Main Text - Volume 3, Chapter 147: Exposure

Before Yu Mu could finish speaking, Shi Gengxin waved his hand and said, "Little friend, there is no need for such formalities! Bringing Dali along with you serves two purposes: first, to avoid disaster, and second, to repay a debt of gratitude. Once you reach Dragonfall City, he will naturally take his leave. He is merely accompanying you to provide protection for a short stretch of the journey, so please do not decline."

"Thank you very much, senior!" Yu Mu said with deep gratitude.

Shi Dali was already in a precarious position, and even if he were merely fleeing trouble, he should have headed straight for Dragonfall City. The fact that he was intentionally taking a detour clearly indicated that repaying the favor was his primary objective.

"I want to go too," Xiaomin, who had been listening quietly in the corner, suddenly chimed in.

"Nonsense. The household is already in enough chaos without you adding to it. Go back to your room and rest at once." Shi Gengxin's expression darkened, leaving Xiaomin with no choice but to obey and retreat to her chamber.

As soon as Xiaomin left, Shi Gengxin chuckled and said, "Actually, it is about time this girl went out to gain some experience. Especially after what happened today, it is no longer safe for her to stay here. However, the place you are heading to is truly unsuitable for her. Shi Wen—"

"Here," replied Shi Wen.

"Tomorrow, make arrangements for her to travel to Dragonfall City, and by the way, inform the clan of the events that transpired here."

"Understood."

"Having slain three members of the Jiang family consecutively, we are bound to face a frenzied retaliation. I declare that starting today, no family members are to wander outside casually. At the same time, security within the estate must be heightened until..."

While the Shi family was deliberating on their countermeasures, the Jiang family was also holding a crucial clan meeting. However, the attendees from the Jiang family were few; aside from the two bodyguards, the rest were mostly elders of the older generation.

"Eldest Brother, this time the Shi family has killed three of our kinsmen. We should share a common hatred for the enemy and strike down the Shi family in one fell swoop. The situation is so favorable, why have we suddenly halted the attack?" Jiang Laosan asked loudly, his hair bristling with rage.

Another middle-aged man also spoke with grief and indignation, "Indeed, Father! For the sake of the family's grand enterprise, Fourth Brother was murdered by that Shi Dali at Blackwind Ridge. Today, my son Jialang died an unjustified death. Now that such a rare opportunity has presented itself, how can we abandon it halfway? You must avenge your children and grandchildren!"

Sitting at the head of the table, Jiang Yidao's expression was as stern as iron. Ignoring the two men, he looked coldly at the two bodyguards and said, "You two, tell everyone what you discovered on Jialang's body."

"Yes. The two of us discovered the Seal of the Nine Dragons restriction technique on the young master's body."

"Ah!" Everyone in the room turned pale with shock. "The Seal of the Nine Dragons is a unique secret technique exclusive to our Jiang family. Could there be a traitor within our ranks?"

Jiang Yidao gave a slight cough, interrupting everyone's conjectures. Raising his chin slightly, he signaled to the two men, "Continue."

"Yes," the two complied and proceeded. "We also discovered that the Seal of the Nine Dragons restriction technique on the young master's body differed from the one we practice; it appeared to be of a higher grade. However, the restriction's energy was soon exhausted, preventing us from making a more detailed judgment."

"Could... could this have been the work of someone from the main clan? What heinous act has this unfilial son committed this time?" Upon hearing this, Jiang Jialang's father's expression changed drastically, his voice trailing off as he spoke.

Jiang Yidao let out a cold snort, cast a sidelong glance at him, and said to an elder beside him, "Second Brother, tell us what you found in the cell."

"Very well. I have thoroughly inspected the cell. The restriction placed on Shi Dali was not broken by brute force. Furthermore, inside the cell, I found a hole with loose soil, as if something had tunneled in and out through it."

"Ah!" Another wave of commotion rippled through the crowd. The more they listened, the less they understood what Jiang Yidao was trying to convey.

Jiang Yidao showed no intention of unraveling the mystery just yet, and instead turned to Jiang Jialang's father, saying, "Shaofei, tell us about what you learned in Pearl City while investigating Shi Dali earlier."

"Yes, Father." Jiang Jialang's father, now much more subdued, immediately recounted, "At the time, because Abidao was issuing a bounty for a male and female fugitive, anyone entering their teleportation array had to undergo identity verification. It was this procedure that angered Shi Dali, leading to a conflict with Abidao. In the end, he was barred from using the teleportation array and was forced to return via the Black Desert. It was because of a water source that he came into conflict with Fourth Brother and killed him..."

