Number One's identity?
After the Sangbo case ended, neither Number Six, who was involved, nor Number Three, Number One, and Number Nine, the Golden Lotus Daoist Priest, who were also in the capital, disclosed any information about the sealed artifact within the Heaven and Earth Society.
It's impossible not to be curious, but after going to the dungeon of the Nightwatchers's office on the 6th, he became very tight-lipped about the case and never mentioned it again.
Everyone agreed that Number Six, who came from Buddhist School background, had made some kind of promise to the Nightwatchers's office to keep it a secret.
Actually, Number Six just didn't want to talk about this sad thing anymore.
Master Jinlian was more like an observer, rarely initiating conversations and only occasionally participating in them.
Number One is a voyeur and a deep thinker; the others don't expect much from him/her. His/her silence is the only reasonable explanation.
Today, finally, finally, we've heard from Number Three that he's willing to speak frankly and openly about this matter.
The Sangbo case was handled by the Nightwatchers, and even within the Nightwatchers, it was a top secret. The reason why Number Three only spoke of it now was probably because he had only recently truly learned about the process of the Sangbo case and understood its secrets. Number Four instinctively began to analyze.
Number Three was a man willing to share intelligence; he was an open-minded scholar. His suspicion of Yang Chuannan stemmed solely from his analysis of the situation based on intelligence, without being influenced by personal biases. Number Two's slight dissatisfaction vanished instantly.
[5: What do you want in exchange for this information?]
Number Five asked this question subconsciously.
What an idiot!
Number Four and Number Two cursed inwardly at the same time.
[Three: No payment is required. As members of the Heaven and Earth Society, we shouldn't be constantly concerned with gains and losses. This information is being shared with you all free of charge.]
The main reason I brought this up was to find out the identity of Monk Shenshu. It would feel a bit unethical to try and make money off him. Hmm, next time I have valuable information, I'll still charge. Xu Qi'an added in his mind.
Number Three is really generous, while I'm always thinking about selling information. Number Five thought with shame. Then, a question flashed through her mind:
But this is the mode where number three starts first!
Xu Qi'an glanced up at his two sleeping colleagues, confirming they were unharmed, and continued sending the message: [It's a severed hand, the severed hand of a top-tier expert.]
A severed hand?!
This information greatly shocked the members of the Heaven and Earth Society. They had previously discussed the sealed artifact of Sangbo and deduced that the sealed artifact must belong to a person from five hundred years ago.
This leads to the conclusion that the mysterious, sealed expert was at least a second-rank expert.
A severed hand? How could a hand be sealed for five hundred years? Number Five screamed inwardly, "Impossible!" Just as he was about to send a message to refute it, he suddenly remembered the expedition to the Abyss, and the inspiration he had gained from the Gu God. A thought struck him:
[Five: If it truly is a severed hand, then its owner must be of very high status. Those who can be sealed away are beings that cannot be killed.]
The words of the young woman from Southern Frontier struck everyone like a thunderbolt.
Yes, anything that is sealed cannot be killed. Otherwise, why bother?
[Three: Perhaps. Even the Nightwatchers's office didn't know the true identity of the severed hand; it was eventually taken away by the Demon Race race. That's all I know.]
"What did you mean by 'true form' just now?" the members of the Heaven and Earth Society thought to themselves.
[Second: Let's compile a list of the top experts we know and eliminate them one by one. Perhaps we can deduce the identity of this peerless master.]
At this moment, Daoist Jinlian appeared, having observed the scene for a long time. The topic of the sealed artifact seemed to have piqued his interest.
[Nine: The Daoist School can be directly excluded.]
Before anyone could ask, he explained, "[None of the three sects of Daoist School cultivate the physical body. If a senior member of Daoist School were sealed, their Primordial Spirit could remain, but their physical body would inevitably wither. However, that severed hand was surging with Blood Qi and demonic flames, clearly not belonging to the Daoist School system.]"
Xu Qi'an interjected: [Warlock can also be ruled out.]
"Huh? Number Three is a Confucian School disciple, so why did he rule out Warlock first instead of Confucian School?" Xu Qi'an's answer left Number Two and Number Four slightly puzzled.
[Five: Can we also rule out Gu Masters? The Gu Clan hasn't had a first-rank expert in hundreds of years.]
At this point, Xu Qi'an added, "[Confucian School can also be ruled out; I am absolutely certain of that.]"
Yes, I'm absolutely certain, because the owner of the severed hand was a monk, a member of the Buddhist School.
[Four: Okay, so now we only have four major systems left: martial artists, Demon Race, wizards, and Buddhist School. Wizards also don't focus on body cultivation. Moreover, I remember Number Three mentioned last time that there are Buddhist patterns in the sealing formation beneath Sangbo.]
[This suggests that Buddhist School was involved in the sealing. I'm inclined to believe that the three main groups involved are martial artists, Demon Race, and Buddhist School.]
The analysis makes a lot of sense; Number Four's wisdom is truly outstanding in the Earth Book chat group. Xu Qi'an didn't continue to guide him, but instead calmly observed from the sidelines.
[Four: I am well-versed in history, and among figures from 500 years ago who belonged to the Great Feng imperial family, I only know of one: the first Imperial Supervisor.]
Most of the records from that time have been erased, making them almost impossible to verify. However, one thing is certain: the Great Feng at that time, while not necessarily lacking in talent, was certainly in a weak state; otherwise, Emperor Wuzong would have had a hard time successfully usurping the throne.
