Free Web NovelChapter 717: Chapter 309: Encirclement
"Is there more?" Hong Ye’s eyes widened. "What more can you do, do you know?"
"How would I know? I’ve studied carefully, from the Celestial Capital to Hedan, then to our Dragon Capital. Every step the team took was unbelievable, often an incredible game, yet he always finds a breakthrough as if he’s playing a grand chess game."
"But how old is he?"
"Luthor wasn’t much older when he became the Grand Governor; some are born leaders," Long Ji said with emotion.
"Then what can we do? He only lets us watch over here. I feel like we’re not even trying. We can’t let him risk his life at the forefront while we sit in comfort; it’s disgraceful," Hong Ye said.
"I think we should not act rashly. He definitely has arrangements. Since he allowed us to keep a close eye on Ji Sheng, let’s do this well. Other than us, no one else, including the Night Patrol, can do this. It’s a crucial moment, and we can’t be slipping," Long Ji said.
Hong Ye couldn’t help but chuckle a bit, even the Dragon Capital slang emerged, seems Old Long also wants to show off, "Our team is very patient. If it were someone else, they would’ve jumped upon discovering such evidence, yet he delivered the credit directly."
"This is true wisdom. Ji Sheng is like a Hex Bomb; he doesn’t want the Night Patrol to be the first to suffer."
"Alas, it’s a pity, still can’t kill him, Jiang Wu." This made Hong Ye feel a bit sullen, with the murderer right before them, yet the most they could do was only this.
Long Ji gently patted Hong Ye, softly sighed. Although it was depressing, he strongly agreed with Li Xin. Impulsiveness would lead to no good outcome. The Night Patrol has reached its peak, and if Ji Sheng really is an Enslaved Angel, the Night Patrol alone can’t handle him, requiring intervention from the Church Court, and no one knows the Church’s attitude.
"Have the brothers keep Ji Sheng and those related under close watch." Long Ji’s eyes glinted fiercely, determined to do what needs to be done first.
***
The Night Patrol’s investigation report caused a huge stir in the Dragon Capital’s upper echelons, one copy went to the Cabinet, another to the Church Court. Though the news was strictly controlled, it nonetheless spread out. It’s uncertain who spread it; someone might be deliberately creating chaos.
The Royal Family’s steward, Ji Sheng, being the murderer of Hong Yan would create a massive rift between the Justice faction, the Liberals, and the Royal Family.
The Royal Family immediately dispatched personnel to the Cabinet, Church Court, and Hong Family to deny all allegations, demanding severe punishment for the Night Patrol, claiming it as slander against the Royal Family.
However, times have changed. Simply dismissing all evidence with a single sentence is clearly unrealistic. The investigation report is rational and well-founded, all evidence is interconnected, from the Little Skinner to Jiang Wu’s murder by the Shadow Owl Team, then to all the puppets and suits in Hong Yan’s estate, onto the seductive woman in Dragon Fortune Association, and finally to the deadly necklace; everything’s interlinked. If Dragon Fortune Association were not involved, then no one is.
Moreover, the upper echelons are seasoned in scheming, requiring no further investigation to discern the truth. As long as the Church Court is willing, there are means to validate Ji Sheng’s identity; an Enslaved Angel couldn’t hide in front of the Church. If he somehow manages, Moon God’s Court might as well close its doors.
The issue has fermented to such an extent that the question isn’t whether Ji Sheng is a Slave Master, but whether to move against Ji Sheng. Acting against Ji Sheng means thoroughly collapsing the Royal Family, where do their interests lie? This is what all sides are contemplating, and also, seeing what the Royal Family is willing to offer to quell the situation.
This chilly night in Dragon Capital, however, is quite lively. In the East District, the most aristocratic estates are brightly lit, evidently, they have much to discuss, and the aristocrats aligned with the Royal Family have been mobilized. Ji Family’s staunch supporters are not scarce; upon hearing of restoration, they weren’t fearful but rather excited, since there always existed a portion of vested interests nostalgic for the old times.
Inside the Royal Palace, Ji Sheng patiently attended to Ji Mingyue having dinner. Outside, the imposing Ji Sheng, the steward, bore a gentle expression, indifferent to external matters, as if what was being discussed wasn’t about him.
The catalyst, Li Xin, was dining with Kathy in the small building. Since Ma Liu’s arrival, the Little Rich Lady secretary has increasingly come over for meals, making Li Xin suspect she’s using work discussion as a pretext for food.
Kathy elegantly finished eating and wiped her mouth, "What do you plan to do about this case?"
"What’s the Church’s stance?"
"The interest conflicts are enormous, but what you want won’t happen, several Red-robed Archbishops won’t move against Ji Sheng, as that equates to shaking the foundations of the Royal Family, not aligning with the Church’s interests." Kathy said, observing Li Xin’s expression, "You don’t seem surprised."
Li Xin smiled faintly, "Hasn’t it always been this way? I’m very curious, with Song of Hell’s singer occupying a high position in Dragon Capital, aren’t they worried?"
"Actually, not just Ji Sheng, many people have multiple identities, it’s not such a novel phenomenon. Ultimately, it depends on his position. In the current situation, Ji Family’s presence benefits Moon God’s Court, it’s not a matter of moving anytime." Kathy said.
