That's How It Was

The Dragon Survey Map was still in the Xuanjing Division's Map Repository!

This was the third mystery Zeng Anmin had seen through with Rapid Enlightenment!

The moment his words fell, he sensed a flash of light by his ear.

"Chirp!!"

A transparent Sword Qi shot toward him from nowhere.

"Bang."

The bluestone floor before his feet was pierced through as easily as tofu.

"A brat barking madly! Such brazen deceit of the emperor!"

No one knew where the voice had come from.

Before he had even seen the person, he had nearly lost his life...

Yet Zeng Anmin's heart remained utterly unmoved.

People who scrambled to show off before their superiors usually had something wrong with their minds.

Zeng Anmin had always regarded the mentally impaired with pity.

"Let him finish."

Only then did Emperor Jianhong turn his gaze upon Zeng Anmin and examine him.

This boy did have a fine appearance.

Zeng Anmin slowly raised his head, his tone respectful.

"Last night, during the first quarter of the You hour, while patrolling the Xuanjing Division, I suddenly saw Demonic Mist rise and lost consciousness. I awoke again in the third quarter of the You hour. The Dragon Survey Map was gone, yet the guarding grand formation at the scene bore no trace of disturbance."

Jianhong frowned slightly.

"Why are you recounting your father's testimony?"

Zeng Anmin bowed. "Your Majesty, every answer lies within my father's testimony."

"Hm?"

It was not only Jianhong. Everyone present, whether in the open or hidden in the shadows, secretly frowned.

The testimony was utterly ordinary.

They had studied it until now without figuring anything out. Naturally, they did not believe Zeng Anmin's words.

Zeng Anmin remained unhurried. He took a deep breath and explained.

"Your Majesty concluded that my father was in collusion with the Demon Race for no more than one reason: he is a Great Scholar of the Confucian Path, the natural bane of all demons."

"How could he possibly have fallen for the Demon Race's scheme and been knocked unconscious by some baseless Demonic Mist, allowing the Dragon Survey Map to be lost?"

"Moreover, the formation at the scene meant to guard against cultivators showed no signs of activation, nor was there any sign of human sabotage."

"That was why it was concluded that he had colluded with the Demon Race and deliberately leaked the Dragon Survey Map's location."

At this point, Zeng Anmin raised his head to study Emperor Jianhong's expression, slowing his speech.

"And it was precisely because everyone had been led astray by the two words 'Demonic Mist' in my father's testimony, their thinking blinded by preconceived notions, that the entire investigation veered away from the truth."

Jianhong gave a cold laugh.

"The Xuanjing Division has countless formations. No cultivator or extraordinary person could possibly steal the Dragon Survey Map without a sound."

The implication was that only the Demon Race could have done it. But with a Great Scholar stationed there, the Demon Race could never have stolen the Dragon Survey Map. Therefore, his father must have been in collusion with the Demon Race.

Once those words were spoken, everyone's gaze fell upon Zeng Anmin.

The Xuanjing Division's formations were designed to guard against cultivators and extraordinary people.

If it was not the Demon Race, who could have had such immense ability as to steal the Dragon Survey Map without anyone noticing?

With such ability, they would not even need the Dragon Survey Map!

Zeng Anmin raised his head, his gaze unwavering and his voice firm.

"The Xuanjing Division's formations guard against extraordinary people, but what if the culprit was an ordinary person?!"

After speaking, Zeng Anmin swiftly swept his gaze over those around him.

He found that the expressions on their faces had all gone somewhat blank.

Thank Xu Qian!

Fortunately, he had enjoyed reading novels in his previous life.

If a certain novel had not given him this line of thought, even with a Golden Finger, he might not have thought of it!

Loving webnovels could save your life at a crucial moment!!

The entire garden fell silent for a moment.

"Utter nonsense! How could an ordinary person create Demonic Mist?! Father Emperor, this scoundrel only knows how to spout empty boasts. Have him sliced by a thousand cuts at once!"

The girl called Ning An glared angrily at Zeng Anmin, Baleful Intent filling her pretty face.

Are you a psychopath?!

Zeng Anmin was speechless.

This girl was so beautiful, and she looked no older than fifteen or sixteen, did she not?

How could her heart be so vicious?

Only Emperor Jianhong looked at Zeng Anmin thoughtfully.

