Chapter 61: The Whole Story!

Chapter 61: Chapter 61: The Whole Story!

"If the loss of the Dragon Inspection Map was planned by the Demon Race..."

Zeng Anmin’s thoughts began to expand further.

The cold wind brushed past his cheeks, fluttering a strand of hair on his forehead. The moonlight reflected in his solemn Dan Feng eyes.

He walked forward step by step. Suddenly, he paused, his gaze fixed straight on the shimmering surface of the water.

"If the Demon Race’s goal is the Dragon Inspection Map, then it proves they know its secret," he reasoned. "But they don’t want anyone in the Great Saint Dynasty to know this secret, because the Dragon Inspection Map isn’t just useful to the Demon Race; it’s useful to the Human Race, too."

Zeng Anmin’s gaze gradually calmed as he straightened out his thoughts.

"Therefore, the Demon Race won’t reveal this secret... which means King Jiang didn’t know their true purpose was to steal the map. Tongyu’s death was ordered by that demon through Prince Jiang’s Mansion..."

A chilling edge laced his voice. By now, he had reached the riverbank, his eyes dark and profound.

"Deducing from this, Tongyu was silenced because he most likely witnessed a secret meeting between that Observation Department’s Governmental Constable and a member of the Demon Race."

Zeng Anmin took a deep breath, feeling he was infinitely close to the truth. "So, who could Tongyu have seen?"

The night was deep.

A gust of cold wind swept by, stirring the heavy stench of blood clinging to his clothes. Zeng Anmin frowned. His clothes were still damp from the water and the ensuing battle with King Jiang. When King Jiang died, his body had been blown apart by Zeng Anmin’s Martial Arts Aura. Aside from blood, there were bits of minced meat and chunks of internal organs hanging off him...

It was truly too disgusting.

He looked up and could faintly see the silhouette of Liangjiang County City.

"I definitely can’t go back now," he thought. Zeng Anmin knew he couldn’t possibly explain away being covered in so much gore. But in the middle of the night, he had no way to change his clothes either. He could only take off his outer robe, find a random spot on the bank, and wash it in the muddy river water. After wringing it dry, he endured the dampness and put it back on.

After walking for quite a while.

Zeng Anmin finally followed the riverbank to a spot not far from the gates of Liangjiang County City. "I won’t be able to enter the city tonight. I’ll just blend in with the morning crowd."

He found a dense thicket, crossed his hands behind his head, and lay down on a patch of grass. Opening his eyes, he was greeted by a starry sky pressing down from above.

In his past life, living in a concrete jungle, it was rare to see such a beautiful night sky. The stars were like a vast ocean, stirring a ripple of emotion in Zeng Anmin’s heart.

"At this moment, I really want to recite a poem." He opened his mouth, but then couldn’t help laughing out loud. "With my meager skills, I’m not even as good as Tongyu’s doggerel poetry. I’d better forget it."

With that, he closed his eyes to rest. However, the very next moment, he abruptly opened his eyes.

Poetry?!

He still remembered a doggerel poem encouraging study left for him in the *Book of Yi* by Tongyu!

"Shi—Time flows like water, never to return.

"Yi—Appropriate it is to read and learn.

"Hua—Flowery words upon the exam, a brilliant turn.

"Kui—Champion of literature, rewards you will earn."

Zeng Anmin muttered this doggerel poem word by word. In the darkness, his eyes lit up as if candles had been ignited within them.

"Shi, Yi, Hua, Kui... Shiyi the courtesan!"

Zeng Anmin violently sat up from the ground. "Could Tongyu have had a romantic history with Shiyi the courtesan?!"

This was his first thought. In his past life, tales of love and hate between poor scholars and prostitutes in feudal eras were a dime a dozen.

"Impossible!" Tongyu’s family background made it highly unlikely for him to have any entanglement with a high-class courtesan like Shiyi.

