140: The old royal ministers finally woke up

The emergence of the Qian Yuan Cleansing Spirit Pill was not just a lifeline for the common people of the capital; for certain high-ranking imperial officials whose hearts had long been corroded by shadows, it was like a thunderclap, leaving them terrified to the point of their Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering.

Inside the study of Marquis Changle, Liu Bin's residence, the high-quality meditation incense in the censer had long since burned out, leaving only a few wisps of smoke.

Liu Bin's hand, holding a teacup, was trembling violently; tea splashed onto the precious rosewood desk, but he did not even notice.

Marquis, have you... have you heard? A slightly shrill voice broke the silence.

Zhou Xiang, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, emerged from the shadows, his face paler than window paper.

That Medicinal Pill, it is said to be able to cleanse all Demonic Technique and evil ways...

Liu Bin slammed the teacup onto the table with a dull thud.

It is more than just cleansing Demonic Technique and evil ways! He said, his voice dry.

I only caught a glimpse of the light from that Medicinal Pill yesterday, and I felt... I felt that the heavy stone that had been pressing on my heart all these years had loosened!

Zhou Xiang shuddered and leaned closer, lowering his voice.

Marquis, do you think... the matters we were involved in with those people from the Shadow Council... will they...

Will they be exposed by this Medicinal Pill? Liu Bin finished his sentence, the muscles in his face twitching.

If that is truly the case, you and I...

Just as the two stood speechless, covered in cold sweat, the steward announced from outside the door, Marquis, Vice Minister, Seventh Princess Your Highness and Lord Wei from the Demon Suppression Division are here to visit.

What?! Liu Bin and Zhou Xiang jumped as if they had been stepped on, almost leaping from their chairs.

Why were they here at a time like this?

Before they could figure out why, Seventh Princess Li Qingxuan had already walked in with Wei Zheng.

Li Qingxuan was still dressed in simple, elegant palace attire with a cold expression; Wei Zheng looked weathered, his eyes as sharp as an eagle's.

Marquis Liu, Vice Minister Zhou, I apologize for the intrusion, Lord Wei and I. Li Qingxuan's voice was calm but carried an inherent authority.

Not at all, not at all. Your Highness, Lord Wei, please take a seat. Liu Bin forced himself to stay calm, squeezing out a smile.

Li Qingxuan did not sit down but went straight to the point.

I presume both of you have heard of the miraculous effects of the Qian Yuan Cleansing Spirit Pill.

Liu Bin and Zhou Xiang felt their hearts tighten and nodded hurriedly.

That Medicinal Pill can not only heal the common people eroded by evil energy but also purify the polluted Jing City Dragon Vein.

Li Qingxuan paused, her gaze sweeping over the two men.

And it can... awaken those whose minds have been clouded.

Wei Zheng stepped forward and took a stack of files from his bosom, slamming them onto the table.

Herein lies part of the evidence of the Shadow Council's crimes.

It includes how they secretly established strongholds in various places, harmed innocent common people, and refined them into so-called prime bodies; furthermore, it details their wild ambition to completely pollute the Jing City Dragon Vein and overthrow our Great Xia!

Your Highness, Lord Wei, this... what does this have to do with us? Zhou Xiang stammered in defense.

Is that so? A faint arc appeared at the corner of Li Qingxuan's mouth.

To my knowledge, Vice Minister Zhou, several villas under your name in the Capital City Suburbs have recently had... rather suspicious traffic.

And Marquis Liu, I hear that several retainers in your residence are quite close with a peripheral deacon of the Shadow Council?

The faces of Liu Bin and Zhou Xiang turned as pale as paper in an instant.

The Emperor is already aware that there are indeed parasites in the capital colluding with the Shadow Council. Wei Zheng's voice was cold.

Now that the Medicinal Pill is complete and the purification of the Dragon Vein is imminent, it is time to sweep away those monsters and demons.

Will you two confess voluntarily and strive for leniency, or will you wait for the people from the Demon Suppression Division to... invite you over for tea?

Silence, a deathly silence.

Eventually, Liu Bin could no longer hold on. He fell to his knees with a thud, tears and snot streaming down his face.

Your Highness, spare me! Lord Wei, spare me! This subordinate... this subordinate was foolish!

I was only momentarily deceived by their flowery words and never did anything harmful to heaven and reason!

Seeing this, Zhou Xiang also hurriedly knelt and kowtowed like he was pounding garlic.

Yes, yes! We were all forced! I beg Your Highness to investigate clearly, and I beg Lord Wei to show mercy!

