Zhu Xuanji walked out of the warehouse, deep in thought along the way.
He hadn't expected that the clues about the Black Shadow Demon Cultivator would suddenly present themselves in this manner.
"Could this be another trick from the City Lord's Mansion?"
"Using such a method to divert my attention, scatter my focus, and prevent me from giving my best effort in the competition for the Magma Fairy Palace?"
If so, Zhu Xuanji had to admit, this plan was extremely malicious!
The other side must have understood his character precisely, gripping tightly onto his strong desire to protect the vast number of city residents.
Demon beasts besieged the city, and the forces from the City Lord's Mansion were stretched thin. Fei Si couldn't thoroughly investigate the entire Immortal City; she could only check if the critical areas had hidden Fire Persimmons.
And even if so many Fire Persimmons weren't hidden in key strategic locations, detonating them in the city center would still cause massive casualties.
If the city faced too many casualties and descended into chaos, it would inevitably affect the frontline as well.
Zhu Xuanji believed in his own abilities and tended to think Fei Si wasn't lying, but what about Meng Kui?
Though the Meng Family was known for their straightforward and direct nature, Meng Kui was the only strategist among the four generals.
Even if Zhu Xuanji confronted Meng Kui, he didn't have much confidence in his own lie detection methods against a Nascent Soul level cultivator.
Walking down the street, Zhu Xuanji's eyes were unfocused, myriad thoughts swirling in his mind.
"But what if it's not?"
"What if the City Lord's Mansion is indeed just a victim? What if neither Meng Kui nor Fei Si secretly conspired?"
"Could this Black Shadow Demon Cultivator be the same as the culprit who bombarded Fire Persimmon Mountain?"
Countless possibilities flashed through Zhu Xuanji's mind.
He felt as if he were in a fog, unsure which path would lead to the truth.
"Lord Zhu! Finally found you!" A voice interrupted Zhu Xuanji's thoughts.
Zhu Xuanji focused his gaze and saw a Foundation Establishment Cultivator dressed as a servant.
Zhu Xuanji then asked about the purpose.
The cultivator servant bowed deeply: "This old servant is a subordinate of Lord Zhu Hou. Lord Zhu Hou was recently selected to serve as the new head of Ciyu Orphanage in Fire Persimmon Immortal City and arrived here two days ago. He is already prepared to take over."
"Tomorrow, there will be a ceremony for his appointment."
"Lord Zhu Hou heard you were in the Immortal City and wanted to invite you to attend the handover ceremony."
"After all, this position at Ciyu Orphanage was advocated by you."
Zhu Xuanji's spirit was lifted, and he smiled: "This is the only good news I've heard today! You are right, the matter of the Ciyu Orphanage was reported to the Monarch by me, who specially instructed to select talent from my Zhu Family's royal lineage."
"I didn't expect it to be Uncle Zhu Hou who took this job."
"With him there, I'm at ease."
"Unfortunately, I am entangled in urgent matters and have no time to attend the ceremony."
At this point, Zhu Xuanji's eyes flickered with a look of hesitation.
He understood Zhu Hou's intention. If he, a Divine Hunter, were present at the ceremony tomorrow, it would greatly improve Zhu Hou's future standing, making it easier to manage the Ciyu Orphanage.
"Since I've already agreed to Li Leifeng, wouldn't it be better to do things thoroughly?"
After considering it, Zhu Xuanji decided to compromise: "I'll go see Uncle Zhu now, let's go."
Saying so, he grabbed the old servant by the collar and flew into the air, grandly heading towards the Ciyu Orphanage.
Zhu Xuanji's actions quickly drew countless eyes.
Just like before, when he openly went to find Ning Zhuo, to implement the ruse to scare the snake out of the grass.
From that moment, he had already begun supporting Zhu Hou.
Zhu Xuanji landed in the Ciyu Orphanage with the servant cultivator and met Zhu Hou.
Zhu Hou was only at the Foundation Establishment Stage, stout and corpulent, kind and magnanimous.
Zhu Xuanji immediately cupped his hands and saluted Zhu Hou.
In his youth, Zhu Xuanji had received much kindness and support from Zhu Hou.
Thus, even though he had become a Golden Core Stage cultivator, he had always been respectful to Zhu Hou, never neglecting him.
Zhu Xuanji then apologized to Zhu Hou, saying he couldn't attend the handover ceremony the next day.
Zhu Hou smiled slightly and gestured for him to sit down.
Zhu Hou also sat down: "Seeing you fly over ostentatiously, I already understood your intention."
"It makes me very happy that you could find time to come over."
"From now on, leave the Ciyu Orphanage to me, you can be at ease."
"I've watched you grow up, how could I not know your aspirations? Our goals are aligned."
"I will do my best to unearth the talents within and supply them to the royal family."
"Gathering soil into a mountain, collecting fur into a coat, by constantly accumulating, we can surely help the royal family contend against the various powerful ministers."
At this, Zhu Hou sighed deeply.
"Nowadays in Southern Bean Country, the Meng Family, Su Family, and others have become too powerful to control."
"The late Emperor, deeply affected by personal grief in his later years, failed to handle all this well, leaving such a huge mess for the descendants."
Zhu Xuanji remained silent, unwilling to rashly blame the ancestors.
No matter what, the founding emperor of Southern Bean Country was able to establish such a foundation, his achievements far outweighed his faults.
Zhu Hou saw the gloom in Zhu Xuanji's eyes and took the initiative to change the subject: "By the way, Xiaoji, I found something good while organizing Li Leifeng's belongings!"
"Come take a look."
Zhu Hou revealed a mysterious expression, took out a jade slip, and handed it to Zhu Xuanji.
The surface of the jade slip was smooth, indicating frequent use and handling. Clearly, Li Leifeng had used it often during his lifetime.
Zhu Xuanji took the jade slip and swept through its contents with his divine sense.
He immediately discovered that it was a diary kept by Li Leifeng during his lifetime.