Chapter 466: Chapter 466: Investigation (2)

"The Regent Empress... and Concubine Zhao? How is this possible..."

Lan Suyao wasn’t sure who Concubine Zhao was, but the Empress?

She remembered the Regent Empress personally mentioning the missing high-grade spiritual herbs.

If the Empress herself had taken some of them, why would she bring it up?

Everything suddenly felt confusing.

Yue Lan’s voice trembled slightly as she whispered,

"Senior Lan... could it be that the Regent Empress is also being deceived? Or... is she involved somehow?"

Lan Suyao frowned.

"Let’s not jump to conclusions yet. These are only the official names of those who legally entered... There are also many eunuchs and servants listed here."

At that moment, Eunuch Liu, who had been standing nervously to the side, hurriedly explained,

"Ah, those servants and eunuchs all came under the direct orders of their masters. They had all obtained the rightful permits before taking the herbs out, so everything should be correctly recorded."

With a wry, bitter smile, he continued in a low voice,

"And to be honest... this old servant is also not sure how those high-grade herbs went missing in the first place. The treasury’s security is extremely tight, yet several batches have mysteriously disappeared over the years."

Lan Suyao’s eyes sharpened as she asked,

"What exactly are the missing herbs? Can you list them out."

Eunuch Liu hesitated for a second before obediently reciting the list.

"Most of them are rare suppressing-type spiritual herbs like Black Yin Lotus, Blood Calming Grass, Profound Spirit Sealing Root, and several stalks of Nine Yin Profound Flower. These herbs are mainly used to suppress and stabilize chaotic or overly aggressive spiritual energy in the body. They are especially valuable for high-level cultivators who suffer from cultivation deviation or severe internal injuries..."

Lan Suyao and Yue Lan exchanged a glance.

Suppressing-type herbs.

Judging from the list, these weren’t typical poison herbs.

They were mainly used to help suppress injuries, calm chaotic spiritual energy, or stabilize severe internal conditions.

After a moment of silence, Lan Suyao spoke firmly to Eunuch Liu.

"Open the main treasury vault. We want to inspect it personally."

Eunuch Liu nodded hurriedly, not daring to refuse the golden token.

With trembling hands, he unlocked the heavy reinforced doors leading into the main storage area.

The moment they stepped inside, the rich, pure spiritual energy of countless rare herbs washed over them.

Lan Suyao immediately took out the Meridian Tracing Compass once more.

The needle spun for a few seconds... then slowly came to a complete stop.

There was no reaction.

No malevolent energy.

No trace of the sinister aura they had followed all the way here.

Yue Lan’s eyes widened in surprise as she softly murmured,

"...How is this possible? The compass was going crazy outside, but inside the treasury itself... there’s nothing?"

Lan Suyao’s beautiful brows furrowed deeply.

She walked further in, channeling more spiritual energy into the compass, but the result remained the same... complete calm.

She then murmured in a low voice,

"The malevolent energy is strongest around the building... but not inside the herb storage itself. That means the source isn’t the herbs currently stored here. Maybe the culprit must have used this place as a transit point... taking the suppressing herbs out, tampering with them elsewhere, and then distributing them."

Her expression turned cold as she glanced around the storage.

Even without being a formation master, she could tell there were all sorts of hidden arrays and formations protecting these precious herbs.

"It seems this person is not only highly skilled in poison, but also in formations... and extremely cautious..."

Lan Suyao touched her chin, arms crossed, falling into deep thought.

Everything still didn’t add up.

Why was the malevolent energy only lingering strongly outside the treasury, but completely absent inside?

Why were only suppressing-type herbs going missing?

And how did this connect to the Emperor’s condition?

’Or... was this not related to the Emperor at all? But why is the same malevolent energy sensed by the compass both here and inside the Emperor?’

After a long silence, she finally spoke.

"Yue Lan, we won’t act rashly for now. Let’s first copy down all the important names from the records, especially those who frequently took the suppressing herbs. We’ll investigate them one by one."

Yue Lan nodded seriously.

"Understood, Senior Lan."

They quickly copied the crucial entries using a recording stone, then thanked Eunuch Liu once more, and quietly left the Herb Treasury.

_

_

_

Night quickly arrived.

The moon hung high in the sky, casting a silvery glow over the inner palace.

Lan Suyao and Yue Lan had spent the entire afternoon and evening investigating and questioning several names from the list.

But what they found only made the situation more confusing.

All of these suspicious individuals had indeed requested suppressing herbs in the past and recently, but they also had clear evidence of using them themselves as there were witnesses and physician records to prove it.

Now, the more they dug, the more they felt like they were being led in circles.

Right now, Lan Suyao and Yue Lan were walking back toward the guest quarters prepared for them.

Yue Lan sighed softly and turned to Lan Suyao.

"Senior Lan... All that’s left are the Empress and Concubine Zhao. Should we go and investigate them?"

Lan Suyao remained quiet, her brows furrowed.

To be honest, she hoped it wouldn’t come to this.

Suspecting the Empress or an imperial concubine would make everything far more complicated.

"...We wait for now," Lan Suyao said quietly.

"Let’s regroup with Li Feng first and see if he has finish his business or found anything."

Yue Lan nodded in agreement.

Just as they resumed walking toward the guest quarters, Lan Suyao suddenly paused.

Her sharp spiritual sense picked up a familiar aura coming from inside the room.

"He’s already back," she murmured with a slight smile.

For some reason, after the confusing and frustrating investigation, a lump of irritation lingered in her chest.

’Maybe a few rounds of dual cultivation will help clear away these messy thoughts.’

After being forced to experience that mind-numbing pleasure so many times, she had no choice but to admit it...

...It really did feel good.

And, quite surprisingly, it was rather effective at relieving stress.

The two women exchanged a knowing glance and beautiful smiles before continuing forward.

Soon, they pushed the door open and entered.

Inside the main hall, illuminated by soft lantern light, Li Feng sat alone at the table.

Yue Lan smiled softly as she approached him.

"Li Feng, have you—"

Before she could finish, Yue Lan noticed that his face was dark and heavy, his brows tightly knitted together as he stared at a cup of cold tea in front of him.

"Li Feng...?"

"..."

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