Chapter 173 Investigation

Thinking of this, a hint of mockery flashed across Jiang Ran's face, and then she sneered, "Save your threats. Just wait and see the final result."

Upon hearing this, Si Yanxiao's eyes sharpened, and he replied in a deep voice, "Alright, then I'll wait and see."

Having said that, he turned and left, and the two reached a consensus.

Watching Si Yanxiao's departing figure, a cold glint flashed in Jiang Ran's eyes. She turned around and headed up the mountain. Looking at the scene ravaged by the mudslide, she sighed softly to herself.

She deliberately retraced her original route, and when she reached the grove of trees where she was trapped by the "ghost wall," her eyes narrowed slightly, and she stopped, scanning her surroundings.

In their eagerness to save lives, they didn't linger after breaking the formation. Only now, upon reviewing the events, have they discovered the suspicious circumstances. It's likely that someone deliberately lured the rescuers into this place to buy time.

Jiang Ran looked up and noticed that several stones had shifted from their original positions. She then walked slowly to one of the stones, her eyes flashing as the previous scene instantly reappeared in her mind.

His face instantly turned cold, clearly indicating that someone had come beforehand to clean up the mess, and that they were "like-minded people".

This formation utilizes the Bagua formation, which can mislead people with what they see, causing them to wander around in circles for a long time. If it weren't for the ghosts and demons harassing her, she wouldn't have resorted to such forceful methods to break the formation.

Thinking of this, Jiang Ran's eyes darkened slightly, and a shadow crossed his face as he sensed the lingering yin energy around him.

Then he walked straight towards the collapsed cave. It was here that he had sensed the strong yin energy. If it weren't for the white tiger phantom sensing the danger and automatically protecting him, an ordinary person would probably have been corrupted long ago.

Possessed by yin energy, they would either be crippled or mentally impaired. This clearly shows that the person who plotted all this had murderous intent and wanted to cut off Si Zuochen and Si Youlin's escape route.

Jiang Ran carefully considered everything, and a sinister glint appeared in her eyes. The two children had now become her Achilles' heel, daring to deliberately scheme against her in front of her. Were they living too comfortably?

Thinking of this, Jiang Ran's fierce expression became even more pronounced, and she had a vague guess in her heart. She walked straight into the cave, trying to find evidence there.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Si Yanxiao and she divided the work, with Si Yanxiao taking charge of investigating the things that were obvious.

I went to the school first to ask the teacher in charge of the field trip about the situation.

When the school heard that Si Yanxiao was coming to visit, they were alarmed, worried that he was there to hold them accountable, and everyone was on high alert and ready to respond.

As soon as Si Yanxiao's car arrived at the door, he saw a group of people gathered outside. His brows furrowed slightly, and a hint of displeasure flashed across his face.

Seeing this, Gu Nan sneered and teased, "Fine! Everyone's waiting to welcome you."

Si Yanxiao's expression turned cold, his lips pursed slightly, and he got out of the car and walked towards the crowd, with Gu Nan quickly following behind.

The principal hurriedly approached with his entourage, a fawning smile on his face: "President Si."

Si Yanxiao, his face cold, nodded slightly in response, then looked up at the people behind him and said in a cold voice, "Didn't my men make it clear that everything should be done discreetly? Why make such a big fuss?"

Hearing his question, the principal's face stiffened slightly, and a hint of embarrassment flashed across his face. He hadn't expected Si Yanxiao to point it out so directly in public, which made him seem a bit redundant.

He quickly spoke in an official tone, "This is your first time visiting here, so we naturally want to welcome you with the utmost sincerity."

After all, the Si Group's position in this industry is unshakeable, and the fact that this place has become a school that children from high society are scrambling to get into is largely due to the Si family's contributions.

Therefore, after the incident involving Cheng Xi and the Si family's twins, he immediately expelled Cheng Xi's mother from the board of directors, fearing that she might be implicated.

Si Yanxiao listened to his words, pretending not to notice the flattery in his words, and replied coldly, "I don't have the leisure to be polite with you. I just want to know what happened to my child."

When the principal saw that Si Yanxiao had directly rejected his request, his expression changed slightly, and he replied in a low voice, "Alright."

