Chapter 662: Saint's Orphan

In Sui Shen Ju's main residence, Miss Nine and Hong Ying fought fiercely all day long, damaging many household furnishings. Red Lotus stood by the second room's door, observing the spectacle, while Meng De huddled under the bed, not daring to make a sound.

"Don't make a sound. Not a single peep."

The Calculator from the Eighth Room was severely beaten by the two just because they let out a sigh. Hong Ying had just gained the upper hand and was about to stomp Miss Nine to death when she suddenly felt a wave of danger approaching.

Creeeaaak!

The door was pushed open. Zhao Xiaowan returned to the room, carrying the gramophone. Hong Ying immediately stopped fighting and said with a smile, "Xiaowan, you're back!"

Zhao Xiaowan was expressionless. She looked at Hong Ying, then at Miss Nine.

Miss Nine lowered her head and bit her lip, saying, "She started it..."

"Say no more..." Zhao Xiaowan's face was stern. "Each of you, get a stool."

Though they were resentful, they still brought the stools and lay over them. Zhao Xiaowan spanked each of them thirty times. After the beating, when the reasons were further inquired, it was confirmed that Hong Ying had started the trouble. Zhao Xiaowan then spanked her another thirty times. This finally convinced Miss Nine.

The reason the two started fighting was primarily because a Nightmare cultivator from the Fourth Room had awakened. Among the passengers in the various rooms, the one from the Fourth Room was somewhat unusual. She didn't hide her awakened state; when she woke up, she simply woke up. Moreover, immediately upon awakening, she collected the souls of two centipedes.

These two centipedes were brought back by Li Banfeng from the "Wasp Nest." They weren't quite dead when they arrived. The Fourth Room took their souls, which made Hong Ying extremely displeased. The matter wasn't over yet. The Fourth Room declared that such excellent souls were clearly meant for her. This statement completely infuriated Hong Ying.

Hong Ying wanted to teach the Fourth Room a lesson. Miss Nine dissuaded Hong Ying, thinking it might be a good idea to let the Fourth Room control the souls first, and then deal with the situation once Zhao Xiaowan returned. However, Hong Ying thought Miss Nine was ganging up with the Fourth Room against her. The more they talked, the angrier they became. Eventually, they resorted to physical fighting.

Zhao Xiaowan stretched her neck and shoulders. She looked at Red Lotus, who was standing by the second room's door. "Have those two centipede carcasses been eaten?"

Red Lotus was intimidated by Zhao Xiaowan's aura. She replied in a small, soft voice, "Not yet. They're all with the Fourth Room. She said she took them."

Zhao Xiaowan nodded slightly and then told Red Lotus, "There are a few parts of my puppet body that aren't quite right. Could you help me fix them later?"

"Okay." Red Lotus didn't know why she had agreed so readily.

Miss Nine asked in a low voice, "I just feel like she's changed a lot since she went out."

"She has changed," Hong Ying agreed. "She must have been fighting. Her temperament has become a bit like it was during her time in the military..."

Zhao Xiaowan walked through the second room and into the fourth. She looked around and faintly smelled perfume. "Are you the older sister or younger sister? Come out and say something."

A voice came from the fourth room, "Who are you? Why should I come out to see you? I don't even know you."

"Easy enough!" Zhao Xiaowan rolled up her sleeves and raised the paddle. "Today, I'll make sure you get acquainted."

The door closed. Li Banfeng pulled Meng De out from under the bed and checked the time.

About fifteen minutes later, everyone heard sobbing from the fourth room, "Sister, I was just looking after them for you. I had no other intentions."

Whack! A crisp sound.

Zhao Xiaowan asked, "Truly no other intentions?"

"I swear, I truly didn't!"

Whack! Another crisp sound.

"You swear with your mouth, but are you cursing me in your heart?"

"I wouldn't dare. I truly respect you from the bottom of my heart, sister. Not a single false word."

"Send both the souls and the carcasses to the main room!"

"Okay!"

An invisible force pushed two burly men, who carried the centipede carcasses over, piece by piece.

Li Banfeng asked, "What's the origin of these two men?"

Zhao Xiaowan replied, "These are the souls of those two centipedes. This is a Nightmare cultivation technique for shapeshifting. It changes the form of the deceased souls to make the ghost servants more useful."

Li Banfeng looked at the two strong men. They could still do some manual labor. Perhaps they would be useful to keep around.

Zhao Xiaowan shook her head and said, "These two Neizhou people are incorrigible. Just now, I heard the Fourth Room say that they tried to escape several times. Once, they even tried to harm Hong Ying, but thankfully, the Fourth Room saved her."

