CH 73

Fang Ping remained silent for a long while and Su Xiaopei patiently waited for him to speak. 

After what felt like a few hours, Fang Ping raised his head. “We all knew about the antagonism between Jiuling Taoist and the Stronghold Master that had been going on for a long time. When we found out the Stronghold Master was murdered, our first suspect was Jiuling Taoist. So, even if someone did mention the bells to me, it is not something out of the ordinary. If I truly didn’t hear it, I will admit, I was probably mistaken. But it was because there was a constant ringing sound in my head when I saw the Stronghold Master’s body. I was completely frozen in shock. I could only recall what really happened later that day. Maybe I was too confused with everything happening all at once, and a part of me assumed Jiuling Taoist was the murderer, which led me to think the ringing sound in my head was the sound of his bells.”

Ran Feize lifted an eyebrow at him, he was somewhat surprised at his response, given that he clearly looked as if he had thought of something after hearing Su Xiaopei’s words. 

Su Xiaopei merely peered at him calmly, her expression unchanging. She even gave him an understanding nod. 

Fang Ping added, “I know you have your reasons for telling me these stories, Miss. But after giving it deeper thought, if I simply accused anyone of implanting fabricated memories in my head just for suggesting to me their suspicions of Jiuling Taoist, I could be accusing someone innocent. It is not proper for someone merely being outspoken with their suspicions to be falsely accused. How would justice be served?”

Ran Feize wanted to respond that even if he provided a name, it would not be the end of the case. That person would only serve as a lead to further their investigation. But, he glanced at Su Xiaopei, who was as calm and patient as ever, and resisted the urge to speak, remaining silent instead.

Su Xiaopei said, “You have your point, Great Swordsman Fang. We definitely can’t come to a conclusion simply from hearing one’s words. Justice must be served for the deaths of Stronghold Master Fang and Jiuling Taoist, and no one should be wronged during the process.”

Fang Ping lowered his eyes when he thought of Jiuling Taoist, his face full of regret. He defended himself in a low voice, “I did hear the sound of bells ringing. But I did not mean to wrongly accuse Sir Taoist.”

Su Xiaopei nodded. “Great Swordsman Fang, I understand you believe no one implanted a false memory in your head, and that you merely remembered it wrongly. That is entirely possible as well.” She observed a change in Fang Ping’s microexpression, where he almost let out a sigh of relief. She pretended to not notice and continued, “But, this case is difficult to investigate. We still need your help.”

“Of course, Miss.”

“I have a few more questions to ask you, Great Swordsman Fang. I hope to find out more hidden clues regarding this case.”

Fang Ping nodded with a guarded expression. Su Xiaopei then began her questioning. She first enquired about how long had it been since Fang Ping joined the Qisha Stronghold, how he became acquainted with the Stronghold Master, what were his usual duties in the stronghold, and whether he was close to other disciples and members of the stronghold. Later, she proceeded to ask more about the Stronghold Master’s personal affairs, including whether he had married previously and if so, how many times, and how many children did he have. She also asked how many disciples the Stronghold Master had, who were his close friends and enemies. 

These were simple questions for Fang Ping to answer. The more he spoke, the more relaxed he became. Su Xiaopei observed his facial expressions and then asked about other people in the stronghold. She started with the Stronghold Master’s widow, by asking about her personality, how she treated the Stronghold Master when he was still alive, and her attitude towards his disciples, the servants, and her own children. Then, she asked about the other disciples in the stronghold. Without realising it, Su Xiaopei had questioned Fang Ping about almost every single person who joined the stronghold. 

When Su Xiaopei paused, Fang Ping assumed she was not going to continue, so he nodded, intending to suggest they return to the main hall. But, Su Xiaopei suddenly asked, “If we are not able to find out who the true murderer is, Stronghold Master Fang surely wouldn’t blame us, would he, Great Swordsman Fang?” 

Fang Ping stared blankly at Su Xiaopei, then shook his head. Su Xiaopei nodded at him, and that was the end of their conversation. 

On the way back to the main hall, Fang Ping walked far ahead, as if he was in a hurry, whereas Su Xiaopei strolled down the path slowly, with Ran Feize by her side. Ran Feize glanced at their surroundings, there was no one else nearby. So, he asked, “What happened back there?” He couldn’t understand the purpose of the entire exchange between them earlier. 

