added, his face filled with despair. "A lot of it."
"And the dark-green essence?" Chi Leiyang frowned, clicking his tongue.
"It became more violent," Lian Nichang scoffed, his eyes darted over the three investigators. "Even the masters reacted."
"What happened afterward?"
"Gu Shiyan died."
"And Lin Yuan?"
"That lunatic survived," Huo Ren shrugged, his face twitching in anger. "He is the one who killed Gu Shiyan!"
"Killed?" Chi Leiyang muttered, his eyes darted toward the academy. "Your academy had quite strong disciples then! Okok! Who examined Gu Shiyan afterward?"
"We don’t know," Lian Nichang exclaimed, waving his sleeve. "The academy masters handled everything."
Chi Leiyang remained silent for a few moments, his fingers gently tapped the edge of his bamboo hat. "Did Gu Shiyan ever behave strangely before the competition?"
Huo Ren thought for a moment.
"That bastard was always strange," Huo Ren sneered, rubbing his temples. "He is always quiet, calm, and rarely talks with anyone."
"But his fighting style changed," Lian Nichang interrupted, nodding his head."He became crueler."
"How?" Chi Leiyang immediately looked at her. "Is it after a particular time?"
"I don’t know." Lian Nichang grunted.
Chi Leiyang looked toward Xue Jianhong. Something was wrong. The child remained silent throughout the conversation, merely watching Huo Ren and Lian Nichang, then he finally spoke. "Where is the Gu Clan residence?"
Lian Nichang raised his hand and pointed toward the northern district. "Follow this street until you reach the central market. From there, turn north. You’ll see a stone pathway with red-leaf trees on both sides. The Gu Clan residence is at the end of that path."
"Thank you," Chi Leiyang nodded, his face filled with pure calmness.
The three investigators turned around.
"Wait," Lian Nichang suddenly called.
"Yes?" Chi Leiyang glanced over his shoulder.
"Is something dangerous?"
"That is what we came to discover," Chi Leiyang stared at her, a faint smile appearing under the shadow of his bamboo hat.
The three continued walking. Huo Ren watched their backs disappear into the crowded street. After a few seconds, he took a low breath. "That child..."
"I sensed it too..." Lian Nichang nodded slowly. "He was a monster!"
Huo Ren stared silently at the distant figures. For some reason, the two Spirit Beast Realm Peak Stage cultivators hadn’t frightened him nearly as much as the child.
****
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The night darkened as the three investigators entered the northern district of Green Hollow City.
The red-leaf trees withered sluggishly on both sides of the stone road. Chi Leiyang looked ahead.
There is a large residence at the end of the pathway, the tall walls surrounding it. Two stone serpent sculptures stood beside the entrance. Above the massive gates rested a single symbol — 顾 (Gu.)
"Finally," Xue Jianhong smirked, adjusting the wrapped object upon his back.
"Don’t cause any trouble," Chi Leiyang warned, patting on Jianhong’s back.
"I never cause trouble. That is an accusation without evidence."
"You always cause trouble."
"Enough!" The child commanded, walking past both of them. Once again, both men became silent. The three figures approached the Gu Clan residence. "I sense something strange in this residence."
Comments