Therefore, it is unlikely that the royal family five hundred years ago had two members holding the highest rank of official.
The warrior system is temporarily excluded.
The ever-watchful account number one spoke up at this time: [Five hundred years is a crucial point in time. Besides Emperor Wuzong's purge of corrupt officials, let's not overlook another crucial period.]
Number Four replied instantly: [Sixty-Year Demon Purge?]
[One: The sealing formation of Sangbo was aided by the Buddhist School, and the Sangbo case is being plotted by remnants of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons. With a little connection, it can be deduced that the owner of the severed hand is very likely the Empress of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons, the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox.]
Xu Qi'an was somewhat speechless, because Number One's analysis was very logical and reasonable. If he hadn't already known the answer, he might have even thought it was the correct answer.
This is completely off-track! It's not a nine-tailed celestial fox, it's a stinky monk!!
Etc!
Xu Qi'an astutely noticed a key point: How did Number One know that the mastermind behind it all was a remnant of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons?
From beginning to end, he never mentioned in the Earth Book chat group that the Demon Race behind them was a remnant of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons. On the contrary, Xu Qi'an had always believed that the King of Zhenbei was colluding with the northern Demon Race race.
After the investigation was completed, he did not discuss the details of the Sangbo case too much within the Heaven and Earth Society. After all, he had to consider his public image; a student of the Cloud Deer Academy should not know so many details.
Because the Sangbo case became a "headless miscarriage of justice," the details of the case were not made public, the case file was kept in the Nightwatchers's office, and Wei Yuan only reported it to Emperor Yuanjing.
"There are only four ways that Number One could have learned this information: First, from Emperor Yuanjing himself. I can't be sure who the old emperor would tell, but he would definitely only tell those close to him."
Secondly, I learned from my own account that I only reported this matter to three people: Wei Yuan, Daoist Jinlian, and Princess Huaiqing.
Thirdly, according to these three people, Number One is a member of the imperial court with a high status and is also a member of the Heaven and Earth Society. Therefore, all three of them are possibilities.
Fourth: We learned from the records of the Nightwatchers's office.
As Xu Qi'an pondered this, he tried to steer the conversation, lest it stray too far from the topic, otherwise all his hard work rambling on would be wasted.
Why couldn't he be Buddhist School?
Buddhist School? Upon hearing this, everyone frowned and fell into deep thought.
[5: Why is he Buddhist School?]
Number Five asked everyone the questions they had.
[Three: Heh, I'm just guessing. I don't know much about Buddhist School. Although there's a Qinglong Temple in the capital, there aren't any top-level Buddhist School masters there. But I think Buddhist School should have some body-refining Cultivation Method.]
[Furthermore, I don't understand why, if it's a nine-tailed celestial fox, it would be sealed away in Sangbo, the capital of the Great Feng Dynasty?]
The latter question is a historical mystery that no one can answer, but the former question can be answered.
[Six: The Buddhist School monk martial arts system is no less capable than that of martial artists, or rather, it can be said to be a uniquely Buddhist School martial arts system.]
Because of the death of his junior brother Heng Hui, Number Six, who had been depressed for a long time, finally resurfaced.
Buddhist School indeed has two systems. Xu Qi'an was already aware of this.
[5: Are martial monks unique to Buddhist School?]
[Six: Yes, there are two systems in Buddhist School. One system's initial rank is Eighth-Rank Warrior Monk. Warrior Monks don't need to chant scriptures or recite Buddhist mantras, and they don't even need to observe precepts; they only cultivate superhuman strength and not Buddhist compassion. However, I don't know what the next rank after Eighth-Rank Warrior Monk is.]
Buddhist School disciples who don't need to observe precepts or chant scriptures? The members of the Heaven and Earth Society were completely baffled.
No need to observe precepts? Does that mean they can sleep with women? This strange knowledge has increased. Xu Qi'an knew about the martial monk system, but this was the first time he had heard that martial monks did not need to observe precepts.
"Next time, we can try inviting Hengyuan to the Imperial Academy of Music and arranging a young lady for him."
Xu Qi'an continued to steer the conversation, "[If that sealed powerhouse was a Buddhist School disciple, then by investigating Buddhist School history from five hundred years ago, I believe we can uncover his true identity. I'm quite interested in this; if anyone has any relevant information, feel free to share it with me.]"
The members of the Heaven and Earth Society immediately said they would keep an eye out for related news.
"Phew. Master Shenshu, I've done my best." Xu Qi'an let out a breath. Regarding the mystery of Shenshu's identity, he was only laying the groundwork for now and wasn't in a hurry to investigate.
Conservatively speaking, Shen Shu's rank should be first grade. Xu Qi'an had no idea how strong a first grade expert was. Even the knowledgeable Golden Lotus Daoist probably didn't have a concept of it, after all, the head of the Earth Sect was only second grade.
However, even after being dismembered and sealed for five hundred years, its vitality and Primordial Spirit could not be extinguished. In Xu Qi'an's mind, such a divine phenomenon could already be classified as a Gods and Devils.
This is practically a human-shaped natural disaster.
Therefore, Xu Qi'an, who was still at the eighth-grade Qi Refining Realm, was not in a hurry to investigate.
"Speaking of which, the Heaven and Earth Society members chosen by Daoist Jinlian come from all over the world, but not a single one is from the Western Regions. Is this a coincidence, or is there some special reason?"
After a moment, seeing that no one continued speaking, Number Four immediately said: [Speaking of Buddhist School, I recall some interesting stories. Number Three, this is related to your Confucian School.]