46: guess

He perked up and began to collect information everywhere along this line of thought, trying to piece them together into the image he had imagined…

This wild, slightly crazy act finally caught the attention of one person: Yu Xun, Qi Huaiyi’s superior and the Head of the Supervisory Xuan Envoy Division South Division.

Yu Xun’s background was also not simple; he was from the Yu Family, one of the five super-Families in the Southern Imperial Capital. His ancestor was Yu Qian, a famous minister in the history of the Great Ming Empire.

In the current political landscape of the Great Ming Empire, the power of the officials and the Families is intertwined and complex. Many important official positions are held by members of these Families. For example, Qi Huaiyi’s ancestor was Qi Jiguang, and the Qi Family is also one of the five super-Families in the Southern Imperial Capital. However, in terms of seniority and history, the Qi Family is considered a rising star, and it is still very difficult for them to compare with the Yu Family.

As for Hai Xiang’s ancestor, Hai Rui, he was a famous honest official of the Great Ming, living a life of integrity and incorruptibility. Although he worked the land himself in addition to his official duties, he enjoyed taking concubines, having children, and supporting his elderly mother, which led to his Family’s wealth being exhausted. Such an unconventional honest official found it difficult to establish a great Family. Therefore, Hai Xiang was only able to become an official by relying on the protection of his ancestor, as well as his own Martial Dao talent and hard work. Being able to serve as a captain of a special task force was already his limit.

After Yu Xun noticed Qi Huaiyi’s abnormality, he summoned him to his office, first leaving him to wait for a while, then snorted, “Are you hiding something from me?”

“No…” Qi Huaiyi had a guilty conscience but still denied it outright.

“No?!” Yu Xun said, with a wise glint in his eyes, “Your face turns red when you lie. Look at your face now…”

“This… perhaps I came in a bit of a hurry…”

“Impossible! You’ve been very active in various government offices recently. Well, have you found what you were looking for?” Yu Xun snorted.

“I haven’t found anything… Ah… I didn’t investigate…” Qi Huaiyi was still tricked by Yu Xun, after all, old ginger is spicier.

Yu Xun said, disappointed, “You still dare to say no? I ask you, are you investigating matters of the Imperial Family? Is this something a mere captain like you can investigate? If this continues, I’m afraid you’ll get deeply entangled!”

“This…” Qi Huaiyi was stunned upon hearing this, his heart sinking, finally realizing that his previous actions had been somewhat obsessive.

Yu Xun was right. Although the Jianxuan Envoy Department had great power, this power was actually given by the Emperor Ming and was meant to deal with Xuan Practitioners and ordinary people. If this power were used against the Imperial Family itself, wouldn't that be turning the world upside down?!

Yu Xun continued, “You used to be a very steady person. How could you be so muddled now? Do you want to take sides already? Let me tell you, now is just the beginning of the various princes’ struggle for the throne. As subjects, we must never get involved casually. Even if we want to take sides, now is not the time. At the very least, we should wait until the situation gradually becomes clear before making a decision…”

Qi Huaiyi quickly said, “Head Yu, I have no intention of taking sides, and it’s even less possible for me to participate in any struggle for the throne at this time! Is that something a small person like me can get involved in?”

“Then what exactly are you investigating? Let me tell you, several people have become suspicious of your recent behavior, and rumors have reached me. I won’t tell you who is spreading them, but you must be careful. You must know that there are no small matters when it comes to the Imperial Family. Any small matter is a huge deal for us subjects, and we absolutely cannot take it lightly!” Yu Xun warned.

“Thank you, Head Yu, for the reminder! The matter is actually like this…” Qi Huaiyi gritted his teeth, made up his mind, and briefly recounted the events.

After listening, Yu Xun couldn’t help but sit up straight, his entire body tensed!

“You?! Why are you only telling me these things now?! Are these things you can handle on your own?” Yu Xun said with slight anger.

“Head Yu, wasn’t I trying to investigate it thoroughly before telling you? After all, these were just some personal conjectures of mine, but I didn’t expect it to arouse suspicion from those with ulterior motives…” Qi Huaiyi sighed.

