Chapter 87: Do You Want To Kill The Demon-Suppressing King?
The Bureau of Immortal Inspection's officials were all inside the reception hall of the Demon Suppression Prince’s Mansion. Shen Zhigao and several clan elders sat with smiles, accompanying them and ordering maidservants to bring tea.
“Shen Jingxiao was handling affairs in the Southern Border and could not personally accompany you; please forgive him.”
“The old general is too polite. We came only to ask Heir Shen a few questions and did not mean to deliberately disturb the Prince. The Southern Border matter was urgent; the beast tide had entered the realm, and the Prince’s leadership was still required.”
“May I ask presumptuously—did Zhou’er commit some offense to draw so many immortal officers here?”
“It involved some cases handled by the Bureau of Immortal Inspection, so it was inconvenient to disclose.”
When Shen Yanzhou entered, Shen Zhigao was on the side probing with indirect questions, his eyes carrying an inscrutable smile.
“Heir Shen, you arrived at a good time. Would you accompany us to the Bureau of Immortal Inspection?”
Several immortal officers rose. One female officer in a slightly older crimson robe even spoke aloud.
Gu Ruoxi was among them; her features were delicate, eyes like dots of lacquer, and a faint, inscrutable smile perpetually at the corner of her mouth as she said, “Heir Shen should be willing; if this matter could not be explained clearly, it would likely cause no small amount of trouble later.”
Her words were already very plain.
It was as if she were about to tell Shen Yanzhou, to his face, that he had big trouble.
Shen Yanzhou glanced at the clan elders who watched from the side with an expression that bore a hint of schadenfreude; he knew this matter likely had something to do with them.
“Let’s go. I rather wanted to know what the matter was.”
He smiled and said calmly.
“Zhou’er, rest assured: whatever you had done, the Prince’s Mansion stood on your side. We would find a way to help you.”
“But you truly ought to rein in your temper. Being too conspicuous would only invite unnecessary trouble.” Shen Zhigao feigned difficulty as he spoke.
In truth, they had already heard rumors and knew what had happened at the Dragon-Tiger Institute; Elder Tang Ya was an old acquaintance.
If the Bureau of Immortal Inspection took Shen Yanzhou away now and then made a move, they could easily pin the deaths of those students at the Dragon-Tiger Institute on him.
That was how three people could create a tiger by rumor.
As for the truth, it did not matter; as long as the true heir of a forbidden technique could not be found, Shen Yanzhou would remain under suspicion.
After all, how could one explain his Dragon-Elephant strength and his martial realm?
“You need not trouble yourselves, clan elders. I would keep my mouth shut and never leak a scrap of the Prince’s Mansion’s secrets.”
“Nor would I tell the Chief Inspector of the Bureau of Immortal Inspection that my father had been secretly compiling Registers of Immortals in the Southern Border, intending to record and enslave every hidden sect there…” Shen Yanzhou replied with a smile.
“You—”
“What nonsense are you speaking—”
Shen Zhigao and the others’ faces changed; they hurried to refute him. “Don’t spout nonsense.”
When Gu Ruoxi and the other immortal officers heard this, they could not help but look over. Creating immortal registers privately was a grave crime to the court; any immortal register not verified by the Bureau of Immortal Inspection and the Ministry of Revenue was effectively a black register.
Was the Demon Suppression King seeking to overstep his authority and enslave the sects within his territory for his own use?
“Everyone, don’t listen to Shen Yanzhou’s muddling. Hurry and take him away.”
Shen Zhigao and the others felt a pang of guilt. What Shen Yanzhou had said seemed casual, but in fact it had exposed the secret registration of immortals being carried out in the Southern Border.
They did not know where Shen Yanzhou had learned of this.
If the Bureau of Immortal Inspection found proof and presented it before the court, no matter how meritorious the Demon Suppression King’s deeds, he would not escape punishment or impeachment—and might even be charged with treason.
Gu Ruoxi and the other immortal officers did not press the matter further; even if the Demon Suppression King had truly done so, they presently had no evidence.
“Heir Shen, let us go.”
“The Chief Inspector is still waiting for you.”
Outside the Prince’s Mansion, several carriages with dark curtains were waiting, led by armored attendants. The horses themselves were top-tier wind-chasing steeds, their coats glossy black, faint cloud patterns traced across their bodies as if carried by an invisible breeze, able to travel a thousand li a day with ease.
The Bureau of Immortal Inspection’s black-winged banners fluttered nearby, lending an aura of mystery and depth.
As the most special part of the Great Qian capital, the Taoist adepts within the Bureau of Immortal Inspection held a status different from other offices. Though Gu Ruoxi and the others were only seventh-rank officials, even third-rank ministers of the court treated them with deference.
Taoist lineage passed down through generations; apart from the immortal sects, most inheritances were monopolized by great clans.
Taoist cultivation relied upon innate lineage—talent that was one in ten thousand. The resources piled up from a child’s training were exorbitantly priced.
