Xu Qing fell silent.
After a long time, he lifted his head. The waves in his heart transformed into waves in his mind that continued to surge.
"Deputy Governor…" Xu Qing mumbled.
He didn't have much contact with the Deputy Governor but he had a lot of respect for him.
This respect came from the other party's alchemy attainment and the scholarly aura on his body that was similar to Grandmaster Bai and the Great Elder of the Sword Holding Court.
Xu Qing still clearly remembered the gentle voice and appearance of the other party in the Sword Holding Palace when he first arrived at the county capital, as well as the great merit of plain pills that Deacon Sun had mentioned.
Even after the war started, Xu Qing saw the other party's exhausted appearance many times.
He also recalled the scene when he faced the Quasi-Immortal Race. The other party had rushed over and tacitly helped him.
After the Seventh Prince arrived, the Deputy Governor smoothly integrated into his side, but this didn't mean anything.
Many subsequent beneficial events for Fenghai County were initiated by the County Magistrate himself, along with the Deputy Palace Master of the Three Great Palaces, who made multiple petitions to the Seventh Prince in order to secure them.
For example, when Xu Qing had just returned, the Deputy Governor had suppressed the coalition of clans that had been formed to retaliate against Xu Qing's orders.
The rules and protections that were established after the war, as well as the exchanges and benefits gained, were also the result of the Deputy Governor's multiple consultations with the Seventh Prince, advocating for the interests of the Sword Holders.
There were many things that involved the Deputy Governor.
The fact that he was trusted by the Palace Master to remain in the county capital indicates that while the Palace Master may have had some doubts, there was still a significant level of trust.
During the war, the Deputy Governor showed no hesitation and wholeheartedly dedicated himself to the frontline battle, earning the trust and becoming the backbone of countless commoners.
One of the reasons that the front lines were able to last for so long was the Deputy Governor.
He was a person who had accomplished great merits.
He was the person who protected the people at the rear during war.
He was the person who fought for advantages for Fenghai County many times after the war ended and the Seventh Prince took over.
Xu Qing felt that it was a little unreal to say that he was the culprit behind everything.
Before this, he didn't see any signs that there was a problem with the Deputy Governor, nor did he obtain any evidence.
Xu Qing suppressed the various waves in his mind.
This matter was too big, so he couldn't make a rash decision. Instead, he treated this matter as a clue and added it to his analysis.
After that, he recalled the contents of the Palace Master's jade slip and the results of his investigation on Mount Morning Glow.
"According to the records in the classified document 19, the empty wish box once contained a Radiant Life Calamity Pill. The Palace Master knew this, which is why he identified it as the cause of the County Governor's death."
"Because there are very few ways to silently and effortlessly cause the death of the County Governor with such formidable cultivation. Unless it was the work of someone at the Soul Accumulation Realm, but if that were the case, there would be no need for this war."
"Therefore, all the signs point to the Radiant Life Calamity Pill."
Xu Qing murmured as he sorted through all the clues he had gathered in his mind, forming a coherent train of thought.
"But to refine the Radiant Life Calamity Pill, one needs morning glow, which is why the Palace Master asked me to investigate. And secondly, there is the matter of the method of poisoning."
This aspect was something Xu Qing had discussed with Kong Xianglong before. He couldn't fathom what method could have been used to make the County Governor, who had reached the half-step Soul Accumulation Realm with the blessing of fortune, unable to detect the poisoning.
"According to my investigation, there was a morning glow which wasn't recorded. This piece of evidence allows the possibility of the Radiant Life Calamity Pill being used."
"As for the method of poisoning…"
Xu Qing lowered his head and looked at the powdered pill on the ground. He then took out the last plain pill from the pill bottle and held it in his hand as he observed it carefully.
Xu Qing had studied the plain pills once before. At that time, his conclusion was that the effect of these pills in dispelling anomalous substances had indeed surpassed that of the white pills.
The refinement method was unique, and Xu Qing couldn't analyze it even with his understanding of alchemy.
Many of the medicinal herbs inside didn't seem to be a match. Instead, they were formed after the medicinal effects of the herbs were modified.
This was the Deputy Governor's unique Dao of Medicine. By changing the external environment of the medicinal herbs, it would unknowingly change and affect them, forcing them into producing the effects he needed.
Xu Qing's eyes narrowed as he thought of this crucial point.
At this moment, it was as though a large hand had appeared in his mind, quickly pushing away all the fog. This caused the content of the lesson the Deputy Governor had taught to their group of new Sword Holders to clearly appear under the fog.
"If you want to change the state of a medicinal herb, you don't need to use a drastic approach, nor do you need to transform it externally by harmonizing yin and yang. In my opinion, what is needed is to transform it in a subtle way."
"Subtly, you change the environment it is in and change its nutrients. Let it slowly absorb them without knowing it and influence it from the inside."
"To be precise, it wasn't me who changed its state but its own strength that changed its state. What I did was to create an environment and nutrients that guided its direction."
These were the Deputy Governor's exact words back then.
In the past, no matter how Xu Qing thought about these words, he only had admiration toward the Deputy Governor. He was very respectful to the Deputy Governor who could think of such a method.
This was because the other party had indeed successfully modified the white pills. Using this method, he created plain pills that benefited the humans in the county capital.
However, now that he recalled these words, a shocking bolt of lightning rumbled through Xu Qing's mind.
"If the words 'medicinal herb' that the Deputy Governor mentioned in class back then were changed to the County Governor, everything… would be logical."