Jiang Shaofei's voice grew increasingly bleak, but Jiang Yidao remained unmoved. "Do you all remember what those sand bandits said? Aside from Shi Dali and Tu Xiong of the Sandstorm Mercenary Corps, were there not a man and a woman who assisted in killing Shaoyun?"

When Jiang Yidao finished his question, the room fell into a dead silence.

After a long while, Jiang Shaofei asked in startled disbelief, "Father, do you mean to say that the man and the woman are the fugitives wanted by Abidao? But didn't even Shi Dali say that since the two of them had neither maps nor shelter from the wind season, it was impossible for them to walk out of the Black Desert alive? What do they have to do with today's events?"

Still offering no explanation, Jiang Yidao addressed the two bodyguards once more. "Recount the details of how Jialang made enemies with someone today."

"Yes." The two bodyguards recounted the whole event meticulously, starting from Jiang Jialang flirting with An Shu at the Dust-Washing Pavilion down to their second encounter at the Rongbao Pavilion.

"They survived?!"

Jiang Shaofei's face turned ashen, and he trembled as he said, "Could... could these two be people from the main clan, and did Jialang offend them and thus get executed? What... what are we to do now?"

If such misconduct were to reach the ears of the main clan, they would forever lose any chance of recognition by the family. Moreover, they might even be forced to change their surname and be expelled from the clan, losing even their status as a collateral branch.

"Hmph! The two of them are merely at the Golden Core stage. Even if they were members of the main clan, they would not be able to break the restriction I personally set—unless the Seal of the Nine Dragons they used is different from the one belonging to our Jiang family."

"Different from our Jiang family?!" Everyone was astonished upon hearing this.

Jiang Yidao swept a cold gaze across the crowd and said, "You should not forget that the young man who participated in the murder of Shaoyun is a bear demon. I imagine that the ability to silently tunnel into a cell through the earth is a skill possessed only by demons, is it not? And being able to locate the ruins of the ancient kingdom is presumably something only someone with such capabilities could achieve, right?"

"Could that bear demon have found the ruins of the ancient kingdom?!"
"And even mastered the primitive Nine Dragons Heaven-Overturning Seal?!"
"Everything that has happened is connected to him?!"

Prompted by Jiang Yidao, the crowd finally had an epiphany.

The Seal of the Nine Dragons, Blackwind Ridge, demons, the feud with Jiang Jialang, and the alliance with Shi Dali—all the clues converged upon these two mysterious individuals.

The facts lay right before their eyes, yet the crowd still dared not believe the conclusion they had reached. A mere demon cultivator at the Golden Core stage was actually the root cause of all these events?

Yu Mu never imagined that a momentary lapse in judgment, forgetting to lift the restriction on the deceased Jiang Jialang, would allow the Jiang family to connect all the clues and bring about a tremendous crisis.

Seeing that everyone understood his meaning, Jiang Yidao nodded with satisfaction and said in a deep voice, "Since he has found the ruins of the ancient kingdom and learned the Nine Dragons Dharma Seal, then the Dragon Seal, as well as the whereabouts of the legendary treasures, are very likely in his hands. Therefore, both the blood feud of the Jiang family and the matter concerning Shi Dali must be put on hold for now. The utmost priority at present is to capture the bear demon and his companion."

"Old Ancestor is brilliant!"

This time, no one raised any objections to Jiang Yidao's decision.

The ruins of the ancient kingdom, the Nine Dragons Heaven-Overturning Seal, treasures, the Dragon Seal—everyone knew full well what these signified. In the face of such stakes, the deaths of a few Jiang family members amounted to nothing of importance.

"Shaofei, make another trip to Pearl City and make sure to gather all intelligence related to those two. Pay particular attention to their background and where they intend to go."

"Yes, Father."

"Laosan, you will be responsible for placing the Shi family under surveillance around the clock, closely monitoring their every move. Dispatch men to control all the teleportation arrays and major thoroughfares leading out of the city. If there is any news of those two, report to me immediately."

"Understood, Eldest Brother," Jiang Laosan replied.

"Oh, and one more thing: to avoid arousing the Shi family's suspicions, maintain a high-pressure stance on the surface. But unless absolutely necessary, avoid direct conflict with them."

"I understand."

"You two, see if there is any way to reach Blackwind Ridge and investigate once more."

The two bodyguards stammered, "But... it is the wind season right now."

"Hmph! Of course I know it is the wind season, which is why I am telling you to find a way."

"Yes..." The two cowered, daring not utter another word.

"Second Brother, make a trip to Dragonfall City and report the events that have occurred here to the main clan. Whether our branch can win the family's recognition depends entirely on this single endeavor. Last time, in our eagerness to achieve a great merit, we failed to report the discovery of the ancient jade. Who would have thought that with Shaoyun's death, everything would come to naught? We must not let this opportunity slip away again; you must handle this properly!"