"Why are you here again!" Li Hongzhao greeted him, her beautiful face not giving him a good look. Chu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "Just checking on the progress."
Li Hongzhao snorted and said, "It's a piece of cake, no need to make a big fuss. Are you here to watch the show?" Chu Zhiyuan said, "I have some news to tell you."
Li Hongzhao pointed inside.
The two came to the small pavilion in the front yard.
Besides two little servant girls, there was no one else in the courtyard. Even Su Qiuyan, the Grandmaster, was nowhere to be seen. Chu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "Why isn't Mr. Su here?"
Even if Su Qiuyan wasn't physically present, he could usually sense her and discern her location. But this time, Su Qiuyan was nowhere to be found within a five-hundred-meter radius. This was a genuine departure, which was truly rare.
As Li Hongzhao's guard, she should be inseparable from her, never leaving easily.
Normally, no one would dare to assassinate a princess, but what if there were Grandmasters or Great Grandmasters from the evil sects? One should never underestimate the destructive power of these evil sects.
If something were to happen to the princess, even a furious retaliation afterward wouldn't bring her back to life. Moreover, the evil sects simply don't care about the imperial family's revenge; the more revenge they face, the more excited they become, which is incomprehensible.
"How did you know Mr. Su wasn't here?" Li Hongzhao glared at him and said, "Alright, let's talk business." Chu Zhiyuan guessed that Su Qiuyan must have gone to investigate that matter, so he told her about the Xunzhou City incident.
Li Hongzhao's face darkened: "Lu Yaofeng's cave dwelling was actually leaked?"
Chu Zhiyuan smiled: "Lu Yaofeng's cave dwelling, besides you, who else knows about it?" Li Hongzhao slowly shook her head.
After reading that travelogue, she had remained calm and collected, and almost no one had bothered to look at such old books again. She had also been quietly investigating, finally confirming that Lu Yaofeng's cave dwelling was near Yujing City. For over a thousand years, Lu Yaofeng's cave dwelling had never been mentioned, and few people even knew about Lu Yaofeng. Now, someone was actually mentioning Lu Yaofeng's cave dwelling.
She stared intently at Chu Zhiyuan.
Chu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "It wasn't leaked from my side. I never mentioned the cave dwelling."
"You always had people investigate Lu Yaofeng, right?"
"..."
"So, maybe you leaked it. There's a problem on your end."
"... This matter is not simple. Now that it's been spread, it will be difficult to quell."
"It's impossible to find it in Xunzhou City."
"If it can't be found in Xunzhou City, could it be somewhere else?" Chu Zhiyuan snorted, "Don't underestimate the people of the world."
"..." Li Hongzhao thought for a moment: "Then we have to hurry, lest someone beats us to it."
She hadn't expected things to turn out this way. Originally, it was just bait to eliminate Chu Zhiyuan, but now it was escalating.
Chu Zhiyuan shook his head: "We can't be too hasty either. If we don't find that troublemaker first, what if they stab us in the back?" Li Hongzhao lightly furrowed her brow and slowly nodded.
What he said was right.
But it wouldn't be easy to find out who switched the Poison Repelling Pearl. Mr. Su hasn't found them yet. Chu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "Really don't want my help? It's not like before, don't let others seize the opportunity."
"I don't need you to tell me, I will naturally investigate," Li Hongzhao snorted.
Chu Zhiyuan met Grand Minister Chu Qingyan at the Court of the Imperial Clan.
As soon as Chu Qingyan saw him, his serious face immediately turned into a smiling one: "Yuan'er, what's the matter?"
Chu Zhiyuan explained the course of events.
Chu Qingyan frowned: "These officials are just occupying positions without doing any work, they really deserve to be killed!"
Chu Zhiyuan nodded.
Because of their incompetence and cover-ups, they missed the best time for suppression, leading to more deaths. Soon, they were all innocently involved, even becoming collateral damage.
"Grandmaster going over? What to investigate?"
"Uncle, we should find out who is behind this and what they are trying to do."
"Do you think it was done by the Jade Cauldron Sect and the Shadow Sect?"
Chu Zhiyuan hesitated for a moment and said softly: "The Jade Cauldron Sect and the Shadow Sect don't have such methods, it doesn't seem like an evil sect's work."
