Chapter 140: Off to Pay Respects

Near noon, Su He and the Prince of Courage arrived at the Pavilion of Manifested Spirits.

Chen Liu, having just lost his young attendant, still sat dazed, staring blankly at the heart resting inside the crystal box.

Ever since the Prince of Courage had left, he had maintained this exact posture. Within the Pavilion of Manifested Spirits, there was no mourning hall, no ancestral tablets, nothing at all.

No one had even attended to E Hua's funeral arrangements.

Seeing him like this, the Prince of Courage—despite having witnessed countless tragic scenes in his life—could not help but let out a low sigh. "Examiner Chen, please accept my condolences."

Hearing this, Chen Liu jerked his head up abruptly. Only then did he notice that the Prince of Courage had returned at some point, accompanied by a young man.

He hurriedly wiped the corners of his eyes with his sleeve, stood up, and bowed in greeting. "Greetings, Your Highness."

"No need for formalities." The Prince of Courage stepped forward to support Chen Liu personally, then introduced Su He to him. "This is Young Master Baili.

He is also a life-or-death sworn brother of Pavilion Master Yi, the sole witness to this case. Strictly speaking, Young Master Baili is the second witness in this investigation."

Upon hearing the Prince of Courage mention the Little Zhouchuang murder case, Chen Liu instantly set aside his grief and exchanged pleasantries with Su He. "Examiner Chen Liu greets Young Master Baili."

Su He returned the bow and said, "You are too polite, Examiner Chen. Please forgive my abrupt intrusion; I hope I am not unwelcome."

"How could that be? Not at all." Chen Liu returned the bow and looked at the Prince of Courage. "Why has Your Highness returned?"

The Prince of Courage glanced at Su He, raised a hand to gesture for both men to be seated, and said, "I reported the details of the Little Zhouchuang case to my father, and subsequently sent Zhou Yi to invite Young Master Baili to the Ruijin Palace for a brief consultation."

With that, he settled by the table and continued, "Young Master Baili has traveled extensively and exerted himself greatly for this case, yet his temporary lodging was burned down by villains. Reason and duty both dictate that I have an obligation to inform him of this."

Su He cupped his fists in gratitude. "Thank you, Your Highness."

"Ah, there is no need for such formality between us." Pausing, the Prince turned to Chen Liu. "I explained the entire sequence of events to Young Master Baili. Upon hearing them, he was deeply moved by E Hua's loyalty and righteousness, and wished to offer a stick of incense to express his condolences."

Upon hearing this, Chen Liu stood up and bowed deeply to Su He, his face unable to conceal a look of shame. "To think you hold my little attendant in your thoughts—Chen Liu thanks you on his behalf.

However, both disaster and sorrow have overwhelmed us, and I have not yet had time to set up a mourning hall for E Hua. I am afraid I must let you make this trip in vain. I am truly sorry."

Su He hurriedly left his seat to support Chen Liu, preventing him from completing the bow. "It is no trouble at all. Coming here is also a selfish wish of my own.

Although the murders at Little Zhouchuang were not committed by us, they are now inextricably linked to our fates. Failing to secure justice for everyone is a sign of our incompetence, and we have failed the deceased.

If Examiner Chen does not mind, would you guide me to the ruins of the temporary lodging? Baili has no other request, only to offer a stick of incense to the departed and pay tribute to the unyielding spirit of young brother E Hua."

Seeing Su He speak with such earnestness, Chen Liu cast a subtle glance toward the Prince of Courage.

Noticing the Prince give a slight nod, Chen Liu finally relented. "Your words put me and my late attendant to shame. My initial hesitation was merely out of fear of failing to show proper courtesy to you.

Now that Young Master Baili offers such sincere devotion, how could I refuse?"

With that, he led the two men directly to the entrance of the ruined quarters.

Along the way, the entire Pavilion of Manifested Spirits felt desolate and chillingly bleak.

Because of E Hua's departure, Disaster-Spine had hidden away in some unknown corner to lick its wounds in solitude. Chen Liu temporarily had no other capable attendant at hand, so he asked the Prince of Courage and Su He to wait briefly at the entrance while he went to fetch incense, candles, and ritual paper money.

Truth be told, although the Prince of Courage had declared that whatever was needed at the pavilion could simply be requested from Zhou Yi, neither of them was in any frame of mind to care for such matters right now. Consequently, the entrance to the ruined quarters remained a desolate wasteland.

Chen Liu brought a stack of ritual paper money, fiddled with it for a moment, and squatted down to ignite it. He then took a stick of incense, lit it, extinguished the open flame with a wave of his hand, and rose to hand it to Su He.

