I Do Not Want the Imperial City Identity!

"Hall Master Gu, Zhao Chong's cell is empty!"

The news spread quickly throughout the Main Peak.

That night, the Deliberation Hall was brightly lit. Seven elders sat on either side, with Qi Shouxuan at the head. On the table lay the empty cell file, the Imperial Kin-Seeking Document, and the Sect Registry Jade Tablet that Li Sanshun had just received.

Ji Jingyao sat in the guest seat, two imperial retainers standing behind him.

"Zhao Chong's disappearance proves that the interior of the Tai Xuan Sect is no longer safe. Li Sanshun is likely the descendant of the Third Prince; if he continues to live in the Xuan Chu Academy and something goes wrong, who will take responsibility?"

One of the Main Peak elders looked over the empty cell file.

"The Imperial Grandson's words are reasonable. The blood test is in three days; we can move Li Sanshun to the Guest-Welcoming Peak, where he will be guarded jointly by the sect and the mission."

"Jointly guarded?"

Li Sanshun placed the Sect Registry Jade Tablet on the table.

"That sounds nice, but in reality, you are just handing me over to the mission. Once the Guest-Welcoming Peak's array is closed, will Tai Xuan Sect disciples even be able to get in?"

The old retainer said coldly, "If the mission wanted to harm you, why would they enter the sect openly? You shouldn't treat everyone like a thief."

"Zhao Chong was lost even while locked in the Law Enforcement Hall. Before and after you entered the sect, the Communication Array failed, and someone used a forged token for the Back Mountain Teleportation Array. Now you want me to move to where you are staying? I don't have that much courage."

Ji Jingyao tapped the table.

"Are you suspecting this Prince?"

"I suspect everyone who wants to urge me to leave the sect."

Several elders in the hall discussed in low voices. The Imperial City mission held a noble status; if Li Sanshun were truly a descendant of the imperial family and the Tai Xuan Sect insisted on keeping him, it would easily invite accountability from the imperial court.

Qi Shouxuan picked up the Sect Registry Jade Tablet.

"Li Sanshun was officially registered yesterday and remains a Tai Xuan Sect disciple today. If the sect cannot even protect its own disciples, then the Mountain Protection Array is useless."

Ji Jingyao retorted, "Is Supreme Elder Qi prepared to offend the Imperial City for the sake of a new disciple whose identity is not yet clear?"

The sound of an iron sword scraping against stone slabs came from outside the hall door.

Xiong Baichuan walked into the Deliberation Hall and leaned his broadsword against the door frame.

"What do you mean 'not yet clear'? Once he is in the registry, he is a person of the Tai Xuan Sect. Whether the Imperial City recognizes him or not is a matter for three days from now."

"Is Peak Master Xiong willing to vouch for him?"

"I am."

"And if someone uses him to stir up old imperial cases and implicates the Tai Xuan Sect?"

Xiong Baichuan pulled out a chair and sat down.

"If someone really wants to stir up trouble, it won't help even if you send Li Sanshun away. If the other party can move Zhao Chong today, they can move someone else tomorrow. Plug the holes in the sect first, then talk about whether you can afford the consequences."

Ji Jingyao looked at Li Sanshun.

"Choose for yourself. Follow this Prince to the Guest-Welcoming Peak and take the blood test in three days. If your identity is confirmed, you will return directly to the Imperial City. If you stay here, you will be dragged into Zhao Chong's case. Many people have died in old imperial cases, and your meager Qi Refining cultivation won't save your life."

The Imperial Grandson Mansion and cultivation resources were laid out before him. As long as he nodded, Li Sanshun could leave the Xuan Chu Academy, and even the requirements for Foundation Establishment would be delivered to his door.

However, the portrait came from Zhao Chong. The Gold Blade left behind by the Old Rascal also involved the Third Prince's former subordinates.

Without finding out where the Old Rascal had gone, the more benefits the Imperial City sent, the less he could accept.

Li Sanshun removed the Gold Blade from his waist and placed it, sheath and all, in front of Qi Shouxuan.

"Seal the Gold Blade with the Supreme Elder for three days. I will not carry the blade, nor will I leave the sect. In exchange, I want the right to participate in the investigation."

Qi Shouxuan looked at the short blade on the table.

"This object is the key to confirming your identity."