Zeng Anmin understood at once, confidence blazing across his face.

"Your Majesty, so long as the following items are brought here, along with an ordinary person, this commoner can recreate the scene from that day!"

With a single sentence, he stirred everyone's curiosity.

Emperor Jianhong nodded lightly.

"Proceed."

He too wished to know how an ordinary person could produce Demonic Mist.

"This commoner requires..."

Speaking extremely quickly, Zeng Anmin listed every item he needed.

Before long.

Someone had brought over everything he had requested.

"Please permit this commoner to step forward and demonstrate."

Zeng Anmin had not forgotten proper etiquette.

"Mhm." Emperor Jianhong did not even raise his eyelids as he nodded.

Zeng Anmin nimbly rose to his feet.

He wore shackles, but they did not hinder his movements.

Taking the items before him, he began his first chemistry experiment in this other world.

Sand, charcoal, lime, urine...

Zeng Anmin did not mind the filth. He reached out and mixed everything together, placed it in a container, lit a fire beneath it, and began to boil it.

Not long afterward, he produced a transparent, crystalline stone.

At the sight of it, the great weight in his heart slowly lifted.

Thank heaven, things from his previous life still worked here.

Once he had finished, he respectfully turned around and looked at Emperor Jianhong.

"Please have an ordinary person brought here, Your Majesty. This subject will demonstrate it for you at once."

"Mhm."

Before long.

A trembling commoner in plain clothes came before Zeng Anmin.

Zeng Anmin gently opened the box in his hand, exposing the crystalline object to the air, then held it before the commoner's nose.

"Sizzle..."

Upon meeting the air, the crystalline stone began to ignite by itself, and a great cloud of white smoke slowly drifted forth.

At this sight, everyone's eyes narrowed.

They stared fixedly at the commoner.

"Thud..."

Before long, the commoner swayed and collapsed to the ground unconscious.

"Hiss~"

Ning An, whose peach-like face had just been filled with Baleful Intent, now had her small mouth hanging open as she stared blankly at the scene.

She looked utterly harmless.

Those hidden in the shadows also watched in disbelief.

Jianhong, too, showed astonishment.

Zeng Anmin had never cultivated in any system; his physical condition could be seen through with a single glance.

Yet he had somehow concocted such a miraculous thing??!

Other than Jianhong, everyone looked toward Zeng Anmin with uncertainty and suspicion.

Only upon seeing this did Zeng Anmin finally let out a true sigh of relief.

Unparalleled gratitude rose in his heart.

Thank compulsory education! Thank middle school chemistry!

After all, this entry only increased intelligence, not experience.

Zeng Anmin struck while the iron was hot, speaking with a respectful expression.

"Your Majesty, merely a few pieces of this object in my hand can create the illusion of Demonic Mist... And this thing is poisonous, much like a sleeping draught. It is only natural that my father, caught unprepared by such a scheme, would have fallen unconscious."

"Oh." Thought flickered through Emperor Jianhong's eyes.

Though the Vast Righteous Qi cultivated by Confucian scholars was exceptionally effective against Demonic Creatures and ghosts.

Their physical strength was far inferior to that of Body Cultivators, and their Poison Resistance was no different from ordinary people's.

Zeng Anmin pointed at the crystal in his hand.

"Since this object rules out the Demon Race as the culprit."

"And since the formations around the Dragon Survey Map showed no abnormalities, cultivators and extraordinary people are likewise ruled out."

"Then the culprit could only have been an ordinary person."

Before he could finish, the girl interrupted him.

Ning An stared unblinkingly at Zeng Anmin, her voice wavering with doubt.

"The Dragon Survey Map is so large. How could an ordinary person transport it out without anyone noticing?!"

Ning An's words made sense.

Jianhong also came to his senses and looked calmly at Zeng Anmin.

He wanted to hear a perfect explanation.

Zeng Anmin's expression remained calm.

He was not flustered.

Confidence shone across the youth's fair face.

"Once all impossibilities are eliminated, whatever remains, no matter how unbelievable, is the truth!"

"This commoner boldly conjectures that the Dragon Survey Map was never taken away."

"It was hidden somewhere within the Xuanjing Division by the one who stole it!!"

As his words fell.

The entire garden sank into a strange silence.