Obstruction

Xu Qi'an quickly reached the bottom of the lake, his eyes gleaming with a clear light, like two small light bulbs in the darkness.

Silt has accumulated at the bottom of the water. Centered on the foundation of the white marble platform, stone pillars are arranged in a unique pattern, guarding the platform in the center.

This seems to be some kind of formation, Xu Qi'an guessed.

In the Great Feng, only the Warlock of the Bureau of Astronomy were capable of setting up formations, which means that the Bureau of Astronomy also participated in the construction of the Yongzhen Mountain and River Temple.

Therefore, we can infer that besides the current emperor, the only other person who knows the secret of Sangbo is that old geezer, the Supervisor. So, is the Supervisor's illness real? Or is it due to the collapse of the Yongzhen Mountain and River Temple?

Hiss. What secret is hidden here?

The forces plotting to uncover the secrets of Sangbo and the thieves who destroyed the Yongzhen Mountain and River Temple are definitely at the King level. As a mere nobody, getting involved feels like I could be caught in the crossfire of a battle between gods at any moment.

Even if I were to uncover the truth, would the royal family tolerate me?

Thinking of this, Xu Qi'an felt a heavy weight in his heart.

"Wei Yuan has already pointed me in the right direction: if I encounter any problems I can't solve, I should notify the government and Yang Jinluo. The implication is clear enough. I'm just a pawn scouting the way, a hunting dog responsible for tracking. If all else fails, I can always fake my death and escape far away from the capital."

In a flash of thought, he moved his limbs toward the nearest stone pillar.

The surface of the stone pillar is carved with twisted, strange tadpole-like characters.

Xu Qi'an could roughly tell that it was some kind of script, but due to his limited literacy, he couldn't decipher it. He memorized a few characters.

After inspecting several more stone pillars and discovering the same inscriptions, Xu Qi'an's thalassophobia prompted him to leave the dark lakebed.

While submerged in the silent, deep water, he always imagined a pair of cold eyes staring at him from behind, or a huge dark shadow emerging from the darkness ahead.

Xu Qi'an emerged from the water, returned to the small boat, sheathed the black-gold longsword he had been holding in his mouth, and used his energy to evaporate the lake water.

Wisps of steam rose.

Li Yuchun stared at him in surprise. This kid had advanced to the Qi Refining Realm under his tutelage, and in such a short time, his Qi had become so profound?

"Your aura doesn't seem like that of someone newly Qi Refining Realm," Li Yuchun said, puzzled.

"I just meditate for two hours every day," Xu Qi'an with an innocent expression.

"..." Chun Ge waved his hand, unwilling to discuss the topic further. He glanced at Yang Yinluo and said, "That guy surnamed Yang is not convinced by you. He just came up and analyzed the underwater situation for us, and he did gain some insights. He also said that if your analysis is the same as his, he will be Qi Ingestion."

"We're all part of the same team, there's no need to hide anything."

The tall and thin Yang Feng smiled and did not refute.

Xu Qi'an glanced at Min Shan, who had a thick beard. Min Shan didn't speak, but stared at Xu Qi'an, waiting for him to speak.

Xu Qi'an rolled his eyes. "From the fracture point on the platform, we can deduce that the explosion occurred inside the temple, not underwater. Furthermore, the gunpowder was most likely hidden inside the temple after the ancestral worship ceremony, which was no more than an hour after the ceremony ended."

"If it was hidden in the temple beforehand, the strong smell of gunpowder would have been detected by His Majesty when he entered the temple. There will only be an opportunity after the ancestral worship ceremony is over. Arrest all the officials in charge of the cleanup, including those from the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Ministry of Rites, and interrogate them one by one. Yang Yinluo, you are in charge of this matter."

"Also, notify the yamen to ask His Majesty for a few white-robed Bureau of Astronomy from the Imperial Observatory to assist in the case. Boss, you go and do it. Hmm, I need Miss Caiwei from the Bureau of Astronomy to help me."

"Min Yinluo, come with me to the Ministry of Works. I need the gunpowder factory's entry and exit records. It's impossible to smuggle out such a large quantity of gunpowder."

He paused, then added, "But before that, we must first examine the remains of the fallen soldiers."

The three Silver Gongs exchanged glances and realized that this young man was quite reliable. He arranged the tasks in an orderly manner, with clear thinking and meticulous logic. Yang Feng and Min Shan, the two Silver Gongs, put away their contempt and distrust of him.

Honestly, if it were them, they probably wouldn't have been able to provide such a clear and concise direction so quickly; it would have taken them a long time to think things through.

The bodies were collected in the military camp. The imperial guards led them to a tent, lifted the curtain, and inside were corpses with their faces covered by white cloth.

The two large tents nearby contained the same corpses. All 312 soldiers who were patrolling near Sangbo had perished.

Xu Qi'an lifted the white sheet and examined the gruesome state of each corpse.

"You can perform autopsies?" Yang Feng couldn't help but ask, seeing his increasingly serious expression. "What did you find?"

"A major discovery has been made."

"Speak." The three silver-gonged soldiers perked up, and even the junior officer of the Imperial Guard leading the way looked over.

Xu Qi'an slowly said, "I've discovered that I'm just a lowly clerk. In battle, I'll still need the efforts of the three of you."

All the soldiers died in the same way: they were all drained of their Essence Blood by some kind of sorcery, with no other wounds on their bodies.

This method is beyond the capabilities of the Qi Refining Realm.

If they really encounter thieves, Xu Qi'an can only wave his hand and shout: Charge!

