Xiao Qianjun was no different.
He led the Demon Suppressing Division's elite forces, investigating each commandery in northern and western Yong Province.
Whenever they uncovered a hideout, their first priority was to search for Secret Letters; their second was to interrogate anyone they captured alive.
Although most cultists had restrictions planted inside them and would die the instant they tried to reveal anything important,
Xiao Qianjun was an old hand. He could always pry some scraps of information out of them before they died.
One fragment after another came together.
Combined with the Secret Letters and account books seized from Branch Sect hideouts across the region,
they had more and more leads concerning "Ming Yuan."
But what troubled both Lin Changqing and Xiao Qianjun was that this person was simply too cautious.
The codename "Ming Yuan" appeared only a handful of times in all the Secret Letters.
And even then, the wording was always obscure. The letters never mentioned his actual identity.
He never made contact with the Branch Sects in person, either. Everything went through multiple intermediaries.
Each transaction was handled by a designated person through a single line of contact, and everyone who had met "Ming Yuan" had been silenced.
"This person is no ordinary Demon Cult agent."
Xiao Qianjun wrote in his message to Lin Changqing.
"He knows the Demon Suppressing Division's investigative methods like the back of his hand and knows how to cover his tracks."
"I suspect he is either a high-ranking court official or a member of the imperial clan. Otherwise, he couldn't have had the resources and means to erase every trace."
After reading the message, Lin Changqing casually handed it to Su Wanqing beside him.
"Xiao Qianjun is right. This fish is cunning and cautious enough."
Su Wanqing took the message and read it over, her brows knitting slightly.
"Saint Venerable, do you think this 'Ming Yuan' could be—"
She hesitated and didn't finish.
That guess was simply too far-fetched. Even she couldn't bring herself to believe it.
Lin Changqing didn't answer. He merely patted Golden Radiance on the neck.
Golden Radiance raised his head with a low growl, then flew toward the next hideout in Yong Province.
Three days later.
Wuyang Commandery, Yong Province.
Lin Changqing and Xiao Qianjun met at the Prefect's residence.
Their forces gathered at the entrance. The Demon Suppression Guards and imperial guards had sealed off the entire street.
Inside the reception hall,
a huge map of Yong Province was spread across the table.
Stacks of documents and Secret Letters seized from Branch Sect hideouts lay beside it.
Lin Changqing sat in the seat of honor, holding a teacup.
Xiao Qianjun stood by the table, pointing at several spots circled in cinnabar on the map.
"Prince Wu'an, the documents seized from these Branch Sect hideouts all mention the codename 'Ming Yuan.'"
"Each mention is obscure, but I had my people compare them one by one. They unquestionably refer to the same person."
He pulled three letters from the pile on the table and laid them side by side in front of Lin Changqing.
"The dates on these three letters are last May, last September, and this February."
"They all mention the help 'Ming Yuan' provided the Holy Demon God Sect in the Capital City."
"The first letter says 'Ming Yuan' helped the Demon Cult forge identity documents for entering the capital."
"The second says 'Ming Yuan' gave them advance warning of a Demon Suppressing Division raid, allowing the Branch Sect to prepare."
"The third says 'Ming Yuan' provided them with a map of the capital's defenses."
The more Xiao Qianjun said, the graver his expression grew.
"He could forge official identity documents, learn of a Demon Suppressing Division raid in advance, and obtain a map of the capital's defenses."
"Not one of those things is within the reach of an ordinary official."
"But the list of officials who could meet those conditions has already narrowed considerably: Third Rank or higher, or Fourth Rank and higher with authority over the relevant offices."
Lin Changqing nodded and set down his teacup.
"Go on."
Xiao Qianjun picked up another document from the table, a thin account book.
"This account book was seized from a Branch Sect hideout in Yong Province. It records the Spirit Crystals and resources they've supplied to their agent in the capital over the past few years."
"One payment alone amounted to two million mid-grade Spirit Crystals. The recipient's codename was 'Ming Yuan.'"
"The payment was made last October. The money was secretly transported into the capital by carriage."
Xiao Qianjun turned to the relevant page and pointed to a line.
"Two million mid-grade Spirit Crystals is no small sum. They must have had help from the transport workers along the way."
"I've already sent people to investigate this lead. We should be able to—"
Just then,
hurried footsteps sounded outside.
A Demon Suppression Guard hurried into the reception hall and dropped to one knee.
"Reporting to Prince Wu'an and Chief Commander Xiao!"
"I was ordered to investigate the route used to transport those two million Spirit Crystals, and I've made a new discovery!"
He held out a document with both hands, beads of sweat still on his forehead.
"That batch of Spirit Crystals was transported into the capital in a carriage bearing the Crown Prince's Palace waist token! The time it entered the city matches the city gate guards' records exactly!"
Xiao Qianjun took the document and glanced at it.
His pupils suddenly contracted.
"The Crown Prince's Palace waist token?"
His voice dropped low. His expression was impossible to read—somewhere between shock and disbelief.
"Are you certain there's no mistake?"
