Grand Elder Xuan frowned at Grand Elder Li's words and stated his opinion, "Grand Elder, what if this person came there after hearing the commotion but left just before the elders' arrival?"
"As you said earlier, this person must have had a huge background. And for him to kill a mere disciple just to hide his presence seems unnecessary. I don't think someone would be so ruthless as to kill a person without any reason. He could have just given some benefits to Kang Bai, and this matter would have closed down."
Sect Leader Su nodded his head, "This could also be a possibility. Unfortunately, we can never know and only judge this as the worst possible scenario. I will try to see if we can find any clues regarding this person's identity. If we can, that would help us judge whether he's an enemy or a friend of the Heaven Oracle Sect."
"If he's a friend, it may benefit us in the future, but if he's an enemy, we might be facing big trouble soon."
"And as for the case of Kang Bai, we will still do our own investigation. Even though Kang Ximin agreed to Master Qin's verdict, he wasn't satisfied with it. I am pretty sure they must have also noticed the weird change in Master Qin's behaviour. This may make them go against their words."
"Nah," Grand Elder Xuan shook his head, "Kang Clan will need lots of guts to go against Heaven Oracle Sect's verdict. No matter how much-hidden power this clan has, they don't amount to anything in front of a peak power from the Middle Heavens."
Grand Elder Li nodded his head in agreement, "Yes, whatever may be the case, the Kang Clan can only hold a grudge over this matter. They won't dare to do anything rash. At least not for the next few years."
Sect Leader Su once again stared at the direction in which the Kang Clan's people had left and said, "Few years of time is what we currently need. The sect faction will be much more powerful and united by the time the war begins."
Everyone nodded their head and returned back to the sect.
…
Gracious Mountain Range
The Kang Clan entourage was currently heading out of the forest, but most of their faces were gloomy.
They weren't happy with what had happened.
Everyone had thought of many possibilities of how the meeting would go, but contrary to their expectations, it didn't even last for half an hour and the verdict was given.
The Elder who had called Qin Wentian from the Heaven Oracle Sect was the one with the most gloomy expression. He had thought that this Master Qin would reveal the farce that the Gracious Sword Sect was trying to make and tell everyone the truth regarding Kang Bai's death.
Instead, what they got was a result that had no validity, and they had no choice but to swallow it.
After about ten minutes since entering the forest, everyone came to a halt and turned towards Qin Wentian, who then cupped his fists and said, "Elders, I will take my leave from here."
The Kang Clan's people cupped their fists but just as Qin Wentian took the first step, he turned around and said, "Clan Head Kang, today's result may not be to your liking, but it was the truth."
Kang Ximin nodded his head with a sigh as they watched Qin Wentian disappear behind the trees.
After a few moments, Elder Kai said, "That was bullshit! This Master Qin got distracted into something else when we all reached the site. He's clearly trying to hide something."
Kang Ximin lightly closed his eyes and nodded, "But what can we do? Do we have any other choice? This matter, the Kang Clan will remember."
Elder Kai asked, "Why can't we do anything? Let's beat the shit out of this bastard and make him spit the truth! We will just kil-"
"NO!" Kang Ximin suddenly shouted, "No, don't say it! Keep your mouth shut. We can't do anything. At least not yet. We can't hurt Qin Wentian, nor can we do anything to him. The Heaven Oracle Sect is too powerful for us to go against head-on."
"Then we just have to swallow this incident, Clan Head?" One of the other members spoke.
"No, no, we don't. Let's change our destination. I want to visit Fang Clan first. It's been a long time since I saw Fang Yuan."
"But Clan Head, if we visit Fang Clan just after coming out of the Gracious Sword Sect, isn't that equal to announcing to everyone that we have now joined the Clan Faction? And even if this is not our intention, you should know what kind of person Prime Minister Fang is. He will definitely flame some rumors regarding this matter and create trouble for us."
Kang Ximin nodded, "Yeah, this is also true. That bastard is even more untrustworthy than the Gracious Sword Sect. We can't visit openly. I will go alone. You guys get back to the clan."
"But Clan Head - "
"No buts, just go. I won't stay in the Fang Clan for long. I just need to have a small chat with Fang Yuan. Now go."
…
Purple Lake Town, Eastern Border of Gracious Mountain Range.
This was a small town at the outskirts of the mountain range and one of the most bustling places because it was also one of the four direct ways to visit the Gracious Sword Sect.
And in this town, the Blue Spring Tavern was one of the most famous and luxurious buildings.
However, contrary to the bustling environment outside, the current mood here was very solemn and depressing.
There were only three customers in this tavern, and the whole tavern was currently serving them.
The waiters and maids were standing on their heels, their hands trembling from uncertain fear.
The three customers sitting on the table at the center had the opposite expression - they seemed quite jovial; however, there was an unmistakable mark of arrogance written all over their faces.
Just then, as one of these young men finished a glass of vine, he asked, "How long will it take Senior Brother Qin Wentian to return? I don't want to stay anymore in this shitty place."