Can a Scholar Be Called a Villain

Chapter 63: Tang Can’s investigation

Murong Lin stared at the ‘Eight Great Butcher Kings’ before him, or more accurately, the ‘Three Great Butcher Kings’.

Because there were five corpses on the ground.

They were the remaining ‘Five Great Butcher Kings’.

Murong Lin’s expression was dark as he stared at the three of them, “I entrusted each of you with the task of intercepting Sheng Yi and tracking his whereabouts, and yet, you’re telling me that none of you could handle him, even in light of his severe injuries?”

The ‘Eight Great Butcher Kings,’ being Manifestation realm experts at the fourth and fifth layers, possessed formidable power, capable of vanquishing even a ninth layer Manifestation realm expert with ease, especially if they had collaborated. The exhausted Sheng Yi, not even a Manifestation realm expert, would have been no match for their combined might.

How could such five of such formidable warriors meet their demise?

The ‘Three Great Butcher Kings’ exchanged glances, and then one of them stepped forward with a grim expression. “As per your orders, we discreetly trailed the squad dispatched by the sixth princess. Our plan was to intercept Sheng Yi after he had dealt with them, intending to incapacitate him and secure his capture.

Yet, an enigmatic old man unexpectedly emerged from nowhere and came to Sheng Yi’s rescue. Before we could even utter a word, the old man launched an attack on us.

The five of them died at the hands of that mysterious old man.”

Murong Lin’s face contorted with a frown, “Do any of you have any knowledge of the identity of that old man?”

After a brief moment of contemplation, one of them replied, “The man wielded a chain as his weapon, and from his formidable aura, it appeared he was at the Sky Reaching realm. His distinguishing features included a hunched back and a mane of white hair. If our suspicions are accurate, he bears a striking resemblance to ‘Lethal Spectre’ Nie Su, the enigmatic figure from a century and a half ago.”

There were a total of eighteen Sky Reaching realm experts in Yan, encompassing both those who were openly recognized and those who preferred to remain concealed.

Nie Su was one of the mysterious Sky Reaching realm experts.

‘Lethal Spectre’ Nie Su had etched his name into history by wielding his deadly Lethal Chains, becoming the most renowned cultivator of his era, but he had since disappeared.

Murong Lin had never anticipated the reappearance of ‘Lethal Spectre’ Nie Su after such an extended absence of one and a half centuries.

Back then, Nie Su was already approaching the age of around a hundred and forty years, and if he had not managed to break through the bottleneck of the Sky Reaching realm, he would now be nearing the end of his natural lifespan.

After all, Sky Reaching realm experts only had a lifespan of approximately three hundred years.

However, the revelation of Sheng Yi’s connection with ‘Lethal Spectre’ Nie Su caught Murong Lin entirely off guard.

Not only had ‘Lethal Spectre’ Nie Su come to Sheng Yi’s aid, but he had also eliminated five of Murong Lin’s subordinates.

Frustration and anger surged within Murong Lin as he paced back and forth in his chamber, attempting to unravel the perplexing connection between Sheng Yi and ‘Lethal Spectre’ Nie Su. But in the end, he could only powerlessly blame it on Sheng Yi’s protagonist halo.

After all, the concept of protagonist halos carried within it the possibility of such fortuitous events. The notion that an elderly figure, resembling an old grandpa, would emerge to rescue the protagonist in times of peril was not unheard of.

With a heavy sigh, Murong Lin gestured for the ‘Three Great Butcher Kings’ to leave.

He then left his room to find the ‘Flowering Steel Trees’ afterwards, asking them, “Have you managed to stabilise your cultivations?”

The ‘Flowering Steel Trees’ responded, “Master, we have reached the first layer of the Sky Reaching realm. We only lack time to stabilise our cultivation, but we will be able to kill a first layer Sky Reaching realm expert if the two of us cooperated.”

Murong Lin nodded, “Good.”

Yes, the ‘Flowering Steel Trees’ had gone into closed-door cultivation a few days ago, preparing to break through the Sky Reaching realm.

Murong Lin had also given them the spiritual medicine that he had harvested from the herbal field in the remnant.

Murong Lin stood in the courtyard as he stared at the moon, speaking moodily, “I had hoped to deal with Sheng Yi first, but he managed to slip through my grasp. It appears that you, Tang Can, are my only viable option now. I’ve entrusted you with the corpse; it’s time to demonstrate your worth.”

On the other hand, the Tang Can that was dearly missed by Murong Lin was staring at the corpse before him in shock.

