After the waiter left.
Zhou Qi did not leave immediately. As if nothing had happened, he picked up another steamed bun and continued eating.
Yet his mind kept turning things over.
It seemed nothing had leaked. The city guards still believed it was the Champion Marquis's people causing trouble within the city.
The city defense troops were probably still completely in the dark.
But the one who had died was, after all, in the Foundation Establishment Realm. Though such cultivators were not as scarce as they were in Lin'an City, they still counted among Yongjing City's middle and upper ranks.
Even within the royal family, the highest cultivation openly displayed was only Foundation Establishment, Ninth Layer Peak.
Beyond that lay a heavenly chasm. The hurdle from Foundation Establishment to the Golden Core Realm ran far too deep.
Of course, even a heavenly chasm did not mean no one could cross it.
The royal family publicly had only Foundation Establishment, Ninth Layer cultivators. As for what lay beneath the surface, no one could know.
As for the others capable of crossing that heavenly chasm, such promising seedlings had long since been taken away by immortal sects.
The Ascension Selection Grand Ceremony, held once every five years, was the means by which they were chosen.
The guests in the main hall came and went, then went and came.
Even after the porridge had gone completely cold, Zhou Qi heard no more news of that sort.
The secrecy seemed quite strict. Either they feared stirring up unrest, or they were still conducting a thorough investigation and feared alerting the snake in the grass.
Judging by the customs of the Great Yong Dynasty, the latter was more likely.
Zhou Qi wolfed down the rest of his food, then rose and returned to his room.