Chapter 666 — Unraveling the Doubts, Part Two

"So there was a story behind all this. You're quite generous, aren't you—giving a jade pendant to a girlfriend you'd only known for a few days. I misjudged the situation!" The Right Elder nodded. "But even so, that jade was meant for Lan Ling. Why did you stop looking for it? A gift meant for a girlfriend should be rather important, no? Yet you simply let it go the moment it was lost. That seems a little odd to me!"

"So you noticed something was off too?" Yang Ce laughed. "Of course it's off—if it were normal, that would be the strange part!"

"Oh? How so?" The Right Elder was rather displeased that Yang Ce had deliberately drawn things out.

"Because I had already worked out where that jade was hidden," Yang Ce said calmly. "I simply never went to retrieve it."

"You already knew where the jade was? How is that possible?" The Right Elder was stunned the moment he heard Yang Ce's words.

"First, at that hotel, I caught sight of a familiar figure. He was working as a waiter at the time. Considering his professional identity, I guessed that nine times out of ten he was the one who stole the jade—took it without anyone being the wiser, then slipped it into my room. To pull that off right under my nose, it could only have been him..." Yang Ce said. "Second, I knew someone was targeting me—or rather, targeting Lan Ling. I didn't want others to worry about me, and I didn't want this matter to weigh on Lan Ling's mind, so I simply gave up on that jade."

"I never expected this, Yang Ce—you're quite good at enduring in silence. You weren't anything special back then, yet you already had that kind of patience. That you could grow into my greatest enemy was no accident!" the Right Elder sighed.

"Heh. Next, let's talk about the person who stole that jade. If I'm not mistaken, that person is my senior fellow disciple, Dong Jun—correct?" Yang Ce said, looking at the Right Elder and speaking word by word.

"What!" The Right Elder was instantly taken aback, staring at Yang Ce in disbelief. "So you knew all along?"

"Yes, I knew." Yang Ce nodded. "It seems I guessed correctly?"

"I told you—if you figured it out, I absolutely wouldn't deny it!" The Right Elder nodded. "That's right, it was indeed him! You guessed correctly. Since you've worked it out, there's no point in me keeping it hidden any longer, because he and I are merely partners in cooperation. Besides, his repeated failures have made me lose patience with him! But what a pity—even if you're certain, you'll never be able to find him and confirm it, because this time, you're not going back."

"Are you so sure I'll definitely lose to you, that I'll have no chance to return to Songjiang City?" Yang Ce countered.

"Heh, say whatever you like—we'll see when the time comes!" The Right Elder laughed. "Tell me this, though: why did you suspect your senior fellow disciple? From what I know, your senior fellow disciple is a low-key man, isn't he?"

"At the very beginning, at that hotel in Yunnan, I saw a waiter whose figure seemed very similar to his. But in this world, how many people resemble one another? Far too many—even celebrities can find lookalikes, let alone my senior fellow disciple. So I only suspected it for a moment, then let it go. But after that matter passed, many other things happened, and when you connect them all together, they led me to lock my suspicions onto my senior fellow disciple, Dong Jun!" Yang Ce had kept these secrets bottled up inside for a long time. Now that he had confirmation here from the Right Elder, he laid them all out one by one.

These matters were no secret, and the Right Elder was someone in the know as well. Most importantly, by analyzing and recalling these events, Yang Ce could achieve the goal of stalling for time. Since he didn't know how long the Right Elder's evil gu could hold out at its limit, then the more he could drag things out, the better—it would also create a good opportunity for Lan Ling.

"Is that so? You were actually able to suspect him—that's really no small feat. Then tell me, how did you come to suspect him?" the Right Elder asked, somewhat curious.

"Just as you said, my senior fellow disciple Dong Jun is a low-key man. As the number one divine thief, he gave all the money he stole to the poor—that is truly commendable. In the eyes of my master and me, he had always been a selfless man." Yang Ce said. "But on a few occasions, things happened that changed my view of him. The first time was when he drove a limited-edition sports car. I can't remember the exact model, because I don't pay much attention to sports cars and the like, but for a man with no selfish desires or cravings to drive a limited-edition sports car—was that normal? It showed that he still had selfish desires. And once a person has selfish desires, greed will arise. Once that greed is magnified to a certain degree, he will do things that harm others' interests."

"Oh? A sports car?" The Right Elder was taken aback. He hadn't expected Yang Ce to discern a person's character from such a small detail. "That doesn't prove anything, does it? Perhaps he has a collector's hobby in that regard?"

"One or two things, fine—but there are many such things," Yang Ce smiled as he continued. "For example, another time, I had business at a hospital, but Dong Jun told me he knew the doctors there, that they were close acquaintances, and he told me that in Songjiang City he had many acquaintances! A great philanthropist who does good deeds without leaving his name—how did he come to know people from all walks of life? If it wasn't deliberate cultivation, what explanation is there? These things were all inconsistent with the character he had built for himself. The impression he first gave me was of a good old fellow who kept aloof from worldly strife, a great philanthropist who did good without leaving his name, who didn't fight or grab, who sought neither fame nor profit... But according to my observations, the truth was exactly the opposite. He was a man of heavy greed who placed great importance on social connections!"

"As expected of the King of Assassins' direct disciple—this analytical ability is first-rate. You even managed to analyze this man's character!" The Right Elder could not help but admire him. "Not bad. But even if he is a hypocrite, how did you come to suspect that he was the man behind the scenes and that he wanted to move against you? After all, a hypocritical character and wanting to move against you don't go together, do they?"

"No, you're wrong—there is a connection, and a very big one at that!" Yang Ce said calmly. "As the direct disciple of the King of Assassins, Fang Tian, I had the bearing of one who inherits the mantle and surpasses his predecessor, and that made him instinctively feel threatened... I think that is the fundamental reason he wants to move against me!"

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