Questioning

Hearing this question, Si Zijing kept his eyes lowered, but his heart could not help but quicken slightly. The Third Young Master's inquiry could be understood as brotherly concern, but it could just as easily be taken as an eye on the succession to the Chancellor's Manor. After all, if the Eldest Young Master died, no one would be left to compete with the Third Young Master for the manor's "throne." The thought flashed across his mind, but Si Zijing did not jump to conclusions. Weighing his words carefully, he replied in a measured voice: "In reply to Young Master, the other pursuit force encountered the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion Master. This official only just learned of it from Mr. Huang." Xu Yuan felt a slight twinge of disappointment upon hearing this. "So you don't know either?" Si Zijing lifted his eyes to glance at Xu Yuan's expression and said, "If Young Master wishes to know the details, you may use a communication orb-crystal to contact Di'an." Xu Yuan let out a soft snort, counting on his fingers with a helpless sigh. "I'd like to do that, but the Black Scale Guard, Zhenxi Manor, the Secret Investigation Bureau, and the major merchant chambers here have all basically been riddled with sect infiltrators like sieves. If the communication crystal has been tampered with, even speaking in code carries the risk of exposure." With that, Xu Yuan sighed softly. "Alright, that takes care of my personal questions. There is another matter I need to trouble you with, Mr. Si." Si Zijing's expression turned solemn, and he cupped his hands. "Please instruct me, Young Master." Xu Yuan clasped his hands and rested them on the desk, looking into Si Zijing's eyes. "Before Mu Qing came to Xize Province, he held an important post in the Capital Metropolitan Bureau. You should be quite familiar with him, Mr. Si?" Si Zijing's heart skipped a beat. Weighing the pros and cons in a split second, he chose to speak the truth: "When we worked together, we considered each other close friends and confidants." "Oho, close confidants?" "Young Master, Lady Lou Ji knows very well that this official has always kept private matters strictly separate from public duties," Si Zijing cut ties immediately. "......" Xu Yuan smiled faintly and waved a hand to cut him off. "No need to be nervous. Even if this young master couldn't trust you, wouldn't I still trust Lou Ji? But since you keep business and personal matters separate, entrusting this matter to you is all the more fitting. Until this affair is settled, you are to keep a close watch on Mu Qing." "Keep watch?" Si Zijing murmured tentatively. A chill crept into Xu Yuan's gaze as he answered, "I don't care what method you use. This young master has only one requirement for you: ensure Mu Qing can do nothing when the Saints attack the city." Si Zijing pondered for a moment. "Young Master is worried he will break the array from within the city?" Xu Yuan smiled noncommittally. "Yes and no. The main reason I'm keeping him around for now is that he still holds the records on where the Black Scale Guard's resources in Xize Province went. Maintaining high-intensity operation of the city-protecting array requires no small amount of source crystals. Those resources might prove very useful." With that, Xu Yuan seemed to recall something. Lowering his voice, he began turning up the pressure on Si Zijing: "Oh, right. Mu Qing suffered rather severe injuries not long ago. If you still fail under these circumstances... then, Mr. Si, you and Mu Qing really will have no choice but to be confidants in death." Si Zijing's expression did not waver in the slightest. Instead, the corners of his lips curved into a faint smile as he bowed solemnly. "Rest assured, Young Master. This official will see the mission fulfilled without fail." "Alright, you may go." Xu Yuan waved him off, yet Si Zijing remained standing in place, a flicker of hesitation crossing his face. Noticing this, Xu Yuan frowned, then chuckled. "If this is about Xu Mengxi, there's no need to say more. This young master doesn't care whether she lives or dies." "You misunderstand. This official wishes to speak of the Eldest Young Master." "Didn't you say you knew nothing of it?" "This official indeed has no direct knowledge, but a few clues can be gathered from certain details." "Speak." "......" Si Zijing took a deep breath and said rapidly, "Before arriving at Zhenxi Prefectural City, this official contacted Di'an three times in total: with the Lord Chancellor, Lady Lou Ji, and the Deputy Director of the Black Scale Guard's Metropolitan Bureau. This official cannot fathom the thoughts of the Chancellor or Lady Lou Ji, but the Deputy Director reported that all was normal in Di'an." Puzzlement surfaced in Xu Yuan's eyes. Seeing that the Third Young Master had not caught on, Si Zijing spelled it out: "Ever since the Second Young Master passed away, the Eldest Young Master took over all of his affairs, and his responsibilities have only increased in recent years. Were something to happen to the Eldest Young Master, it would surely cause tremendous upheaval within the Chancellor's Manor." *Creak—* As the door closed, silence returned to the Military Affairs Hall. After staring in the direction Si Zijing had left for a few breaths, Xu Yuan leaned back against his chair with an air of weariness. Right at that moment, a graceful figure in a black dress appeared beside him almost like a teleportation. Tianye glanced at the side of his face and said with a smile, "Looks like that elder brother of yours survived. The Overseeing Heaven Pavilion Master clearly had no reason to let him go." Though Xu Yuan looked exhausted, his mood was noticeably bright. He chuckled and said, "Perhaps your Pavilion Master was afraid Xu Changge would force a one-for-one trade." "A one-for-one trade?" Tianye's lovely eyes flickered with