He stayed in the back.

Xu Qi'an led Min Shan to the Ministry of Works, and with the help of a gold medal, the journey was smooth and unimpeded.

He sought out the official in charge of the gunpowder factory and said, "I need to check the production and usage records of gunpowder for the past month."

Account books are easy to falsify, and the most common method is to exaggerate the amount used. For example, manufacturing a batch of shells only requires 200 kilograms of gunpowder, but in the record, it is written as 300 kilograms.

For example, when manufacturing gunpowder, the raw materials transported might be enough to make 200 kilograms of gunpowder, but the quantity of raw materials might be deliberately written as less, so that the excess gunpowder could be kept for private use.

However, these methods cannot withstand scrutiny; every crime leaves traces.

Xu Qi'an distrusted the officials of the Ministry of Works, so he sent people to the Nightwatchers's Office to transfer his own clerks. Dozens of them swarmed into the Ministry of Works.

This is a tedious process with a lot of work involved, because it requires going to the raw material collection sites to obtain and verify evidence.

After having lunch at the Ministry of Works, Xu Qi'an sat comfortably in a large chair, picking his teeth and watching the clerks and gong-wielders busy at work.

Yang Feng, who was in charge of investigating the officials of the Court of Judicial Review, the Ministry of Rites, and the palace, sent someone back to report the news.

"Three officials from the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Rites have gone missing, as have three palace servants," the messenger reported.

In the imperial palace, eunuchs of lower rank were called "dangchai," and they usually did odd jobs.

"When did you go missing?" Xu Qi'an sat up straight, instantly breaking free from his languid state.

"All those responsible for bringing the ancestral worship ceremony to a close have been detained by the Ministry of Justice and the local government. They refuse to hand them over to us," Tongluo said helplessly. "Yang Yinluo is currently in a standoff with the Ministry of Ministry of Justice, and the situation is at a stalemate."

"You dare to try and steal someone from us Nightwatchers?" Xu Qi'an's eyebrows shot up.

Although he has only been a member of the night Nightwatchers for a short time, he has already picked up Nightwatchers arrogant and domineering attitude.

Tongluo explained, "The Ministry of Justice and the local government have also received His Majesty's orders to investigate the case. They are both under imperial command, so they are not afraid of us. Yang Yinluo doesn't have the imperial gold token on him, so he sent me here immediately to inform you, sir."

Normally, night Nightwatchers held a higher status than those in other government offices, but there was one exception: when the emperor issued an imperial edict.

"Let's go, go get them!" Xu Qi'an snapped.

It is not surprising that the emperor involved both the Ministry of Justice and the local government in this case. Many major cases are investigated jointly by multiple parties. A single government office has limited manpower and resources, and it is difficult to devote all its manpower and resources to other matters.

The benefits of joint investigations by multiple parties are obvious, but the drawbacks are equally clear: the tendency for people to claim credit for each other's work!

"For me, solving the Sangbo case doesn't mean I'm safe. I must make a significant contribution to this case for the court to spare my life. If I fail to achieve anything, I'm afraid I won't escape being beheaded at Caishikou. Anyone who dares to obstruct my investigation will be dealt with ruthlessly!"

When it comes to matters of life and death, Xu Qi'an didn't hesitate. He grabbed the black and gold longsword from the table, looked around at the officials, and said loudly:

"You shall continue the investigation, thoroughly examining all production and consumption records from the middle of the year to the present. If you uncover any clues, each of you will be rewarded with twenty taels of silver."

As the official in charge, he had the authority to give certain rewards, which were provided by the Nightwatchers's office.

The clerks from the Nightwatchers's office all had shining eyes.

Twenty taels of silver, equivalent to half a year's salary for them.

Leaving behind the clerks, Xu Qi'an, along with Min Shan (the silver gong holder) and the rest of the bronze gong holders, hurriedly left the Ministry of Works, mounted a fast horse, and headed to the Ministry of Justice.

The Ministry of Justice was not far away; at a gallop of a horse, in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Xu Qi'an saw the red-lacquered gate of the Ministry of Justice.

The gate was heavily guarded, with two rows of heavily armored soldiers standing watch.

Yang Feng and the six gong masters were kept outside, and the two sides were in a standoff.

"The Ministry of Ministry of Justice is acting on Ministry of Justice orders to investigate this case. Those who obstruct the investigation will be executed without exception." A middle-aged military officer, with one hand on his sword, reprimanded the Nightwatchers.

Behind him, dozens of armored soldiers gripped the hilts of their swords.

Yang Feng's forehead veins bulged with anger; he had probably never felt so humiliated before, that even a nobody dared to reprimand him to his face.

Although he held the hilt of his knife, he dared not act rashly. The presiding official was not present, and he was not qualified to claim that he was acting on imperial orders. The Ministry of Justice could not possibly be unaware that the Nightwatchers was also ordered to participate in the case, yet deliberately kept him outside.

This is deliberately meant to annoy them, to deliberately trip them up.

"Hey!" The middle-aged officer at the head of the group sneered, his hand on his sword, as he saw a group of night Nightwatchers riding towards them in the distance.

"The Ministry of Justice is handling cases. Anyone unauthorized trespassing within the Ministry of Justice will be killed without exception!"

No sooner had he finished shouting than he saw the young gong rider at the very front draw his crossbow and pull the trigger without hesitation.

P. S.: Please vote for me!

There'll be another chapter tonight. It'll probably be quite late. I'm off to work on this now.