章 14: Conclusion

The footprints extended from the family head pavilion into his home in the residential area and then to the mission hall then it mostly led to the wine shop and the downtown area soon where they led to some mortal homes which didn't require any explanation for everyone to understand why he went to those places.

The powder cloud became smaller as it flew, and finally, at the 30,000th step, it vanished. The results were clear, everyone had checked and knew that Zuo Mu was innocent, there were no suspicious points.

Jia Fu sighed, taking out a small jade box. He opened the jade box, where there was only a jade piece inside. The jade piece was a translucent emerald color, and there was a Gu sealed inside.

This was a phasmid, its body was long and slim, with the color of jade, its entire body looking like a bamboo tube. The phasmids was normally longer than a palm, but this one wasn't, being only the size of a fingernail. On its surface, it emitted a white glow.

"Green jade as its body, white light enveloping its form, this is the Bamboo Gentleman!" At once, some of the elders recognized this Gu worm and exclaimed.

Even Gu Yue Bo was moved. He could not refrain from advising, "Brother Jia, this Bamboo Gentleman is a Rank four Gu, it is not easily refined. Why waste it here?"Jia Fu shook his head, looking at Zuo Mu: "This Bamboo Gentleman was obtained through gambling rocks when I was young. The rock was only opened halfway before it could no longer be extracted. As everyone knows, this Gu worm is fed honesty as food, being able to detect lies from birth. Only an honest gentleman who has never lied can refine and feed this Gu."

"Zuo Mu, you just have to open this rock and keep the Bamboo Gentleman in your aperture. Whatever I ask you, you will answer. Next, we will take out this Gu and let everyone see if it changed color. If the Gu changes color, you're lying!"

"No problem." Zuo Mu said with slight hesitation and panic. He immediately opened the jade piece and did as Jia Fu instructed.

The Bamboo Gentleman appeared in his aperture and emitted a faint green glow, covering the primeval sea. Zuo Mu felt that if he said a single lie, the Bamboo Gentleman could detect it and turn its body from green into another color, with no other choice he would have to say the truth no matter how much he doesn't.

Jia Fu began interrogating, with his first question hitting home, "Zuo Mu, did you harm my brother Jia Jin Sheng?"

"No!" Zuo Mu yelled.

Jia Fu asked, "Do you have any other information about him?"

Zuo Mu thought for a moment just to be safe before shaking his head, "No idea."

Jia Fu asked again, "Did you say anything dishonest to us earlier?"

Zuo Mu shook his head again, "No."

"Alright, you can take out the Bamboo Gentleman now." After finishing with three questions, Jia Fu instructed Zuo Mu.

Zuo Mu took out the Bamboo Gentleman, and everyone saw that it was still an emerald green color with no changes.

The clan elders heaved a sigh of relief.

Jia Fu's expression became milder as he kept the Bamboo Gentleman, cupping his fists towards Gu Yue Bo, "Much offense this time, brother Gu Yue."

"No matter, the truth is what we wanted to see as well." Gu Yue Bo waved his hand, then sighed, "But what a pity for this Bamboo Gentleman." The Bamboo Gentleman had the ability to detect lies and was a Rank four Gu, thus it was very valuable. But feeding and refining it was not easy. It had to be refined by an honest gentleman. If any other Gu Master had said a single lie, the refinement would fail and the Bamboo Gentleman would die on the spot.

Its food was honesty. It would reside in the aperture of an honest gentleman and consuming the gentleman's honesty as food to survive.

Now that the Bamboo Gentleman had been opened, it was extremely weak, but it had no food to restore its strength. And with no rank 4 gu masters around that were confirmed a gentleman it would soon die.

Jia Fu shook his head, looking at the Bamboo Gentleman in his head, not feeling any pity.

He said solemnly, "I have already done my best to investigate, but I received no results. This time, when I get back to the family, I will employ the divine investigator Tie Xue Leng, it would definitely get this matter cleared up! Goodbye."

Saying so, he cupped his fists towards Gu Yue Bo and left, crisp and quick, with a certain elegance to it.

Seeing Jia Fu and the rest leaving, Gu Yue Bo heaved a sigh of relief and said, "You can all leave now."

He waved at the clan elders, but suddenly thought of something and said, "Academy elder please stay back."

While still covered in sweat with his body trembling slightly, Zuo Mu stumbled out of the family head's pavilion safe and sound with heavy breaths while still thinking how unbelievable the matter was, one wrong step and he would have been a goner but now he would be a disgrace to the entire village and be scorned, thinking in rage he dragged his exhausted body back home.