Chapter 1394: Dawn and Dusk

The whole of Linzi attended to the Feng Gu case, though all the attention lay hidden.Especially as the intricate facets of the case were laid bare, all were curious, yet all sought to avoid it.None would discuss the matter openly, but all who held the authority to know the case's progress kept a close watch.This was likely the grandest political tempest since Jiang Wuqi's demise!Who could remain untouched?

As a central figure in this affair, Lord Jiang Wang, tasked with overseeing the case's investigation, did not cease his daily cultivation studies outside of the case.Upon entering the Outer Tower realm, beyond the established methods of cultivation, there were also the expansion of the Hidden Star Sea and the refinement of the Star Tower...As long as one aspired to advance, there was always work to be done.Even considering only Dao arts, the nascent Dragon-Tiger required much practice for deeper mastery. And Flaming Flower Burning City was the next transcendent Dao art to be grasped.Furthermore, the five instant-cast Dao arts etched in the Inner Mansion realm – Rotten Wood Decree, Eight Tones Burning Sea, Sound Heard Immortal Form, Five Senses Hell, and Wrath – all had room for improvement in the Outer Tower realm.Eight Tones Burning Sea and Sound Heard Immortal Form, being self-created, were acceptable; as one's perspective broadened, new ideas would naturally arise. But the enhancement of Rotten Wood Decree, Five Senses Hell, and Wrath, if one wished to achieve it swiftly, clearly required the Dao Platform of the Illusory Realm of Grand Void to assist.That would require "Merit"...The Illusory Realm of Grand Void currently offered few avenues for gaining merit. Aside from contributing a significant number of cultivation techniques, the only other way was earning it on the Sword Discourse Platform.Jiang Wang was invincible at the Inner Mansion level, and on the Outer Tower Sword Discourse Platform, he was almost free to take whatever he wished.Five battles each day, and to this day, he had not suffered a single defeat.If things continued thus, he might even ascend to become the foremost Outer Tower cultivator in Grand Void with an undefeated record.The reason for fighting only five battles was that, besides cultivation, five focused, high-quality battles already provided sufficient gains.If it were merely a matter of securing victory and effortlessly crushing opponents, five battles were no different from fifty or five hundred to Jiang Wang.That was not cultivation.Jiang Wang did not relish the thrill of slaughtering the weak; what he enjoyed was the "uniqueness" he perceived in each opponent, the flashes of inspiration they displayed in battle, the combat choices that could make his eyes light up.It was the accumulation of these things that could become his nourishment, making him stronger.Thus, he often suppressed his strength in battle, attempting many new ideas he would not easily try in life-and-death combat, giving his opponents more opportunities and giving himself more opportunities as well.However, despite this, in the battles on the Fourth Rank Sword Discourse Platform, he had yet to truly feel threatened.After all, at the Inner Mansion level, he had already faced four Outer Tower human-demons alone and shattered them. Ordinary Outer Tower cultivators, even the elites capable of entering the Illusory Realm of Grand Void, could hardly pose any threat to him.Especially now that the Illusory Realm of Grand Void was expanding rapidly, with an increasing number of cultivators flocking in... the weak also became more numerous.Of course, with the rapid increase in the base number, the strong active in the Illusory Realm of Grand Void would also grow in number.The strong would ultimately meet at the pinnacle.Jiang Wang would naturally be the one to ascend to that pinnacle.On the Fourth Rank Sword Discourse Platform, after each battle, the victor could earn two hundred points of merit, while the loser lost four hundred.It was clear to see that the later one progressed, the greater the demand for merit in the Illusory Realm of Grand Void.How much merit could sustain such losses?Analyzing from the visible trends, in the future, one would need to contribute as many cultivation techniques as possible to the Dao Platform to engage in uninhibited sparring with fellow realm cultivators.The strong would go further and further with merit, while the weak would need to constantly contribute cultivation techniques and Dao arts to fill the merit consumed by using the Sword Discourse Platform, maintaining their progress through continuous combat and evolving towards being strong.Almost all the rules of the Illusory Realm of Grand Void openly promoted the advancement and innovation of Dao arts and the