Chapter 451: Autumn Hunt and Sacrifice to Heaven

Late at night, Gu Daoling sat cross-legged on the Star Observation Platform, gazing at the starry sky.

The stars and moon hung low, his gaze clear and bright.

The light of the stars and moon seemed to interweave and crisscross deep within his eyes...

"Huh!"

Gu Daoling, who was contemplating the orbits of the stars and moon, suddenly sensed a strange fluctuation of Law Power appearing above the Cangqiong, more than twenty miles east of the Shenyun Prefecture city.

"That is..."

Law Power can only be fathomed and mastered by experts of the Dongming Realm; even within the Taiyi Sect, such experts hold the status of Elder or venerable senior, rarely appearing in the secular world.

Even if they did appear, what kind of matter would be worth a Dongming Realm expert taking action?

Moreover, observing that fluctuation surging straight into the Cangqiong, although it was clearly just the aftermath, one could judge the whole from a single spot; it was evident that the Law Power located more than twenty miles east of the city had likely unleashed its full realm.

Gu Daoling's figure suddenly rose as if riding the wind, soaring into the sky; facing the cold light of the stars and moon, he transformed into a streak of black light and shot rapidly toward the east of Shenyun Prefecture.

A distance of over twenty miles was reached in an instant for Gu Daoling!

A streak of black light, like a meteor, streaked across the horizon and hovered above a patch of desert ten zhang in radius within the oasis.

Gu Daoling hovered high in the air, using the starlight and moonlight to examine the strange desert in the wilderness below; he stared intently at a conspicuous point in the center of that desert.

That point, viewed from high above, was a small, intact circular patch of grass.

Gu Daoling's figure flickered, and the next moment he was hovering beside that circular patch of grass.

He stared at the edge of the circular grass, his expression shifting slightly.

"It is the Yinlu Cicada!"

A flash of doubt crossed Gu Daoling's eyes; he swept his Divine Sense everywhere, only to find that the surrounding empty wilderness was completely devoid of human tracks.

The Yinlu Cicada, even within the Taiyi Sect, could be considered a precious treasure. Who on earth had used the Yinlu Cicada here?

Moreover, looking at the residual aftermath here, there was clearly only one strand of Law Power.

"Could it be that someone encountered an attack from a Qi Refining Realm or Qi Cyclone Realm expert and, in a life-or-death moment, used the Yinlu Cicada to save their life?"

However, since the Yinlu Cicada had been unleashed, whether it was a Qi Refining Realm expert or a Qi Cyclone Realm expert, they would be reduced to powder in an instant, becoming nothing but a speck of dust...

Gu Daoling suddenly turned his head and looked toward the direction of Shenyun Prefecture.

"Could it be that within Shenyun Prefecture, there is actually someone who possesses such a precious treasure as the Yinlu Cicada?"

Gu Daoling's gaze was cold and sharp.

"What utter nonsense!"

"This Yinlu Cicada is a trump card given by the Sect to protect the lives of the heaven-gifted seedlings who will shoulder the future of the Taiyi Sect. Even among the Elders of the Elder Council, only three or four can obtain a cicada body from the Ancestor, and they must refine Law Dew themselves to feed this cicada."

"Such an item—how could those secular bloodlines of Shenyun Prefecture, mere maggots crawling and struggling in the vanity fair, be worthy of possessing it?"

The reason Gu Daoling stayed alone in the Guanxing Ge of Shenyun Prefecture was that he was very displeased with some of the corrupt affairs within the Sect, and being straightforward by nature, he could not suppress the anger in his heart, so he simply hid away, out of sight and out of mind.

At this moment, he still assumed that the Yinlu Cicada had been gifted by some Elder in the Sect who felt pity for a junior among the secular bloodlines.

In Gu Daoling's view, this act was a misuse of public resources for private gain.

Inside the residence of Zhu Zhengfu in Shenyun Prefecture, a black shadow flashed by like a ghost, as if soundless.

It was Duan Rong, who had just rushed back from outside the city.

