I Reloaded the Save File! [Transmigration] - Chapter 25

The doubts of Mo Xiao and the other two quickly led them to a chance to find the answers. After they finished their tea, they heard that the disciple from the Dao-Seeking Sect was going to conduct an on-site investigation at the Hu family residence that very afternoon.

“Should we go take a look?” Zuo Wuyi asked. “But we didn’t cover our faces yesterday, so will we be recognized by those people?”

Although the three of them had worn night-cloaks the previous night, it was mostly to blend in with the environment’s colors. They had not disguised their appearance in any way, nor had they worn any masks or similar items.

“Let’s go have a look,” Mo Xiao said. “We just need to make sure we don’t get too close.”

As a trio with two Nascent Soul stage cultivators, Mo Xiao believed they could afford to be a bit more confident. After all, the so-called City Lord of this city was merely a Nascent Soul cultivator in closed-door meditation.

Many people were already curious about the Hu family matter, and now the person in charge of the investigation was an inner-sect disciple of the Dao-Seeking Sect. Ordinary cultivators usually held a deep admiration for top-tier sects, and even a glimpse of one from afar could become bragging rights for them in the future.

Mo Xiao and the others arrived relatively late. By the time they reached the Hu family residence, it was surrounded by a large crowd, both inside and out. The Cheng and Wang families had each dispatched guard teams to separate the crowd from the Hu family’s residence, restricting them to watching from the outer layer.

About half an hour later, a dozen fast horses galloped in from a distance. There appeared to be three people leading the group. They only began to pull on their reins right in front of the Hu family’s entrance, then dismounted with a swift, clean flip.

“True Person Yun, this is the Hu family residence. Young Master Hu is currently bedridden, and this place is currently being managed by our two families,” the Cheng Family Patriarch said, bowing slightly to show respect.

The woman called “True Person Yun” looked to be about twenty years old. She gazed up at the Hu family’s dilapidated plaque, a vague sense of foreboding rising in her heart.

On the other side, Mo Xiao and the other two also took this opportunity to clearly see the appearance of this “True Person Yun.” The trio first stared in surprise, then blinked, no one speaking a word.

Why was this True Person Yun none other than Yun He? This was too much of a coincidence, wasn’t it? One evening’s time should not have been enough for them to investigate their identities and then deliberately invite Yun He over, right?

“Third Junior Sister is excellent in every way, except she is too kind-hearted and always likes to help people without expecting anything in return,” it was finally Yun Yu who spoke first. “Since the person who came is Third Junior Sister, then we have no need to keep anything hidden.”

“Does First Senior Sister mean that we should reveal ourselves to Third Senior Sister?” Zuo Wuyi asked.

Yun Yu nodded. “I will go find Third Junior Sister tonight and explain the situation to her.”

“Actually, this may not be a bad thing,” Mo Xiao’s gaze lingered on the guard teams of the Cheng and Wang families. “The spiritual energy in Young Master Hu’s body is chaotic; this could not have been caused by absorbing spiritual power just once or twice.”

“To look at it from another angle, if the Hu family had preyed on many cultivators, the Wang and Cheng families, who have similar strengths, couldn’t possibly have failed to notice anything.” This was a deduction Mo Xiao made purely based on logic. “If there are no surprises, the treasuries of these two families will also contain a fair amount of Star Stones.”

Yun Yu nodded. “Junior Sister is right. We should hold our peace for now and observe the reaction of these two families. If necessary, perhaps we can have Third Junior Sister subtly elicit some information.”

Although Yun He’s cultivation level was not as high as the two family patriarchs, she was backed by the Dao-Seeking Sect, and her experience and knowledge in certain areas were incomparable to ordinary people. After she carefully examined the ruins of the Hu family, she actually found some traces.

“I looked at the traces of the fighting at the scene. Although the person who attacked the Hu family only had a Core Formation stage cultivation, the residual marks suggest that their mastery of the Sword Dao is very high—perhaps even higher than mine,” Yun He said with a serious expression. “Has the Hu family recently provoked any powerful enemies?”

The Cheng Family Patriarch stroked his beard. “The Hu family has always acted brazenly, and they truly have many enemies, including quite a few strong forces.”

“And the Wang Family Patriarch?” Yun He’s gaze fell on the Wang Family Patriarch. Compared to the refined, scholarly demeanor of the Cheng Family Patriarch, the Wang Family Patriarch gave Yun He a bad feeling; being looked at by him for too long felt like being watched by something unclean.

“Me? Oh, I’m not sure if the Hu family has offended anyone. However, the current Hu Family Patriarch and his wife have been traveling outside for three years. Perhaps they provoked a major figure on the road, and the retribution fell upon the Hu family’s Old Patriarch?” the Wang Family Patriarch said. Although he was smiling, it did not change the somewhat gloomy aura around him.

Yun He remained silent, her brow furrowing involuntarily. “I would like to see Young Master Hu. He must have seen the perpetrator, right?”

“True Person Yun, I am truly sorry. Young Master Hu is currently resting due to his mental instability. I’m afraid he cannot see outsiders and cannot provide any information,” the Cheng Family Patriarch said with a look of regret.

“What about the guards or servants then?” Yun He felt that something was amiss. Was she being tricked again?

