Chapter 54: What?!!

Chapter 54: Chapter 54: What?!!

Of course, his father didn’t make Qin Shoucheng bray like a donkey. Those were just the foolish, arrogant words of youth. He merely offered the father and daughter a casual meal, but they refused, leaving Zeng Shilin and Zeng Anmin with only their lonely, retreating figures.

However, Zeng Anmin didn’t take Qin Shoucheng’s visit to heart. He had always harbored resentment toward the man. Regarding Zhang Lun’s death, everyone in the academy could guess there was foul play involved. As the dean and a Great Confucian Scholar of the Holy Dynasty, how could Qin Shoucheng not know? After he dismissed Mrs. Zhang with just a few words, Zeng Anmin knew that he and everyone in Shuidu Academy were simply not walking the same path.

"Dachun, back to the Government Office!" Zeng Anmin called out.

"Let’s go!"

After Zeng Anmin solved King Jiang’s rebellion case, his name had become known to absolutely everyone within the entire Observation Department. Even the official circles of Fengqi Road had caught wind of his deeds. When he led Dachun through the main gates of the Observation Department, everyone who saw him showed extraordinary respect. In the past, they respected him because he was the Governor’s son. Now, their deference carried an entirely different kind of weight.

Entering his office, Zeng Anmin sent Dachun and all the governmental constables away under the guise of investigating case files. He sat quietly in his chair and closed his eyes to meditate, the Sword Skill that Nan had given him surfacing in his mind.

"Eternal Night Three Slashes."

The Sword Skill consisted of three illustrations, which he had drawn on the back of the Dragon Inspection Map phantom in his Purple Mansion. These three pictures were the Visualization Atlas for the Eternal Night Three Slashes.

The Dragon Inspection Map actually possessed a private chat function. He only discovered this after Nan finished drawing the three pictures. If it hadn’t been for this Sword Skill, he probably never would have thought to check whether such a feature existed. However, Zeng Anmin felt that even without the private chat, given the pride of Dao and Huang, neither of them would have cared about a Martial Skill meant only for a Martial Artist to practice.

"The first slash is Hai.

"The second slash is Zi.

"The third slash is Chou."

These were the only accompanying characters on the illustrations—words used to describe the three slashes. Were there really only three sabers?

Within his Sea of Consciousness, Zeng Anmin’s gaze was completely immersed in the three illustrations. The drawings were simple: a small stick figure holding a sword. The first showed a downward chopping posture. The second was a horizontal sweep. The third returned to a vertical chop, but completely unlike the first, the small figure’s eyes in the third image were crimson red.

The Sword Skill... Zeng Anmin gently reached out his hand.

The colorful Short Axe hovering above his Purple Mansion emitted a HUM as if answering his call, slowly floating into his grasp. The moment the Short Axe touched his hand, an illusion of a blood-linked connection welled up within him. Although swords and short axes had different shapes, their general usage was roughly the same. Furthermore, every move in the Eternal Night Three Slashes involved a chopping motion, which synchronized perfectly with the axe. This also greatly reduced the risk of exposing his true identity to Nan.

WHOOSH.

He exhaled softly, clearing all distracting thoughts from his mind. His Dan Feng eyes fell upon the first illustration. His soft murmurs echoed within the Purple Mansion Space.

"The first slash is Hai."

The hour of Hai represented the early night, the time between nine and ten o’clock. The sky had only been dark for a little while. By this time, however, the nighttime streets were already devoid of people, leaving only the occasional dog bark and the chirping of unknown insects. Striking with a sword at this moment had to be completely silent.

Suddenly, Zeng Anmin’s eyes snapped open.

The Martial Arts True Qi within his body seemed to boil, surging wildly through his meridians. Bolstered by his High-end Martial Power, the swing of his axe carried an aura of majestic, ancient, and colossal presence. It was the oppressive might of the Ancestral Dragon’s descent!

Yet this oppression was concealed by the bizarre trajectory of the axe head, completely retracting its sharp edge. The axe seemed to transcend time itself; its movement didn’t appear fast, but it arrived silently in the blink of an eye.

The swing completed. A cold light tore through the void. The Ancestral Dragon’s might that had just been restrained could no longer be contained, erupting explosively.

ROAR!!!

