Martial Saint through Reading

Chapter 338: Chapter 270: Squalor Amidst Splendor, Bones Frozen by the Wayside (Part 3)

"No," the brush left a ’kill’ character on the paper, Tang Xuan’s hand holding the brush paused mid-air, "I used to think so too, until..."

He put down the brush, his eyes coldly staring at the white paper, "A few days ago, Baili Xinghua died, and I then realized that kid is definitely odd."

"Baili Xinghua is dead?" Tang Nan raised an eyebrow, his face showing anger, "Good riddance, daring to frame my brother, he got what he deserved!"

"Otherwise, why would my brother be confined here!"

"Indeed, Baili Xinghua deserved to die, but... do you know what happened before he died?"

"What?"

"The Young Master Yaan of Xirong County sent the Wolf Race’s Lang Sha, with the Wolf Patterned Crown and a Bloodthirsty Guard, to lay an ambush at Thousand Mile Mountain."

"An ambush for that illegitimate son?" Tang Nan was somewhat surprised, "It’s just a young lad in his teens, sending someone of the Refining Organ Realm should be more than enough, right?"

"Lang Sha died, the Bloodthirsty Guard was destroyed, and that evil spirit at Thousand Mile Mountain turned into a useless stone."

"What?!" Tang Nan was shocked.

"That wasn’t the end," Tang Xuan continued, "Afterwards, Baili Xinghua disappeared in Xirong County."

"The night he disappeared, a demon emitting black aura appeared at Baili Xinghua’s residence, devoured all the servants, and then swallowed Hu Han who was lurking in the dark."

"Hu Han? The Inspector of the Regent’s Mansion Hu Han?"

"Yes." Tang Xuan nodded, "Subsequently, this demon appeared in both Pingzhong County and Chi’an County, devouring all the Meridian Unlocking Realm members of various sects, martial arts halls, and martial arts clans in Chi’an County."

"Some say this demon was the Sect Leader of the Void Nether Sect in Chi’an County, but remains and a mummified corpse of the Sect Leader were found at Golden Snake Ridge."

"The clothing and physical features on the corpse could be identified as Baili Xinghua."

"Brother, do you mean?" Tang Nan’s expression was somewhat grave, "That demon is Baili Xinghua?"

Tang Xuan nodded, "From Baili Xinghua’s residence in Xirong County, to Pingzhong County, Chi’an County, until the appearance of his corpse, what do you think, besides Baili Xinghua himself being the demon, could there be any other reason?"

"Baili Xinghua was only in the Strong Bone Realm... how could he become a demon that devours those in the Meridian Unlocking Realm?"

"I don’t know, how he became a demon is not important, what’s important is, the demon that devoured at least ten, died at Golden Snake Ridge."

"And on that day, someone saw three people dressed in black knight attire entering Golden Snake Ridge."

"Did you know? That illegitimate son came to Qin Capital with a Ten Thousand Soldiers Commander and a Commander from the Tiger Armor Army, exactly three people."

"At Thousand Mile Mountain, they laid an ambush, Lang Sha, the Bloodthirsty Guard, and the evil spirit were all destroyed, yet that illegitimate son remained unscathed. The demon encountered at Golden Snake Ridge vanished thereafter, while Chu Ming appeared at the Xiao Mansion in Qin Capital..."

"The Blood Evil Sect has been suspecting that behind that illegitimate son is a super expert protecting him, in my opinion, there’s no need for doubt."

Tang Xuan’s eyes were deep, his expression grim.

"Brother, could there really be a Middle Stage Lower Meridian Unlocking Realm expert protecting that kid?" Tang Nan was secretly shocked.

"The Middle Stage couldn’t withstand Lang Sha with the Wolf Patterned Crown and the Bloodthirsty Guard, it’s very likely the Late Stage Lower Meridian Unlocking Realm, with a Late Stage Primordial Qi Lake Realm warrior protecting as well!"

"Could it be a Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm..."

"Impossible!" Before Tang Nan could finish, Tang Xuan directly denied, "How many Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm individuals are there in the Great Qin Dynasty altogether? How many do the major surrounding countries have? How could they possibly be willing to protect an illegitimate son?"

"Brother, what do we do now, orders have come from over there, telling us to deal with this child..."

"Hmph, what a good scheme!" Tang Xuan stood up, "If you want the Tang Family to act, some verbal promises aren’t enough!"

"Secretly spread the news of this child’s arrival at Qin Capital, let those opportunists go and explore first."

"Brother, are you talking about the Cui Camp Repair Department and Captain Dong?"

The Camp Repair Department belongs to the Ministry of Industry, specifically responsible for the repair and construction of the Imperial City.

Captain is a military position, commanding a camp, similar to the Commander in the Tiger Armor Army.

Both hold the Senior Fourth Grade officer rank, and it’s within Qin Capital.

"The Celestial Longevity Platform is Cui Ye’s responsibility, right?" Tang Xuan asked in a deep voice.

Cui Ye is the Cui Camp Repair Department they mentioned.

"Yes, the Ministry of Industry manages it, Cui Ye is in charge of the main construction."

"The Celestial Longevity Platform is for the Empress Dowager Duaan’s sixtieth birthday, for a small Camp Repair Department to obtain the main construction rights, it seems Cui Ye has bypassed the Tang Family and contacted people he shouldn’t have."

"Do you think, with such a good opportunity to claim merit, Cui Ye would let it slip by?"

"As for Dong Zhao, our Tang Family elevated him to the position of Captain of the Huang Forbidden Army, he ought to do something for us."

"Alright, I understand."

"..."

...

Qin Capital, Manxiang Tower.

After waiting for about half an hour, a waiter bowed and brought over three jars of liquor and several dishes wrapped in lotus leaves and oil paper.

"Please take your time, come again if it’s satisfactory."

Chu Ming carried the liquor and dishes without lingering in the city, striding towards the city gate.

At the city gate.

"Make way, don’t block the road!"

Just as he reached the city gate, he saw carts carrying huge stone slabs being pushed along.

The corners of these stone slabs were rounded and neat, each one appearing to have been specially processed and cut.

They were two meters wide and high, with a thickness of half a meter, roughly estimating, each slab weighed at least two to three thousand pounds.

Specially crafted wheels rolled over the flagstone avenue, emitting a ’rattle’ sound.

Upon seeing this, pedestrians all made way.

Once dozens of stone-carrying carts entered the city, the city gate was restored for passage.

Chu Ming left the city gate and walked on the avenue, listening to the conversations of the pedestrians.

"What are those giant stone slabs for?"

"I heard the Imperial City is going to construct a high platform."

"What kind of high platform?"

"The Celestial Longevity Platform."

"The Celestial Longevity Platform? What’s it for?"