Chapter 1379: Unresolved Questions from the Past

Chapter 1379: Chapter 1379: Unresolved Questions from the Past

Pei Yan paid no attention to the other’s ridicule. Although Zhao Yuanhu considerately set out two sets of tableware, Pei Yan showed no intention of inviting Gu Shenghui. He picked up his bowl and, while eating on his own, casually asked, "Was there any other insider information from that issue you and Mu Fanchen—originally Mu Haoran—were involved with back then?"

Hearing this question, the mocking expression on Gu Shenghui’s face gradually disappeared. He opened his mouth, chewing the betel nut again after several seconds. After a while, he slowly asked back, "Was this done by the White Deer Institute? Do you know why they did this back then? Why?"

At Yixue Pavilion, Pei Yan had a conversation with Su Fengchen about that matter from years ago. He hadn’t told anyone until today, when he met Gu Shenghui. Seeing the reaction from Gu Shenghui, Pei Yan swallowed his food, took a sip of water to moisten his throat, and with a helpless smile said, "That’s precisely why I’m asking you."

Saying this, Pei Yan recounted the conversation with Su Fengchen in complete detail to Gu Shenghui. After listening to this, Gu Shenghui fell into contemplation again. After a long while, he spat out the betel nut residue from his mouth and, unable to make sense, shook his head with a bitter smile and said, "I don’t know! Listening to what you said now, indeed, it seems that way. Back then, even with our strength, we were inferior to today’s Jiang Feiyang. Why was such a large sect as the White Deer Institute targeting us?"

"The key point in Mu Fanchen’s betrayal back then was the death of his family. Was there anything suspicious about this?" Pei Yan recalled seeing information about Mu Fanchen: his wife and daughter died tragically under his capabilities’ influence. After this, he vanished, and the Investigation Hall began to pursue him.

"Suspicious? Of course there were suspicions! That was Xie Chujun’s biological sister! Even so, at the time he still bore the grief with the last bit of sanity, out of trust in a friend, we still believed he was framed. But you know the result! We chased him all the way and had the opportunity to confront him alone, but even under such circumstances, he admitted that he did it, without the slightest hesitation or concealment!" Gu Shenghui’s expression was pained; the betrayal of a former friend was his most painful memory. As the one among the three with the weakest talents and abilities, since joining the Investigation Hall, he received support from Xie and Mu on various occasions, through life and death as their backup. As the best man, he attended Mu Fanchen’s wedding and was the godfather to Mu Fanchen’s daughter. In his view, despite occasional risks in their work, they had a prosperous life with a promising future given their talents. But all of this was destroyed by Mu Fanchen’s sudden insane actions. Mu Fanchen’s defection left Xie Chujun, in revenge, in a semi-deranged state for over a decade, while Gu Shenghui bore a heavy psychological burden, continuously proving himself amidst the suspicious eyes within the bureau until he attained his current position.

"Perhaps he indeed killed them, but he was controlled, his consciousness manipulated?" Pei Yan also couldn’t imagine what reason could cause someone to undergo such a dramatic change in temperament and commit such acts.

"Perhaps! I also hope that’s the case, but at the very least, we didn’t see signs of it. The first time we captured him, his emotions were indeed unstable, but his consciousness was clear, speaking and handling matters very methodically. His behavior was the same as usual. If his consciousness really was altered by someone, then that individual must have extraordinarily advanced methods. But this doesn’t make sense! Judging by the outcome, Mu Fanchen now relies on Candle Dragon. If Candle Dragon really had the capability to completely twist and modify a person’s consciousness, then he wouldn’t need the complicated scheme—he could twist our consciousness, and the entire Investigation Hall would be under his control. Isn’t this more significant than making Mu Fanchen defect?" Gu Shenghui voiced his bewilderment.

"Were there any suspicious circumstances about his wife and daughter’s deaths, such as them being controlled or threatened?" Pei Yan nodded in agreement, probing with a different angle.

Faced with this question, Gu Shenghui instinctively reached into his pocket, only realizing after a while that Pei Yan had taken his cigarettes. Witnessing this, Pei Yan pulled a cigarette from the pack and tossed it to Gu Shenghui. After Gu Shenghui placed it in his mouth, Pei Yan flicked his fingers, sending a spark that lit the cigarette. In no mood for playful banter with Pei Yan, Gu Shenghui lowered his head and began recalling the suspicions of the past. Only when his fingers became slightly hot did he come to his senses, discarding the nearly burnt-out cigarette, and sighed deeply, speaking slowly: "The autopsies of Xiaoxuan and Yangyang were completed under my supervision. There was almost no possibility of fraud in this process. If there was, it would mean the other party’s falsification methods exceeded the inspection standards of the time. But truly, if that were the case, we wouldn’t be able to uncover the truth now since their bodies have long been cremated."

Recalling these painful memories, Gu Shenghui’s expression grew sorrowful. Having looked through the files, Pei Yan knew the names just mentioned referred to Mu Fanchen’s wife Xie Chuxuan and daughter Mu Danyang. As he was about to offer a few comforting words, Gu Shenghui wiped his nose, sighed, and continued: "The cause of their death was the brain nerves being highly stimulated, death of brain tissue due to extreme excitement, along with myocardial rupture and several other complications, leading to cardiac arrest. There’s no issue on this point. Moreover, no drug residue relevant to their symptoms was found in their bodies, which aligns with Mu Fanchen’s personal abilities. At the scene, we didn’t discover any traces of a fight, thus basically ruling out the possibility this couple was caught in a battle between Mu Fanchen and intruders."

"Ah! Was there anything suspicious about Mu Fanchen before?" Gu Shenghui leaned back in his chair, shaking his head as he gazed at the ceiling: "At the time, we didn’t notice anything, but looking back, the issue might lie with those four Origin Seeds."

"The four Blood Slaughter realm Origin Seeds retrieved from the Celestial Sword Manor Elders’ disguise. If I remember correctly, you didn’t know they were Origin Seeds back then, only assuming they were some strange natural treasures." Pei Yan recalled Gu Shenghui telling him the story while giving him one of the fruits. It was because of that Origin Seed that Pei Yan absorbed Song Mingyuan’s ability and, through serendipity, became the first Child of Origin to fuse six types of primal energy.

"Indeed! At that time, we not only confiscated four fruits but also obtained a stone-like thing among them. None of us knew what these things were or their use, only that the man disguised as a Celestial Sword Manor Elder consumed it and could devour our companions’ abilities, which sparked intense curiosity. Now we know those four fruits were Blood Slaughter Origin Seeds and that stone was likely a Blood Slaughter Origin Power."