Chapter 238: Limitless Returns, Qi Forms

In an instant, Gu Mo claimed the Yi Jin Jing, Xi Sui Jing, and Heaven and Earth Lose Color.

The Yi Jin Jing and Xi Sui Jing are two supreme internal martial arts. Gu Mo had acquired many internal arts before, and although these two are profound and possess miraculous effects, they aren't the most outstanding among the various internal cultivation methods he currently commands. After all, he now possesses twelve distinct internal arts: Xuan Xu Inner Energy, Ice Cold True Qi, Nine Yang Divine Art, Minor Boundless Art, Heavenly Silkworm Divine Art, Four Illuminations Divine Art, Jade Purity Art, Tai Chi Divine Art, Tai Xuan Jing, Blazing Sun Divine Art, and the newly acquired Yi Jin Jing and Xi Sui Jing. Additionally, there are techniques that incorporate vast internal energy methods like Innate Gang Qi and Heavenly Dragon Eight Tones, and martial arts that generate unique internal energy, such as White Rainbow Palm Force and Tianshan Six Yang Palm.

Combined, Gu Mo now possesses nearly twenty different forms of perfected internal energy within his body. Most importantly, there is one technique, the Limitless Returning Qi, which is a composite of Heavenly Silkworm Divine Art, Tai Xuan Jing, Minor Boundless Art, Jade Purity Art, Nine Yang Divine Art, Four Illuminations Divine Art, and Tai Chi Divine Art. This technique is continuously fusing within him and is on the verge of becoming unified.

Therefore, the Xi Sui Jing and Yi Jin Jing, while divine arts, aren't particularly special to Gu Mo. Aside from their intrinsic muscle-and-marrow cleansing effects, their greatest utility is to enhance the power of his Limitless Returning Qi when unleashed in a grand move. When Gu Mo first named it "Limitless," he envisioned that as he eliminated more wanted criminals, his Returning Qi system would integrate an ever-increasing number of internal energies, making it impossible to determine the exact number, hence the name Limitless Returning Qi!

However, while the Yi Jin Jing and Xi Sui Jing were not particularly prominent, Heaven and Earth Lose Color garnered significant attention from Gu Mo. This martial art, inspired by the concept of "Heaven and Earth are impartial, treating all things as straw dogs," unleashes pure internal energy to blanket the surroundings. It transforms the "impartiality" of nature into a martial killing move, forming a domain-like existence. Within a certain space around the user, everything slows to an almost complete standstill, and the scene turns dark gray, as if all life has drained away. Its effects include paralyzing and weakening the five senses of those caught within its range, sluggish thoughts, and decelerated movements.

Naturally, this martial art has obvious weaknesses. For true top-tier experts, its restrictive effect is limited, and over-reliance might even lead to a counter-attack. Nevertheless, this martial art is very special to Gu Mo because Heaven and Earth Lose Color is a technique belonging to Qi Refiners.

Qi Refiners represent a very unique cultivation path. Ordinary martial artists cultivate external and internal arts, focusing on physical prowess and true qi respectively. Martial True Intent cultivation emphasizes willpower and spirit, striving for unobstructed thought and natural progression of realm. Qi Refiners, however, pursue the elusive concepts of destiny and fortune. The techniques they employ harness the laws of heaven and earth in highly unpredictable ways, similar to magical spells in supernatural tales. For instance, the Grand Manager, whom Gu Mo had fought, was a genuine Qi Refiner who could borrow natural forces like wind, rain, thunder, and lightning, making his true strength difficult to gauge. Similarly, the Grand Void Divine Armor modified by Old Madam Lin, which incorporated water evasion abilities, was also a Qi Refiner's technique. Qi Refiners master various laws governing the operation of heaven and earth, and Heaven and Earth Lose Color is a martial art related to space, functioning both as a domain and somewhat like a barrier.

Smile Buddha wasn't particularly strong and didn't exert much pressure on Gu Mo and Ye Jinglan. However, his dying words weighed heavily on their hearts. Combined with earlier remarks from Judge Cui and Chun Gua, they had formed certain conjectures about the identity of the mastermind.

"I will investigate!" Ye Jinglan declared.

Gu Mo severed Smile Buddha's head, stripped off his袈裟 (monk's robe), wrapped the head in it, and hung it from his waist. He then picked up Smile Buddha's Vajra Mace, a rather excellent weapon that could fetch a good price if sold.

Gu Mo slowly walked towards the body of Poisonous Spider Hag, saying, "Brother Ye, you already have a theory, don't you? If there's a unified mastermind behind Ghost City, then in the entire Qian Kingdom, there are only a handful of people who could achieve such a feat. The answer... is on the tip of our tongues!"

Ye Jinglan took a deep breath and said, "Regardless, I must investigate! Even if I know there's nothing I can ultimately do, I have to hit a wall before I give up, don't I?"

"Alright," Gu Mo nodded, "but mind your limits."

As he spoke, Gu Mo cut off Poisonous Spider Hag's head, then quickly severed and wrapped the Thousand-Faced Actor's head.

"Ghost City isn't all that impressive," Gu Mo pouted, "We just came here and killed four of the Ten Villains."

Ye Jinglan mused for a moment, "Brother Gu, although I don't want to boast, there's one thing you must admit: our combined strength is overwhelmingly powerful against most Jianghu forces. After all, I am Ye Jinglan, and you are Gu Mo!"

Gu Mo chuckled softly.

"Furthermore," Ye Jinglan slowly continued, "haven't we already discovered that Ghost City's true strength never lay with the Ten Villains? The so-called Ten Villains appear to be nothing more than ten puppets! Isn't the one behind them formidable?"

"That... is true!" Gu Mo smiled and said no more.

Ye Jinglan said in a deep voice, "I'll go find someone to guide us out." With that, Ye Jinglan headed towards the chaotic crowds and soon returned with two trembling individuals.

"These two are ferrymen who specialize in taking people in and out of Ghost City. They're quite familiar with this area of Corpse Cocoon Cave," Ye Jinglan explained. "Oh, by the way, this settlement is called Corpse Cocoon Cave!"

Gu Mo nodded and followed them.

Not long after, the group exited the town and boarded a boat to leave. The two ferrymen remained terrified the entire time, not daring to utter a single word, completely flustered. How could they not be? Not only were they afraid of accidentally offending Gu Mo and Ye Jinglan, these two formidable experts, but their biggest concern was knowing that various Ghost City factions were hunting Gu Mo and Ye Jinglan, and they could be caught in the crossfire and killed at any moment. If they had a choice, they certainly wouldn't have accepted Gu Mo and Ye Jinglan's business. However, they couldn't refuse, especially with the Corpse Cocoon Cave settlement still awash in blood and littered with corpses.

Nevertheless, these two were fortunate. Perhaps the mastermind had only dispatched these three Villains to intercept them, or perhaps they were deterred, fearing that Gu Mo and Ye Jinglan would thoroughly purge Ghost City if further provoked. From Corpse Cocoon Cave, the journey was unexpectedly calm and uneventful, with no further ambushes encountered.

Approximately five shichen (ten hours) later, Gu Mo and Ye Jinglan emerged from under a bridge. Outside, a bright moon hung high in the sky; it was deep into the night. Fortunately, Qian Kingdom had no curfew, so they could leisurely make their way home. Upon arriving at Ye Jinglan's residence, they learned that they had spent two days and one night in Ghost City, and it was now the second night.

"No wonder I almost starved to death; I've been in there for so long!"

Ye Jinglan slumped into a chair and ordered his servants to quickly bring him some food. Then he looked at Gu Chudong, smiling, "Sister Chudong, have you seen the gifts your brother brought you? The heads of four of Ghost City's Ten Villains, worth over ten thousand taels, and Smile Buddha's Vajra Mace, which could easily sell for one or two thousand taels to the right buyer!"

Gu Chudong looked at Gu Mo, who was covered in dirt, and said lovingly, "Money isn't important, what matters is that my brother is safe and sound!"

Ye Jinglan quickly interjected, "Oh, so that means I can have these heads..."

"No way!" Gu Chudong immediately became wary.

Ye Jinglan said, "Didn't you just say money wasn't important?"

"It's just not as important as my brother, okay?" Gu Chudong retorted, "My brother is the most important, and silver is second!"

"Hahaha..." Ye Jinglan laughed, "Brother Gu, you're still more important than silver, haha!"

"Alright," Gu Mo waved his hand, "Brother Ye, don't tease Chudong. These heads are for you, but not a single cent of the bounty can be short!"

Ye Jinglan pouted, "I feel like being a penny-pincher is a family tradition for you two. Everyone says Sister Chudong is greedy for money, but you, Sir Gu, aren't much better; you couldn't bear to throw away these heads after such a dangerous trip to Ghost City!"

"You, Master Ye, come from a grand family with vast wealth, so you can't understand the hardships of us common folk!" Gu Mo quipped.

Ye Jinglan retorted huffily, "My monthly salary is only eighty taels right now!"

The two bantered for a few more moments, and soon, the Ye family servants brought up the meal. Ye Jinglan devoured his food like a wolf, practically inhaling it from a large bowl. Gu Mo, however, didn't feel much hunger. After eating a little with him, he led Gu Chudong to rest in the backyard. Although he wasn't hungry, he was still fatigued. In Ghost City, ever since he killed Judge Cui, he had been constantly using Innate Gang Qi at a high frequency, and even with his profound internal energy, fatigue was inevitable.

The next day, early in the morning, Ye Jinglan left to find Su Ziyou. He intended to use the stack of ledgers to find clues and uncover the identity of the mastermind. He did not use the Ministry of Justice's resources but sought out Su Ziyou instead, because he had suspicions about the mastermind's identity and no longer trusted the Ministry of Justice. Gu Mo did not get involved. Although he had witnessed many cold cases since his debut, he didn't actually enjoy investigating them. He merely enjoyed finding the wanted criminals who stirred up trouble in the shadows, and then killing them.

However, he didn't remain idle. He chose to enter seclusion. Since acquiring the Minor Boundless Art some days ago and gathering the final components needed for the transformation of Limitless Returning Qi, he had been continuously fusing them. This Limitless Returning Qi, while built on a core system of seven internal arts, wasn't actually a brand new internal art. This was because he wasn't extracting the internal energy of those seven divine arts, but rather their characteristics and concepts: the attribute-less "Qi" of Tai Xuan Jing, the mimicry ability of Minor Boundless Art, the endless vitality of Nine Yang Divine Art and Jade Purity Art, the supreme essence and subtlety of Four Illuminations Divine Art, the rebirth from breaking the cocoon of Heavenly Silkworm Divine Art, and the yin-yang harmony and natural way of Tai Chi Divine Art. Therefore, the genesis of Limitless Returning Qi wasn't a fusion of seven divine arts, but a fusion of seven characteristics and the concept of limitlessness.

An ordinary person, even if they ignored the issue of coexisting different types of true qi and truly mastered these seven divine arts simultaneously, would still be unable to construct the Returning Qi system. After all, it wasn't about fusing true qi. Gu Mo was able to build the Returning Qi system because his current martial arts realm had long since transcended the mortal and reached the profound. Yet, even with Gu Mo's martial arts realm, its construction remained incredibly intricate and complex, often leading to states of irritation. In the past few days, he had been playing the zither at Ye Jinglan's home, which also served as a way to stabilize his emotions. Fortunately, this trip to Ghost City, though tiring and dangerous, had instead brought peace to his mind. Thus, he chose to enter seclusion.

This seclusion lasted seven days. He stayed in his room, only receiving a little water and food from Gu Chudong every midday. At other times, no one was allowed to disturb him. As he continuously propelled it, the Returning Qi system gradually began to form. On the seventh day, Gu Mo told Gu Chudong not to bring water or food anymore, only to guard outside and ensure he wasn't disturbed, as he would be entering a state of selflessness and worldlessness.

He felt as though he had transformed into a vast, dark chaos. After countless ages of change, deep within the chaos, seven faint lights emerged from the void, like nascent fireflies, slowly drifting within the ink-thick chaos. At first, they were like lost souls, wandering in the boundless darkness, their gravitational pull on each other barely perceptible. As time flowed, the faint lights transformed into dim stars, beginning to converge according to some mysterious law, intertwining in a fixed orbit, like chains woven by ancient deities. The stars' orbits gradually condensed into a vortex, and countless bands of light interwoven in the rotation, crushing and absorbing the surrounding chaotic matter. Their speed increased, each crossing erupting with unique patterns. Gradually, the contours of the seven stars blurred in high-speed rotation, finally merging into a single incandescent orb, like a newborn sun.

In the small courtyard of the Ye family, Gu Mo's secluded room appeared normal from the outside, but inside, it was sealed by silkworm threads—dense, milky-white threads that enveloped the entire room, turning it into a white, independent world. Gu Chudong sat at the doorway, reading a book with her Gouchen Demonic Blade placed beside her. She had been guarding Gu Mo these past few days. Princess Chengyang, Li Li, would come twice daily, but Gu Chudong would always refuse her entry. Each time, Li Li would stomp her feet in frustration, but the next day, she would invariably return to invite Gu Chudong to play.

"Gu Chudong, has your brother finished his seclusion yet?!"

Early in the morning, Li Li arrived again, standing at the courtyard entrance, hands on her hips, cheeks puffed out in annoyance. Gu Chudong walked to the door, looked at the visibly upset Li Li, closed her book, and pointed to the title on the cover, "Chengyang, can you help me find the second volume of this book tomorrow? It's really well-written!"

As soon as she heard Gu Chudong asking for help, Li Li, who had been sulking, immediately brightened up. "I can help you find the book, but you have to promise me that for my birthday in a few days, no matter how busy you are, you must come celebrate with me!"

"Then forget it," Gu Chudong said, "If my brother hasn't come out of seclusion, I definitely won't go anywhere. I can't agree to your request. I won't read this book; I'll find another one." With that, Gu Chudong turned to re-enter the courtyard.

Li Li immediately panicked, grabbing Gu Chudong's arm. "I'll find it for you, alright? If I can't find the book, I'll tie up the author and make him tell you the story himself! You, you, you... if your brother comes out by then, will you please come to my house to celebrate my birthday?"

"If I have time, I will," Gu Chudong replied.

"Hehe, then it's a deal!" Li Li said, "I'll introduce you to my imperial father then, and I'll take you to see the Star-Gazing Tower in the palace. Haven't you always wondered if it's tall enough to see all of Chang'an City from there?"

Gu Chudong frowned, "Your birthday banquet will be held in the palace?"

Li Li sighed helplessly, "It's all because of the Southern Jin envoy. Recently, the envoys from Southern Jin, Yue, and Northern Zhou have arrived in Chang'an to discuss trade among the four nations. The Southern Jin representative is their Seventh Prince, Sima Kong, who is a complete nuisance. He's repeatedly proposed marriage to me to my imperial father, and despite being rejected several times, he's relentlessly persistent. This time, hearing my birthday is approaching, he lavishly prepared gifts, effectively cornering the envoys from the other two nations. They were forced to prepare extravagant gifts as well, which then cornered my imperial father. He had no choice but to order my birthday banquet to be held in the palace to entertain the three foreign delegations."

Gu Chudong said, "Wouldn't it be inappropriate for me to go to the palace? That day will surely be filled with important court officials. As a Jianghu person, it wouldn't be proper for me to be there!"

