HSSB560: Heaven Spying Orb
Elder Qin looked at Chang Zheng whose expression was as per usual. Amidst his sternness, he felt some worry as well.
Was it the current situation of the clan with a great many of its peak experts having been lost that had caused Chang Zheng to become more biased towards the moderate, conservative faction or was there some other reason for it?
Elder Qin could not tell, while Zhang Kun finally spoke after a moment’s silence, “You are currently the Chief of the Disciplinary Hall. You are to be fully in charge of this matter.”
Chang Zheng answered, “Yes, Master.”
While Feng Yunsheng and Yin Liuhua were not directly imprisoned, their movements were restricted with them being placed under surveillance as though they had been confined.
A deep investigation awaited them and Hong Jiaqi.
Feng Yunsheng warned herself that she had to be calm, accepting all of this calmly and not letting it affect her daily cultivation.
There were still around a hundred days left before the next Extreme Yin Bout. If she could prove her innocence by then, she would still be in time to participate in it.
While Zhang Kun and the others wanted to just give up on this time’s Extreme Yin Bout, all of Broad Creed Mountain was rather hesitant regarding this due to their chances being extremely great.
While Chang Zheng had full authority on this matter, with the assistance of Elder Qin and the others and the tacit agreement of the two Grand Elders, their preferential treatment towards Feng Yunsheng and Yin Liuhua did not stop as they were allowed to cultivate as per usual.
The investigation proceeded, personally overseen by Chang Zheng.
“All of Feng Yunsheng’s things are here?” Chang Zheng asked.
A female Elder surnamed Wang beside him who was currently in charge of Feng Yunsheng’s and Yin Liuhua’s cultivation answered, “All of them are here, her Shadow Shrinking Pouch included. I did not look at her Shadow Shrinking Pouch, having handed it over to you in its original sealed state. Still, I can be sure that she does not have anything hidden on her.”
Chang Zheng nodded soundlessly, his expression not changing.
However, his heart was filled with doubt, “It’s not here. Where could it have gone? Did she not bring it back to the Mountain?”
A dark look flashed through Chang Zheng’s gaze, “Could it be that she already knows? No, she shouldn’t know yet, or she would not have reacted like this. Not having been able to start it after such a long time, this goes to show that she inadvertently obtained this treasure, still not knowing how to use it. That’s good, I still have a chance.”
“But just where could it be? It looks like I’ll only be able to slowly break her down…”
When the other party indicated that he had found a Shadow Spirit Talisman in her Shadow Shrinking Pouch, Feng Yunsheng instantly raised her brows.
She was now growing increasingly certain that someone was scheming against her.
It was just-who was it? Or perhaps…who were they?
Feng Yunsheng was currently looking straight at Chang Zheng who stood before her, his gaze similarly calm as no abnormalities could be seen within it at all, “The Shadow Spirit Talisman has not been used before, and it cannot be determined who it can be used to contact. Still, having discovered a one-time use spirit talisman in your Shadow Shrinking Pouch that can be used for long-distance communication, the suspicion on you is growing heavier and heavier.”
“It also means that the suspicion on some others is growing heavier and heavier as well.” Feng Yunsheng said calmly.
Chang Zheng asked, “Could junior apprentice-sister Yin have touched your Shadow Shrinking Pouch?”
“Yes,” Feng Yunsheng glanced at him, saying slowly, “This Shadow Spirit Talisman is not mine.”
Chang Zheng said, “But there is your residual aura-qi on it.”
Feng Yunsheng answered, “It can be collected wherever I have been in cultivation before.”
Chang Zheng nodded, “That’s right. I will clearly investigate this matter. Still, if there is anything you haven’t reported before, now is the time to reveal it. If it comes to be discovered afterwards, it would only add on to the suspicion on you.”
He glanced at Feng Yunsheng, “Make a list of all the places you have stayed in in recent days, especially in the East Sea. The Disciplinary Hall will check over all of them. Remember not to miss anything out. That would only be disadvantageous to you.”
Feng Yunsheng answered, “I did not miss anything out. I have already said all the locations that I can be certain of.”
Chang Zheng nodded and left.
What caused Feng Yunsheng to feel troubled was that as time passed, the supervision on her instead grew stricter and stricter.
Her arrangements for cultivation with Yin Liuhua were gradually thrown into disarray as the resources that the clan provided to her were affected as well.
While she was not confined within the Disciplinary Hall, the investigation on her grew stricter and stricter with increased questionings being directed at her.
Feng Yunsheng was not greedy for preferential treatment, but the problem that lay herein was that the clan, or the Disciplinary Hall to be specific, was beginning to trust her less and less.
