Chapter 1592: Excavated Details

"The true actions of the Great Emperor of the Nine Netherworlds will leave behind the Black Flood Dragon mark." He Lingchuan gave a long "Oh," thinking to himself that Bai Ziqi lived up to his reputation.

This piece of intelligence wasn't worth much once spoken, but the real difficulty lay in accurately connecting the unique characteristics of the Great Emperor of the Nine Netherworlds and the Black Armored Army amidst the dazzling array of various uprisings. He Lingchuan had yet to see anyone stronger than Bai Ziqi at this ability to filter, categorize, and summarize—himself excepted.

"But investigating like this, I'm afraid there's still no clue, right?"

"Yes, the Black Armored Army's movements are sneaky, and the Great Emperor of the Nine Netherworlds' goals are unclear, which has been giving me a headache." Bai Ziqi asked him, "You have dealt with so many forces on the plain. In your opinion, where do the Great Emperor of the Nine Netherworlds and his army come from?"

"That's hard to say. The Flash Gold Plain is full of powerful families and warlords who hold troops to protect their own interests."

"Can small places and small warlords produce a team like the Black Armored Army?" Bai Ziqi didn't look down on any one team, but equally looked down on all people of the Flash Gold Plain.

"From my observation, there are actually many strong people on the Flash Gold Plain, as it is a naturally treacherous land after all. It's just that the people here either lack ambition, lack discipline, or lack vision, making them a scattered mess. But if they were pulled together, they could at least fight a regular army to a draw."

Bai Ziqi glanced at him: "You don't hold them in low regard."

"I run a chamber of commerce, so I deal with all kinds of people."

Bai Ziqi wouldn't let him steer the topic away: "So, do you think the Great Emperor of the Nine Netherworlds himself is from the Flash Gold Plain, born and bred?"

"I didn't say that." He Lingchuan shook his head, "I can't think of many people who could kill Xue Zongwu in public. If you look outside the Flash Gold Plain, you might actually find one."

"For example?"

He Lingchuan seemed to blurt out: "For example, Regent Qingyang."

Bai Ziqi was stunned, then laughed out loud.

*Flutter-flutter*, the water birds hiding in the withered grass on the bank were startled into flight by him.

He Lingchuan touched his nose.

Not until the birds flapped their wings and flew high did Bai Ziqi stop laughing. "You brat! Although Regent Qingyang is... hmm, it's not her."

"Our way of guessing is like looking for a needle in a haystack."

"I remember when you investigated the missing messenger case in Lingxu City, you always had clever ideas."

He Lingchuan laughed: "Back then, Mai Xuewen had set up a trap, leading me to follow the clues until I reached Cen Boqing. Now, this Great Emperor of the Nine Netherworlds clearly doesn't want people to find out his true identity. Finding him in the vast sea of people is too difficult."

"I actually think it's not that difficult. Although the Flash Gold Plain is large, I expect there aren't many people with such ability." Bai Ziqi counted on his fingers for him: "The Black Armored Army is elusive and has never been successfully tracked, which shows they have hiding places everywhere and have organized support to keep watch, with efficient dispatch and strict discipline; they lack nothing in terms of food, weapons, medicine, and mounts, and even have specialists to maintain their ordnance and armor, and to raise their mounts."

"Judging from where they appear, their sphere of influence covers the central and western parts of the Flash Gold Plain. But as far as I know, there are only fragmented small countries and small forces in this region, with no powerful countries or military forces spanning the region. Therefore—" Bai Ziqi gave a conclusion, "I infer that the Great Emperor of the Nine Netherworlds and his Black Armored Army, on the surface, may not be an army, and might not even be local tyrants who loot and plunder."

The Soul-Consuming Mirror in He Lingchuan's arms shouted: "Oh, oh, this is bad, this is bad!"

He Lingchuan asked strangely: "Wait a minute, can't the Ya Kingdom and the Mou Kingdom also do what the Great Emperor of the Nine Netherworlds does? And they aren't that far from the Flash Gold Plain."

Bai Ziqi chuckled: "I heard that the Flash Gold Plain is very resistant to powerful outside forces. To tell you the truth, on the Flash Gold Plain, Yao Kingdom people speak more effectively than Beijia people, and Yao Kingdom people get things done more conveniently than Beijia people. Therefore, if the Great Emperor of the Nine Netherworlds is as smart as I imagine, he shouldn't appear in the guise of a conqueror."

To avoid the Flash Gold Plain's reactive resistance? He Lingchuan had to admit that Bai Ziqi had hit the nail on the head.

