Chapter 155 New clues
"Did they leave any clues? For example, information about the treasure, or their identities?" Ximen Tianyu asked anxiously.
The old man shook his head, his expression solemn. "They acted extremely cautiously, leaving almost no traces. Moreover, they seemed to be very familiar with the terrain of this mountain forest, and moved around without any hindrance, as if they were frequent visitors here. I guess they may have been lurking nearby for a long time, or at least have a deep understanding of this area."
Ximen Tianyu's frown did not relax, but became more serious. He realized that this investigation was far more complicated and dangerous than he had imagined. But he also knew that he could not give up. For the sake of his parents' injustice, he had to get to the bottom of it.
"Thank you for telling me this, old man. Your information is very important to me."
Ximen Tianyu stood up and bowed deeply to the old man to express his gratitude.
The old man waved his hand, a trace of fatigue and helplessness flashed in his eyes: "Child, there is no need to do this. I just hope you can act carefully. Those people are definitely not good people. Moreover, the treasure you mentioned...if it really exists, I am afraid it will cause more trouble."
Ximen Tianyu felt mixed emotions when he heard this. If it was true as the old man said, that his parents were killed because of this legendary treasure, then he would not only avenge his parents, but also find and protect this treasure to prevent it from falling into the hands of evil people.
"Old man, please rest assured that I know what to do. But do you remember any other characteristics of those men in black? For example, the weapons they used, or any special marks?"
Ximen Tianyu didn't want to miss any clue and continued to ask questions.
The old man pondered for a moment, as if recalling those details. He slowly said: "Their weapons... I remember that a few of them held long swords, and the sword light was cold and seemed to be not ordinary. And some others used short knives, and their movements were agile and fierce. As for other special places, I just took a quick glance at it at the time and didn't have any impression."
"You mean, these murderers were armed?"
Ximen Tianyu's eyes flashed with a gleam of light, and he quickly captured the key information in the old man's words. Weapons, especially weapons used to attack and kill cultivators, are equivalent to magic weapons.
Monsters are not good at using magic weapons. Since each of these murderers holds a magic weapon, it means that the murderer who killed his parents is most likely a cultivator, not a monster.
"Yes, not only do they carry weapons, but judging by the way they use them, they are all quite skilled. They are obviously cultivators who have cultivated magical powers."
The old man's answer further confirmed Ximen Tianyu's guess, and an unprecedented chill rose from the bottom of his heart.
If this is the truth, then why did my second uncle tell me that my parents were killed by a monster?
Could it be that Second Uncle was also deceived?
That's not right. The old man just said that in the past few years, several groups of people have come to ask him the same question.
Although the Ximen family is not as powerful as Wangquan Villa, it is considered a top family in the Dao League. If their heir is killed, it is impossible not to find the old man here. Unless someone is deliberately concealing the truth or guiding the direction of the investigation. Ximen Tianyu thought to himself, and an ominous premonition arose spontaneously.
"Old man, besides me, who else has come to ask you about those men in black over the years?" Ximen Tianyu tried his best to make his tone sound calm, but the turmoil in his heart was difficult to conceal.
The old man's eyes flickered slightly when he heard this, as if he was recalling the past visitors. He slowly said, "Over the years, there have indeed been several groups of people who have come. The first group came shortly after your parents disappeared. They claimed to be envoys from the Dao Alliance to investigate the matter. Their attitude was very serious and they asked very detailed questions, but in the end they left without saying anything. Since then, every once in a while, someone would come to ask me about it. Some were disciples of cultivation sects, and some were independent cultivators. As for their specific identities, I don't know."
"The envoy of the Dao League?" Ximen Tianyu was even more suspicious when he heard this. The Dao League was an authoritative organization in the cultivation world, and its envoys usually represented the highest investigation authority and fairness, but why was their investigation so hasty and even ended in vain?
"Old man, do you still remember the specific characteristics of those Taoist Alliance envoys or any special signs?" Ximen Tianyu tried to dig out more information from the old man.
The old man shook his head and sighed, "Those envoys were all wearing the same Taoist robes with the Taoist emblem embroidered on them, which made them look very formal. But I am old and my memory is not very good, so I can't remember what they looked like. It's just their attitude that left a deep impression on me. Although they asked very carefully, I could feel that they didn't seem to believe what I said, or they already had some preset answers in their hearts."
Ximen Tianyu heard this and became more certain of his guess. This seemingly simple road to revenge actually hides a complex web of power struggles and conspiracies.
He took a deep breath, and his eyes became more determined, as if he had made up his mind. "Old man, what you told me today is very important to me. Please take care of yourself. If you need my help in the future, please let me know."
After Ximen Tianyu finished speaking, he bowed to the old man and immediately turned around to leave.
Through the conversation just now, the old man also knew the burden Ximen Tianyu was carrying, so he simply did not try to keep him and let him walk out of his hut.
Walking in the mountains and forests, Ximen Tianyu had a lot of thoughts in his mind. After talking with the old man, he gained two very important pieces of information.
First, the man in black is most likely a cultivator rather than a monster; second, the murder of the parents may be related to a treasure they possessed.
What exactly is this treasure, and where is it now?
Just when Ximen Tianyu was puzzled by these clues, in the Ximen family's mansion, Ximen Tingyu, who had officially taken the position of the head of the family, was sitting at the desk, handling various family affairs.
"Someone, please give me the latest information."
He ordered in a deep voice, with unquestionable authority in his voice.
Soon, a servant dressed in black hurried in, holding several scrolls of secret letters in his hands. He respectfully presented the secret letters and reported in a low voice: "Master, this is some intelligence that the spies have collected recently. Please take a look."
Ximen Tingyu took the secret letters and read them one by one. When he saw one of them, his eyes suddenly froze and his face was full of disbelief...
(End of this chapter)