CHAPTER 2119: CHAPTER 2117: CLUES

If it really was Fo Lanying who did it, she might be able to find some clues from their conversation. If it wasn’t her, then she could at least be sure.

Bai Ruozhu didn’t want to believe Fo Lanying would do such a thing, but she couldn’t completely trust her either. After all, they didn’t have much of a relationship and hadn’t interacted much. Even if the past grudges were forgotten, they couldn’t become very trusting friends.

Bai Ruozhu walked up the mountain path. She knew Fo Lanying wasn’t easy to find; she could only adopt a hopeful attitude. With so many places on She Mountain, if someone wanted to hide, they could be impossible to find.

Fortunately, she quickly discovered a pile of extinguished campfire. She touched it to test the temperature; it was still warm, which meant it hadn’t been out for long. Fo Lanying was likely hiding nearby, and the fire was used to make her lunch.

Then she found some tracks on the ground and followed them. Sure enough, she saw some caves.

There were more than one cave here, spaced some distance apart. She didn’t know if they were connected inside the mountain.

Bai Ruozhu didn’t plan to search each one or enter someone’s territory recklessly, so she called out from outside, "Fo Lanying, are you there? Come out and talk."

A voice with a hint of evil aura came from behind, "Why suspect me?"

Bai Ruozhu turned her head and found Fo Lanying squatting on a tree not far behind her, like a monkey.

"How do you know everything?" Bai Ruozhu raised an eyebrow. Why would someone hiding in the mountain care about matters in the tribe below?

"It’s been such a ruckus these past few days, with people even coming up the mountain. How could I not know?" Fo Lanying rolled her eyes and jumped down from the tree.

"If I said I didn’t suspect you, it would be too hypocritical. There is some suspicion, but more so I want to ask about the situation here, see if you know any clues." Bai Ruozhu said.

Fo Lanying laughed loudly, "You’re straightforward, much better than those hypocritical people."

Bai Ruozhu laughed as well, "So, do you have any clues to share?"

At this point, she was fairly certain that Fo Lanying wasn’t involved. Otherwise, Fo Lanying wouldn’t be speaking so casually.

Fo Lanying took out a piece of torn fabric from her sleeve and tossed it to Bai Ruozhu, "This seems to have been ripped off someone’s clothing. I found it while hunting on the mountain. I thought it was strange, so I kept it. The next day, people came looking for the missing person."

"Why didn’t you show it to them?"

Fo Lanying sneered, "If I showed it to them, they’d just suspect me. I can’t be bothered with nonsense."

Bai Ruozhu didn’t explain further. Not everyone held a grudge against her; many of the Jiuli people sympathized with her situation.

But these words fell on deaf ears with Fo Lanying, at least for now.

Bai Ruozhu raised the fabric to take a closer look. She couldn’t determine anything from it; there wasn’t any poison, nor was it decayed from time. Judging by the look, it belonged to clothing that was about eighty percent new. It was unclear if it was left behind during the accident or ripped when the person went up the mountain. But with the tribe so busy, who would go up the mountain for no reason?

"Have you discovered anything else?" Bai Ruozhu asked.

Fo Lanying shook her head, "I’m keeping my distance from people down there while hiding on the mountain. Even if people come up, I stay far away. What else could I discover? It seems that not many people have been coming up recently either; they’re too busy down there!"

"Alright, I’ll be off. Be careful here. If you get too bored up there, why not come down?" After saying this, Bai Ruozhu waved her hand to say goodbye.

Fo Lanying snorted, "What would I come down for? You’re the only one who doesn’t think I’m the culprit. Going down there would just make people annoyed."

The second elder did so many terrible things, causing the death of many in the tribe. Even if Fo Lanying had turned against him, even if she also hated the second elder, there would still be tribe members who resented her, as she was his only granddaughter.

Bai Ruozhu sighed and waved her hand again, then turned to descend the mountain.

Fo Lanying vanished in a flash, relocating to another hiding spot.

Bai Ruozhu returned to the tribe and truthfully reported the situation to the elders.

"Although Fo Lanying exudes some evil aura now, her nature remains frank and straightforward. If she really did it, I think she wouldn’t mislead me in a roundabout way. She might even boldly let us know it was her doing." Bai Ruozhu shared her thoughts.

The tenth elder nodded and said, "I also think the Fo family’s girl wouldn’t go to such lengths. If she really wanted revenge, she wouldn’t hide on the mountain. Staying below, sympathetic to her situation, we wouldn’t drive her away, right? Wouldn’t she have a better chance down there?"

The sixth elder disagreed, raising an eyebrow, "By hiding on the mountain, she’s away from us. If something happened, we couldn’t blame her. And even if she was found out, staying on the mountain makes it easier to escape, right?"

In the end, they didn’t reach a conclusion. The fifth elder took the piece of fabric to inquire about it, to see which missing person it might have belonged to.

However, after a lengthy inquiry, the families of the missing said it didn’t belong to their clothing; none of the missing had clothes made from that fabric.

The group realized it might be a new clue. If it wasn’t from the missing, it could belong to someone else, possibly the person they were seeking.

The fifth elder immediately arranged for the Disciplinary Hall’s members to investigate who had recently gone up the mountain and whose clothing showed signs of damage or patches.

They all set out to investigate.

"Sun Xu, let’s go ask over there." A young man said, pulling his companion.

The young man named Sun Xu’s eyes flashed, and he suddenly frowned, "My stomach feels uncomfortable. I’ll head back to use the Clean Room first. You go on ahead; I’ll catch up with you later."

With that, Sun Xu turned to go back home. His mother, seeing him back at this time, asked in surprise, "Isn’t there work at the Disciplinary Hall? Why are you back early?"

Without raising his head, Sun Xu replied, "I’m not feeling well; I’ll go later."

Hearing this, Sun Xu’s mother became worried, "How did you get unwell? Do you need to see a doctor?"

"It’s nothing, just a headache. Don’t bother me!" he replied impatiently, his voice rising. Sun Xu’s mother was taken aback. Her son was usually good-natured and rarely spoke loudly. What happened today?

Was it because the Disciplinary Hall was too busy? Was it his anxiety from not finding the culprit?

Sun Xu’s mother sighed quietly, closing the room door for him, and went back to her tasks.

This time, a dark light flashed in Sun Xu’s eyes. He snorted and went to open his wardrobe to look through his clothes.