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墨書 Inktalez
The people of Yuzhou were outraged that Shen Wansan, the local bully, had been favored by fate, allowing him to stumble upon the Treasure Basin, which made him wealthy and powerful, enabling him to commit even more heinous acts. Not only did he act alone, but he also gathered several lackeys to join him in his misdeeds. However, justice would eventually catch up with him; in a single night, Shen Wansan was wiped out, bringing satisfaction to countless citizens of Yuzhou.
Shen Wansan had kept the existence of the Treasure Basin a closely guarded secret. Even his subordinates were unaware of it, believing he had truly unearthed gold from the ground. Only Shen Wansan's elder brother and sister-in-law knew that his wealth came from the Treasure Basin. They believed that since it was found on their land, they deserved a share. Yet, Shen Wansan was very protective of the Treasure Basin; he provided them with cash but absolutely forbade them from approaching it.
As Shen Wansan's brother, Shen the Elder was no saint either. Despite his seemingly honest demeanor, he was quite corrupt. His wife shared his greedy nature; the more Shen Wansan kept them away from the treasure, the more they desired it. Consequently, they bribed out-of-town bandits to invade the Shen Family and seize the treasure. Unfortunately for them, they encountered a group of clever and ruthless bandits who not only killed Shen Wansan but also eliminated the couple and made off with the Treasure Basin.
"This is what you call reaping what you sow," Hanno scoffed as he watched Shen Wansan and his lackeys beat up Shen the Elder and his wife after learning the truth. He turned to Elder Brother Li and said, "Let's go."
Elder Brother Li nodded and followed Hanno out.
As they stepped into the courtyard, the front door suddenly burst open, and a group of Yamen Runners rushed in. Behind them were young men who had peeked into the Shen Family when Hanno and Elder Brother Li first arrived.
"Who are you? What are you doing in the Shen Family?" The Captain brandished his knife defensively at them.
Hanno smiled lightly. "Instead of asking us, you should question those inside; they can tell you the truth about the downfall of the Shen Family. But hurry up; time is running out."
The Captain was puzzled by this statement. He ordered two men to keep an eye on Hanno and Elder Brother Li while he led other Yamen Runners into the house. Then—
"Ghost!"
Hanno and Elder Brother Li exchanged knowing smiles and vanished before the two Yamen Runners.
"Ghost!" The two Yamen Runners screamed in terror like their colleagues.
Following leads obtained from Shen the Elder and his wife, Hanno and Elder Brother Li located the hideout of the bandits they had hired. Unfortunately, they arrived too late; all the bandits had been killed, and the Treasure Basin had been taken once again.
"The souls of the bandits have already been taken by ghostly messengers; we can't ask them anything," Hanno kicked a large stone beside him in frustration.
"It's alright; there are other leads," Elder Brother Li reassured Hanno.
Hanno asked, "The scene is so clean; any clues must have been burned away. What else can we find?"
Elder Brother Li extended his hand. "I found this at the foot of the mountain."
Hanno leaned forward to take a look. "What is this?"
"Elder Brother Li replied, "It's a half-destroyed communication talisman."
Hanno frowned. "Are you saying that Cultivators are involved in this incident? But the Eastern Emperor Bell only has one function left, which is to produce gold and jewels. It's not spirit stones, so it’s useless to Cultivators. What do they want with it?"
Elder Brother Li shook his head. "I’m not sure. We can only investigate ourselves."
Hanno sighed. "I hope the mastermind behind this isn't too powerful."
In this world, there were gods, demons, and all manner of beings. The strength of Cultivators was formidable, and Hanno and Elder Brother Li, both at the Fusion Stage, could dominate in the first cultivation world and others, but here they were only of average strength. They had to be cautious and avoid trouble whenever possible.
Elder Brother Li said, "If those powerful beings really show up, we can just leave this world immediately."
"Alright, let's do that!" Hanno clenched his fist.
The two followed the clues all the way to the capital and stopped outside a grand gate.
"This family seems quite impressive!" Hanno remarked as he looked at the golden plaque above the door. He turned to Elder Brother Li and said, "As the General of Changping Bo, your family's plaque isn't even in gold. It seems this family holds a higher rank than you."
Elder Brother Li pulled Hanno back. "Such families are not typically officials; they should be royal relatives."
Hanno scoffed as they walked away. "I haven't heard anything about the emperor acquiring any treasures. It seems this family has hoarded them for themselves. I wonder what the emperor will think when he finds out."
Elder Brother Li asked, "Are you thinking of using the emperor against this family?"
Hanno shot him a glare. "Do you think I'm foolish? If the Eastern Emperor Bell falls into the emperor's hands, it will be even harder for us to retrieve it. An emperor in a cultivation world has deep connections; they might be backed by some sect's foothold among mortals."