“He suspects someone, but he refuses to tell me.”

“Why so?”

“I guess it’s because he has his reasons for not exposing the identity of the killer, and he wishes to investigate by himself first. Perhaps, when the time is right, he might just avenge the Stronghold Master himself.”

“You are sure of it?”

“Of course, because I know who his suspect is.”

“Who is it?

Su Xiaopei tilted her head to look at him with a mischievous smirk. Her expression made Ran Feize’s heart skip a beat. 

“Do not tell me. I am sure I can guess who it is too.” 

Su Xiaopei thought his expression was adorable, like a child eager to win in a competition. She grinned, “I’m sure you can guess it right, since you are so intelligent, Warrior.”

Why does she sound like she’s coaxing a child? Ran Feize shot her a sideways glance. “I am definitely as smart as you. We are a good match after all.”

Su Xiaopei let out a rather forced laughter, as he hinted at something romantic between them. 

Bai Yulang who walked in front turned to glower and huff at them. These two adults! They are way too old to be playing guessing games. How childish of them. He thought. 

They both ignored Bai Yulang’s glare. Then, Ran Feize pleaded, “Why not give me some more hints? How did you guess who it is? If I knew the method, I would definitely be able to guess it too.”

“If one feels suspicious of another person, when they speak of that person, you can detect their skepticism through their facial expression, the tone of their speech, and their description of that person. Fang Ping refused to speak about his suspect, so I asked him other ordinary questions, in a way, to understand his microexpressions when he is speaking the truth, and also to make him feel less guarded against my probing. I was able to detect something when he talked about the rest of the people in the stronghold.”

Su Xiaopei added, “I’ll give you another hint. Just as I’ve said, there is a reason he believes he can’t tell us the murderer’s identity and that he thinks he could avenge the Stronghold Master’s death. This is a huge hint, Warrior. If you still can’t figure it out, I can’t help you either.”

“I definitely will. I will tell you my guess before sunset today,” Ran Feize said, his tone full of confidence and glee. He was enjoying this little game with her. “Since Fang Ping likely made his decision, what do you intend to do?”

Su Xiaopei said, “I think he probably is wrong. There’s a mistake in his judgment, and I will prove it to him. He must tell us who it is, as things aren’t as simple as he imagined.”

When she finished speaking, they had already arrived outside the main hall. Ran Feize halted, wanting to ask a few more questions, but Ji Jiawen rushed out the front door and called them as soon as he laid eyes upon them. “Senior, Miss Su,” he spoke grimly, “That Great Swordsman Fu is…is…” He stuttered, unable to find the right words in his mind. After pondering for a moment, he said, “He said Miss Su is strange.”

Su Xiaopei and Ran Feize glanced at each other. Ji Jiawen added, “As Miss Su had been gone for a while, Great Swordsman Fu had tried multiple times to send someone to usher the Great Swordsman Fang back to the main hall as soon as possible. Master did his best to stall him, talking to him about other matters. But as time went by, he suddenly asked Master, how much did he actually know about Miss Su, and began talking about what happened to Miss Su back in the Linglong Formation. Even though Great Swordsman Fang had returned, he hasn’t stopped.”

Anger boiled within Ran Feize. He needed to teach those who dared to speak ill of his dear Miss a lesson. His face darkened, and he marched towards the main hall furiously. Su Xiaopei wasn’t happy to hear what went on in there either, but when she noticed Ran Feize’s expression, she overlooked her own anger and hurriedly stepped forward, tugging on his arm. “Wait, Warrior. Don’t get pissed.”

She paused and corrected herself, “Don’t be mad.” She pulled Ran Feize’s hands close to her, and placed her hands over his.

“It’s okay. It’s okay. Don’t be mad.” She repeated in a coaxing manner, afraid he would really barge in and wreak havoc. “Calm down, we’re not done here yet.”

“Fine,” Sir Warrior answered, and held Su Xiaopei’s hands as he walked into the main hall. 

