Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
He knew that it was not the act of the secret guardians from the imperial house.
He did not learn that news from the two Commanders.
In the case that they really did, they would certainly think about it when they faced him. But there was no trace of that matter in their minds at all, so he was sure that both of them were clueless about the matter.
Nonetheless, even though they were not the ones who did it, he could start looking for the secret guardians of the imperial house.
The secret guardians from the imperial house were very informative. It was possible that they had information about it. Hence, he had to personally look for some clues.
While the All-Seeing Divine Power was extensive, it was not omnipotent. Once someone died, their inner energy would dissipate and would not be possible to locate them, unless there were blood stains or hair on their bodies.
“Where are the corpses?” Chu Li asked, “Is there any blood of the murderer on their bodies?”
Jiang Kuai shook his head, “It was probably the work of Grandmasters. They could barely resist them, all of them died from swords and knives. Senior Gui has already taken a look at them. He didn’t find any clues.”
Xue Ling frowned too, “That’s going to be troublesome.”
She knew that Chu Li’s All-Seeing Divine Power required one’s blood as a guide. If there were no traces of that, the All-Seeing Divine Power would be useless no matter how powerful it was.
Jiang Kuai said, “The eldest master mentioned that he could not be bothered by anything else. The Protectors of the residence is his utmost priority now as he cannot lose any of them anymore. As for the dignity of the House of High Dukes, he stated that there is no need to protect it with the lives of the Protectors!”
Chu Li held his teacup up and took a gentle sip.
That matched the temperament of Siao Tieying, who prioritized the Protector’s lives.
Xue Ling said, “But we can’t just huddle together in fear, can we? What has the House of High Dukes become?”
Jiang Kuai shook his head and sighed, “If the Protectors die one after another, it will further damage the prestige of the House of High Dukes. That was what the eldest master said.”
Chu Li said, “Does the eldest master have any clue at all?”
“A few Grandmasters have already left the residence to investigate this,” Jiang Kuai continued, “Up until when I arrived here, there are no useful clues yet. Those men have varying martial arts, all of them have cultivation levels of a Grandmaster, so it was extremely easy for them to go against Innate Masters and Acquired Masters. I’m afraid that they’re not from martial art sects since they were so reckless and fearless.”
According to the rules of common usage agreements, a Grandmaster would not anyhow go against Innate Masters and Acquired Masters, unless there is a huge enmity or out of reasons that could not be helped. It was a bottom-line that was set such that it would not be broken unless it mattered about an important juncture.
Especially for the sects in the martial art world, when Grandmasters from one sect killed Innate Masters and Acquired Masters from another sect, the other sect would take revenge for sure. If the killing went on and on, only Grandmasters would be left then, and sects would be gone.
Out of considerations, no one would cross that borderline.
“The eldest master thinks that it’s the work of the imperial court?” Chu Li asked, “The secret guardians of the imperial house?”
Jiang Kuai replied, “The eldest master thinks that it is possible that the secret guardians of the imperial house did it, or, it might be foreign forces.”
“Hmm…” Chu Li pondered and said, “How about this, don’t return first, you should stay in the imperial residence for now since it’s safer here. I will speak to the eldest master.”
“All right,” Jiang Kuai did a fist salute.
Chu Li drained all the tea from his teacup and stood up after he placed his cup down, “Xue Ling, please help Brother Jiang to settle down.”
“Yes, Master,” Xue Ling replied and asked, “Where are you going, Master?”
“The House of Secret Guardians,” Chu Li scoffed and said, “I’d like to ask them in person if they were the ones who did it!”
“Be careful, Master,” Xue Ling cautioned.
Chu Li smiled and waved his hand. After he did a fist salute to Jiang Kuai, he left the courtyard.
“The House of Secret Guardians?” Jiang Kuai looked at Xue Ling.
Xue Ling filled his cup with tea again, “The master has now become a secret guardian of the imperial house. It was an identity given to him by the Emperor himself. He had just returned from the House of Secret Guardians earlier.”
“Hmm—?” Jiang Kuai was shocked.
