After a while.
The bright moonlight shone upon a deep pool.
"This is the spirit spring?" Bai Ning Bing asked. He had been led by the Bai clan leader as they went through a long secret pathway, and finally arrived here.
"Indeed. This is our clan's restricted area, the location of the spirit spring. You also know this — every clan's foundation is established upon a natural spirit spring, where the primeval stones produced by it will be used to provide for their cultivation. Our Bai clan can only be considered a small-medium scale clan, and only by annexing Gu Yue and Xiong clan as well as possessing at least three springs can we become a large scale clan," Bai clan leader sighed.
"Then clan leader, what did you bring me here for?"
Bai clan leader's face revealed a complex expression, and as he turned around to look at Bai Ning Bing, his expression contained some hesitation, "I had originally never thought of bringing you here. However, the affairs of the world are hard to anticipate. To think, you would end up possessing Northern Dark Ice Soul! Your only chance at living lies within this spring."
"What is in this spring?" Bai Ning Bing asked.
"A great Immortal!" Bai clan leader said with a deep voice.
"Great Immortal?" Bai Ning Bing was flabbergasted.
"Great Immortal is its title. It is a snake Gu left by our Bai clan's first generation ancestor. It likes cleanliness, and its food is the water of spirit spring. It has always been secretly living in the spirit spring," Bai clan leader introduced.
"Before the first generation ancestor passed away, he set up a secret inheritance and left behind this snake Gu as a clue. If you can get the approval of the Great Immortal, it will open the secret inheritance for you. But if you can't receive its approval…." The Bai clan leader stopped his sentence in the middle.
"What happens then?" Bai Ning Bing asked.
Bai clan leader's expression turned grave and he said, "It will kill you!"
At the same time, Gu Yue village.
Inside the room, Tie Ruo Nan kept her recon Gu and nodded with satisfaction, "The environment here is pretty good, it's rather clean."
The 'clean' she mentioned didn't refer to the room's tidiness but to the minimal surveillance.
Of course, it was impossible to claim there was none at all.
Tie Xue Leng was a Rank five master and posed an enormous threat, so some precautions were necessary.
Even so, the Gu Yue clan's defenses and monitoring were modest, set at just the right level. They weren't intrusive enough to cause offense or suspicion.
In fact, their approach seemed almost overly sincere, which was why Tie Ruo Nan described it as 'rather clean.'
Tie Xue Leng slightly nodded, "Ruo Nan, you have followed me for so long and have learned many things. However, some things can only be learned by taking actions and not just by spectating from the sides. Hence, I handed this case to you."
"Father, I will definitely work hard and give my best!"
"Good. Then, let me ask you, what should your next step be?" Tie Xue Leng was deliberately testing her.
Tie Ruo Nan smiled. She turned around and gazed at the moon through the window, "The moon is beautiful tonight. Dad, can I have the pleasure to take you around this Gu Yue village?"
Hearing this, Tie Xue Leng showed a satisfied smile.
When beginning an investigation, it wasn't urgent to learn all the details. The first step was always to study the surroundings.
Father and daughter strolled slowly through the streets. After enduring the worst of the wolf tide, the Gu Yue clan was left in ruins.
Collapsed bamboo houses, bloodstains, and heaps of debris were everywhere. Weak groans of the wounded drifted through the air.
The Tie pair moved silently around the village, saying nothing.
"Fang Yuan, you bastard, fuck off!" Suddenly, a loud roar came from within a courtyard.
The Tie father and daughter stopped walking.
After a long while, the courtyard gate opened and Fang Yuan walked out while rubbing his nose with a vague smile on his face.
"Hello, little brother Fang Yuan." Tie Xue Leng took the initiative to send his greetings.
"Junior pays his respects to lord divine investigator." Fang Yuan constrained his smile and cupped his hands.
"Little brother, we are new here and don't know the place well. Is it possible for little brother to tell us a thing or two?" Tie Xue Leng suddenly asked.
Tie Ruo Nan glanced at her father, but she didn't make any comments.
"Both of you have travelled a great distance and suffered hardships to come and solve the case, the whole village ought to help you. Please follow me." Fang Yuan spoke directly without showing the slightest evil intention, and walked in front.
The spirit spring churned like boiling water.
Suddenly, the water surged up in a massive wave.
At its peak, the spring burst apart, spraying everywhere.
A slender white snake, covered in snowy scales, stepped onto the waves and emerged gracefully.
Its jade-like eyes were cold and detached. Long whiskers hung from its head, drifting like ribbons.
