Chapter 1582: Mysterious Woman

"Dead?" Zu An was startled. All previous investigations had indicated that Gold Medalist No. 7 had drowned right there. If he had been put into the water after dying, how could it have escaped the notice of the professional Embroidered Uniform Guard agents?

"You're probably trying to distance yourself," Zu An said. He had personally examined Gold Medalist No. 7 and confirmed it was a drowning, so he naturally didn't believe the tortoise spirit. He suspected it was afraid of his retaliation if it told the truth.

"Absolutely not!" The tortoise spirit swore to the heavens. "Even if I harmed some cultivators back then, it was just self-defense! I am a kind spirit."

Zu An sneered repeatedly. A moment ago, several dark green hands had suddenly emerged from the ground. If his cultivation had been lower, he might have been strangled to death on the spot. Naturally, he didn't believe its nonsense.

Seemingly sensing his mood, the tortoise spirit's hair immediately stood on end. "If I truly wanted to harm someone, I would absorb their vital energy to aid my cultivation. A dead person is useless to me; I have no reason to harm him!"

"Absorb vital energy?" Zu An thought of Daoist Mosquito and Mister Bat from earlier, who would drain a person's essence and blood, which was extremely evil. However, there were indeed no signs of absorption on Gold Medalist No. 7's body.

"Only occasionally, occasionally, do I retaliate when others try to harm me. People don't taste good," the tortoise spirit quickly explained. "I primarily cultivate by absorbing the essence of the sun and moon."

Zu An suddenly recalled its earlier words: "What did you mean by becoming a water god just now?"

The tortoise spirit explained, "As long as the local people here continue to believe in my existence and offer me incense and sacrifices, over time, I can cultivate using the power of their faith, which is much faster than simply absorbing the essence of the sun and moon. In our circle, this process is called becoming a deity. Currently, I'm only halfway there. People nearby are gradually starting to believe there's a mysterious presence in Blackwater Pool, and occasionally some come to offer sacrifices, but it hasn't become widespread yet."

Zu An's expression darkened. "Aren't you deliberately deceiving the common people?"

In ancient times, this practice was known as illicit worship of evil gods, and it was strongly suppressed by local governments.

"Of course not. I also return the favor by ensuring good weather and peace in the area," the tortoise spirit quickly explained.

"You can even influence the weather?" Zu An was a little surprised.

"I am inherently an aquatic creature, and with the blessing of faith, it's not difficult to bring a bit of rain within a certain range," the tortoise spirit said with some pride. "Of course, I can't influence areas further away."

Zu An secretly marveled, never expecting that these spirits had such a path to advancement. Of course, this kind of divine ability was far from the gods he imagined, but it was quite similar to the Earth Gods and River Lords in the myths of his previous life.

After hearing the details of becoming a water god, Zu An was somewhat convinced that Gold Medalist No. 7's death was not related to the spirit. "Tell me in detail what happened that day. Since you are the water god of this area, surely nothing that happens in Blackwater Pool can escape your notice?"

The tortoise spirit nodded repeatedly. "That's right. About a month ago, I was cultivating in my cave when I suddenly heard a splash outside, as if something heavy had fallen into the pool. I quietly came out to check and found a body floating in the pool."

"Are you certain he was already dead at that time?" Zu An asked.

"Of course," the tortoise spirit replied. "While I'm not as powerful as a Celestial Immortal, I can tell if a person is alive or dead. At that time, there was also a woman standing by the pool. Most likely, she was the one who threw him in."

"A woman?" Zu An was startled, and many possibilities flashed through his mind.

He casually picked up a branch and began drawing in the water. Soon, a portrait of Zhang Zicong appeared.

To learn the "Thousand Faces" skill, he had thoroughly studied painting techniques and had even received guidance from the master of this art, Yu Yanluo. Drawing was now incredibly simple for him. Although he had only met Zhang Zicong once, he had memorized all her distinctive features.

Additionally, Lan Fu's ability made drawing in water as easy as drawing on paper for him.

Seeing the woman appear so lifelike before him, the tortoise spirit was somewhat shocked. It wondered, *Am I the water god or are you the water god? This Celestial Immortal truly is unfathomable.*

Its tone became increasingly respectful. "To answer Celestial Immortal, I am not certain. The woman was completely wrapped in a black robe and also had her face covered, so I could not see her."

"Were there any distinctive features about the woman?" Zu An pressed.

"There was nothing noteworthy. Celestial Immortal also knows that I don't want my true form to be discovered by too many people, so I didn't dare to get too close at the time," the tortoise spirit said. It seemed to realize its answer wasn't very helpful, so to avoid angering Zu An, it tried hard to recall everything from that night. "Oh, right, the woman seemed to say something."

The tortoise spirit pondered as it recounted, "It was something like, 'It would have been better if it had been discovered earlier!'"

"'It would have been better if it had been discovered earlier'?" Zu An's mind was filled with questions. What could that possibly mean? If the person had disposed of the body there, why would they wish for it to be discovered sooner?

He asked a few more questions, but finding no new information, he told the tortoise spirit, "I will verify what you've said. You are not to escape during this time. If I find you, I will show no mercy."

The tortoise spirit bowed repeatedly in trepidation. "I wouldn't dare deceive a Celestial Immortal. Besides, I've spent hundreds of years here, and the matter of becoming a water god has only just made some progress. If I were to escape, everything would have to start over, and I don't have that much time left."

Zu An nodded, then with a push off his toes, he shot out of Blackwater Pool like a cannonball.

Zhang Zicong was standing idly by the pool, listening to Xiao Jianren's eager yet clumsy attempts at conversation, feeling that time was passing unusually slowly.

Seeing Zu An emerge, both sighed in relief. Xiao Jianren quickly went up to him. "Sir, have you found anything?"

Zhang Zicong thought to herself, *My people already investigated this once. What could he possibly have found?*

Zu An nodded. "Indeed, I've made some discoveries. Lord Qi did not drown here; he drowned elsewhere, and his body was then thrown into this pool."

He had to admit that he had taken things for granted. Since Gold Medalist No. 7's cause of death was drowning and he was found in Blackwater Pool, Zu An had subconsciously assumed he had drowned there.

It only showed that forensic techniques were not yet mature in this era. If it were on Earth in his previous life, one could easily compare the water composition in the lungs with that of Blackwater Pool and discover this point immediately.

Zhang Zicong's face was full of confusion; she couldn't understand how he could have discovered this just by going into the water once.

"As expected of Lord Eleven, truly unfathomable. Such a possibility indeed exists, and we completely overlooked it before," Xiao Jianren said, showering him with flattery.

Zu An ignored him and looked at Zhang Zicong. "Where were you on the night of the third day of last month? Do you have an alibi?"

"Are you still suspecting me?" Zhang Zicong's expression immediately darkened.

"Lord Qi's body was thrown into this pool by a woman that night," Zu An said, carefully observing Zhang Zicong's expression.

"I was on a mission that night. People in our line of work often operate alone and maintain secrecy, so how would I have a witness?" Zhang Zicong retorted angrily. "And you, Lord Eleven, you just went for a quick dip in the water and managed to find out that Lord Qi's body was thrown here by a woman? Are you sure you're not making this up?"