The Legend of the Devil
Ch. 164 - Head of the Jiazhen Clan
The Eternal Ancestral Hall had high ceilings and walls made of beautifully carved natural stone. Inside are several large windows that face out, allowing sunlight to enter and illuminate the entire room.
The atmosphere was calm and quiet, only the sound of wind blowing softly outside the room and sometimes the sound of birds chirping from outside the yard, but inside this hall felt a mysterious aura and seemed to have its own noise that could not be described.
Fenghuang touched some objects that had been dusty. In the room there are several large statues in every corner of the room, symbolizing the founders and elders who have been instrumental in developing the martial arts and policies of the ancestors. On the other hand, there are also several tables and chairs made of fine wood and decorated with beautiful carvings.
But what attracted the most attention was the sword that was attached in the middle of the room. The sword looked very old and unique, with a handle made of fine wood and decorated with exquisite gem diamonds. There were also some symbols engraved on the blade, which might have a special meaning for the elders and founders of the Eternal Ancestral Hall. The sword was a sword that belonged to the 45th Elder.
Even though the 45th elder who possessed it was gone, it was still sharp and looked like new, as if it had spiritual power that kept it the way it was until now. The sword became one of the most precious relics as well as the last relic of the 45th Elder in the Eternal Ancestral Hall.
Xue Zhan, Xiang Yi Bai and Fenghuang were inside the bushes growing near the outer wall of the Eternal Ancestral Hall. They attempted to plan carefully, given that entering the Hall was extremely dangerous and strictly forbidden.
After a while, they finally saw a man come out of the Hall. The man looked very tired and most likely had finished cleaning the room. Xue Zhan beckoned to his friend and they started moving towards the Hall slowly.
After arriving at the door of the Hall, Xue Zhan tried to open the door using the key he had taken from the waist of the man earlier. After several tries, the door finally opened gently and they entered into the Hall secretly.
Xue Zhan recalled how the 45th Elder died in that place, the second where his days turned dark and terrifying.
The last message the 45th Elder had delivered was still lingering in his head.
'Protect what you must protect.'
He had suspected that the 45th Elder might have known that it was the day of his death, but how could this mystery be so complicated that none of the experts from the Empire were able to uncover exactly what kind of weapon had gotten the man killed.
On the other hand Xiang Yi Bai was busy observing the entire room. When he examined the walls of the room decorated with abstract floral paintings, suddenly the man found a peculiarity in one part of the wall. He suspected something was behind the wall, and immediately approached.
The needle looked vague, but Master Xiang Yi Bai knew exactly that it was an extremely deadly poisonous needle.
As he walked closer to the needle, his disciples Xue Zhan and Fenghuang came closer to see it. However, Master Xiang Yi Bai immediately brushed off the rough hand of Xue Zhan who was about to hold the needle.
"Don't touch that needle!" says firmly. "The fragrance is still poisonous even after five years of planting it."
After successfully removing the poisonous needle from the wall, Master Xiang Yi Bai stored it into a small glass bottle carefully. Now they had evidence that could prove that his disciple, Xue Zhan, was not involved in the death of the 45th Elder.
However, they still do not have strong enough evidence to uncover who is behind the murder. They needed to find out about the whereabouts of the poison owner of the Centipede Needle, Yue Linghe.
For a moment the three were silent as there was the sound of foot clattering from outside. Two people passed by while talking in private. Xue Zhan approached towards the window and heard what they were talking about secretly.
"They're checking again?"
"You don't know, the head of the Jiazhen clan is getting bolder. Yesterday he accused our Emperor of killing Red Lightning, Kang Jian. Now he also said that the Emperor had killed his son for engaging in defection five years ago! It is a pity that I admire and respect him. As long as his son was around, he had never been this crazy."
The other man responded with sympathy. "Losing a child can even make a man seem to lose his mind. I heard he wasn't afraid of being put to death for this. If he doesn't apologize immediately ... I don't know anymore, maybe he'll be put to death. All decisions are in the hands of the Nine Councils."
Xue Zhan opened his eyes. He remembered that figure so much. A figure who always wears fire-red clothes made of high-quality silk fabric, with simple but elegant motifs and colors. Jiazhen Wu was a very honorable and charismatic clan head, and it was evident from her calm and respectful attitude.
Although it looked stiff and fierce at first, Jiazhen Wu had a gentle and kind heart. He was highly respected by his clan members and respected by many in the martial world.
Xue Zhan recalled the first time he saw Jiazhen Wu, having been frightened by her sinister face. But behind his stern demeanor, there was a very deep kindness in the heart of the man.
Xue Zhan could not let his only remaining friend's family be put to death like that. His hands were tightly clenched. Suppose he knew where Jiazhen Yan was at this moment, he would definitely tell the man straight away. Yang Xue Zhan knew the 45th Elder's killer.
The loss of her mother alone had already left Jiazhen Yan so badly hit. His friend has helped him in many things one of them in training. He didn't want to let anything bad happen to his father.
Xue Zhan looked back. "I want to meet Mr. Jiazhen. He dared to say that Emperor Ziran was the culprit behind all this, I believe he has investigated for longer and has some secret information."
"You coming?" Xue Zhan was awkward, but Fenghuang and Xiang Yi Bai were also in trouble.
"Then what? Stay here waiting to be whipped?" Fenghuang answered.