Clad in matching dark attire, perfect for stealthy movements in the shadows, Tang Can and Lu Hai Miao meticulously examined the lifeless body within the confines of the morgue.

Lu Hai Miao pinched her nose, her complexion turning slightly purple from the unpleasant air in the morgue. Anxious and impatient, she urged Tang Can, “Hurry up! What’s there to linger on?”

The lifeless form before them belonged to Chamberlain Wan, the valiant servant who had met his fate in the fierce battle at Duke Sheng’s residence. It was he who had initiated the ambush on the duke, sparking the intense conflict with his resounding war cry.

Despite many regarding him as a righteous man who dared to expose the unsavoury ties between the duke and the Blood Spirits, Tang Can remained sceptical of such claims.

As a disciple of the Tang sect in his past life, he had encountered numerous intricate schemes and deceptions.

The true reality lurking beneath the surface was far more dreadful and horrifying than what met the eye.

After the great battle, he sneaked into the morgue that housed chamberlain Wan’s corpse, intending to use the techniques of the Tang sect to inspect the body.

Unfortunately, the corpse was far from intact, clearly damaged during the battle.

But this didn’t affect Tang Can’s inspection.

With a keen eye, Tang Can swiftly observed that the bones of this particular corpse appeared to be merely around thirty years old, significantly younger than the actual age of Chamberlain Wan, who had been forty years old at the time of his demise.

“Perhaps the information we possess about Chamberlain Wan isn’t entirely accurate. He might have concealed his true age.” Lu Hai Miao interjected.

Undeterred by her comment, Tang Can presented another piece of evidence, “Observe the side of Chamberlain Wan’s face carefully; you can distinctly see two layers of human skin covering it.”

Lu Hai Miao stared in shock at the ghastly sight before her. Tang Can had delicately peeled off the skin on the corpse’s face, exposing an underlying layer of human skin. Horrified, she questioned, “What does this mean? Could it be that Chamberlain Wan wasn’t human?”

“Hah, you’re overthinking. It’s obvious that someone went to great lengths to tear off their own skin and replace it with Chamberlain Wan’s face. Moreover, they must have employed some secret technique to alter their bone structure and appearance, effectively assuming the identity of ‘Chamberlain Wan’.”

“Torn off their skin? How savage.” Lu Hai Miao had goosebumps rising all over her body as she imagined the brutal act.

“The methods employed by these individuals are not only cruel to others but even more so to themselves.” Tang Can spoke calmly.

“Who are these people? How many of them had successfully replaced someone like this? And what are they aiming for?” Lu Hai Miao was perplexed.

They were merely scratching the surface of this organization. Despite their efforts, the true motives of the group remained elusive.

Tang Can’s fists tightened, and his eyes burned with intensity. “It appears that the Blood Spirits were deliberately sacrificed by this organization to implicate Duke Sheng, and they might also be the true culprits behind the tragic events in the valley,”

“So, if we manage to unveil the mastermind behind all this, we will have successfully identified our true enemy, right?”

Tang Can nodded, “Yes.”

“Do you have any other clues?” Lu Hai Miao asked.

Now that chamberlain Wan was dead, it was impossible to get any further information from him.

As for the peak Origin realm experts who were replaced like ‘chamberlain Wan’, even if they could capture them alive, it was unlikely that they could force out any information from their mouths.

“If the Blood Spirits were truly sacrificed in an effort to tarnish the duke’s reputation, then perhaps Sheng Yi’s last words hold a crucial clue: Murong Lin, the third prince!”

“It can’t be? The influence of the third prince is the weakest amongst the princes, where would he get the courage to do this?” Lu Hai Miao was full of disbelief.

“It’s precisely because he appears the weakest that he remains unsuspected!

Consider this: three princes perished in that very valley, and with the prime minister, Duke Sheng, now deceased, the entire imperial faction will undergo a significant reshuffling! Murong Lin undoubtedly stands to gain from this turmoil.” Tang Can asserted with conviction.

“Then, what should we do?” Lu Hai Miao was visibly shocked.

“We need to first investigate exactly how many people in the capital were replaced, and when my master arrives, we will divulge to him everything that we’ve discovered.”

“But how can we possibly investigate? Searching through the entire capital one by one seems impossible, doesn’t it?”

Tang Can nodded, pondering deeply. “We will begin by probing the most influential and prominent figures. I will request Uncle Jiang’s assistance in this matter!”

“Alright, who should we start with?”

“The eldest prince, Murong Ding!”

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