Over the next few hours, several old imperial officials and high-ranking court officials either proactively went to the Demon Suppression Division or were invited there, weeping about their innocence and regret, and scrambled to offer up various secret intelligence they held regarding the Shadow Council.

Among them were the true identities of some Shadow Council members, contact methods, and even some unknown secret strongholds.

Upon hearing this, the Emperor was furious and immediately ordered a thorough investigation.

For a time, the capital was in a state of panic.

Those officials who had previously colluded with the Shadow Council, or who had been mentally infiltrated and controlled by their illusions, fell one after another.

The power that the Shadow Council had cultivated in the capital for many years suffered a heavy blow.

Li Dong had no interest in interrogating these spineless people; he was studying the clues pried from the mouths of those old officials together with Wei Zheng.

Most of these marked points are in the vicinity of the capital.

Their locations are hidden, similar to the layout of the Vortex Trap Zone at the Western Mountain Medicinal Garden, but the scale is much smaller. Li Dong pointed to several red circles on the map.

These should be strongholds they use for transit, storage of test subjects, or temporary hiding.

His Spiritual Domain had long since silently covered the area, and combined with a mysterious analytical ability in his mind, he linked these fragmented pieces of information together.

Interesting, Li Dong suddenly gave a light exclamation.

Among these old officials, a few have traces of that woman Ying Mei's aura in their spirits.

It seems they were controlled by her illusions.

Wei Zheng slapped his thigh.

I knew it! Some of these old fellows were usually loyal; how could they suddenly turn to the thieves! It turns out they were deluded by Demonic Technique!

The purifying power of the Qian Yuan Cleansing Spirit Pill seems to be effective not only in dispelling evil energy but also in curing this kind of mental control. Li Dong thought thoughtfully.

Those who took the imitation pills or smelled the medicinal gas regained their clarity of mind, which is why they were afraid and came to confess voluntarily.

This was an unexpected surprise.

In that case, it saves us a lot of trouble. A hint of a smile appeared on Wei Zheng's face.

I'll leave the clearing of these peripheral strongholds to you, young friend Li.

I still have to coordinate with the Demon Suppression Divisions and Surveillance Divisions everywhere to conduct a thorough purge of the remaining forces of the Shadow Council within the Empire!

Good. Li Dong nodded.

Over the next few days, Wei Zheng sat in the capital, coordinating the four directions.

Reports of victory came from all over; the Demon Suppression Division and local Surveillance Divisions joined forces to destroy a large number of the Shadow Council's secret strongholds, capturing many council members and bewitched cultists.

The once chaotic situation within the Empire was effectively controlled.

In the imperial court, Seventh Princess Li Qingxuan also gained unprecedented support due to the Qian Yuan Cleansing Spirit Pill affair.

She seized the opportunity to propose mobilizing more imperial resources for the reconstruction of the capital and the purification of the Dragon Vein, which was approved by the Emperor and most of the court officials.

For a time, the entire Empire seemed to have gathered a long-lost centripetal force because of this sudden crisis and the subsequent swift and decisive counterattack.

Li Dong, Wei Zheng, and the Seventh Princess thus formed an even more solid alliance.

This day, Li Dong had just wiped out the last known peripheral stronghold of the Shadow Council in the Capital City Suburbs and returned to the Demon Suppression Division.

Cleaned up very thoroughly. Wei Zheng handed over a cup of hot tea.

The clues provided by those old fellows were a big help.

It can be considered as pulling out some claws and teeth. Li Dong took the tea, but there was not much relief on his face.

But we still know very little about the core power of the Shadow Council, such as that Elder Nether Scorpion, and the Ancient Forbidden Power they are truly plotting.

The Seventh Princess walked out from behind the screen, a trace of gravity between her brows.

The Emperor has ordered full support for our investigation into this matter.

But the clues... are still not many.

Li Dong looked out the window.

The hustle and bustle of the capital seemed to have regained some of its former Life Qi, but his Spiritual Domain could perceive that under the calm appearance, there were still undercurrents surging.

Those various monsters and ghosts who came because of the death order, although temporarily dormant, had not left.

And that ancient will deep within the Dragon Vein, which was about to awaken, was becoming more and more active.

Although the power of the Empire is beginning to awaken, the real decisive battle is likely far from arriving. Li Dong said softly.

I must continue to investigate.

He vaguely felt that the Jing City Dragon Vein, the Perfect Dao Body, the Shadow Council, and that so-called Ancient Forbidden Power—there must be some unknown, profound connection between these four.

This game of chess seemed to be much larger than he had originally imagined.