Su He accepted the incense, bowed sincerely three times, and handed it back to Chen Liu to plant securely in the ground.

When Chen Liu had finished burning the remaining paper money, Su He cupped his fists in farewell. "My wish has been fulfilled, and I shall not linger to disturb you further."

"Young Master is leaving already?" Chen Liu looked in surprise at the Prince of Courage. Was this departure not a bit too hasty? Did he truly come here solely to pay respects?

"It is a source of shame for me," Su He said, lifting his gaze to sweep across the flat expanse of ruins, his tone laden with sorrow. "Though I had no intention of harming these innocents, they met their end because the very object I brought was concealed here.

To look upon this place brings sorrow; how can I bear to linger?"

Hearing him speak thus, the Prince of Courage hastened to smooth things over. "What is Young Master Baili saying? You traveled far and wide to find this object precisely to aid in the swift resolution of this case.

Such an outcome was never your wish. Why torment yourself so? Where would that leave the rest of us?"

"Your Highness, please do not try to comfort me. Things having come to this, Su He has no choice but to make another trip to Little Zhouchuang or investigate the surrounding areas.

Only by doing so can we ensure that the young brother's sacrifice was not in vain, and bring vindication to the wronged souls as soon as possible." With that, he bowed to both men in turn.

Knowing that Su He's mind was made up and refusing to press him further, Chen Liu cupped his fists. "In that case, Young Master, please take care on your journey."

"Examiner Chen is too kind."

Seeing this, the Prince of Courage pondered briefly and said, "Since you are exchanging such polite farewells, I shall accompany you out."

Su He did not refuse, and after the Prince of Courage escorted him out of the Pavilion of Manifested Spirits, the two men parted ways.

Upon sending Su He off, the Prince of Courage turned back and returned to the pavilion, where Chen Liu was already waiting in the parlor.

Before even stepping across the threshold, the Prince asked, "Examiner, what do you make of this man?"

Chen Liu raised his gaze and answered with a question of his own. "Has Your Highness investigated this person?"

"Did the Examiner notice something amiss?" Walking into the hall, the Prince of Courage leisurely returned to his previous seat. He smoothed out the wrinkles on his sleeves before calmly looking back at Chen Liu.

"Not particularly, I merely find this young man rather extraordinary." Chen Liu remained silent for a moment before uttering this lukewarm remark.

"Hah, of course he is extraordinary." The Prince tapped the surface of the table, gesturing for Chen Liu to sit down rather than standing, complaining that his neck grew tired from looking up.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

"Examiner, you are no outsider; why be so formal?" The Prince glanced sideways. "If the Baili Su He of the past was indifferent to everything in the Sea of Illusions, the Baili Su He of today is deliberately involving himself.

However, regardless of his intentions, he currently poses no threat to us. My father also instructed that we should not make an enemy of him, so why not grant him this favor?"

Chen Liu's gaze lifted slightly, as still as if frozen, carrying a profound depth. "Is that the reason Your Highness brought him here?"

"Yes, and no." The Prince of Courage smiled playfully at Chen Liu. "I also wished to ask the Examiner to lend me your discerning eyes, lest I misjudge him."

"Has Your Highness sent someone to investigate?"

"Naturally. Judging by the information we have gathered thus far, Baili Su He is indeed telling the truth, and witnesses have indeed corroborated his duel with Mo Ruyuan.

Although Mo Ruyuan's current whereabouts are unknown, it confirms that at the time of the crime, Baili Su He had a solid alibi."

"Since the matter has been clarified, why must Your Highness ask me to inspect him?" Was this not merely a superfluous gesture?

The Prince of Courage raised his index finger and shook it at Chen Liu. "One matter is one matter. While Baili Su He can prove his own innocence, Yi Qingchen, who traveled alongside him, is difficult to exonerate.

The history between this woman and Baili Su He is more than enough for gossips to write countless volumes of entangled romance.

Given their relationship, how could Baili Su He sit idly by while Yi Qingchen falls into the quagmire? Furthermore, his trust in Yi Qingchen is akin to my trust in the Examiner.

With such deep trust, even if Yi Qingchen is culpable, he will undoubtedly exhaust every effort to clear her name.

For us, this is both good and bad."

"How so?" From his perspective, the advantages should outweigh the disadvantages.

"The advantage is that if Yi Qingchen is truly an innocent passerby, then Baili Su He will undoubtedly be a tremendous asset to us.

