The woman froze for a moment, then blurted out, "He's disappeared."
"Disappeared?" Lee Bane's brow furrowed deeper, his voice sharp with suspicion. "Why has he disappeared?"
Her gaze flickered, a mix of evasion and vindictiveness shining through her tears. "Mi-lord, you've been in secluded cultivation these past days," she said, her fingers nervously twisting the fabric of her skirt. "After… certain discussions with the Miu and Chou clans regarding arrangements, he just… vanished."
"Fool!" Lee Bane's face darkened, his voice cutting like a whip. "That disciple was a key witness, and you let those two clans kill him?!"
"But isn't it obvious?" she stammered, her confusion evident. "Yes, that damn little bastard Lordi Payne is vicious and venomous, but if that housing disciple hadn't meddled with ill intentions, arranging a monster like him into Sagwon's courtyard, would this tragedy have even happened?"
Lee Bane sneered, his voice dripping with icy mockery. "Typical feminine naivety! You take the Punishment Crypt's word as gospel? Yes, their investigations are nearly flawless—the Holy Sect has stood for ages with hardly any unjust condemnations under their watch. But even their findings don't prove Lordi Payne is the mastermind behind this crime!"
She gaped, stammering, "B-But—"
"That Lordi Payne is just a fourth-layer Qi Refinement cultivator from some no-name family—no real roots," Lee Bane said, his tone frigid. "At his age and cultivation level, beating even one of those three kids in a one-on-one fight would be a stretch. Taking on all three—including Sagwon? Where would he get the skill for that?"
"The Punishment Crypt said he's mastered some killer blade art and a lightning-fast footwork technique," she countered weakly.
"Exactly!" Lee Bane snapped, leaning forward, his eyes piercing. "He's Hugo Payne's clan brother. Hugo Payne has been in the sect for years—everyone knows his capabilities. Does Hugo Payne wield some fancy blade art or use a footwork technique? If he did, with his dimwitted nature and being tangled in Sun Elaine's beauty web, such secrets would have leaked long ago! Hugo Payne, the clan heir of the Payne Clan, doesn't possess these killer arts—so tell me, how could Lordi Payne, a mere clansman, have mastered them?"
"Maybe it's his own secret luck?" she ventured stubbornly. "It's not new disciple recruitment season, yet Inner Sect Bloodline Lord Wexford recruited him into the sect specially—he must be something special?"
Lee Bane stared at her as if she'd sprouted horns. "You think the Payne Clan of Deerspring is a bunch of fools? Blade arts and footwork techniques like that don't appear overnight. If Lordi Payne had stumbled upon some great fortune growing up in that backwater, the Payne Clan would've sniffed it out. And if they had, they'd definitely have told Hugo Payne, their clan heir!"
"Then what's your opinion, Mi-lord?" she asked, her voice shrinking as she mumbled the question, half-convinced but still clinging to her grief.
Lee Bane's sneer twisted colder. "The key to this crime isn't Lordi Payne—it's Kinson Wexford from the inner sect!"
He jabbed a finger toward the direction of the Affairs Hall. "I sent men to investigate after hearing about Sagwon's death. That morning—the day they died—Lordi Payne showed up at the Task Division, begging to join a squad. Chen Haunt's crew took him away. By now, his flesh, blood, and soul are probably fodder for Chen's Summon Soul Banner. If he's the vicious, venomous bastard you claim, would he have gone down that easily?"
"It must be Kinson Wexford's doing!" Lee Bane declared, his voice sharp and decisive.
"As for the root cause? Heh—our grandson Sagwon's death was likely collateral damage, entangled in the feud with the Miu family's kid."
"Miu Tyanh, the elder brother of that dead boy Miu Toanh, holds equal standing with Kinson Wexford as one of the Inner Sect's Thirteen Bloodline Lords. Their grudge runs deep and has festered for years."
"Strength-wise, Miu Tyanh doesn't even blink seeing Kinson Wexford's cultivation level. But Kinson Wexford has family ties to Sect Successor Lith, her highness. Miu Tyanh can't push too hard against him."
"Not long ago, the two bloodlines clashed. Kinson Wexford suffered a heavy loss—so severe that he nearly had to beg Successor Lith to step in and clean up the mess."
"After that, other bloodline lords mediated and called a truce, but Kinson Wexford has been howling for blood and revenge ever since."
