When Feng Wan"er entered the manor, she saw a strange scene where the outer valley disciples were scattered around in groups of threes and fours. Some of them were standing, some were sitting. There were even some who were sleeping soundly on the ground. The elder who had always placed emphasis on appearance was dressed in messy clothes. They didn"t even fit on his body… His hair was in a complete mess and there was even an outer valley kneeling down without clothes.
“Elder, what is going on?” Feng Wan"er came back with the core disciples. When she saw the scene in front of her, she couldn"t hold back her curiosity.
The Phoenix King Valley Elder turned to look at Feng Wan"er. Even though he was angry in his heart, he couldn"t vent it out on Feng Wan"er. However, when he spoke, there was a tinge of anger in his voice. “How dare you ask me that question… My spirit ring was stolen and everything inside was taken!”
“What?” Feng Wan"er yelled in surprise. Everyone knew the contents of the spirit ring. Now that the elder said that everything was gone, there was no doubt about it.
Feng Wan"er was unwilling to accept the elder"s words. “Elder, are… are you sure? How is everything gone? What about the Green Flame Eagle…”
Before she could complete her sentence, the elder snapped, “That"s right! Everything is gone! Not just the egg, even this old man"s priceless treasures are gone! After so many years, all of my treasures are gone! How many times do you want this old man to say it? Do you think this old man has the time to lie about things like this?”
Feng Wan"er was rubbing salt on the elder"s wounds, but she wasn"t at fault. She wasn"t the one who lost the ring and neither was she supposed to be guarding the ring. She never knew that asking the same question twice would cause the elder to blow up.
The feminine man was great at observing facial expressions and seeing how enraged the elder was, he silently tugged at Feng Wan"er"s sleeve. He hinted for her to keep quiet.
However, Feng Wan"er"s personality was notorious and she struggled free of her senior brother"s grip. “Elder, do you know who did it?”
The elder"s face turned a shade darker every time someone asked a question. At this point, his face was darker than the bottom of a pot. He shook his head and replied, “There are no clues. Someone knocked us out with sleeping incense and the next thing I know, the ring is gone.”
Sleeping incense? Feng Wan"er frowned after hearing the reply. Her mind spun and she thought about the person capable enough to concoct such a powerful medicine to knock the elder out.
At this moment, Feng Wan"er a.s.sumed that the thief was targeting the treasures in the elder"s spirit ring. She never would have imagined that this was Bai Luochu"s first move in her chess game of revenge.
“Why did the Second Prince invite all of you for a feast? He isn"t involved with the various imperial clan affairs and shouldn"t be inviting us.” The Phoenix King Valley Elder suddenly changed the subject to the feast.
“Is Elder suspecting...” As this matter involved the imperial clan, Feng Wan"er didn"t dare to speak carelessly.
The elder remained silent and nodded slowly. Someone who had never been involved with them invited them to a farewell feast. Such a huge incident when all the core disciples were at the feast and anyone who wasn"t mentally challenged would be able to connect the dots.
Feng Wan"er fell into deep thought and recalled the moment when the guard delivered the invitation. “The Second Prince didn"t seem suspicious. The feast was held to improve the relations.h.i.+p between our Phoenix King Valley and the imperial clan. If anyone else other than the Second Prince invited us, there was no way we would let down our guard and attend. He was the best choice as a mediator.”
“Why didn"t he invite anyone else? He didn"t even invite me.” The elder didn"t want to miss out on any details and followed up with his question.
“As for this... I asked the Second Prince during the feast and he said something about our Phoenix King Valley"s stubborn temper. Even if he invited you, you wouldn"t have attended. If he gave you an invitation, he would annoy you.” Even though it was hard on the ears, Bai Luochu felt that she had to convey what Pei Qingfeng said to the elder.
The Phoenix King Valley Elder sneered in response, “Heh, he understands me rather well huh? Let me ask you again, during the feast, did any of you leak the information? Did the Second Prince order his subordinates around in a suspicious manner during the feast?”
Feng Wan"er quickly bowed and spoke with fear and trepidation, “Elder can be at ease. Since the incident where the outer valley disciples leaked the information on the Green Flame Eagle, none of us dared to drink alcohol when outside. We have been using tea as a subst.i.tute all the way so Elder can rest a.s.sured that we didn"t leak anything. As for the Second Prince, his only orders were to serve the dishes and to replenish the tea. He didn"t say anything else to his servants. This disciple feels that the Second Prince had nothing to do with this.”
Feng Wan"er"s statements might have made Pei Qingfeng a smaller suspect, but in the eyes of the Phoenix King Valley Elder, Pei Qingfeng had yet to fully clear up his name. The elder turned to look at Feng Wan"er and couldn"t help but shake his head. He sighed inwardly. This la.s.s is still too inexperienced. No wonder she lost to the la.s.s from the general"s residence. How can there be something so coincidental in this world?
“This matter has yet to end. I will definitely investigate it clearly. As for the thief, I will surely apprehend him, I don"t care about his ident.i.ty. Even if he is a member of the imperial clan, he will pay the price” The Phoenix King Valley Elder swore in front of all the disciples present.
“There isn"t a lot of time left before the departure. All of you will go and rest. When it is time for departure tomorrow, Wan"er will bring you back. Use the main path to get back to the sect. As for me, I"ll remain behind to catch the thief.”