reform of cultivation techniques.It was not even about whether these Dao arts were powerful or effective; the key to earning more "Merit" lay in novel ingenuity and peculiar ideas that could open new avenues of thought.Conversely, the convergence of countless cultivation techniques would make the Dao Platform increasingly powerful.One could fully imagine that one day, when the Illusory Realm of Grand Void evolved to a certain stage, the innovation of Dao arts would accelerate, and it was even highly probable that it would drive change in the cultivation world...Therefore, the various powerful states under heaven all wished to intervene and supervise the operation of the Illusory Realm of Grand Void. Even a power like the Grand Void Sect could only share the authority over the Illusory Realm of Grand Void.The difficulty in promoting the Illusory Realm of Grand Void in its early stages was precisely because its potential was visible to the naked eye!There were bound to be conservatives obstructing the path, and there was bound to be resistance from those with vested interests in the existing order.How the Grand Void Sect persuaded the various powers to join and jointly lay out the Illusory Realm of Grand Void was likely a grand and epic tale...Of course, that was not for the current Jiang Wang to concern himself with.Winning every battle, he currently did not need to worry about the "price" of the Sword Discourse Platform. No matter the amount, he was always on the winning side and did not need to pay.The five battles per day in the Illusory Realm of Grand Void earned a fixed one thousand points of merit, far exceeding the monthly merit granted by the Blessed Land.The Blessed Land's Forty-nine Hugging Blessed Mountains granted only three hundred and forty points, not enough to cover a single loss on the Fourth Rank Sword Discourse Platform. The value clearly did not match the difficulty of acquisition, thus the significance of the Blessed Land surely did not lie in the merit grant. It was also unlikely to be merely in the Blessed Land Gate leading to the Primordial Chaos space.What spurred those strong individuals to eagerly challenge must be a huge incentive.And Jiang Wang could only speculate, having been unable to touch it since inheriting the Blessed Land.However, he was not anxious. At least now he could feel the strength level of his opponents, unlike before when he couldn't even figure out how he had lost.He was approaching the level of those strong individuals with steady steps, each step firm.He knew that one day, he would be able to stand there.Even if all his Blessed Land levels were stripped away now, even if he lost the Blessed Land, he would not be discouraged...Because he knew he would win it back.

After fighting five battles seriously and meticulously reviewing them, Jiang Wang was about to exit the Illusory Realm of Grand Void when he suddenly saw a water-blue paper crane fluttering towards him.He reached out to receive it and unfolded it.It was a letter from Zuo Guangshu.He had also chatted with Zuo Guangshu quite a bit these past few days, but the child had been a little strange recently, always rambling, chatting about this one moment and that the next, making it hard to keep up.Jiang Wang himself remained consistent, either asking about Zuo Guangshu's cultivation or inquiring about the details of Flaming Flower Burning City, asking how Zuo Guanglie had performed this art in the past...Today's letter was still somewhat inexplicable—"Have the Golden Feather Phoenix Immortal Flowers of Qi bloomed?"Jiang Wang replied, "I only know of Phoenix Immortal County.""I heard they are very beautiful.""Are they? I haven't seen them."After a while, Zuo Guangshu's letter flew back, again inexplicably—"Um, how is Brother Dugu faring these days?"Jiang Wang replied, "I am doing very well."Zuo Guangshu likely truly had nothing left to chat about, and somewhat awkwardly replied again, "Both Jing and Mu have greatly increased their troops on the Mu Sheng front line. A great battle is now inevitable. At a time of upheaval in the world, please take care of yourself, Brother Dugu. I am also doing very well in Chu. My cultivation is progressing quickly... By the way, are you still coming to the Mountain and Sea Realm?"Jiang Wang thought for a moment and replied, "I am in Qi, entangled in various matters."Soon, the paper crane returned again—"Whatever, it's up to you whether you come or not."Jiang Wang sent another reply, but it was like a stone sinking into the sea, with no response for a long time.Perhaps he went to cultivate, this child was always very diligent.Mature in disposition as Lord Jiang was, he would naturally not fuss with a child. He shook his head and dismissed the matter, exiting the Illusory Realm of Grand Void.

