426: Chapter 436 Foreign Affairs Department

The night was deep, and the autumn wind was bleak.

Before dawn, Su Ming had already returned to the towering city walls of Daxing's capital.

This time, he did not linger for a moment and headed straight for the Eastern City.

Following Elder Qingquan's guidance, he threaded through the intricate network of alleys and finally stopped before an unremarkable courtyard gate.

The gate was small and even somewhat dilapidated. A similarly weather-beaten wooden sign hung at the entrance, with four large characters written in faded black lacquer—'Four Seas Trading Company.'

There were no fluctuations of Spiritual Qi here. It looked like a grocery store on the verge of bankruptcy, blending in with the surrounding noisy residences, completely inconspicuous. Had it not been for Elder Qingquan's explicit directions, no one could have imagined that this was actually the intelligence hub established by the Cloud Hidden Sect in this Mortal imperial capital.

Su Ming pressed down on the bamboo hat on his head, tidied his slightly travel-worn clothes, and pushed the door open to enter.

The space inside the shop was small and the lighting dim, with the air permeated by the stale scent of dust and mixed sundries. Local products from all over were scattered across the shelves, ranging from spices of the Southern Border to furs from the Northern Lands; everything was there, yet all were covered in a thin layer of dust, clearly showing that business was not booming.

Behind the counter, there was only a white-haired old man with a hunched back, holding a dirty rag and listlessly wiping a dust-covered pottery jar.

Su Ming's Divine Sense lightly swept over him, and his heart stirred slightly.

This old man was actually a Cultivator at the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment. Although he had restrained his Aura to the extreme, making him almost indistinguishable from a Mortal, that unique charm belonging to a Cultivator, refined through the years, could not be hidden from Su Ming, who was also at the Foundation Establishment Stage.

“Customer, what would you like to buy?”

The old man seemed to notice someone entering and looked up, revealing a face covered in wrinkles. His eyes were cloudy, making him look like a most ordinary, dying Mortal old man.

Su Ming did not speak.

He walked to the counter, took out his True Disciple token from his robe, and placed it gently on the counter.

It was a token made from ten-thousand-year Soul-Nourishing Wood. The front was carved with the auspicious cloud emblem of the Cloud Hidden Sect, while the back bore a simple 'Xuan' character, representing that he studied under Immortal Master Master Xuan Heng. Although the token itself had no spiritual fluctuations, its unique material and craftsmanship were impossible for anyone to forge.

The moment the old man's cloudy eyes saw the token, they suddenly erupted with an extremely brilliant glint!

The rag and pottery jar in his hands fell to the ground with a 'clatter,' but he didn't even notice. His originally hunched back straightened instantly at this moment, and his entire temperament underwent a world-shaking change. That heavy, mountain-like Aura belonging to a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator flashed for an instant before being forcibly suppressed by him again.

An expression mixed with shock, excitement, and extreme respect instantly flooded the old man's face.

He quickly stepped out from behind the counter and gave Su Ming a deep, deep bow.

“Zhou Tong, Manager of the Cloud Hidden Sect Foreign Affairs Department's Capital Station, greets the True Disciple!”

His voice was kept extremely low, yet it carried an uncontrollable tremor.

“Manager Zhou, there is no need for such formality,” Su Ming said in a flat tone as he took back the token.

“Sir, please follow me!”

Zhou Tong did not dare to be negligent in the slightest and hurried to lead the way, bringing Su Ming into a secret room in the back courtyard of the shop.

This secret room had clearly been meticulously arranged; the walls were built of thick Bluestone, and soundproofing and defensive Array Patterns were faintly carved upon them.

After closing the heavy iron door of the secret room, Zhou Tong bowed to Su Ming once more before respectfully speaking: “I have been stationed here for thirty years, and this is the first time I have seen a True Disciple visit in person. May I ask what instructions you have?”

His attitude was humble to the extreme, but his sharp eyes were inconspicuously sizing Su Ming up. His heart was full of doubt: why would a True Disciple of such esteemed status come to the Foreign Affairs Department in this Mortal place so discreetly?

Su Ming did not beat around the bush. He placed the black token engraved with the character 'Ming' and the secret letter recording the 'ten thousand souls banner' plan together on the table.

“Manager Zhou, please take a look.”

Subsequently, he briefly narrated his discoveries at Black Wind Mountain, including the invulnerable 'Corpse Puppet Cavalry,' the Black-Robed Man controlling them from behind, and the evidence obtained after killing the Black-Robed Man.

Finally, he said in a heavy voice: “Elder Qingquan has personally gone to Northern Mang to investigate and ordered me to deliver these items to you with all haste so you can report to the Sect immediately.”

