Chapter 162 Distorting the Truth

Seeing that Qiao Feng had already been hooked by his words, Zhu Yu continued his deceit with an expressionless composure.

"That killer neither directly seized the opportunity to kill you, nor eliminated those who knew the truth beforehand while ensuring his own safety. Instead, he killed them just a step ahead of you and framed you for the crimes. Isn't that very strange?"

"You mean that person did it on purpose!"

Before Qiao Feng could reply, Azu blurted out the question, and Zhu Yu nodded affirmatively.

Before Zhu Yu could even continue fabricating, Azu entered detective mode.

"Why would that person do such a thing? What is his purpose?" Azu thought for a moment, then said with sudden realization.

"Judging by how things have actually unfolded, the more he does this, the deeper Brother-in-law's hatred for Xuanci grows. By now, it has reached the point where, upon learning the truth, Brother-in-law is ready to disregard everything and march single-handedly upon Shaolin.

From this perspective, the killer's purpose is neither to protect Xuanci nor to frame Brother-in-law. His target is Xuanci! Or perhaps the entire Shaolin!"

Hearing Azu's words, Zhu Yu felt an impulse to applaud and shower her with flowers. Originally running out of ideas, Zhu Yu suddenly found himself inspired with numerous new trains of thought after listening to her analysis.

"Indeed, that is what I think as well. If you truly march upon Shaolin, your deeply loathed enemy is likely not to appear at all, or while you are causing havoc at Shaolin, he will be somewhere else within the temple achieving some unknown purpose of his own.

Regardless of the circumstances, the moment you storm Shaolin, he will definitely not show his face."

"This...... Even so, Shaolin is a place Qiao Feng must visit. Xuanci harmed my biological parents; as a son, how can I not avenge this enmity?"

Seeing Qiao Feng's stubbornness, Azu grew extremely anxious. On the other hand, Aju sat beside Qiao Feng with a gentle smile, having already made up her mind that wherever Qiao Feng went, she would follow.

Hearing Qiao Feng's words, Zhu Yu prepared to try one last time. If it still failed, he would simply let him be. In truth, Zhu Yu merely loathed trouble, but if trouble was destined to arrive, he would accept it with equanimity.

"Qiao Feng, I am not stopping you from seeking revenge on Xuanci, nor do I have the standing to stop you. I will only ask you this: you just said that the killer who murdered your mentor and adoptive parents is your true arch-enemy, and Xuanci only ranks second. Is that true?"

"Of course it is. I, Qiao Feng, have never lied in my life."

Hearing Zhu Yu's question, Qiao Feng answered with unhesitating candor.

"Very well, let me ask you this: when you go to Shaolin Temple to seek revenge on their abbot, do you have any certainty of success? Or rather, can you guarantee you will come back alive?"

"This...... I cannot be sure."

"If you die at Shaolin Temple, what will happen to your true enemy? Will this matter simply be dropped? Or do you intend to leave your vengeance to someone else?

To whom? Aju or Azu? Do you think they are capable of it? Besides, if you truly die, I imagine what they would want to avenge most is not your grievance, but Shaolin Temple."

These words struck deep into the hearts of Aju and Azu. Although they said nothing aloud, the looks they cast at Qiao Feng were filled with agreement.

This conversation left Qiao Feng not only with a troubled heart, but also a chaotic mind. Unable to make a decision at the moment, he deflated with a defeated sigh and muttered to himself, "Sigh, is my lifelong quest for vengeance truly hopeless?"

"Of course not. What you need to do most right now is to exact your primary revenge first, and only then consider whether to seek out Xuanci."

"Yet I have not found the slightest trace of that killer to this day. When will I ever be able to avenge this blood debt?"

"Brother-in-law, why are you so impatient? Other people take a dozen or twenty years to seek revenge, and some spend their entire lives at it. How did it come to this with you after just a few days?"

"Precisely, Brother Qiao, matters of vengeance cannot be rushed."

Following Azu, Aju, having caught a glimpse of hope, also joined in the persuasion.

With matters thus, there was nothing more to be said on Qiao Feng's side. Aju seized the opportunity to change the subject and turned to ask Zhu Yu.

"Young Master, you mentioned earlier that you are returning to the capital. When do you set off?"

"According to the original plan, we should have departed today, but two of my people have yet to return, so I need to wait a few more days."

"I see. Whether we can accompany you is something we cannot answer right now. Might you give us a few more days to consider?"