He had excluded the Jade Cauldron Sect and the Shadow Sect from the beginning.
Not to mention the Jade Cauldron Sect, which is straightforward, even the Shadow Sect, which seems to act mysteriously, should be like this.
In fact, the Shadow Sect has not changed its evil nature. They are only good at hiding in the shadows to assassinate, their martial arts are sinister, but their actions are not sinister, but rather bold and reckless. Otherwise, they would not help the Jade Cauldron Sect.
The Jade Cauldron Sect would not trust them either.
"If it's not an evil sect, then is it the Great Meng?"
"It doesn't seem like the Great Meng either."
"Then who is it?" Chu Qingyan asked curiously: "Tell me, so I can have a direction."
"Alright, Yuan'er, my old bones and legs are not as sharp as your brain, just tell me!"
"I think, I'm afraid it's the Worry-Free Sect." Chu Zhiyuan used Sound Transmission into the Secret.
"Hmm—?!" Chu Qingyan's face changed slightly.
He turned his head to look at the direction of the palace and lowered his voice: "Yuan'er, don't mess around!"
Chu Zhiyuan smiled and continued to use Sound Transmission into the Secret: "Thinking about it afterward, the only way the news could have been leaked is when the investigation of Lu Yaofeng's woman was detected. Other links shouldn't have problems, and even if there were problems, it wouldn't have been so fast."
Chu Qingyan also used Sound Transmission into the Secret: "Although the Worry-Free Sect acts out of line, they shouldn't do this kind of thing."
"A Grandmaster will know after investigating."
"... Alright, I will transfer a Grandmaster over to investigate."
"Thank you, Uncle!"
"You..." Chu Qingyan smiled: "You are indeed capable, but it's a pity that your ambition is not in this area."
Chu Zhiyuan's shrewdness and keenness are the strongest he has seen among the officials, and no one can surpass him.
What the court lacks most is not capable talents, but his kind of transcendent talent that surpasses the mundane.
But his ambition lies in cultivation, and he only occasionally pays attention to court affairs, mostly focusing on his own cultivation. This is also understandable.
When he reaches the Grandmaster level and can't progress any further, he will naturally want to find something to pass the long time. Either join the Grandmaster's Mansion to find something to do, or enter the Four Great Heavens and Four Great Secret Lands to guard.
In fact, the two groups of people come in rotation, often for a year at a time.
As a Prince, he can also directly take a position in the court, serving as Vice Minister or even Minister, or even a Secretary. At that time, it would be a blessing for the court.
It would be good if he could become the emperor.
But the emperor of Da Jing is not so easy to become. Currently, the one with the most hope is still Prince Ying...
Chu Zhiyuan returned to Listening Wave Pavilion and continued his sacrificial refining and cultivation. The Sword Nurturing Art has been running all the time. The fifth level of Membrane Refining has unconsciously reached perfection.
The sixth level of Dragon Transformation Art Tendon Refining has also begun.
The golden aura of the Dragon Transformation Art was injected into the tendons between the bones, making the tendons thicker, so that the power of the bones could be quickly transmitted and exploded. This further enhanced his speed and strength.
Feeling the greater power, he felt satisfied and wanted to cultivate even more. Once he focused, the passage of time became particularly rapid.
He felt that three days had passed in the blink of an eye.
On the evening of the third day, he first went to the Clan Martial Department and met Chu Qingyan. Chu Qingyan beckoned with a solemn expression.
The two came to a secret room in the Clan Martial Department.
Chu Zhiyuan knew from his expression that things were probably as he had expected, and it was indeed done by the Worry-Free Sect. Inside the ten-meter square secret room, it was clean, with a couch and a table, and nothing else.
The outside sounds were cut off, and it was so quiet that you could hear your breathing.
"It was indeed done by a disciple of the Worry-Free Sect," Chu Qingyan said slowly.
Chu Zhiyuan frowned: "What is the Worry-Free Sect trying to do?"
"Moreover, the situation is much more serious than you know."
"Hmm—?"
"That Worry-Free Sect disciple also used poison to spread the plague through those who died."
"Plague? Is he crazy?"
"He is indeed crazy," Chu Qingyan couldn't understand: "No one but a madman would do this!"
Chu Zhiyuan frowned and said, "Did he enter an evil sect?"
