Part of the truth

"Grand Preceptor, let's go back first. I'll let you know when there are any new developments. Thank you."

Before Xu Qi'an could finish speaking, he saw the Imperial Preceptor transform into golden light and disappear. His expression froze instantly, and he couldn't utter the words, "Please send us back."

At least take us back! I forgot to bring my little mare!

He mentally scoffed, then glanced at Hengyuan beside him. "Well, thank goodness I didn't bring the mare."

The two climbed over the high wall of the Earl's mansion. Finding no one around, they quickly left and entered the street, merging into the crowd.

Upon reaching the street corner, under the archway of Yong'an Street, the sundial showed the time as Chen Shi Si Ke (8:00 AM).

At the intersection of every main street in the capital, there stood a huge archway, and next to the archway stood a sundial, specifically for the people to tell the time.

"It'll be about half an hour before I get home. I hope Huaiqing won't be waiting too long," Xu Qi'an thought to himself.

In the capital, scaling walls and leaping across rooftops is forbidden, day or night.

Xu Qi'an didn't want to attract too much attention. Given his current reputation, it was better to keep a low profile, otherwise he would attract the fervent pursuit of passersby and cause chaos.

Fortunately, he wasn't wearing the official uniform of the silver gong, so the common people wouldn't notice him. Most of the time, people can only remember some obvious features. For example, the cultural treasures on Xu Qi'an's hard drive from his previous life wouldn't be recognized if they were dressed up.

Besides, with a population of over two million in Beijing, it's impossible for everyone to be so lucky as to catch a glimpse of Xu Yinluo's heroic figure.

Many people have never even seen Xu Yinluo in True Person.

As they walked, Xu Qi'an suddenly froze, then looked at Heng Yuan with a calm expression and said, "Master, you've been trapped underground for over a month. Why don't you go back to the health center and check on the elderly and children?"

Hengyuan nodded. "How have they been lately?"

Xu Qi'an frankly stated, "Although I haven't been there myself, I have been sending people to deliver silver and household goods."

Hengyuan clasped his hands together and bowed deeply, saying, "Lord Xu is the kindest person I have ever met. I am delighted to make your acquaintance."

Xu Qi'an returned the greeting, and was also delighted. He was pleased to be worshipped by a master who had attained the Arhatship, and he would benefit greatly from it in the future.

The story features the exceptionally talented Chu Yuanzhen, the chivalrous and righteous Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Sect, the incredibly gifted and powerful Lina, Hengyuan who possesses the Arhat status, and the unparalleled wisdom of the eldest princess Huaiqing.

Within ten years at most, the members of the Heaven and Earth Society may become the most powerful force in Kyushu.

Well, numbers 7 and 8 haven't appeared yet; hopefully they won't disappoint.

Amidst the bustling crowd, Xu Qi'an breathed a sigh of relief as he watched Heng Yuan leave. If Heng Yuan had followed him back to the Xu Residence, Huai Qing's identity as Number One would have been impossible to hide.

Given Huaiqing's personality, let's all die together.

The Xu Residence.

Huaiqing sat in the hall, growing impatient. Her aunt, the matriarch, was intimidated by the powerful aura and status of the eldest princess. After a while, she excused herself, saying she was feeling unwell, and went back to her room.

Xu Lingyue was turned away by Li Miaozhen. Although the eldest daughter of the Xu Household was more responsible than her mother, the matter to be discussed involved confidential information, and it was not appropriate for her to eavesdrop.

Li Miaozhen remained skeptical of Huaiqing's claim that there were major doubts about the case. She considered herself to be second only to Xu Qi'an in reasoning ability and the second most important investigator in the Heaven and Earth Society.

Finally, they saw Xu Qi'an enter the courtyard, walk through the bluestone-paved path, and step into the hall.

As the host, Xu Qi'an glanced at the two chairs occupied by Huaiqing and Li Miaozhen, and had no choice but to sit in the lower guest seat, looking at the eldest princess:

What did you discover?

Huaiqing paused for a few seconds to choose his words, then asked in a clear voice, "How can you be so sure that the leader of the Earth Sect is the One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones?"

Does this even need confirmation? Xu Qi'an was taken aback, unsure how to answer.

