Gao Xiaolian said, “I snuck away when their guard was down, planning to go to Shuzhong to find Daddy, but...but I ran into Deng-shixiong on the journey there. He was grievously injured, and someone was hunting him down.”

Cao Weining asked, “Was it the Ghost Valley…”

Abruptly, Zhou Zishu cut him off, opening his mouth to ask, “Do you recognise the person who was hunting him down? Were they people from the heroes’ gathering at Dongting?”

Cao Weining stared at him with his eyes wide and mouth agape. He swallowed, then murmured slowly, “Zhou...Zhou-xiong, these words are probably best not spoken flippantly?”

Zhou Zishu leant back on his chair, and said in a soft voice, “According to Miss Gao, Hero Gao brought people from various major sects with him. If they were really the Ghosts, why would they hunt Deng Kuan down when Hero Gao has the advantage in numbers? Whose lives are they desperate to lose?”

Gao Xiaolian started to tremble all over. “Yes...you’re right, they were the ordinary folk from the orthodox sects. They said that Daddy was the one who killed Uncle Shen, said he was the culprit who harmed the Zhang Family and the Taishan sect leader, colluded with the evil Ghosts to...to obtain the Lapis Armour. They even revealed the story of what Rong Xuan and the rest did all those years ago, how they stole the secret manuals of various sects with Daddy’s involvement, and for the sake of his own reputation, Daddy concealed this part of the past, even attempting to kill witnesses, claim it for his own…”

Eyes wide, Zhang Chengling bolted to his feet. “What? He…”

Zhou Zishu raised his head to look at him, and commanded coldly, “Little tyke, sit down.”

Zhang Chengling looked at him. “Shifu, she said...she said…”

Gao Xiaolian’s voice suddenly soared in pitch as she screeched, “It’s not true, they’re talking nonsense, they’re maligning my dad, my dad isn’t that kind of person!”

Zhou Zishu merely said coolly, “Indeed, Hero Gao is not that kind of person. Miss Gao, do continue.”

His voice was low, and seemed to have a sort of special soothing effect. Gao Xiaolian glanced at him, and felt that she had overreacted. Slightly ashamed, she cast her eyes downward, and continued, “Deng-shixiong told me to run...I was terrified out of my wits, and fled blindly. I was also afraid that someone would be chasing me down, so I avoided crowds on the road. Shixiong was grievously injured, I don’t know if he...if he’s still…”

Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing exchanged a glance . By the looks of it, they thought, Deng Kuan’s fate was most likely grim.

Cao Weining said, “Then you fled blindly, ran into the Black Poison Hag, and accidentally let your identity slip? Was this what tempted them, and made them kidnap you?”