Chapter 124: 116 Investigation

Early the next morning.

Zhang Rongfang returned to Mingjing Palace.

After many days, as he once again stepped into this ostentatiously adorned Daoist palace, his emotions had completely changed.

Deputy Palace Master Zhao Ziyang, holding the rank of Deputy Seal, was specifically responsible for handling miscellaneous affairs for the Palace Master.

Because of the Li family, and due to his post at the judicial department, he was granted a position as a waiting dispersed person.

A waiting dispersed person holds a rank but temporarily has no position until an opportunity arises to be selected from the dispersed ranks.

Zhang Rongfang didn’t mind this at all.

He had now decided to lay low and accumulate strength.

With the arrival of the Snake King from the Black Ten Sect, and now the addition of a Silver-faced Cicada Red List expert.

The situation in Tan Yang was becoming increasingly chaotic and dangerous.

The mysterious idol, the people from the Inspection Bureau, the mysterious scripture silk, none of these were within his control.

After the dual blows from the idol and Li Ran, he was now clear-minded.

His strength wasn’t formidable enough yet; he had to bide his time and gather power, waiting for the right moment.

Thus, he spent his days studying the Void Observation Skill with Xu Yi Daoist.

He attended the health seminars organized by numerous Kun Dao and Daoist practitioners within the palace, exchanging secrets and experiences on the Cultivation of Literature for health.

With Xu Yi Daoist’s connections, the Li family’s background, the Wanyan family’s influence, and some silver coins secretly offered by Zhang Rongfang.

Very soon, a new post was assigned to him.

In just three days.

He was appointed as the head of the Mingjing Palace’s Maintenance Department.

The previous head had to quietly step down due to sudden charges of embezzlement and bribery, as misfortunes befell his family.

There were originally two other contenders, and after one was inexplicably heavily injured, the other retreated without a word.

The head of the Maintenance Department’s duty is managing the repair and upkeep of all the palace buildings.

This management also includes numerous farmers and workers under the palace’s command outside the palace.

Whenever repairs are needed, a Daoist will send a letter to the Maintenance Department, from where a junior manager will verify and determine the scope of the repairs.

Then, the maintenance officer will draft structural diagrams and ascertain needed materials. Finally, the plan is presented to the department head for approval to commence repairs.

In essence, it’s managing a construction team responsible for building maintenance.

Mingjing Palace doesn’t have many buildings, mostly minor issues.

Zhang Rongfang hardly needed to pay attention; he could easily solve problems with his dozen Daoists, by directing the farmers and workers.

So, he devoted all his energies to cultivation.

A few days after taking office.

Finally, his attribute points accumulated, bringing in new advances.

The enhancement he had long awaited, arrived.

*

*

*

Bigfoot Village’s Chicken Neck Forest.

By the edge of the long-deserted large grave pit.

A figure in a gray robe moved swiftly along the path.

When he passed the corpses of two tomb robbers, he paused slightly, bending down as if examining the cause of death.

Time had passed, and there had been some scattered rain over these days.

The corpses were gnawed to tatters by animals, leaving only tattered clothing.

Even those remnants were rotting and stinking, attracting many insects and flies.

The gray-robed figure reached the deepest part of the grave pit and descended through an entrance.

Soon, he saw the main hall, where the inscribed stone wall had been smashed open.

The gray-robed figure froze, then swiftly approached, touching the stone wall continuously.

He pried open several remaining stone pieces, inspecting the hidden layers inside.

But unfortunately, the items originally stored inside had long vanished without a trace.

“What happened?” A voice asked from behind, sounding peculiar, low and muffled, obscuring the tone.

“Gone! The secret scroll is gone!” The gray-robed figure loudly replied in the same strange voice.

“Logically, the Spirit Court shouldn’t have discovered this hidden spot! They only trust the Moonstone in their hands! How could this be!?”

“There are always unexpected events. We’ve lost enough already. Actually, it doesn’t matter,” the other voice replied deeply.

“How can it not matter! A single scripture silk is enough to create a Spiritual Vein! If we could have one more Spiritual Vein….!!” The gray-robed figure became somewhat agitated.

“The Spirit Court has far more Spiritual Veins than we do, have fewer of theirs died at the hands of the Spirit Court? Stop being naïve!” the other voice retorted coldly.

“Since it’s lost, the current plan should be to find the original scripture silk, as long as we find it, we can try using the idol once.

Also, there’s a top-grade expert from the Black List in Tan Yang. Perhaps we could…”

“The Spirit Court’s monsters, the maniacs of the Black List, do you think it’s possible to collaborate with maniacs?” the gray-robed figure protested.

“Why not? We’re all human. Our desires are the same! As long as the goals are the same, why can’t we cooperate?”

The two fell silent for a while.

After a long pause, the gray-robed figure slowly spoke.

“You arranged this in advance?”

“Yes. Arranged long ago, before you came.” The other replied.

“Who is it?”

“Celestial Maiden Tong Zhang.”

“It’s her!? Aren’t you afraid of dying?” The gray-robed figure was taken aback.

“Not particularly, as long as we engage when she’s lucid, timing it right isn’t an issue. Next, I’ll investigate who took the scripture silk.

Luckily, I have a few agents buried here beforehand.”

*

*

*

Inside Tan Yang City.

Zhao Tianming frowned as he looked at the secret letter in his hand.

’The secret scripture silk…’ He couldn’t help but recall the scripture silk Bai Ying handed to the Red Spirit Messenger a few days ago.

If that was what the Sect needed, then everything was already too late.

The item had likely already been delivered to a regional capital elsewhere.

“What’s the matter, husband?” his wife, Madam Zhao, gently asked from beside him.

She placed a bowl of freshly cooked rice on the table in front of him.