Ordinary families, even if they discovered a descendant with Taoist lineage, could not bear the astronomical cost of cultivation; at best they could send them to a temple to be enrolled as disciple students and perhaps qualify to learn seal carving.
If fortune smiled a bit more, a traveling elder might notice and take the child into a major immortal sect.
Thus, the Taoist adepts in the capital did not have simple backgrounds, and few dared to clash with the Bureau of Immortal Inspection’s carriages.
Shen Yanzhou lifted the curtain of the carriage Gu Ruoxi had opened and sat inside. Intricate patterns were carved throughout; a breeze drifted in, bringing cool air, and the carriage muffled outside sounds. Even rough patches of road felt as smooth as a flat surface.
“Speak. What, exactly, is the matter?”
Shen Yanzhou asked directly and took a comfortable seat.
Gu Ruoxi smoothed her skirts and sat opposite him. She did not maintain the airs of a favored daughter of heaven as she had in the Prince’s Mansion; instead, she appeared somewhat cautious.
“It was that my family’s Third Master had long wished to meet you.”
“Also, today at the Dragon-Tiger Institute an accident occurred. Several students from the Martial Institute had their internal energy completely drained and died in a gruesome state. Elder Tang Ya intended to point the blame at you…” Gu Ruoxi weighed her words and bit down on her silver teeth.
Even she was not sure whether Shen Yanzhou had done it. If he had—
Then being in the same carriage with him would be dangerous.
Of course, now that she had taken the Ten-Thousand-Gu Heart-Piercing Pill, her life and death were in his hands; there was nothing she could do.
She could only walk the single dead end she had chosen to the very end.
At these words, Shen Yanzhou suddenly straightened, his gaze becoming profound as he stared at Gu Ruoxi.
Gu Ruoxi felt a little unnerved under that look and reflexively clenched a talisman beneath her sleeve, asking, “What is it?”
Could it be that she had guessed correctly and the worst had happened—Shen Yanzhou truly was the inheritor of the Nether Cult’s forbidden arts?
That the Martial Institute students had been slaughtered by his hand?
“You need not worry; you and I were grasshoppers on the same rope. I told you this not out of malice or as a threat, but to warn you: see if you can cover up the matter, and henceforth be more cautious in your actions—best to destroy the corpses and all traces…” Gu Ruoxi’s heart leapt, yet she forced herself and hurried to explain.
Shen Yanzhou stared at her as if to determine whether she was joking, then sighed slightly. Indeed, large chest, small brain seemed apt.
He had not expected Gu Ruoxi to truly take him for the inheritor of the Nether Cult’s forbidden art.
If his guess was not wrong, this was the handiwork of Shen Jingxiao.
In the original plot, there had been no such incident of the Nether Cult’s forbidden art appearing in the world. Either Shen Jingxiao had deliberately concealed it, or he had used some other method to fabricate such a gruesome illusion.
And the purpose of doing so, naturally, was to frame him.
“You’re not trying to trick me, are you?”
He glanced around the carriage, ensuring there were no sound-storing talismans or shadow-recording stones.
Gu Ruoxi quickly shook her head. “How could I? I came out of good intentions, to warn you.”
Shen Yanzhou’s gaze deepened. “You deliberately lured me out of the Prince’s Mansion and onto this Bureau of Immortal Inspection carriage, surrounded by your Bureau’s officers. If you acted against me in broad daylight, I would surely be exposed.”
“It seems you’ve forgotten the pain when the Ten-Thousand Gu Heart-Piercing Pill took effect.”
Hearing this, Gu Ruoxi’s face paled slightly. She hurried to explain, “I didn’t mean that—you mustn’t misunderstand.”
“If I’m exposed, you won’t survive either.”
Shen Yanzhou spoke evenly.
Gu Ruoxi nodded repeatedly like a pecking chick. Of course she knew that—so she also didn’t want Shen Yanzhou to be caught and exposed.
“Why are you sitting so far away? Afraid I’ll drain you dry?” Shen Yanzhou asked.
Gu Ruoxi’s delicate face went pale again; reluctantly, she lifted her hips and scooted closer toward him.
“Sit here.” Shen Yanzhou shook his head, pointing to his lap.
Gu Ruoxi pressed her lips together timidly. “Men and women shouldn’t be so close—it isn’t proper.”
“Don’t make me do it myself.”
“T-Then… fine.”
Looking at Shen Yanzhou’s expressionless face, Gu Ruoxi finally compromised. Her body stiffened; all the earlier grace and charm vanished. Sitting in his arms, she dared not move.
Shen Yanzhou was rather satisfied with her current reaction—dim-witted, perhaps, but at least obedient.
“You—”
Suddenly, feeling Shen Yanzhou’s hand becoming restless, Gu Ruoxi instinctively tried to get up, but his other hand pressed her down again.
Her cheeks flushed crimson, and even her crystal-clear ears turned warm.
“What about me?” Shen Yanzhou asked coolly, his expression unchanged.
Gu Ruoxi bit her lip, her eyes glistening with tears. “You… be gentle.”
She could indeed feel that his grip had lightened; he was no longer hurting her.