"It is precisely because it is the key that it cannot be on my person. The mission fears I will run off with it, and the sect fears someone will come for me. If the blade is sealed on the Main Peak, both sides can rest easy."

Ji Jingyao studied Li Sanshun, silently concluding that this was a tactic to drive up the price.

An orphan raised in a dilapidated temple could not possibly be willing to give up his imperial status. Li Sanshun's tough attitude was nothing more than an attempt to make the Tai Xuan Sect and the Imperial City compete to offer him benefits.

"If you want something, just say it."

"I want to investigate Zhao Chong's disappearance."

"Investigating is a lie; using this to increase your leverage is the truth, isn't it?"

Li Sanshun did not argue, only looking at Qi Shouxuan.

"Regardless of the results of the blood test in three days, I will not go to the Imperial City until I have cleared up the clues regarding the Old Rascal. If the imperial identity has not been verified, I will not acknowledge it either."

The discussion in the Deliberation Hall ceased.

Several elders had originally worried that Li Sanshun was eager to acknowledge his ancestors and would turn around and treat the Tai Xuan Sect as a mere stepping stone. Now that the Gold Blade had been handed over, his attitude was clear enough.

Qi Shouxuan took the Gold Blade and personally added three layers of seals.

"For three days, the blade stays on the Main Peak. Li Sanshun may participate in the investigation, but his range of activity is limited to the sect, and he must not privately contact the Zhao family or the Imperial City mission."

Xiong Baichuan picked up the Sect Registry Jade Tablet.

"I will place him under the name of Zhen Yue Peak for now. The Xuan Chu Academy is too crowded and chaotic; I will find him a place to stay."

Ji Jingyao stood up.

"This Prince will wait three days. After the blood test results are in three days from now, I hope the Tai Xuan Sect will not use the registry to block people again."

"We will talk once the results are out."

After the imperial mission left the Deliberation Hall, Gu Changyue brought over the cell shift records.

Before Zhao Chong disappeared, two groups of disciples had entered the underground prison. The first group delivered food, and the second group transported prisoners who had died after interrogation. Both groups had their identities verified.

The problem occurred during the half-quarter-hour in between.

A Law Enforcement Token belonging to an elder had opened Cell Number Fifteen and sealed the Communication Array. The guards, affected by the array, had no memory of this period.

Xiong Baichuan pointed at the record.

"An elder's token cannot be stored in a storage bag; it becomes invalid once it is a hundred paces away from its owner. Whose token could open a cell door inside the Law Enforcement Hall?"

Gu Changyue unhooked his own token and pressed it into the Seal Verification Array.

The array disk lit up with two identical auras.

One came from Gu Changyue's hand, and the other remained on the cell's array lock.

"Someone forged my token." Gu Changyue opened the token authority record. "Forging a high-level Law Enforcement Token requires the original owner's aura and knowledge of the internal array patterns. Not many people can do this."

Li Sanshun remembered the footprints on the Ninth Floor of the Scripture Pavilion.

"Zhao Chong had been to the Ninth Floor of the Scripture Pavilion, and he had sealing wax from the Deacon Hall in his possession. He may not have gone in alone. Fifteen days ago, where was Hall Master Gu?"

"I was leading a team to inspect the West Mountain Spirit Mine and only returned to the sect yesterday."

"What about the people who accompanied you?"

"Sixteen law enforcement disciples, four mine managers, and one accountant responsible for old ledgers. We were attacked on the return journey; the accountant fell off a cliff, and his body was not found."

The sound of a flying sword cutting through the air came from outside the hall.

A law enforcement disciple landed at the door and handed over an urgent message.

"Hall Master Gu, Senior Sister Gu Qinghe has returned from the West Mountain. She intercepted a suspicious cultivator and brought back half a blood-stained token."

Gu Changyue unfolded the message, and the first line caused everyone's expressions to change.

That half-token retained elder-level token authority, and its aura was identical to the cell's array lock.

The records in the Seal Verification Array continued to expand, revealing the name of the token's owner.

Gu Changyue.

Qi Shouxuan put down the file.

"Take Gu Qinghe and the token to the Seal Verification Room; everyone will verify it face-to-face."

The law enforcement disciple did not leave, instead pointing to the last page of the shift records.

"Supreme Elder Qi, the person who took Zhao Chong used Gu Changyue's Law Enforcement Token!"