Imperial Cultivation

46: Chapter 44 Attraction

46 -44 Attraction

It may be that someone saw an opportunity in the chaos and decisively took action.

Lu Wan sneered, “Except for the Thick Earth Sect, no one knows about the Earth Dragon Pearl, let alone its wondrous uses.”

If one doesn’t know the wondrous uses of the Earth Dragon Pearl, they wouldn’t risk offending a Great Grandmaster to steal it, especially with the danger of being caught.

“Elder Lu,” Chu Zhiyuan said, “there’s no such thing as an impenetrable wall, not to mention that even your sect’s disciples are aware, so how can you expect others not to know?”

“They won’t spread it around carelessly.”

“They won’t talk recklessly, but they might inadvertently let it slip.

Besides, who knows how many people witnessed and heard what happened that night.”

“…”

“Now is not the time to panic.

We must prevent anyone from fanning the flames and secretly fueling the fire,” Chu Zhiyuan said.

He had seen too many dossiers, with too many cases of people using others to do their dirty work.

“I think it’s the Thick Earth Sect,” Lu Wan said softly and slowly, her expression resolute, “No one else has any reason to do this, nor would they dare.”

“….

In this situation, the Thick Earth Sect will never admit it,” Chu Zhiyuan thought for a moment, “You need to catch a thief red-handed to prove it.”

“No need to look for the thief; just make the Thick Earth Sect hand over the item,” Lu Wan said dismissively.

Chu Zhiyuan said with resignation, “Again, you want to bring in Grandmaster Song?”

This Lu Wan always brought up Song Feiqiong at the drop of a hat.

Involving Song Feiqiong would indeed put great pressure on the Sect Martial Department.

Once Song Feiqiong got involved, it would indicate the Sect Martial Department’s incompetence, leading to penalties.

Lu Wan said, “Does Sir have a way?

…

And neither can you make the Thick Earth Sect yield, can you?

They have the confidence and backing and will ignore it arrogantly.”

Chu Zhiyuan pondered.

If Song Feiqiong were to personally take action, it would imply the Sect Martial Department’s failure, meaning no officer in the department would earn the guaranteed Ninth Grade Merit this year.

Can I make the Thick Earth Sect hand over the Earth Dragon Pearl?

The answer is obvious, no.

Neither my status as a Junior Minister nor my status as the Princely Heir of the Prince Qing Mansion is of any use.

The Thick Earth Sect is close to numerous officials and isn’t afraid of me, this Junior Minister.

The Prince Huai Mansion is far more prosperous than the Prince Qing Mansion.

If the Prince Qing Mansion were stronger than the Prince Huai Mansion, there might be a chance the Thick Earth Sect would listen to me.

Neither identity would make the Thick Earth Sect bow down.

Seeing that Grandmaster Song was about to get involved personally, what could I do?

Since there’s nothing to be done, let the doctors or the Chief of Staff worry about it.

Most importantly, I should report it upwards in time, without delay.

He thought of this and felt his heart sink a little, “Elder Lu, may I examine the scene?”

“…

Please, Sir.” Lu Wan hesitated for a moment and nodded slowly.

…

Chu Zhiyuan inspected the quiet room.

This was a simply arranged quiet room with just one bed, one table, and one chair, lacking any screen or trivial furniture.

On the table were a brush, ink, paper, an inkstone, a teapot, and teacups.

There were no beddings on the bed, only a small purple sandalwood box at the head of it, about the size of a palm.

The purple sandalwood box was already open, containing nothing but a piece of white silk, completely empty.

“Who knew that the item was placed here?”

Chu Zhiyuan sized up the quiet room, spotless and orderly without any mess, his Super Sense locked onto the small purple sandalwood box.

“Only Wanshan knew.

Other than that, not even I knew where he placed the bead.”

“Only he knew…” Chu Zhiyuan pondered.

Super Sense captured a faint aura inside the small purple sandalwood box, and this aura suddenly induced a strange change within him.

Like a severely hungry person suddenly seeing a grand feast, just looking made him drool.

