The carriage arrived before the government office, and someone immediately lifted the cloth curtain, revealing a pair of sharp, formidable eyes.
Those in court and beyond who disliked Liang Fuguo often said he had the visage of an eagle's gaze and a wolf's regard; supporters of the Right Prime Minister, meanwhile, claimed it was the bearing of one who hated evil as bitterly as an enemy.
In short, Liang Fuguo was the sort of person who inspired fear at first sight.
His brows arched high like swords, his gaze sharp and cold. He was around forty, exceptionally young among the prime ministers throughout the Yin Dynasty's history, right in the prime of life. Clad in a Vermillion Purple Floral Robe and wearing a Gold Jade Belt, he had already risen to the pinnacle of ministerial rank.
He bent slightly and stepped out of the carriage, where a folding stool had long been prepared for him. A masked guard with a golden sickle hanging behind his back stood nearby, his eyes grave and steady.
From the moment the summons had been shouted until now, only the blink of an eye had passed, yet officials great and small from the Ministry of Justice had already lined up outside to await him.
A most treasonous saying circulated among them... At the gates of the Ministry of Justice, even His Majesty the Emperor might not command the same authority as the Right Prime Minister.
"Right Prime Minister." Geng Shougong, the Minister of Justice, took the lead as everyone bowed in unison.
"No need to stay here. Go attend to your respective duties." Liang Fuguo spoke blandly, then glanced at Geng Shougong. "You, come with me."
With that, he flicked his sleeve and strode inside with measured, square steps.
Geng Shougong was dark-skinned and solemn-faced. Step for step, he followed behind his superior all the way to the main hall of his own office. Once inside, Liang Fuguo took the seat behind the desk, while he stood before it to report.
The masked guard behind the Right Prime Minister remained outside the door.
The Minister of Justice was already a second-rank official, a weighty minister of the realm. Yet whenever this man was present, Geng Shougong was invariably exceedingly respectful.
"How have the recent cases been progressing?" Liang Fuguo got straight to the point. "During the days I went to the Eastern Sea to reward the troops, how much progress did you make?"
"This subordinate directed the Ministry of Justice to investigate day and night. We have already apprehended one Ministry of Works Attendant Official, two assistant Attendant Officials, four clerks, seven record keepers, five Traveling Officials, and more than ten officials from various other ministries implicated in the matter," Geng Shougong replied.
"Not enough." Liang Fuguo said only two words.
A light sheen of sweat appeared on Geng Shougong's back. He bowed and said, "The Lu family has operated the Ministry of Works for many years. From top to bottom, they are as solid as an iron plate. Even those who have been imprisoned refuse to implicate anyone above them. And since this case is being overseen by multiple departments, we cannot use severe torture for interrogation..."
"Heh. No wonder Lu Yuanwang has remained silent all along. He really knows how to keep his nerve." Liang Fuguo chuckled. "Then keep investigating. I want to see how long he can endure."
"Right Prime Minister, while the Ministry of Works has raised no objections, there seem to be some murmurs from Dragon Tiger Hall." Geng Shougong lowered his voice. "I heard that the National Preceptor entered the palace to meet His Majesty yesterday. This morning, this subordinate received His Majesty's verbal decree ordering me to expedite the investigation."
Ministers who had reached their positions naturally understood the Emperor's intentions.
To expedite the investigation meant they could investigate if they could, but if they could not, they should wrap up the case quickly.
"Li Longchan is always obsessing over his Heaven-Piercing Tower. Now that the Ministry of Works cannot function, of course he is anxious." Liang Fuguo's gaze shifted. "But I want him to understand that he can build that tower only if I allow it... If I do not allow it, he will not even be able to lay a single brick."
His words carried crushing authority.
Geng Shougong came from a martial background and possessed an impressive peak Fifth Realm cultivation. Yet whenever Liang Fuguo revealed even a trace of his aura, his mind and spirit trembled. He could not tell whether it was suppression in cultivation or sheer psychological majesty.
Even after following Liang Fuguo for more than ten years, he had never grown accustomed to it.
Before he could respond, Liang Fuguo asked again, "Has Song Zhili said anything these past few days?"
"The Left Prime Minister said he has reached a crucial juncture in his cultivation and submitted a memorial requesting seven days of seclusion to seek a breakthrough," Geng Shougong answered. "He has not attended court yet."
"Tch." Liang Fuguo sneered and said heavily, "Whenever something happens at court, he somehow manages to make a breakthrough. Truly impressive."
Outside the window.
A black bird with hints of dark emerald in its feathers perched on a branch heavy with pear blossoms. Its gem-bright eyes rolled restlessly about.
Suddenly, a golden sickle with a chain attached to its base swept through the air. Terror flashed in the bird's eyes, but before it could beat its wings and flee, it was cleaved in two by a single stroke.
The strike had been so swift that only after the bird hit the ground did blood seep from the smooth cut.