Regarding power allocation, the Cabinet and Council suppress the Church’s influence. Having a Royal Family is good for the Church.
"Nonetheless, you’ve done well. The Royal Family has to pay a heavy price to pass this."
"Will Ji Mingyue protect him at all costs?"
"It’s not Ji Mingyue protecting him at all costs, rather it’s that the real power of the royal family is mostly in Ji Sheng’s hands. The blood curse of the Ji family’s direct line that no one can live past forty is a major flaw; many times they are just a figurehead," Kathy said. "Thanks to you, I made quite a splash at the Secretary’s meeting, and the Night Patrol’s treatment will improve, but the investigation of the case ends here."
Li Xin nodded; Kathy spoke directly, which was essentially the final conclusion from above. Everything else was about who would get what.
Kathy came specifically to tell Li Xin to stop the follow-up investigation and left right after that. The Cabinet of the Church wanted to get what they desired from this matter, and the matter wasn’t over. Kathy couldn’t relax, and disputes arose over the benefits the Church acquired—who would get them, whether the Chief or Farson, all things which she needed to confront and fight for as a Secretary.
There would be some formalities to go through afterward, after all, they had to give the public an explanation—acting was always necessary. But unless something unexpected happened, this was the outcome.
Seeing Kathy off and returning to the dining room, Li Xin saw the warm tea on the table and couldn’t help but sigh. No wonder the Dragon Mother couldn’t do without Ma Liu; he was accustomed to such enjoyment and couldn’t live without it either. How would he survive the tough days without Ma Liu?
"Ma Liu, can you mobilize the Gourmet Association in Dragon Capital?" Li Xin asked.
"Brother Li, are you planning to deal with the Slave Master?" Ma Liu asked.
Li Xin nodded. "I have that intention, but there are still a few segments that need clarification. We will need the cooperation of the Gourmet Association then, but there’s no need for them to act proactively."
"I can mobilize the local branch, but the people there aren’t of my faction. Confidential matters cannot be shared with them, only minimal cooperation can be expected," Ma Liu said.
"That will be enough."
Ma Liu was an elder, but just a newly promoted one. The people in Dragon Capital were not his, only commandable. Fortunately, in this plan, the Gourmet Association was mainly responsible for setting the stage.
"How much do you know about the Enslaved Angels?" Li Xin suddenly asked, recalling that Ma Liu had mentioned inheriting the power and knowledge of Bocuse.
Ma Liu smiled wryly. "Brother Li, my absorption was poor. To be precise, some unknown deviations occurred in the inheritance. Most of the master’s power and knowledge I didn’t acquire. The Enslaved Angels were definitely what the master encountered; they aren’t the ones with direct combat power among angels, but they are the most troublesome. Their substitute abilities are particularly effective in the secret world and can often escape death by the skin of their teeth. The main abilities of Puppet Masters of the Sixth Epoch were object manipulation, like puppets and paper figures, whereas old epoch Puppet Masters manipulated people and spirits— a branch of the death path, making them targets of other paths in the old times. So being cautious is engrained in them; without absolute certainty and necessity, the real body never shows up."
Ma Liu’s words made Li Xin less confident about his original plan; dealing with such a vigilant Slave Master, he could only rely on Miss Aries’s charm.
"Do you need me to come forward in the name of the Gourmet Elder? Maybe it will lure him out," Ma Liu said.
Li Xin shook his head. "Showing up abruptly at this sensitive time will only make him wary. No rush, we have time."
Ma Liu could mobilize the Gourmet Association in Dragon Capital, but once he exerted his influence, if there were any leaks within the Gourmet Association, the side effects were greater.
Having dealt with the Song of Hell for some time, no amount of caution was too much. Wanting the Slave Master to slip up now was difficult—he was undoubtedly very sensitive at this time.
Perhaps when he believed the situation was settled and became overconfident, the opportunity might arise. Li Xin had a vague idea.
On the Church side, Sister Kathy could not progress any further. If she used the Church’s power, it would certainly be noticed by enemies. It’s not out of the question for Farson to borrow a knife to kill someone, and the integrity of these Red-robed Archbishops couldn’t be overestimated—perhaps there was none at all.
The Night Patrol could only be responsible for surveillance, looking for some traces and not making any big moves. He knew the Night Patrol was particularly united with a strong sense of vengeance. If not suppressed, it could lead to trouble. Currently, the Night Patrol was at a crucial stage of revival, it was not wise to make too many enemies, frankly speaking, under the surveillance of the Church and Cabinet, being cautious was best.
There’s only one thing left.
The Inner Hall of the Hundred Martial Hall.
Speaking of which, all the information about the Song of Hell came from Jian Lezhi. Having given the Hundred Martial Hall such a heavy blow, he was prepared for a counterattack from the Inner Hall, yet no big move has been made so far.
He speculated there was an irreconcilable conflict between the Inner and Outer Hall, with Inner Hall perhaps wanting to use his hand to purge its own, yet it felt strange. Perhaps Old Fang was involved somehow, yet Old Fang was too sly—no matter what was asked, he claimed to be too old, just wanting to retire, acting indifferently, and letting Li Xin handle it on his own.
Meeting Jian Lezhi face to face was necessary.
