Chapter 807: Expulsion

"Disappeared?" Hearing the word, Bi Linglong was greatly surprised. "What do you mean, disappeared?"

"They just vanished," Piao Duandiao replied. "They went out a long time ago and haven't returned. We can't reach them, and we can't find their bodies either."

Bi Linglong and Zu An exchanged a look, both seeing the solemnity in the other's eyes.

A group of people went out to investigate, but unfortunately, they couldn't find any useful clues.

Since finding the Azure Moon Flood Dragon was urgent, this matter had to be temporarily put aside, though a shadow had fallen over everyone's hearts.

Bi Linglong ordered that from then on, everyone entering or exiting must do so with a companion, to avoid being ambushed by dangers lurking in the dark.

However, over the next few days, scouts continued to disappear daily, sometimes in pairs, sometimes in threes.

The young disciples from various families were filled with dread. On the third day, everyone finally couldn't bear it any longer and gathered to discuss the matter.

"We don't even know who the enemy is!" Liu Xian felt like he was going crazy. Wasn't it better to have pretty maids serving him in the capital every day and frequent brothels to enjoy the performances of courtesans? He must have been out of his mind to listen to his elders and come here for some "gilding."

Was this really gilding?

Now, he even had to call his cousin to accompany him when he needed to relieve himself, knowing that Bi Chang, who had been impaled to death earlier, and many of the recently missing scouts had cultivation levels higher than his own.

Consequently, his nerves were constantly on edge, always feeling that he would be next.

"Could it be a fierce beast?" Gao Ying analyzed. "What's happened these past few days is different from Bi Chang's incident. The scouts have all disappeared. Could they have been captured by some stealthy fierce beast and eaten as food, which is why we can't find them?"

Hearing this, Liu Xian felt an even greater chill down his spine: "Just thinking about the possibility of being eaten by a fierce beast and digested into a pile of shit makes me shiver all over."

Not far away, the remaining scouts glared at him, embodying the saying "when the rabbit dies, the fox grieves." Their companions were in grave danger, yet this person used such words to describe the situation.

Gao Ying was also speechless. His cousin was truly outrageous, a blockhead who loved to speak carelessly.

However, constrained by his status, this nephew of the Liu family found it difficult to say anything.

"It can't be a fierce beast," Gu Heng analyzed. "If it were a fierce beast, there would at least be bloodstains, or even leftover bones. It's impossible for there to be absolutely nothing."

At this point, Pei You coldly stated, "Therefore, the culprit must be human, and they must be among us! As you know, we are the only people in this entire secret realm, which makes it easy to conclude. Although no one has said it, I'm sure similar thoughts have already crossed your minds. I was worried it would affect everyone's morale, but now I have to speak."

Bi Linglong narrowed her eyes slightly. "So, who is the culprit, Young Master Pei? Do you have any leads?"

"Actually, identifying the culprit is very simple." Pei You deliberately paused here, then scanned the entire group.

Hearing him say this, everyone pricked up their ears, waiting for what he would say next.

Zhao Xi impatiently said, "If you're going to say it, say it quickly. When did you become like Meng Pan, who only shits halfway?"

Meng Pan was furious. "Zhao, what do you mean by that!"

Zhao Xi snorted and simply turned his head away, ignoring him.

Pei You also felt disgusted. After a long moment, he recovered his composure, glared at Zhao Xi, and then said, "It's very simple. Ever since Bi Chang's incident, the Crown Princess has required all of us to travel in groups. Her original intention was for us to look after and protect each other, but it had an unexpected effect: all of us now have alibis. It's impossible for any of us to secretly ditch our companions to commit murder."

"And among the entire group, the only one who acts alone, apart from the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, is Sir Zu."

He didn't need to finish his sentence; everyone understood what he implied.

The Crown Prince and Crown Princess, of course, couldn't be the culprits, which left only Zu An.

Seeing everyone looking at him, Zu An chuckled softly. "Are you suspecting me?"

Pei You calmly replied, "I'm just making a reasonable deduction."

Bi Linglong's expression changed several times, her gaze towards Zu An filled with a mix of worry, doubt, and fear.

The others tacitly distanced themselves from Zu An, with only a few, like Piao Duandiao and Jiao Sigun, remaining by his side.

Zu An shrugged. "Everything requires a motive. As the Crown Prince's personal aide and someone the Crown Princess trusts, why would I do such a thing?"

Meng Pan chuckled. "That's simple. You're from the Chu family, and it's well-known that the Chu and Qin families are closely connected. Before entering the secret realm, the Chu family's heir even gave you so many things, and Miss Murong also gave you a spatial storage bag. Are such valuable items given in ordinary relationships? I don't need to explain the relationship between the Qin family, the Murong family, and the Prince of Qi, do I?"

