Mu Chen was taken aback by the sudden turn in events. Elder Chang's reaction was quite fast as he immediately reached out with his hand towards Mu Yukong's chest, however, it was already late.

All the elders were also surprised and some even stood up from their seats. 

"His life vein was severed." Elder Chang confirmed people's doubts as he checked Mu Yukong's lifeless body. "He is dead." He said as he lowered Mu Yukong's body on the floor.

Mu Chen couldn't help but feel frustrated. He was so close to exposing the enemy who had made his life miserable, but his plan was foiled at the last moment.

"How?" Mu Xuefeng asked the question that was in Mu Chen's mind.

Elder Chang was still inspecting Mu Yukong's body with his hand on the left side of the chest, where the heart usually is. After a while, a red patch appeared on Mu Yukong's vest. A small section was ripped open as Elder Chang moved his hand. Following the movement of his hand, a tiny blood-colored thread was suspended in the air just above Elder Chang's hand.

"That's…" Mu Xuefeng and other elders' facial expressions changed. Mu Chen also looked at the blood thread with some puzzlement. The blood thread seemed alive and was wriggling in the air, trying to break free of the invisible restrictions placed by Elder Chang.

"Heart Devouring Worm." Elder Chang said. "It is a parasite. It can hide deep within the heart and it feeds on the heart's blood for its growth. It is weak, but once it infects the host, it's very difficult to detect and get rid of it due to its tiny size. It's not a surprise that even Elder Qiang failed to detect it." His explanation was primarily meant for Mu Chen since everyone else already knew what it was. 

"Even if Mu Yukong was infected by it, the worm wouldn't just kill its host?" Mu Chen asked.

"You are correct." Elder Chang nodded. "A normal parasite will not kill its host. If it loses its host, it will not be able to survive for long without finding another host." Elder Chang said as he observed the heart devouring worm. Mu Chen noticed its movement had already slowed down considerably. "But if it is a gu, everything is different."

Mu Chen was shocked. This was the first time he had seen a gu. He had heard of Gu cultivators before, but he had never met one. All he knew about them was that they relied on their gu to fight instead of techniques or treasures.

"If it's gu, then…" Mu Chen looked at the limp body of Mu Yukong with a complicated expression. Although he hated him for betraying him, he didn't expect to see him die.

"This is a murder." Elder Chang said. "This gu was planted to prevent him from disclosing sensitive information. It was triggered the moment Mu Yukong tried to reveal the identity of the mastermind."

Mu Xuefeng and all the elders became silent. For a while, nobody spoke.

"Child, you've been wronged." Unexpectedly, it was Elder Jun who broke the silence. Although Elder Jun was brash and short-tempered, he was also a  very straightforward person.

"Indeed! What is worse, is that the culprit is also from the Mu Family." Another elder said in anger, causing the expressions of the several elders to turn sour. 

This was a very serious matter. Everyone had suspected that the attack on Mu Chen a year ago had been an assassination attempt by some rival family. It was now confirmed that it was indeed an assassination attempt. However, what left everyone unbelievable was that the culprit was from their Mu Family itself. Before dying, Mu Yukong had uttered the surname.

"Patriarch! We must find out this culprit and punish him!" Another elder said.

"Yes! Absolutely disgraceful! How can we tolerate the existence of such a vile person in the Mu Family, who would kill even his family members?"

One by one, all the elders started voicing their own opinions. The hall became noisy. However, Mu Xuefeng didn't say anything as he kept his silence.

Mu Chen looked at Mu Xuefeng. But Mu Xuefeng seemed to be in deep thought as if he couldn't hear the elders' voices, looking at the worm in Elder Chang's hand, which had already stopped moving.

Mu Chen felt it was best to beat the iron while it was hot.

"Patriarch!" Mu Chen suddenly said out loud, causing Mu Xuefeng to finally frown a bit and look at him. Mu Chen looked into the eyes of Mu Xuefeng without a hint of fear. "I beseech the Patriarch to seek justice on my behalf!"

Mu Xuefeng finally raised his hand, causing the discussion among the elders to finally come to a halt.

"Although you ask for justice, we still don't know who the real culprit is." Mu Xuefeng sighed. "However, since it was someone from the Mu Family-it is both a disgrace and a failure for me as the Patriarch, as well as for the senior generation of Mu Family. As elders, we have failed to properly guide the younger generation."

Hearing Mu Xuefeng's words, several of the elders suddenly became awkward. Mu Chen also frowned. Did he guess? Mu Chen couldn't help but sneer inwardly. He thought he had forced Mu Xuefeng into a difficult situation. However, with just a few words, Mu Xuefeng had turned the situation around.

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By mentioning the elders, Mu Xuefeng had diluted his responsibility. Moreover, he was subtly reminding the elders about something else.

The culprit was someone from the younger generation. None of the elders in the hall would be stupid enough to sabotage a talented junior of the Family. Although rivalry was common, everyone had the foresight to not damage the roots of the Family. So the culprit could only be from the younger generation.

But most of the elders present had personal disciples or direct descendants. And anyone of them might the culprit behind Mu Chen's assassination. Mu Xuefeng had reminded them of this fact.

This realization immediately made several elders a bit hesitant. If the culprit turned out to be their disciple or a descendant, it would end up becoming a huge scandal. Their reputation would be ruined, and they might also have to resign from the Council. On the other hand, Mu Chen was already crippled, even if they helped him get justice, they would instead lose another talent?

Just a while ago, everyone was enthusiastic and unanimous in their decision to pursue the culprit and purge him from the family. But in a moment, their unity was destroyed as the elders began to weigh the price of justice and their self-interest. 

