Xu Qi'an followed the Taoist disciple, passing through the front hall, the square, the pavilions, and the gardens, and arrived at the deepest part of the Lingbao Temple.

This was a quiet little garden, where the flowers, trees, and grass had withered long ago. Rockeries and pavilions stood tall, and there was a pond with rippling green waves.

A stunning Taoist nun sat cross-legged on the surface of the pond, wearing a Tai Chi robe and a lotus crown on her head. A red dot of cinnabar was between her eyebrows, making her both pure and alluring.

Her face was as white as ice crystals, flawless and perfect. Her nose was straight and beautiful, and her lips were full and luscious. When she closed her eyes, her thick and dense eyelashes crossed each other.

Xu Qi'an stared at her as he entered the garden, looking at her all the way, but he couldn't tell her age.

She seemed like a mature woman in her thirties, or a seductive beauty. If you looked closely, you could still see the charm of innocence and coquetry mixed together.

"Do I have a feeling of wanting to marry this woman home? Is it because I haven't been close to women for too long, or is it because the person sect has a special practice...charm?" Xu Qi'an's thoughts flickered, but he remained calm on the surface.

"Did Jin Lian send you to find me?" Luo Yuheng opened her beautiful eyes, with a perfect ratio of pupils to whites and a pair of delicate eyes.

"That's right. Jin Lian Taoist Master was seriously injured, and his body was also injured. He asked me to come and ask for a Gathering Element Pill." Normally, Xu Qi'an would say "ask for two pills" and then take one for himself, but he was not familiar with Luo Yuheng, the person sect leader. To repay Jin Lian Taoist Master's lifesaving grace, he told the truth.

In front of such a big shot, you must not feel good about yourself or highlight your personality, otherwise, you will only end up in failure.

"You are a member of the Tian Di Hui, and you hold the third volume of the Earth Book?" Luo Yuheng's voice was very pleasant, with texture and magnetism, reminding Xu Qi'an of the voice actor in his past life.

"That's right." Xu Qi'an replied.

Luo Yuheng nodded and stared at him for a long time without speaking. Suddenly, she exclaimed softly, with a look of confusion on her face.

"Your destiny is very strange...tell me your birthdate and time." The stunning Taoist nun asked.

The breeze blew, and the Taoist robe hanging under the water surface swayed. From Xu Qi'an's angle, he could vaguely see the curvy buttocks.

She can also see my abnormality? Xu Qi'an immediately reported his birthdate and time.

Luo Yuheng's slender jade hand stretched out from her sleeve, her crystal-clear jade fingers moved, and she calculated for a while. Her willow eyebrows frowned tightly, as if she had encountered some inexplicable problem.

Xu Qi'an was a little nervous and a little expectant, and asked, "What is it, National Teacher?"

"Monkey!" she said.

How did she know that I like monkeys...no, she was talking about the image representative that matches my birthdate, just like the constellation in my past life... Xu Qi'an found that his evil thoughts were stirring in his heart.This woman always makes me unconsciously think of my 36D sister, my mother's friend, my kind aunt...this must not be my problem, but she contaminated my soul...is this a unique trait of the People Sect? Hmm, I'll ask Taoist Master Jin Lian later.

Luo Yuheng shook her head and said with a full-bodied voice, "Ordinary."

She didn't want to say more, took out a porcelain bottle from her sleeve, flicked her finger, and the porcelain bottle floated in front of Xu Qi'an.

A quick look at "paw𝑟ead.com" will leave you more fulfilled.

"Thank you, National Teacher!" Xu Qi'an took the porcelain bottle and bowed to express his thanks.

She couldn't see through my specific situation, but like Taoist Master Jin Lian, she could vaguely sense it...Xu Qi'an no longer lingered and took his leave.

...

The carriage drove into the imperial city and stopped at the gate of the palace. Jiang Lvzhong, the driver, jumped off the carriage, took out a wooden ladder, and greeted Wei Yuan as he came down.

Except for members of the royal family, courtiers were not allowed to drive or ride horses in the palace.

Wei Yuan led Jiang Lvzhong into the palace. As they approached the Imperial Study, Liu Gonggong came towards them.