Yu Xun shook his head and said, “I’m talking about the invasion of the Southern Division’s command System! As for the Emperor Ming’s illegitimate son? What does such gossip have to do with our Jianxuan Envoy Department? Speaking of those illegitimate children of the Imperial Family, their number probably far exceeds your and my imagination. One more Long Yuan doesn’t make a difference, and one less Long Yuan doesn’t make a difference. Don’t you even have this much awareness?!”

Qi Huaiyi nodded and said, “Of course I know that. Just the direct descendants of the Imperial Family already exceed tens of thousands, and if you add the various branches, the total number exceeds one million without question! However, the reason Long Yuan caught my attention is the intense Xuanhuang Aura on him, even much more intense than any prince I’ve ever seen!”

“Is that so?! You couldn’t be mistaken, could you?!” Yu Xun was stunned upon hearing this.

“Impossible to be wrong! I have had contact with many princes and imperial descendants, and I am extremely familiar with the Xuanhuang Aura on them. But the Qi on Long Yuan was so intense that I couldn’t help but want to kneel… He might have just finished Cultivating at the time, so his Qi and blood were displayed very thoroughly. There’s no way I could be mistaken. Furthermore, he had only been Cultivating for a little over a month at that time, and his cultivation had already reached the Martial Artist Late Stage. Such Aptitude differs greatly from the F-grade Aptitude on the test report. Moreover, he possesses Mental Energy talent, with a score of 100 points! Finally, there’s one more thing: the information about Feng Yang capturing the Fusang murderer last time was provided by Long Yuan, and the later clue about Dark Night Valley was also provided by him. Without him, our Southern Division would not have been able to solve this case so quickly!” Qi Huaiyi stated emphatically.

“What?!!!” Yu Xun’s expression finally became solemn. An imperial descendant with such intense Xuanhuang Aura, and also possessing a perfect score in Mental Energy talent—this was the rhythm of becoming an Advanced Mind Power Master! Coupled with being the key clue provider for solving the case, these pieces of information combined, on the one hand, meant that Long Yuan was a Cultivation Genius, and on the other hand, it also meant that his potential value was immense, perhaps even possessing great Luck. If one could get to know him early, it would definitely be a good karma. If he could grow to become the wielder of the Xuanhuang Sword in the future, then he and the Family behind him would surely prosper!

No wonder a steady person like Qi Huaiyi had become like this; he would probably be the same himself…

Qi Huaiyi continued, “I observe Long Yuan; his facial features are quite similar to the Emperor Ming, and even more so to his appearance in his youth. That’s why I have this conjecture. From the information I’ve investigated recently, Long Yuan should at least be an illegitimate son of a direct line prince.”

“Could it be… Prince An Zhu Jian, the current wielder of the Xuanhuang Sword?” Yu Xun pondered.

“I also had that conjecture, after all, Zhu Jian is exceptionally talented, born with an extremely intense Xuanhuang Aura, a chosen one for Cultivating the Xuanhuang Sword. However…”

“However what?”

“I checked Zhu Jian’s information. The Xuanhuang Aura of his descendants is extremely faint, and among the few who can Cultivate, none have been able to Cultivate the Xuanhuang Sword to the Sword Qi stage, meaning none have been able to enter the Innate realm! I estimate it’s because Zhu Jian himself has exhausted all the Xuan Huang energy of his lineage!” Qi Huaiyi said.

Yu Xun listened with great agreement, nodding, “That makes sense! That’s very likely the case!”

“So, Long Yuan cannot be Zhu Jian’s descendant… What I’ve been investigating recently is whether the Emperor Ming had left the palace more than ten years ago, and left behind a Bloodline during his time outside the palace…”

Yu Xun thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, “Not very likely! The Emperor Ming has been immersed in carpentry for the past few decades, spending his days doing carpentry work within the palace, never stepping out of the palace gates!”

“What?! Are all those rumors outside true?!” Qi Huaiyi said in disbelief.

…