His current focus remained on the Feng Gu case.The truth that Lin Youxie had pursued for years, the clues Feng Gu had unfolded with his death, the position of North Department Commander coveted by countless people, the person skulking in the morgue, a certain entity who had directly sent someone to warn him...Too many factors intertwined had already made this case exceptionally heavy.It was not merely complex.It was like a vast fishing net that had been spread for many years, sunken deep in the water and exceptionally large. Although most of it remained hidden beneath the surface, everyone knew it had entangled too many things, netted too many things.To lift it up required more than just brute strength.One misstep, and those who touched this net would fall into the depths.Like that chauffeur who had become "untraceable."Speaking of which, he had specifically used the Remembrance art to simulate the spiritual information of that chauffeur, but the sensation had vanished.Perhaps he had been killed, or perhaps the possibility of tracking him had been erased by a strong entity... Whichever it was, such a pawn who had served in the North Department for years with a clean background, deliberately discarded merely to prod Jiang Wang, was enough to verify the power of that figure behind the scenes.Or perhaps, the other party conversely just wanted to provoke him?Using such a move to make him unwilling to ignore the matter?Thousands of threads, impossible to unravel one by one.Jiang Wang simply stopped thinking and steadfastly followed his own line of thought.Now, he was involved in this case in his supervisory role. The other two handling the case, Zheng Shangming and Lin Youxie, required his cooperation. He held the initiative and saw no need to circle around with the figures in the dark.After meditating in the room for a while, the night was already very deep.Zheng Shangming's man arrived at Jiang Mansion under the cover of night, carrying a letter and insisting on delivering it only to Jiang Wang himself.Butler Xie Ping personally led the man to Jiang Wang's courtyard.This was a man of ordinary appearance. After carefully observing Jiang Wang for a few moments, he presented the letter he held against his chest: "My Young Master said this letter must be opened by Your Lordship personally and cannot pass through anyone else's hands.""Thank you for the trouble." Jiang Wang received the letter.The man bowed once and turned to leave, without any hesitation.Xie Ping wanted to see him off, but in a moment of inattention, the person was already gone.Zheng Shi had managed the position of North Department Commander for many years and was by no means ordinary. He had all kinds of talents at his disposal; these were also Zheng Shangming's resources. Unlike Jiang, who even had his butler hired by Chong Xuan Sheng.If he were to hire someone off the street, who knows what kind of people would be in his home; it wasn't impossible for them to all be someone else's eyes and ears.Generally, only those who could use household slaves were considered noble families. Generations of servitude, clean and reliable.Someone like Lord Jiang was still in the nouveau riche stage.Jiang Wang opened the letter as he said, "It's late, you should go rest... Oh, yes, winter has arrived. Allocate some silver and get everyone, from top to bottom, some winter clothes. Don't be afraid to spend money; buy ones with ample material."He had not originally thought of such details. It was in the letter from Dugu Xiao, which reported on her work in Qingyang Town in meticulous detail, that such an expenditure was mentioned. Hence, he also asked Xie Ping to handle it as a matter of course."Understood!" Xie Ping went down with great enthusiasm.Although his master was a little poor, he treated people extremely well!Jiang Wang unfolded the letter and read it, raising his eyebrows in slight surprise.Zheng Shangming mentioned in the letter the constable in the morgue, saying only that he was sent by the Palace of Cultivating the Heart to monitor the case, and that no tampering had been done to Feng Gu's corpse; that person had merely checked