Chapter 201: A Wondrous Person

The Wu Country, Royal Palace.

Night had fallen.

Inside the Audience Hall, King Wu, Qin Shiyue, finished reading the secret report that had just been presented and dismissed her attendants.

Only when the great hall was empty did she toss the report into the shadows behind her.

The report vanished into the darkness, but there was no sound of it landing.

Suddenly, two orbs of light flared to life in the darkness, like a pair of burning flames.

A moment later, a figure slowly emerged from behind. Clad in Profound Armor, he was slender and tall, his gaze like a torch. He placed the secret report back on Qin Shiyue’s desk.

"Marquis Jingzhong’s Mansion, the Governor of Jingzhou, the Demon Suppression Envoy, the Fujiao Gang, the Corpse Refining Sect..."

Qin Shiyue murmured softly.

"Your Highness, what do you intend to do?"

the man in Profound Armor asked.

Qin Shiyue pondered for a moment before speaking slowly. "Those innocent refugees who died unjustly may not be citizens of our Wu Country, and they may fall outside the laws of the Wu Dynasty, but we cannot simply ignore their fate.

Furthermore, collaborating with the Corpse Refining Sect of the Demon Sect... this is an unforgivable offense!"

The man in Profound Armor nodded. "The Golden Platform Martial Arts Discussion will be held at the end of the year, gathering Martial Dao prodigies from all nations in the Capital City. If Your Highness handles this matter improperly, it will tarnish the impression all Martial Artists in the world have of our dynasty."

The Golden Platform Martial Arts Discussion was meant to recruit talented individuals.

But if a First-Grade Marquis of the Wu Dynasty conspired with the Demon Sect to slaughter refugees from a neighboring country, and the Wu Dynasty turned a blind eye, the so-called Golden Platform Martial Arts Discussion would be nothing but a joke.

"But..."

Qin Shiyue’s delicate brows furrowed slightly, and she trailed off.

That being said, dealing with this matter was not so simple.

First, Marquis Jingzhong was a First-Grade Marquis ennobled by her father.

With that honor attached to his name, his conviction would have to be carefully weighed.

Second, Marquis Jingzhong’s seniority in the Wu Dynasty was immense, and he had many protégés and former subordinates in his network.

If this wasn’t handled properly, it could easily trigger other incidents.

Third, Marquis Jingzhong was also on good terms with several other Dukes.

To make a move against him, she would have to consider the opinions of those other Dukes.

Fourth, the Demon Suppression Envoy in Jingzhou City was also a problem.

Was the Duke of Zhen aware of this?

How deeply was the Demon Suppression Bureau involved?

Suppressing demons... yet in the end, they collaborated with the Demon Sect. The irony was not lost on Qin Shiyue.

Qin Shiyue rubbed her temples. Her eyes caught a few lines on the secret report, and as if remembering something, she shook her head gently and said, "That Black Hand Yama... he’s quite an interesting character."

"How so?"

the man in Profound Armor asked.

Qin Shiyue said, "As an Evil Exterminator Guard, he actually set up an appraisal stall in Jingzhou City. The things he says are also a bit strange, something about ’letting it settle’ and so on.

That style of speaking reminds me of Grandmaster Chen."

The man in Profound Armor’s expression grew stern upon hearing this. He shook his head and said, "He is a far cry from the Grandmaster!

That man from Shi Country asked him for help, but he did nothing. If the Grandmaster had heard of such an injustice, he would have torn the heavens down over Jingzhou City by now!"

"That’s true."

Qin Shiyue nodded. "People like Grandmaster Chen are rare, after all. Throughout history, how many could ever compare to him?"

The two chatted for a few more moments before Qin Shiyue finally made a decision. "Qingtian, take some men and go to Jingzhou City yourself."

"But what about you, Your Highness?"

The man in Profound Armor frowned slightly.

"I will be fine here."

Qin Shiyue said, "He is, after all, a First-Grade Marquis ennobled by my father. If anyone else goes, the disparity in status and position means they might not be able to compel him."

"Hmph."

The man in Profound Armor sneered. "If Your Highness sends someone, would Marquis Jingzhong dare to defy a direct order?"

"I don’t know."

Qin Shiyue shook her head slightly. "It would be for the best if we can resolve this without bloodshed. If you go to Jing State personally and Marquis Jingzhong is sensible, he should understand the stakes."

"How should these people be sentenced?"

the man in Profound Armor asked.