Conversely, if she is guilty, he will become an obstacle on our path to the truth."

"Does Your Highness suspect his motives? Do you believe he is approaching us with an agenda?" Immediately, the timing of the delivery of the severed sleeve crossed his mind, followed by the fire in the temporary quarters.

And considering how little time had passed since the incident, Baili Su He had already come to offer memorial rites.

When all these factors were pieced together, calling it a mere coincidence would be stretching credibility too far.

The Prince of Courage neither confirmed nor denied this, simply asking, "Does the Examiner not suspect him?"

Indeed, how could he not suspect? He suspected to the point where all these events naturally aroused deep doubt.

Seeing Chen Liu remain silent, the Prince continued, "That is precisely why I seized the opportunity to grant him a favor, wishing for the Examiner to evaluate him.

If you also believe this person is harmless, we can subsequently focus our attention entirely on Yi Qingchen.

With her involvement, we need not fear failing to solve this case in due time."

Chen Liu sat quietly in his chair, gazing at the heart he had not yet managed to put away. After a long silence, he finally spoke. "I will follow Your Highness's arrangements in all things."

The Prince of Courage nodded, stood up, and bid farewell. "The hour is growing late; I shall also go take a look at the Plum Lodge."

"I shall see Your Highness out."

"No need." Taking a few steps, his gaze suddenly fell upon the crystal box. "When will there be results regarding the fatal fist and palm force?"

"Soon. In three days at most, there will be results." Three days hence, the heart within the crystal box would project the scenes the deceased had experienced before death.

However, ordinary people could not perceive these visions. Only with the aid of his penetrating insight could one glimpse the truth.

This was also constrained by the limits of his current cultivation, which had not yet reached perfection. Therefore, it required nourishment within this specialized crystal box to keep its spiritual essence alive until the appointed time when the final images could be revealed.

"Very well, guard this heart carefully." He wanted to see precisely who would lose their composure over the next three days.

"Understood."

Chen Liu escorted the Prince of Courage out, then immediately scooped the crystal box up into his sleeve. Emerging from the parlor, he intended to find Disaster-Spine to handle E Hua's funeral rites together.

Though the person was gone, a cenotaph still needed to be built so that there would be a place for remembrance in the future.

*Sigh...*

Meanwhile, after parting ways with the Prince of Courage, Su He returned straight to the Gazing Cloud Inn. Passing by the Nine Luminaries Tower, he hesitated for a brief moment. Ultimately, however, he decided against stepping inside.

Little did he know that a young maid had already recorded this entire scene and hurried off to report it to Wangyou.

When Su He returned to the Gazing Cloud Inn, he happened to run into Huaiyin and Shattered Jade, who had been waiting in the lobby for quite some time.

Both of them had heard about the misfortune that befell Yi Qingchen and rushed over to verify the news. Unfortunately, their timing was unfortunate; the innkeeper informed them that Su He was absent, having been invited to the Ruijin Palace by Zhou Yi.

When they asked about Queyunzi and the others, they learned that all three were also out, supposedly having departed the inn shortly after Su He left.

Consequently, the two of them had resorted to a clumsy method, guarding the lobby and waiting patiently.

Catching sight of Su He's return, Huaiyin immediately strode forward and asked anxiously, "What has happened? How did things reach this state?"

Wasn't everything fine before he left? Why had she now been "invited" to the Ruijin Palace?

Shattered Jade watched Huaiyin's anxious, frantic worry for Yi Qingchen, feeling a bitterness she could only keep to herself. Spotting Su He, she asked, "Big Brother Baili, is Sister Yi alright?"

Su He first invited the two to sit down, then proceeded to explain the situation to them piece by piece.

Huaiyin's brow furrowed into tight knots as he listened; this was clearly a set-up. Yet, since the Prince of Courage had intervened, extricating her would be exceedingly difficult.

"Is there no other way?"

Su He replied, "Miss Yi went voluntarily, intending to prove her upright conduct and clear conscience.

If we want the Prince of Courage to escort her back personally, our only option is to find the real culprit ahead of time."

"This... how are we supposed to find them?" Shattered Jade asked weakly.

"I have already asked Senior, Jiren, and Brother Yun to search around the vicinity of Little Zhouchuang. Calculating the time, they should be returning soon."

Just as his voice fell, Queyunzi's voice rang out from the entrance. "Hmm? Everyone is here?"

Almost simultaneously, Yun Xingyu also returned to the Gazing Cloud Inn. "Did the Miraculous Hand find anything?"

"Don't mention it..."