it as a matter of course...Jiang Wang truly had not expected Jiang Wuxie to be involved here.But upon careful reflection, the upper-level disputes in the entire state of Qi were not just a few factions, were they?Given that it involved the assassination of Consort Lei in the past, how could the Palace of Cultivating the Heart not be concerned?Jiang Wuxie's demeanor had always felt somewhat frivolous to Jiang Wang, not at all solemn.There were also many in the court and public who criticized him, saying he was "extravagantly wasteful" and "too frivolous to be a ruler."But Jiang Wang had never underestimated him, and the more he learned about Jiang Wuqi, the more he increased his regard for Jiang Wuxie.The logic was simple—If Jiang Wuxie were a mediocre individual, on what basis could he contend with Jiang Wuqi?The Son of Heaven of Qi had plenty of children; there was no shortage of mediocre talents!With the Palace of Cultivating the Heart standing there, Jiang Wuxie's significance was there.It was a significance on the same level as the Crown Prince, the Mistress of Hua Ying Palace, and the Mistress of Longevity Palace.To regard Jiang Wuxie merely as an ordinary dissolute prince was to consider these people fools.Returning to the point, while Jiang Wuxie's involvement was logical, it undoubtedly added a few more layers of weight to this case.

"Burning the lamp to read letters, Lord Jiang is truly diligent and eager to learn!" Chong Xuan Sheng's voice sounded from outside the door.Jiang Wang had already detected his footsteps and casually said, "It's a letter from Zheng Shangming. Why are you here at this hour..."Chong Xuan Sheng walked into the room and looked at Jiang Wang with a somewhat complicated expression. "There's news of Gongsun Yu.""Where?" Jiang Wang casually put away the letter and directly said, "Arrange for me to see him.""The carriage is ready," Chong Xuan Sheng said. "I had someone buy a few boxes of tonics a few days ago; they will arrive in Linzi tomorrow morning. At that time, I'll happen to be visiting my grandfather, and you can hide in the boxes. Once we reach the Marquis Mansion, you can disguise yourself and leave with the people going out for procurement. There shouldn't be too many people monitoring the Bo Wang Marquis Mansion. The Shadow Guard will take you directly to the target location.""Can't I go now?" Jiang Wang asked.Chong Xuan Sheng said in exasperation, "Do you think it's normal for me to visit my grandfather in the middle of the night? If it were you, wouldn't you be suspicious? Besides, it will be dawn in a few hours, Lord Jiang, have you forgotten that you still have to go to the Palace of Longevity to investigate the case later?"Jiang Wang turned his head to look out the window, feeling only that the day had passed remarkably quickly."Is the place where Gongsun Yu is now very far?" he asked."Not very far, just Bingtong County," Chong Xuan Sheng said. "But you definitely won't have time to go now, and he... Why are you in such a hurry to see him?""Alright, let's talk about it tomorrow then." Jiang Wang did not answer, only said, "I'll study Dao arts for a while longer.""That..." Although he could see that Jiang Wang wasn't very keen on chatting at the moment, Chong Xuan Sheng still tapped on his chair: "What I told you during the day, have you thought about it?""Still thinking," Jiang Wang smiled and changed the subject. "Speaking of Dao arts, when will you be able to unveil the Chong Xuan Divine Ability?""Things like divine abilities, after all, depend on luck," Chong Xuan Sheng grimaced. "Well then, you cultivate. Shisi is still waiting for me."His large figure walked out of the room just like that.One would think that with his intelligence, feigning to be sidetracked by Jiang Wang's words would be difficult to do naturally.

Jiang Wang was silent for a while, then quickly immersed himself in the world of Dao arts.Compared to the mundane complexities and annoyances of the mortal realm, the grand and vast world of cultivation was far more intoxicating.Until the long night gave way to the long day.Until the morning light fell into the room.