Chapter 755 Conspiracy (Part 2)

To elevate Li Shensi, they put in considerable effort, yet he died just two months after assuming office. Doesn’t that make all the work done in vain!

Ge Rusong picked up the secret message from the table beside him, and with a gentle flick, the message floated like a leaf to Lv Zhongtang’s side.

Lv Zhongtang received the message, his eyes gleaming coldly, and read it within moments.

"Rhino Immortal?!" Lv Zhongtang said coldly, "Talk of ghostly fox spirits is pure nonsense."

Ge Rusong said, "Ge Hengtai did not make any assertions in the message, but simply detailed the facts to us. You’ve all read it; what is your opinion on the cause of Li Shensi’s death?"

Sect Elder sitting next to Ge Rusong, named Xu Que, responded, "Talk of ghostly fox spirits is naturally untrustworthy. In my opinion, Li Shensi went mad and fell off the cliff; he must have been affected by a Divine Soul Illusion Technique."

"Divine Soul Illusion Technique?!" Lv Zhongtang’s brow twitched. "Are you suggesting that the person who killed Li Shensi is someone from the sect?"

Zheng Yi’s gaze sharpened, but he said, "It wasn’t the Divine Soul Illusion Technique."

Lv Zhongtang, upon hearing this, looked towards Zheng Yi, sitting diagonally opposite him beside Xu Que, with encouragement in his eyes.

Zheng Yi said, "Based on the description in the message, if it were the Divine Soul Illusion Technique, then both the rhino and Li Shensi would have been subjected to it. Furthermore, considering the description, just Li Shensi being affected would require accomplishment of the Eleventh Layer of the Fetal Concealment Scripture. We are all aware of how grueling the cultivation of the Fetal Concealment Scripture is. Before the Eighth Layer, each layer requires at least three to four years of arduous cultivation. The difficulty increases drastically with each layer beyond the Eighth. To reach the Eleventh Layer of the Fetal Concealment Scripture! We are familiar with how long each of us took to master the Eleventh Layer, aren’t we? If Li Shensi died from the Divine Soul Illusion Technique, unless that old man did it himself."

Everyone present knew that "that old man" referred to Zhu He. They were all aware that this was unlikely, as Zhu He wouldn’t stoop so low as to personally kill a civil servant from the mortal world. Moreover, his whereabouts have been monitored closely, and for the past half month, he has remained on Yunfu Peak.

Zheng Yi’s words were convincingly persuasive, causing a brief silence in the hall.

"I have another secret message." Ge Rusong suddenly took out another document from his sleeve.

"Another message?!" Everyone in the hall was taken aback.

Ge Rusong said, "It’s information about Duan Rong, the direct disciple Zhu He took under his wing half a year ago. This kid moved into Zhu Zhengfu’s manor six days before Li Shensi’s death. According to spies around him, the night before Li Shensi’s death, the kid went out and didn’t return for a whole day and night. When he came back, there were grass fragments on his clothes and hair. The timeline matches, and all details indicate that Li Shensi died at this kid’s hands!"

Ge Rusong’s message circulated among the people in the hall. There was even a portrait inside; although the person in the picture had a beard, his facial features resembled Duan Rong greatly.

When Duan Rong became a disciple at Dragon Fish Hall on Cuiwei Peak, everyone in the hall had seen him.

Xu Que said, "That explains it! I wondered how an old fellow like Zhu He and his disciples, Fan Hongjiao, Wu Shidao, and Lu Geng, could be on Yunfu Peak while Li Shensi ends up dead? It turns out the new recruit did it! However, the method described in the message seems rather peculiar. Duan Rong has only been an inner sect disciple for half a year; he surely couldn’t master the Divine Soul Illusion Technique. So, what method did he use to kill Li Shensi?"

Zheng Yi narrowed his eyes and said, "I think it’s most likely poison!"

"Poison?" Xu Que turned to glance at Zheng Yi and said, "The Poison Dao is a sinister and tricky path. As far as I know, among the elders, few delve into this path. Besides, Zhu He isn’t known for being involved in it, right?"

"Speaking of poison, we should hear Elder Sun’s opinion." Ge Rusong nodded at the elderly man with white beard and hair sitting beside Lv Zhongtang, smiling softly, "Elder Sun has overseen the Medicine Pavilion for many years; his understanding of medicinal and toxic substances far surpasses ours."