Hong Ying retorted defiantly, "Xiaowan, don't listen to that wench from the Fourth Room gossiping. Do I even need that wench to save me?"

Zhao Xiaowan told Li Banfeng, "No matter what, these two Neizhou people are useless. You also have Neizhou captives, my dear. Let your humble servant dispose of these two."

Li Banfeng nodded in agreement. Zhao Xiaowan questioned them briefly, and from these two fools, she extracted the whereabouts of Grandfather Train, which perfectly matched Luo Lijun's description. From then on, these two souls had no other use and were directly prepared as dinner for his wife.

There are thousands of delicacies in the world, but his wife only favored Neizhou souls. She never grew tired of eating them, no matter how many.

Miss Nine sighed, "We're finally going to rescue my brother-in-law."

Hong Ying scoffed, "What do you mean 'your brother-in-law'? Did that crazy craftsman marry your sister?"

"He didn't," Miss Nine shook her head. "But I think he truly likes Ayi. When he returns, we'll take him back to Hulu Village and let my sister question him properly."

Li Banfeng shook his head. "Don't ask about that. Ayi already has a wife."

Miss Nine snorted, "So what if he has a wife? Ayi isn't married!"

Hong Ying said, "Old man, why aren't you smiling? We're bringing Grandfather Train back!"

"Ah, smile, heh heh," Sui Shen Ju chuckled twice, then said, "A-Qi, I found a lot of good things in the Neizhou camp. I'll need to sort them out with A-Tao these next couple of days. We're not in a hurry to go to Neizhou."

"No rush. I also need to make some preparations." Li Banfeng was surprised; Sui Shen Ju's reaction was different from what he had expected.

After the souls were eaten, Zhao Xiaowan looked at the two centipede carcasses. "My dear, did Yuan Shoulou cut these? That boy's swordsmanship has really improved!"

Li Banfeng shook his head. "Tang Dao only made three cuts that day before resting. I tore these open with my shadows."

Zhao Xiaowan examined the severed sections. She shook her head and said, "My dear, these don't look torn. The cuts are too clean."

The cuts were indeed clean, but Li Banfeng thought this was normal. "My dear, centipedes are naturally segmented. If I tore a segment apart from the middle, wouldn't it be a clean break?"

His wife rummaged inside the centipede's body for a moment and pulled out half a gear. Li Banfeng was startled. A gear certainly couldn't be torn apart, yet the break on the gear was also very clean.

Was it cut with a knife then? Li Banfeng carefully recalled the battle process. He definitely hadn't cut anything. At the time, he had only uttered the words 'five horses dismembering a corpse'. Could it be that someone among his shadows had used a knife? That was indeed possible. The Heavenly Stem shadows were all by his wife's side at the time. The Earthly Branch shadows might not have been very familiar with the 'Five Horses Dismembering a Corpse' technique's proper usage, leading them to use knives.

This made Li Banfeng very dissatisfied. The essence of 'Five Horses Dismembering a Corpse' lay in tearing and ripping. Using knives diminished its meaning significantly. He called out the Earthly Branch shadows and questioned them one by one.

Banfengzi shook his head and replied, "We truly have no knowledge of this matter."

Li Banfeng became even more displeased. "I told you to use the technique to kill the enemy, and you're telling me you don't know?"

Banfengzi continued to shake his head. "On that day, before we even made a move, the centipede's body was already shattered."

"If you didn't make a move, how did the centipede shatter?"

Banfengzi said, "I also don't know the details."

Li Banfeng said angrily, "Why didn't you tell me afterwards?"

Banfengzi replied, "As the sages say, 'Better fewer things than too many.'"

Li Banfeng questioned the other Banfengs one by one. The Earthly Branch Banfengs all gave the same answer: they genuinely hadn't had time to act. This became an unsolved mystery. How exactly did the centipede die?

Li Banfeng carefully inspected the centipede's severed sections. From the outer shell to the internal parts, every break was incredibly clean.

"It doesn't make sense..." Li Banfeng suspected there must have been someone else on the battlefield at the time, a master whom Li Banfeng hadn't detected.

Sui Shen Ju suddenly blurted out, "There was no one else there at the time."

While Li Banfeng was still pondering the old man's meaning, Banfeng Yi seized the opportunity to provide a profound summary of the battle. "This battle was designed to train troops, and we hoped that through practical combat, the overall quality and combat capability of the Earthly Branch combat personnel would be further enhanced. The results are gratifying, and I don't need to elaborate on the achievements. However, we cannot ignore the significant issues present in the overall deployment and troop arrangement of this battle. Is it not overly risky to only send new recruits into battle while all veterans remain on defense? War is not a game. The commander's ability determines the initial direction of the war. You cannot put all your eggs in one basket..."

Li Banfeng kicked Banfeng Yi away. Every time he summarized a battle, all problems seemed to fall on the commander. Banfeng Yi was very unconvinced and wanted to start fighting Li Banfeng again. Li Banfeng had no time for him; he was still pondering the 'Five Horses Dismembering a Corpse' matter.

On the passenger ship, Li Banfeng told Luo Zhengnan, "These five sisters are named Luo; they are from your clan."

Luo Zhengnan didn't know what to say. This was his first time seeing pure-blooded Neizhou people. To be honest, he was a little scared. The five Luo sisters didn't pay attention to Luo Zhengnan. They all looked at Juanzi, Liang Wucai, and Xiao Yeci.

Luo Lijun didn't speak. Luo Shaojun, being bolder, asked first, "Brother Qi, are you saying this is the true royal lineage of our Great Shang Kingdom?"

Li Banfeng nodded.

Luo Shaojun looked at Juanzi. "The three heads, I understand that. But as for the other two, or three, the situation with these sisters, I don't quite get it."

Li Banfeng said solemnly, "What's there not to understand? Don't they also have three heads when you put them together?"

Luo Lijun snorted, "When our five sisters are together, we still have five heads!"

Li Banfeng glared at Luo Lijun. "The royal family always has three heads. Those with five heads are definitely not royal!"

Upon hearing this, Juanzi's face turned red. Mengzi's face didn't redden; he had confidence and courage when working for Master Qi. Xiao Shan's face also didn't redden. He thought that if he became emperor, he would have a harem.

The Liang Wucai sisters tried their best to calm Juanzi down to prevent her from talking nonsense. At this crucial moment, it was up to Xiao Yeci to perform. She had prepared for this moment for two full days.

"Originally, the Sage lived in seclusion on Sage Peak. Prince Chun, leading a band of rogues, stormed the Imperial Palace and murdered the Sage. Then, using his cultivation of the Stage Arts, he usurped the Sage's throne and kingdom."

When Xiao Yeci lied, her face would turn red. If she lied too much, her entire body would flush. But when she told a story, her face didn't redden at all. This was a new literary work she had created over two days, based on multiple folk tales.

First, she recounted the story of how Prince Chun harmed the Sage and impersonated him. Next, she told the story of the Sage's orphaned children—Juanzi, Mengzi, and Xiao Shan—who, with the help of their mother, Consort Shuang, desperately escaped from Prince Chun's clutches.

The first story was relatively easy. Prince Chun was a prince who lived in Wuyouping. His princely residence was very close to Jianren Ridge. Moreover, Prince Chun was indeed a Stage Arts cultivator. Although he rarely returned to Great Shang, everyone in Great Shang knew there was a prince who loved singing opera. Now, this prince had gone missing, which perfectly aligned with the plot of impersonating the Sage. With such a suitable assassin chosen, the story of regicide had a very solid foundation.

The second story was slightly more challenging. Luo Lijun looked at Juanzi. She just felt that this person lacked the bearing of royalty. This was indeed a three-headed person, but this was also where the problem lay. Luo Lijun asked, "The Sage lived in Puro State for a long time and had already shed the royal form. How could his descendants possibly revert?"

The kings of the Great Shang Kingdom, having lived in Puro State for a long time and intermarried with Puro State people for generations, had indeed lost the characteristic of being three-headed. But this was the key to the story.

"Back then, the Sage already showed signs of bloodline reversion," Li Banfeng said, seizing the opportunity to introduce Liang Wucai, "And the imperial daughter and two imperial sons he had with Consort Shuang already possessed royal characteristics. This is Consort Shuang, the birth mother of the imperial sons."

After seeing Liang Wucai, the five Luo sisters found the situation slightly more plausible. Shaojun had more or less figured it out. "Sister, the Sage had one head, Consort Shuang has two heads. It makes sense that their children would have three heads..."

Luo Lijun slapped Shaojun to the side. She turned to Li Banfeng and said, "Young Master Li, isn't this matter a bit too outlandish?"

"Presumptuous!" Li Banfeng glared at Luo Lijun. "Who are you calling outlandish?"

"I mean, just this, this he..." Luo Lijun wanted to say 'this three-headed person,' but she couldn't bring herself to utter the words. In Great Shang, the term 'three-headed person' was considered a derogatory way to refer to royalty. Luo Lijun was hesitant when trying to say it. More importantly, Li Banfeng's aura was very intimidating, making Luo Lijun afraid to speak freely.