Lee Bane's eyes narrowed to slits, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous tone. "Otherwise, do you really think Lordi Payne—a low-born, weak cultivator—would suddenly go completely mad and murder Sagwon and the others on the very day he joined the sect?!"
"No. He entered the outer sect under Kinson Wexford's orders—to kill Miu Toanh as an act of revenge."
The woman blinked, her expression dazed and confused. She frowned, sensing something amiss. "Mi-lord, wait—you just said that if Lordi Payne had mastered such killer arts, the Payne Clan would've noticed, and Hugo Payne would definitely have learned them. But Hugo Payne can't even swing a blade properly! Plus, Kinson Wexford only recently went to Deerspring Town. How could Lordi Payne have mastered such arts so quickly?"
"How can you be so foolish?" Lee Bane sighed, cutting her off impatiently. "Hugo Payne has been a loyal hound under Kinson Wexford for years. Slipping some technique to his clan brother? No one would notice. Why don't Hugo Payne or the Payne Clan know these arts? Simple: Kinson Wexford only wanted a pawn for his scheme. Why would he care about the life or death of someone like Lordi Payne? True supreme-grade cultivation techniques are rarer than phoenix marrow! Do you think a lowly clan like the Payne Clan would warrant such a sacrifice from Kinson Wexford?"
"I'd bet it's some brutal, quick-learn technique with a nasty shortcut—something that burns out the practitioner's body within a decade."
"The Payne Clan might toss a spare kid like Lordi Payne into Kinson Wexford's grinder, but they'd never risk their prized clan heir."
"Lordi Payne is perfect for this—his mother died young, and his stepmother pushed him aside. Such roots make him the ideal throwaway pawn."
Lee Bane smirked, his expression cold and calculating. "This is Kinson Wexford's signature move. Back when he first ascended to the Inner Sect, he murdered his own father for cultivation power, all to secure his status as a Bloodline Lord. If even his own father could be used as a stepping stone, what's a mere disciple from the Payne Clan to him?"
Hearing Lee Bane's words, the woman's teeth ground together, her fury rising as she shot to her feet. "Mi-lord! If we know it's Kinson Wexford behind this, we can't just let him get away with it!"
"It's too late!" Lee Bane's voice was icy, cutting through her anger like a blade. "Sect rules are ironclad—without evidence, we have nothing. Lordi Payne is likely a vengeful wraith bound to Chen Haunt's banner by now—dead, with no testimony to give. No matter how suspicious Kinson Wexford may be, we can't convince the Punishment Crypt to act against him. Storming to Kinson Wexford for questioning might seem easy, but one misstep could break sect rules, and we'd be the ones paying the price!"
He exhaled sharply, glaring at her as if she were a clumsy fool who had shattered priceless jade while trying to polish clay. "That's why I asked about the housing disciple who arranged Lordi Payne's placement in Sagwon's courtyard. I had hoped to catch him and uncover evidence that Kinson Wexford bribed or colluded with him. Otherwise, how do you explain the coincidence? Lordi Payne, a newcomer to the outer sect, just happens to be assigned to the same residence as Miu Toanh? Among all the outer sect disciples with bad tempers, why Miu Toanh?"
Lee Bane's voice grew colder, his frustration palpable. "It's clear that Kinson Wexford bribed that disciple, deliberately creating an opportunity for Lordi Payne to carry out his deadly task. But now, thanks to your impulsiveness, that disciple is dead—and you've helped Kinson Wexford clean up his mess!"
Tears streamed down the woman's face as she sobbed, "Mi-lord, that was your kin grandson! Even if you have other offspring, he was my only flesh and blood for you—are you really going to let this go?"
"Of course not," Lee Bane said, his tone softening slightly as he glanced at her. After all, she had served him faithfully for many years, and he couldn't entirely dismiss her grief. After a pause, he continued, "But Kinson Wexford is in the inner sect, and I'm merely an outer elder. My hands are tied. However, there is a way. Inform the Miu family and the Chou clan. Ask Sect Successor Chou to restrain Successor Lith, giving Miu Tyanh the opening to deal with Kinson Wexford. Without Successor Lith's protection, Kinson Wexford will be vulnerable under Miu Tyanh's wrath."
"Aye!" The woman wiped her tears roughly, her face hardening into a mask of ferocious determination. With a murderous glint in her eyes, she turned and stormed out, her voice trembling with a mix of sorrow and hatred. "I'm going to avenge Sagwon right now!!!!"