Bai Yulang patted Ji Jiawen’s shoulder. “Being a tattle tale, I see, young boy.” Ji Jiawen brushed off his hands and went in after Ran Feize and Su Xiaopei. 

No one spoke a word when they entered. The main hall was shrouded in complete silence. Most of the men merely looked at them awkwardly. Fang Ping had already returned to his seat, his brows knitted together. Fu Yan took a glimpse at him before turning to look at Su Xiaopei. 

“Why are you all looking at me like that? Perhaps you all were talking about me?” Su Xiaopei straightforwardly asked. Ji Jiawen, who just crossed over the wooden threshold by the door, swiftly hid behind his eldest shixiong, feeling rather guilty. Bai Yulang squeezed over to his side, and patted his shoulder again. “Do not worry, I will help.” He stood in front of him, blocking him from everyone’s sight, but at the same time, he had also obstructed Ji Jiawen’s line of sight. So, Ji Jiawen shuffled a few steps to the side. 

No one dared to answer Su Xiaopei’s question. They all knew speaking ill of someone behind their backs was a rather unseemly thing to do, more so when the person is a woman. Of course, no one wanted to embarrass themselves by admitting to such an act. 

“Is there something wrong, perhaps?” As she spoke, she focused her gaze on Fu Yan. She wasn’t trying to cause trouble. Instead, she needed to do something to make Fang Ping trust her even more. 

Her question caused everyone to look toward Fu Yan, who let out a dry cough and said, “There are some questions that I would like to ask you, Miss.”

“Please go on.”

Fu Yan’s eyes circled around the hall, before stopping upon Su Xiaopei once again. “Miss, you had worked in Ning’An City previously, then you appeared out of nowhere in the Linglong Formation. You do not possess any martial art skills, nor do you remember how you ended up on that tree. The Tiansi Yinren Formation is infamous for how deadly it is and it surrounded that tree on all sides, not allowing a single living thing to escape. I am genuinely curious as to who has the ability to put you on that tree, Miss. I do not think there is any great swordsman across the entire Wulin who is able to do that. To solve this troubling mystery, I have sought help from a few friends. Coincidentally, a friend of mine found out that there was a case in Ning’An City where someone was said to have killed himself after murdering the female advisor of the local Magistrate’s office. The female advisor’s house was said to be covered in crimson-red blood, and the local Magistrate’s Office had tried to solve the case for months. Her body was not found, so they tried to find clues that indicated she was abducted, but to no avail. Based on whatever clues they had, they could only conclude that she was truly, murdered.”

Fu Yan looked straight into Su Xiaopei’s eyes, his gaze sharp and unwavering. “That female advisor, is apparently you, Miss. How does someone who should have been dead appear in the middle of the Tiansi Yinren Formation? No one was capable enough to bring you in there. You have abnormally short hair, you speak of outlandish things that are unheard of, and you behave strangely, unlike any one of us here. Dare I ask, Miss, who exactly are you? You once said that your hometown is a place far, far away. But, no matter the distance, your hometown would surely have a name. So, where do you come from? How did you come back alive?” His tone was unrelentingly hostile and accusatory.

Su Xiaopei gazed back at Fu Yan. He had asked some really good questions, she thought sarcastically. She was furious, no doubt, about the trouble Fu Yan was trying to stir up in front of everyone. But, she composed herself and responded calmly, “Great Swordsman Fu, since you knew that I am an advisor, then you should be fully aware that my forte is solving crime. I do not possess other capabilities, such as what you have listed earlier, but I am competent in cracking a case. If Great Swordsman Fu is unable to differentiate facts from mere rumours, let me enlighten you. As the saying goes, ‘don’t listen to rumours and hearsay, believe in the truth that exists before your eyes’. What you have heard from others does not matter, as what matters more is whether you have any proof to substantiate such hearsay. If someone left a dying message before they killed themselves, claiming that they have taken my life, do you choose to believe it, or do you trust the living, breathing person that is standing right in front of you now? I don’t know about the Tiansi Yinren Formation nor do I fully understand its dangers. I merely know that when I woke up, I was already stuck on a large tree. That’s the truth. You also mentioned that no one on this land, across the entire world of Wulin, would be able to bring a living human into the formation. Well, about that, I may not understand the world as how you see it through your own eyes, but, as the old saying goes, ‘there are lands beyond the lands we know, and there will always be people that are better than ourselves’. So, don’t jump to conclusions too soon, Great Swordsman Fu, otherwise you might just end up embarrassing yourself. My case is still under investigation by the local government and the Magistrate’s Office in Ning’An City. If you’re greatly interested in the case, I suggest you ask the relevant persons for updates. That way, I believe you will be able to obtain even more information as you are a rather resourceful person. After you do so, do check if there is any proof to substantiate what you learned, before you point your accusatory fingers around in front of a watchful crowd. It is truly impolite and shameful.”

