Chapter Seven: Unraveling the Mystery

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PS: This is the second update. Tomorrow, aiming for the New Book Rankings—dear readers, please don’t hesitate to vote, collect, and click!

The sunset was infinitely beautiful, yet dusk approached. Xuechou’s face brimmed with excitement—today, the case would finally be closed. He could not wait until the sun dipped below the horizon to settle the matter of the spiritual practitioner.

At the Cloudside Inn, Mo Bai stretched lazily before finally rising to his feet. He gazed out the window; as expected, a crowd of villagers had gathered below. Smiling softly, he remarked, “This should be dinnertime, yet Xiao Hua managed to summon everyone here. I suppose I’ll have to ask the innkeeper to reward him with a red envelope.” With that, he glided effortlessly from the third-story window. The crowd scattered, leaving an open space for Mo Bai to land.

Xuechou’s eyes widened in fury. “Three days ago, you descended in just the same way, and today you do so again. It seems fate has decreed it so—prepare to face justice.”

Mo Bai smiled. “You’re mistaken. Three days ago, I fell into your trap. But today, I stand apart from it. The one who should face justice is not me, but you.” His words instantly stirred a commotion among the people.

Ma Long stepped out from beside Xuechou, sneering, “You must be at a loss for excuses, to resort instead to slander.”

Mo Bai replied, “Whether it is slander or the pointing out of the true culprit is not for me to decide, but must be proven with solid evidence.”

At that moment, a middle-aged man in a purple Daoist robe approached. The crowd parted respectfully. The man spoke: “Very well. Since you claim to have evidence, let us hear it. Let it not be said that the Yuntian Sect wrongfully accuses others. But if your evidence is lacking, do not blame me for showing no mercy.” It was none other than the formidable Master Shun Qing.

Hearing Shun Qing speak, the crowd fell silent, eager to hear what this spiritual practitioner would say. Mo Bai began, “Three days ago, I was accused of being the lecherous culprit, and the reason for the accusation was simply that I am a spiritual practitioner. So I reasoned the real culprit must also be a practitioner. Usually, such a criminal commits a crime and quickly flees, moving on to the next place. But this culprit acted differently, committing multiple crimes in the same area, which means there must be a reason he could not leave.”

The crowd nodded. Mo Bai continued, “So I deduced that the culprit had a reason to remain. Xuechou fit this criterion, because Ma Long said he was the only practitioner here. Of course, Ma Long would never count someone like Master Shun Qing, whose power is far beyond his reach.”

Xuechou laughed, “And based on Ma Long’s ambiguous words, you accuse me of such vile crimes? Preposterous!” He burst into derisive laughter.

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Mo Bai replied, “Of course it isn’t so simple. Ma Long’s words only helped me focus on you. Then I noticed an exchange of glances between Shun Qing and you. At first, I didn’t understand why Master Shun Qing so readily agreed to give me time to prove my innocence. In reality, he wasn’t giving me time, but you—because you were on the brink of collapse.”

Xuechou was momentarily stunned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

But Shun Qing’s expression changed.

Mo Bai continued, “That evening, I deliberately asked the inn’s servant whether anything unusual had happened in the afternoon. He told me yet another woman had been violated, confirming my suspicions. Later, I asked Dishu about the backgrounds of the victims. Dishu said that, surprisingly, only one—Miss Xiao—was an unmarried maiden; all the others were already wed. This further confirmed my theory.”

Now, not only Xuechou but even Wu Luohua seemed uncertain about Mo Bai’s meaning. Mo Bai chuckled, unhurried, and went on, “By chance, I overheard a conversation between Ma Long and Dishu. It turns out Miss Xiao had also been assaulted. But Miss Xiao actually saw the culprit’s face, which puzzled me. If Master Shun Qing wanted to give me a chance to prove myself, why not take me directly to Miss Xiao for identification? The only explanation is that he didn’t want me to meet her, because Miss Xiao—sometimes lucid, sometimes delirious—might recognize that I was not the perpetrator. So I decided to sneak into her chamber to test my theory. Unexpectedly, the moment she saw me, she screamed.” Mo Bai smiled ruefully at the memory.

