Chapter 509: Chapter 422: Adopted Son (2)

Lu Hansheng stood with his hands clasped behind his back, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Where are the Governor and the Duke?" he asked leisurely. "I have come especially to see you off."

Before he could finish speaking, a hearty laugh rang out from the largest tent in the military camp.

The tent flap was thrown open, and two figures emerged side by side.

It was none other than the Jiangzhou Governor, Xu Yuanzhi, and the Duke of England.

Xu Yuanzhi’s gaze fell upon Lu Hansheng, a curious smile on his face. "Brother Hansheng, why are you in such a rush? Are you perhaps eager to depart with us?"

Lu Hansheng sneered inwardly.

’Depart with you? In your dreams! You’re the ones who should be getting the hell out of here!’

Outwardly, however, he maintained the pleasantries, clasping his hands in a salute. "Lord Governor, my Lord Duke, you jest. I am a free spirit and find the scenery of Kao Mountain quite to my liking. I was hoping to stay for a while longer. Seeing that you two gentlemen are preparing to leave, I came to see you off."

Xu Yuanzhi watched Lu Hansheng with that same ambiguous smile. "Whether you wish to leave is no longer for Supreme Elder Lu to decide. It would be best if you accompanied me away from here."

Lu Hansheng’s smile froze. A flash of confusion crossed his eyes before he quickly regained his composure. "Lord Governor, what do you mean by that? I am a mere civilian. As long as I don’t break the law, I should be free to go wherever I please. I don’t believe I need to report my whereabouts to the Government Office, nor do you, my lord, have the authority to interfere with my freedom of movement, do you?"

"Under normal circumstances, I would naturally have no power over Supreme Elder Lu."

Xu Yuanzhi shook his head. His tone was placid, but his words made Lu Hansheng’s heart plummet.

"However, just this morning, I received an urgent dispatch, sent by express courier from Linjiang County."

Xu Yuanzhi’s gaze was like a piercing light as he stared directly into Lu Hansheng’s eyes, enunciating every word.

"Disciples of your esteemed sect are suspected of trafficking Opium Paste—a substance explicitly banned by the Court—in a quantity as high as... eighty thousand boxes."

"Even more unfortunately, your sect’s three Elders—Jian You, Sword Fear, and Sword Fool—as well as the hundred-plus disciples accompanying them, were all... slaughtered at Jiangkou Pier. There were no survivors."

"As the Supreme Elder of the Celestial Sword Sect, surely you, Supreme Elder Lu, must agree that it is both your duty and your obligation to return with me to the capital to assist with the investigation?"

"Impossible!"

Lu Hansheng’s face paled, the word escaping his lips without a second thought.

"My Celestial Sword Sect is a renowned and righteous sect! How could we possibly involve ourselves with such a vile substance?! This must be a frame-up!"

He stared intently at Xu Yuanzhi, desperately searching for any sign of a lie.

But there was none.

The Governor’s expression was calm, his gaze unwavering. Was that even a faint hint of pity in his eyes?

Beside him, the Duke of England remained impassive.

Men of their station would never make such an accusation without concrete evidence or a matter of grave importance.

’In other words... could this actually be true?’

The thought exploded in Lu Hansheng’s mind like a bolt of lightning, sending a chill from his spine straight to the crown of his head.

’Jian You, Sword Fear, Sword Fool... They were under orders to search for Hua Wuxin in Thunder Shock County with a group of disciples. How did they end up at Jiangkou Pier?’

’And how did they get mixed up with such a horrifying quantity of Opium Paste?!’

’And where are Buyu and Guhong?’

’Where are they right now?’

’Why haven’t they sent back any word?’

For a moment, doubt, shock, and bewilderment crashed over him like a tidal wave, overwhelming him completely.

The smug satisfaction he had felt just moments before—the feeling of having finally outlasted his rivals—was washed away completely, leaving not a single trace behind.

In its place was the horrifying realization that the situation had spun entirely out of his control, replaced by sheer chaos.

He looked at Xu Yuanzhi and opened his mouth, but found he didn’t know what to say, what to ask.

The calm, imposing air of a Jianghu titan had vanished without a trace.

Xu Yuanzhi and the Duke of England exchanged a look, and both could see the relief in the other’s eyes.

Ever since arriving at Kao Mountain, they had been tied down by Lu Hansheng, this stubborn mule who refused to budge, leaving them unable to advance or retreat.

The Celestial Sword Sect was powerful and deeply entrenched, with its own network of connections within the Court. Unless absolutely necessary, they were unwilling to drop all pretenses and conduct a forced search.

That was why the search for the entrance to the Little World had been stalled by Lu Hansheng for so long.

They never imagined that this shocking news from Linjiang County would arrive like a godsend, helping them out of their predicament.

The timing of this news was so crucial that it made both of them wonder if it was too much of a coincidence.

’When fortune smiles, the whole world lends its strength!’

The two men mused to themselves.

Xu Yuanzhi’s lips moved slightly as he used Secret Transmission. "My Lord Duke, I will take Lu Hansheng back. I must trouble you to investigate the matter of Kao Mountain."

The Duke of England gave a slight nod, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes for a brief instant.

With Lu Hansheng gone, the only ones left would be the Su Family and some ordinary Elders and disciples from the Celestial Sword Sect.

’To him, they were nothing more than clay chickens and pottery dogs—utterly useless.’

No one could stop him from investigating Kao Mountain and finding the entrance to the Profound Embryo Leveling Celestial Wasteland Realm.

"Supreme Elder Lu..."

Xu Yuanzhi’s voice pulled Lu Hansheng from his turmoil. "This matter involves a substance forbidden by the Court and a major criminal case. What’s more, over a hundred disciples of your sect have perished. For the sake of the Court and your own sect, you owe everyone an explanation, Supreme Elder Lu. If you please."

Lu Hansheng stood frozen, his eyes lifting to gaze once more at Kao Mountain.

"Fine."

After a few moments of silence, he spoke, his voice hoarse. "I... will accompany the Lord Governor."

...

「Liyang, Chen Mansion.」

Chen Li slowly concluded his night of Cultivation.

He rose, washed up briefly, and strolled to the side hall for breakfast.

Chen Shouyue was already seated at the table, waiting for him.

Today, however, she had a rarely seen awkwardness about her, her slender hands unconsciously fidgeting with the hem of her robes.

Sun Shouyi stood to the side, looking somewhat ill at ease, and did not take a seat.

Back in Lingxi, Chen Li had never treated Sun Shouyi as a mere servant.

Whenever he ate at home, he would often invite Sun Shouyi to join him.

But Sun Shouyi knew his place. He understood that being invited by the Patriarch was entirely different from taking a seat of his own accord.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.