A tall, muscular man who stood near Su Xiaopei stepped forward and hollered, “How dare you speak to Sir like that, demoness!”

Su Xiaopei scoffed. “Demoness? Did you hear that, Great Swordsman Fu? After spending half a day talking about me, you intended for this to happen, didn’t you? You told them that my identity is a mystery, that I’m not just any ordinary person, but someone that possesses unknown, demonic powers, likely to be scheming against everyone. Hence, I’m untrustworthy, isn’t that right?

“You are overthinking this, Miss Su. I just thought that you were beyond ordinary, and coincidentally, a few strange events involving you had happened in the past. The rumours were very interesting, so I became overly curious, that is all. I merely wish to fact-check the rumours with you, Miss, please do not blame me.”

Su Xiaopei sneered. “I’m not a big-hearted person. So, when I visit someone’s house as a guest, I wouldn’t be happy if the master of the house starts criticising and doubting me. Since you have heard rumours about me, why don’t you let me tell you personally whether they are true or false?”

Without waiting for his response, Su Xiaopei turned around to glance at the man who rudely shouted at her. “How should I call this warrior?”

Warrior? Ran Feize thought. “Please call him Great Swordsman instead.”

“Why?” Su Xiaopei looked toward him. 

“I am the only person whom you can call ‘Warrior’. He and I, we are not on the same level, after all. So, just call him by the title ‘Great Swordsman’.” 

The other great swordsmen in the hall gazed at Ran Feize incredulously. How dare he suggest that such a crude man is on par with respectful swordsmen like them! In their eyes, that man is merely a rude, lowly commoner that doesn’t deserve to be properly named. 

Su Xiaopei said, “What’s your name, oh Great Swordsman.”

A few swordsmen rolled their eyes at Su Xiaopei’s choice of address, while the rest glowered at Ran Feize. 

The man looked at her with a blank expression on his face, surprised by the sudden attention. He glimpsed carefully at Fu Yan, before responding to her question, “My surname is Niu.” 

“Great Swordsman Niu doesn’t seem to have a high status within Qisha Stronghold because you don’t have any spectacular achievements, but you still command a little respect due to the number of years you have spent here. You have a family. A wife and children. Your children are young, merely a few years old. I’m sure the stronghold pays you well enough monthly, but you still seem to be in need of money. So, you’re either a gambler or a frequent visitor to the brothels. I think the latter is more probable. Last night, you didn’t return home and stayed the night outside. You lied to your wife that there were some matters back at the stronghold to be dealt with, but you were simply fooling around. You’re too much of a coward to tell your wife the truth, as her family is rather powerful and influential. Am I correct?”

The man stood frozen, his eyes and mouth widened as he stared at Su Xiaopei in shock. The other men in the main hall were both amazed and stunned by what she said. After a while, only the man spoke, “Y-y-you…you are spouting nonsense! Ridiculous!”

“Then it must be true. All of it.” Su Xiaopei’s tone was full of certainty. She calmly sipped on a cup of tea as her throat was starting to feel a little dry.

Fu Yan’s face darkened, whereas Fang Ping curiously asked, “How did you know such things, Miss?”