Qin Shiyue said, "First, bring them to the Capital City. We’ll decide what to do then. Go quickly and return soon."

The man in Profound Armor nodded. With a flicker of movement, he disappeared back into the darkness.

-----------------

After returning from the Four Seas Pavilion, Lu Bai brought Ah Ming back to the Evil Extermination Bureau.

Just as they arrived, Mo Tang and He Liangzhi came looking for him.

Mo Tang asked, "I heard you went to Marquis Jingzhong’s Mansion today. What happened?"

Lu Bai paused to think for a moment, then recounted everything Shi Tianlei had told him, down to the last detail.

Mo Tang’s pupils contracted.

He Liangzhi was startled and clicked his tongue in disbelief.

Marquis Jingzhong’s Mansion was colluding with the Corpse Refining Sect of the Demon Sect!

Mo Tang’s expression shifted erratically. She immediately realized this was beyond her authority to handle. It had to be reported to the Capital City, and she would have to ask her master to present it to King Wu.

Whether King Wu would punish Marquis Jingzhong or let him off lightly was impossible to say.

Mo Tang immediately went to her desk, picked up a brush and paper, and instructed He Liangzhi to grind the ink. In a low voice, she said, "I will write a secret memorial to the Capital City. Xiaolu, go and bring back that man, Shi Tianlei. He is the key witness. There can be no mistakes!"

Lu Bai was silent for a moment before saying softly, "He’s already dead."

The brush in Mo Tang’s hand froze. She looked up at Lu Bai.

Lu Bai briefly explained what had happened at the banquet today.

"That True Master Dan Ding is disgusting!"

He Liangzhi couldn’t help but curse. "The man trusted him so much! It’s one thing not to help, but to turn around and sell him out like that!"

Mo Tang’s face was grim. She stared at the blank paper before her, but she couldn’t write a single word.

Without the key witness, it was impossible to impeach a First-Grade Marquis of the Court.

Lu Bai was also a witness.

But then Mo Tang had another thought. ’If this memorial reaches the Capital City and word gets out, will Lu Bai survive?’

’Here in Jingzhou City, can I even protect him?’

Mo Tang was silent for a long time before she said gravely, "You will both act as if this never happened. We’ll talk again after my injuries have fully healed!"

She had a plan in mind.

’Once my injuries are healed, I’ll take Lu Bai to the Capital City!’

’Whether we can successfully bring down Marquis Jingzhong or not, at least I can get Lu Bai out of Jingzhou City by keeping him with me.’

He Liangzhi nodded.

Lu Bai remained silent.

The three of them then went their separate ways.

Mo Tang immediately returned to her secret chamber to focus on her recovery.

Her injuries were already mostly healed, but the long journey from Jingzhou City to the Capital City was fraught with potential dangers. She had to be fully recovered to have a better chance of success.

Lu Bai was unaware of Mo Tang’s plan.

After returning to his room, he immediately took out the fragmented page of the Eight Desolates Returning Essence Scripture and began Viewing it.

Then, his Heart and Spirit sank into the Ancient Mirror.

A line of text appeared on the mirror’s surface.

[Eight Desolates Returning to the Origin Scripture·Ultimate (Repairable) (Not Comprehended)]

Inside the Ancient Mirror, there were still ten strands of Level 2 Soul Light and one strand of Level 3 Soul Light.

Lu Bai controlled one strand of Level 2 Soul Light, silently reciting ’Comprehend’ in his mind.

He then controlled a second strand of Soul Light and sent it into the line of text to begin the repair.

One strand of Level 2 Soul Light repaired one section.

After repairing the six sections—Water, Fire, Wind, Thunder, Mountain, and Marsh—he had already used up six strands of Level 2 Soul Light.

The ’Earth’ section still remained, unrepaired.

Lu Bai used another strand of Level 2 Soul Light, but the text on the mirror’s surface did not change.

The energy of a Level 2 Soul Light was not enough.

After this series of actions, the amount of Soul Light in the mirror had plummeted. Only two orbs of Level 2 Soul Light and one strand of Level 3 Soul Light remained.

Lu Bai stared at the strand of Level 3 Soul Light, steeled his resolve, and merged it into the line of text, silently willing it to ’Repair’.

The mirror’s surface blurred.

The next moment, the complete contents of all eight sections of the Eight Desolates Returning Essence Scripture flooded into Lu Bai’s mind.