As if echoing from the distant ends of time, a dragon’s cry rang out.

BOOM!!!

Zeng Anmin’s Dan Feng eyes widened into perfect circles. A bizarre glint flickered within his irises—a bloodthirsty, tyrannical light.

"Incredible!" Zeng Anmin jolted his eyes open in reality, staring at the desk in front of him as he gasped heavily for air.

PANT PANT.

Right now, the Martial Arts True Qi in his body had been completely drained. He couldn’t even muster a sliver of strength to move a single finger. However, a look of profound relief washed over his face. Thank goodness he hadn’t tried to practice secretly in his room, choosing the Purple Mansion Space instead. Otherwise, the resulting noise and destruction would have undoubtedly exposed his identity!

He let out a long breath and slowly stood up. Walking over to the washbasin, he scooped up some cold water and splashed it on his face. The chilly water stimulated his skin, washing away a bit of his exhaustion.

"This..." He looked into the Copper Mirror on the stand.

Reflected in the Copper Mirror was his strikingly handsome, chiseled face. However, his Dan Feng eyes were bloodshot red, harboring a tyrannical and bloody aura that made his handsome features look exceptionally demonic.

"The Eternal Night Three Sabers... Is this the side effect Nan mentioned?" Zeng Anmin thought thoughtfully as he slowly pulled up his Golden Finger interface.

[Unyielding Martial God: Immune to all Divine Soul and Spiritual Attacks.]

A look of sudden realization dawned on his face. The power of this Sword Skill was indeed incredibly formidable. If he hadn’t had this attribute... he feared he wouldn’t have escaped the sword intent’s influence on his mental state. He felt incredibly fortunate. Thank goodness he was someone armed with a cheat.

Nightfall slowly blanketed the city.

Zeng Anmin and Dachun rode their horses, leisurely strolling down the street. By now, the commoners on the streets had gradually returned to their homes, leaving the area almost completely deserted.

CLIP CLOP CLIP CLOP.

Suddenly, the hurried sound of galloping hooves rang out. He wondered, "Hm? It’s so late. No commoner would dare gallop a horse so recklessly." Anyone who dared to do so was either a thief or an official.

Zeng Anmin instinctively looked up. He saw Commander Mr. Wang Deli of the Observation Department swinging his Horse Whip, his face flushed and dripping with sweat.

"All idlers, clear the way!" Wang Deli’s voice carried the intimidating rumble of giant thunder. His swift horse whipped past Zeng Anmin like a gust of wind.

Zeng Anmin furrowed his brows. He heard urgency in Wang Deli’s voice, along with a trace of unease... An ominous premonition flashed in his heart. Wang Deli was the Commander-in-Chief of the Liangjiang Commandery’s Observation Department, a Martial Artist at the Concealing Breath Realm, known as the Number One Martial Artist of Liangjiang. What could possibly make him so anxious?

"Mr. Wang, what’s the rush?!" he called out, instantly spurring his horse to catch up with Wang Deli.

Hearing the familiar voice, the fiercely concentrated Wang Deli turned his rugged face toward Zeng Anmin. Bead-sized drops of sweat rolled down his forehead, stripping away his usual affable demeanor, leaving only tension and gravity.

"King Jiang is missing."

His voice wasn’t loud, yet the furious galloping of hooves couldn’t mask it. Those four short words struck like a thunderbolt!

"What?!" Zeng Anmin’s Dan Feng eyes instantly widened into perfect circles as he roared hoarsely, "Weren’t you supposed to watch him around the clock?! How did he just disappear right under your nose?!"

"I don’t know! I was watching him the whole time! Furthermore, the Observation Department guards had Prince Jiang’s Mansion surrounded so tightly that not even a bird could fly out..." As Wang Deli spoke, he looked as helpless as a lost child, his lips trembling.

He was bewildered, and even a little afraid. Although his name, Deli, meant ’Profitable,’ he was now guilty of the highly unprofitable crime of poor supervision. If something really went wrong because of this, he would never be able to shirk the blame!

Hearing this, Zeng Anmin’s mind instantly raced with a thousand thoughts. He thought to himself, "That damn King Jiang is playing an escape room game with me? Interesting!"

An extremely cold light flickered in Zeng Anmin’s eyes.