The investigation team

He turned the street corner and, instead of returning to the Xu Household, headed straight for Yuelai Inn.

It was already late at night when Liu Wuxie returned to the Xu Household. He threw himself back into cultivation. The investigation team was like an unpredictable sword that could fall upon his head at any moment.

The Grand Desolation Heaven-Devouring Instruction had given him an extraordinary Dantian, unparalleled True Qi, and a powerful physique. Its drawback was equally clear: he advanced far more slowly than ordinary people.

Every advantage came with a disadvantage!

As dawn began to break, all of Canglan City felt like a tower swept by winds before a mountain storm. The four great lineages strictly ordered their disciples to minimize their outings. The investigation team would enter the four great lineages today and begin its investigation with them.

He exhaled a breath of turbid air. After a night of cultivation, his True Qi had grown considerably stronger, but he still had a long way to go before breaking through to the fourth layer of Innate.

"Patriarch, the investigation team has entered the Song Household first. They're beginning their investigation there."

Reports streamed back to the Xu Household. Sitting in the main hall, Xu Yilin waved his hand, sending the scouts out to continue gathering information and report back immediately.

Liu Wuxie practiced his saber techniques in the courtyard. His father-in-law had told him to stay home whenever possible and not go out over the next two days unless he had something else to attend to.

Two hours later, the investigation team emerged from the Song Household's gates, with Song Tianhao personally seeing them out. Everyone in the Song Household breathed a sigh of relief. This investigation team represented the Great Yan imperial family, and its leader was an elderly man in his sixties.

"Elder Kong, please forgive any shortcomings in our hospitality. Once the investigation is over, I will certainly sweep my couch clean to welcome you. I won't take up any more of your time. I hope the investigation goes smoothly."

Song Tianhao bowed. The elderly man's surname was Kong, and his full name was Kong Yi. He was a distinguished scholar of the Great Yan Imperial Dynasty. Though he held no actual power, he commanded great respect, for he had another identity: the current crown prince's first teacher.

The other four included figures from the military and the imperial family. Even the Imperial Academy had sent someone, as several of the dead soldiers had once been its students.

Even thousands upon thousands of soldiers dying in battle would not have warranted such a mobilization. This time was different. These Stone-Breaking Army soldiers had left camp without authorization, and an investigation revealed that they had embezzled ten million gold coins in military funds.

With such a serious problem erupting within the Stone-Breaking Army, the matter had to be thoroughly investigated. Alive, they had to be found; dead, their bodies had to be recovered.

If they had defected to an enemy nation with the military funds, it would be an enormous humiliation for the Great Yan Imperial Dynasty. This was probably the most crucial point.

"Patriarch Song, please see us no farther. Forgive us for troubling you!"

Elder Kong bowed with his hands clasped. Though he was a distinguished scholar, he put on no airs whatsoever. This was also the most important reason he was so widely respected.

Watching the investigation team leave, Song Tianhao breathed a sigh of relief. All five were seasoned old hands. The slightest mistake could have landed him in their trap. Fortunately, no Song Household disciples had left Canglan City recently, and the investigation had ended quickly.

"Patriarch, their next stop is the Wan Household."

The grand elder approached and spoke quietly. The Song Household had cleared itself of involvement, but each of the remaining three households was sitting on a bed of needles.

"I heard that boy from the Xu Household has returned?"

Song Tianhao asked. Although the formation hall had been stabilized, it had not fully recovered. The materials Liu Wuxie needed had been gathered several days ago, and they were waiting for him to repair the formation. The Song Household's fate was already tied to his.

"Yes, he returned yesterday!"

The grand elder answered truthfully. At the mention of Liu Wuxie, a trace of apprehension flashed through his eyes. That saber strike from that day still left him shaken.

"Put everything in order and tell the Xu Household every word the investigation team asked today. Don't let anyone find out."

Song Tianhao suddenly made a decision: he would inform the Xu Household of the investigation team's questions in advance so they could prepare. If word reached the investigation team, it would be a grave offense.

"Patriarch, isn't that inappropriate?"