It was the Rank five white form immortal snake Gu!
"I pay respects to Great Immortal!" Bai clan leader emotionally kneeled on the ground, and at the same time anxiously urged, "Bai Ning Bing, why are you not kneeling down?"
"I will never kneel before a Gu!" Bai Ning Bing coldly snorted, his body standing upright and tall.
Though the white form immortal snake Gu radiated a cold, deadly aura, Bai Ning Bing felt no fear. His blue eyes locked onto its gaze.
Time seemed to freeze.
The spirit spring and Bai clan leader faded into the background.
Under the bright moon, the blue-eyed youth and the silver-whiskered snake stared each other down.
After a long moment, the white snake let out a piercing cry and shot forward like a white rainbow, slamming into Bai Ning Bing.
His body shuddered as the light entered his aperture, forming a white snake inside.
It claimed the center of his primeval sea, forcing all other Gu aside with its fierce presence.
"This situation…" Bai clan leader stood up with a puzzled expression, "It doesn't match what the clan's secret records say."
According to the clan's secret records, once recognized, the white form immortal snake Gu would carry the inheritor into the sky to unlock the inheritance.
But now, things were strange.
The snake had entered Bai Ning Bing's aperture on its own and spared his life, which should mean it accepted him. Yet it didn't fly up as expected.
Had the records been wrong all along?
The Bai clan leader couldn't understand it.
Time quietly flew by.
"That more or less sums up everything about Gu Yue village. There is the underground cave, but that is a restricted area of the clan and outsiders aren't allowed entry." Fang Yuan said.
He looked at the bright moon in the sky and continued, "It is getting late, please go and rest, you need to have the energy to investigate tomorrow, right?"
"Hahaha, Elder Fang Yuan is correct. We are really thankful for Elder Fang Yuan's directions, please go and take a rest," Tie Xue Leng said.
"In that case, I will take my leave." Fang Yuan cupped his hands before directly leaving.
Tie Xue Leng looked at Fang Yuan's figure with interest, and only after Fang Yuan turned into a corner, did he take back his gaze.
"Ruo Nan, what do you think of this Fang Yuan?" He suddenly asked.
"I don't like him, my intuition tells me he is covered in shadows." The young girl frowned.
Tie Xue Leng nodded his head, "I know you have the Intuition Gu which strengthens your intuition, but we need definite evidence to solve a case. Just relying on intuition alone won't be convincing. Don't always depend on your intuition, I do not want you to use the intuition Gu to solve this case."
"Yes, father."
Tie Xue Leng said again, "Now, analyze this person Fang Yuan."
"Father, you suspect it is Fang Yuan?" Tie Ruo Nan was stunned, but continued, "He is a very logical and intelligent person, and when he introduced the village to us, every word he said was appropriate and well organised. Gasp!…"
Tie Ruo Nan suddenly drew in a mouthful of cold air.
She frowned, "I didn't notice this earlier, but after you just reminded me, I realised it! This Fang Yuan is too good at speaking. Everything he said is objectively the truth, abandoning his personal feelings. Standing at a bystander's perspective, and describing calmly. Not allowing others to find flaws in his words, thus not able to get additional clues. His words were very…. very…. very clean."
The young girl hesitated, before using the word 'clean'.
Tie Xue Leng nodded, but then shook his head, "He did not abandon his feelings. Everyone has feelings, and even a cold blooded murderer has feelings. He only concealed his personal feelings very well, and was in full control of his emotions. This lad has a demonic nature."
"Demonic nature?" Tie Ruo Nan questioned.
"That's right, think about it. He spoke the truth during the banquet, saying he was frightened and did not dare to enter the battlefield. Tell me, if it was a normal person, would they do that?" Tie Xue Leng asked.
Tie Ruo Nan shook her head, "No, Gu Masters put the clan's honor and their own reputation higher than their own lives. But, that might not be certain, for in history there have also been many people who sacrificed their own reputation, right?"
"That's right, but who were those people?" Tie Xue Leng's gaze was deep.
Tie Ruo Nan considered, before her expression changed, "They were all outstanding individuals!"
"That's correct. Throughout history, those who sacrificed their own reputations only had two aims. One was that they had a greater aim in mind, and compared to their aim, reputation is worth nothing. The other is to preserve themselves, defaming themselves to prevent suspicion."
Tie Ruo Nan's eyes shone, "Father, you are saying?"
"You are thinking too much. I just feel that this young man is very interesting, but too bad he is only a C-grade…" Tie Xue Leng said.