"Still a man of the martial world, after all." Inside, Liang Fuguo remained as calm as drifting clouds and gentle winds. "After paying tribute at court for over a decade, he still enjoys using such lowly tricks."
After catching a distant glimpse of the Right Prime Minister earlier, Liang Yue had actually felt a vague sense of dread, as though his heart were pounding and his flesh twitching. He had no idea where that feeling had come from.
This was a ruthless man.
He silently gave the Right Prime Minister that assessment.
Opinions of Liang Fuguo at court had always been divided. Many said his methods were too ruthless and that he had killed too many people; among the common folk, however, his reputation had always been good. People said he did practical things and killed corrupt officials.
Now it seemed that not only did he hold an exalted position at court, his own cultivation was also formidable.
"I'm still too weak," Liang Yue muttered to himself.
Perhaps the other party was not actually that strong, but because he himself was too weak, the other person seemed powerful.
This was probably the relativity theory of cultivation strength.
Thus, his foremost goal lately was to comprehend the Sword Domain Swimming Dragon Movement Technique and hopefully become that Profound Sect senior's Nominal Disciple.
If he had a master from the Profound Sect, he would be able to gain a foothold in this world in the future. Never mind how much faster his cultivation might progress; at the very least, he would have one reliable backer.
Just imagine it: whenever danger arose, he could shout, "Master, save me!" and a fine master with flowing white brows and the immortal air of a sage would arrive to support him.
Just thinking about that scene made him happy.
For that reason, he no longer tried to visualize the Dou Character Ancient Leather.
That thing consumed far too much Divine Sense. The slightest attempt at visualization would drain his Divine Sense dry on the spot, and in the blink of an eye, it would be the next day.
His second goal was to find the true culprit who had murdered Zhen Changzhi.
As long as the real culprit remained at large, he and his younger brother would have to bear suspicion, affecting his future promotions and Xiao Peng's future path through the Imperial Examination and officialdom.
There had originally been almost no hope left, but at least now there was a new point of breakthrough:
Gold Silk and Longsheng Cloth Shop.
In truth, rather than saying he was helping Ling Yuanbao, it was more accurate to say that Ling Yuanbao had given him an opportunity to take part in solving the case, since he was the one who most desperately wanted to find the true culprit.
Third was preparing for the upcoming confirmation assessment.
It should not have been difficult, but he had previously beaten Zou Huainan, and the other party had remained silent ever since. He was somewhat worried that Zou Huainan's father was waiting to trip him up over this matter, greatly increasing the difficulty of passing the assessment.
However, the solution to this problem connected with his earlier goals: two words—become stronger.
Once he mastered the movement technique, his strength would naturally rise by a great step.
After returning home, he immediately immersed himself in visualizing the Sword Domain Swimming Dragon Movement Technique.
With a slight inhale, his spiritual platform immediately became clear.
The distracting thoughts in his mind were swept away, leaving behind only the single thought of visualization.
Boom—
In an instant, Sword Qi filled the sky, and his Divine Sense returned to the lakeside where the Sword Domain besieged the white dragon.
The white dragon still twisted and darted through heaven and earth in the sky, nimble and formless, only to be submerged in the sea of swords again in an instant. But with a dragon's roar, it burst out once more and even launched a counterattack against the Daoist in azure robes. "Hah—"
This time, Liang Yue finally witnessed the azure-robed Daoist's third sword.
Whoosh—
The boundless Sword Domain suddenly contracted, gathering into a ball of light before him. The more sword shadows accumulated, the brighter the sphere became.
The white dragon seemed to sense that things were amiss and turned to flee.
But the Daoist's sphere of light suddenly exploded, sending sword light shooting across the heavens like sunlight shining everywhere, leaving not the slightest gap!
With things having reached this point, how could the white dragon possibly escape?
It swiftly gave its answer.
Swish—
With a flick of its dragon head, it actually passed through the sword light and directly pierced through a layer of the Sword Domain.
At that instant, it pierced through the void!
Thud.
Liang Yue's body slammed heavily onto the ground. Sweat soaked him through once more, and when he opened his eyes, golden stars still filled his vision.
Only after a long while did he struggle to raise his head and glance at his position. Though he had fallen, he was more than One Zhang away from where he had been standing moments ago.
"Ha..."
Liang Yue smiled and let out a breath.
Though he looked somewhat bedraggled, this still counted as executing it completely, right? After practicing for a few more days, he should be able to master it proficiently. Then he could go find Miss Wen.
Looking back over the past few days, visualizing this movement technique had indeed brought difficulties he had never encountered before. But hardship and adversity tempered jade into a fine vessel; through unremitting struggle and effort, he had finally succeeded.
No wonder Miss Wen had said that if he comprehended it within three months, she could help him fight for a Nominal Disciple slot. The Daoist resonance within this technique was truly complex, and the difficulty of comprehending it was indeed immense.
He had spent a full three attempts comprehending it before finally succeeding.
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