The Six Doors' Intent

"This case is now under our jurisdiction. Your Sun Family can leave," Lord Zhuge said calmly.

Elder Seven's expression changed. "This... I'm afraid this is not according to the rules, right? Sun Yu is, after all, a direct descendant of the Sun Family..."

"Rules?" Lord Zhuge suddenly smiled. "The rules of the Six Doors when we handle cases are the rules? I've heard that your Sun Family disciples collude with heretical cults, the Youming Sect. Could it be this Sun Yu?"

The atmosphere on the long street instantly reversed.

Lord Zhuge's mention of the Youming Sect struck like thunder. Not only did the Sun Family members' faces change drastically, but even the Constables of Chun'an County were too scared to breathe. The Youming Sect – these three words were the ultimate taboo in the Great Zhou Dynasty. Associating with this heretical cult meant anything from confiscation of property and exile to the extermination of the entire clan!

Elder Seven's face turned ashen, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead. He forced a smile that was uglier than crying. " Lord Zhuge is joking... That child Sun Yu, though mischievous, would never dare to collude with a heretical cult..."

A playful smile played on Lord Zhuge's lips as he slowly took out a secret letter from his sleeve. The paper was yellowed, with obvious scorch marks on the edges, but the ferocious ghost eye seal on the closure was still clearly visible.

The moment Elder Seven saw the seal, his pupils contracted to the size of needle points! He recognized the mark – it was the exclusive symbol of the Youming Sect's Ghost Eye Hall, only high-ranking members above Hall Master were qualified to use it! How could Sun Yu have dealings with such a person?

Elder Seven trembled, almost unable to stand. If this matter were confirmed, the entire Sun Family would be doomed!

"It seems... it was indeed a misunderstanding..." Elder Seven gritted his teeth, each word squeezed out as if from between his molars. "The Sun Family... will withdraw now..."

"Wait." Lord Zhuge suddenly called out, his gaze sweeping over the Sun Family members. "Since you're here, cooperating with the investigation is necessary. You," he pointed at the smiling, chubby young man, "Little Fatty, you go back with Elder Sun and investigate thoroughly."

The young man called Little Fatty stepped forward with a smile, cupping his hands in greeting to Elder Seven. "Elder Sun, please guide me." He appeared harmless, but Elder Seven clearly sensed a faint aura of lightning flowing around the young man – he was actually a rare Lightning Spirit Body! This physique specialized in countering evil cultivation techniques and was clearly sent specifically to monitor the Sun Family!

Elder Seven's face turned ashen, but he dared not refuse. He could only lead the Sun Family members away in disgrace. The chubby young man followed behind, his steps appearing clumsy but perfectly synchronized, each step subtly aligning with some mysterious footwork.

After the Sun Family members were far away, Lord Zhuge turned to the Chun'an County group. His gaze lingered on Ye Yun for a moment, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes – this young man only seemed to have the cultivation of an 8th Rank, but his vitality and solid foundation were comparable to the direct disciples of noble families! Even stranger, he couldn't see through the young man's true depth...

"Constable Chen, is it?" Lord Zhuge walked up to Chen Qingzhou, handing him a pill the size of a longan. The pill was amber-colored, with swirling cloud patterns on its surface. As soon as it was taken out, it emitted a refreshing medicinal fragrance. "Take it and circulate your energy; it will benefit your injuries."

Chen Qingzhou accepted the pill, overwhelmed. "Thank you, my lord..." He recognized it as the Six Doors' unique Nine Revolutions Return Pill, rumored to have miraculous effects of reviving the dead and regenerating flesh, priceless!

"Tell me, what exactly happened?" Lord Zhuge casually found a bluestone and sat down. "Especially about that masked swordsman..."

Inside the County Yamen hall, the atmosphere remained heavy, but it was no longer the despair and oppression from before.

