"What if the attackers aren't actually inside the Dragon Phoenix Hall?" Yun Ming raised a critical question.
"The Dragon Phoenix Hall has people backing it. If they sent people who never appeared in the Dragon Phoenix Hall to carry out the assassination, then there's no way to find the killers within the Dragon Phoenix Hall itself."
As soon as these words were spoken, Yu Guanzhi fell silent. Indeed, this was a real possibility.
"Then according to what you're saying, Yun Ming, wouldn't it mean there's basically no way to determine whether they're the culprits?" Gu Ming asked.
"There is," Yun Ming replied coldly. "Isn't the force behind the Dragon Phoenix Hall some hidden family—the Yun family? Those killers must be hiding within that family."
"As long as we can find their hidden location, we'll be able to find the people who are hiding."
"The Yun family's hidden location?" Yu Guanzhi said. "That would probably be quite difficult to find. Do you have any information about the Yun family?"
Yu Guanzhi knew about the Hundred-Year Life-Extending Pill and had ordered investigations into the Dragon Phoenix Hall and that so-called Yun family.
However, the information they found was very limited. They only knew that these people first appeared in Xingyue City, and their identities were registered at that time.
Before that, they seemed to have no official identity records at all. This was understandable—if people from hidden families all had official identities, they wouldn't really count as "hidden" anymore.
There were no clues at all as to where they came from, making it impossible to track down the Yun family's hidden location.
"Finding that place is simple," Yun Ming said matter-of-factly. "Just make them lead the way. If they refuse, that proves they have a guilty conscience."
If they didn't take the initiative to lead the way, he would force them to do so with strength. In any case, he had to find the Yun family's hidden land and wipe it out.
"Heh, Yun Ming, your words really broaden my horizons," Gu Ming couldn't help but laugh. Then his expression turned cold as he said,
"A family's hidden location is naturally a secret and cannot be disclosed to outsiders."
"If they're unwilling to tell you, that's obviously for safety reasons. How does that turn into 'having a guilty conscience' in your eyes?"
"Elder Gu, don't be angry. This is normal. Slander's logic has always been domineering—whatever they say goes," Qian Gu Dongfeng said in a sarcastic tone.
"Qian Gu Dongfeng, we're discussing serious matters here. Don't stir up trouble," Zang Xin said.
"What Yun Ming says makes sense. This matter is extremely serious. If they truly have nothing to hide, shouldn't they proactively take us there to clear their own suspicions?"
"If they don't dare go, what else could that mean besides a guilty conscience?" Zang Xin continued.
"Heh, now I finally understand why the Tang Sect and Shrek Academy are brother organizations," Qian Gu Dongfeng said with a mocking smile.
"Yun Ming's method is basically no different from directly interrogating them. Either way, it'll completely offend the Dragon Phoenix Hall," Yu Guanzhi said after some thought.
"It does seem somewhat inappropriate," the Federation Speaker also said.
"Then what do we do? Just let the Dragon Phoenix Hall, this major suspect, go?" Guan Yue demanded.
Yu Guanzhi, the Federation Speaker, and the others all fell into silence. This issue truly put them in a dilemma.
The Dragon Phoenix Hall did indeed have enormous suspicion. But without sufficient evidence, if they were to conduct a severe investigation and it turned out to be a misjudgment, wouldn't that mean offending a major power for no reason?
"I think we should wait a bit longer," Gu Ming suggested. "Let the police conduct a careful investigation and gather more clues."
"This incident happened less than a day ago, yet we're already rushing to label the Dragon Phoenix Hall as the prime suspect and preparing to investigate them harshly. That's a bit too hasty."
"Even ordinary cases take days, even dozens of days, to collect evidence."
"For something this big, using just one day—leaving aside the high chance of wrongly accusing them—"
"Even explaining this to the public would be difficult. The people might think we're just brushing things off, casually finding someone to shoulder the blame."
"Starting a conflict with the Dragon Phoenix Hall could also cause massive civilian casualties. If it later turns out they were innocent, the government's image in the public's eyes would completely collapse."
After hearing this, many people nodded after thinking it over.
"What Elder Gu said really makes sense," Qian Gu Dongfeng was the first to respond, still taking the chance to needle Yun Ming and Zang Xin.
"I also think we shouldn't rush this. We should first gather clues. Once the evidence is sufficient, it won't be too late to investigate the Dragon Phoenix Hall thoroughly," the Federation Speaker said after some deliberation.
Yu Guanzhi nodded as well. The majority of the council members agreed with this approach.
"A bunch of idiots," Long Yeyue cursed inwardly, feeling anxious just watching them. The killers were already obvious—what more evidence did they need?
Yun Ming narrowed his eyes, his gaze turning cold as he looked at Gu Ming and Xu Lin. These two had definitely been bought off by the Dragon Phoenix Hall.
Otherwise, why would they go so far to help the Dragon Phoenix Hall clear its name? At such an old age, still acting as someone else's dog—truly pathetic.
"Yun Ming, do you think I shouldn't have said those things? Do you want to kill me?" Gu Ming directly called him out after sensing Yun Ming's killing intent.
As soon as these words were spoken, the conference hall fell silent. Everyone looked at the two of them as the atmosphere grew tense.
"No. I just feel that after Elder Gu broke through his limits, his strength is now on par with mine. I'd like to spar a bit—what do you think, Elder Gu?" Yun Ming said.
Gu Ming stared at Yun Ming for a long while, then shook his head with a smile. "I'm no match for you."
"If I spar with you, one move would probably be enough to shatter these old bones of mine. Forget it, forget it."
He wasn't some hot-blooded young man. Knowing full well the other side wanted to kill him, why would he take the initiative to fight? Was he stupid?
Since the other party backed down, Yun Ming couldn't say much more and sat back down.
"Brother Ming, what do we do next?" Ya Li held Yun Ming's hand, able to feel his anger.
"Tomorrow, we act directly against the Dragon Phoenix Hall," Yun Ming said, his words simple and firm.
The final result of this meeting was only to list the Dragon Phoenix Hall as a suspect. People would be assigned to monitor them, but there would be no open or forceful investigation.
They still needed to gather evidence. If there was no progress after half a year, only then would they carry out a strict investigation of the Dragon Phoenix Hall.
Aside from this, they also discussed the thirty-seven vacant council seats. These seats would be reselected in one month.
After the meeting ended, in Bright Capital, at the Tang Sect headquarters, inside a certain meeting room—
Yun Ming, Ya Li, Long Yeyue from Shrek Academy, along with Zang Xin from the Tang Sect and Guan Yue from the War God Hall—a total of five people—were discussing matters.
"Yun Ming, are you really sure you're going to act against the Dragon Phoenix Hall tomorrow? Not wait a bit longer?" Zang Xin asked.
"There's no need to wait," Yun Ming shook his head. "I'm certain that the perpetrators this time are from the Dragon Phoenix Hall."
"They need evidence. I don't."
"The Dragon Phoenix Hall dared to do this to Shrek Academy—then they must pay the most painful price."
"Tomorrow, I'll have people from the Medical Bureau and the Police Department go to the Dragon Phoenix Hall again to demand the pill formula."
"If they refuse again, we'll directly convict them and enforce it by force."
"When the time comes, I'll need your help," Yun Ming said, looking at Zang Xin and Guan Yue.
(End of Chapter)