It was as if numerous small hands emerged from his body, eager to reach out and pull it into his body.

In a daze, a dragon-eye-sized stone pearl appeared before his eyes.

The surface of the stone pearl was pitted, seemingly a casually carved stone pearl, left on the roadside, perhaps only picked up by bored children, not adults.

Who would have thought it was a Treasure Bead?

He suddenly realized this was the appearance of the Earth Dragon Pearl.

Super Sense broke the constraints of time and space, capturing the appearance of the Earth Dragon Pearl.

He did his best to suppress the anomalies in his body, maintaining a calm demeanor.

The Dragon Transformation Technique rapidly operated, golden energy flowed and surged within his meridians, nourishing and strengthening them, three times faster than his usual cultivation.

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

…

Lu Wan loudly called, “Wanshan, come in.”

“Uncle,” came a bright voice as a handsome young man with a majestic aura and cold expression entered.

Lu Wan said, “This is the disciple of our sect, Xu Wanshan.”

“Greetings, Junior Minister Sir,” Xu Wanshan said, his expression firm as he cupped his fists.

Chu Zhiyuan returned the gesture and gazed at Xu Wanshan, “When did Young Master Xu find out the item was stolen?”

Super Sense also locked onto Xu Wanshan.

His heartbeat variations, subtle expressions, the frequency of eye flickers, the dilation and contraction of pupils, muscle contraction and relaxation, slight changes in posture, weight shifts, skin tension and slackening, breathing patterns, throat tension, and minor movements of limbs.

Everything was present in his mind, illuminated by Insight.

“Last night,” Xu Wanshan stated solemnly, “I returned from outside, intending to practice in the quiet room.

Upon opening the box, I found it empty.”

Chu Zhiyuan asked, “Who else knew it was here?”

“No second person knew!” Xu Wanshan declared emphatically.

Chu Zhiyuan used Super Sense Insight on Xu Wanshan, guarding against any possible lies or collusion.

Though this idea might seem bizarre, he had discovered many things stranger than fiction after reviewing those dossiers.

Super Sense confirmed Xu Wanshan’s honesty.

Mentioning last night made his blood surge immediately, his pupils widened, and his anger spiked.

He secretly thought: Xu Wanshan is at the Innate First Layer Realm, not much older than me, clearly a martial arts prodigy.

Gao Lingfeng mentioned that the Flying Flower Sword Sect’s prodigy of this generation is likely Xu Wanshan, who seemed confident and arrogant.

Of course, he was also unimpressed by me, the Princely Heir and Junior Minister.

Martial arts geniuses inevitably have high pride, looking down on everyone.

It’s just that he has seen too few geniuses.

If he saw more prodigies from other sects and Huang Shiron’s cultivation, he might curtail his arrogance and understand that there’s always someone better.

“Sir,” Lu Wan spoke softly, “The Thick Earth Sect likely has unique methods to sense the bead.

…

Since Wanshan acquired the bead, besides me, he hasn’t shown it to anyone else.

…

After we arrived in Yujing, the Thick Earth Sect suddenly demanded it.

Before this, we didn’t even know what kind of bead it was.”

When no one knows where the Earth Dragon Pearl is hidden, only the masters from Thick Earth Sect could find it accurately.

This was indeed a conspiracy; how else could it be so coincidental that when Brother Yang and I were sent away, a thief broke in, and the thief stole nothing else but the Earth Dragon Pearl?

A divine item hides itself, and from the outside, the Earth Dragon Pearl looked like an ordinary stone pearl, unremarkable and ignored even if thrown on the ground.

If truly a thief, why steal gold, silver, or Secret Martial Arts Manuals instead of a mere stone pearl?

Chu Zhiyuan looked at Xu Wanshan, “Can Young Master Xu sense its aura?”

“Yes!” Xu Wanshan replied proudly, “Once I get within a ten-meter range, I can sense its presence.”

“That’s good, …

Elder Lu, please don’t rush to trouble Grandmaster Song,” Chu Zhiyuan nodded, “I will report the facts and see how the Chief of Staff decides.”

