"Hmm?!"
A sharp gleam flashed in King Jiang's eyes. He demanded abruptly, "Who is it?!"
The old man didn't answer immediately. Instead, he struggled to regulate the erratic Spiritual Power surging through his body. After a long while, he let out a long breath of relief.
Looking at him again, his previous pallor had vanished. With a solemn gaze, his voice was weak but certain:
"After the Array Activation, this subordinate immediately sensed something.
"First, a clear aura flashed, indicating the person is quite young, around sixteen.
"Then, a purple aura occasionally appeared. This is an aura of nobility, suggesting someone in his family holds a high position—one no less prestigious than Your Highness.
"Finally, a cyan aura faded away, proving this person is extremely close to us. He should still be in Liangjiang Commandery right now!"
After Mr. Qi finished speaking, his expression turned somewhat gloomy. In the entirety of Liangjiang Commandery, there was only one person whose status could rival the Prince's.
King Jiang stared at the old man for a long time before enunciating every word.
"Zeng. Shi. Lin.
"And there is only one person who fits the characteristic of being sixteen—his only son.
"Zeng Anmin!"
At this point, King Jiang's face was brimming with murderous intent, his expression dark as deep water.
"Sixteen years old. Eighth Grade of the Martial Art.
"Doesn't Zeng Shilin look down on us Martial Artists the most? Why would he indulge his only son in such vulgarity?"
A highly sarcastic sneer surfaced on King Jiang's face. "In all of Liangjiang Commandery, only Zeng Shilin would be willing to spend such vast resources to push his sixteen-year-old son into the ascending grades."
"The ways of the world are hard to predict," Mr. Qi simply replied with these words.
Just as King Jiang was about to say something else, a subordinate came in to report, "Your Highness, a secret letter from Shuidu Academy."
King Jiang slightly raised his eyelids, took the secret letter from his subordinate, and waved him away. However, the moment his eyes fell upon the letter, the sneer on his face abruptly froze. He remained speechless for a long time.
"What is the matter?" A hint of confusion flashed in Mr. Qi's eyes. He rarely saw King Jiang lose his composure.
King Jiang's expression was exceedingly grim. He glanced at the remains of the Array on the ground but said nothing. He simply handed the secret letter over.
Mr. Qi reached out to take it. Upon clearly seeing the contents, he trembled slightly, his aged face instantly draining of color. Disbelievingly, he looked down at the compass at his waist, then rapidly shifted his gaze back to the ruined Array on the ground.
"This..." His lips quivered.
"Mr. Qi, it would be best if you used this harmful Array less in the future," King Jiang sneered, turning directly to leave.
Whether intentionally or not, his foot struck the Spirit Stone supporting the Array with a loud THUD. He kicked the Spirit Stone far away.
After King Jiang left, Mr. Qi's expression remained blank. Then, his withered face began to twist, his voice sounding as if he were weeping blood. "Old Thief Xu!! You truly harbored ill intentions when you taught me this Array back then!"
RUSTLE.
The secret letter slipped from Mr. Qi's grasp, fluttering slowly to the ground in the wind. In the flickering candlelight, the words on the paper were faintly visible.
"Zeng Shilin's only son, Zeng Anmin, possesses unparalleled talent in the Confucian Dao. Within five days, he has entered the Seventh Grade Purple Mansion Realm."
In the study of the Governor's Mansion.
Zeng Anmin toyed with the Jade Ring from his father's desk. A hint of solemnity marked his face as his Dan Feng eyes fell upon his father sitting opposite him. Zeng Shilin suddenly sat up straight and asked in a deep voice, "Prince Jiang's Mansion?"
Zeng Anmin nodded slowly, his voice certain. "Why would I lie to you? It's definitely Prince Jiang's Mansion."
PHEW.
A cold expression suddenly appeared on Zeng Shilin's face, but he wasn't in a hurry to speak. He simply stared straight ahead in deep thought.
"The student Zhang Lun, the Observation Department Attendant, Prince Jiang's Mansion, the Dragon Inspection Map..." With every name he uttered, his voice dropped a fraction lower.
After a long time, his father slowly raised his eyes.
"No one can know about this.
"As for Prince Jiang's Mansion, I will handle it myself."
