Chapter 98: Attention Drawn by the Devoured National Destiny!

Chapter 98: Chapter 98: Attention Drawn by the Devoured National Destiny!

The surging crowd drew closer, quickly arriving in front of the Blood Food Shop. A Martial Artist, sent flying by a spear, crashed toward the storefront. Seeing that he was about to smash the newly hung signboard, Huang Qingzhou tapped his toe lightly against the ground and intercepted the man with a gentle force.

"They are from the Royal Inspectorate!" Xing Rong’s expression shifted slightly as she looked at the group of Martial Artists clad in black robes and wielding black spears.

The Royal Inspectorate?

Fang Xu was somewhat puzzled. "Did the royal family send the Inspectorate to explore the ruins?"

Xing Rong shook her head. "The Inspectorate only answers to Emperor Yu. The Eldest Prince and the Seventh Prince, who currently hold power, cannot mobilize them. The Inspectorate’s deployment means that His Majesty Emperor Yu has likely emerged from seclusion.

"However..." Xing Rong frowned in confusion. "Ordinary matters aren’t worth Emperor Yu dispatching the Inspectorate. Unless it’s a major incident that threatens the royal family’s rule..."

Watching the group of Black-clothed Martial Artists stride away, Xing Rong stood dazed for a long time before she finally snapped back to reality. She bowed slightly to Fang Xu and Huang Qingzhou. "Please come inside."

After showing Fang Xu and Huang Qingzhou around the Blood Food Shop, right before they were about to leave, Xing Rong pulled Fang Xu aside. She took out a deposit certificate for five hundred taels of Gold and handed it to him. "Fang, you helped introduce me to the Crown Prince. This is a token of my gratitude and is separate from your profit share."

Fang Xu was taken aback for a moment, then took the deposit certificate with a smile. "Since it is your goodwill, it would be impolite for me to decline."

Money delivered to his doorstep was money he would gladly accept. Tucking the certificate into his shirt, he agreed to return on the shop’s opening day before heading back to Zhiyuan Hall with Huang Qingzhou.

At the Fenglin Town Government Office.

The Black-clothed Martial Artists of the Inspectorate had already arrived. Upon seeing Li Xingchao and his group, the leading young man, who looked somewhat scruffy, slowly cupped his hands in greeting. "Ling Mu pays his respects to the Seventh Prince, the Crown Prince, and the Taibu."

Li Xingchao frowned slightly as he looked at the young man who called himself Ling Mu. "Has imperial father come out of seclusion?"

Ling Mu swept his gaze over the surroundings before gesturing for Li Xingchao to speak in private. Li Xingchao led him into the adjacent side room, where Ling Mu directly pulled out a black-and-gold Scroll from his shirt.

As the Scroll was unrolled, it revealed a ferociously postured Black Dragon printed on its back. Strikingly, the Black Dragon had five claws!

Seeing the Scroll, Li Xingchao’s pupils contracted. He hurriedly bowed to pay his respects, but Ling Mu caught his arms to support him. "His Majesty has said that the Seventh Prince is injured and need not stand on ceremony."

Li Xingchao stood up straight, his expression turning solemn. "What orders does imperial father have for Vice Envoy Ling?"

Ling Mu nodded. "Recently, the Astronomical Bureau observed that the destiny of our Great Yu is being encroached upon by an inexplicable power. They reported this matter to His Majesty. His Majesty seems to have noticed it as well and suspects that it is related to the ruins of Tilan Mountain, which is why he ordered me to come investigate."

He thought, "Could it be related to that incident? But this is a bit too unbelievable! If the shamans of the Dusk Cloud Kingdom truly possess the means to steal the Yu Kingdom’s destiny, then the Yu Kingdom should be the one destroyed right now, not the Dusk Cloud Kingdom.

"No! I cannot let Ling Mu know about this, much less imperial father! I only have this one son, Li Xun. Even Xu Liang couldn’t solve the trap placed on him, so the other members of the Astronomical Bureau definitely wouldn’t be able to either! I know my father; once he suspects this is related to Li Xun, he will undoubtedly sacrifice Li Xun for the sake of the Yu Kingdom without hesitation. Without the protection of the Yu Kingdom’s destiny, Li Xun will die nine times out of ten. If Li Xun dies, all my schemes over the years will become completely meaningless."

Having made up his mind, Li Xingchao probed, "Does the Astronomical Bureau have any leads?"

Ling Mu shook his head. "They only predicted that the rough location is in this area. The specific cause remains unclear."