His figure stopped beside the side window of the Separate Courtyard; his Divine Sense enveloped the surroundings of the courtyard. The patrolling soldiers here would not approach, and in the front courtyard, Chou Luan was lying on the large bluestone, seemingly asleep.

Duan Rong gently opened the window, fearing to make a sound that would disturb Chou Luan, who was dozing in the front courtyard.

Like a large falling leaf, he slid into the window, landed silently, and the window behind him closed gently.

Only then did Duan Rong exhale a breath of turbid air in the darkness and wipe the fine sweat from his forehead.

In the darkness, it was deathly silent, and Ruyi's faint, soft breathing was clearly audible.

Duan Rong took off his clothes, shoes, and socks, returned them to their original places, and lay back down on the bed.

The Yinlu Cicada could only be used three times in total!

Such a precious treasure! He had wasted one use for no reason just now in the wilderness of the eastern suburbs!

To say he didn't feel the heartache would be a lie!

It was precisely because he had personally experienced that soul-stirring power just now that Duan Rong knew even better what this Yinlu Cicada really was.

To call it a heaven-defying life-saving object was no exaggeration at all.

Although it pained him greatly, Duan Rong asked himself if using it this time was still worth it.

He had to confirm one thing. That was whether Zhu He truly intended to save his life, rather than purely setting a trap for him and treating him as a discarded pawn.

This matter was very important to him!

Whether it was Zhu He gifting him the Yinlu Cicada or suddenly naming him to come to Shenyun Prefecture to kill Li Shensi, both were somewhat strange and contrary to reason.

Especially when there were more suitable candidates, Zhu He had passed over Wu Shidao, who seemed more appropriate, and named him instead, which made it appear even more suspicious.

In addition, Zhu He had specifically instructed him to contact Zhu Zhengfu and the others, deliberately letting him be exposed.

These various incidents might not be deeply felt by someone outside the situation, but Duan Rong, being in the thick of it, felt them deeply; this was clearly a trap. And it was closely related to himself.

Although he could not yet see the full picture of this trap, it was clear that Zhu He was using him as a chess piece to play a game against someone.

Therefore, Duan Rong had to determine whether, in this chess game, Zhu He truly intended to protect him, or if he would let him live or die, or even use him as bait.

If it were the latter, he would have to plan early and find a way to escape like a cicada shedding its skin.

But now, it had been proven that although Zhu He was using him as a piece, he also truly intended to protect him.

With the might of the Yinlu Cicada, even a strike from a Dongming Realm expert could be defended against. And if it were someone below the Dongming Realm, that single low hum of the cicada would likely reduce them to powder on the spot.

Although he had wasted one of the three uses of the Yinlu Cicada tonight, he had confirmed that Zhu He was not using him as a discarded pawn in his layout. That made it worth it!

The Yinlu Cicada could indeed save his life in a moment of crisis.

Thus, he decided to follow along with Zhu He's chess game.

He also wanted to see what the full picture of Zhu He's game was, and who exactly was the person playing against him?

As for the few moves currently before him, they were to eliminate Li Shensi.

Regarding these few moves, given Duan Rong's current perspective, he still could not clearly see Zhu He's true intentions.

That he would deliberately let him be exposed on this point was something Duan Rong found difficult to understand.

Since it was confirmed that Zhu He had no intention of harming him, he would follow Zhu He's wishes, play the next few moves well, and see how things unfolded as he went.

What he had to consider now was how to complete the two tasks Zhu He had entrusted to him on Yunfu Peak.

One was to eliminate Li Shensi without anyone knowing, and the other was to guide public opinion so it would not ferment in the direction of a political whirlpool...

During the day, Duan Rong had basically already looked through all kinds of information on Li Shensi as well as some of his possible recent itineraries.

At this moment, Duan Rong lay on the bed, hands pillowed behind his head, deep in thought.

Those streams of information were rapidly intertwining and separating in his mind...

About half an hour later, he suddenly sat up from the head of the bed, his gaze flickering in the darkness, and he muttered to himself: "Autumn Hunt Sacrificial Ceremony..."