“Is it something troubling at the academy?” Madam Zhao rarely saw her husband look so serious.

“It’s nothing, just a minor issue, a piece of ancient literature can’t be found,” Zhao Tianming smiled and replied.

He didn’t want to bring other matters home.

“An ancient book, huh? Do you have any handwritten copies? Many ancient books are mostly valuable for collection, as long as the contents are copied, doesn’t it look the same?” Madam Zhao spoke softly.

“Handwritten copies….” Zhao Tianming suddenly paused.

Indeed!?

He recalled Bai Ying’s decisive action of handing over the scroll without hesitation.

That action clearly seemed premeditated.

Obviously, Bai Ying likely knew the scroll was extremely important, so he kept it with him at all times.

Moreover, he must have considered how to handle it.

When Rusty Lock mentioned the scroll, he handed it over proactively, indicating he didn’t care about the scroll itself.

Who could be indifferent to such a priceless treasure??

If unconcerned, why would he carry it with him?

A normal person’s thought, even if just curious, would be to secretly keep some content, right?

Zhao Tianming thought from another perspective; if he were Bai Ying, deciding to hand over the item so decisively likely meant he had already made a private copy in advance.

’Perhaps… I should investigate Bai Ying…’

Though his subordinates had been taken over by Bai Ying, he still had previous connections, but he needed to act cautiously.

Moreover, the incident when Bai Ying injured him, robbing him of his subordinates’ power, that night’s humiliation, he could never forget.

’Perhaps I could… have the experts from the Mystical Sect deal with Bai Ying….’

As a secret member of the Mystical Sect, he understood those mysterious sect members quite well.

The Mystical Sect seemed mysterious, but they could not defy natural laws.

They practiced martial arts diligently, year after year.

Ninety-nine percent of them were no different from normal martial arts sects.

Except for the Spiritual Vein Servants….

Occasionally in the Mystical Sect, those who could pass divine trials were the Spiritual Veins.

Each Spiritual Vein possessed terrifying skills.

After receiving the divine seed, they became impervious to blades and weapons, incredibly strong, with massive physique. Even if injured, they could recover quickly.

Such experts were beyond the reach of ordinary people.

They were fundamentally another type of existence, completely detached from human existence.

Only Spiritual Veins could counter Spiritual Veins, a saying within the Mystical Sect.

It was because of a defeat in a Spiritual Vein battle that the Mystical Sect became what it is today.

’Regardless, as long as the sect suspects and investigates, Bai Ying will be severely injured, if not dead!’

A gleam of ruthlessness flashed in Zhao Tianming’s eyes.

’However, to persuade the higher-ups of the Mystical Sect, he needs to gather some evidence. Just speaking without evidence to incite sect experts to kill is not feasible.’

First, he must find out Bai Ying’s true residence and identity.

This is easy to investigate.

There aren’t many people in Tan Yang of Bai Ying’s stature.

Especially since Qingsu is known to be close to him…..

*

*

*

“The lady’s spirit is clear, yet her heart is disturbed. The human mind seeks tranquility, yet desires distract it.”

Inside Mingjing Palace.

Zhang Rongfang held the scriptures, quietly reciting and memorizing.

The teachings within the scriptures, even with his modern education from a past life, he still found them profound.

It seems certain truths are universal, no matter the era.

He felt content, having mastered a method to break through the innate limits. In the future, he could continually accumulate martial arts, using attribute points to crazily upgrade grades and break through limits.

By then….

How powerful would he become?

The thought filled his heart with anticipation.

Now settled in Mingjing Palace, as the supervisor of a construction team, he directed at will.

His days were tranquil and leisurely, with plenty of time to read scriptures.

He looked up at the sky.

The bright blue sky was as pure and uniform as blue and white porcelain.

A sliver of golden light slowly rose on the horizon.

Zhang Rongfang closed his eyes, and the attribute panel automatically appeared.

New attribute points emerged again. The original one point had become two points.

He was currently in a small courtyard assigned to him as the supervisor.

No need for daily inspections, his heart was unburdened.

With no safety concerns, amidst the distant sounds of chanting.

Zhang Rongfang concentrated and allocated all attribute points to the Primordial Talisman.

Under the morning sun, his towering body began to wriggle slowly, unconsciously.

Every muscle, skin, wriggled minutely. Old muscles constantly tore, healed, and strengthened.

New muscles grew, thickened, densified.

From Eighth Grade to Ninth Grade, it seemed like a mysterious transformation.

Zhang Rongfang could sense that his internal organs and bones adjusted slightly to reach their optimal state.

His body became stronger, and memories of practicing the Primordial Talisman surged into his mind.

’Breaking Limit. Ninth Grade sounds mystical.

But in terms of a past life, it means breaking physical limits nine times.’

Zhang Rongfang was contemplating the change in his body while thinking unintentionally.

’Top athletes might repeatedly break their limits in extreme sports.

With the best logistical and nutritional support, without sustaining injuries from sparring, top athletes’ results naturally excel.

But in this era… repeatedly breaking limits results in body damage, reducing lifespan.

If not for the Primordial Talisman being a superior martial art, otherwise….’

Zhang Rongfang looked at his unchanged life attribute with a sigh in his heart.

His attribute panel had undergone new changes.

’Zhang Rongfang — Life 30-30.

Martial Arts:

Rejuvenation Purification Talisman Manual – Fifth Grade.

Leg Technique – Third Grade.

Fist, Palm, Claw: First Grade.

Limit-Breaking Skill: Shrinking Step, Heavy Mountain.

Cultivation of Literature: Void Observation Skill (Fourth Realm – Core Formation)

Available Attribute: 0.’

Finally, he had truly reached the pinnacle of the Nine-Grade System published by the Spirit Court.

Though a mixed Ninth Grade, it’s still a Ninth Grade!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep