Chapter 1628: Looked the Wrong Way

"After Xue Zongwu's death, Qingyang, Chongwu, and He Xiao were all exceptionally busy," Bai Ziqi mused. "Furthermore, who benefited from Xue Zongwu's death?"

The page immediately replied, "Qingyang Kingdom... the regent."

Bai Qi, for his part, said, "It seems He Xiao is doing better."

"On the surface, Qingyang gained a short-term advantage, suppressing King Yao; but after He Xiao offered advice to King Yao, the situation quickly reversed," Bai Ziqi took another sip of tea. "Do either the secluded lake villa or the eastern expansion of the capital seem like plans thought up on the spur of the moment?"

The two attendants exchanged glances and both shook their heads.

Without a thorough understanding of all aspects of Tianshui City, how could one propose such plans, adapting them to local conditions and circumstances? Without knowledge of the court's situation and conflicts, how could He Xiao have helped King Yao successfully counterattack Qingyang?

"These were all meticulously planned designs," Bai Ziqi murmured. "He Xiao has a deep understanding of Tianshui City and the officials of the Yao Kingdom, yet on the surface, this was his first time entering Tianshui City."

He took a deep breath.

The evening breeze carried the fragrant scent of epiphyllum, refreshing to the mind, yet Bai Ziqi detected a faint scent of conspiracy and ill intent.

It was deeply hidden, but he still perceived it.

Was there a connection between He Xiao and the Great Emperor of Nine Serenities? Bai Ziqi still hadn't pieced together direct evidence, but ever since he stepped onto the Shanjin Plains and heard He Xiao's name, he had been somewhat intrigued by the man.

Originally, he couldn't say why, attributing it only to the spiritual intuition honed by years of training.

But Bai Ziqi now understood: it was because his subconscious had realized he had misjudged.

When He Xiao was in Beijia, Bai Ziqi not only investigated him but also traveled with him all the way from Chiyan to Lingxu City. At the time, his assessment of the young man was that he was astute and righteous, unafraid of authority, courageous and responsible, and quite intelligent. If he didn't die in Lingxu City, he would surely achieve great things in the future.

It was only upon coming to the Shanjin Plains this time, and re-examining He Xiao's actions, that Bai Ziqi realized his previous judgment had been biased.

This fellow was clearly deep-thinking, planning meticulously before acting.

Previously in Beijia, He Xiao's demeanor in front of him, and even in front of Fu Shanyue, was very likely feigned.

At this thought, Bai Ziqi's gaze subtly sharpened.

Just then, another gust of evening breeze blew, causing the epiphyllums to bloom even more profusely.

Wait! Thinking back, why did he encounter He Xiao in Chiyan Kingdom? At that time, he was investigating anomalies related to the Grand Pot!

He Xiao and Fu Shanyue happened to be within that broad investigation area. However, Bai Ziqi himself became embroiled in the Elixir of Immortality case and had to take charge.

After returning to Lingxu City, he still harbored some doubts about He Xiao, which was why Miao Zhan, a genius, used the Eye of Truth on He Xiao.

After He Xiao successfully passed the Goddess's test, Bai Ziqi had no choice but to suppress his doubts about him, as he could not question the fairness of the Goddess's judgment.

This time he came to the Shanjin Plains, originally to investigate the Great Emperor of Nine Serenities.

The connection between the Great Emperor of Nine Serenities, the Black Dragon, and the Grand Pot was a key focus for the Heavenly Gods.

Yet, He Xiao once again appeared in his sight, once again entering his investigative scope.

If his target of investigation was related to the Grand Pot, was it truly a coincidence that he would encounter He Xiao again, even across vast distances?

Peng Kingdom, Baimao Mountain, Shizhou Head, Liuping, Mangzhou, and Zhuo'an… He had tracked the clues of the Great Emperor of Nine Serenities and True Master Qianhuan to these places, yet everywhere he went, he heard news of He Xiao and Yangshan Archipelago.

Just then, a green goose landed on the inn's windowsill and spoke in human tongue: "Envoy Bai!"

The page walked over, fed it a pill, and then took a pinky-sized bamboo tube from its mouth.

The bamboo tube was slender, yet the silk pulled from it was continuously long and thin as air. When unfolded, it measured a full square foot, covered with tiny characters.

The page unfolded it, read it carefully for a few moments, then presented it to Bai Ziqi: "My lord envoy, these are the descriptions of the forces near the last few Black Flood Dragon markings."

While tracking clues of the Great Emperor of Nine Serenities in Peng Kingdom, Bai Ziqi had ordered people to gather information, specifically to investigate all official and unofficial, armed and unarmed forces within a day's journey of the dozen or so Black Flood Dragon markings.

This task was not easy. Bai Ziqi mobilized Beijia's forces on the Shanjin Plains, and even had his subordinates visit numerous wild gods, only then slowly advancing the investigation.

Investigative work, most of the time, was frustrating, time-consuming, labor-intensive, and often yielded no results.

Even with the efficiency of Bai Ziqi and his group, it took a long time to collect and piece together this information bit by bit.

"Let me see," Bai Ziqi took it, glanced at it, and also pulled out the previous data, comparing them on the table.

Any overlaps?

Of course, there were.

The names of certain forces would appear once or twice in several pieces of intelligence. Was there any force that appeared near all eighteen locations?

No.

Bai Ziqi read carefully for a long time, manually eliminating them one by one.

Local forces with bad reputations, crossed out. Bandit dens, crossed out.

What remained, surprisingly, were mostly merchant organizations, apart from influential gentry and manor lords.

"'Changlong Martial Arts Academy' and 'Yangshan Merchant Guild' were only mentioned in three documents?" This frequency was entirely reasonable, as the Yangshan Merchant Guild was thriving in the western and central Shanjin Plains, with branches proliferating everywhere.

Bai Qi, standing by, said, "This Scholar Li also appeared twice; he himself leads a rebel army and owns several estates."

"Not him," Bai Ziqi waved his hand. "The Great Emperor of Nine Serenities would not step into the limelight himself."

"He hides very deeply. On this list, there must be organizations secretly controlled by the Great Emperor of Nine Serenities, serving as external facades to conceal their operations." On the surface, there was nothing unusual. "Such details can not only be considered but also executed. This means his infiltration of the Shanjin Plains is extraordinarily deep, and nothing he wishes to accomplish fails. This is terrifying."

The chaos of the Shanjin Plains and the self-governing local forces provided the Great Emperor of Nine Serenities with the best possible cover.

That's why Bai Ziqi shifted his investigative focus to Xiaotao Mountain Villa. The environment within Yao Kingdom was vastly different from the external plains, and he hoped to clarify clues and find a breakthrough there.

Now, two pieces of cloth lay before him, the bloodstains on them already turned black.

One read, "Deserved to die a thousand deaths."

The other had more words: "His crimes are heinous, too numerous to count! Heaven's justice is clear, retribution swift!"

These were the pronouncements left by the Great Emperor of Nine Serenities for Qi Yunsheng and Xue Zongwu respectively, originally hung beside their severed heads.

Bai Ziqi stared at the two blood-stained cloths, lost in thought, oblivious to the passage of time.

Outside the window, the epiphyllum scent was potent.

His demeanor indicated he wished not to be disturbed. The page stood respectfully by his side, barely breathing, not daring to approach to pour tea or water.