Chapter 772: The Reason Behind It

Xu Wuyi set down his teacup and looked at him. “Senior Song, what are those things you mentioned?”

Song Yi didn’t answer immediately. He remained silent for a few seconds as if weighing his words. Then, he looked up, his gaze turning serious. “Qingwu, you tell him.”

Standing by Song Yi’s side, Song Qingwu nodded at Xu Wuyi. “Grandmaster Xu, the murder case your two team members investigated is real. Three years ago, the businessman named Lin Quan was indeed murdered.”

Xu Wuyi’s gaze flickered slightly.

Song Qingwu paused, his tone growing somewhat low as he continued. “But I am not the killer. I’m merely someone who knew about it. That night, I knew someone was going to make a move against him, and I knew who was doing it. But I didn’t stop it, nor did I report it.

“After Lin Quan’s death, his assets were divided. The perpetrator took the lion’s share, while I took a small portion—though I obtained the latter through normal commercial means.”

Xu Wuyi looked at him without speaking. He understood what Song Qingwu meant. In this matter, Song Qingwu’s only fault was failing to report what he knew, which truthfully wasn’t a major offense. Even if it went to court, it would result in an extremely short sentence at most. Moreover, voluntarily stepping forward now was a meritorious act, meaning it was highly likely he wouldn’t face any punishment at all. Of course, it would be difficult for him to hold any official positions in the future. However, Song Qingwu was an Innate Martial Artist; his power actually stemmed from himself and the Song family, so an official title meant little to him.

“Who is that person?” Xu Wuyi asked.

Song Qingwu looked at him and enunciated each word clearly. “Zheng Mingchuan, the Chairman of the Logistics Committee under the Supreme Council.”

The moment that name reached his ears, the files he had previously reviewed at the Inspection Department flashed through Xu Wuyi’s mind. Zheng Mingchuan—the man who had once come to the Inspection Department to ask about him, the man who was from the same village as Zheng Hai, the man who had left a faint trace in Li Mingyuan’s case but couldn’t be pinned down due to a lack of solid evidence. He had thought it was too coincidental at the time, so coincidental that one couldn’t help but overthink it. But without proof, he could only set it aside for the time being.

Now, this name had surfaced once again, and in such a manner.

“Do you have evidence?” Xu Wuyi asked.

Song Qingwu shook his head. “No. Zheng Mingchuan is an extremely cautious man, but I can step forward as a tainted witness.

“Furthermore, if you want to convict him in this case, you must find the Innate Martial Artist who actually carried out the deed. I have already managed to track down this person’s general whereabouts.”

Pausing for a moment, he added, “He is Zheng Mingchuan’s confidant. I know Grandmaster Xu’s methods; as long as you find the man, it shouldn’t be difficult to extract more clues from him.”

Xu Wuyi nodded slightly and looked at Song Qingwu again. “Just a Zheng Mingchuan isn’t worth the Song family going to such great lengths… Who is behind him?”

Song Qingwu didn’t answer; instead, he looked at Song Yi.

Song Yi picked up his teacup, took a slow sip, and then set it down. “Fan Chongguang.”

The moment that name was spoken, the air seemed to stagnate.

Xu Wuyi had heard of this name. Fan Chongguang was one of the Federation Grandmasters. In his seventies this year, he was considered young among Grandmasters. He had stepped into the Grandmaster Realm over a decade ago and had now preliminarily coalesced his Domain. He was regarded as one of the Grandmasters with the potential to achieve Divine Intent.

Song Yi looked at him. Pausing briefly to gather his thoughts, he spoke slowly. “I have known Fan Chongguang for decades. He came from a poor background and lacked resources in his early years. He fought tooth and nail to reach where he is today. But precisely because of his poor background, he places great importance on favors and social obligations.

“Zheng Mingchuan’s ancestors and Fan Chongguang were from the same village, and their ancestral homes were located very close to each other.

“When Fan Chongguang was young, the Zheng family helped him quite a bit. Later, when Fan Chongguang became a Grandmaster, the Zheng family fell into decline, so he lent them a helping hand.

“As Zheng Mingchuan’s official rank grew higher, he reconnected with Fan Chongguang in recent years. On the surface, the two don’t interact much, but privately, Fan Chongguang has always turned a blind eye to Zheng Mingchuan’s affairs.”

Listening to this, Xu Wuyi gradually understood. A Grandmaster with the potential to achieve Divine Intent and a high-ranking Chairman—although their relationship wasn’t explicitly that of master and disciple or formal allies, the bond of their shared hometown was enough to make many people hesitant to act rashly against them.

Song Qingwu looked at him. “Grandmaster Xu, the reason I invited you here in this manner is because I know you are the only one who dares to investigate this matter.

“There are many in the Inspection Department who can handle cases, but not a single one can withstand the pressure from Fan Chongguang. No matter how tough Minister Luo is, he’s only a Quasi-Grandmaster. If Fan Chongguang really wanted to move against him, he wouldn’t be able to stop it.”

Xu Wuyi didn’t deny it. He had indeed investigated Zheng Mingchuan, and he did feel there was something wrong with the man. However, due to insufficient evidence at the time, he had no choice but to set it aside. Now that the evidence was laid out right in front of him, he couldn’t pretend not to see it.

But he didn’t immediately state his stance; instead, he asked, “Does Fan Chongguang know what Zheng Mingchuan has been doing?”

Song Qingwu shook his head. “I’m not sure about that. But based on my understanding of Zheng Mingchuan, he likely wouldn’t let Fan Chongguang know.

“He is very careful in how he handles things, and he knows exactly what he can rely on. If Fan Chongguang knew what he had done, Fan Chongguang might not necessarily continue to protect him.

“What Zheng Mingchuan wants is simply Fan Chongguang’s name as a shield. With this shield, no one dares to touch him. As for whether the person behind the shield knows, or how much they know, that actually doesn’t matter.”

Xu Wuyi nodded. This assessment aligned perfectly with his own thoughts.