Zhou Tong picked up the token and the secret letter, his expression growing more solemn as he read.

When he saw the words 'ten thousand souls banner,' his wrinkled old face instantly turned ashen, devoid of any color.

“Nether Abyss Sect...” Zhou Tong's voice was incredibly strained, and the hand holding the letter was trembling slightly. “These lingering remnants of the Demonic Path have actually set their sights on the Mortals of two nations! Refining a ten thousand souls banner with a hundred thousand living souls... what a grand scale! What a malicious heart!”

He suddenly looked up at Su Ming, his eyes filled with lingering fear and relief: “Sir, this matter is of great importance! Had you not discovered and slain that evil person in time, once that ten thousand souls banner was successfully refined, let alone Daxing and Northern Mang, I fear even the area within a thousand miles of our Cloud Hidden Sect's gates would have turned into a ghost realm!”

“I... will use the highest-level 'Blue Bird Cipher' to report this matter to the Sect immediately!”

As Zhou Tong spoke, he turned to activate the communication formation within the secret room.

“Manager Zhou, please wait,” Su Ming suddenly spoke to stop him.

Zhou Tong turned back in confusion: “Does the Sir have any other instructions?”

Su Ming was silent for a moment, seemingly weighing something. Finally, he spoke slowly.

“Manager Zhou, I... have a request.”

“Please speak, Sir. As long as I can do it, I will not hesitate even if it means death!” Zhou Tong said without hesitation.

Su Ming's gaze fell on the secret letter, his eyes becoming deep.

“While reporting this evidence to the Sect, could... the Foreign Affairs Department find a way to pass it to the current Emperor of Daxing?”

“Pass it to the Emperor?” Zhou Tong was stunned, clearly not understanding Su Ming's intention. “Sir, this is a struggle between us Cultivators. A Mortal emperor... would likely be powerless to intervene.”

“No.” Su Ming shook his head, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

“What I need is not for him to intervene in the struggle of Cultivators.”

Su Ming paused and said word by word:

“Marquis Yongchang, Chen Yuan. As the commander of Daxing's military, he has secretly colluded with evil Cultivators, using the remains of fallen soldiers as Materials to refine corpse puppets with the intent to subvert the war. His heart is truly damnable!”

“This secret letter is ironclad proof of his treason! I need the Foreign Affairs Department to turn this proof into a blade handed to the Emperor! A sharp blade sufficient to bring down the Marquis Yongchang Estate in one fell swoop!”

Zhou Tong's pupils shrank suddenly. Shrewd as he was, he instantly understood Su Ming's true purpose.

Zhou Tong rapidly weighed the pros and cons in his mind.

The duty of the Foreign Affairs Department was originally to collect intelligence and not directly interfere in Mortal court politics. But... the one Marquis Yongchang was colluding with was a remnant of the Nether Abyss Sect, a public enemy of the Righteous Path in the entire cultivation world. From this perspective, eradicating Marquis Yongchang was equivalent to cutting off an important arm of the Nether Abyss Sect in the Mortal world.

Moreover, the one making the request was an esteemed True Disciple, with Elder Qingquan standing behind him.

After only three breaths of hesitation, Zhou Tong made his decision.

He nodded heavily, a flash of determination in his eyes.

“It can be done!”

Zhou Tong said in a deep voice: “The Foreign Affairs Department already has formal channels of communication with the Daxing Imperial Family. I will see to this matter immediately!”

Acting decisively, he immediately went to the desk and took out a special Sect official document. He first transcribed a copy of the Black-Robed Man's confession (dictated by Su Ming and recorded by him) and the contents of the secret letter in a way the Emperor could understand.

Subsequently, he solemnly stamped the bronze seal representing the authority of the Cloud Hidden Sect Foreign Affairs Department at the end of the document.

“Someone, come!” Zhou Tong shouted toward the outside of the secret room.

A capable middle-aged man immediately pushed the door and entered.

“Manager.”

“Immediately take this document and deliver it overnight to the palace with 'Top Secret Urgency' status! Hand it personally to the eunuch on duty in the Imperial Study! There must be no mistakes!”

“Yes!”

The middle-aged man took the document and, without asking a single question, turned and disappeared into the night.

After doing all this, Zhou Tong let out a long sigh of relief and turned to Su Ming: “Sir, the matter has been settled. As for Northern Mang, the Sect will likely send thunderous means to purge it soon. You can wait for Elder Qingquan's news in the capital with peace of mind. I will notify you immediately of any further developments.”

Su Ming solemnly cupped his hands to Zhou Tong.

“Thank you, Manager Zhou.”

After saying that, he put on his bamboo hat, walked out of the secret room, and merged into the capital's night once more.