With the Seventh Extreme Yin Bout right around the corner, her cultivation was instead being affected more and more greatly. This indicated that the clan would likely forbid her from participating in this time’s Extreme Yin Bout.
This was what troubled Feng Yunsheng the most.
……
On the World Illuminating Peak of the Sacred Sun Clan, their Chief Huang Xu was seated together with his son Huang Jie.
Looking at his son, Huang Xu said, “No news having come after such a long time, it seems like everything should be going smoothly.”
“The only thing that I cannot understand is-how were you so certain that Chang Zheng would act according to our plan?”
Huang Jie’s expression was calm as he answered, “He is acting not according to our plan but his own. We are using him, and he is using us as well. It is just that he doesn’t know that his plan was precisely what I had hoped he would do.”
“If not for this person, it would not have been easy for that Yin Liuhua as she would easily have revealed flaws even at the initial stage. There is only this Chief of the Disciplinary Hall who can be able to help her get around all of these things.”
Huang Xu asked, “What I am curious about is-why would Chang Zheng do such a thing?”
Huang Jie said, “Because he has a selfish reason of his own. He wants to obtain something from Feng Yunsheng, yet has to avoid the suspicions of others whilst doing so. Thus, if Feng Yunsheng committed a mistake, he would be able to openly investigate her things.”
“What thing?” Huang Xu looked at Huang Jie, “It looks like you’re very clear on it.”
Huang Jie took out an orb, placing it before Huang Xu, “I am indeed clear on it. That’s because the thing that Chang Zheng wants is actually in my possession.”
He tapped the orb lightly, a scene of light appearing within, “The scenes within this Heaven Spying Orb of mine are impossible to falsify. Thus, it is iron proof of the matter.”
Watching it through, Huang Xu’s gaze instantly lit up, “So that’s it! So Infinite Boundless Mountain’s Li Jingtu was actually killed by him.”
Huang Jie nodded, “As Li Jingtu was escaping that day along with the Heaven Cleaving Axe after having been heavily wounded by you and the other Elders, he ended up running into this Chang Zheng. He was greedily bewitched by the Heaven Cleaving Axe, thus killing Li Jingtu and destroying the evidence of his misdeeds. Who knew that while the Heaven Cleaving Axe was heavily wounded, still possessing its spirituality, it escaped amidst that battle, finally still ending up in your hands.”
“Chang Zheng dirtied his hands, but was still just giving a gift to our Sacred Sun Clan at the end of the day.”
“The Heaven Spying Orb is the ‘mother’ orb. The ‘child orb’ which recorded all these events was discovered and destroyed by Chang Zheng. However, having recognised the Heaven Spying Orb, he is now looking for the core orb itself.”
Huang Xu thought, “You made him think that the Heaven Spying Orb is with Feng Yunsheng?”
Huang Jie answered, “Actually, it is just an accident. Feng Yunsheng inadvertently obtained an orb. After having discovered it, I felt that it might be a pretty good chance, thus leading Chang Zheng to take notice of Feng Yunsheng.”
“Normally, Heaven Spying Orbs always only have one ‘child’ orb and one ‘mother’ orb, with this orb of mine being the only exception. It is the first set with one ‘mother’ orb and three ‘child’ orbs to have been discovered. Thus, Chang Zheng didn’t know that what Feng Yunsheng had was actually a ‘child’ orb as well.”
“If I directly revealed the matter, things would not be good for Chang Zheng, and Broad Creed Mountain would not be able to properly account for it to Infinite Boundless Mountain as well. I will reveal it sooner or later, but before that, Chang Zheng can still help us out in this area.”
“Where is that ‘child’ orb now then?” Huang Xu asked.
Huang Jie raised that orb in his palm, “It was shattered by me, and so Chang Zheng will not be able to find it no matter how he tries. Meanwhile, Feng Yunsheng would have been unable to destroy the Heaven Spying Orb with her cultivation base. Thus, Chang Zheng will likely be thinking that the orb was hidden somewhere by Feng Yunsheng.”
“However, he is unable to voice it out at all, and would not easily be able to verify it as well. Thus, he can only put in more and more effort in searching for it. The more effort he puts in, the better it will naturally be for us.”
“He is Broad Creed Mountain’s current Chief of the Disciplinary Hall, and there are only two ageing elderly of Broad Creed Mountain who shrink back from the present and stay concerned about the future who are able to suppress him now.”
“So long as Chang Zheng does not give up, Feng Yunsheng will not be able to extricate herself.”