Protect Our Clan Leader

"Master Ce."

Zuoqiu Deye and Zuoqiu Zhenghua promptly stepped forward and politely saluted him.

"You are too kind~"

The young man in white did not put on airs, but stood up and returned the salute, then allowed the two to enter the pavilion.

This man in white was none other than the Great Heavenly Proud of the Sacred Land, Master XuanMiao, Gong Yang Ce, who Zuoqiu Deye and Zuoqiu Zhenghua had discussed earlier.

After exchanging pleasantries, the two sides each took their seats.

Soon, the attendants from the manor brought an array of season’s delicacies and fragrant wine, and then quietly retreated.

With fine wine and food as the medium, the initially reserved conversation between the two parties naturally blossomed after a few casual exchanges.

Then, it was time to discuss serious matters.

Gong Yang Ce gave a glance to the lady in white dress at his side, and then spoke to the two old ancestors of the Zuo Qiu family, "You may not know the person sitting beside me, but I am sure you have heard her name."

Taking the cue, the lady in white took a step forward, paid her respect to the two old ancestors, and introduced herself, "Honored elders, I am Cao Youqing of Lingyun Sacred Land."

It turned out, she was the same Sky Pride from Sacred Land, Cao Youqing, who had once fallen victim to an unjust accusation, and was punished by the young man in white to retreat and cultivate in the place of thunder punishment.

The decade-plus years spent in seclusion had evidently made a great impact on her.

Now, not only has her strength risen a notch, reaching Level Eight of the Heavenly Human Realm, her aura also has become increasingly congealed and reserved. If she continues to hone her abilities for a few more decades, she is very likely to reach the peak and commence preparations for breaking through to the Purple Abode Realm.

Meanwhile, the air of aloof pride about her seemed to have diminished significantly, making her appear much more poised and stable.

"It’s you?"

Zuoqiu Zhenghua raised his eyebrow, somewhat surprised.

The incident of Zuoqiu Qingyun in past years had been a hot topic, causing the Zuoqiu family to lose much face. Even to this day, when the members of the Zuoqiu family travel to other county towns for business, they are often met with strange gazes from other prominent families.

Even though Zuoqiu Qingyun was not from his line, Zhenghua felt no fondness for Cao Youqing.

Zuoqiu Deye, on the other hand, thought deeper.

Looking at Gong Yang Ce, his eyes expressed a degree of solemnity. "Master Ce, what could be the meaning of this? Could it be that you intend to mediate between the Zuoqiu and Cao families?"

The examples of the Academic Palace stepping in to mediate family disputes might be rare, but they do exist.

"You both have misunderstood." Gong Yang Ce took a sip from his wine cup and said lightly, "I am not here to mediate, but to clear up misunderstandings."

Misunderstanding?

Zuoqiu Zhenghua glanced at his great-grandfather and spoke with hesitation, "Sir, are you saying...?"

"The incident back then was actually not caused by Youqing." Gong Yang Ce explained calmly, "I understand that Youqing was missing during that time and it was indeed difficult for her to prove her innocence. Over the years, I have had someone investigate the incident in detail, and found that things might not be as both families had thought. Xiaoyue."

"Yes, Master."

Standing on the other side of Gong Yang Ce, Xiaoyue responded and then slowly stepped forward, handing Zuoqiu Deye and Zuoqiu Zhenghua a stack of investigation materials.

"According to our investigation, we did not find anyone who clearly saw the person who assassinated Zuoqiu Qingyun that day. The identity of the assailant was determined only based on a handkerchief found at the scene and a trace of thunderous energy. There are many uncertainties in this case."

"Additionally, the youngsters who were present that day arrived a little too conveniently. After our detailed investigation, we can confirm that they appeared in Cloud Reliance Pavilion because they were stirred up by Wang Shihai, a Sky Pride from the Wang family of the Southern Desert, after he learned that Zuoqiu Qingyun was forcing Tian Yan, an Immortal, to meet him privately..."

"We conducted a deep investigation into this matter and discovered, after much difficulty, from a lowly servant of the Southern Desert Wang family, that Wang Shihai had visited Wang Shouzhe, the Family Head of Lord Changning Wang’s clan who is of a different tribe but from the same lineage, on the day in question."

"It was after seeing Wang Shouzhe that Wang Shihai left with a face full of anger...According to our estimations, Wang Shihai most likely got the information from Wang Shouzhe."

"Not long before this, the Immortal Tian Yan had visited Wang Shouzhe."

Taken individually, these incidents might not seem that significant. But when linked together, they paint a clear picture.

Xiaoyue carefully explained each piece of this investigation to the two men, providing evidence and testimonies for each point. The logic of it all was thorough, sound and convincing.

Although there was no concrete proof linking Wang Shouzhe to this, considering that Wang Shouzhe had previously arrived in the Southern Desert with Qian Xuehan, the Family Head of the Qian family from Longzuo, and that Cao Youqing had previously targeted both Qian Xuehan and Lord Changning Wang’s family, the truth was almost self-evident.

"We believe that the death of Zuoqiu Qingyun is most likely tied to the Qian family from Longzuo and Lord Changning Wang’s family." Xiaoyue concluded, "I can guarantee with my life that everything stated in these testimonies is true. If you two don’t trust my words, you can summon the witnesses for questioning."

"That won’t be necessary. Your identity, Master, means you would not need to deceive us over such a trivial matter."

Zuoqiu Deye quickly refused.

Of course, he would not be so foolish as to immediately summon people for questioning.

For one, the information Xiaoyue gave was extremely detailed and logical, with all the details lining up perfectly, making it highly believable.