Zu An was momentarily stunned. "You think I'm one of the Prince of Qi's people?"

Jiao Sigun indignantly retorted, "How is that possible? It's well-known that Sir Zu is at odds with the Prince of Qi. Since he arrived in the capital, the Prince of Qi's faction has suffered heavy losses; key positions like the Imperial Inspector and Left Guard General were lost because of him. How could he be one of the Prince of Qi's people?"

Gu Xing stepped forward and said, "That's simple. It's a 'bitter flesh trick.' Otherwise, everyone would suspect him."

Piao Duandiao snorted coldly. "Even the Prince of Qi's heir was defeated by him and disgraced. If it were a bitter flesh trick, wouldn't the losses be too great?"

Gu Xing was momentarily speechless, but Gu Heng stepped out and said, "To deceive ordinary people like us, dealing with Murong Tong and Cheng Xiong before was certainly enough. But to fool intelligent people like the Emperor, the Crown Prince, and the Crown Princess, Murong Tong and Cheng Xiong alone would likely not carry enough weight. So, they didn't hesitate to let the Prince of Qi's heir step forward to contribute to his achievements, serving as his 'certificate of allegiance.'"

"Think about it, the Prince of Qi's heir genuinely possessed an eighth-rank cultivation, and Han Fengqiu, a peak ninth-rank master, was there to back him up. How could he possibly lose to Zu An?"

"That's why it's called 'too much is as bad as not enough'; it actually exposed a flaw."

The people around nodded in agreement, finding his analysis very reasonable. Previously, everyone believed that the Prince of Qi's heir lost because a mysterious water-element master appeared, but the intelligence networks of various families had scoured the area thoroughly and still couldn't find out who that mysterious master was.

If that was just an act between the Prince of Qi's heir and Zu An, everything would make sense.

As a result, everyone's gaze towards Zu An was filled with hostility.

Zu An scoffed. "What, even the Emperor didn't see through it? Are you perhaps more capable than the Emperor?"

Gu Heng's breath hitched. "Of course, I wouldn't dare compare myself to His Majesty. Perhaps His Majesty has other plans for not exposing you, deliberately playing the long game to catch a big fish."

"It's just that I didn't expect you to reveal your flaws prematurely in this secret realm!"

Zhao Xi, with his explosive temper, declared, "Zu, you've slaughtered so many of us. It's time for you to pay with your life!"

As soon as he finished speaking, others around him drew their weapons and surrounded Zu An.

Piao Duandiao and Jiao Sigun stood beside Zu An, at a loss, both looking towards Bi Linglong for her decision.

Zu An also looked at her. "Crown Princess, what do you say?"

Bi Linglong sighed. "You should leave!"

"What?" Zu An's face showed disbelief.

Bi Linglong said calmly, "Considering the merits you've earned these past few days, I won't make things difficult for you. Leave on your own; your fate will be your own from now on."

"Crown Princess!" the disciples from various noble families cried out urgently. "How can you let this murderer just walk away like this!"

"My decision is made; there's no need to say more," Bi Linglong said with a frosty expression, then swept her sleeves and walked away, leaving only a solitary figure behind.

"I've put so much effort into the Crown Prince and you, and in the end, you believe others over me?" Zu An shouted angrily.

Bi Linglong's figure paused for a moment but continued moving.

Gu Xing jumped out and blocked his path. "Zu, what are you yelling about? Aren't you going to get lost? Otherwise, if the Crown Princess changes her mind later, you won't be able to leave even if you want to."

Zu An ignored his barking and said in a deep voice, "Bi Linglong, you will regret this soon. From this moment on, our ties are severed!"

"How dare you! You call the Crown Princess by her given name!" Gu Xing, seeing himself ignored, became extremely annoyed and seized the opportunity to make an issue of it.

Rage points from Gu Xing +444!

Seeing this, the others also crowded around, and in an instant, the atmosphere became tense again.

"I said let him go," Bi Linglong's cold voice rang out.

The others reluctantly cleared a path. Zu An, his face ashen, simply swept his sleeves and walked away.

"Brother Zu!" Piao Duandiao and Jiao Sigun gathered around him, looking at him with worried expressions.

Zu An shook his head, not speaking to them, and walked forlornly deeper into the forest.

"Hmph, letting him just walk away like that is too easy on him," Meng Pan said through gritted teeth.

Zhao Xi chuckled. "If you're that indignant, why don't you quietly go after him and kill him? We promise not to report you to the Crown Princess."

Meng Pan snorted. "I'd be a fool to believe you." With that, he turned and went back to his tent.

The other young disciples from various noble families showed different expressions, each returning to their own areas deep in thought.