"Wei Gong, you finally came." Liu Gonggong complained in a stack of voices, "His Majesty asked me to wait for you here. Go quickly, His Majesty is raging in the Imperial Study."

Wei Yuan nodded calmly. His aura was as calm as if the sky was falling, and he was not affected by Liu Gonggong's words.

"A few old things just accused you in front of His Majesty...well, you take care of yourself. Be careful above all else."

Liu Gonggong and Wei Yuan were in the same camp. Wei Yuan was the spiritual leader of the entire eunuch group. Any court minister who wanted to place spies in the palace was a thousand times harder than climbing to heaven, but Wei Yuan could easily do it.

Wei Yuan arrived at the door of the Imperial Study and heard Emperor Yuan Jing's angry voice from inside, "Waste, all of you are waste. The Sangbo case has not been solved yet, and the clues you two hold are not even worth a small copper gong. What's the use of the court keeping you two? What does I need you for!"

In the Imperial Study, the Minister of Justice, the Grand Secretary of the Grand Court, and the Prefect Chen Hanguang stood side by side, bowing their heads to listen to Emperor Yuan Jing's reprimand.

Apart from the three of them, the current Prime Minister, the various Ministers, and several nobles stood on either side, watching their noses and their hearts.

The case of the extermination of the Pingyuan Marquis Mansion had spread throughout the court and the people. The nobles were in a state of inexplicable panic, on the one hand, impeaching Wei Yuan and investigating the murderer strictly, and on the other hand, secretly strengthening the defense of their mansions.

For a time, people were panicked. Some said that powerful Yaozu invaded the capital and wantonly killed court officials, causing chaos beyond measure.

Some said that the Buddhist sect was causing trouble in secret, with the aim of spreading the faith to the Central Plains and forcing the Great Feng Dynasty to submit.

"Your Majesty, why is the supervisor sick at this time?"

"Humph, sick? Clearly watching from the sidelines."

"Why did you let the culprit escape last night? Nightwatchers are derelict in their duties. Your Majesty must punish Wei Yuan severely."

Several ministers offered their advice.

Amidst the discussion, Wei Yuan entered the Imperial Study."Wei Yuan!" Emperor Yuan Jing saw him come in and grabbed a stack of documents to throw at him. In the midst of the rustling of paper, he shouted angrily, "If you can't find the murderer within three days, I'll dismiss you from your position."

Wei Yuan easily dodged the documents and calmly picked up the scattered papers, sighing, "Your Majesty, there's no need to get angry. Cultivating the Dao is about cultivating the heart, don't let your emotions get in the way."

Emperor Yuan Jing coldly snorted.

The Minister of Punishment spoke in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, the Nightwatchers have let the murderer escape twice in a row. I suspect that Wei Yuan is colluding with foreign forces and harboring evil intentions. Please investigate this matter seriously."

Emperor Yuan Jing did not answer and looked at Chen Hanguang, who was silent with his head down. "What does the Prefect of Chen think?"

Although he was only a fourth-ranked official, the Prefect of Chen had jurisdiction over twenty-four counties surrounding the capital, and his power was not weaker than that of the six ministers.

Chen Hanguang was an old hand and held the belief of not offending either side. He said, "The Sangpo case has not yet been resolved, and now the Pingyuan Marquis's family has been wiped out. Your Majesty, please don't get angry and maintain a calm mind. I think we should listen to what Sir Wei has to say."

He kicked the ball directly to Wei Yuan.

Emperor Yuan Jing looked coldly at Wei Yuan.

"Your Majesty, the Pingyuan Marquis case and the Sangpo case are the same case," Wei Yuan said.

In the study, including Emperor Yuan Jing, everyone's expression changed slightly.

Wei Yuan did not look at everyone's expressions and looked down at the ground, saying loudly, "I have already found out who the murderer of the Pingyuan Marquis's family is."

"Who is it?" someone instinctively asked. It was Zhang Feng, the Minister of War.

Wei Yuan glanced at him and did not answer. Instead, he said to Emperor Yuan Jing, "Your Majesty, please dismiss everyone else."

When he said this, Wei Yuan inexplicably thought of Xu Qi'an.

Emperor Yuan Jing looked deeply at Wei Yuan, and his sharp gaze swept over the officials. "All of you, retire."

