Chapter 324: Chapter 279: Disappearance
Linghu Guishan had seen the White-robed Ghost Bodhisattva, and no matter what, Yang Xiao would not leave him alive, let alone the fact that this youngster also told him about the betrayal of an Evil Cultivator hidden in the office. Could such a thing be divulged? Even a fool could see the connection between Lu Youdao and Nalan Shuo.
Because of his injuries, Yang Xiao was quickly sent away and admitted to a hospital for treatment. Xi Menxiu and Zhuge Zhijie were brought over to accompany him, with Zhuge Zhijie also responsible for recording a mission report based on Yang Xiao’s actions, which was part of his job.
After cooperating with the note-taking, the side effects of high-intensity use of the Resentful Eye began to emerge. Lying in the hospital bed, Yang Xiao fell into a deep sleep.
When he woke again, it was already the next afternoon. Xi Menxiu was sleeping like a dead pig in the bed next to his, leaving only Zhuge Zhijie by his side.
"Captain, you’re finally awake!" Zhuge Zhijie sighed in relief, then, as if something occurred to him, quickly took out his phone and sent a message.
"Are you messaging Beibei? How is she?" Beibei had also just used the Resentful Eye, and it seemed that her Resentful Eye was quite peculiar, making it hard to say what side effects might emerge.
"No, it’s the director." Zhuge Zhijie looked up, "The director instructed us to notify him immediately once you wake up, he seems to have something very important to discuss with you."
"The director is looking for me?" A bad premonition suddenly surfaced in Yang Xiao’s mind; he guessed that it might have something to do with Linghu Guishan.
Less than half an hour later, Nalan Shuo arrived. As soon as he entered, he sent Xi Menxiu and Zhuge Zhijie away, then sat at Yang Xiao’s bedside. Now only the two of them were left in the hospital room, and although Nalan Shuo’s expression was calm, it seemed somewhat unfathomable.
Nalan Shuo handed over a file envelope to Yang Xiao. After opening it, inside were two documents, one of which was organized based on Yang Xiao’s verbal account, and the other was an autopsy report with the name of the deceased being Linghu Guishan.
At the end of the autopsy report, Yang Xiao saw the terms for close-range execution-style shooting, along with confirmation that before death, the victim had suffered a heavy blow, his left wrist was dislocated, his right chest ribs had a large area of fractures, he had lost the ability to move, and there were signs of secondary damage to the wound on his leg, suggesting the victim had likely undergone torture for information before dying.
Below that was a passage based on information provided by personnel at the scene. They heard a series of gunshots before they arrived, but after a short interval, they heard another shot, which contradicted the statement provided by Yang Xiao. Based on all of this, it had been determined that Yang Xiao had lied.
"I have been to the scene, and the situation is mostly true. You must have tortured Linghu Guishan for information after taking him down, then upon hearing reinforcements arriving, you shot him to silence him. The gunshot wound on your arm is self-inflicted; that’s the origin of the last gunshot sound." Nalan Shuo’s face was expressionless as he stared at Yang Xiao, "Quite clever of you to know that without a wound, you would be kept here to assist with the investigation."
"Director, I... I am guilty, I indeed killed the man, but I had no choice. If those things he knew were leaked, it would be troublesome," Yang Xiao had anticipated the director’s visit to demand accountability. He knew Nalan Shuo didn’t care about this man’s life or death; he just wanted to ascertain whether Yang Xiao was aware of the matters regarding Lu Youdao; otherwise, it wouldn’t only be Nalan Shuo visiting him today.
"What did you manage to get out of the interrogation?" Nalan Shuo was still calm, but Yang Xiao saw something else in his gaze.
Putting on a cautious demeanor, Yang Xiao lowered his voice: "Linghu Guishan said that there is an Evil Cultivator inside our Rongcheng Defense Office, who had stolen a treasure from the Yu Yuan Sect. Granny Hong was here to find that person. Linghu Guishan was surreptitiously providing intelligence for the Yu Yuan Sect, and they have already discovered some clues."
"So did he tell you who this person is, where to find him?" asked Nalan Shuo.
Yang Xiao frowned bitterly, first shaking his head, then nodding it, "He was not clear on the specifics either, but I know who it is."
"Who?"
Taking a deep breath, Yang Xiao turned his fingertip towards himself, "It’s me."
"You? You are an Evil Cultivator?" For the first time, Nalan Shuo’s face showed ripples as Yang Xiao’s statement completely disrupted his thoughts.
"I’m sorry, Director, for troubling you. There was something I didn’t dare to tell you before. During the last nightmare mission, I obtained the Resentful Eye, but to my knowledge, it turns out to be the treasure of the Yu Yuan Sect. They ambushed me in the Qingfeng Public Office because of it, and I never expected them to come all the way to Rongcheng after me," Yang Xiao performed convincingly with the look of someone on the verge of tears, "But please believe me, Director, even though I obtained the Yu Yuan Sect’s treasure, I am a good person."
After a moment of calm, Nalan Shuo looked at Yang Xiao strangely, "Where is the Resentful Eye you mentioned, bring it out for me to see."
Yang Xiao reached for his backpack, and after his fingers touched the costume, a copper mirror appeared in his hand, which he then handed to Nalan Shuo.
"Director, be careful with it. Within the Yu Yuan Sect, it’s called the Soul-Capturing Mirror, and it’s quite peculiar. It’s said that for many years no one has been able to control it, and those who possessed it have died unnatural deaths. The Yu Yuan Sect values it greatly, otherwise, they wouldn’t have sent a top-tier expert like Granny Hong to assassinate me," Yang Xiao explained nine truths and one lie to Nalan Shuo, his acting reaching a pinnacle in that moment.
"Also, Director, there’s this." Yang Xiao took out a Shadow Engraving Stone from his backpack, "I seized this after killing an Evil Cultivator head in the Qingfeng Public Office. It’s not bound to me, it’s the filthy thing of the Evil Cultivator, I didn’t dare to keep it, I’m turning it over to the organization!"
With these two items, Yang Xiao’s words gained much credibility, and Nalan Shuo didn’t trouble him further, merely taking the Shadow Engraving Stone and returning the Soul-Capturing Mirror to Yang Xiao, "Since you obtained it, you must have a destined connection with this object. A thing as coveted by the Yu Yuan Sect must not be ordinary; it seems you also used this to turn the tables on Granny Hong."