The grand elder wanted to stop him. This went against the rules. First, the Xu Household ranked last, while the Song Household ranked first. The investigation team had likewise arranged its visits according to the lineages' standing, choosing the Song Household first.

Second, leaking the information amounted to secretly tipping them off. If the investigation team learned of it, the Song Household would be doomed beyond redemption.

"Our Song Household has been short of a few weapons lately. Send someone to the weapons workshop to buy some."

Song Tianhao waved his hand and turned to enter the gates. The grand elder understood and immediately arranged for someone to handle it. Going directly to the Xu Household now would be like putting up a sign saying no silver was buried here. Buying weapons could not have been more suitable.

An hour later, Xu Yilin received an unexpected surprise: the Song Household's investigation report was delivered to him.

"The Song Household deliberately leaked the investigation details to us. What medicine are they selling in their gourd?"

Xu Yilin rubbed his hands together, reducing the report to ashes. He had already learned all the investigation details it contained.

"At any rate, it isn't a bad thing. Knowing what the investigation team will ask gives us time to prepare!"

Steward Lan could more or less guess the reason, but he was not yet certain and could not jump to conclusions.

Two hours later, the investigation team emerged from the Wan Household. Wan Rongzhe personally saw them out, followed by several Wan Household elders. Judging by their expressions, the Wan Household had passed the test, and the investigation team had found nothing.

The next stop was the Tian Household!

The investigation lasted a full four hours. By the time they emerged from the Tian Household, it was already afternoon, yet the investigation team still had no leads. The clues supplied by the great lineages and their recent movements had no connection whatsoever to the Stone-Breaking Army.

Before they reached the Xu Household, Xu Yilin was already standing outside the gates to welcome them.

"This junior, Xu Yilin, greets Elder Kong..." He bowed, then cupped his hands toward the people behind Elder Kong in greeting.

"You are too courteous, Patriarch Xu. We are acting under orders. Please forgive us if we cause any offense."

Elder Kong returned the greeting with full ceremony. Led by Xu Yilin, the group entered the Xu Household's main hall. All the Xu Household stewards who had been away had hurried back. Every one of them had to undergo questioning.

They took their seats, while the Xu Household stewards stood on either side, awaiting questioning. No one dared breathe loudly. Although Xu Yilin had received the investigation report from the Song Household and prepared his answers, he was still somewhat nervous.

"Patriarch Xu, here is my first question. Who from your Xu Household entered the Sunset Mountain Range ten days ago?"

Elder Kong did not speak. A middle-aged military man stepped forward from behind him. Just as the Song Household's report had stated, this man was named Bai Qiu and served as a ten-thousand-man commander in the Stone-Breaking Army's Heaven Character Battalion.

The deceased Zhou Hu and the fifty Stone-Breaking Army soldiers had been his subordinates, so it was only natural that he conducted the questioning.

"General Bai, our Xu Household recently sent three convoys into the Sunset Mountain Range to transport resources and ore. Here are their details."

With that, Steward Lan produced a list and handed it to Bai Qiu. It contained detailed information on every person, including their family members, cultivation levels, and so forth. The records were extremely thorough.

Bai Qiu read through it, then handed the list to Elder Kong.

Of those recorded on the list, Deacon Qi was the strongest, but he was only at the seventh layer of Innate, insufficient to deal with the Stone-Breaking Army.

Clearly, they lacked the ability to kill the Stone-Breaking Army soldiers and could be ruled out. But there were exceptions to everything. How could the investigation team close the coffin and pronounce its verdict on the strength of a single list?

After reading it, Elder Kong offered no opinion and passed the list to the others for them to examine.

It passed from one person to the next, finally reaching a middle-aged man with a hooked nose. He examined it far more carefully than the others. A bead of cold sweat slid down Xu Yilin's forehead. He was not particularly worried about the others, only this man.

His name was Xue Chunyu. He served at court as vice minister of revenue and belonged to the Xue Household of Imperial Capital City. Xue Yu, whom Liu Wuxie had encountered at the beast-fighting arena, also came from the Xue Household. This man deserved much of the credit for how smoothly the investigations of the Wan and Tian Households had gone.

