243: Chapter 243 Dragon Sparrow, The Sound of the Wind

Chen Ran stepped out of the restaurant, the night breeze cool as it brushed against the hem of his dark robes.

The streets were still bustling, with commoners rushing about for their livelihoods, completely unaware of the undercurrents surging within the imperial court.

The news of the aristocratic families refusing to pay the Family Tax had not caused a ripple among the common people.

Ordinary folk only cared about the price of rice and vegetables for the next day; as for how much tax those lofty aristocratic families had to pay, what did that have to do with them?

At most, they might mention it as a topic of conversation after tea or a meal, and that would be the end of it.

But within the high-level circles of the capital, this matter was like a stone thrown into a calm pond, stirring up a thousand ripples and drawing the attention of countless people.

However, with Wenxin Hall exerting pressure from behind the scenes recently, the decree pushed by the Cabinet had ultimately been shelved for the time being.

Yet, this matter had not quieted down.

According to Eldest Brother Lin Xiu, this case had already been handed over to the Longque Division for a thorough, covert investigation.

If there really were any shady dealings involved in the promotion of the decree, the Longque Division would certainly not let the other party off easily.

Chen Ran walked along the bluestone road, his eyes flickering slightly.

He began to ponder in his heart.

Longque Division.

It was an extremely unique government office.

It operated independently of the Six Doors and the Demon Suppression Division, was not under the jurisdiction of the Three Judicial Offices, and was not subject to the Cabinet's control.

It only took orders from the current Emperor and was the sharpest hidden sword in the Emperor's hand.

In daily life, the people of the Longque Division rarely appeared in public; they kept a low profile, as if they did not exist.

But in reality, this department held immense power.

It could override the authority of the Demon Suppression Division and the Six Doors, and even had the power to directly handle officials below the Upper Three Grades.

The Longque Division was filled with experts, all of whom were elite high-level personnel carefully selected from the military, the Six Doors, and the Demon Suppression Division.

"Even the Longque Division has been alarmed..."

Chen Ran pondered to himself.

It seemed that behind this Family Tax, it was definitely not just a conflict of interest between the Cabinet and the aristocratic families.

Just as Eldest Brother Lin Xiu had said, this must involve the struggle for the succession between the First Prince and the Second Prince.

The changing of imperial power was always accompanied by blood and chaos.

Those high-sounding words in the imperial court were merely curtains masking the clash of swords.

However, that so-called Emperor had not shown his face even until now.

It seemed as if he did not care at all that these princes and ministers were turning the capital into a mess.

Could Emperor Wei Ming really just watch as Great Wei became increasingly chaotic?

Chen Ran shook his head and cast these complicated thoughts to the back of his mind.

He had no intention of getting involved in this kind of court infighting.

As long as it did not provoke him, he would just focus on his Cultivate and wait for the right opportunity.

Moreover, with his current Realm, he could not interfere in a game of this caliber.

Before long, Chen Ran arrived in front of a quiet residence.

His previous courtyard had been damaged significantly during the fight caused by Yan Feng's attack and had yet to be fully repaired.

To express their apologies, the Lin Family had purchased this new residence for him nearby.

The house was not large, but it was quiet and elegant, and the layout was quite thoughtful.

With green bricks and gray tiles, carved window lattices, and a few parasol trees planted in the courtyard, it had quite a refined charm.

However, with Chen Ran's current financial resources, buying such a house was merely a drop in the bucket.

The silver he had accumulated from killing criminals and seizing their goods was enough for him to purchase dozens of such houses in the capital.

Pushing the door open, the courtyard was quiet.

Chen Ran walked straight into the main room and lit an oil lamp.

He sat cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes slightly, and sank his consciousness into his body.

[Current available Cultivation: Fifteen years]

This was the foundation he had accumulated over this period.

After Yan Feng disappeared, the entire Lin Family had investigated for a long time.

He could not leave the capital without a reason, so he had to let it go for now.

Although he spent most of his time outside these days, every few days, he would return to the Celestial Prison to patrol.

The number of prisoners in the Celestial Prison was increasing, and every time he patrolled, he could absorb quite a bit of Cultivation from them.

Including the rewards provided by Yan Feng earlier, he had managed to accumulate this foundation of fifteen years.

