Joining Forces

"How do you plan to investigate from here?" Yaoguang stepped to the side. "I already have an angle." Xia Wuyuan caught up, speaking calmly. "The moment I stepped out of the Yue residence, I was attacked. Such audacity! In all the cases I've handled, I have never seen anyone so brazen—completely unrestrained. If they dare to act like this, they must have an astonishingly powerful umbrella protecting them." "You suspect the Yue family?" "If the head of the Yue family had agreed to see me, they would be my primary suspect. But by choosing to avoid me entirely... my suspicion of them actually lessened somewhat." Xia Wuyuan shook his head. "Regardless, whether it was them or not no longer matters." He continued in a composed voice, "I went to the Yue family to investigate a case, and the moment my foot cleared their threshold, I was ambushed by Grandmaster-level assailants and nearly killed. Once I report this upward, the entire Tiannan Province will be shaken. If someone can deploy a Grandmaster for an assassination, the Yue family is inevitably the prime suspect! If the Procuratorate doesn't turn the Yue family upside down in a thorough probe, it would be sheer dereliction of duty on our part!" "So you intend to drag the Yue family into the fray, and then use their power to investigate the forces behind Yulong International?" Yaoguang understood his intent. Dispatching a Grandmaster to assassinate a Senior Prosecutor was one thing if the target died; through connections, they might suppress the matter or find a scapegoat to close the file. Once the target survived, however, and began digging, all sides would have to answer for it. The act was far too heinous. Reporting it and sending shockwaves through Tiannan was by no means empty talk. It was entirely foreseeable that the royal family would personally intervene, ordering the Supreme Procuratorate to dispatch personnel and form a special task force. An aristocratic family like the Yues was bound to harbor countless skeletons in their closet. If subjected to a comprehensive investigation, not only would personnel across various sectors be compromised, but their reputation throughout Tiannan would also be completely ruined. Under such circumstances, even if reluctant, the Yue family would have no choice but to swallow their pride and help him uncover the culprit to clear their own name. Xia Wuyuan nodded. "When it comes to knowing every back alley, secret connection, and hidden channel across all trades in Tiannan, if the Yue family ranks second, no one dares claim first. Not even Tiannan Province's nominal highest official—Governor-General Wei Kongming—is an exception." Aristocratic families stood firm as iron, while governors-general came and went. If the Yue family took action, no secret in Tiannan Province could remain hidden. In the end... If the Yue family uncovered something, wonderful. If they uncovered nothing... Then who the mastermind was would be glaringly obvious. "It's perilous. It might very well amount to bargaining with a tiger for its skin," Yaoguang remarked. "If one wishes to accomplish anything of consequence, how could one take no risks at all? This is already the best method I could devise in the short term," Xia Wuyuan replied. Prosecutors had direct access to the royal court. Yet one could hardly report matters to the royal family based solely on suspicion without concrete evidence. Otherwise, what use did the higher-ups have for prosecutors like them? "Those men launched an ambush the moment I exited the Yue family. They clearly intended to pin the crime onto the Yues. For that reason alone, the Yue family will spare no effort in their own pursuit." Xia Wuyuan paused slightly as he reached this point. He glanced at Yaoguang. "If I had died..." "It would have fallen on the Yue family," Yaoguang finished, understanding what he meant. Xia Wuyuan nodded as well. The atmosphere turned somewhat heavy. Soon, however, Xia Wuyuan shook his head, pushing the possibility aside for now. Though he knew it was a reckless gambit, it was something he had to do—something he could not afford to abandon. "Now, only one final question remains." Xia Wuyuan took a deep breath, asking in a low, heavy voice, "I want to know... those monsters you killed earlier, was every single one of them powerful enough to rival a Grandmaster?" Yaoguang understood the implication behind the question. He nodded. That simple gesture made Xia Wuyuan's scalp tingle with dread. To mobilize several—even a dozen—Grandmasters... Just what kind of behemoth lurking in the deep was this?! Tiannan Province's unseen underworld... actually concealed such a colossal monster?! And behind all this... What staggering secret did it represent?! "Are you still going to investigate?" Yaoguang asked with a faint, knowing smile. "I will!" The terror in Xia Wuyuan's eyes lingered for only a moment before being superseded by fierce determination. "I said I would see this through... no matter what secrets lie hidden beneath." "Then I'll await your good news." Yaoguang smiled faintly and prepared to turn and leave. He still had a meal to attend at Deyuelou. "Su Yaoguang." Xia Wuyuan called out, a hint of entreaty in his voice. "I need your help." Yaoguang paused in his tracks. He looked back at this human martial artist who had attained Grandmaster status in his early thirties. Meeting the man's solemn gaze, he gave a slight nod. "Very well." Seeing this, Xia Wuyuan let out a long sigh of relief. Though he had never exchanged blows with Yaoguang and did not know the full extent of his might... Those monsters had looked like Martial Masters on the surface, but wielded the combat strength of Grandmasters—and Yaoguang had slain seven or eight of them. His strength... It was definitely far more terrifying than imagined. He could not even be measured against ordinary Grandmasters. With the situation still murky, a colossal entity lurking in the shadows, and perils lurking on every side, having such a formidable Grandmaster willing to coordinate and join the investigation was undeniably a powerful pillar of support. ... "Mortals, martial