Chapter 1404: Chapter 1404

Ding Fan was shocked and puzzled, who on earth killed Elder Wang here?

It should be known that Elder Wang not only held a high status in Dancheng, but also had significant cultivation strength. Clearly, he wasn't someone an ordinary cultivator could kill. For a moment, Ding Fan furrowed his brows, realizing from Elder Wang's corpse that he must have been slain, as the corpse had a deep and deadly slash mark.

But Ding Fan was truly shocked and also confused. Who could possibly kill Elder Wang? Elder Wang was usually very kind and was a highly revered figure in Dancheng. Ding Fan knew that such a person shouldn't have any enemies, and whoever killed Elder Wang must also be extraordinary, given Elder Wang's high status in Dancheng, which clearly wasn't something an ordinary person would dare to touch.

And now, Elder Wang's body was just thrown here in the woods, without any apparent care if it was found.

Ding Fan was somewhat surprised. Who could have done this?

At this time, Zhou Ruoran looked at Ding Fan with some confusion and asked:

"Who is this person? He looks somewhat familiar?"

"He was the chief judge of this year's Great Alchemy Competition and an important elder of the City Lord Mansion in Dancheng!"

Upon hearing Ding Fan's words, Zhou Ruoran was very shocked. You must know that the chief judge of the Great Alchemy Competition was not an ordinary figure. Not only did he hold a high position in Dancheng's City Lord Mansion, but he was also a renowned Grade Eight Alchemist and a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator.

Such a person being killed is simply unbelievable!

While Ding Fan was thinking, he suddenly discovered that Elder Wang had a jade plate on him. Most of the jade plate was covered by his clothes, only a corner was exposed, but Ding Fan still noticed it. Ding Fan picked up the jade plate and saw the word "Sun" written on it, and on the back, the words "Dancheng" were inscribed.

Seeing this scene, Ding Fan already knew who the murderer was. Ding Fan knew this was evidently Sun Long, the Vice City Lord of Dancheng's jade plate. Ding Fan could conclude that the one who killed Elder Wang must be Sun Long. Recalling Sun Long, Ding Fan's heart grew a bit heavier.

Apparently, Ding Fan and Sun Long had some enmity. After all, Ding Fan had killed Sun Long's son. Ding Fan knew that Sun Long would not easily let him go. However, Ding Fan didn't understand why Sun Long would target Elder Wang, who was usually very amiable and rarely had any enemies.

Just then, when Ding Fan was about to bury Elder Wang's body, he suddenly discovered a shining City Lord's robe on a tree beside Elder Wang's body, very conspicuous. Initially, Ding Fan was focused on the body, obviously not noticing the City Lord's robe hanging on the branch.

At this moment, Zhou Ruoran also saw the robe, seemingly familiar, and remarked:

"Doesn't this robe belong to that Lord Lin from before?"

Hearing these words, Ding Fan nodded with a somewhat grave expression and said:

For a moment, Ding Fan was curious, why was Lord Lin's robe here? Could it be that Lord Lin killed Elder Wang? Numerous questions flooded Ding Fan's mind in an instant. Ding Fan couldn't figure out why Lord Lin's robe was here, feeling a bit puzzled.

At this time, Zhou Ruoran was looking at the jade plate in Ding Fan's hand, with her gaze fixed on it, and couldn't help but ask curiously:

"Ding Fan, what's wrong? Do you recognize this jade plate?"

"Yeah, it's nothing, don't worry."

Ding Fan casually put the jade plate away, glanced at Zhou Ruoran, and then smiled slightly, saying:

Upon hearing Ding Fan's words, Zhou Ruoran agreed and the two continued on their way.

Along the way, Ding Fan and Zhou Ruoran kept chatting happily. Now that Ding Fan had found Zhou Ruoran in a good mood, their journey was filled with joy.

Zhou Ruoran was also happy, and seeing Ding Fan's cheerful demeanor, she felt joyful too. However, the astute Zhou Ruoran hadn't forgotten about the matter of Elder Wang's corpse, despite Ding Fan not mentioning anything to her. Zhou Ruoran suspected Ding Fan was hiding something.

Zhou Ruoran understood that Ding Fan hadn't shared his concerns with her. She trusted Ding Fan deeply and believed he had his reasons for keeping silent. Since Ding Fan assured her everything was fine, Zhou Ruoran wasn't too worried, although she did wish for fewer secrets between them. Zhou Ruoran planned to find an opportunity to ask Ding Fan.

Ding Fan didn't tell Zhou Ruoran about Elder Wang because initially, he hadn't figured it out himself. But as Ding Fan buried Elder Wang's body, it suddenly became clear to him—he realized the entirety of the situation! The City Lord's robe hanging from the tree beside Elder Wang's corpse was too conspicuous; Ding Fan surmised someone wanted to frame Lord Lin, since it seemed all too obvious.