No one knew what Wei Yuan said to Emperor Yuan Jing during the half hour he spent in the study.

...

"Wei Gong, Wei Gong..."

Accompanied by Liu Gonggong, Wei Yuan had just stepped out of the study. He had not walked a few steps when he heard someone calling him.

Turning his head, he saw Zhang Feng, the Minister of War, in a scarlet official robe and a thin face, coming up to him with a smile on his face. "Wei Gong, I don't know who the monster is that killed the Pingyuan Marquis's family?"

Wei Yuan shook his head. "Minister Zhang, this case involves Sangpo and cannot be revealed. After the truth is revealed, Minister Zhang will naturally know."

He bowed and then left in big strides.

Zhang Feng hit a soft nail but didn't seem angry. He smiled and said, "Wei Gong, take care."

After Wei Yuan left, the big shots waiting in the study walked slowly over. "Liu Gonggong, what did Wei Yuan say to His Majesty?"

"Don't make things difficult for me, everyone." Liu Gonggong waved his hand repeatedly.

"Pick out something that can be said," a strong voice came, which was the voice of the current Prime Minister.Minister Liu hesitated briefly, then nodded and looked around at the other ministers. He whispered, "The Nightwatcher Xu Qi'an is handling this case. Everything Wei Gong said came from him."

Xu Qi'an?!

The ministers looked at each other in confusion.

...

As Xu Qi'an left the Lingbao Temple, the image of the National Teacher's stunning beauty kept flashing in his mind. He thought to himself that women who cultivate the Dao were truly different - she was like a jade sculpture of a beauty, and he couldn't see any flaws on her face.

At least she didn't have any pimples.

The Earth Sect Master was a second-grade official, so the Human Sect Master couldn't be much worse... Being a second-grade official was enough to call her a fairy.

As his mare trotted along, Xu Qi'an passed by an armory and asked the guards for the location of the Yuping Prince's mansion.

"We need to change our investigation strategy for the Sangbo case. Let's not investigate the Northern King for now. I have a feeling that if we can figure out what happened between Heng Hui and Princess Pingyang, we might be able to solve the Sangbo case and uncover the grievances between the Pingyuan Duke's mansion and the Yuping Prince's mansion."

"We won't need half a month. I have a feeling that it'll only take a few days... maybe even faster."

"Taoist Master Jin Lian will come to see me tonight. I need to remember to ask him about the Human Sect Master. She's clearly a Kun Dao cultivator, but she has a devilish charm."

Xu Qi'an urged his horse to go faster.

The Yuping Prince's mansion.

Xu Qi'an pulled on the reins and, under the watchful eyes of the guards, showed them his gold plaque to prove his identity. "I am the official in charge of the Sangbo case appointed by His Majesty. I need to see the Yuping Prince. Please inform him."

The guards saw his plaque and stopped being disrespectful, quickly going inside.

Soon, they returned and said loudly, "This gentleman, please follow me. Our prince wants to see you."

The Yuping Prince's mansion was very large, and it took five minutes to walk from the front gate to the main hall.

In the main hall, Xu Qi'an met with the current prince of the dynasty, the younger brother of Emperor Yuan Jing.

He was a man who looked younger than his age, but his hair had turned white early. He had a pale complexion and looked sickly, with a deep vertical wrinkle between his eyebrows. Although he was only in his forties, he looked older than Emperor Yuan Jing.

He was wearing a purple brocade robe and had good features.

"The Nightwatcher?" The Yuping Prince held a cup of tea and took a sip, his voice weak.

He put down his teacup and said in surprise, "When did my brother allow a Nightwatcher to be the main investigator?"

"I am Xu Qi'an. Hasn't the Yuping Prince heard of me?" Xu Qi'an thought that as the number one headline in the capital, the Sangbo case should have been followed by everyone from nobles to officials.

As one of the main investigators, even the small fry should know who I am. But the Yuping Prince, a member of the royal family, doesn't even know me?

The Yuping Prince nodded in recognition. "I remember now. I've heard of you, but I haven't been involved in politics for a long time, so I couldn't remember you at first."

It seemed that Princess Pingyang's disappearance had hit him hard... Xu Qi'an sighed."What business do you have with this king?" Prince Yu waved his hand and ordered a servant to bring tea.