“A disciple that is allowed in this hall to serve as an aide to all of you, great swordsmen, would definitely hold a certain status within the stronghold. But, as he stood by the side, just like me, this indicates that he does not hold a high position. Great Swordsman Niu is almost a middle-aged man, but he looks like someone who does not hold great responsibilities as his eyes look weary and seem a little disoriented. He does not stand straight as well, clearly a crude man. It’s easy to guess how he was able to reach his current position in the stronghold — nothing else apart from his older age and experience. This is evident as no other disciples here are like him. They are all still young. Besides, the hem of his robe is stained, likely being dirtied by his children who were playing with food. The cloth of his robe seems rather worn out, but the needlework seems recent, suggesting that someone had just mended the tears in his robe. Hence, judging from his age, I guessed that he probably has a family. The other disciples here wore brand-new robes that are properly ironed and adorned with small accessories. The hilt of their swords are spotless, and a beautiful tassel can be seen hanging from most of them, while some have a more luxurious jade tassel. From this, I can assume that the stronghold treats their disciple well by providing sufficient taels. But, out of everyone, why does Great Swordsman Niu seem poor? One can deduce that he had either spent everything he earned by gambling or prostituting. If he gambles, it would affect his spirits greatly and those around him would come to know of it soon. Since he seems as if he is still living his life rather peacefully, I would think the latter guess would be more probable. Also, I mentioned that he didn’t return home last night because he didn’t change his garments. As he has a wife that would meticulously mend his torn clothes, I don’t think such a wife would allow her husband to leave the house in dirty clothes. At this point, we know that Great Swordsman Niu is someone who is crude and impolite, but somehow afraid of his own wife, even if she is gentle and meticulous. He doesn’t even dare to let her know he visits brothels. So, it is highly likely that he is scared of his wife’s family.

Upon listening to her words, everyone was speechless. Su Xiaopei added, “Some of the details were merely a guess. I wasn’t sure that every single detail would be right. But, I could ascertain which of my guesses are correct by observing Great Swordsman Niu’s expression, which, in my eyes, conveyed the absolute truth. As I spoke, he would provide me with a reaction—an expression for me to determine which of my guesses were true. That is how I deduced his background.”

Everyone still remained silent. They were still unhappy with Su Xiaopei for using the title ‘Great Swordsman’ to address disciple Niu. Now that they knew how shameless and indecent he was as a person, it made them feel offended for sharing the same title of address as him. 

Su Xiaopei turned to Fu Yan. “Great Swordsman Fu.”

Fu Yan lowered his eyes, not daring to meet hers anymore. Su Xiaopei fixed her gaze on him and said, “I was granted the position of advisor for a reason and it is exactly because I am competent enough to be one. You shouldn’t look down on me merely because I’m a woman. I am more knowledgeable and intelligent than you think. My competencies are beyond your imagination. You must have heard that I am excellently skillful in solving crime since you are so resourceful. Now then, what is your true motive, Great Swordsman Fu, for accusing me of scheming against all of you?”

Fu Yan responded with his eyes glued to the floor. “You are overthinking the matter, Miss. I was only querying out of my own curiosity. I did not accuse you of anything.”

“If you truly didn’t intend to do so, then I will have to simply conclude that you’re merely naive and oblivious, just as the saying, ‘the frog at the bottom of a well’. You thought I was playing tricks on you all, apart from being strange, possibly possessing demonic powers, when in truth, certain things were just something beyond your own knowledge. Do tell me, if any of you think my earlier deduction wasn’t properly substantiated with facts, or if you believe it simply can’t be done with careful and detailed observation? With the right methods, all of you could do it. What demonic powers? I am merely more insightful and perceptive, able to catch the smallest details that you all weren’t able to notice before. When you all were much younger, learning new, unknown things from your teachers, did you think of them as strange, possibly demonic? Since I am not skilled in martial arts, I suppose I should think that all of you, who are able to easily leap over roofs and vault over walls, are demons then? “

The great swordsmen in the hall looked at each other with baffled expressions, uncertain if they were being indirectly insulted by Su Xiaopei. But, at the same time, they all knew Su Xiaopei had a point. 

Ran Feize stepped forward. “Fortunately, Miss calls me Warrior instead.” He gave the crowd a cheeky grin as if he had helped them resolve a greatly awkward situation by speaking up when no one else dared to. 

Every great swordsman in the hall shot a glare at Ran Feize. 

Su Xiaopei turned to Fang Ping once again. “Great Swordsman Fang, if you wish to solve this case, you can’t catch the culprit merely by guessing who it is. Let me teach you a few tricks.”