Huaiqing then looked at Li Miaozhen and asked, "Can Daoist School Law Technique allow a person to split their Primordial Spirit, but not necessarily into three people?"

Li Miaozhen didn't need to think about this kind of question, and said:

"One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones is the most advanced Law Technique in the realm of primordial Primordial Spirit. It can split one person into three people, each with its own independent consciousness, meaning they can be separate individuals or the three can merge into one."

"If it's merely a splitting of the Primordial Spirit, anyone who cultivates a yin spirit can do it. However, a split Primordial Spirit is incomplete and fragmented, incomparable to the One Qi Transforming into Three Pure Ones."

Huaiqing was satisfied with the answer, then turned to look at Xu Qi'an, her bright eyes piercingly intense:

"You said that Master Jinlian is a remnant soul, which fits the situation of a split Primordial Spirit. The leader of the Earth Sect may have only separated his good and evil thoughts. The so-called 'One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones' is merely your speculation, without any evidence."

Xu Qi'an frowned, maintaining a calm tone, and analyzed:

"Perhaps the three members who split off from the Earth Sect leader have already separated. Hmm, that's inevitable, otherwise the Golden Lotus Daoist would have been found by the Black Lotus long ago."

Li Miaozhen said, "The Three Pure Ones can also be three independent individuals, without any connection. They don't necessarily have to be separated."

Xu Qi'an was speechless. He recalled the commentary on the Three Pure Ones by the head of the Earth Sect in the late emperor's daily records.

The phrase "one person, three circumstances" perfectly describes this situation.

It could be three completely independent people.

Huaiqing continued, "There's one more thing. You mentioned that in the Chuzhou massacre, the Prince of Huai obtained the Blood Pill, and Father Emperor obtained the Soul Pill. But the effects of the Soul Pill were simply not enough to make Father Emperor defy the world."

"Yes, that's why I started investigating Yuan Jing." Xu Qi'an nodded.

"I asked Caiwei and learned about the effects of the Soul Pill. I found that repairing a broken soul is its strongest effect, and none of its other effects can compare to it. However, if the leader of the Earth Sect really transformed into the Three Pure Ones with one breath, then his Primordial Spirit could not possibly be incomplete."

To put it more clearly, surely a second- Daoist School Daoist master can control the One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones technique?

Xu Qi'an was taken aback, quickly reviewed his reasoning, and combined it with Huai Qing's words:

I fell into a cognitive trap. After suspecting that another avatar of the Earth Sect Master might be hidden in the dragon vein, I connected the clues about the Soul Pill, naturally assuming that the Earth Sect Master refined the Soul Pill to complete his incomplete soul. However, I overlooked the rank of a second-grade Daoist. The Earth Sect Master, who embodied the One Qi Transformation into Three Pure Ones, how could he possibly have a fragmented soul? But Daoist Jinlian did indeed possess a fragmented soul.

A jumble of thoughts flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern. Xu Qi'an swallowed hard and exhaled:

"That is indeed an unreasonable point, but like my suspicion of the leader of the Earth Sect, your suspicion is also just that—suspicion—without any concrete evidence."

Huaiqing nodded, his eyes sparkling, and glanced at the silver gong, a figure hailed as a legend, before saying:

"There's another point of suspicion, hmm, I think the human abduction started in the 26th year of Joan of Arc's reign, and that's what you found out."

Xu Qi'an pondered for a moment, "Even if the late emperor was on the throne at the time, Yuan Jing, as the crown prince, still had the ability to secretly open a secret chamber within the palace."

Huaiqing slowly shook his head. "What I want to say is that the Earl of Pingyuan was very young at the time, extremely young, and in the prime of his life. He secretly formed a human trafficking organization, doing shady things for my father. There must have been some kind of transaction involved."

"But later, when his father ascended the throne, the Earl of Pingyuan remained the Earl of Pingyuan, without any further advancement in title or official rank. This was not because the Earl of Pingyuan lacked ambition; the best evidence is that he conspired with the Liang faction to assassinate Princess Pingyang in order to gain greater power."

