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Qing Die slowly opened her eyes, which were cold and fixed on Mings. She sneered, "I don't understand. You couldn't have guessed it was me. How did you find out?"
"It was me," Guan Tianming said without opening his eyes.
"You?" A hint of confusion appeared in Qing Die's icy gaze. "Impossible. Since the moment you met us, I have controlled all your actions. Every word and deed of yours has been under my watch; you couldn't possibly tell him this."
"Indeed, every word and deed of mine has been controlled by the fine threads you placed upon my joints, making me like a puppet. But some things can never be controlled by mere threads," Guan Tianming finally opened his eyes.
Mings clapped his hands, and two figures rushed in from outside—Shao Wen and Xiao Ning.
Shao Wen held Guan Tianming's guqin in his hands.
Mings spoke calmly, "What Guan Tianming said is true. From the first moment I saw him, I sensed something strange about him; his gaze was always wandering, even when he spoke to me. So I took precautions and secretly noted his expressions. Later, when he disappeared, I suddenly realized that his wandering gaze was not without reason.
I discovered that he was writing to me with his eyes. I tried to recreate the movements of his gaze from memory on the guqin and received four characters—Qing Die, Zi Qing!
It was only then that I began to suspect you. And the one who escaped our notice just now was not Guan Tianming but you, Qing Die, also known as Guan Tianming's mother, Zi Qing!"
Zi Qing smiled gently, her tone still cold. "It seems I need not argue. I am indeed Zi Qing, the mother of Tian Ming, and a widow who has wandered through Ghost Gate."
Mings looked at Zi Qing and murmured, "But I don't understand. You fell from the cliff ten years ago; why do you not show any signs of aging?"
Zi Qing's beauty resembled that of a young girl in her prime; she smiled sadly. "Are you asking about this appearance? In truth, I am from Miaojiang and the saintess of Miaojiang Ghost Gate. This eternal youth is a technique from the Ghost Gate Secret Technique. While it allows me to retain my youthful appearance, it simultaneously shortens my lifespan by ten years."
"Are you the Ghost Gate Saintess? The one who went missing over twenty years ago?" Mings had heard the rumors circulating in the martial world.
The disappearance of the Ghost Gate Saintess had indeed caused quite a stir back then.
Zi Qing nodded slightly, letting out a faint sigh. "If I weren't the Saintess of Ghost Gate, how could Guan Ao have summoned accomplices to deal with me? Hmph, he was afraid he couldn't face me alone, so he resorted to numbers and forced me off a cliff. I survived against all odds, but my appearance was ruined by the rocks. I loathed him for it, and after using secret techniques to change my face, I returned to Bu Dong Mountain Manor."
"You seek revenge?" Mings asked.
"If it were you, could you let go of such a deep-seated grudge?" Zi Qing fixed her gaze on Mings, who instinctively looked away.
"I infiltrated Bu Dong Mountain Manor and managed to deceive everyone, but I couldn't hide from my own son."
Zi Qing approached Guan Tianming and looked at him. "Tian Ming kept me as his maid and begged me to let go of my hatred. When I saw my son again, I was truly overjoyed and agreed. But how could I ever forget this grudge?"
"So you began plotting your revenge?" Mings interjected.
"Indeed. At first, I only wanted to take revenge on Guan Ao for his heartlessness. But then I changed my mind. While Guan Ao deserves his fate, the true mastermind behind it all is even more unforgivable—the secret techniques left behind by Guan Budong. Everything started because of that. Therefore, I vowed to find that manual and destroy it completely."
As Zi Qing spoke, her expression darkened as she struggled to contain her anger. Her gaze remained fixed on Guan Tianming, who sat like a statue before her, utterly still.
"So it seems the real killer isn't Guan Tianming but you! The Western Merchant, Yan Ying, and Sun Miao—all fell by your hand?" Mings stated.
Zi Qing scoffed coldly. "They all deserved to die for colluding with Guan Ao, and their true aim was still tied to the manual. Killing them was revenge for the ambush ten years ago! As for Tian Ming, that child is inherently gentle and kind; he would never commit such acts himself. He only confessed to these killings to protect me," Zi Qing sighed softly.
Mings' gaze shifted slightly. "There is one thing I do not quite understand. Regarding the death of Guan Ao, I have confirmed that he was killed by the combined attacks of his son, Guan Tianfan, and his daughter, Guan Tianshe. First, Guan Tianshe pierced through Guan Ao's armor with Blacksteel, and then Guan Tianfan shattered his heart with internal force, leading to his demise.
However, not long ago, I discovered some unusually resilient white threads in the blood of Guan Ao. I do not know what they are or if they are related to his death."
"You are quite observant. The white threads you found belong to me; they are feathers from the abdomen of the Western Return Bird. A Western Return Bird only grows one white abdominal feather in its lifetime, and its toughness is extraordinary. The feather was secretly inserted into Guan Ao's body during the Birthday Banquet, and then the threads spread to various joints and vital points within him, weaving into his bones. But this feather does not harm him; over time, it will naturally dissolve with his blood.
For a brief moment, however, he would be like a puppet, unable to resist. What you saw just now with Tian Ming was also a result of my controlling his movements in the same way. However, this child is clever and managed to leave you a clue."
"Since that is the case, you could have easily killed the incapacitated Guan Ao yourself. Why did you wait and let the Guan siblings take matters into their own hands?" Mings' mind involuntarily conjured images of Guan Tianfan and Guan Tianshe.
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