Yan Shouyi's analysis was incisive, each word a gem, pressing step by step, leaving Qi Dongqiang no room to refute.
Individually, none of these pieces of evidence were enough to prove anything, but when all the evidence was pieced together and pointed at Qi Dongqiang, it meant that Qi Dongqiang was a problem!
Yan Shouyi had been wary of Qi Dongqiang. After ascending the mountain, he first paired Qi Dongqiang with himself for the investigation, essentially keeping a close eye on the man to prevent him from causing trouble. Later, after encountering Huang Qingcang at the Wash Elephant Pond, Qi Dongqiang's behavior further solidified Yan Shouyi's suspicion that he was up to no good. Therefore, when they finally met Daoist Jinbi, Yan Shouyi deliberately kept Qi Dongqiang from interacting with him, intending to prevent Qi Dongqiang from silencing witnesses!
Qi Dongqiang also realized at this point that his supposedly flawless disguise was, in fact, riddled with flaws in front of Yan Shouyi, and he had been under suspicion all along.
"As expected of Yan Shouyi, a descendant of Lu Ban. I truly underestimated you..." Qi Dongqiang said with a deep voice.
"You... what grudge do you hold against the Emei Sect? Why go to such lengths! Why!"
Daoist Jinbi, who was being carried on Long Feicheng's back, nearly had his old wounds flare up in anger upon learning that Qi Dongqiang was the enemy hidden among them.
Many of the Emei Sect members were old acquaintances of Daoist Jinbi, and he had felt immense sorrow upon discovering the corpses of many of them along the way.
Furthermore, the elite disciples he had brought up the mountain had all perished at the hands of Huang Qingcang and the others, which deeply pained Daoist Jinbi.
Yan Shouyi stepped forward, pressing, "Qi Dongqiang, say what you need to say, and I'll make your death quick!"
Qi Dongqiang seemed to have a desire to confess.
His eyes filled with malice, and he lowered his head, speaking in a deep voice:
"That's right... all the people of the Emei Sect were killed by me!"
"Everything I did was to avenge my master!!"
Avenge?
Everyone present was startled.
"I once said I was an orphan abandoned on Mount Emei. My master took me in, raised me in the nunnery, taught me to read and write, and taught me monkey tricks. My master had the grace of upbringing and teaching me; her kindness was as vast as a mountain!"
"But my master did not die of illness; she was driven to death by these hypocritical scoundrels of the Emei Sect!!!"
"The former Sect Leader of Emei, at the suggestion of the current Sect Leader Guan Yun, planned to consolidate the Emei Mountain and bring all the temples on the mountain under their control. However, the nunnery where my master resided was founded by her mother, and she was unwilling to submit to the Emei Sect. Thus, the former Sect Leader sent disciples to harass them repeatedly. Unable to bear the humiliation, my master hanged herself in the nunnery!"
"Orphaned once more without my master, I could only keep the monkeys company, wandering the mountain like a lonely ghost. But I never forgot who my enemy was! However, the Emei Sect had a powerful formation, and relying on myself alone, it was impossible to enter the mountain gate, let alone seek revenge on my enemies!"
"By chance, I met Caiyun, a disciple of the Emei Sect. Caiyun, unaware of my deep-seated hatred for the Emei Sect, had a good impression of me. So, I played along, talking with her every day, doing my best to please her. When the time was right, I planned to have her bring me into the Emei Sect, thus giving me the opportunity for revenge!"
"During my time interacting with Caiyun, the actor Li Genmiao found me and recruited me into the Twelve Zodiacs. He told me that the task of the Twenty-Eight Mansions was to kill inheritors of other folk sects, while the task of the Twelve Zodiacs was to sow discord within major sects and create conflict between major sects and folk sects. For me, as long as I killed members of the Emei Sect, it was enough. Therefore, Li Genmiao's objective did not conflict with mine; he could even provide me with assistance, so I agreed."
"A few days ago, Caiyun finally invited me to the Emei Sect to meet her master, as she planned to renounce her monastic vows for me and become my bride... I knew my opportunity had arrived!"
"So, I informed Li Genmiao, and he sent two members of the Twelve Zodiacs to assist, namely the 'Si' (Snake) puppet show inheritor and the 'Wei' (Goat)蛊 master!"
"On the appointed day, the two of them quietly followed me into the Emei Sect. While Caiyun and I were meeting her master, 'Si' controlled the elder in charge of the Emei Sect's grand formation, and 'Wei' planted the love-thread蛊 in the Wash Elephant Pond. When the time was ripe, the Emei Sect's mountain gate opened wide, the love-thread蛊 erupted, and the Emei disciples were rendered completely defenseless. My monkeys then seized the opportunity to charge in and bite them all to death!!!!!!"
"My great revenge was finally taken... Hahaha! Hahahahaha! Hahahahahahahahaha!!!"
Upon reaching this point, Qi Dongqiang could no longer contain himself and burst into laughter, clutching his head.
His laughter was perverted and twisted, his voice incredibly shrill, like a madman.
Yan Shouyi's lips twitched. Listening to Qi Dongqiang's description, he truly understood what it meant to be a beast in human clothing, worse than a beast!
Caiyun had trusted him so implicitly, yet he had been deceiving her all along. Even after spending so much time together, he had never truly loved Caiyun, only used her.
Poor Caiyun, how could she have guessed that the man she had spent so many years with had actually been acting from beginning to end?
Regarding Qi Dongqiang's ascent to the mountain, though he described it with understatement, Yan Shouyi could imagine the actual brutality.
It was known that the love-thread蛊 not only weakened combat capabilities but also caused loss of control.
In the courtyards where the Emei Sect disciples resided, those pitiable disciples were defiled, and their defilers were not even human...
How much agony must they have endured before their deaths?
"Scoundrel! This is a grave sin! A grave sin!!!" Daoist Jinbi wept profusely.
Others also clenched their fists, waiting for Yan Shouyi's command to rush forward and kill Qi Dongqiang.
Yan Shouyi suppressed his anger and did not act, for he knew the story was far from over.
Why did Qi Dongqiang remain after the massacre instead of fleeing?
Why did 'Si' control Huang Qingcang? Wasn't that an unnecessary step?
How did this matter ultimately involve them?
Without Yan Shouyi needing to ask, Qi Dongqiang confessed:
"On that day, my monkeys wreaked havoc in the Emei Sect. The disciples who were once so high and mighty were no match for my monkeys! But I still underestimated the Emei Sect. It was only when I reached the end of my killings that I discovered that the body of Abbess Guan Yun could not be found within the Emei Sect. She must have taken people and hidden in some corner I didn't know about!"
"Without killing everyone, how could I be at ease? Without killing everyone, I would never leave Mount Emei!!"