Chapter 289: Chapter 13 No Taboos
After controlling the Sword Light to gently take the life of the man in black, Jiang Li swept the Sword Light across and removed the man’s face cloth, revealing a face with a broad nose, large eyes, and prominent cheekbones, which looked somewhat aged.
"His face carries a sinister expression, and his brows have a murderous look. It seems he has taken many lives. According to universal values, he should be categorized as a villain."
Jiang Li assessed the situation with the eye of a magician and then controlled the Dream Butterfly to drag out an envelope. The Sword Light wrapped around it and merged the secret letter into the moonlight.
Meanwhile, the Dream Butterfly flew to the bottom part just beneath the bow of the ship and quietly waited.
When the man in black made his move, Jiang Li sensed activity inside Iron Pillar Temple from afar, detecting fluctuations of a cold aura.
Although the man in black was a mile off the shore, he was still not too far from Iron Pillar Temple. If one had sharp perception, they could still detect the Qi Mechanism released during the confrontation.
The main duty of eunuchs in the Imperial Palace is to serve and protect their masters, hence most eunuchs are Martial Cultivators, also adept in perception and speed.
Good perception allows them to detect crises in time, and high speed enables them to block threats or shield their masters. Practicing Martial Arts ensures they can fulfill their duty to protect their masters to a greater extent.
Although the confrontation between the Great Circle Sword and the man in black was brief, these fluctuations likely did not escape the notice of the eunuch and the temple master.
Sure enough, after the Sword Light left, a figure flew out from Iron Pillar Temple, skimming over the river and leaving long traces on the water. In less than twenty breaths, he had already arrived here.
As for the temple master, matters outside Iron Pillar Temple were irrelevant to him.
The eunuch, wearing sharply-pointed soap boots, with a pale, beardless face, floated like a ghostly figure beside the body.
Dream Butterfly also turned into nothingness and flew up simultaneously.
"This eunuch has decent cultivation, but..."
Dream Butterfly slightly cocked its head, seemingly expressing some doubt, "too weak."
In reality, it wasn’t truly too weak, but rather, it didn’t meet Jiang Li’s expectations.
Initially, Jiang Li thought the Fourth Prince, with his double-sided nature, would place a fifth-rank master by his side for constant protection. Daytime observations also indicated that the eunuch’s cultivation was not weak. However, upon closer inspection after advancement, the middle-aged eunuch was still at the sixth-rank, not fifth-rank.
For the current Jiang Li, a bit weak.
Carrying this doubt, Jiang Li continued to observe through controlling Dream Butterfly.
The middle-aged eunuch’s expression slightly changed upon seeing the true face of the man in black. He then scanned the area, seemingly searching for traces of the killer and bent down to search the body. After finding nothing, he immediately stood up and, like a puff of black smoke, swiftly returned to Iron Pillar Temple.
His actions were so swift, as if he had already known there would be a secret letter on the person.
"So, does the Fourth Prince know that his side is being watched?"
Sword Light shot in from the window, landing on Jiang Li’s knee and transformed into a sword body, with the secret letter also falling into Jiang Li’s hand.
Jiang Li scanned the letter once with Innate Qi and found no other arrangements, then opened the secret letter.
—After Zong Ming tried to test Jiang Li with the Illusion Spirit Captivating Heart Array and was killed, it is suspected to be the doing of Jiang Li. It is unclear whether Zong Ming noticed Jiang Li’s secrets.
Jiang Li’s advancement, Yuan Zhen’s interference...
The letter spoke of the daytime event, and also mentioned some movements of the Fourth Prince in Iron Pillar Temple in recent days, documenting the Taoists he had been in contact with.
As for the rest, there was nothing more.
Not indicating his own identity, not mentioning the addressee, and not even using any honorifics, the message was rather simple. Besides knowing that Zong Hai had been sending information outward, Jiang Li didn’t have many other leads.
Even now, Jiang Li didn’t know the specific reason the other party was targeting him.
Luckily, though, Zong Hai was within the Iron Pillar Temple.
"In addition, the Fourth Prince is also inside the Iron Pillar Temple."
Jiang Li flicked his hand lightly, his Innate Qi crushed the secret letter into powder, and it dispersed with the wind, "It’s a pity that this place lies at the feet of the Emperor, and with the Fourth Prince’s special identity, trying to divinate his affairs... even if my master were here, he wouldn’t be able to do it."
As the legitimate son of the Emperor and one eligible to succeed to the imperial throne, the Fourth Prince was protected by the Emperor’s and the Great Zhou Court’s Qi Shu, and given that this place was at the feet of the Emperor, at the center of the Great Zhou’s Qi Shu. Breaking through this dual "Qi Shu Gravitational Field" to divine matters related to the Fourth Prince was beyond Jiang Li, not yet officially part of the Gongsun Family through marriage.
Even Tianxuan would cause significant fluctuations in Qi Shu and risk detection and retaliation if they tried to perform a divination.
"Regardless, it seems I will not lack for individuals to test my sword against during this period of preparation."
It would also be an opportunity to test the Derivation Method of the Dao Fruit.
...
...
The middle-aged eunuch swooped into the courtyard of the East Wing Room and finally suppressed his Qi Mechanism in front of the room where the Fourth Prince resided, then gently pushed the door open.
"Your Highness," he reported, "Chu Jiang is dead."
The lamp inside the room had been lit earlier, and the Fourth Prince was quietly reading a book at his desk. Hearing this, he didn’t even furrow a brow, just gently lifted the book in his hands.
Seeing this, the eunuch continued, "Chu Jiang bore neither internal nor external injuries, and the cause of death is currently unknown; the secret letter on his person has been taken. Your Highness, how should we respond?"
"Do nothing."
The Fourth Prince indifferently said, "Let the people from the Southern Heavenly Department investigate. This matter does not concern us."
In the Great Zhou, the cases of ordinary citizens are handled by constables.
Matters related to cultivators are investigated by the Southern Heavenly Department.
Especially in the Divine Capital, under the feet of the Emperor where the citizens live in peace, most homicide cases involve cultivators, and are typically handled by the Southern Heavenly Department.
"By speaking in such a way as to draw out Yuan Zhen, I have already aroused Yuan Zhen’s suspicions, otherwise he wouldn’t have actively asked Zhang Daoyi to accompany him when departing. For me, it’s best not to stir up any unnecessary incidents hereafter."
Now alone, the Fourth Prince began using the royal "we," revealing the true pride of a prince, "I just need to watch from the sidelines; it is best for me to do so."
He reached for the teacup beside him, gently swirling it and causing faint ripples in the tea, "A child born with a silver spoon should not oversee the quarrels in the marketplace; I do not wish to further involve myself in trouble."
With a profound look in his eyes that seemed to reflect the scenarios of daylight once more, the Fourth Prince murmured.
"Daring to directly challenge Yuan Zhen, disregarding the Daode Sect, compelling Yuan Zhen to make a life-and-death decision—utterly fearless and bound by no laws."
As his pupils focused, a shadowy darkness churned in his eyes, "The Jiang family are indeed all rebels."
For someone like him, whose greatest reliance was his background, the type of person he detested most was indeed those fearless ones who disregarded all backgrounds. Because to those people, there were only friends and foes, with no distinction between princes and commoners.
Especially when at odds with such unbridled individuals...
The Fourth Prince drank the last of his tea and heavily set down the cup.