"How is it inappropriate?" Li Li quickly said, "You're my best, best friend. If you don't go, it won't be fun at all. I've already told my imperial father that I want to bring my good friend to play, and he agreed! Moreover, my imperial father also said that if I could invite your brother, I must invite him too. My imperial father knows your brother's reputation as the Great Hero of Yunzhou!"

Gu Chudong thought for a moment, "Hmm, we'll see then!"

Li Li pouted, "Alright, I wonder when your brother will finally come out... Huh, what's that?" Li Li's eyes widened in surprise as she pointed to Gu Mo's secluded room.

Gu Chudong quickly turned and saw dense white silk threads spreading out from the cracks in the door and walls, floating in the air. Immediately after, these threads slowly turned golden, then, in an instant, they wildly proliferated, directly enveloping the entire room. Gu Chudong's pupils immediately constricted. She quickly grabbed her Gouchen Demonic Blade, waved at Li Li, and gestured for her to leave. Although Li Li loved clinging to Gu Chudong, she understood the gravity of the situation and knew things were clearly not simple. She didn't linger and immediately departed. Gu Chudong, meanwhile, stared intently at the room, knowing that Gu Mo's seclusion had reached a critical moment!

Indeed, just as Gu Chudong had anticipated, Gu Mo's seclusion had reached its critical juncture; his Returning Qi system was in its final stage of construction! Inside the room, it was bathed in gold. The silkworm threads completely sealed the room, almost hermetically, forming a fully independent world. Gu Mo sat cross-legged in the center, his palms meeting, with an egg-sized, perfectly round elixir bead condensing between them. At first glance, it was brilliantly golden, yet it emitted a hazy, ethereal glow. The golden light wasn't a solid sheen but flowed like a river of stars across the elixir bead's surface, sometimes coalescing into fine golden lines, at other times transforming into scattering golden mist, as if constantly oscillating between solid and gaseous states. Strangely, the surface of the elixir bead seemed to be enveloped in a subtle halo, refracting fleeting rainbow colors. Upon closer inspection, countless tiny specks of light could be seen traversing within the elixir bead, like sealed stars, or perhaps containing infinite energy.

"This is the initial form of Limitless Returning Qi, it should be called a Golden Core!" Gu Mo felt the unique energy body in his palm. Although he had fused it into something the size of an egg, it was an attribute-less Qi formed from the fusion of seven internal energies. And at this moment, an identical Golden Core had also condensed in his lower Dantian.

In Gu Mo's internal vision, his upper, middle, and lower Dantians formed a relationship of Heaven, Void, and Earth. At this moment, a sun floated between Heaven and Earth: the Golden Core formed by the fusion of Limitless Returning Qi. Around the Golden Core, in the void, floated numerous stars, all formed by other internal true qi, such as Xi Sui Jing, Innate Gang Qi, and so on. They all orbited the Golden Core like stars around the sun.

With a thought from Gu Mo, the star representing Ice Cold True Qi instantly merged into the Golden Core. In that instant, the Golden Core in Gu Mo's palm transformed into an ice bead, radiating boundless cold. Subsequently, Gu Mo withdrew the Ice Cold True Qi, and the elixir bead immediately reverted to its Golden Core form. Gu Mo then introduced Blazing Sun True Qi, and in an instant, the Golden Core became a fiery elixir bead burning with fierce flames.

Afterwards, Gu Mo experimented for a long time and finally clarified the functions of Limitless Returning Qi. The initial form fused from the seven divine arts was an attribute-less Golden Core, possessing extremely violent energy. Simply put, it was like a bomb containing a lot of explosives. If he were to return to his confrontation with the Grand Manager, he could directly throw the Golden Core to blow the Grand Manager to death. This was just the initial form, which Gu Mo named the "Initial Golden Core."

The truly impressive aspects came next. The initial form of Limitless Returning Qi was attribute-less. Once fused with other true qi, it could instantly transform into an attributed form. For example, to deal with an enemy in water, one could incorporate a form of Ice Cold True Qi into the Golden Core, instantly turning it into an ice-elemental Golden Core. When detonated in a river, it would instantly freeze the entire river. If fire was needed to deal with an enemy, Blazing Sun True Qi could be introduced, instantly transforming the Golden Core into a fire-elemental Golden Core. This second form was named the "Attributed Golden Core," highly similar to a Qi Refiner's techniques.

The third form involved fusing multiple types of true qi. If an enemy was exceptionally powerful, this multi-true-qi fusion form could be activated, combining two, three, four, or even more types of true qi. Theoretically, there was no upper limit. For example, Gu Mo currently possessed nearly twenty types of perfected internal energy, and he could fuse all twenty together. Therefore, even as its creator, Gu Mo couldn't determine the true upper limit of how powerful Limitless Returning Qi would be in its third form, as it was, in theory, limitless. This third form was named the "Ultimate Golden Core."

Even more astounding was the fourth form: theoretically, as long as his true qi was inexhaustible, he could mass-produce Golden Cores without restriction—ten, twenty at a time... This fourth form was named the "Infinite Golden Core."

At the Ye family mansion, Gu Chudong stood in the courtyard, feeling alternating bursts of cold and heat, sometimes like a spring breeze, other times incredibly violent. She was utterly bewildered, completely unable to comprehend what Gu Mo was cultivating in there. A faint worry lingered in her heart, as this chaotic situation perfectly matched the symptoms of internal energy deviation. However, out of her profound trust in Gu Mo's martial prowess, she desperately suppressed the urge to rush in.

Fortunately, after a short while, the courtyard returned to peace. The silkworm threads that had enveloped the entire house rapidly receded. The door slowly opened, and Gu Mo stepped out, in excellent spirits. He bowed in mid-air towards his right, "Many thanks to my brothers for guarding my seclusion!"

"Sir Gu is too kind, we shall take our leave!" Someone from the adjacent courtyard responded, and then silence fell. These were Ye Jinglan's subordinates. Ye Jinglan's mansion housed several martial arts experts, all trusted confidantes he brought from the Heavenly Blade Sect. These individuals typically assisted Ye Jinglan and served as guards in the mansion. Although Ye Jinglan was busy, he wouldn't overlook something as significant as Gu Mo's seclusion, so he had arranged for people to guard him from the start to prevent any disturbances.

"Brother!" Gu Chudong rushed to Gu Mo, asking, "You didn't suffer from internal energy deviation, did you?"

Gu Mo smiled faintly, "Don't worry, absolutely no deviation."

"I felt you being hot and cold in there just now. I was really afraid you had internal energy deviation and almost couldn't stop myself from breaking in," Gu Chudong said, still a little shaken.

"It's fine now," Gu Mo said, "My seclusion is complete."

"Brother, have you become even stronger?" Gu Chudong asked. Gu Mo nodded. Gu Chudong rejoiced, "Then how strong are you now?"

"I don't know," Gu Mo said.

"How can you not know?" Gu Chudong asked, "Can you defeat the Imperial Advisor?"

Gu Mo thought seriously for a moment, "I don't know how to put it. It depends on whether it's a normal sparring match or a fight to the death!"

Gu Chudong asked, "What about sparring?"

"Unclear, because I haven't fought him nor seen him fight," Gu Mo replied.

Gu Chudong rolled her eyes, "So that means you didn't say anything? What about a fight to the death?"

Gu Mo pondered, "In a fight to the death, theoretically, I think I should be the strongest in the world!"

Gu Chudong pouted, "Brother, are you boasting to me? Can we not be so arrogant? Have you forgotten, we've met several people who thought they were the strongest in the world, and being too arrogant often leads to a beating!"

Gu Mo chuckled softly, "Alright, not the strongest in the world, but probably not far off..."

"Oh yeah!" Gu Chudong jumped up and down happily, shouting, "My brother is the strongest in the world!"

Gu Mo was speechless, "Didn't you just say not to be too arrogant?"

"I was just seeing if you were joking with me," Gu Chudong said, grinning, "As long as you're not joking, then when you say you're the strongest in the world, you definitely are! Hahaha, I've finally waited for this day. From now on, I'll walk with my nose in the air. If anyone dares to block my way, I'll just yell, 'My brother is the strongest in the world!' and tell them to quickly get out of the way!"

Gu Mo: "...Sister, let's keep a low profile. I'm really afraid of getting beaten to death!"

"Hahahahaha, I can't be low-key at all! My brother is the strongest in the world!"

Gu Mo's mouth twitched. He firmly knocked Gu Chudong's head and said, "When you get beaten, I'll be the first to laugh at you!"

"Hmph!" Gu Chudong tilted her head, "Whoever beats me, I'll hide behind you! Close the door, unleash my brother, the strongest in the world!"

The siblings playfully bickered for a while, then Gu Chudong went to the kitchen to bring some food. While eating, Gu Mo asked, "By the way, how has Brother Ye's progress been these past few days?"

Gu Chudong shook her head, "It doesn't seem too good. Brother Ye and Inspector Su Ziyou followed the clues in that ledger. Two days ago, I heard Brother Ye mention that the clues led to several accounts ultimately flowing into the Four Seas Merchant Association, and then flowing out again through them!"

Gu Mo frowned, "So, it's just as I initially suspected. The Four Seas Merchant Association is very likely behind Judge Cui's Cloud Luan Sandalwood factory. The legitimate market is theirs, and the illegitimate market is also theirs. That's why Judge Cui could produce authentic Cloud Luan Sandalwood—because he was essentially working for the Four Seas Merchant Association!"

Gu Chudong nodded, "It's very likely. However, Brother Ye's true goal is to investigate the identity of Ghost City's mastermind. So, these past two days, he and Inspector Su have been investigating the Four Seas Merchant Association. Last night, they seemed to have raided and arrested some people from the Four Seas Merchant Association, imprisoning them in the Kyoto Prefecture dungeon for interrogation. We don't know if they've found anything yet!"

At the Kyoto Prefecture, in a case room in the backyard, Su Ziyou was furiously pounding the table, roaring, "Close the case? Why close the case?!"

Standing opposite Su Ziyou was Mei Wensheng, the Prefect of Kyoto Prefecture, a sixty-year-old man who had served as an official in the capital for decades without ever making a major mistake, a rarity in officialdom. He was also Su Ziyou's mentor and a master detective who had served as an Inspector and solved numerous cases. Su Ziyou pointed at the confessions on the table, "Teacher, you also came from the Ministry of Justice's Inspectorate. You can't possibly fail to see that Zhang Wenyuan is intentionally taking the blame for someone else, acting as a scapegoat. His confessions are invalid!"

Zhang Wenyuan was a general manager of the Four Seas Merchant Association whom Su Ziyou and Ye Jinglan had tracked down through the ledger clues.

Mei Wensheng sighed softly, "Ziyou, the Four Seas Merchant Association is the largest merchant association in the capital, with an extraordinary status. Although it's a merchant association, its influence is such that even our Kyoto Prefecture government must show it three parts deference. One president, two vice-presidents, four general managers—the entire association has only these seven giants. You've already investigated this far; isn't that enough of an explanation? Only one county lieutenant died. How much more explanation do you need?"

Su Ziyou's eyes widened, "Teacher, is this about giving an explanation? I'm investigating a case here, collusion with Ghost City! The county lieutenant of Lantian was an eighth-rank official! Why do you think this is just a matter of giving an explanation?"

Mei Wensheng said helplessly, "Then what do you want?"

"To find the true culprit and bring them to justice, of course!" Su Ziyou declared.

Mei Wensheng shook his head slightly, "The true culprit? Do you want to investigate Yan Zhenhai, the president of the Four Seas Merchant Association, or the person behind Yan Zhenhai? I won't even mention the impact if the Four Seas Merchant Association collapses. Simply put, with the Four Seas Merchant Association's background, is it something a mere Inspector like you can investigate?"