Sun Fugai, who had remained silent, replied once Ge Rusong spoke to him, "Li Shensi was a True Qi Realm Fourth Level Martial Artist. Ordinary worldly poisons would be ineffective against him. Unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Unless it’s poison from the Dark Forest. But to transform these toxins into powders that cause madness and keep them preserved requires an intricate refining process. Only the pharmacists in the Medicine Pavilion have that capability, and these people are my subordinates. They would never help Zhu He to concoct poison, I’m certain of that. Besides, Zhu He himself, to my knowledge, has never been one to care about using poison."

The hall fell silent once again.

Duan Rong has only been an inner sect disciple for half a year and is unlikely to wield the Divine Soul Illusion Technique, nor could he refine toxins from the Dark Forest. So, what method did he use to cause Li Shensi’s mysterious death?

Could it possibly be sleight of hand?

Ge Rusong suddenly cleared his throat and said, "Elder Sun, do you know under whose guidance Duan Rong was when he was a registered disciple in the sect?"

Sun Fugai, upon hearing this, looked at Ge Rusong quizzically. He couldn’t understand why Ge Rusong suddenly brought up unrelated matters.

The others were equally puzzled and all turned their attention to Ge Rusong.

Ge Rusong said, "Does Elder Sun remember Shang Xiangyu?"

"Shang Xiangyu?!" Sun Fugai’s eyelids twitched slightly.

Shang Xiangyu was his disciple, so he remembered him well. He had guided him for two years after taking him under his wing. However, Shang Xiangyu was obsessed with the Poison Dao, which led him to neglect cultivation, and he failed twice when trying to advance to the Qi Vortex Realm. Eventually, Sun Fugai gave up on him.

In the eyes of the sect elders, a disciple unable to advance to the Qi Vortex Realm was no different from being worthless.

Interestingly, the kid later disappeared and got involved with the Filthy Blood Sect. When the Judgment and Rectification Department investigated the case, they caused quite a bother for him.

Sun Fugai asked, "So, was Duan Rong following Shang Xiangyu when he was a registered disciple?"

"Exactly!" Ge Rusong said, "The poison that caused Li Shensi’s madness, could it have come from Shang Xiangyu?"

Sun Fugai pondered for a moment and said, "With Shang Xiangyu’s expertise in poison refinement, he could definitely obtain a similar poison, but..."

Ge Rusong continued, "After Shang Xiangyu disappeared, Duan Rong lived alone on that mountain for three years."

"Really?" Sun Fugai said, "Then it’s not surprising that the kid had poison to cause Li Shensi’s madness."

Xu Que chuckled and said, "Elder Ge knows quite a bit about this Duan Rong kid!"

Ge Rusong smiled, "I’m the Chairman of the Ministry of Communication, and intelligence work is what I do. If I’m not diligent, you all would be deaf and blind!"

"Well said!" Xu Que praised.

Zheng Yi said, "Since we have identified Duan Rong as the culprit and inferred his methods, we should hold onto this case. If we can get Duan Rong, we can also draw Zhu He out from behind."

Lv Zhongtang looked approvingly at Zheng Yi, agreeing with his suggestion.

Ge Rusong, however, spoke seriously, "Everyone, do you remember the description in the message? Li Shensi’s body was examined by the forensic doctor from the Ministry of Justice, and there were no traces of poison."

Indeed!

This information from the message briefly crossed the minds of everyone present.

Ge Rusong turned to Sun Fugai and asked, "Elder Sun, is it possible that worldly forensic doctors cannot detect poisons from the Dark Forest?"

Sun Fugai replied, "It’s very likely. With proper handling, ordinary methods would struggle to reveal it. However, an experienced pharmacist could definitely detect it."

Ge Rusong said, "Then, good. Today, we’ll raise this issue in the Elder Hall! We have to hold Duan Rong accountable in this case! At that time, we’ll need Sun Zhanglai to send a capable pharmacist to join us in this matter to ensure it’s settled!"

Sun Fugai said, "That’s easy! You can all rest assured."

Ge Rusong then looked at Lv Zhongtang and said with a hint of respect, "Zhongtang, does this approach seem appropriate to you?"

Lv Zhongtang nodded, "If everyone works together, there’s no fear of failing in this matter!"