No one had expected that the little girl, who only dared to shrink behind Nan Xi and tremble, could let out such a loud voice at this moment.
This was in front of dozens of Elders across the length and breadth of Tianquan Peak.
Xia Xia clenched her fists and, using the greatest effort of her life, shouted once more:
“Master, Master was with me the entire time last night.”
“Oh?”
Elder Cigu let out a light exclamation, and her kind gaze shifted onto Xia Xia’s body.
“Child, is what you are saying the truth?”
“It—It’s true.”
Xia Xia clenched her fists, her fingernails digging deep into her palms.
“Master is a very good person. He scolds me for my poor talent and for my cultivation not keeping up with the schedule; he heartlessly throws me into the snow without giving me clothes to wear; he says many strange things, even though I don’t understand them at all…”
“…”
Everyone fell into silence at this moment.
Although her description of Nan Xi could hardly be called “good,” no one interrupted her.
Every Elder and Disciple present chose to remain silent, waiting for Xia Xia to finish her story.
“But… but…”
Xia Xia bit her teeth together, and her small face, which was flushed red from nervousness, held an unprecedented seriousness.
Finally, she squeezed the words she most wanted to say from between her teeth.
“But Master has never given up on me!”
“He helps me improve my constitution, even though it’s really painful; he teaches me sword techniques, even though I might learn very slowly… Master is really, really a good person!”
After she said the last sentence, Xia Xia seemed to have exhausted all the strength in her body. Her thin, small body stood in place, gasping for breath.
In front of her, Elder Cigu still sat upright in her chair, hands folded in front of her, watching her calmly.
The key to everything seemed to return to Elder Cigu.
Everyone was waiting for her answer, waiting to see how she would respond to this young girl’s bravery.
After a moment, Elder Cigu shared a look with another Elder beside her, then turned her gaze back to Xia Xia, her expression full of kindness.
“Child, do you mean that Peak Master Nan Xi was supervising your cultivation all of last night, is that right?”
“Yes—Yes.”
“Then…”
“Elder Cigu, there is no need to continue making things difficult for a junior, is there?”
Before Elder Cigu could speak further, another voice interrupted her.
Everyone was momentarily stunned and shifted their gaze to the other seated person on the field.
His name was Nan Xi.
Since Xia Xia began her narrative, he had remained calm from start to finish.
Even when a few descriptions that could hardly be called positive were interspersed, Nan Xi made no sign.
His pure black eyes were as still as a lake in early spring, undisturbed by any ripples.
But now, he spoke up—
“It is indeed as Xia Xia said. I was with her all of last night, and I even planned to teach her a new sword technique.”
“A sword technique personally taught by Peak Master Nan Xi? That is truly something to look forward to.”
“There is no need for such flattery,” Nan Xi said indifferently. “If you still do not believe it, you can seek verification from the Supreme Elder — in fact, she was also present last night.”
As soon as the title Supreme Elder was mentioned, a round of whispering immediately broke out in the hall.
Clearly, those four words held significant weight among the Elders of the Tianhe Sect.
This naturally included Elder Cigu.
She let out a dry laugh and leaned forward slightly, speaking to Nan Xi with a somewhat fawning tone.
“Since the Supreme Elder can testify, then this old woman was indeed being offensive. I hope Peak Master Nan Xi can forgive me.”
“Say no more; this is part of your duty.”
Nan Xi waved his hand, seemingly unconcerned.
After that explanation, things seemed to have returned to square one…
The only difference was that Nan Xi seemed to have temporarily “cleared” his suspicion. It seemed they wouldn’t interrogate him again for a while.
Nan Xi let out a secret sigh of relief and pulled Xia Xia, who was becoming increasingly agitated, back behind him.
He lightly patted her small hand, which was tightly clutching his shoulder, and gave her a reassuring look.
However, just then, Elder Cigu, who had just withdrawn her momentum, spoke again, drawing Nan Xi’s attention back.