He would not have imagined it and it was hard to even connect Chu Li and the secret guardian of the imperial house together. Both identities had a huge difference.
Xue Ling explained everything to him.
Jiang Kuai was shocked by what he learned. He could imagine how soul-stirring it must have been. It was hard to believe that the Second Lady killed the secret guardians of the imperial house. She must have been on her nerves.
—
Chu Li entered the House of Secret Guardians. The two men on guard outside were still Dong Qifei and Yang Zongwen.
Chu Li stood before the house and frowned as he looked at them.
Dong Qifei stood there like a statue and did not move an inch.
Yang Zongwen greeted him with a fist salute.
Chu Li frowned and asked, “Why are the both of you still on guard?”
Yang Zongwen replied, “Sergeant Zhe said that since we have free time, we will be on guard for now. He will look for someone else to replace us tomorrow.”
“Didn’t I ask you to clean the courtyard?” Chu Li asked.
Yang Zongwen replied, “Sergeant Zhu has already ordered a few maids to clean up, so we didn’t have to do it.”
Chu Li nodded and said, “Lift your spirits, don’t slack off!”
“Yes,” Yang Zongwen quickly responded.
Chu Li turned to look at Dong Qifei. He put on a straight face and did not move at all as he set his eyes forward.
Chu Li scoffed, “Dong Qifei, go look for Prince Cheng. Tell him that we will be there tomorrow to inspect the people in their residence. Ask him not to leak any of that information out!”
“Yes,” Dong Qifei hesitated for a while before he replied in a hoarse voice.
Chu Li added, “If you can’t do this well, then guard the door conscientiously!”
“Yes!” Dong Qifei replied loudly.
Chu Li shook his head and entered the house.
Yang Zongwen looked at Dong Qifei with pity.
Dong Qifei widened his eyes with dissatisfaction, “What are you looking at!”
“Sigh…” Yang Zongwen shook his head and said, “Elder Dong, you…you’re so gullible. You listen to whatever Captain Zhang said. Now you know the consequences, don’t you?”
Dong Qifei scoffed and said, “Captain Zhang won’t just stop right here!”
“You’re really clueless!” Yang Zongwen kept shaking his head. He felt that Dong Qifei was a very single-minded man and carried a sense of foolishness. He could not stand and watch him as he continued walking on a crooked path, “You should give this some thought, who do you think Captain Zhang is? Has the Commander ever smiled at Captain Zhang like that?”
“It’s only because of his identity,” Dong Qifei said with dissatisfaction, “Without his identity as the Head Chief, the Commander wouldn’t even give him good looks!”
“You’re really clueless, aren’t you?” Yang Zongwen sighed and said, “Right now, Captain Zhang is incomparable against Captain Chu. You won’t benefit at all from going against Captain Chu. Just wait and see. Sooner or later, Captain Zhang will be in bad luck, he won’t be able to fight against Captain Chu!”
“Hmph, that might not be the case,” Dong Qifei pressed his lips, “How long has Captain Zhang been in the house, and how long has that guy with the surname Chu been here!”
“Although Captain Zhang has been in the house for many years, he’s still just a captain. What about Captain Chu?” Yang Zongwen said earnestly, “Thus, don’t act rashly, in case you’ll bring trouble upon yourself!”
“I don’t have so many twists and turns. Anyhow, whoever treats me well, I will do the same!” Dong Qifei scoffed.
Yang Zongwen said, “All right, all right, you’ve got me!”
Chu Li heard everything they said clearly and laughed.
Indeed, Dong Qifei was quite dumb, but he was easy to be maneuvered. On the other hand, a wise man like Yang Zongwen would not be easy to deal with. He would need to put some thought into it.
As he arrived outside the main hall, he did a fist salute and called out in a hoarse voice, “Commander, Commander Xu!”
He saw both of them talking in the main hall.
When they heard his voice, both of them stopped talking and looked at each other.
Xu Huande scoffed with a low tone, “What’s the matter?”
“I have something to consult, Commanders!” Chu Li replied.
“Come in,” Fu Mengshan said.