Xu Liang was a member of the Astronomical Bureau and one of its five Supervisors. Since he hadn’t discovered the root of the problem at the time, it was already impressive enough that the remaining four members of the Astronomical Bureau could deduce the general location.

"In that case, if there is anything I can assist with, Institute Envoy Ling need only ask," Li Xingchao said calmly.

Ling Mu bowed slightly. Returning to the courtyard with Li Xingchao, he walked straight up to Xu Liang and cupped his hands. "Taibu, I will still need your substantial assistance for this mission."

Xu Liang glanced at Li Xingchao. Seeing the prince nod, he replied, "If there is anything I can do, Vice Envoy Ling, please just say the word."

Ling Mu straightened up and turned to the group of Black-clothed Martial Artists behind him, ordering directly, "Go set up the Array Flags immediately!"

Acknowledging the command, the Black-clothed Martial Artists cupped their hands and dispersed.

Ling Mu then looked back at Xu Liang. "I do not understand the arts of Feng Shui and destiny, so I can only sift through the area section by section. Before coming here, I specifically borrowed this set of Array Flags from the Astronomical Bureau. Master Taibu, I ask that you help deduce the situation shortly, so we can complete this mission as quickly as possible."

Seeing the Array Flags, Xu Liang’s pupils contracted! If the Astronomical Bureau had mobilized the Array Flags, it meant that something had definitely gone wrong with the Yu Kingdom’s destiny. At that thought, he pondered for a moment and immediately thought of Li Xun.

He shifted his gaze to Li Xun, who was standing nearby, and then to Li Xingchao. Seeing Li Xingchao give him a subtle shake of the head, Xu Liang hesitated for a moment before ultimately choosing to keep the matter a secret. He simply looked at Ling Mu and said, "I will do my best."

On the outskirts of Fenglin Town, the Black-clothed Martial Artists of the Inspectorate carried peculiar flags, planting them around the town in various positions. The Martial Artists in the town watched their actions with visible curiosity.

Feng Shui Masters were already quite a rare sight, seldom seen under normal circumstances, and Feng Shui Arrays were even rarer. Many Martial Artists completely failed to understand what these aggressive royal Martial Artists were doing.

Fang Xu and Huang Qingzhou had not stepped out since returning to Zhiyuan Hall, so naturally, they were unaware of what the Black-clothed Martial Artists of the Inspectorate were up to.

However, as night was about to fall, Huang Qingzhou, who was eating dinner with Fang Xu and the others, suddenly frowned and looked up at the sky.

Fang Xu asked curiously, "Senior Brother Huang, what happened?"

Huang Qingzhou murmured, "It seems Fenglin Town has been covered by some sort of Feng Shui Array. It’s just that this kind of Array..."

Before he could finish his sentence, a faint pillar of light suddenly illuminated from a spot in the town. Although the pillar of light flashed and vanished in an instant, Fang Xu acutely captured the sight. That wisp of black light seemed to have emanated from his own courtyard!

Filled with doubt, he turned to look at Huang Qingzhou before hastily running outside. Seeing this, Huang Qingzhou hurriedly followed.

By the time the two arrived at Fang Xu’s courtyard, the people from the Inspectorate, the Golden Scale Guard, Li Xingchao, and the rest of his group had already gathered there.

Looking at the locked courtyard gate before him, Ling Mu didn’t hesitate for a second. He kicked the gate open and barged in with his men.

"Fang Xu, if my memory serves me right, this is your home, isn’t it?" Li Xun stepped forward, his brows deeply furrowed.

Fang Xu hesitated for a moment before cupping his hands. "It is."

The moment his words fell, two Black-clothed Martial Artists from the Inspectorate stepped forward directly, preparing to apprehend him!

"Stop!" Huang Qingzhou’s figure flashed as he blocked the two men. He cast a glance at Li Xingchao and declared, "Fang Xu holds the Immortal Sect transit pass of my Ascension Association. Is the Yu Kingdom planning to break the rules?"

Hearing this, Li Xingchao frowned. He waved his hand, signaling the two Inspectorate men to back down first, before slowly walking over to Huang Qingzhou and Fang Xu. "The truth of this matter will become clear shortly," he said calmly. "If the evidence of Fang Xu’s crimes is conclusive, I will personally go and pay my respects to Elder Jiang and Steward Xu.

"Fang Xu, Huang Xiaoyou, let us go inside and take a look."

Leading Fang Xu and Huang Qingzhou, the group entered Fang Xu’s courtyard. They saw that, under Xu Liang’s direction, a group of Black-clothed Martial Artists had overturned the stone table in the yard and were digging something out of the ground.