The Blade-Wielding Legend-Chapter 1334 - 692: Old Friends in the Capital

"How did he die?!"

Pei Zongti's face turned ashen, and his voice became icy.

He knew something—a traitor was among the Mystical Sect.

The Emperor had ordered an investigation of Zhao Changsheng, even forming a special squad to prevent this situation. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

He was one of the initiators, personally selecting many of the elites.

Now, they had finally captured a key witness, who was silenced in the Xuan Sacrificial Officer's prison; if this got out, they'd be a laughingstock.

The Daoist guard knew exactly what Pei Zongti was thinking. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead as he quickly clasped his hands and said, "Please calm down, my lord. We wouldn't dare violate the rules. There are always three guards present, and there's a doctor attending to him at all times..."

"Enough!"

Pei Zongti said in a deep voice, "Just tell me how he died!"

"Well..."

The Daoists exchanged glances, one of them looking bitter, "My lord, we... don't know. We tried using the Enchantment Technique to get him to talk, but as soon as he spoke half a sentence, his head suddenly exploded. We don't know what method was used."

"It was gunpowder."

Pei Zongti was about to get angry, but Li Yan suddenly spoke up.

He formed a Yang Jue with his fingers and sniffed, "Very subtle, but it was indeed new-style gunpowder."

"Impossible!"

A nearby Daoist quickly interjected, "The walls of this prison are reinforced with iron sand, and besides, we didn't hear any gunshots."

"I never said there was a gunshot."

Li Yan shook his head and crouched beside the corpse, "It's clear this exploded from inside the brain."

Luo Mingzi's face was filled with disbelief, "If that's true, how did they do it?"

This incident exceeded their wildest imaginations.

Li Yan also frowned deeply, finding it somewhat mysterious.

If he were in his previous life, he'd certainly think someone had planted explosives in Yu Wenhai's brain and detonated them remotely.

But here, there's no such surgical skill, nor any radio signals.

What method could have been used?

He truly couldn't think of any, so he turned and said, "Could I bring in a few of my companions? They might figure it out."

Although Pei Zongti was noncommittal, he still ordered, "Go quickly and invite them."

Sha Lifei and his team, stationed at a nearby inn to the Xuan Sacrificial Officer, soon arrived at the prison.

"It must be some kind of mechanism!"

After careful examination, Sha Lifei confidently stated, "New-style gunpowder is far more stable than black gunpowder and requires an open flame to ignite. If placed in the brain, there must be an ignition mechanism. But as you said, with no outsiders involved, even Old Sha can't figure out how it was triggered."

"Perhaps, it was a Gu worm..."

Just then, Long Yan'er suddenly spoke up.

"Gu worm?"

One of the Daoists frowned and shook his head, "Impossible. We checked thoroughly before entering the prison."

Long Yan'er cast a slight glance, "That's because you've never seen the exquisite Gu Technique."

She then extended her palm, and a strangely-shaped qin insect immediately emerged, fluttering its wings as it flew back into Yu Wenhai's open wound before flying out again, emitting a loud insect call.

"It indeed is a Gu worm."

Long Yan'er nodded, stepped forward, and pulled open Yu Wenhai's back garment, forming a mantra and pressing it hard.

Instantly, densely packed blood marks appeared on Yu Wenhai's back, vaguely forming the shape of a moth's wings.

"Indeed, it's the Parent-Child Moth."

Long Yan'er said in a deep voice, "This insect is rare, with tough egg casings that sink into the depths of swamps and can lie dormant for decades. The female is large, the male is small, and the egg casings are a Yin Yang combination. Once hatched, they mate again and lay more eggs."

"The Gu Sect has a secret technique to refine them, making people ingest them and setting a restriction. Once the oath is broken, the Gu worm awakens. The egg casing only releases Yin Sha Qi when hatching, which is why you didn't notice."

Sha Lifei also realized, "One releases phosphorus fire, the other releases gunpowder, causing an explosion. What a brilliant method!"

The crowd was astounded, not expecting such a clever Gu technique.

Seeing them unravel the mystery, Pei Zongti no longer dared to underestimate them and seriously inquired, "Miss, can you find the person who planted the Gu?"

"Difficult."

Long Yan'er shook her head, "The Gu must have been planted for a long time, and it's triggered by a restriction, leaving no clues."

Li Yan looked at the corpse on the ground and said in a deep voice, "My lord, they abandoned the Pantao Conference, which must mean they have grander schemes."

"Now, we're left with only one clue!"

He was referring to the "Nine Gates Yin Ruins."

As long as they found the Night Patrol Deity tainted by Demonic Qi, there were plenty of methods for the many Mystical Sect experts in the Capital to track it down.

Moreover, he had also taken on the Yin Bureau's task of capturing the Demonic Qi.

"This matter cannot be handled recklessly."

Pei Zongti sighed, "I will immediately enter the palace and report to the Emperor."

As he spoke, he turned to look at Luo Mingzi, "Daoist Luo, those demons have not yet left, and the inn outside isn't very safe. I've arranged for you to take Young Hero Li and escort them to the 'Safe Haven.' It's quieter there and more secure."

"Thank you, my lord."

Although Li Yan had a mind to persuade otherwise, seeing Pei Zongti's demeanor, he realized this matter was indeed hard to handle.

Given that everyone had been busy all night, they could only settle down for the time being.

...

"This 'Safe Haven' was originally meant to host envoys from Goryeo, Siam, and Liuqiu."

As they arrived at the west side outside the Zhengyang Gate, Luo Mingzi explained as they walked.

Li Yan expressed his doubts, "An inn for hosting envoys might not be convenient..."

It wasn't that he was conservative but that he didn't want to reside with outsiders.

"Brother Li, you are unaware."

Luo Mingzi replied, "Japan invaded Goryeo, and there's quite the commotion. The Goryeo envoys offended His Majesty some years ago by being pompous in the Capital, causing him displeasure and leading to their expulsion. Coupled with prior preparations for the Southwest, their plea for aid was ignored."

"Due to the war between the two nations, the sea is unstable, and the Liuqiu envoys haven't arrived this year. As for Siam, they haven't sent any envoys since last year, so the courtyard has been vacant for quite a while. Lord Pei, being the Assistant Minister of Rites, has arranged for you to stay."