surprise. She hopped onto the desk to sit, crossed her legs, and murmured, "The night of your battle with that blond girl, I wondered what that aura was. So your elder brother really did cultivate the Karma Dao charm..." With that, her golden eyes narrowed slightly. "Still, potent as the Karma Dao charm may be, the Origin Beginning Realm isn't enough to make the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion Master back down." Xu Yuan fell silent for a long while before letting out a low sigh. "...Perhaps he broke through to the Mortal Shedding Realm. *Sigh*." As if sensing the mixture of joy and grief in Xu Yuan's heart, Tianye reached out a slender hand to pat his shoulder, speaking with a sweet smile: "If you want to vent your frustration, I can always help beat him up for you." Xu Yuan gave a dry chuckle. "With his personality, he'd probably drag you down for a one-for-one trade too." "Tianyan has counter-methods against things like Karma Dao charm. Just because the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion Master is wary doesn't mean I am." Tianye folded her arms across her chest, a look of eagerness shining in her eyes. "After all, there's nothing I like more than trampling such prodigies underfoot~" Amusement flickered in Xu Yuan's eyes. "Think you'd win?" "Hm?" Tianye felt a bit displeased by Xu Yuan's look. "What's that supposed to mean?" Xu Yuan chuckled, shook his head, and rose from his chair. "Nothing. Time to handle business." Tianye did not move. Casting a glance at the pool of remains on the floor, she asked softly, "The moment I got back, you rushed over here in a hurry to dispose of this Zhan Xian'an. Was there really any need to be in such a rush?" Xu Yuan paused and asked back with a faint smile, "You think I shouldn't have been in such a rush to kill him?" Tianye tilted her head in thought, then smiled. "Killing Zhan Xian'an as early as possible is naturally for the best. After all, the Mu family's Saint is right outside the city. The moment they exchange a message, that shadow double in your hands could become useless at any second. Once he was on guard, killing him would have been nearly impossible. But I think you activated the city-protecting array too early. Now the entire defense system of Zhenxi Prefectural City is in total chaos." "......" Xu Yuan fell silent for a moment before sighing helplessly. What Tianye described was precisely his original plan. The best course of action would have been to kill Zhan Xian'an, then use Li Junwu's status to build momentum, stabilize the situation and army morale in the city, and only then activate the city-protecting array. Activating the city-protecting array at the same time as killing Zhan Xian'an was undeniably a terrible move. It was practically showing all their cards, announcing to the high-ranking generals below that their boss had been disposed of. His busty bro was no chest-binding princess; her prestige in the Zhenxi Army was nowhere near enough to carry off executing the commander-in-chief on the eve of battle. Both the loyalists and the traitors would be thrown into panic. The predicament they now faced not only included external threats, but internal turmoil had also begun to spread. The problem was that Xu Yuan had had no choice at all. Tapping his temple with a finger, Xu Yuan said softly, "Last night, the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion Master was able to find you only because she brought along the Lingtian Instrument. And if she had the Lingtian Instrument with her, my location would naturally be exposed as well." Tianye frowned and asked in a low voice, "You were afraid they would force their way into the city to assassinate you?" Xu Yuan did not deny it and nodded. Thoughtfulness surfaced in Tianye's eyes. "Is that likely? When I went searching for Linlang last night and clashed with the Pavilion Master, it was essentially both sides testing each other's trump cards. On the surface, you already have two Saints—myself and Linlang—protecting you. To take such a risk..." "Are assassination and protection on the same level of difficulty?" Xu Yuan cut Tianye off, his eyes dark. "Besides, don't forget that everything the sects are doing in this Western Desert—whether co-opting Zhenxi Manor or manipulating the Dachao Royal Court—is all preparation for war against our Chancellor's Manor. The Overseeing Heaven Pavilion even views me personally as the Great Calamity. They have every reason to take the risk, breach the city, and cut me down right here." "......" Having listened carefully, Tianye nodded with a hint of boredom, then shifted the topic: "Fine, that makes sense. But what do you plan to do now?" "Just to be safe, I'll go check on Li Junwu first to see how she's handling things." "You really don't trust her at all, do you?" Tianye teased. Xu Yuan looked away, a trace of concern in his eyes. "Can't help it. We're too familiar; I always feel like she's going to drop the ball." The gentle sunlight grew somewhat distorted beneath the canopy shielding the city. A profound silence hung over the front courtyard of the Military Affairs Hall. A woman stood atop the stone steps, two masked men flanking her on either side. In the courtyard, more than a dozen high-ranking generals clad in military attire stared unblinkingly at her, their gazes filled with shock and suspicion over what she had just said. Commander... Commander Zhan was a traitor? And Saints were about to attack the city? The dead silence in the courtyard was finally broken. A wrinkled veteran general looked at the armored woman on the steps, drew a deep breath, and asked: "Commandery Princess, you claim Commander Zhan has long been colluding with the sects?" Li Junwu looked toward him and roughly recognized his identity: Deputy Commander of the Mingting Army under the Second Division. She said slowly, "Commander Jin, do you think