"Ji Young-hyun... was the third son?"
At the unexpected revelation, So Yeon-shim was utterly shocked. Gogu let out a sigh.
"I thought the eldest son, Ji Kang-hyun, was the culprit. I never considered anyone else."
"Come to think of it, I didn't ask the most important question."
"What do you mean?"
"How did you know? That Ji Kang-hyun was the real culprit."
Gogu's eyes darkened.
"Because I saw traces."
"Traces?"
"Yes."
"What kind of traces? Martial arts?"
Gogu nodded.
"After executing that demon, I felt uneasy. The circumstances and some evidence pointed to the executed demon as the culprit, but the inexplicable discomfort didn't go away."
"Discomfort?"
"Yes. And that discomfort led to a reinvestigation. Of course, the reinvestigation was conducted in secret."
"So, did you find traces?"
"Yes."
"...What kind?"
"The demons of our sect are basically trained in combat. Naturally, comprehensive knowledge of the human body is essential. But it was unbelievably gruesome for it to be the work of a demon who had only been practicing internal energy techniques."
Gogu glanced at So Yeon-shim.
"They were all in a terrible state. Didn't you see one of the bodies back then, So Won-ju?"