Chapter 158 Instinctive Thoughts Of A Rigid Man...

That was because the reports said different things.

Before Harden had gone to get Chiron, Carla and Emma, he had first of all gotten Zi.

Zi was Ponzi's cousin, and the report the young lady, Chiron and Carla had submitted to the Bureau for Cultivators said that Ponzi, Duna and Luna had died at the hands of cored beasts up in the mountains.

In fact, it said that they had risked their lives to save them.

However, Harden had asked Zi about the incident. Naturally, she had stuck to the initial lie.

But with the scabbard at his side, he had figured out that she was lying.

Harden had then mounted pressure on her for the truth.

Zi was not one with a strong will from the start. She had always been fearful. And Harden had a very grounded reputation.

She had no choice but to spill the beans about what had happened when Chiron and his party members had gone for the Snow white Tulip flower.

She had also explained that it was Chiron that had come back and saved her life and Carla's life.

Naturally, this story depicted Chiron as a hero.

Also, Harden had figured that she was telling the truth this time around. At least his senses told him so, and so did the Scabbard.

Harden was not one to agree with what Ponzi, Duna and Luna had done, and if anyone were to ask him, they well deserved what they had gotten.

It was not the first time that they had received such reports about party members turning on each other.

After all, one could not always have all good eggs. Once in a while, some rotten ones were bound to raise their ugly heads.

Usually, when such terrible clan members were found and proven to be guilty, they were exiled from the clan after their cultivation had been crippled.

Although Chiron taking the law into his own hands was not exactly the right thing, Harden felt like this was something he could look past.

After all, Chiron, Carla and Zi had still reported that they were killed by cored beasts. Thereby saving their honour.

This was indeed an admirable deed.

However, When he was interrogating Chiron and Carla, he also asked them about the Incident that resulted in the death of Ponzi, Duna and Luna.

And Chiron and Carla had stuck to the planned story like wetness to water.

He tried to poke holes at the story several times, however, this was a story Chiron had planned out since that day on the mountain. He had basically covered up the loopholes.

Harden was now left with a controversy.

A man like him that had been guided by the unseen hands of the law of the land for most of his life had a strong Gut feeling that something was wrong somewhere.

But what it was eluded him.

It was either Chiron's and Carla's story that was wrong, or Zi's story was wrong.

There was also another question that plagued him just as much.

And that was the fact that the Essence Draining Spider had taken Chiron away.

That was a cored beast at the Blue core rank.

It was generally known that Cored beasts were usually stronger than cultivators of the same rank.

Although, it depended on the particular core beast.

For example, the Rabid big foot Cored beast at the green core was easily defeated by the Giant grey horned Ape. This meant that if a cultivator of the stone rank had fought the Rabid big foot-cored beast of the green core rank, killing it would be a piece of cake.

Whereas, a giant grey Horned Ape would smash a cultivator of the stone rank easily.

Mother nature was many times unfair in her ways.

Harden knew that even though he was a cultivator at the copper rank, fighting off a cored beast at the blue core rank like the Essence draining spider was going to be very difficult for him.

It was not that he thought he could not win against such a cored beast. However, the ease of it was practically none existent.

He was sure that if he did, then he would be bedridden for many months.

Even escaping from such a beast was a literal miracle.

However, Chiron had made it out alive regardless of the fact that he was a Tamashi.

He had survived the attack of the Essence draining spider regardless of the fact that he was a person without a shred of cultivation.

Harden was an elder and knew that the Tamashi had very rich spiritual energy, but to say that he could use it was a lie. This had been the norm for hundreds of years in this clan.

Of course, he knew that Chiron had trained his physical strength to an admirable degree, and wished many of the young generations were like him. But was it truly enough to stand against an Essence Draining Spider?

Even if he was to add the fact that Chiron had an incredible blade made by a great blacksmith. What of the fact that Chiron was young and lacking in experience?

There was also the possibility that Chiron was not the person that saved himself. But if he did not save himself, who was that person, or rather who was that thing?

Harden was one to think that there was no free lunch in the world. Even within a clan that was bonded by blood, and promoted love for the former generation. He did not believe that people did things without a motive attached somewhere.

Which meant that If Chiron was actually saved by someone or something, what was exchanged for saving his life?

Harden sighed as he stroked his cheeks. The investigation reports were still laid before him. However, there was a puzzle.

A lot of things had question marks on them. The only reassuring thing for the moment was the fact that they temporarily had a scapegoat to use an appease the people of the clan.

Chiron was not aware of this. He did not know that the weakness Harden had as a strong conformer to the clan and its ways had now become a strength to rely on.

After all, there were always two sides to any coin...