Luo Yanjun cautiously said, "Young Master Li, please don't be angry. We're not saying this imperial prince is fake."

"Presumptuous!" Li Banfeng roared again. "Do you have no manners when you speak?"

Luo Yanjun quickly changed her words. "I mean, His Imperial Highness, it's not necessarily that... Although he is of royal lineage, his origins..." Luo Yanjun, who was best at beating around the bush, also found her tongue stumbling under Li Banfeng's intimidating presence.

Li Banfeng said, "All royals are three-headed. Only members of the royal family can be your king! Does that fake Sage have three heads?"

The five sisters shook their heads together. "No!"

Li Banfeng continued to ask, "If he doesn't have three heads, is he royal?"

The five sisters shook their heads again. "No."

Li Banfeng then asked again, "If he's not royal, can he be king?"

The five sisters were stunned. After a long moment of contemplation, they said, "No..."

Reversing cause and effect, the technique was flawlessly applied. Xiujun and Yujun believed it. They felt that the Juanzi before them was indeed the imperial prince! And the Sage in Chaoge was a fake.

But Luo Lijun and Luo Yanjun couldn't be swayed. In their minds, there was a deeply ingrained concept: a large part of the reason the Sage couldn't fully control the court was his bloodline issue. The Sage did not have three heads and was therefore always criticized. Now, for him to have a three-headed child was simply incredible. For Luo Lijun, formerly the chief of the feudal lords, and Luo Yanjun, who frequently handled state affairs, this deeply ingrained concept was not easily reversed.

Luo Lijun asked directly, "Regarding the Sage's murder, besides His Imperial Highness and Consort Shuang, who else knows about this matter?"

Upon hearing this, Luo Shaojun winked at Li Banfeng. According to Great Shang etiquette, imperial consorts are generally not addressed as 'Your Highness'; only empresses are addressed as 'Your Highness'. Luo Lijun addressing Consort Shuang as 'Your Highness' showed that inwardly, she was already leaning towards a certain view. She also wanted to recognize Juanzi as the Sage's sole imperial prince.

Li Banfeng glanced at Xiao Yeci. Xiao Yeci whispered, "I can prove it! I was Consort Shuang's attendant, you see!"

Yes! Yes!

Li Banfeng glared at Xiao Yeci in annoyance. Xiao Yeci's face flushed crimson with embarrassment. Telling a story from an observer's perspective was no problem for Xiao Yeci. However, claiming to be an eyewitness carried the suspicion of lying. When Xiao Yeci said this, she didn't even dare to lift her head.

Luo Lijun felt the situation was becoming increasingly problematic. "With only one witness, trying to substantiate the matter seems to have too weak a foundation."

Li Banfeng had already considered this point. "Did the Sage you spoke of, after returning to the royal capital, produce the Imperial Seal?"

Luo Lijun shook her head and said, "He didn't, no. He said at the time that the Imperial Seal was lost on Sage Peak when he was surrounded by a band of thieves. I deduced then that he had used it as a means of escape."

Li Banfeng asked, "How do you know it was used for an escape technique? Have you seen the Imperial Seal?"

Luo Lijun shook her head and said, "I haven't seen it, but I've heard it said. The Imperial Seal can open a path, open a door, and seize a chance at life."

"Do you recognize this item?" Li Banfeng took out an imperial seal and handed it to Luo Lijun. Luo Lijun took the seal and examined it for a long time. She had indeed never seen the actual Imperial Seal, but she had seen many photographs of it. From its shape and material, there were truly no flaws visible. However, photographs of the Imperial Seal also existed in Puro State. It wasn't impossible to forge one.

Luo Lijun handed the seal to Luo Yanjun. Luo Yanjun scrutinized it for a long time and asked, "Young Master Li, why is there a character 'Chuan' (川) on the seal?"

The character 'Chuan' (川) was indeed carved on the bottom left corner of the seal. It wouldn't be noticeable without close inspection, but it didn't escape Luo Yanjun's eye.

Li Banfeng took the seal and said, "That's not the character 'Chuan'. It's the mark of three heads. It was a mark made by the Sage at his dying moment, meaning he had rediscovered his ancestors' bloodline, and the imperial prince had grown three heads." After the explanation, Li Banfeng inwardly grumbled. Chuanzi's habit never changed. He always had to find a way to leave his mark on anything he made.

Luo Lijun asked, "Can this Imperial Seal activate the escape technique?"

"Yes!" Li Banfeng nodded and said, "However, this technique cannot be easily used unless absolutely necessary, as there is another price to pay."

Xiujun asked, "What's the price?"

Shaojun glanced at Xiujun. "Sister, you have no sense of propriety.