"Understood." Zeng Anmin nodded in acknowledgment, then looked at his father with a smiling face. "There's one more thing."
"Speak." Seeing Zeng Anmin smiling like a sly little fox, his father frowned slightly.
"I'm not going to the academy anymore. I want to get an official position." Zeng Anmin scratched his head, looked at his old man, and said with utmost seriousness, "I wouldn't dare dream of the First Grade or Second Grade, but how about setting me up with a Third Grade position?"
Hearing this, his father nearly choked on his own saliva.
"An official?! And Third Grade at that?!" Zeng Shilin glared at him. "Did you hit your head?!"
"Listen to what you're saying! I'm a Confucian Dao genius who reached the Seventh Grade in five days. What's wrong with being a Third Grade official? Ms. Lin even said yesterday that I have the makings of a Chief Minister!" Zeng Anmin looked incredibly smug.
"That is absolutely impossible!" His father couldn't even be bothered to entertain his foolish son. He stood up slowly and said impatiently, "Just stay home and study hard."
With that, he turned to walk outside.
"Dad!" Zeng Anmin naturally wasn't going to let Zeng Shilin off so easily. He grabbed his father's sleeve and said calmly, "I'm not joking with you anymore. I plan to enter the Observation Department. You can give me whatever grade you see fit. Anything works."
Zeng Anmin had never been a passive person. Since he knew his current enemy was Prince Jiang's Mansion, he had to take the initiative to strike. Entering the Observation Department was the first step of his plan. It was just an out-of-favor Prince, after all. Zeng Anmin had at least ten ways to bring him down. This was by no means him blowing hot air; who asked his dad to be the Governor of Fengqi Road, a border-guarding supreme official who held military power?!
"Why do you want to enter officialdom so badly?" His father could also tell that his son was being utterly sincere and not joking around.
"I want to help you." In front of his own father, Zeng Anmin never told lies. He met his gaze openly. "Tongyu's death made me realize there is too much darkness and filth in this world. We might not be able to control other places, but if we let that bunch of scum continue to cause trouble within Liangjiang Commandery, wouldn't it ruin your prestigious reputation?!"
He spoke these words with utmost seriousness, having obviously thought them through carefully. Based on his father's personality, after hearing this, even if he didn't say it out loud, he would definitely be immensely gratified in his heart!
Unexpectedly, his father's voice was extremely stern.
"How can the perils of officialdom be treated as such child's play?
"Regardless of your official rank, regardless of where you are, being an official is for the people, for the monarch! Not for me!!"
Zeng Anmin hadn't expected his father's reaction to be so intense. He fell silent for a moment before looking out the window, his voice heavy. "In this case with Zhang Lun, it's a good thing we had the Black Cat Martial Artist. Otherwise, wouldn't the murderer still be at large right now?"
Aside from being spoken genuinely, these words also carried a hint of probing.
"Absurd!!" Hearing this, his father slammed his hand hard on the desk with a loud THUD.
"Vigilantes use martial arts to violate the law!
"That Black Cat Martial Artist is nothing more than a lawless thug who uses lynching without regard for the kingdom's laws. If everyone acted like him, wouldn't the world fall into chaos?!"
His father grew increasingly strict. He stared straight at Zeng Anmin, his voice freezing cold. Showing disappointment, he pointed at the door. "Get out."
"Dad..."
"Get out."
"Oh."
Zeng Anmin curled his lips and casually pocketed the Jade Ring from his father's desk. He turned around, leaving his father with a view of the back of his head.
SLAM.
The study door closed, leaving Zeng Shilin alone.
Following Zeng Anmin's departure, Zeng Shilin sat silently in his chair. He earnestly pondered the words he had just spoken with his son.
After a long time, he let out a long SIGH. The old man smiled bitterly and slowly stood up, grumbling dissatisfiedly under his breath, "A grown son can't be controlled by his father."
Then came the SCRATCH sound of a brush on paper.
"Qi Wei."
"Master." Outside the study door, Mr. Qi entered respectfully.
"Send this missive to the Observation Department."
"Yes, sir."
Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the fleeting glimpse of the missive.
"Today, the Shuidu Academy student Zeng Anmin has stepped into the Seventh Grade of the Confucian Dao. Therefore, he is exceptionally recruited as the Left Chief Clerk of the Observation Department."