Su Ziyou said, "And the Ministry of Justice's Ye..."

"The Ministry of Justice can't investigate either," Mei Wensheng stated, "Are you truly ignorant or feigning ignorance? The Four Seas Merchant Association, right under the Emperor's nose, in the capital city—a merchant association daring to use the name 'Four Seas.' Think about it yourself, what kind of background does that imply? Does the Ministry of Justice dare to investigate? Can you investigate?"

Su Ziyou's face grew very solemn.

Mei Wensheng took out a piece of Xuan paper from his sleeve and placed it on the table. "This is a promotion decree, promoting you. The reason is that you uncovered the truth behind the death of the Lantian County Lieutenant, solved the major case of Zhang Wenyuan of the Four Seas Merchant Association colluding with Ghost City forces to resell Cloud Luan Sandalwood, and eliminated reactionary forces. You are hereby promoted to Kyoto Prefecture Prefectural Assistant."

As Mei Wensheng spoke, he took out another document from his sleeve and placed it on the table. "This is a transfer order, transferring you to Sucheng Prefecture to serve as a county magistrate. It's a demotion, and it's to Hukou County, the most remote county in Sucheng. I don't need to elaborate on what that means, do I? You'll be stuck there for the rest of your life!"

At this point, Mei Wensheng let out a long sigh. "Ziyou, know when to stop. The people behind this have been very lenient. If they were ruthless, they would simply find a reason to transfer you away. But... they still gave you a choice. One path leads to a bright future, the other to a ruined career. It's all in your mind. Choose for yourself." He pointed at the confession. "If you sign now, you sign for your promising future. Think it over carefully."

"Minister Ye..."

"He is just like you, a single thought away!" With that, Mei Wensheng left directly.

Meanwhile, in a case room within the Ministry of Justice, Ye Jinglan was undergoing the same experience as Su Ziyou. His direct superior, Zhang Pengyi, the Right Assistant Minister of Justice, had also placed a promotion decree and a demotion order before him. Ye Jinglan and Zhang Pengyi had an excellent relationship, as they were not only colleagues but also both supporters of Prince Jin Li Zhongqing.

"Jinglan, there's no need to investigate further. Investigating this far is enough. Any further investigation would be detrimental to everyone. Song Zichu is dead, and the other party has paid a heavy price. You eradicated the Ghost Wind Mouth factory, and they knew you wanted to kill Smile Buddha to fulfill Song Zichu's dying wish, so they even specifically delivered Smile Buddha to you for you to kill. Now they've offered Zhang Wenyuan as an explanation. It's enough, Jinglan. I know you're righteous, but you also need to consider His Highness Prince Jin, don't you?" Zhang Pengyi was earnestly trying to persuade him.

Ye Jinglan pondered for a long while, then said, "I only have one question: Is the mastermind from the palace?"

Zhang Pengyi nodded slightly. "Furthermore, the truth is, even if you were to investigate further, you wouldn't be able to. Zhang Wenyuan has already committed suicide in prison. This case is essentially closed here."

Ye Jinglan chuckled softly. "I understand. Good, I'll sign!" Immediately, Ye Jinglan picked up the brush and signed the confession.

Zhang Pengyi breathed a long sigh of relief, picked up the appointment decree, and said, "Congratulations, Jinglan. You will be appointed Junior Minister of the Grand Court of Judicial Review. In less than a year, you've risen from a commoner to a fourth-rank official. Your future is boundless!"

However, Ye Jinglan waved his hand. "Minister Zhang, you've misunderstood. I signed this confession to uphold my righteousness, not wishing to implicate His Highness Prince Jin. But now, I shall resign from my official post. I cannot rise in rank and wealth by stepping on the fresh blood of my friends. This is the path my righteousness dictates!"

With that, Ye Jinglan casually tossed the brush aside and said, "My official seal and resignation letter will be sent immediately upon my return." Then, Ye Jinglan stood up and strode away.