"Hmph! You bunch of hypocrites!" Elder Jun roared. "Is such a poisonous snake worth protecting? Even if it is my grandson who did this, I will break his hands and legs and disown him!"

Next to Mu Chen, Elder Chang also shook his head in disapproval. "Having such a person in the family, even if he is a talent-it will only bring harm to the family."

Hearing Elder Jun's and Elder Chang's berating, several of the elders felt their faces burn with embarrassment.

"Cough...cough. We were just thinking of a way to find the culprit." One of the elders hastily said.

"Yes...yes...that's right!" Several other elders agreed.

"Hmph!" Elder Jun snorted and didn't speak any further.

"Everyone calm down!" Seeing that the situation was taking some undesirable turn, Mu Xuefeng once again took command of the conversation. After making certain that everyone had stopped talking, he looked at Mu Chen.

"Mu Chen, you don't need to worry! I will personally oversee the investigation and bring the culprit to a trail." Mu Xuefeng said, his voice filled with the dignity of a Patriarch.

However, this only made Mu Chen look down on him because he already knew who the culprit was. Mu Xuefeng's intention to oversee the investigation instead confirmed his suspicion. But this also meant that Mu Xuefeng was also aware of it. Only the elders were in the blind.

"In the meanwhile, while the investigation continues, you can maintain your status as a core member and continue residing in the inner sanctum. The previous order to evict you from the Family will be suspended until the culprit is found and justice is delivered." Mu Xuefeng said as he looked at Mu Chen. His decision immediately garnered the approval of several other elders.

Mu Chen scoffed inwardly. He understood Mu Xuefeng's intention. It was a bait. This was a bait disguised in the form of a status quo. As long as the culprit wasn't found, Mu Chen could enjoy the current privileges. On the surface, this would be the compensation provided by the Mu Family for their ineptitude. But on another hand, it was also meant to dampen Mu Chen's enthusiasm in seeking justice. Mu Xuefeng was well aware of what Mu Chen's priorities were, so he was trying to distract him. Mu Chen was sure that Mu Xuefeng would use this time to remove any evidence and perhaps even use a scapegoat.

"I thank the Patriarch for upholding justice." Mu Chen said with a slight bow. He ate the bait and licked his lips. He wasn't going to give up his revenge. But he knew he would never get his revenge as long as Mu Xuefeng was still the Patriarch. Moreover, Mu Xuefeng didn't know that Mu Chen had figured out the real identity of the culprit.

For now, this was the best result. He had achieved the goal he had been struggling for. 

"Then it's settled! Elder Chang and Elder Jun will be the ones who will lead the investigation. They will have full authority and everyone will cooperate with them...Have someone send the body of Mu Yukong to his immediate family. Although he was involved in the crime of betrayal, he has already paid the price. There is no need to detest a dead person." Mu Xuefeng said as he stood up. Other elders also followed suit. "This meeting is now dispersed."

Mu Chen once again sighed. Mu Xuefeng was indeed very shrewd. By making Elder Chang and Elder Jun the leaders of the investigation, he had maintained his stance as a fair and neutral Patriarch. None of the elders would suspect him tampering with any evidence. Like father, like son? Mu Chen wondered.

"Child, don't worry!" Mu Chen felt someone's hand on his shoulder. It was Elder Chang. "No matter who it is, I will not show any favoritism."

"I believe in Elder's judgment." Mu Chen could only reply with a smile. Although the elders who were in charge of the investigation were very credible, it wouldn't be difficult for Mu Xuefeng to mislead them.

Mu Chen bowed towards the Patriarch and other Elders. Before leaving, he took one final look at Mu Yukong's body. Life was fragile. Although cultivation would grant an exceedingly long life-span, just how many cultivators could stay alive long enough to enjoy it? Didn't that masked assailant also end up dying? Just a single mistake and one would end up as a cold and lifeless body.

#

When Mu Chen came out of the Elder Hall, he felt incredibly relaxed. Although there were many twists and turns, he had managed to maintain his status for the foreseeable future. He didn't pin his hope on Mu Xuefeng to punish his son for his crimes. After all, he was a father and Mu Changshou was his only son. Moreover, he was the son of his beloved wife, who had passed away. But he would nevertheless feel guilty for protecting his son and let Mu Chen enjoy his status for as long as he could. Mu Chen's status would not be in danger for the time being. The only problem was…

"What am I going to do about that little brat!" Mu Chen felt a headache when he thought about how to discipline his little sister. On one hand, he hoped that she would stay cheerful and happy for as long as possible. On the other hand, he also hoped that she would focus on her cultivation and lay a solid foundation for stepping into the Spirit Gathering realm. Although Mu Xuefeng had let him maintain the status, it wasn't permanent. It might become very difficult to secure such a decent environment for cultivation in the future. 

"Even if I am hated for a while, I have to make sure Xue'er utilizes this period to the best possible extent." Mu Chen decided to not go easy on his little sister, this time.

Mu Chen walked in leisure towards his residence as he made his plans for the next month. There were still over three weeks for the candidate selection for the secret realm. That was plenty of time to completely familiarize himself with his new strength. 

Should he once again dive deeper into the  Dark Forest? Mu Chen pondered. There shouldn't be any more assassination attempts. With the great elders conducting the investigation, it wouldn't be the wisest move.

Mu Chen was still engrossed in his thoughts as he entered his residence. A familiar figure rushed into his vision.

"Aargh!! Brat!! Everything is over! It is a disaster!! How could this happen?!!" Grandpa Wu screamed. His eyes were red and his hair disheveled. Tears were flowing down on his cheeks. There was even some snot running down his nose.

Mu Chen's heart sank and it almost skipped a beat. Did something happen to Xue'er?