Zeng Anmin took a deep breath, narrowing his eyes. "What Tongyu saw was the secret rendezvous between Shiyi the courtesan and the Observation Department’s Governmental Constable!"

Shiyi the courtesan was a member of the Demon Race?!

At this realization, he gasped sharply, his expression turning exceedingly bizarre.

"My old man... An Shiyi’s Flower Pavilion is so heavily perfumed... I’m afraid she’s just trying to hide her own fishy stench! My old man, Wang Deli... Sigh!"

The sky grew faintly bright.

Dongfang lit up with a pale, fish-belly white.

Zeng Anmin rode a horse into the city. After arriving at the Governor’s Mansion, he didn’t disturb anyone. Along the way, he merely gave perfunctory replies to the greetings of a few servants before returning to his own room.

He changed into a clean set of clothes. His previous outer robe might have looked clean, but the inner layers were soaked with blood. Casually hiding them under the bed, Zeng Anmin left the room.

"Mr. Qi, have you seen my dad?!" Just as he stepped out, he saw Mr. Qi practicing martial arts in the courtyard, so he casually called out a greeting.

"Young Master?" Hearing Zeng Anmin’s voice, Mr. Qi paused and answered quite respectfully, "The Master should still be at the Government Office right now. Did you not come back last night?"

"Official duties were a bit busy," Zeng Anmin replied, casually spouting a white lie.

Galloping to the Observation Department.

Zeng Anmin didn’t hesitate and ran straight to his old man’s private office. No one stopped him, so his entry was smooth. His old man was currently inside, handling official business.

CREAK.

After closing the office door, Zeng Anmin took a deep breath and fixed his gaze on his old man. "Dad, what I’m about to say might shock you. You need to mentally prepare yourself."

Zeng Shilin’s hand paused slightly. Looking up at his son, he sat upright and nodded with a calm expression. "Speak."

Zeng Anmin gathered his thoughts for a moment before saying seriously, "Do you still remember my classmate from Shuidu Academy, Zhang Lun, courtesy name Tongyu?"

His old man furrowed his brows slightly and nodded. "I remember. What about him?"

Zeng Anmin then laid out his speculations bit by bit. However, he didn’t mention King Jiang’s death. He merely presented it as a second possibility, speaking at length. He didn’t even bring up his suspicion that An Shiyi was a member of the Demon Race.

Zeng Anmin observed his old man’s reaction, his expression stern. "So, it is highly likely that Shiyi the courtesan has a close relationship with Prince Jiang’s Mansion!!"

"An Shiyi," his old man said expressionlessly, before casting a mild glance at a nearby corner. "You mean her?"

???

Zeng Anmin instinctively looked toward the corner. There, he saw the Imperial Music Bureau’s courtesan, An Shiyi, deathly pale and huddled on the floor. Her entire body was trembling, and her beautiful eyes were filled with absolute terror.

Ah?!

This...

Now it was Zeng Anmin’s turn to be utterly bewildered. He blinked in confusion and looked back at his old man.

"Wang Deli is dead. He died at the hands of the Demon Race." His old man met his son’s bewildered gaze and said in a deep voice, "How could I not sense the lingering demonic aura in that prison cell? Following that aura, I tracked it all the way to the Imperial Music Bureau..."

After saying this, he cast another glance at the cowering An Shiyi in the corner. "I don’t know how it usually hides its reeking demonic aura."

"You suspected her from the very beginning?!" Zeng Anmin instantly caught the underlying implication in his old man’s words.

"I suspected her, but I never thought she was a member of the Demon Race." His old man slowly looked at Zeng Anmin. "I have hidden informants in Prince Jiang’s Mansion. I found out that King Jiang had dealings with her a few years ago."

"So, when you went to the Imperial Music Bureau last time, you were probing her?" Only then did a flash of realization cross Zeng Anmin’s face.

However, his old man didn’t answer. He merely looked into Zeng Anmin’s eyes, his gaze profound. "I heard from Dachun that you were also at the Imperial Music Bureau last night?"

This...