The Wang Family Patriarch sighed. “The villains last night were truly vicious. Although they appeared to have been spared their lives, none of them survived and have all passed away.”

Yun He’s brows furrowed even tighter. The victim is mentally unstable, and everyone who saw the villain is dead. If that was the case, why did they need to invite her to investigate? Just looking at a pile of ruins, she could only determine the perpetrator’s approximate cultivation level and Sword Dao mastery.

“True Person Yun, after the Hu family incident, many people speculated that our two families were behind it. But both Elder Brother Wang and I were cultivating in our own residences last night; we never left our homes,” the Cheng Family Patriarch stated.

“We do not want to be unjustly saddled with this blame. We implore True Person Yun to come forward and help us clarify the matter,” the Wang Family Patriarch smoothly continued, a rare look of sincerity appearing on his face.

“Do you have anyone to vouch for you being in your residences last night?” Yun He asked.

“The guards and stewards in our residences can all testify for us,” the Cheng Family Patriarch said. “Of course, True Person Yun can also inquire with the cultivators living nearby; they should also be able to prove that we definitely did not leave our residences.”

Yun He nodded. Since the conversation had reached this point, Yun He knew she had been played. It turned out that asking her to help investigate was false; asking her to testify to their innocence was the real objective.

To be able to find her so early in the morning and spread the news, her whereabouts and identity must have been exposed long ago. She had been too careless.

But now the problem was: if what they said was true—assuming they never left their residences—then who exactly raided the Hu family and killed so many of their people?

Or did they invite some powerful helper? Did they deliberately kill the Hu family members last night and then invite her this morning to clear them of suspicion?

However, looking at the traces left at the scene, if the killer really possessed such profound sword techniques, there was no reason for them to be commanded by these two. They were only ordinary Core Formation Mid-stage cultivators and did not look like reliable figures to serve.

Yun He came to the Hu family with the intention of discovering the truth, but when she left, she had not only found no leads but also carried a stomach full of questions.

Because she still harbored suspicion toward the Cheng and Wang families, Yun He did not say anything about them being innocent. When others inquired, she only said that the currently investigated evidence was limited and she would need to wait until Young Master Hu’s condition stabilized before she could continue the investigation.

Yun He’s idea was a good one: she planned to investigate all matters thoroughly and then announce the truth in one go. Until then, she would not take any side nor favor anyone.

However, Yun He underestimated the shamelessness of the Wang and Cheng families, or rather, she didn’t expect them to completely abandon all pretense of propriety. No sooner had she left the Hu family than a rumor spread.

The rumor claimed that True Person Yun of the Dao-Seeking Sect had already clarified part of the truth: the Hu family incident had nothing to do with the Wang or Cheng families, but was due to the Hu Family Patriarch provoking someone he shouldn’t have while traveling outside, thus leading to the tragedy of the previous night.

Yun He was furious, but she couldn’t pinpoint any fault in the two families since there was no evidence to prove that the Wang and Cheng families were the ones who acted behind the scenes. She could only suppress her anger, sulking alone in her room, feeling frustrated.

“Who’s there?” Yun He was feeling agitated, but she maintained her necessary alertness. The moment a sound came from the window, her sword was already in her hand.

“It’s me,” Yun Yu said, pushing the window open, then lightly flipped into the room.

Yun He rubbed her eyes, looking at the person in front of her with disbelief. “F-First Senior Sister, why are you here?”

“Is it because I’ve disgraced the Dao-Seeking Sect, so Master sent you to lecture me?” As she spoke, Yun He’s shoulders slumped. “I’m so stupid; I was tricked by them again.”

Yun Yu gently patted Yun He’s head. “You didn’t do anything wrong in this matter. You just thought people were too kind.” If the two families had dared to trick anyone else, their entire headquarters would have been exposed.

“First Senior Sister, you must have heard about the Hu family matter, right?” Yun He asked.

Yun Yu nodded with a slight hint of guilt. How could she have merely “heard” about it? She had practically experienced it firsthand.

“Although I can’t find evidence of the Wang and Cheng families acting, they must have targeted me early on, intending to use my status to clear their two families of suspicion,” Yun He didn’t like using malice to speculate about others, but that didn’t mean she was a mindless fool.

“Is that so?” Yun Yu said, thinking about the best way to tell her the truth.

“They told me that the Hu family guards and elders involved in the fight have all died, and now the only witness is the Young Master of the Hu family. I want to sneak in and check on his condition,” Yun He said. “First Senior Sister, can you help me create a diversion?”

Yun He’s combat power might be comparable to an ordinary Core Formation Late-stage cultivator, but her stealth abilities were mediocre, and she couldn’t sneak into the Hu family under Core Formation stage surveillance.

“Wait, the guards and elders involved in the fight all died?” Yun Yu immediately caught the key point in the sentence.

“Yes. Everyone who saw the killer, except for Young Master Hu, is dead,” Yun He said. “The perpetrator’s methods were cruel, and I heard very few of the corpses were intact.”

“Impossible. We only dealt with a few people who struck with murderous intent; altogether, we only killed a little over ten people,” Yun Yu immediately denied.

“Hmm?” A large question mark slowly floated above Yun He’s head.

Has First Senior Sister gone mad? What is she talking about?!