Just now, in the scene of the Autumn Hunt Sacrificial Ceremony, a vague thought had flashed through his mind, and Duan Rong keenly sensed that this thought was the answer he was looking for.

The so-called Autumn Hunt Sacrificial Ceremony was an annual, rather important grand ritual activity in Shenyun Prefecture.

The Heavenly Altar and the hunting grounds were both on Wuji Mountain in the Southern Suburbs of Shenyun Prefecture.

Actually, Wuji Mountain was not considered a very high mountain, nor could it be called steep. However, in the vicinity of Shenyun Prefecture, this mountain was already the highest location.

Therefore, this annual grand sacrificial ceremony was chosen to be held at the summit of this mountain. Moreover, this mountain was located in the due south position, which was exactly the location for paying respects to the South Heaven Gate.

Atop the summit, a Heavenly Altar with quite grand regulations had been built.

From the mountainside up to the summit, after the arrival of autumn, it was sealed off as the sacrificial hunting ground.

Nearby farmers and hunters could no longer enter Wuji Mountain.

After the prey was fattened, a grand sacrificial ceremony would be held on one of the three chosen auspicious days; all the commoners of the city would attend, and they would offer sacrifices alongside the officials around the Heavenly Altar.

And the items offered were the prey from the hunting grounds.

After the ceremony ended, the officials would cut up the sacrificial prey and distribute it to the surrounding commoners.

Therefore, this Autumn Hunt Sacrificial Ceremony had always been a celebration of sharing joy with the people and universal rejoicing. Everyone took pride in receiving a share of the sacrificial prey; it was said that eating it could ensure peace and ward off epidemics.

For such a grand ceremony, and since Li Shensi had only been in office for two months, and he was also the Secretariat Director among the One Command Four Ministers, he would certainly attend.

Just now, it was in this scenario that Duan Rong had suddenly thought of a method...

The next morning, amidst a burst of birdsong, Duan Rong woke up leisurely; he hadn't actually slept for very long last night, but seeing that the sky was already bright, he struggled to get up anyway.

There were still things to do today; he couldn't afford to sleep in.

Just as Duan Rong made a move, Ruyi immediately walked in holding shoes, socks, and clothes.

She held the clothes in one hand and carried Duan Rong's two shoes in the other.

Ruyi's brow furrowed slightly; she clearly saw that the soles of those two shoes were stained with many fresh withered grasses, and she was very certain that when he put them there last night, these were not there.

"Could it be... that the Master went out last night..."

At this time, Ruyi had already walked up to Duan Rong, and seeing Duan Rong's exhausted expression, she was even more certain of her thoughts, but she still served Duan Rong in changing clothes and washing up without a change in expression.

After Duan Rong finished his breakfast, just as he put down his bowl and picked up a cup of clear tea to rinse his mouth, Zhu Zhengfu and Zhu Cheng came to pay a visit together.

The two knelt and saluted as soon as they entered; Duan Rong gestured for them to rise, and after they each took their seats, Ruyi served tea and then withdrew.

Duan Rong looked at the two men's complexions; they were clearly both somewhat haggard, especially Zhu Cheng, whose eyes were red and bloodshot. Duan Rong estimated that he probably hadn't slept all night.

Zhu Cheng placed a blade he was holding onto the small table in front of him.

That was precisely the Mo blade that Zhu Zhengfu had asked the steward Zhu Yu to go and deliver to him last night.

Zhu Cheng looked at Duan Rong with a cautious gaze and said, "Reporting to the Master, I have already checked this blade; it indeed originated from the Dali Temple."

Duan Rong remained silent; he was not surprised by this answer.

If it hadn't come from the Dali Temple, why would that waiter have brought it? If it were a forged Mo blade, one would know it was wrong just by checking the serial number.

Seeing Duan Rong remain silent, Zhu Zhengfu pondered slightly and then asked, "Whose personal blade is it?"

Since Zhu Cheng had already confirmed that this blade came from the Dali Temple, he must have already found out whose blade it was.