Then he whispered a few words to the people next to him, signaling them to leave, before turning to Si Yanxiao and saying softly, "Come with me."

Si Yanxiao nodded slightly and walked to his side toward the office.

Gu Nan walked behind, watching the principal's back, a slight smile playing on her lips.

Trying to flatter someone and ending up making a fool of yourself is quite embarrassing...

Inside the office, Si Yanxiao sat in the main seat, listening to the homeroom teacher recount what had happened.

"At first everything was normal. Si Youlin seemed very enthusiastic about the mountain climbing, and they were always ahead of the other students."

"We will also place teachers along the route at short intervals to keep watch in case the students need anything."

"When did they disappear without a trace?" Si Yanxiao asked in a deep voice.

The homeroom teacher pondered for a moment and replied softly, "From what I learned afterward, it happened when we were almost at the top of the mountain."

Upon hearing this, Si Yanxiao's eyes sharpened, and his mind was filled with a myriad of thoughts.

This means that the person behind the scenes must have made a plan, deliberately choosing that position, and only made their move when they were ahead of the students behind them and there was no one around.

Each step is interconnected. The mountaintop will increase the difficulty of the search and rescue, and they will search from the bottom up, which will naturally take up a lot of time. This shows how deep the mastermind behind the murder is.

"They are so young, how could you let them go up the mountain alone? Even with a teacher along the way, it's not safe!" Si Yanxiao rebuked coldly, his face full of displeasure.

The homeroom teacher was startled upon hearing this, realizing that he was trying to hold someone accountable. He quickly explained, "Because the students are all in groups of three or five and their speeds are all about the same, generally speaking, nothing should happen."

"Then what do you mean by this?" Si Yanxiao's eyes turned cold, his brows furrowed slightly, and he asked in a cold voice, "Are you implying that my child is unsociable?"

As she spoke, her voice rose slightly: "Generally speaking? Now that something has happened, can you take responsibility?"

Si Yanxiao suddenly stood up, staring sharply at the homeroom teacher, his face extremely gloomy.

The homeroom teacher, flustered by his reprimand, tried to remain calm and quickly tried to explain, "Mr. Si, that's not what I meant, I..."

Before he could finish speaking, a look of unease appeared on his face. Seeing this, Gu Nan sighed softly and tried to smooth things over, "We're only here to find out what happened. Don't be nervous. Fortunately, Ah Chen and Ah Lin are alright..."

Then, the tone suddenly changed: "Otherwise, I don't need to tell you what the consequences will be, do I?"

"Understood, understood." The principal, being an old fox, naturally understood the meaning behind his words and responded repeatedly, knowing that Gu Nan was indirectly giving him a way out.

After Si Yanxiao found out the reason, he glanced at them coldly, his eyes filled with disdain, and got up and left.

Seeing his displeasure and slight frown, Gu Nan quickly followed.

The principal watched them leave, then breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing this, the homeroom teacher quickly stepped forward and asked, "Principal, this…"

Before she could finish speaking, the principal waved his hand and replied in a deep voice, "Fortunately, it was a false alarm, and no major mistake was made. Now we can only hope they won't investigate our responsibility any further..."

After leaving the school, Si Yanxiao was extremely disgusted by the way the others handled things, and then went directly to the rescue team to inquire about the terrain.

On the other side, Jiang Ran investigated the accident scene and found that, just as she had guessed, it was indeed the work of witchcraft.

The sudden increase in evil spirits must be due to manipulation by someone, and it was also discovered that there was residual yin energy.

His eyes narrowed instantly, his brow furrowed, and a flicker of surprise crossed his mind. He looked around and murmured, "It's witchcraft..."

Witchcraft was once considered a branch of metaphysics, but due to its different beliefs and unorthodox practices, it was classified as a heretical and evil path and was expelled from the country.

Those who practice witchcraft gradually disappear into the darkness; I never expected to run into them here.

Jiang Ran couldn't help but wonder, what exactly was the person behind this?! The scope was so wide, even involving people who practiced witchcraft.

Thinking of this, Jiang Ran's face darkened. She felt that ever since Si Yanxiao woke up, things had been gradually slipping out of her control.

I originally wanted to use my metaphysical abilities to get a glimpse of the truth, but I was repeatedly thwarted.