"Patriarch Xu, isn't there something wrong with this list?"

Xue Chunyu gave a smile that never reached his eyes and slammed the list onto the table, looking furious. Even Elder Kong was taken aback by his remark. The four great lineages would not dare supply false lists. The Xu Household was like rootless duckweed: it had neither cultivated ties with a great lineage in Imperial Capital City nor had any backing. If it dared deceive its superiors and conceal the truth from those below, hoping to muddle through the investigation with a false list, that would be the grave crime of deceiving the sovereign.

"What is wrong with it?"

Bracing himself, Xu Yilin stood and asked cautiously.

"As far as I know, your son-in-law entered the Sunset Mountain Range eight days ago and only returned yesterday. Am I correct?"

Xue Chunyu pressed him, a cold smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.

"Vice Minister Xue, the investigation team is investigating those who entered the Sunset Mountain Range ten days ago. My son-in-law did indeed enter the Sunset Mountain Range, but as you yourself said, that was eight days ago. That is why he does not appear on the list."

Xu Yilin hurriedly explained. There was no hiding Liu Wuxie's trip to the Sunset Mountain Range, so he simply admitted it.

The Stone-Breaking Army had last appeared in Canglan City half a month ago. Since then, there had been no news of them.

Liu Wuxie had entered the Sunset Mountain Range eight days ago, leaving a slight discrepancy between the two timelines.

Naturally, Qi Enshi would not admit that he had sent the Stone-Breaking Army out half a month ago. No one mentioned the plundering of the Xu Household's ore vein, including the Tian and Wan Households. After entering the Sunset Mountain Range, the Stone-Breaking Army had vanished without a trace.

When the Stone-Breaking Army disappeared, Liu Wuxie had still been cultivating in Canglan City. Anyone with sense knew there was no connection between them.

"Who told you we were only investigating the list of people who entered the Sunset Mountain Range ten days ago? You deliberately concealed this person. Could it be that you know something? Or is your Xu Household deliberately shielding him? Does he have something to do with the Stone-Breaking Army's disappearance?"

This was a blatant attempt to pin a crime on the Xu Household. An odd look crossed Bai Qiu's face. Logically, someone who had entered the Sunset Mountain Range eight days ago was indeed not particularly suspicious. Before they came, Qi Enshi had already prepared a detailed report on the general circumstances of the four great lineages.

The fact that Liu Wuxie was trash had naturally appeared on that list as well.

"Vice Minister Xue, what do you mean by this? Our Xu Household has always acted impartially and obeyed the law. We have never committed any outrage against Heaven and reason, much less done anything detrimental to the Great Yan Imperial Dynasty. Please show our Xu Household some respect."

Xu Yilin raised his head, determination in his eyes. He still did not understand why Xue Chunyu was targeting the Xu Household, but they absolutely could not allow themselves to become connected in any way to the Stone-Breaking Army's disappearance.

"What I mean is simple. Have your son-in-law come out and answer our questions face-to-face. What did he do in the Sunset Mountain Range over these eight days, and whom did he meet? There must be witnesses present to prove his innocence."

If you wished to condemn someone, there was never any shortage of pretexts!

Those words flashed through Xu Yilin's mind. They were blatantly forcing a criminal charge onto the Xu Household. This investigation had to produce an answer. Otherwise, how could they report to His Majesty?

In the space of a single breath, Xu Yilin grasped the crux of the matter. In the end, they needed a scapegoat.

The Stone-Breaking Army's mysterious disappearance was a humiliation for the Great Yan Imperial Dynasty.

Someone had to bear that humiliation. Since they had disappeared in Canglan City, naturally someone from Canglan City would bear it.

The Wan and Tian Households had attached themselves to the great tree that was the Xue Household, so naturally, no one dared touch them. The Song Household was close to the Li Household of Imperial Capital City, and the Li Household had probably put in a word before the investigation even began. Besides, no Song Household disciples had entered the Sunset Mountain Range, so their investigation had taken less than an hour.

The main hall fell silent. None of the Xu Household stewards were fools. They had already heard the meaning between the strings, and their hearts sank to the bottom of the abyss.