"Do you think this is reasonable? If you were the Earl of Pingyuan, would you be content? You've been doing shady things for the Crown Prince, and after he ascended the throne, you've remained stagnant for over twenty years."

A deathly silence fell over the hall.

The atmosphere subtly turned heavy. Although Li Miaozhen only half understood and didn't fully grasp the meaning, she could sense that the case seemed to have taken a turn. Huaiqing's words made a lot of sense, and Xu Qi'an didn't object.

Huaiqing broke the silence by asking, "What did you find at the underground dragon vein?"

Xu Qi'an then recounted how he rescued Hengyuan.

"So, there is indeed a terrifying existence hidden above the dragon vein, but it's not the leader of the Earth Sect?" Li Miaozhen glanced at Huaiqing, then at Xu Qi'an:

Who could it be?

Huaiqing shook his head. "No, we can't be sure yet that person isn't the leader of the Earth Sect. Even if the Soul Pill wasn't given to the leader of the Earth Sect, and even if there are doubts about the Marquis of Pingyuan, we still can't be certain that the being in the Dragon Vein isn't the leader of the Earth Sect."

Xu Qi'an thought for a moment, pinched his brow, and said, "It's simple to confirm. Hengyuan has seen that guy, and Miaozhen and I have seen Heilian. Draw a portrait and let Hengyuan identify it."

Li Miaozhen and Huaiqing's eyes lit up.

Xu Qi'an and Li Miaozhen said at the same time, "I don't know painting."

Huaiqing readily agreed to this.

The three left the inner hall and entered the room. Xu Qi'an diligently poured water, ground ink, spread out the paper, and placed a white jade paperweight on top.

Huaiqing tucked one hand into his sleeve, held a pen in the other, hovering it over the paper, and glanced up at Li Miaozhen and Xu Qi'an: "What does he look like?"

He was a mermaid, half human and half fish, neither left nor right, neither up nor down, with a head and a penis. Xu Qi'an described him. "His face was rather thin, and his nose was very high."

Based on his description and Li Miaozhen's additions, Huaiqing drew four or five portraits in a row, finally drawing an old man who looked seven or eight parts similar to the head of the Earth Sect.

"That's fine."

Xu Qi'an grabbed the paper, shook it, and used the air dryer to evaporate the ink. As he rolled up the portrait, he said in a low voice, "Draw another one. You should recognize that person."

Huaiqing paused for a moment, then spread out the paper and drew the second portrait.

Watching Xu Qi'an's hurried departure, Li Miaozhen frowned and asked, "Who is the second person you drew?"

Huaiqing did not answer, his face dark and solemn.

Dongcheng, Yangshengtang.

Hengyuan visited every elderly person and child, including the poor child wearing a dog skin. He returned to his room and began packing his things.

Not much, just two monk's robes and a few Buddhist scriptures.

A monk is all alone, and his rituals consist of only a few simple things.

He couldn't stay here any longer; Emperor Yuanjing would come back sooner or later. He could only hide for a short while, not forever. Leaving this place and cutting off contact with the elderly and children was the best way to protect them.

The old clerk stood at the doorway, trembling, his face full of sorrow.

"I won't be leaving the capital for the time being. I plan to stay at the Xu Residence for a while, which will provide a relatively safe haven and also strengthen the Xu Residence's defenses. His situation has become extremely dire since the Chuzhou massacre. I will come back to check on him regularly during this period."

Hengyuan folded his monk's robe and said gently, "Don't worry about the money. Lord Xu is a kind-hearted man and will cover the expenses of the orphanage."

In fact, that's exactly what he did.

The old clerk nodded repeatedly, saying sadly, "Master, you must promise me you won't have to come back. We all don't want anything to happen to you again."

Hengyuan finished packing his luggage, walked past the old clerk, and left the room.

In the courtyard, eight elderly people with white hair, some supported by children and others leaning on canes, gathered together.

All twelve children were present, except for the one in the backyard who could no longer walk.

The children, with their still relatively clean faces and innocent, bright eyes, gazed silently at Hengyuan.

"We've come to see the master off."

An old man spoke up, "Go, don't come back. You've helped us too much; we can't let you be a burden anymore."

The children remained silent, tears welling in their eyes.

