Gan Family Residence!
Dressed in a green Soul Master casual outfit, the now stunningly beautiful Gan Shuang hurried towards the depths of the Gan family courtyard.
Deep within the courtyard lay a bamboo grove, secluded and tranquil. Directly in front was a large pavilion. The bamboo grove behind the pavilion was extremely dense, pitch black, with shadowy figures moving about.
A middle-aged man and a man in black robes were sitting in the pavilion drinking tea.
"Shuang'er, what's the matter that you're in such a hurry?" the middle-aged man said calmly.
"Father, Xiang Chengxian is back!" Gan Shuang patted her slightly heaving chest.
"What's the big deal? She was bound to return sooner or later. Just hand him over to the Venerable One; it'll be a good opportunity for the Xiang family to reunite."
The middle-aged man was none other than Gan Jing, the current head of the Gan family.
Gan Jing glanced cautiously and respectfully at the man in black robes opposite him.
"Father, Venerable One, Xiang Chengxian brought people with her, one of whom is a Title Douluo," Gan Shuang quickly said.
"What?! A Title Douluo?" Gan Jing exclaimed in surprise, the teapot in his hand trembling and spilling tea.
The black-robed man turned around, his head shrouded in a black hood, his face obscured by black mist.
Gan Shuang quickly lowered his head, not daring to meet his gaze.
"A Title Douluo!" The black-robed man sighed in a deep voice.
"Your Excellency, a Title Douluo's arrival in Soto City at this time is disadvantageous to us. We urge Your Excellency to temporarily return to the Burial Abyss to avoid the storm,"
Gan Jing said, bowing.
"A Title Douluo? Hmph, give me another year, and I won't fear a Title Douluo," the black-robed man slammed his hand on the table and stood up.
"Make the arrangements, we're leaving the city."
As the black-robed man stood up, a group of people emerged from the deep, dark bamboo forest behind him.
They were all shrouded in black mist, and the darkness in the bamboo forest vanished instantly after they appeared.
If Xiang Chengxian were here, he would definitely recognize these people emanating black mist as members of the Xiang family. The one leading them was the patriarch of the Xiang family.
However, Xiang Chengsheng and Xiang Chengwang were missing.
They were like walking corpses, their eyes bloodshot.
They stared at the black-robed man, awaiting his orders.
Soon, under Gan Jing's arrangement, the black-robed man and the Xiang family members mingled with the corpse-carrying procession and left the city through the south gate.
…
Ma Hongjun and his group arrived at the gate; the group of a dozen or so looked like they were attacking the Gan family.
The Bei family was directly opposite the Gan family, and the group split into two teams.
The guards at the gate tried to stop them, but were knocked unconscious by a wave of Poison Douluo's hand.
Both teams stormed into the two houses to investigate.
Judging from the current signs, the destruction of the Xiang family was inextricably linked to these two families, so there was no need for politeness.
Poison Douluo emitted a green light as he sensed the area around the Gan family.
Gan Jing quickly came to greet them.
"What brings you all to my Gan family?"
After a moment, Poison Douluo looked at Ma Hongjun and shook his head,
indicating that he had not sensed anything unusual.
"Clan Chief Gan, excuse us. We've come here with a question for the Gan family.
Three years ago, during the year-end family spirit battle competition in Soto City, a spirit master with the spirit of Tombstone appeared in the teams of the Gan and Bei families.
What is this spirit master's background, where is he now, and what is his relationship with your Gan family?" Ma Hongjun asked bluntly.
"Tombstone spirit?"
Gan Jing was taken aback, seemingly trying to recall.
At this moment, Gan Shuang came over.
"Father, they're talking about Wei Sen."
Gan Jing seemed to suddenly realize something.
"So it's Wei Sen. He's from the Wei family, which is located in the region bordering the Star Luo Empire and the Heaven Dou Empire.
Three years ago, Wei Sen traveled to Soto City, and we invited him to be our ally.
After that, Wei Sen left, and we haven't been in contact with him for years.
However, a year ago, there were rumors that members of the Wei family had disappeared.
Why are you all suddenly looking for Wei Sen?"
Ma Hongjun had been observing Gan Jing's expression.
Gan Jing possessed the cultivation of a Soul Saint, but at this moment, he was completely suppressed by the aura released by Poison Douluo, and he spoke very cautiously.
