Attraction

Perhaps someone had spotted an opportunity to fish in troubled waters and acted decisively.

Lu Wan snorted. "Other than the Thick Earth Sect, no one knows about this Earth Dragon Pearl, much less its wondrous uses."

Without knowing the Earth Dragon Pearl's uses, no one would risk offending a grandmaster to steal it, especially with the danger of being trapped on the spot.

"Elder Lu," Chu Zhiyuan said, "there are no walls in the world that do not leak air. Besides, the disciples of your sect all know about it, do they not? How can you expect outsiders not to know?"

"They would not spread it around carelessly."

"They might not deliberately spread it around, but they could always let something slip unintentionally. Moreover, who knew how many people had seen and heard what happened that night?"

"..."

"This is no time for disorder. We must guard against someone fanning the flames and secretly adding fuel to the fire," Chu Zhiyuan said.

He had read too many case files and seen far too many incidents of killing with a borrowed knife.

"I believe it was the Thick Earth Sect." Lu Wan's voice was gentle and slow, but her expression was resolute. "No one else had any need to do this, and I fear no one else had the nerve."

"...Given the current situation, the Thick Earth Sect would never admit it," Chu Zhiyuan said after some thought. "To catch a thief, one must catch them with the stolen goods. We have to catch them red-handed."

"There is no need to find the thief. The Thick Earth Sect only needs to hand over the item," Lu Wan said coolly.

Chu Zhiyuan said helplessly, "Are we going to ask Grandmaster Song to act again?"

Whenever anything happened, Lu Wan brought up Song Feiqiong.

Alerting Song Feiqiong would indeed place immense pressure on the Department of Martial Affairs. Once Song Feiqiong made a move, it would mean the Department of Martial Affairs was incompetent and deserved punishment.

Lu Wan said, "Does my lord have a solution? ...My lord cannot make the Thick Earth Sect bow its head either, can you? They have confidence and backing. They would not deign to pay attention."

Chu Zhiyuan fell silent in thought.

If Song Feiqiong personally took action, it would mean the Department of Martial Affairs had neglected its duties. This year, none of its officials would likely receive even the guaranteed Ninth Grade Merit.

Could he make the Thick Earth Sect hand over the Earth Dragon Pearl?

The answer was obvious: no.

Neither his identity as an Assistant Director nor his identity as the Heir Apparent of Prince Qing's Estate would be of any use.

The Thick Earth Sect was close to many officials and did not fear an Assistant Director like him.

Prince Huai's Estate was far more flourishing than Prince Qing's Estate.

If Prince Qing's Estate had been several degrees stronger than Prince Huai's Estate, the Thick Earth Sect might have listened to him.

Neither identity could make the Thick Earth Sect lower its head.

With Grandmaster Song about to be alerted and personally take action, what could he do?

Since there was nothing he could do, he might as well let the director or the Minister have a headache over it. The most important thing was to report it promptly and not delay.

At that thought, his heart sank slightly. "Elder Lu, may I inspect the scene?"

"...Please, my lord." Lu Wan hesitated before slowly nodding.

Chu Zhiyuan examined the Quiet Room.

It was simply furnished, with only a couch, a table, and a chair. There were no cluttering objects such as screens or other furnishings.

The table held writing brushes, ink, paper, an inkstone, a teapot, and teacups.

There was no bedding on the couch. Only a small Sandalwood Box sat at the head of the bed, a palm-sized Sandalwood Box.

The Sandalwood Box had already been opened. Apart from white silk, there was nothing inside. It was completely empty.

"Who knew that item was kept here?"

Chu Zhiyuan studied the Quiet Room. It was spotless, neat, and utterly free of disorder, while his Super Sensation remained fixed on that small Sandalwood Box.

"Only Wanshan himself knew. Other than that, even I did not know where he kept the pearl."

"Only he himself..." Chu Zhiyuan muttered thoughtfully.

His Super Sensation caught a faint trace of aura within the tiny Sandalwood Box. That aura suddenly caused an unusual change within him.

It was like an extremely hungry man suddenly seeing a table laden with delicacies. The mere sight made saliva flood his mouth.

It was as though countless tiny hands had sprouted inside his body, impatient to reach out and drag it into his belly, into his body.

In a daze, a stone pearl the size of a Dragon Eye appeared before him.