The Demon Suppression Guard answered firmly.
"I've confirmed it. The Entry Record is perfectly clear, and I even found the city gate guard who was on duty that day."
"He said himself that it was a carriage from the Crown Prince's Palace, driven by one of the palace's steward eunuchs."
Xiao Qianjun fell silent.
He gripped the document in his hand and didn't speak for a long time.
The reception hall fell quiet.
Just then, another Demon Suppression Guard hurried in.
"Reporting to Prince Wu'an and Chief Commander Xiao!"
"I found this in the ruins of another Branch Sect hideout!"
He held out a Brocade Box, burned halfway through, with both hands.
Though the box had been burned beyond recognition, the bottom still bore a partially intact Wax Seal.
Xiao Qianjun took the box and turned it over.
The moment he saw the design on the seal, he froze as if struck by lightning.
It showed a coiled Five-Clawed Golden Dragon.
The Five-Clawed Golden Dragon—that was the Crown Prince's exclusive insignia!
The two million Spirit Crystals had been transported in a carriage belonging to the Crown Prince's Palace, and now they had found a secret-document box bearing the palace's seal. Every lead pointed in the same direction!
Xiao Qianjun slowly looked up at Lin Changqing.
His lips moved, and his voice came out hoarse enough to make one's blood run cold.
"Prince Wu'an... every clue points to... the Eastern Palace."
"This 'Ming Yuan' is very likely the current Crown Prince—Su Mingyuan."
The moment those words fell,
the air in the reception hall seemed to freeze.
The teacup in Su Wanqing's hand slipped to the floor with a clatter and shattered.
Her face turned deathly pale, and she staggered back two steps.
"Impossible! It can't be!"
Her voice was sharp and trembling, her eyes reddening in an instant.
"Elder Brother... how could Elder Brother collude with the Demon Cult? This has to be a misunderstanding! Someone must be framing him!"
But Xiao Qianjun didn't respond.
He simply placed the Brocade Box and Entry Record on the table, then picked up the three letters and account book.
"First, forging identity documents—the Crown Prince's Palace has an office devoted to official seals. Forging a few identity documents would be easy."
"Second, learning of a Demon Suppressing Division raid in advance—as Crown Prince and heir to the throne, he has the right to attend court discussions. The Demon Suppressing Division reports its plans to His Majesty before carrying them out, so the Crown Prince had every chance to learn of them."
"Third, providing a map of the capital's defenses—only a very small number of people are authorized to consult one, and the Crown Prince is among them."
"Fourth, the two million Spirit Crystals were transported in a carriage belonging to the Crown Prince's Palace. There's no explaining that away as coincidence."
"Fifth, this secret-document box bears the Crown Prince's Palace seal—"
He pointed to the scorched Brocade Box on the table.
"Taken together, these clues can no longer be explained as coincidence."
"The evidence... is all but conclusive."
Su Wanqing opened her mouth as if to say something.
But the words caught in her throat, and not a single one came out.
Lin Changqing sat in his chair, a trace of surprise on his face.
"So it was the Crown Prince. I never would have expected that."
He lifted his teacup and took another sip, his tone tinged with emotion.
He had already expected the big fish's identity to be extraordinary.
It might have been the Chancellor, a minister of state, or perhaps even a prince or a prince of the blood.
After all, no one could have come through a Major Investigation personally led by Xiao Qianjun unscathed without a powerful background.
But he alone had never imagined the fish would be this big: the current Crown Prince, future emperor of the Great Yu Dynasty.
Second only to one, above all others.
Once His Majesty abdicated, the entire Great Yu Dynasty would be his.
And someone like that had secretly colluded with the Holy Demon God Sect.
This wasn't a matter of greed. It was sheer lunacy.
"The Crown Prince actually colluded with the Holy Demon God Sect..."
Xiao Qianjun stood by the table, disbelief written all over his face.
He had spent the better part of his life as Chief Commander of the Demon Suppressing Division, fighting demons and the Demon Cult for just as long.
He had arrested dozens of Demon Cult agents at the very least, from Third Rank officials all the way down to minor Ninth Rank clerks. He had seen every level.
But the Crown Prince... the current Crown Prince colluding with the Demon Cult.
He had never seen anything like it, not even in his dreams.
He turned to Lin Changqing, his voice heavy with concern.
"Prince Wu'an, this is no small matter. We must report it to His Majesty at once."
Lin Changqing nodded and rose to his feet.
"Let's go."
He raised his hand and tore open the space before him.
Xiao Qianjun gathered all the evidence on the table into his Storage Ring and followed Lin Changqing through the Spatial Rift.
Su Wanqing stood dazed in the reception hall, watching the two of them disappear into the rift.
Her hands clenched the hem of her skirt so tightly that her nails dug into her palms, yet she felt no pain.
Her elder brother was an agent of the Demon Cult, codenamed "Ming Yuan."
Whether it was true or not, the entire Eastern Palace, the entire imperial family, would soon be shaken by an unprecedented upheaval!
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