But soon, a strange tingling sensation coursed through her body, as if struck by lightning charms—numb and tingling all over, her strength seemed to melt away.
Unable to resist, she leaned lightly against Shen Yanzhou, her breath coming faster.
But Shen Yanzhou stopped at a mere touch.
Gu Ruoxi’s heart twisted with frustration, feeling he was tormenting her on purpose.
This was worse than the Ten-Thousand Gu Heart-Piercing Pill.
The carriage continued speeding toward the Bureau of Immortal Inspection, smooth and without a jolt.
“At present, even the Chilin Guards have begun to suspect something. It won’t be long before they take you for questioning. Are you confident you can hide it? Within the Bureau, I can try to mediate a bit. My Third Master is the Deputy Sacrificer, and he still has some influence.”
“But the paper can’t hide the fire. The Northern Sea Heaven-Transforming Human Pill Grand Art was personally listed as a forbidden art by the Taizu Emperor himself. You’d best switch to another cultivation method. Otherwise, the day you’re exposed, you’ll be the enemy of the entire world…”
After pausing a moment, Gu Ruoxi still decided to speak, though she feared Shen Yanzhou would misunderstand her, so her voice gradually softened toward the end.
She realized that once she learned Shen Yanzhou’s secret, she could forget about ever receiving the antidote to the Ten-Thousand Gu Heart-Piercing Pill.
The thought filled her heart with melancholy—it seemed she was fated never to escape his grasp.
She had been the Gu Family’s most promising young genius, the brightest of her generation, her future boundless—and yet, how had she ended up in such misfortune?
“Why are you sighing?”
Shen Yanzhou asked.
“The world before me is bleak; there’s little light to be seen. Why cling to life, and what’s there to fear in death?” Gu Ruoxi sighed.
She truly did not believe Shen Yanzhou could conceal himself for long. He would inevitably be exposed.
How could someone so cautious and careful as him have made such an obvious mistake—leaving corpses in plain sight, discovered by others?
Wait…
“You were bluffing me earlier, weren’t you? Just trying to scare me?”
Reason reclaimed its position in her small head; Gu Ruoxi’s beautiful eyes widened as she turned to glare at Shen Yanzhou.
“Does water occasionally seep into your brain?”
Shen Yanzhou couldn’t help but shake his head, remembering the time Gu Ruoxi had used charm arts to try to seduce him.
How had this woman become the so-called ‘Famed Capturing Officer of the Capital’?
By her face? Her chest?
Gu Ruoxi paid no mind to his mockery. Her mood lifted suddenly—this hateful man had indeed been bluffing her just now.
The carriage rolled along unimpeded and soon arrived before the Bureau of Immortal Inspection.
Unlike the Chilin Guards’ grand and majestic compound, this place exuded a veil of misty haze. Even in broad daylight, one could hardly see clearly. It was as though a dense fog blanketed the area, so thick even sunlight could not pierce through.
Gu Ruoxi first tidied her robes and appearance, then led Shen Yanzhou down the carriage and all the way toward a tall corner tower deep within the compound.
It was Shen Yanzhou’s first time here. Unlike the hazy view from outside, everything inside appeared clear—smoke-wreathed cloud ponds, bronze cauldrons, meditation chambers.
Even the ground bore intricate formation patterns; with every step, he felt a gentle breeze aiding his stride, making his movements lighter.
However, few other adepts could be seen; it seemed most were in their respective chambers cultivating in silence.
“The Deputy Sacrificer awaits you upstairs,” Gu Ruoxi said, her tone now changed.
The Great Qian had long held the custom of offering sacrifices to heaven, presided over by the Chief Inspector and National Preceptor, assisted by four Deputy Sacrificers.
When the Chief Inspector was in seclusion, the Deputy Sacrificers governed the Bureau’s affairs.
The corner tower was arranged according to the pattern of the celestial stars, its corners soaring high like dragons ascending into the sky, each glazed tile gleaming with golden brilliance as if celestial palaces had descended to the mortal realm.
Following Gu Ruoxi, Shen Yanzhou entered the tower, climbed the spiral staircase, and reached the top floor.
The view here was expansive, as if one could pluck the stars with a hand. Looking down, vast stretches of the capital lay beneath his gaze.
An elderly man with white beard and hair, wearing a robe embroidered with constellations and wide sleeves, awaited him. A Go board sat before him, several stones scattered upon it.
“Greetings, Deputy Sacrificer,” Shen Yanzhou bowed respectfully.
Once they had arrived, Gu Ruoxi tactfully withdrew, leaving the two alone.
The white-bearded elder carried an immortal air, his entire being suffused with profound Daoist resonance. His eyes held deep wisdom as he smiled at Shen Yanzhou. “Heir Shen, no need for formality. Sit.”
With a light motion of his sleeve, an invisible breeze stirred, and a stool appeared beside the board.
As soon as Shen Yanzhou sat down, the elder’s voice rang out—
“Heir Shen, do you wish to kill the Demon Suppression King?”