Its surface was pitted and uneven, like some casually carved stone bead. Tossed by the roadside, no adult would bother picking it up, unless it was a bored child.

Who could have imagined that it was actually a precious pearl?

Then he understood. This was what the Earth Dragon Pearl looked like.

His Super Sensation had broken through the shackles of time and space, capturing the Earth Dragon Pearl's appearance.

He exerted all his strength to suppress the abnormality in his body and kept his expression calm.

The Dragon Transformation Technique began circulating rapidly. Golden aura raced through his meridians, nourishing and strengthening them, a full thirty percent faster than during his usual cultivation.

Did this Earth Dragon Pearl have such miraculous effects on the Dragon Transformation Technique?

Lu Wan called out, "Wanshan, come in."

"Martial Uncle." A handsome young man entered at the sound of a clear voice. He was imposing and dignified, his expression cold and stern.

Lu Wan said, "This is Xu Wanshan, a disciple of our sect."

"Greetings, Assistant Director." Xu Wanshan cupped his fists, his face grave.

Chu Zhiyuan returned the gesture, his gaze covering Xu Wanshan. "Young Hero Xu, when did you discover that the item was missing?"

His Super Sensation also locked onto Xu Wanshan before him.

The changes in his heartbeat, his minute expressions, the frequency of his shifting gaze, the dilation and contraction of his pupils, the tightening and relaxation of his muscles, the subtle changes in his posture, the shift in the balance of his feet, the tension and relaxation of his skin, the rhythm of his breathing, the tightness in his throat, and the minute movements of his limbs.

Everything, every last thing, was laid bare in his mind.

"Last night," Xu Wanshan said in a deep voice. "When I returned from outside and came to the Quiet Room to prepare for cultivation, I opened the box and found it empty."

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Who knew it was here?"

"No second person knew!" Xu Wanshan declared with absolute certainty.

Chu Zhiyuan's Super Sensation scrutinized Xu Wanshan, guarding against the possibility that he was lying or had stolen it himself while acting as its keeper.

The thought might have seemed bizarre, but after reading those case files, he had discovered that there were far too many even stranger things in this world.

Under his Super Sensation, Xu Wanshan was not lying. The moment last night was mentioned, his blood and qi surged, his pupils widened, and his anger soared.

Chu Zhiyuan mused inwardly: Xu Wanshan had actually reached the first level of the Xiantian Realm. Judging by his age, he was not much older than Chu Zhiyuan himself. He was clearly a martial arts prodigy as well.

The genius of this generation of the Flying Flower Sword Sect Gao Lingfeng had mentioned should be Xu Wanshan. He looked proud and confident, overflowing with arrogance.

Naturally, he was also unconvinced by Chu Zhiyuan's status as both Heir Apparent and Assistant Director.

Martial arts geniuses were bound to be proud and lofty, seeing no one else in their eyes.

He had simply seen too few geniuses. If he saw more talents from other sects and witnessed Huang Shirong's cultivation, he would likely restrain his arrogance and learn that the sky was high, the earth was deep—beyond the heavens were other heavens, and beyond men were other men.

"My lord," Lu Wan said softly, "the Thick Earth Sect must possess some special method for sensing this pearl. ...Since Wanshan obtained it, he has never shown it to anyone but me. ...After we came to Yujing, the Thick Earth Sect suddenly approached us and demanded it. Before that, we did not even know what kind of pearl it was."

When no one knew where the Earth Dragon Pearl was hidden, the only people who could still locate it precisely were experts of the Thick Earth Sect.

This matter was a conspiracy. Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence? A thief had broken in precisely when she and Senior Brother Yang had been transferred away, and that thief had ignored everything else to steal only the Earth Dragon Pearl.

A Divine Artifact concealed its own brilliance. On the surface, the Earth Dragon Pearl looked like an utterly ordinary stone bead, something no one would even pick up if it were thrown onto the ground.

If it had truly been a thief, they would steal gold, silver, or martial arts manuals. Why would they spare a second glance for this stone bead?

Chu Zhiyuan looked at Xu Wanshan. "Young Hero Xu, can you sense its aura?"

"Yes!" Xu Wanshan said proudly. "Once I come within ten meters of it, I can sense its presence."

