Chapter 95

Chapter 10: The Black Pot

In the second floor of the Devil's No Crying Bar, which should have been quiet and empty at night, there was now a cacophony of voices and a heavy atmosphere of tension. The demon hunters on the south side of the second floor glared disdainfully at their opponents, while the people from the Church on the other side looked grief-stricken and filled with rage. In the middle, a stretcher held a corpse, which was more aptly described as a charred body.

The white-robed priest Dao stood beside the bishop's body, his eyes filled with anger as he stared at the demon hunters. The disdainful expressions and contemptuous gazes of the demon hunters had already made the usually gentle Dao tremble with rage. Behind him, the equally enraged monks were about to lose control and punish the sinners on the other side.

"When night fell, our church suddenly exploded, and the raging fire reduced the entire building to ashes. Our bishop also perished in the flames..." The priest's voice, filled with sorrow, was broken as he recounted the events: "But this was not an accident! It was a murder! Many of our monks saw a man in black passing by our church..."

"So, you just assume that the murderer is our branch leader, Mr. Ye?" The demon hunters immediately interrupted the priest, jeering: "So many people pass by your church every day! Why don't you suspect them? We even formed a team to visit your church today to see the beautiful nuns!"

"You..."

The white-robed priest and the monks were all flushed with anger at the demon hunters' words. A tall monk finally could no longer hold back and charged at the demon hunters. However, he was instantly sent flying back at an even faster speed, his jaw hit hard, and he was already unconscious and bleeding from the mouth—those who led the faithful in prayer and heard their confessions every day were not skilled in combat...

"May the light shine upon the earth, the goddess's kindness..."

The monk's bleeding and unconscious state made the white-robed priest unable to hold back any longer. As he began to chant, a faint white light appeared around him. However, a black shadow appeared even faster, and a scorching cone of flame dispersed the positive energy of the white light...

"In the Demon Hunters' Guild, the light of God should appear less often!" Ye Qi swung his sheath and struck the soft abdomen of the white-robed priest, forcing him to retreat several steps until he was supported by the monks to steady himself. Looking at the middle-aged monk in front of him, Ye Qi sneered, "Are the people from the Church here to ask us to exorcise demons?"

Ye Qi had no good feelings toward the Church, and seeing them come with a corpse, demanding an explanation, made him even more irritated. Previously, although the mercenary leader only gave a rough outline over the phone, he had already guessed the situation. Someone or some creature must be targeting the Church, and afterward, he, the one who brutally killed the Church's members, was made the scapegoat. Or perhaps this was another move by the Church against him. After all, as long as the benefits were sufficient, what did a bishop even matter? He was now the branch leader of the Demon Hunters' Guild in the Bay Area, representing the entire guild, not just a solitary apostle-level demon hunter...

Moreover, the B- level mission prompt from the system made Ye Qi even more cautious.

"B- Level Mission: The True Culprit. Find the true culprit who killed the bishop of the Bay Area Church and eliminate the threat..."

"Cough, cough... Are you the new branch leader, Ye Qi?" The white-robed priest coughed twice and fearlessly questioned Ye Qi, who had knocked him down: "Why were you in the church in the evening? Is the bishop's death related to you?"

"Mr. Butler, please vouch for me!" Ye Qi ignored the priest and turned to speak to someone behind him. Following Ye Qi's call, the butler of the Nord family, who had entered the second floor with Ye Qi but had been standing at the back, now approached the white-robed priest. Clearly, the butler of the Nord family was not unfamiliar with the priest: "Priest Dao, I can vouch for Mr. Ye. He was definitely on the second floor of the bar from the evening until it was completely dark. I was delivering an invitation to Mr. Ye at the time, and the bar's waiters and a few early guests can confirm my words. Moreover, Mr. Ye just arrived from the Nord family's estate..."

"Did you hear that?" Ye Qi narrowed his eyes and looked at the white-robed priest, pointing to the corpse on the ground: "And if it were me, I would never leave any evidence or witnesses..."

"You..." The white-robed priest's expression had eased somewhat with the butler's testimony, but it immediately changed again upon hearing Ye Qi's words. Ye Qi had no intention of dealing with these people from the Church and turned to face the stairs, extending his hand: "Please leave slowly, and I hope we never meet again..."

...

The people from the Church left under the lead of the white-robed priest. After they left, the demon hunters greeted Ye Qi and also departed. The entire second-floor hall was left with only Ye Qi and the butler of the Nord family.

"Mr. Ye, the Nord family will prove your innocence!" The butler, who had been instructed by Gail, spoke respectfully: "If you need anything, please let us know!"

"Please convey my sincere thanks to Mr. Gail!" Ye Qi politely replied but declined: "However, I want to handle this matter myself!"

"Very well, I will take my leave then!" Seeing Ye Qi's refusal, the butler did not say more, bowed, and slowly left the second floor of the bar.

Who could it be?

Ye Qi leaned against the bar counter, deep in thought—although the Church was likely to frame him again, he could not rule out the possibility of dark creatures being involved. With few clues, even after going over the events multiple times, Ye Qi had no leads...

With no results from his contemplation, Ye Qi decided to visit the scene, despite never wanting to set foot there again...

After instructing the mercenary leader and the waiters to clean up the second floor, which had been messed up by the clash between the Burning Hand and the white-robed priest, Ye Qi left the bar alone and headed towards the church in Lanting Castle.