Any cultivator who saw Elder Wang's corpse would definitely notice the robe on the tree. Ding Fan had observed that the robe had many damage marks, likely inflicted manually. If any cultivator witnessed such a scene, they would naturally deduce that Lord Lin had killed Elder Wang.

But was that truly the case? Ding Fan doubted it immediately, knowing neither Lord Lin nor Elder Wang were duplicitous. Ding Fan had interacted with them before, even meeting Lord Lin under Elder Wang's guidance.

In the room at the City Lord Mansion, Ding Fan could sense the good rapport between Lord Lin and Elder Wang, akin to longstanding friends. Their genuine relationship wasn't feigned before him.

There was no reason for them to act otherwise. Thus, Ding Fan quickly dismissed the possibility of Elder Wang's death being caused by Lord Lin. Without Ding Fan's strong divine sense, he wouldn't have found the jade plate on Elder Wang's body. Ding Fan knew that Elder Sun Long's jade plate was the key to unraveling this mystery.

Based on his previous deductions, if Lord Lin didn't kill Elder Wang, yet the scene suggested he did, judging by the robe—the strong evidence—Ding Fan ruled out this possibility. Hence, it could be inferred someone was attempting to frame Lin Qi.

Moreover, Ding Fan had inadvertently discovered Sun Long's jade plate. Linking all these clues led to the conclusion that Sun Long killed Elder Wang and aimed to frame Lord Lin Qi. Although Ding Fan hadn't directly interacted with Sun Long, he had dealt with Sun Long's people several times.

In Ding Fan's impression, Sun Long wasn't an upright person, so Ding Fan agreed with his own conclusions. Yet, Ding Fan understood this was merely a theory, and further investigation was needed to uncover the truth.

Ding Fan couldn't allow Elder Wang to die in vain, given Elder Wang's benevolence towards him. Ding Fan knew he needed to do something for Elder Wang and decided to stay in Dancheng for a while, despite having won the Great Alchemy Competition Championship. He still hadn't gathered information about the Wild Wolf Gang.

Ding Fan withheld these matters from Zhou Ruoran to spare her worry. For Ding Fan, nothing was more important than being by Zhou Ruoran's side at this moment, especially after such a long separation, with his longing for Ruoran yet unfulfilled.

Before long, Ding Fan and Zhou Ruoran arrived at Dancheng's city gate. At this point, Zhou Ruoran halted, smiling faintly at Ding Fan as she inquired:

"You haven't mentioned anything about that elder's corpse all the way here. How long did you plan to keep it from me?"

As Zhou Ruoran spoke, she seemed somewhat upset. Zhou Ruoran knew the elder held a significant position in Dancheng. Hence, she aimed to find out from Ding Fan before entering Dancheng, realizing that discussing such matters inside might not be convenient.

Gazing at Zhou Ruoran's expression, Ding Fan affectionately tweaked her delicate nose and then responded to her:

"It's not that I didn't want to tell you, but I hadn't figured it out at the time. I realized it later. Alright, I'll tell you now. I suspect Elder Wang was killed by Vice City Lord Sun Long. Sun Long and I have some grudges, but I don't know why he'd want to kill Elder Wang. However, I must understand this matter; Elder Wang treated me well, and I cannot let his death remain a mystery."

Upon hearing Ding Fan, Zhou Ruoran began to worry and expressed concern: Get full chapters from 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭·𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦·𝘯𝘦𝘵

"I support you, but I'm still very worried for you. Sun Long is the Vice City Lord of Dancheng, and you've had conflicts with him. Isn't staying in Dancheng rather dangerous for us?"

Grasping Zhou Ruoran's hand, Ding Fan said earnestly:

"Don't worry; I promise we'll never be separated, and nothing will happen to us in Dancheng. Besides, haven't you forgotten someone?"

Perplexed by Ding Fan's words, Zhou Ruoran questioned him.

"Lin Qi. As long as Lin Qi remains, we'll be perfectly safe in Dancheng, even more so than outside! Plus, there are matters I haven't concluded in Dancheng, which require us to stay for several more days."

Hearing Ding Fan, Zhou Ruoran recalled Lin Qi, who previously saved them both. Zhou Ruoran felt assured, realizing Lin Qi valued Ding Fan highly, particularly as Ding Fan was a Grade Nine Alchemist.

Lin Qi was the Lord of Dancheng. Clearly, nothing in Dancheng escaped Lin Qi's notice, ensuring their safety within his domain. Zhou Ruoran agreed with Ding Fan's words. To Zhou Ruoran, the location wasn't as important as being with Ding Fan.

Ding Fan then shared more about Dayang Sect with Zhou Ruoran, including his intention for revenge. Noticing Zhou Ruoran's lingering skepticism, Ding Fan wished to eliminate any distance or caution between them and thus disclosed everything candidly.