Zhu Cheng's eyes lowered slightly, and he said, "This blade is a dead man's blade."

"A dead man's blade?"

Hearing this, both Duan Rong and Zhu Zhengfu felt a slight shock in their hearts.

Zhu Cheng continued, "To be more precise, this blade is a piece of evidence."

"Evidence?"

"Yes," Zhu Cheng said. "This was a case from two years ago. Generally, according to the custom of the Dali Temple, if a case is closed, one year after the verdict, the evidence is moved out of the evidence room and transferred to the warehouse. If not, over the long years, the evidence room would not be able to hold it all."

Zhu Zhengfu frowned, looked at Zhu Cheng, and asked, "Is the management of the warehouse strict?"

Zhu Cheng said, "It is not too strict, but those who can enter the warehouse must be people from the Dali Temple."

Zhu Zhengfu said, "In other words, the person who came to scout the Separate Courtyard last night is very likely a person from the Dali Temple?"

Zhu Cheng said, "Exactly."

Duan Rong sat there, clicking his tongue incessantly.

It seemed that the waiter's plan was still quite meticulous; if he hadn't used his Divine Sense to see his face last night, even he would have believed at this moment that the person scouting at night must have been from the Dali Temple.

As Duan Rong thought this, his gaze suddenly sharpened.

He thought of one thing: just as Zhu Cheng said, those who could enter the warehouse must be people from the Dali Temple. Then, who exactly was it that gave that Mo blade to that waiter at Taihe Tower?

Duan Rong suddenly thought of a person.

That was more than half a year ago, when he entered Shenyun Prefecture to assist in the investigation of the bizarre death of the Secretariat Director Zhu Shizhong.

That official with a pockmarked face in front of the Dali Temple gate—back then, Duan Rong already knew he was a spy lurking within the Dali Temple, and the faction he belonged to was clearly that of Lu Zhongtang, Ge Rusong, and their group.

Thinking of it now, it was very likely that this person had stolen that Mo blade from the Dali Temple's warehouse and handed it to the waiter at Taihe Tower, letting him bring the blade to scout at night.

Leaving this blade behind would confuse their line of sight and their train of thought.

Duan Rong suddenly said in a deep voice, "Set aside the matter of the Mo blades for now! Let us first discuss the matter of Li Shensi." As he spoke, he looked at Zhu Cheng and asked, "After returning yesterday, did you, Lord Zhu, thoroughly verify the few questions from yesterday?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cheng immediately pulled a stack of documents from his sleeve, hurried forward, and respectfully presented them on the low table in front of Duan Rong, saying, "I have already verified and supplemented all the questions from yesterday. After reflecting on them yesterday, I also filled in a few overlooked points and appended them to the back; I ask that you please look them over, my lord."

"Very good!" Duan Rong said, casting an appreciative look at Zhu Cheng. Often, having a cautious and steady Assistant could frequently yield twice the result with half the effort, saving quite a lot of trouble.

He picked up the stack of documents and scanned through them at a glance.

Duan Rong's Womb Treasury Sutra had already reached the twelfth level, and his Mental Power was no longer what it once was; both his memory and concentration had improved greatly, far exceeding that of an ordinary person.

He read materials in this way as well, already able to project his Divine Soul into them, scanning ten lines at a glance and committing them to memory as he went.

After finishing, Duan Rong closed the stack of supplementary materials; there were still a few quite critical points within this stack of data.

After closing the materials, Duan Rong looked up at Zhu Zhengfu and Zhu Cheng and said in a deep voice, "Two lords, I wish to understand more about the Autumn Hunt Sacrifice to Heaven Grand Ceremony five days from now. Since you two have long been at the center of power, you must know this ceremony in great detail; I hope you will not hesitate to enlighten me."

"The Autumn Hunt Sacrifice to Heaven Grand Ceremony?!"

Hearing Duan Rong suddenly ask about this matter, Zhu Zhengfu and Zhu Cheng immediately looked at each other in dismay.

(End of this chapter)