Elder Brother Li rubbed his nose thoughtfully. "This world is too treacherous. Once we find the Eastern Emperor Bell, we should find a place to hide and cultivate properly. At least until we reach immortality."
Hanno agreed, "Sure, we've explored this Mortal Realm enough already."
The two individuals found a restaurant and paid a hefty sum of silver coins, acquiring all the information about the previous residence. That household was quite remarkable; it belonged to Duke Cheng'en's Manor, a lineage that had been prominent for three generations. The Queen herself hailed from this family. Although her life was short and she left no heirs, it did not diminish the wealth and power of Farmland. In the entire dynasty, aside from the royal family, no other noble or official dared to provoke Farmland.
"Do you think Farmland has any intentions of replacing the royal family?" After finishing his drink, Hanno asked.
Elder Brother Li picked out the fish bones and placed the fish meat into Hanno's bowl. "I’m not sure, but if they did have such intentions, it wouldn’t be surprising."
Hanno picked up a piece of fish and placed it in his mouth, returning the favor by peeling a shrimp for Elder Brother Li. "I find it strange that three generations have produced a Queen. How could it be that each generation has a daughter of the same age as a prince capable of becoming emperor? And those daughters end up marrying men who can become emperors?"
Elder Brother Li replied, "The other princes either died or lost their qualifications to inherit the throne due to unforeseen circumstances."
Hanno said, "So Farmland is able to manipulate the succession to the throne? Does the Emperor not realize this?"
Elder Brother Li raised his cup and took a sip. "If he’s not a fool, how could he not notice?"
Hanno also took a sip of his drink. "The problem is that the current Emperor seems completely oblivious. Otherwise, he wouldn't allow Farmland to be so arrogant."
Elder Brother Li set down his cup. "There are two possibilities. One is that Farmland has someone the Emperor fears—either a powerful cultivator or formidable weapon—or they possess some leverage over the royal family. The other possibility is that the Emperor has been deceived and lost his normal judgment."
"Poor Emperor," Hanno said with insincere sympathy for a moment before asking, "Should we go to Farmland tonight or investigate the palace first?"
Elder Brother Li thought for a moment. "Let’s go to the palace first and see what’s going on with the Emperor before adjusting our approach towards Farmland."
"Alright, I’ll follow your lead." Hanno smiled brightly and placed the peeled shrimp he had just prepared into Elder Brother Li's bowl.
As night fell, Hanno and Elder Brother Li strolled outside the imperial city. Compared to the Forbidden City on Earth, this world’s palace was even more magnificent and exquisite due to its otherworldly powers; it was incomparable to the Great Zhou Dynasty's palace. They exchanged glances, and in the next moment, their figures vanished into thin air.
Guard A at the palace felt as if the defensive barriers etched into the palace walls and gates had shifted slightly, but upon closer inspection, nothing seemed amiss. He turned to Guard B beside him and asked, "Did you feel that the defensive barriers moved?"
Guard B yawned. "Did they? I didn’t notice anything."
Guard A shrugged. "Maybe I was mistaken!"
At the palace wall, Hanno, in a concealed state, patted his chest with lingering fear. "That was close; I almost got discovered. I didn't expect the palace to have such formidable defensive spells."
Elder Brother Li replied, "After all, this is the palace of the Earth Immortal Realm. There must be some measures in place to deal with cultivators and demons."
Hanno added, "Fortunately, we used the spells we learned in the Flower Thousand Bones World; otherwise, we would have been caught."
Elder Brother Li chuckled, "That's our golden finger; it naturally works well."
The two shared a few laughs as they walked deeper into the palace. The palace was vast, but they were not in a hurry. They strolled leisurely, admiring their surroundings. Hanno even took out a camera to capture the scenes. Although the lighting was poor, the sights they could photograph were extraordinary. If he brought these images back to the modern world and showed them to Jia Qianjun for a film, many would surely ask where such beauty could be found.
The palace also had defensive spells set up; however, Hanno and Elder Brother Li used techniques not applicable to this realm, rendering the spells ineffective against them. They smoothly approached the emperor.
"The emperor has a faint trace of demonic energy," Elder Brother Li observed closely and said to Hanno. "It seems he has indeed been enchanted, but it's targeted at a specific person or event; he still retains his own thoughts."
"Does that mean that the Queen is likely a demon?" Hanno asked as he and Elder Brother Li stood by the emperor's bed, watching him perform romantic gestures in the air as if interacting with the Queen. Eunuchs and palace maids were kept outside the room; in their minds and that of the emperor's, he was with the Queen and should not be disturbed.
"Should we wake him?" Hanno propped his chin on his hand and asked.
Elder Brother Li stepped forward, blocking Hanno's view of the emperor with his body and said sympathetically, "Let's just help him break this enchantment."
Hanno chuckled lightly. "Understood, understood."
Elder Brother Li sighed with exasperation. "Understanding doesn't mean you need to say it out loud."
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