I would jest about such vital affairs of state and military?" The veteran general fell silent for a moment before speaking in a measured voice: "Since the Commandery Princess has joined the military, you naturally would not jest. However, words alone are no proof. Is there evidence?" Li Junwu said nothing, merely glancing sideways at the burly masked man standing beside her. The assembled generals also turned their gazes to Huang Shiwei. The few among them with high cultivation could not help but frown. They could tell this burly man's cultivation was extraordinarily profound, and because of that, their eyes held varying degrees of unease. Keeping his voice down, Huang Shiwei instructed in a low tone: "Take off the veil." "......" As soon as he spoke, the man on Li Junwu's other side moved. He raised a hand to pull off his veil, calmly looking down at the battle-hardened veterans bristling with murderous aura below. The moment they saw this man's face, confused whispers began to ripple through the courtyard. "Old Jin, do you recognize who this is?" "You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?" "If what the Commandery Princess said is true, this must be the contact who met with Commander Zhan." "Did you fight so much your brain turned to mush? If he were the contact, why would he obey the Commandery Princess's orders?" "......" "......" The generals present already held fairly high status within Great Yan, and most of them had even accompanied Marquis Zhenxi to the capital and seen the world. Yet Great Yan had far too many nobles. Aside from universally renowned figures like Xu Changge, the faces of others were not widely recognized. Seeing the reaction below, Li Junwu frowned involuntarily, her hands clenching tight beneath her sleeves. If no one could recognize the shadow's face, things would be rather troublesome. Amid the murmurings below, Lu Baizou, who had remained silent all this time, suddenly stared at the shadow and spoke up: "This man bears some resemblance to Eldest Young Master Qin of Jiangnan." Hearing this, Li Junwu felt an immediate wave of relief, and the surrounding murmurs ground to a halt. The veteran general surnamed Jin asked in a low voice, "Old Lu, who is this person you speak of?" Lu Baizou pondered for a moment and said in a hushed tone, "Nine Swords Sect, innate sword bones, Qin Weijiu." "I know of him. Seems he was quite famous a dozen or so years ago." "Qin Weijiu... that sounds familiar." "The guy rumored to be on par with that Xu Changge kid, only to get cut down in three strikes at the Tianyuan Grand Tournament." "......" The whispers gradually subsided. The veteran general surnamed Jin looked at Li Junwu and asked slowly, "Commandery Princess, this person's identity is..." "The shadow double of Qin Weijiu's younger brother, Qin Weishu," Li Junwu announced loudly. "I had him deceive Zhan Xian'an, and Zhan Xian'an was utterly obedient to this shadow, allowing him free rein into the critical depths of the government office." At these words, the generals below instantly erupted into an uproar. Yet they were seasoned veterans after all; after the initial commotion, they quickly regained their composure. "Commandery Princess, you say Commander-in-Chief Zhan colluded with outsiders. Could you call him out to confront this person—" "Is now the time for a confrontation?! If what the Commandery Princess says is true, raising the array so suddenly has already thrown the army into chaos, and Saints are about to assault the city! We need to take our orders right now and rush back to organize the troops!" "Yang Xigong, can you stop being so damn one-track-minded?! Don't tell me you can't sense the cultivation of the man beside the Commandery Princess! Someone with such profound cultivation must have backing. Did you forget what the Commandery Princess used to be like? What if she's being duped?!" "Hey, that makes sense. Why didn't I think of that?" The dark-skinned, middle-aged armored brute thought it over, then saluted Li Junwu: "Commandery Princess, I reckon we still need to call Commander-in-Chief Zhan out..." "He is already dead." "......" "......" Li Junwu's abrupt words plunged the front courtyard of the Military Affairs Hall into dead silence once more. Hearing this, many among them quietly began to circulate their army formation cultivation arts. Powerful, terrifying auras gradually coalesced in the air above the hall, locking onto the figures standing atop the stone steps. Yet they locked on not to Li Junwu, but to Huang Shiwei beside her. In their view, the Commandery Princess had surely been deceived. Executing the commander-in-chief right before battle—even the Marquis would never do something so absurd. The Commandery Princess's faults could wait until the Marquis returned to be investigated, but the person beside her whispering in her ear had to be captured or executed first. Seeing the shift below, Li Junwu barked coldly, "As commander of the Second Division, Zhan Xian'an held the army formation and the city defense array to protect himself, yet he was slain caught off guard. Isn't that the greatest proof of his treason?!" As she spoke, she simultaneously circulated her army formation cultivation art. In an instant, the generals below lost control of the surging, titanic aura in the sky above. The mother technique's natural suppression over child techniques was put on full display at this moment. The price of that suppression, however, was a trickle of blood quietly staining the corner of Li Junwu's crimson lips. She was simply incapable of bearing such immense military formation power at present. Even for a mere instant, the backlash she suffered was severe. Wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth, Li Junwu narrowed her long, slender eyes, swept her gaze across the assembled generals below, and bellowed: "Are you gathering to commit rebellion?!"