Gan Jing's answer left Ma Hongjun feeling like he'd punched thin air. Gan Jing couldn't possibly be lying; he could easily find out about Wei Sen and the Wei family with a little inquiry.
Therefore, the Wei family had likely disappeared long ago.
However, disappearance didn't necessarily mean they were unrelated to the Wei family. Gan Jing hadn't lied, but he might also have withheld information.
Wei Sen and the Gan family couldn't have been mere strangers.
Most importantly, the annihilation of the Xiang family was too bizarre and targeted. The sudden outbreak of disease seemed premeditated.
"Clan Chief Gan, what are your thoughts on the Xiang family's fate?"
Ma Hongjun asked instead of answering.
Gan Jing really didn't want to answer Ma Hongjun. This kid, barely out of his teens, was speaking to him, a Soul Saint, with such a superior air, like interrogating a criminal.
Gan Shuang, however, glared at Ma Hongjun with hostility. She vividly remembered how Ma Hongjun had torn her clothes with his spear during their first battle in the Great Soul Arena.
That was a deep humiliation.
Poison Douluo's eyes were coldly fixed on Gan Jing, whose forehead was already beaded with cold sweat. Poison Douluo was putting immense pressure on him.
"We didn't expect what happened to the Xiang family; the epidemic just broke out too suddenly.
Our family has mobilized all its resources to quickly eradicate the plague and restore order to Soto City."
"Clan Chief Gan has truly worked tirelessly. The Gan family has contributed greatly to the fight against the epidemic in Soto City."
"The Gan family's foundation is in Soto City; we share its prosperity and its decline. Of course, we must do our utmost."
While the Gan family was talking, the Bei family had also finished their investigation, finding nothing.
Everything seemed too normal. Both families, just as the Spirit Hall Master had said, were actively cooperating in dealing with the epidemic, acting as good citizens.
The group returned empty-handed to the Fairy Robe Pavilion.
The Fairy Robe Pavilion was already closed, but none of the people there had contracted the disease.
The black energy wasn't abundant; as long as they didn't go out and come into contact with it, most people were safe and sound.
The group began discussing matters. This matter concerned the annihilation of the Xiang family, and it had to be thoroughly investigated. Even if it wasn't about ridding the people of a scourge, at the very least, it needed to put Xiang Chengxian's mind at ease, find the cause, and give the Xiang family's victims an explanation.
Moreover, this black aura was too easily dispersed; if it was truly man-made, its eruption would be a threat to the entire world.
"The more this is the case, the more suspicious it becomes. The Gan and Bei families are too calm.
If the Xiang family's annihilation was truly caused by an uncontrollable plague, logically, both families should be panicked by now. Even if they were to contribute to eradicating the plague, they should at least have a way out for their families. At the very least, the younger generation, such as Gan Shuang and Bei Han, should have been arranged to leave the city.
We entered the city this morning; Senior Dugu demonstrated his Title Douluo strength at the city gates, and now it's noon—enough time for the Gan and Bei families to prepare their response.
From the time we entered until Gan Jing came out to deal with the situation, everything went too smoothly, as if..." They waited for us as if we were waiting.
Gan Jing initially pretended not to remember Wei Sen, but after Gan Shuang reminded him, he remembered everything clearly, even recalling the time of the Wei family's disappearance and specifically mentioning it.
All of this seemed normal, but in this special situation, this normalcy was abnormal.
Their acting skills weren't good enough.
Or rather, some things, once done, will always leave traces.
At least logically, they couldn't clear their names.
Ma Hongjun used the detective novels he had read in his previous life to think about the whole thing using the logic and reasoning methods within them, and the outline became clear.
But the key point was actually the sudden annihilation of Wei Sen and the Xiang family. There was a connection between them, and anyone with even a little knowledge and a little thought could tell that this was deliberate.
"In that case, if the Gan and Bei families are really involved in this matter, then we should go and see what they did during this epidemic; that should reveal some clues," the master added.
"According to the Hall Master of the Spirit Hall, their main responsibility is cleaning up the corpses.
The corpses are transported to the Burial Abyss for disposal, a method suggested by the Gan family.
Perhaps we should make a trip there!"
"This matter should be addressed sooner rather than later; let's set off now."
"Alright!"