"What I lost is something of paramount importance to our sect, a sacred artifact! If we can't find it, I'll become a sinner of the sect. How can I face the sect leader then?" Elder Liu said with a mournful face, his heart filled with anguish.
At this moment, he was so grief-stricken that he felt like dying.
He has truly let down the sect leader's trust in him.
"How did the sect's sacred artifact end up in your hands? Did the sect leader entrust it to you for safekeeping before he went into seclusion?" Gu Changqing was startled upon hearing this and asked with a puzzled expression.
He had heard of the sect's sacred artifact, but he had never seen it. After all, it was a sacred object of the sect, so how could Gu Changqing have seen it?
To put it simply, its status is equivalent to that of the imperial seal of ancient emperors.
Losing this thing would be a real disaster.
It's like an emperor without the imperial seal; can he still be called an emperor?
Without the imperial seal, the emperor would be like a man without his left and right arms.
In other words, sect sacred artifacts also exist in the same way.
At that moment, he suddenly understood why Elder Liu had that expression.
"Yes, it was entrusted to me by the sect leader before he went into seclusion, but now I have lost it. I have no words to face the sect leader." Elder Liu said with a distressed expression.
He felt deeply ashamed of failing the sect leader's instructions. If he couldn't find the sect's sacred artifact, he would have no face to live and would have to atone with his death.
"Elder Liu, don't panic. Besides you and the Sect Master, is there anyone else who knows about the sect's sacred artifact?" Gu Changqing asked calmly.
His first thought was the process of elimination.
To find out how the sect's sacred artifact was lost, we must first know how many people knew about this central sect sacred artifact.
Anyone who knows about the sect's sacred artifact is a suspect.
"Not many people know about this. I didn't even tell Qianqian. Apart from the sect leader and me, almost no outsiders know. Only my personal disciple knows." Elder Liu thought for a moment and then told everything he knew.
“If that’s the case, then your personal disciple is the most suspicious,” Gu Changqing said without hesitation.
“Who says otherwise? I think the same way as you. I’ve already tied him up and even tortured him severely, but he just won’t admit that he did it. Of course I don’t believe what he says. I even sent people to search his room, but they didn’t find any sect artifacts.” Elder Liu said in full.
Elder Liu was also puzzled. If it really was his personal disciple who did it, why couldn't they find anything on him? This seemed a bit illogical.
Could it be that this person has already transferred the sect's jade artifacts out of the sect?
But that doesn't seem to make sense either, because even if the items were moved out, Elder Liu could still sense the aura of the sect's sacred artifact.
Could it be that his personal disciple erased the aura from the sect's sacred artifact? But that's impossible; his cultivation level is far from reaching that level.
Elder Liu even suspected that this sacred artifact of the sect could not have been stolen by his personal disciple, but he couldn't think of anyone else who could have done it.
"Others, get him out, and I'll interrogate him carefully again. Perhaps we'll make some new discoveries," Gu Changqing said thoughtfully.
"Bring that traitor here immediately!" Elder Liu shouted, as if he had seen a glimmer of hope.
A moment later!
The disciple was pulled out.
At this moment, the disciple was in a terrible state, his clothes were covered in blood, his hair was messy, and he looked half-dead and extremely disheveled.
Elder Liu was not lying; he did indeed take the punishment of this disciple under his own rule.
Elder Liu must have been extremely anxious, which is why he resorted to any treatment he could find.
He thought that torture would produce a result, but he was sorely mistaken.
"Elder Liu calling me here again is useless. I will never admit to something I didn't do. Even if you beat me to death, I will not submit," the disciple said resolutely.
Seeing his resolute expression, Gu Changqing felt that he was not the one who did it.
There might be more to this story than meets the eye.
"We didn't call you here to beat you up, but to ask you some questions. If you are truly innocent, we will never wrong you. But if you really stole the sect's sacred artifact, you will definitely not escape punishment." Gu Changqing smiled faintly and said calmly.
Elder Liu said angrily, "If you didn't steal it, then who did? I only told you. Besides you and me, who else knows? I trusted you so much, and you have really disappointed me!"
Elder Liu usually values and trusts this close disciple very much, which is why he revealed such important information to him. However, he has betrayed his trust. It's really despicable!
Elder Liu gritted his teeth in hatred, wishing he could devour him alive.
"Elder Liu, the sect's anger really wasn't stolen by this disciple. I've followed you for so many years. Others may not understand me, but don't you understand me? Why won't you believe me?" The disciple said, his eyes reddening, somewhat agitated.
He felt extremely wronged and disappointed; the feeling of being wronged was truly unbearable.
"The facts are right in front of me. How can I believe you? If you didn't steal the sect's sacred artifact, then am I the one who stole it?" Elder Liu retorted vehemently upon hearing his disciple's words.
"Alright, you two stop arguing." Gu Changqing interrupted them as he watched them talking back and forth.
There's no point in them arguing like this.
"Besides you, have you told anyone else about the sect's sacred artifact?" Gu Changqing asked the disheveled disciple with a serious expression.
"No, I haven't told anyone. How could I talk about something so important with others?" The disciple immediately shook his head and said firmly.
"Since you didn't tell anyone, then you are the most suspicious. Don't blame Elder Liu for torturing you. If you want to clear your name, you must seriously think back: if you didn't tell anyone, did anyone else find out?"
Gu Changqing smiled faintly and kindly reminded him.
He thought to himself that if this person hadn't mentioned anything about the sect's sacred artifact to anyone else, then it must have been leaked through other channels.
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