Hengyuan silently clasped his hands together and bowed.

When I looked up again, I saw Xu Qi'an walking in through the main gate of the health center, his steps hurried.

"Lord Xu?"

Hengyuan went to greet him, both surprised and delighted.

"Master Hengyuan, you've seen that being underground, haven't you!"

Seeing Hengyuan nod, Xu Qi'an unfolded the portrait of the Black Lotus, staring intently at the other person. "Is it him?"

Hengyuan focused his attention for a moment, then shook his head and said, "It's not him!"

It wasn't him. Right, Hengyuan also saw the Black Lotus, and he participated in the lotus seed battle in Jianzhou. If it were the Black Lotus, he should have pointed it out when they were underground. I overlooked that detail. Hmm, it's also possible that the appearance of that clone is different from that of the Black Lotus Daoist. After all, the Golden Lotus and the Black Lotus look different.

Xu Qi'an flicked his wrist, burning the portrait of Hei Lian. He unfolded the second portrait painted by Huai Qing and asked in a strange tone, "Is it... is it him?"

Hengyuan's expression immediately turned serious, and he said in a deep voice, "How do you have his portrait? It's him."

Xu Qi'an's pupils dilated suddenly, and he inexplicably felt a chill run down his spine, his hair stand on end.

The late emperor!

Huaiqing painted the late emperor!

The being within the underground dragon vein is the former emperor!!

At this moment, Xu Qi'an's true feelings were both absurd and reasonable, both shocking and not shocking.

After Huaiqing pointed out two suspicious points, he began to doubt the late emperor. This is why he asked Huaiqing to draw a second portrait, and Huaiqing did indeed draw a portrait of the late emperor, which means that Huaiqing also doubted the late emperor.

"It turns out that the one who corrupted the Earth Sect back then was not Prince Huai or Yuan Jing, but the late Emperor. The late Emperor repeatedly mentioned the One Qi Transformation into the Three Pure Ones and the pursuit of immortality; he was the one obsessed with immortality."

Xu Qi'an slowly walked to the stone table, sat down, and one detail after another surged in his mind.

"One Qi transforms into Three Pure Ones, three into one person, three into three people, one person into three. One person can be three; the late emperor can be the late emperor, or the Prince of Huai, or even Yuan Jing."

"It turns out that the three of them, father and sons, are the same person. Therefore, the suspicious Yuan Jing confided in the Prince of Huai, bestowing upon him the sword to protect the country and the most beautiful woman in the Great Feng, demonstrating a level of trust that was not in line with the ways of an emperor."

"I remember now, the princess once said that when Yuan Jing first saw her, he was extremely infatuated with her beauty (see Chapter 164 of this volume for details). No wonder he was willing to give the princess to Prince Huai. What if Prince Huai were also him?"

"In that case, even if Prince Huai and Yuan Jing didn't die in the Nanyuan incident, they were still in trouble. They were either controlled or corrupted by the leader of the Earth Sect. After that, they were assimilated and possessed by the late emperor, becoming one person. This is the secret of one person and three beings. Is this the secret that the leader of the Earth Sect told the late emperor? Perhaps they began to plot after that discussion."

"Lying beneath the dragon vein is the late emperor's true form. The Supervisor knows everything, but he does nothing, because the one causing trouble isn't the head of the Earth Sect, but the emperor of the Great Feng. No, the Supervisor may have his own schemes, but I can't guess them."

"The Earl of Pingyuan has been abducting people, yet he dares not claim credit for it, because he is working for the late emperor. He believes he is serving the late emperor, not Yuanjing."

"Why did the late emperor need those people? The massacre of Chuzhou has given me the answer—Blood Pills and Soul Pills!"

"The late emperor was not a traditional Daoist priest and could not perfectly control the One Qi Transformation into Three Pure Ones. This left him with hidden problems, such as a damaged Primordial Spirit, which requires a Soul Pill to repair."

Xu Qi'an felt a chill run down his spine.

P. S.: This case isn't over yet; Xu Baipiao has only uncovered part of the truth. Some points that weren't explained will be addressed at the end of the volume. Well, this volume is almost finished; there are only about 100,000 words left, which, at my update speed, should take about a week.