Chapter 1584: Be Excavated Details

"The true actions of Emperor Jiuyou will bear the Black Flood Dragon mark."

He Lingchuan let out a long "Oh," thinking, "As expected of Bai Ziqi." This intelligence, frankly, was not valuable in itself. The real challenge lay in accurately connecting Emperor Jiuyou and the Black Armored Army amidst the bewildering array of uprisings. He Lingchuan had never seen anyone with stronger abilities in sifting, summarizing, and concluding—except for himself.

"But investigating this way, you probably still have no leads, right?"

"That's right, the Black Armored Army's movements are secretive, and Emperor Jiuyou's objective is unclear, which has always given me a headache," Bai Ziqi said. He then asked, "You've dealt with so many factions on the plains; where do you think Emperor Jiuyou and his army come from?"

"That's hard to say. The Blazing Gold Plains are full of powerful families and warlords who command their own forces," He Lingchuan replied.

"Can a small place, a small warlord, produce a force like the Black Armored Army?" Bai Ziqi asked. He wasn't looking down on any specific unit, but rather on all people from the Blazing Gold Plains equally.

"From my observation, there are actually many strong individuals in the Blazing Gold Plains, as it's inherently a treacherous land," He Lingchuan began. "It's just that the people here either lack ambition, cultivation, or vision; they're like loose sand. But if they were rallied, they could at least fight on equal footing with regular armies."

Bai Ziqi glanced at him. "You think highly of them, don't you?"

"I run a merchant guild, so I deal with all sorts of people," He Lingchuan explained.

Bai Ziqi wouldn't let him steer the conversation off topic. "So, do you think Emperor Jiuyou is native to the Blazing Gold Plains, born and bred there?"

"I didn't say that," He Lingchuan shook his head. "I can barely think of anyone capable of publicly killing Xue Zongwu. If we look outside the Blazing Gold Plains, we might find someone."

"For example?" Bai Ziqi prompted.

He Lingchuan seemed to blurt out, "For example, Supervisor Qingyang."

Bai Ziqi was momentarily stunned, then burst out laughing. A water bird hidden in the dry grass by the bank fluttered up, startled by his laughter. He Lingchuan rubbed his nose.

Only when the bird flapped its wings and flew high did Bai Ziqi stop laughing. "You rascal! While Supervisor Qingyang is... well, it's not her."

"Our guessing like this is like looking for a needle in a haystack," He Lingchuan remarked.

"I remember your clever ideas when you investigated the missing courier case in Lingxu City back then," Bai Ziqi said.

He Lingchuan chuckled. "Back then, Mai Xuewen set up the whole scheme, leading me to follow clues all the way to Cen Boqing. But now, Emperor Jiuyou clearly doesn't want his true identity revealed. Finding him in such a vast crowd is incredibly difficult."

"I, on the other hand, think it's not that hard," Bai Ziqi countered. "Although the Blazing Gold Plains are vast, I don't imagine there are many people with such capabilities." He counted on his fingers for He Lingchuan. "The Black Armored Army appears and disappears like ghosts and has never been successfully tracked. This indicates they have hiding places everywhere, organized support for lookout and rendezvous, efficient deployment, and strict discipline. They lack nothing—food, weapons, medicine, mounts—and even have dedicated personnel to maintain their armaments and armor and care for their mounts."

"Based on their areas of activity, their sphere of influence spans the central and western Blazing Gold Plains. However, to my knowledge, this region only contains fragmented small states and minor powers, with no powerful cross-regional nations or military forces. Therefore," Bai Ziqi concluded, "I deduce that Emperor Jiuyou and his Black Armored Army might not be overtly military, nor even local strongmen who plunder and raid."

The Soul-Guarding Mirror in He Lingchuan's arms cried out, "Oh, oh my, this is bad, this is bad!"

He Lingchuan asked, surprised, "Wait a minute, couldn't the State of Ya and the State of Mou also accomplish what Emperor Jiuyou has done? And they're not too far from the Blazing Gold Plains."

Bai Ziqi chuckled. "I've heard that the Blazing Gold Plains are very resistant to powerful outside forces. To be frank with you, in the Blazing Gold Plains, people from the State of Yao have more sway than those from Beijia, and they find it easier to get things done. So, if Emperor Jiuyou is as clever as I imagine, he shouldn't appear as a conqueror."

To avoid triggering a defensive reaction from the Blazing Gold Plains? He Lingchuan had to admit, Bai Ziqi had hit the nail on the head.

"Perhaps—" Bai Ziqi looked at him and smiled faintly, "perhaps Emperor Jiuyou is genial and humorous in reality, and well-liked."

Even the mirror felt that his words carried a deeper meaning.

"Emperor Jiuyou can transform his army into a mysterious force that comes and goes like the wind, and he himself can kill Xue Zongwu. This indicates he possesses excellent military aptitude, as well as superb command and combat abilities," He Lingchuan said, praising himself with a straight face. "This person most likely comes from a military background, has combat experience, and is a capable individual on the battlefield. There's an old saying in Beijia: 'It's easy to raise a thousand soldiers, but hard to find one good general.'"

He Xiao possessed profound cultivation and could fight, but He Xiao didn't have a distinguished record on the battlefield. Being able to fight doesn't mean one can kill on the battlefield, much less command an army in battle. The difference between them was like that between Fan Sheng and Hong Chenglue, and Bai Ziqi naturally understood immediately:

"That makes sense, so what?"

No matter how shrewd he was, he hadn't personally witnessed He Lingchuan's fight against He Yang, so he couldn't gauge his aura or methods.