With a thought, Chen Ran poured all fifteen years of Cultivation into the Nether Heart Sutra.

[You have focused on your Cultivation Technique for fifteen years, and your Soul Power has improved.]

Hum.

The True Qi in his body vibrated slightly, and a cold, frigid aura flowed through his Meridians.

The operation speed of the Nether Heart Sutra increased slightly, and his True Qi became more refined.

Chen Ran could clearly feel that his Divine Soul had advanced a little further.

However, this Cultivation Technique was of an extremely high grade, and the fifteen years of Cultivation he poured into it did not cause any qualitative leap.

To break through to the Perfection level, there was still a long way to go.

Chen Ran slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air.

"The Dao of cultivation lies in accumulation over time; one cannot rush it."

His expression was calm, as he had expected this.

For a top-tier Cultivation Technique like the Nether Heart Sutra, the amount of Cultivation required to advance from Major Achievement to Perfection was countless.

If it were an ordinary Martial Artist, they would likely struggle to even cross the threshold in their entire lifetime.

But fortunately, with the heavenly book of prison suppression in hand, as long as he gave it time, breaking through to a higher Realm would just be a natural outcome.

Afterward, Chen Ran stood up, walked to the window, and pushed it open.

The night was deep, with a lone moon hanging high in the sky, casting a cold, silvery radiance.

A glimmer of dark light flashed in Chen Ran's eyes.

[Heavenly Net], activate.

Invisible Mental Energy rippled out like water waves, instantly covering a radius of several miles.

In his mind, countless complex auras emerged.

There were night watchmen, pedestrians returning late, drunks lying on the side of the road, and petty thieves moving sneakily in dark alleys.

Chen Ran closed his eyes and carefully distinguished these auras.

Before Yan Feng died, he had revealed quite a bit of information, including their names and their approximate hiding places.

According to the information, Cao Yong had a total of three subordinates in the Return to Truth Realm.

Excluding Yan Feng, who was at the Peak of the Return to Truth Realm, the remaining two were at the Middle Stage of the Return to Truth Realm.

All three were capable subordinates of Cao Yong and were key figures in this Family Tax incident.

Although Chen Ran did not want to be drawn into this struggle for imperial power, he always believed in knowing oneself and the enemy.

Since Yan Feng had already died at his hands, he might as well deal with these two together to avoid future trouble.

Moreover, Chen Ran had a faint premonition.

Although Yan Feng's death had been handled cleanly, paper could not wrap up fire forever.

Cao Yong would sooner or later notice the clues.

Rather than sitting and waiting for death, it was better to take the initiative.

First, figure out the other party's background so he could have a clear understanding.

"Found them..."

A moment later, Chen Ran suddenly opened his eyes and looked toward the south of the city.

In the perception of the Heavenly Net, there were two obscure but powerful auras inside a residence in the south of the city.

It was about the same as the hiding location Yan Feng had mentioned.

A look of deep thought flashed in Chen Ran's eyes.

Before dying, Yan Feng had said that one of these two was called Hyena, and the other was called Blood Eagle.

Both of them were trusted aides of Cao Yong.

Although their strength was not as great as Yan Feng's, they were far ahead in intelligence gathering, which overshadowed the gap in strength.

Facing such enemies, he did not dare to underestimate them.

Chen Ran restrained his aura, his figure flashed, turning into a dim afterimage as he merged into the vast night.

The night breeze was cool; he was like a night owl lurking in the darkness, moving silently toward the south of the city.

Chen Ran cast the Breath Concealment Technique, restraining his aura to the extreme, like a ghost, skimming lightly across the rooftops.

Under the moonlight, his figure almost merged with the night.

About a quarter of an hour later, Chen Ran arrived outside a secluded residence in the south of the city.

This residence was unremarkable, located deep in a narrow alley, surrounded by poor commoners.

But Chen Ran could clearly perceive two powerful auras inside the residence.

He stood on a nearby rooftop, his gaze calm, quietly observing the residence.

The lights in the courtyard were dim, as if someone had not yet rested.

Faint, low voices of conversation could be heard.

Chen Ran held his breath and focused, activating the Heavenly Net to extend his perception inside.