artists, demons, divine blood, and the powerful elite." In the car, Yaoguang organized these key terms in his mind. Mortals occupied the lowest tier, serving as nourishment for demons, consumed to grant them intelligence. Martial artists ranked second, regarded by demons as the optimal hosts. It seemed that the stronger the host, the greater the power the demons could unleash. Furthermore, once a demon merged into a human body, it could continue tempering the physical form. In theory, the earlier a demon arrived, the stronger it should be. Considering, however, that some demons themselves were only of Rank 4 or 5, even if they had been here for a long time, they likely merely hovered within those realms. Above martial artists were demons... And the crucial element that allowed demons to exist in the human world was divine blood. They possessed the techniques to refine divine blood, which could extend lifespan and even preserve youth when consumed. Using this substance, they befriended the wealthy and powerful, trading it for their protection. Yet... *It's not that simple,* Yaoguang thought. Using divine blood to court the elite was merely an expedient measure. Or perhaps... There was a critical piece in between that he had overlooked. Perhaps a decade or several decades ago, that truly had been the ecosystem. Demons had relied on offering divine blood to the powerful to survive in the world. In recent years, however... The situation had shifted. The demons were acting with increasing brazenness. "Rogue cultivators... sects..." Those two key phrases suggested there might still be an aspect of the world he knew nothing about. Still... Soon. Whether through the artifact-like bead in his hands or Xia Wuyuan drawing the Yue family into the game, the truth was gradually rising to the surface. In Tiannan Province, the figures holding the greatest authority were Governor-General Wei Kongming, Chief High Prosecutor Lu Zhenhai, and Provincial Assembly Speaker Yue Nanxing. Below them were the vice governors-general, deputy chief high prosecutors, vice assembly speakers, and the powers they represented. This group of around a dozen people formed the highest echelon of Tiannan. Key organs such as the Martial Arts Association, the General Security Bureau, the Education Bureau, the Civil Service Bureau, and the Commerce Bureau were essentially held concurrently or staffed through appointments by these figures. Yet the Yue family had extended its tentacles into every single corner of these institutions. Their representatives might not hold top ranks, but they had familiar faces in every department. If they genuinely exerted their strength... The demon behind Yulong International—the 'leader' mentioned by the demon he had just slain—would not be able to hide for much longer. ... "Young Master Yaoguang..." Driving in front, Lei Yun hesitated for a long while before finally speaking up. "Are you..." "It's just as you guessed." Yaoguang lifted his head. Toward a direct subordinate who would remain by his side in the future and take charge of the logistical cleanup team, he had no intention of concealing the truth. "Just as I guessed..." Lei Yun's eyes widened abruptly. "You... you really are..." "Naturally," Yaoguang answered candidly. "Otherwise, why would Patriarch Su entrust me with such heavy responsibilities the moment I returned after more than a decade away from home?" "This..." Lei Yun drew in a sharp breath. "Nineteen... A nineteen-year-old Martial Master?! This is simply unbelievable..." "???" Hearing her unrestrained gasp of astonishment, Yaoguang paused, taken aback. A nineteen-year-old... Martial Master? "Young Master, you've attained the Martial Master realm at barely nineteen years of age! At this rate, before you turn thirty, there's a strong chance you can push for the Grandmaster realm and become a Grandmaster for our Su family!" Lei Yun spoke with vibrant excitement. "The Zhang family, who kicked our Su family hardest while we were down lately, only rose to prominence because they acknowledged their kinship with Zhang Tianji! Now, they can actually stand on equal footing with us!" "Zhang Tianji?" Yaoguang had heard this name before. "The Zhang family's Grandmaster?" "Yes." Lei Yun nodded vigorously. "When Zhang Tianji was young, he was rebellious and caused considerable trouble, so the Zhang family head expelled him from the clan. Yet after wandering outside for over a decade, he actually returned as a Grandmaster! The moment the Zhang family learned of it, they sought him out immediately and welcomed him back to the clan. Leveraging that Grandmaster's momentum, the Zhang family expanded at breakneck speed these past few years, becoming one of the premier families in Tiannan!" "I see," Yaoguang acknowledged. No wonder when he met Su Chiming today and mentioned cooperation from a Grandmaster, the patriarch had immediately thought of Zhang Tianji. "If you can also become a Grandmaster in the future, Young Master, with our Su family's influence and Buzhou Group's formidable resources, we can certainly step beyond Tiannan and establish a nationwide presence! Once that national strategy is realized, relying on that immense influence and settling down for a few more decades, the Su family might even take another step forward and become an aristocratic family!" Lei Yun's eyes brimmed with yearning for a glorious future. "Actually, you can afford to let your guess be a little bolder," Yaoguang said with a chuckle. "A little bolder?" Lei Yun was startled. The next second, the conjecture she had previously suppressed because it seemed far too absurd surged back into her mind. She asked tentatively, "Are you... a Grand... Grandmaster?" Yaoguang gave a slight nod. It was a gesture as simple as could be, yet it struck Lei Yun like an electric shock. A numbing tremor surged through her entire body as an unprecedented thrill spread across her nervous system, quickly sweeping into every corner of her frame until every single cell could not help but rejoice and cheer. At this moment, all the shock, joy, and excitement in her heart, thousands of words, condensed into a single sound. "Ah?!"