"Emperor Jiuyou is a person, but wherever he goes, he leaves behind the Black Flood Dragon mark, which is beyond human capability," He Lingchuan continued. "In my opinion, he must belong to a vast extraordinary organization, or rather, he is merely the external representative of this organization. This organization provides the entire Black Armored Army with food, weapons, medicine, mounts, armor, and hiding places, while also formulating operational plans and offering strategic support."

"Otherwise, it would be very difficult for one person or one army to accomplish so much alone," he explained with an analogy. "Take General Chongwu, for example. He is typically only responsible for training troops and guarding the borders. The army's food, medicine, and mounts must be supplied by the rear; armor maintenance is also supported domestically. There are even towns and villages near garrisons dedicated to providing various services to officers and soldiers. Simply put, an army is only responsible for border defense and fighting; it doesn't engage in production. You can't expect it to do both."

Bai Ziqi looked thoughtful. He Lingchuan's statement that "an army does not engage in production" was an ironclad rule, strictly enforced within Beijia. No one would dare allow an army to be self-sufficient unless absolutely necessary. But was it appropriate to apply that rule to the current situation?

"Otherwise, they would be distracted and lack focus," He Lingchuan added.

Bai Ziqi's eyes flickered. "Go on."

"Looking further, the so-called 'Emperor Jiuyou' is a deliberately crafted image. If that's the case, why must he be a single person?" He Lingchuan slowly reasoned. "No one knows his true identity anyway, so anyone who puts on that battle armor could become Emperor Jiuyou, right?"

"It's not that simple, I'm afraid," Bai Ziqi shook his head. "Emperor Jiuyou's last appearance was at Peach Blossom Villa, after which he was silent for several months. If merely changing who wore the black armor could make someone Emperor Jiuyou, why would he not reappear for such a long time?"

He Lingchuan was secretly startled. Bai Ziqi had indeed noticed this timeline! This Chief Steward Bai of the Heavenly Palace wanted to test him, but wasn't He Lingchuan also testing Bai Ziqi's investigative progress?

"Emperor Jiuyou's black armor is quite sinister," Bai Ziqi said, staring at He Lingchuan. "I even suspect it's the Rakshasa Armor that once caused a bloodbath in the Blazing Gold Plains. Others probably can't wear this armor."

"Oh, for heaven's sake!" the Soul-Guarding Mirror cursed vehemently before adding, "He actually knows about the Rakshasa Armor! This isn't fun anymore, not fun at all!"

He Lingchuan didn't even twitch an eyebrow under Bai Ziqi's scrutiny. "Chief Steward Bai, you make a good point. I hadn't considered that aspect."

"Do you know that the Rakshasa Armor has already reappeared?"

"I've heard rumors," He Lingchuan admitted truthfully. "Its story has always circulated in the central Blazing Gold Plains, and General Chongwu also claimed to have encountered it. Does Chief Steward Bai believe it has acknowledged Emperor Jiuyou as its master? In other words, General Chongwu and Emperor Jiuyou once fought a battle?" His voice rose slightly on that last question, conveying his surprise.

He was quite surprised that, after more than half a year, Bai Ziqi could still track Emperor Jiuyou's movements and speak as if he had witnessed them himself.

"Very likely."

He Lingchuan looked incredulous. "General Chongwu probably doesn't even know himself."

Bai Ziqi, however, asked him, "You just said Emperor Jiuyou might have an extraordinary organization behind him?"

He Lingchuan pre-empted him: "I was just guessing, there's no evidence." Just guessing, no one's responsible for a guess.

Bai Ziqi hummed. "That's a thought. Emperor Jiuyou and this organization might have a subordinate relationship or a cooperative one. What kind of organization do you think it is?"

"I wouldn't know," He Lingchuan waved his hand. "The Blazing Gold Plains are so vast, or rather, the world is so vast—what kind of monstrous entities wouldn't exist?" But he knew that since Bai Ziqi brought it up, he already had a plan in mind.

He scratched his head and asked Bai Ziqi again, "By the way, Chief Steward Bai, why has your pursuit of Emperor Jiuyou led you to Tianshui City? Is Emperor Jiuyou here?"

The mirror cried out, "Hey, hey, stop randomly giving your opponent ideas!"

He Lingchuan ignored it. When the enemy was right under their noses, burying their heads in the sand was not an option.

"Just taking care of some matters along the way," Bai Ziqi said, picking up a pebble from the ground and flicking it into the river. The pebble skipped six times across the water like a dragonfly touching down before finally sinking, creating ripples. "I'll be setting off for Mang Continent tomorrow or the day after, making a trip to Peach Blossom Villa."

Oh, so Bai Ziqi hadn't been to Peach Blossom Villa yet? He Lingchuan said respectfully, "Then I wish Chief Steward Bai swift success!"

"I had originally planned to have lunch with you, but Steward Liang is hosting a banquet in the city, alas," Bai Ziqi said, patting his shoulder. "Let's have a good chat in a few days when I return to Tianshui City."

With such a sudden gesture, someone with less composure might have drawn their sword on the spot. He Lingchuan kept both hands behind his back, smiling very sincerely. "Alright, I'll be sure to prepare plenty of good wine and dishes, awaiting Chief Steward Bai's return."

Having finished their stroll by the river, Bai Ziqi turned back, and You Rongzhi and other officials eagerly saw him off. He rode west, with dozens of riders following behind, clopping away. He Lingchuan watched his retreating figure until he could no longer see him, then slowly turned around.

The mirror in his arms asked, "Is he suspicious of you?"

With people nearby, He Lingchuan merely nodded. What was there to see about the construction of the new temple? What Bai Ziqi really wanted to see was *him*!