Lord Zhuge sat in the main seat, leisurely sipping his tea. His five subordinates stood on either side, like five stone statues, exuding a reassuring aura. The most eye-catching was the woman named Mufeng, who stood by the window casually, yet had effectively sealed off all possible angles of surprise attack, clearly skilled in formation combat.

After taking the pill, Chen Qingzhou's complexion had visibly improved, and he was reporting the events of that day in detail. He deliberately omitted the details of Ye Yun's actions, attributing all the credit to the masked swordsman.

"...That swordsman had exceptional martial arts skills and repelled the black-clad assailants in a few moves. He then vanished without a trace," Chen Qingzhou concluded.

Lord Zhuge remained noncommittal, his gaze turning to Ye Yun. "This young brother has a solid foundation. It's rare to see a young talent like you in a small place like Chun'an County."

Ye Yun felt a chill in his heart, knowing the other party had seen something. He replied respectfully, "My lord overpraises me. I was merely fortunate to have reached the ranks."

"Lord Zhuge said meaningfully, "It's normal for young people to have secrets. As long as your heart is set on the righteous path, the Six Doors welcomes all kinds of talents." He changed the subject. "Actually, we came to Chun'an for two main purposes."

The hall fell silent, and everyone pricked up their ears.

"First, there have been a series of robbery cases in Kyoto recently," Lord Zhuge's expression turned grave. "A group of bandits has consecutively robbed seven escort agencies and three merchant caravans, killing and plundering with cruel methods. According to our investigation, at least three of these individuals are martial artists of the sixth rank, and their leader may have already reached the fifth rank."

Everyone gasped. Three sixth-rankers and one fifth-ranker – the strength of just one sixth-ranker was enough to sweep through the entire Chun'an County!

"We tracked them all the way here, and they fled in this direction," Lord Zhuge continued. "Kyoto was worried that the local authorities would be unable to handle it, so they specifically dispatched us to apprehend them."

Chen Qingzhou immediately stood up. "This humble official will certainly cooperate fully!"

Lord Zhuge nodded, but his gaze turned to Ye Yun. "As for this second matter... it relates to the Ye Family ten years ago."

Ye Yun's heart tightened, but his expression remained unchanged as he waited for the rest.

"Kyoto's Lin Manor, do you know of it, young brother Ye?"

Ye Yun's pupils contracted. Lin Manor! Of course, he knew! Wasn't the Miss Lin he was engaged to the daughter of Lin Manor?

"I've heard of it slightly," Ye Yun replied cautiously.

"In the past few months, people have successively impersonated survivors of Chun'an's Ye Family to claim kinship at Lin Manor," Lord Zhuge said with a half-smile. "Unfortunately, they were all clumsy impostors, unable to even produce the tokens of identification, and were seen through at a glance by General Lin."

Ye Yun suddenly understood. No wonder Li San and Wang Wu were among the bandit-hunting party – they were secretly investigating the survivors of the Ye Family! They had likely suspected his identity long ago but lacked proof.

"General Lin and the Ye Family were old friends and had always been concerned about the Ye Family massacre," Lord Zhuge sighed. "Unfortunately, due to the political turmoil back then, by the time they were able to investigate, many clues had gone cold. This time, using the pretense of fake kinship, the old gentleman specifically asked us, the Six Doors, to come to Chun'an and investigate thoroughly. It is said that there are also people in Chun'an County who want to hunt down the survivors of the Ye Family."

He suddenly looked directly into Ye Yun's eyes. "Young brother Ye, since you are a local, do you know if there are any other survivors of the Ye Family?"

The hall was so quiet that a needle drop could be heard.

All eyes were focused on Ye Yun, awaiting his answer. Chen Qingzhou and Yan Xiao Liu were so nervous their palms were sweating – they vaguely guessed Ye Yun's identity but dared not confirm it.

Ye Yun remained silent for a moment, then slowly looked up. "This humble official... does not know."

"Lord Zhuge gave Ye Yun a meaningful look and said, "Next, I will trouble everyone to cooperate with us in completing our mission."