"Then that is good. ...Elder Lu, do not hurry to trouble Grandmaster Song," Chu Zhiyuan said with a nod. "I will report the matter truthfully and see how the Minister decides."

"Since my lord has said so, I will not seek out Martial Uncle Song today. ...I will go tomorrow instead."

"Then wait a little longer..." Chu Zhiyuan said with a smile, looking at her.

Lu Wan was truly gentle on the outside yet unyielding within.

He turned and patted Xu Wanshan on the shoulder. "Young Hero Xu, do not worry. What is yours will be yours in the end."

The Dragon Transformation Technique instantly accelerated again, surging through his meridians like a raging tide.

This was caused by the residual aura of the Earth Dragon Pearl within Xu Wanshan's body.

Xu Wanshan made an instinctive motion to evade, but before he could react in time, Chu Zhiyuan's hand had already landed on him.

He tugged awkwardly at the corner of his mouth and forced out a smile.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled as he withdrew his hand and looked at Lu Wan. "Elder Lu, farewell."

"Thank you for your trouble, my lord." Lu Wan cupped her fists.

Escorted by Lu Wan and the others, and surrounded by Guo Chi and the estate guards, Chu Zhiyuan strolled away.

The Town Martial Division had experts skilled in tracking. They could capture an aura and follow its trail.

But that required there to be an aura to track.

The aura left on that Sandalwood Box was exceedingly faint.

Then this thief was certainly no ordinary thief. They had to be a top-notch master thief possessing extraordinary arts and secret techniques, capable of concealing and erasing their own aura.

After stealing the Earth Dragon Pearl, they could find some place far from Yujing, dig a deep pit, and bury it. Trying to track it then would be like fishing for a needle in the sea.

Or they could use a treasure like a Cold Jade Box to completely isolate its aura.

Below the grandmaster level, it would be almost impossible to find it.

He simply did not know whether a grandmaster could manage it.

Grandmasters possessed unfathomable Divine Abilities beyond ordinary imagination. At times, they could transcend the barriers of time and space.

Whether the Earth Dragon Pearl had truly been stolen by a Thick Earth Sect expert was impossible to say.

Did the Thick Earth Sect have a master thief this formidable?

Or had the Thick Earth Sect colluded with some formidable expert to steal it?

Would they really entrust such a treasure to another's hands?

The matter was shrouded in mist. As he pondered it, his gaze swept over his surroundings, and he realized that he had unknowingly arrived at the South Heaven Gate.

His Super Sensation had caught that aura and followed it here. Beyond lay the outer city, outside Yujing City's inner city.

Yujing City was divided into an inner city and an outer city.

The original Yujing City had not been so large. But as it grew ever more prosperous and more people poured in, it expanded beyond its original boundaries, forming an even vaster outer city.

The inner city was prosperous and safe, so land prices naturally soared. The common people who had originally lived there were gradually squeezed out, until only high officials and nobles remained.

Ordinary people and average wealthy merchants could only live in the outer city.

Most sects and religious orders were also located in the outer city.

To enter the inner city required the Imperial Court's approval.

The residences of the Four Great Sects and the Flying Flower Sword Sect, as well as the religious halls of sects such as the Thick Earth Sect and the True One Cult, all had no records of wrongdoing, criminal conduct, or indiscriminate slaughter of innocents.

Compared with the stability of the inner city, the outer city was a chaotic mix of dragons and fish. Even with the powerful City Guard and patrols from the Town Martial Division, it remained far more dangerous.

Chu Zhiyuan thought for a moment and did not continue outward. Before reaching the grandmaster level, he should not enter the outer city and risk his life.

The Earth Dragon Pearl was important, but no matter how important it was, it was not more important than his life.

He turned back and returned all the way to the Ministry of Rites Office. In his office, he wrote an official document and had Gao Lingfeng submit it.

He strolled out of the Ministry of Rites Office and wandered around the city, observing the religious halls of those sects. They appeared completely ordinary, without anything unusual.

Yet he did not underestimate them because of that.

Those sects likely all harbored hidden intentions and understood how to hide their brilliance and bide their time. Just like the Thick Earth Sect, before Feng Zhihao's cultivation had been discovered, no one could see anything unusual about the Earth Venerable Statue.

Without Super Sensation, he could not see anything unusual about the True One Cult either.

After making a round, he returned to the residence beside Bright Moon Tower and continued cultivating.