“Peak Master Nan Xi, what do you think we should do next?”
“Next?”
Nan Xi said casually, “I would hope this culprit takes the initiative to step forward and surrender. If we are the ones to drag them out, the consequences will not be so simple.”
He was joking.
The real culprit was Nan Xi himself; it would be a wonder if he surrendered on the spot.
“Peak Master Nan Xi has quite the spirit.”
Elder Cigu laughed softly and cupped her hands to salute him. Suddenly, her tone shifted, and a deep smile curled at the corners of her mouth.
“However, I have one more method that can help Peak Master Nan Xi find the culprit.”
“Oh? Do tell.”
“Since the incident occurred, I have ordered the entire Tianquan Peak to be sealed off. According to the clues, no suspicious persons entered or left Tianquan Peak last night. Therefore, the culprit is very likely still on Tianquan Peak.”
“Hmm…” Nan Xi nodded slightly, signaling for her to continue.
“Based on that, I immediately arranged for people to go to the second and third floors of the Sword Repository to search for any possible clues… and now, we have new results.”
At the mention of results, everyone present was startled, their hearts leaping into their throats.
This, of course, included Nan Xi.
His palms couldn’t help but tremble as he complained wildly in his mind.
‘No way. How is their criminal investigation work so good? They even brought out clue collection? I didn’t have time to clean up the crime scene last night.’
Fortunately, all of this was hidden by his wide sleeves, and no one noticed his abnormality.
On the other side, Elder Cigu waved her hand lightly. The Elder who had exchanged a look with her earlier stepped forward and respectfully bowed to the two of them.
“This humble one is Feizhen. Greetings to Elder Cigu and Peak Master Nan Xi.”
“Hmm?” Nan Xi furrowed his brows and looked at Elder Cigu in confusion.
Elder Cigu chuckled and introduced him to Nan Xi.
“This is Elder Feizhen. He was the one responsible for going upstairs to collect clues just now. Next, let us have Elder Feizhen tell us what he discovered… Peak Master Nan Xi.”
She enunciated those last four words with particular heaviness, and her tone seemed to carry a hint of ill intent.
Xia Xia was startled, and her grip on Nan Xi’s shoulder tightened.
Although she wasn’t exceptionally bright, even a fool could sense the suspicion in Elder Cigu’s voice at this moment. Especially that Elder Feizhen… if he really spoke up and said something.
If…
Xia Xia’s breathing involuntarily became rapid, and the small hand holding Nan Xi wouldn’t stop shaking.
She was really… a little scared.
But just then, a somewhat thin hand suddenly reached over and took Xia Xia’s trembling hand into its palm. That hand wasn’t large, but it was unexpectedly warm. It held Xia Xia’s hand steadily, as if nothing was scary anymore.
As for the owner of that hand…
Nan Xi cursed inwardly. Comforting Xia Xia was only one part of it. The more troublesome issue at hand was how to face the evidence and clues provided by Elder Feizhen.
He had to think of a way immediately…
The air seemed to fall into a state of tension once more.
Everyone’s breathing slowed as their eyes remained fixed on the Elder named Feizhen, watching as he slowly opened his mouth.
“I—”
“I confess!!!”
Thud!
An unexpected voice suddenly rang out, followed by the heavy sound of someone kneeling.
Nan Xi was startled and quickly looked for the source of the sound.
Not just him—everyone was caught off guard as an Elder from the ranks behind them fell to his knees.
He tremblingly crawled in front of Nan Xi and Elder Cigu, kowtowing repeatedly with loud thuds.
“Lord Nan Xi, Elder Cigu, I… I confess! I was the one who stole the Spirit Swords from the Sword Repository!”
“You!?”
Nan Xi looked at the Elder in disbelief. Through the face already bloodied from kowtowing, he could barely recognize the original fawning appearance.
“How can it be you, Elder Song Er!?”