The Mingcui Valley had never been as famous as it was that day, and it had never been as crowded as it was that day.
The figures were everywhere on both sides of the stream and in the forest in the valley, the sounds of footsteps and conversations echoing in the air.
The magic army of the Imperial Court had sealed off both ends of the ten-mile stream. The sharp sword lights and the magic treasures reflected each other in the sky.
This place had become a forbidden area.
At least tens of thousands of soldiers and peasants were searching for even the slightest trace in the mountains and fields of one hundred square miles.
The officials of the Pure Heaven Bureau were searching the most important places.
In the ruins of the Daoist temple by the stream, under a wild tree in the deep end of the valley, official robes could be seen everywhere.
Wei Chenzi's corpse was still under that wild tree, his eyes closed, as cold as a rock.
He had a high status in both the Cultivation circle and Zhaoge City, but his corpse was left in the wilderness for half a day without being noticed.
Nobody dared move the corpse because it was such a serious matter that the clues would be destroyed.
To say nothing of the conspiracy behind the sudden appearance of the devil men of the Underworld, this event itself was enough to shock the whole land.
An elder in the Yuanying State of Zhongzhou School had set up a trap to assassinate the Master of Shenmo Peak of the Aoyama Sect.
Considering the current status of Zhao Layue, it was no exaggeration to pay more attention to her assassination.
More importantly, the Imperial Court had to pay more attention to this case, because everybody was worried about the reaction of the Aoyama Sect.
As a marginalized official of the Pure Heaven Bureau, Shi Fengchen had to be pushed to the forefront of such an arduous and unrewarding case.
He pulled back his line of sight from Wei Chenzi and walked to the edge of the cliff, looking at the mountains and fields lit up by tens of thousands of lights, remaining silent.
Zhao Layue was still alive.
But the assassin of Bulao Lin was dead, killed by the devil men of the Underworld who hadn't set foot on the land for many years!
That assassin was an elder of Zhongzhou School!
The development of the situation was far beyond his imagination.
This event was many times more complicated than he had imagined.
Shi Fengchen felt a pair of eyes staring at him from the distant mountains and fields.
Those eyes were devoid of any emotion.
His body gradually grew cold.
…
…
In Zhaoge City.
Jing Jiu stood in front of the window and looked at the Thoughtless Sword lying in Silence's hand. No one knew what he was thinking.
Under the twilight, the Thoughtless Sword looked even redder, as if it had just killed someone.
At the most dangerous moment, Zhao Layue cut off the connection with the Thoughtless Sword and asked it to return to Zhaoge City to ask for help from her colleagues in Aoyama.
The Thoughtless Sword had delivered the sword letter to the Nishiyama House. After completing its mission, it went somewhere unknown. Naturally, it followed the scent and returned to Meng Qi's hand.
At that moment, he knew that something had happened to Zhao Layue.
However, with his current cultivation level and the speed of his flying sword, even if he rushed over, he would not be able to make it in time, so he did not go.
After that moment, whether Zhao Layue was alive or dead, he didn't need to go there anymore. He just needed to wait for the result.
The wall behind the bookshelf moved aside noiselessly, and Duke Lu walked out from it. He had a solemn expression on his face, with sweat on his temples.
He came to the back of Jing Jiu and reported, "The peak master has been sent back to the Zhao Manor, guarded by Gongfeng Jing himself. The rest of them have returned to the Nishiyama House."
Jing Jiu, who was known for his calmness and low profile, was stunned speechless for a long time after he learned of the incident at Taichang Temple. Then he hurried to the Imperial Palace.
It was not because of the relationship between Zhao Layue and Jing Jiu, but because of the identity of Zhao Layue and the importance of the incident.
If the Aoyama Sect couldn't keep calm, what would the Zhongzhou School do? How could the Imperial Court remain calm when the Cultivation world was in turmoil? What could the people in the world do?
Jing Jiu didn't say anything.
He stood in a patch of bloody light.
Duke Lu didn't know it was the red light emitted by the Thoughtless Sword. He thought it was the sunset outside the window.
Looking at Jing Jiu's back, he felt inexplicably nervous and unconsciously bent his waist a little more.
In his knowledge, Jing Jiu should be the successor of the owner of the Wooden Plate. He was still very young, and his state was not very high.
But for some reason, he felt a great mental pressure even though Jing Jiu was just standing there quietly.
Jing Jiu said, "It's good that you're fine. You can go back first."
Duke Lu didn't dare to say anything more. He bowed and left through the tunnel.
Jing Jiu left the window. His hands shook slightly, and the Thoughtless Sword turned back into the sword rope, which then fell on his wrist and turned into a bracelet.
He walked to the bookshelf, took down the iron sword, put it on his back, and left the manor.
…
…
The Zhao Manor was brightly lit.
There was no one on the street, but the tense and somber atmosphere was so thick that it seemed to exist.
No one knew how many highly skilled swordsmen of the Imperial Court were hiding in the dark. Of course, there were also disciples of the Aoyama Sect.
Jing Jiu walked to the gate of the Zhao Manor and stepped on the stone steps. The atmosphere in the dark street changed slightly, and then quickly returned to normal.
The gate was pushed open. A steward looked at him with vigilance and fear, saying, "Something happened in the manor today …"
Before he could finish, he saw that face and remembered the rumor in the other garden three days ago. Slightly surprised, he quickly stepped aside and invited Jing Jiu in.
It was very quiet in the Zhao Manor. The maids and servants were all ordered to stay in their rooms. No one could be seen, nor could the usual laughter and chatter be heard.
When they came to the innermost courtyard, the steward left. Jing Jiu walked in and saw a short and fat man.
The short and fat man was wearing a golden robe, which glittered in the darkness.
Of course, even if he wasn't wearing the robe, he would still shine with golden light because his breath was strong and bright enough.
Jing Jiu knew that this man was Sir Jin of the Imperial Palace. He hadn't seen him by the Emperor's side the last two times, but the Emperor had mentioned him. It was said that he was loyal to the royal family.
It seemed that this Sir Jin's state and strength were indeed good.
Tonight, he came to be Zhao Layue's bodyguard, which was the Emperor's way of expressing his attitude.
Of course, Jing Jiu knew that this also meant that the Emperor must have begun to suspect someone.
Jing Jiu didn't pay attention to this person. He looked at Zhao Layue's parents who came out to greet him and nodded to them. His eyes lingered on Zhao Layue's mother for a while longer, and then he walked into the room.
…
…
The atmosphere in the Nishiyama House was even more tense and oppressive than the Zhao Manor. It was deathly silent, even though there were so many people in the room.
Nan Wang sat in the chair, his expression as cold as ice. The disciples of Aoyama who didn't go to the Zhao Manor were all present, their expressions solemn.
The Duke Of He represented the Imperial Court, and he hadn't left since noon. A highly achieved monk of Guocheng Temple came with him.
This person was quite interesting, because this highly achieved monk was the Principal Justice of the Guocheng Temple, and had a close relationship with the Aoyama Sect.
The chief commander of the Pure Heaven Bureau came back from the Mingcui Valley. He entered the room with a grave expression on his face. He cupped his hands in front of his chest and reported the latest situation. "We used the heavenly pattern mirror borrowed from the Imperial Palace to confirm it. It was indeed the Underworld Fire that killed Wei Chenzi, and it was of a very high state. We have to investigate further."
Nan Wang said expressionlessly, "This is not what I want to hear."
The Duke Of He said hurriedly, "Sir Jin is guarding the peak master in person, so Zhaoge City is safe. As for the investigation, the Pure Heaven Bureau will do their best."
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