“Since sir says so, I won’t seek Song Uncle today, …

I’ll go tomorrow.”

“Then let’s wait a bit…” Chu Zhiyuan smiled and glanced at her.

This Lu Wan is indeed both gentle and strong.

He turned and patted Xu Wanshan on the shoulder, “Young Master Xu, don’t worry, what’s yours will eventually be yours.”

The Dragon Transformation Technique accelerated instantly, surging in the meridians like a storm.

This was due to the remaining Earth Dragon Pearl aura in Xu Wanshan’s body.

Xu Wanshan made a subconscious evasive motion, but he couldn’t execute it in time and got patted by Chu Zhiyuan.

He awkwardly tugged at the corner of his mouth, forcing a smile.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled as he withdrew his palm and looked at Lu Wan, “Elder Lu, farewell.”

“Thank you, sir.” Lu Wan cupped her fists.

Under the courteous escort of Lu Wan’s group and the encirclement of house guards led by Guo Chi, Chu Zhiyuan strolled away.

The Military Suppression Department has tracking experts who can catch an aura and follow it.

But this requires an aura to be present.

The aura on the purple sandalwood box was extremely faint.

This thief is not an ordinary thief, but a top-notch master thief, possessing Miracle Techniques to obscure and erase his own aura.

After stealing the Earth Dragon Pearl, if he seeks a distant place away from Yujing, digs a deep hole, and buries it, tracking it would be like finding a needle in a haystack.

Alternatively, a treasure like the Cold Jade Box could completely isolate the aura.

Under a Grandmaster, almost impossible to find.

I wonder if a Great Grandmaster can do it.

A Great Grandmaster possesses extraordinary divine skills beyond ordinary imagination, sometimes surpassing the barriers of time and space.

So whether the Earth Dragon Pearl was stolen by a master from the Thick Earth Sect is hard to say.

Does the Thick Earth Sect have such powerful thieving masters?

Or did the Thick Earth Sect collude with powerful masters to steal it?

Would such a treasure be entrusted to another?

This matter is shrouded in mist.

Thinking of this, he scanned his surroundings, finding himself unknowingly at the South Heavenly Gate.

Super Sense captured this aura, following it to this place.

Ahead lies the exit of the Inner City, entering the outer city of Yujing City.

Yujing City is divided into an inner and outer city.

The original Yujing City wasn’t this big, but as it grew prosperous, more and more people flooded in, leading to expansions outside the original Yujing City, forming a larger outer city.

The Inner City is prosperous and safe, naturally raising property prices, gradually driving out the original common folk, leaving only dignitaries residing there.

Ordinary people or typical wealthy merchants could only reside in the outer city.

Most of the sects and religious temples are located in the outer city.

Entering the Inner City requires the Court’s approval.

Branches of the Four Great Sects and the Flying Flower Sword Sect’s courtyards, as well as temples of sects like the Thick Earth Sect’s Zhenyi Sect, have no records of mischief, lawbreaking, or senseless killings.

Compared to the stability of the Inner City, the outer city is a mixture of good and bad.

Even though the City Guards are powerful and the Military Suppression Department patrols, it’s still more dangerous.

Chu Zhiyuan contemplated for a moment, deciding not to venture further out.

Before becoming a Grandmaster, it’s unwise to enter the outer city, avoiding potential threats to life.

The Earth Dragon Pearl is important, but not as important as one’s life.

He turned back, returning all the way to the Ministry of Rites Government Office, entered his office, and wrote an official document for Gao Lingfeng to submit upwards.

He slowly left the Ministry of Rites Government Office, roamed around the city, observing the sect’s temples, finding nothing unusual.

But he didn’t underestimate them for that.

These sects probably harbor their own schemes, knowing how to hide their intentions, just like the Thick Earth Sect, whose Earth Venerate Divine Statue seemed unremarkable until Feng Zhihao practiced martial arts.

Without Super Sense, the Zhenyi Sect’s abnormalities would remain hidden.

After a stroll, he returned to the courtyard beside the Bright Moon Pavilion to continue cultivation.