Xuechou immediately shouted, “Ha! So you admit it at last!”

Mo Bai laughed, “Admit what? I merely said Miss Xiao screamed. But when I saw her, I understood something: this culprit is unlike other such criminals.”

Ma Long asked, “How so?”

Mo Bai replied, “Such criminals usually target beautiful women. Yet Miss Xiao’s looks are, frankly, unfortunate. So I surmised the culprit was not driven by lust, but by something else. For those unfamiliar with spiritual practitioners, let me explain—there exists a most sinister art, the Technique of Draining Yin to Nourish Yang.” Mo Bai’s gaze shone with insight.

Xuechou involuntarily stepped back a few paces, though the crowd’s attention remained on Mo Bai, so his movement went unnoticed.

Shun Qing said gravely, “Nonsense. The Yuntian Sect is a righteous school, cultivating only the purest spiritual energy. There can be no talk of such evil arts. Your accusation against Xuechou is baseless.”

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Mo Bai replied, “Is any righteous sect immune to corruption? By chance, I know a spiritual master who can easily break through your Locking Array, and he said there was a trace of foul energy within it. This convinced me that you and Xuechou are the masterminds behind these crimes.”

An uproar broke out. Shun Qing laughed loudly, “Now you would drag even me into this? Ridiculous!”

Mo Bai remained composed. “This is no jest, but fact. Not until I visited the magistrate’s pavilion and discovered the leaf of the Gu Nian tree did I finally see the truth—and understand why Miss Xiao was so terrified when she saw me.”

At the mention of the Gu Nian tree, Xuechou trembled and shouted, “Mo, what are you trying to say? If you cannot explain yourself, do not blame my bloodied hands for being merciless!”

Mo Bai steadied his heart and said, “Very well, let me recount the entire matter. In the world of spiritual cultivation, there are countless secret techniques—some of them dangerously deviant. One such is called the Art of Yang Cultivation, a most sinister method which requires collecting the yin essence of women to supplement one’s own yang energy. It rapidly enhances power, transforming spiritual energy in unique ways. Xuechou was practicing this very technique. Yet, lacking sufficient spiritual strength, he could not draw upon the essence of truly pure maidens, so he targeted married women. Thus, the first nine victims were all married. Once he had absorbed the essence of nine women, he needed one of absolute yin to continue his practice—so he set his sights on Miss Xiao. Uncertain whether she was still a pure maiden, he went to the magistrate’s residence, because the magistrate’s son was Miss Xiao’s childhood companion. There, he obtained the answer he sought. Ecstatic, he left, but failed to notice that a Gu Nian leaf had fallen onto his brow. That night, masked, he committed his crime; Miss Xiao and her companion pulled off his mask and saw his face. In a rage, he killed the magistrate’s son with a single blow, then violated Miss Xiao. The day Xuechou visited the magistrate’s home was the very day Miss Xiao was assaulted.”

As he spoke, Mo Bai held up a peculiarly shaped leaf—the leaf of the Gu Nian tree—and addressed the crowd. “Look at this leaf. Does it not resemble the scar at my brow? That day, when Miss Xiao saw me, she screamed that I was the culprit, because in her panic she forgot the man’s face but remembered this distinctive mark—the Gu Nian leaf! Afterward, Xuechou realized this and returned to the pavilion to burn all the Gu Nian leaves. But fate is inescapable; one leaf remained, caught among the incense sticks.”

Mo Bai paused, then continued, “Only then did I understand the glance Shun Qing gave Xuechou. That day, Xuechou was on the verge of breaking through to the second level of the Art of Yang Cultivation. Shun Qing saw that he could no longer endure the pain, so he let me go and helped suppress the turmoil within Xuechou. That is why, later, Miss Murong of the wealthy herbalist’s family became the next victim.”

All eyes turned to Xuechou, whose face was now flushed crimson. Shun Qing said coldly, “All this is mere conjecture—there is not a shred of real evidence.”

Mo Bai smiled, “You want evidence? Here it is!”