"That is easily done. Just give me your answer before we depart. Besides, even if you do not travel with us, the capital welcomes you all the same."

"That is wonderful. Thank you, Young Master."

"You are too kind."

Ending the conversation with these remarks, everyone returned to their respective rooms to rest.

While Zhu Yu and the others genuinely rested, Aju's plan was only just beginning.

Aju was both virtuous and clever. Unless absolutely necessary, she never contradicted Qiao Feng in front of outsiders.

Once they returned to their room and were alone, Aju's gentle yet persistent persuasion began.

First, Aju analyzed Zhu Yu's words for Qiao Feng in depth, naturally standing firmly on Zhu Yu's side.

Then, she urged Qiao Feng to first seek out the clues to avenge his adoptive parents before ever setting foot in Shaolin Temple.

Qiao Feng's reply remained the same as it had been in the main hall: with not a single clue to be found anywhere, how could he possibly search?

With a clever turn of her eyes, Aju offered Qiao Feng two ideas, causing him to be overjoyed and urge her to speak quickly.

These two ideas were hardly revolutionary. The first was that the Beggars' Sect, having lost Qiao Feng, had fallen into increasingly dire straits. If he were willing to put in the effort, backed by Zhu Yu's endorsement, reclaiming his position as the leader of the Beggars' Sect would be effortless.

With the combined efforts of the numerous disciples of the Beggars' Sect, finding clues about the killer would surely become much easier.

Upon hearing this, Qiao Feng immediately rejected Aju's first suggestion, making it clear that returning to the Beggars' Sect was out of the question.

Hearing this, Aju smiled faintly, as if she had anticipated the answer, and proceeded to present her second idea.

That was to accompany Zhu Yu to the capital. Once meritorious service was achieved, given the formidable resources of the Jing Dynasty, wouldn't finding a few clues be a simple matter? Even if the killer had meticulously cleaned up and left not the slightest trace behind,

the Six Doors Division still possessed numerous elite investigators and the renowned Four Constables—which of them lacked real capability?

Aju's final words persuaded Qiao Feng. He had already harbored inclinations toward allegiance, and coupled with Aju's persuasive reasoning from a practical standpoint, Qiao Feng instantly made up his mind to return to the capital with Zhu Yu.

Meanwhile, Azu, who had been listening in confusion, finally voiced her question.

"Who on earth is that Zhu Yu? What is his relationship with the Jing Dynasty? And what about the Six Doors Division? Could it be......"

As she spoke, Azu widened her eyes in disbelief, staring at Qiao Feng and Aju, both of whom nodded affirmatively.

"So? Yesterday I tried to assassinate the Emperor? And I almost succeeded?"

Azu spoke with great excitement, completely ignoring the faces of Qiao Feng and Aju, which had darkened like the bottom of a wok.

Meanwhile, before evening fell, Yuhuatian and Hua Wuque returned.

Neither of them had suffered external injuries, but their complexions were listless. Seeing this, Zhu Yu asked in astonishment.

"Is Ding Chunqiu really that formidable? He injured both of you? I don't see any external wounds—were they internal injuries?"

"Reporting to the Emperor, this humble servant and Young Hero Hua did not sustain internal injuries, but we were momentarily negligent and fell victim to Ding Chunqiu's poison."

"How is it? Is it serious? Also, what happened to Ding Chunqiu?"

"Reporting to the Emperor, we are fine; the poison has already been forced out, and a few days of recuperation will suffice. As for Ding Chunqiu, that scoundrel was severely wounded, but during the fight, he accidentally plunged off a cliff. He is surely dead beyond a doubt. However, this servant did not descend to inspect the corpse, and begs the Emperor's forgiveness."

"No matter. Even that wretch Ding Chunqiu cannot be lucky enough to survive a fall like that. Should he somehow still be alive, we will simply kill him again."

"Thank you for your magnanimity, Your Majesty."

"There is no need for flattery now. Just focus on recovering. I plan to set off for the palace in three days. Hua Wuque will return with me. What will you do? Will you accompany us, or head straight to Xixia?"

"This...... time is likely too tight, so this servant dares not presume to escort the Emperor. I trust that with Young Hero Hua's martial prowess, Your Majesty will be entirely safe."

This time Zhu Yu did not press Yuhuatian further, but the schedule was set: they would return to the palace in three days.

What Zhu Yu did not know was that at that very moment on Mount Shaoshi, a team composed entirely of senior monks from the Xuan and Kong generations had been formed and was escorting two masked prisoners toward the capital.