"Perhaps—" Bai Ziqi looked at him and smiled slightly, "Perhaps the Great Emperor of the Nine Netherworlds is easygoing and humorous in reality, and very popular."

Even the mirror felt that he was being meaningful.

"The Great Emperor of the Nine Netherworlds can build his army into a mysterious force that comes and goes like the wind, and he himself can kill Xue Zongwu, which shows he has excellent military literacy, and the ability to govern troops and fight." He Lingchuan praised himself with a straight face, "This person is mostly from the ranks, has military experience, and is a capable person on the battlefield. Beijia also has an old saying: it is easy to get a thousand troops, but hard to find one general."

He Xiao had profound cultivation and could fight, but He Xiao didn't have an outstanding resume on the battlefield.

Being able to fight didn't mean one could kill on the battlefield, let alone lead an army in battle.

The difference here was like that between Fan Sheng and Hong Chenglue. Bai Ziqi naturally understood it immediately:

"Makes sense, so what then?"

No matter how shrewd he was, he hadn't seen He Lingchuan's battle against He Yang with his own eyes, so he had no way to judge his momentum and style.

"The Great Emperor of the Nine Netherworlds is a human, but where he passes, he leaves behind the Black Flood Dragon mark. This is not something human power can achieve." He Lingchuan continued, "In my opinion, he should belong to a vast extraordinary organization, or rather, he is just the external spokesperson for this extraordinary organization. This organization provides the entire Black Armored Army with food, medicine, mounts, armor, and hiding places, formulates combat plans, and provides strategic support."

"Otherwise, it is very difficult for one person or one team to complete so many things alone." He gave an analogy, "For example, General Zhongwu, he is only responsible for training troops and guarding the border. The army's food, medicine, and mounts all rely on the rear for provision, and the maintenance of armor is also supported by the country. There are even villages and towns near the garrison specifically providing various services for officers and soldiers. Simply put, an army can only be responsible for guarding the border and fighting; it does not engage in production, and one cannot demand it to do both."

Bai Ziqi was lost in thought.

What He Lingchuan said about "an army not engaging in production" was an iron law, and Beijia also strictly enforced it. Unless it was a last resort, who would dare let an army be self-sufficient? However, was it appropriate to apply it to the current situation?

"Otherwise, there will be distractions, and it won't be focused enough."

Bai Ziqi's eyes flickered: "Continue."

"Going a step further, the so-called 'Great Emperor of the Nine Netherworlds' is an image specifically created. Since that is the case, why must he be one person?" He Lingchuan said slowly, "Anyway, no one knows his true face. Whoever puts on that set of armor can become the Great Emperor of the Nine Netherworlds, right?"

"It doesn't seem that simple." Bai Ziqi shook his head, "The Great Emperor of the Nine Netherworlds last appeared at Xiaotao Manor, and then remained silent for several months. If changing someone else to wear that black armor could make them the Great Emperor of the Nine Netherworlds, why didn't he commit any more crimes for such a long time?"

He Lingchuan was secretly shocked.

Bai Ziqi had actually noticed this timeline!

This Cloud Envoy of the Heavenly Palace wanted to probe him, and hadn't he also been probing Bai Ziqi's investigation progress? "The Great Emperor of the Nine Netherworlds' black armor is very evil. I even suspect that it is the Luo Sheng Armor that once stirred up a bloody storm on the Flash Gold Plain." Bai Ziqi stared at He Lingchuan while saying this sentence, "Others shouldn't be able to wear this armor."

"Oh my god!" The Soul-Consuming Mirror cursed fiercely before saying, "He actually knows about the Luo Sheng Armor! Not fun, not fun anymore!"

Facing Bai Ziqi's observation, He Lingchuan didn't even move an eyebrow: "Envoy Bai's words make sense. I hadn't thought of that layer."

"Do you know that the Luo Sheng Armor has already appeared in the world?"

"I have heard of it." He Lingchuan told the truth, "Stories about it have been circulating in the center of the Flash Gold Plain, and General Zhongwu also said he encountered it. Does Envoy Bai think it has already recognized the Great Emperor of the Nine Netherworlds as its master? In other words, General Zhongwu and the Great Emperor of the Nine Netherworlds once fought a battle?"

The voice of this last sentence was slightly raised, expressing the surprise in his heart.

He was indeed quite surprised. After more than half a year, Bai Ziqi could still catch up with the footsteps of the Great Emperor of the Nine Netherworlds, speaking as if he had seen it with his own eyes.

"Very likely."

He Lingchuan looked incredulous: "General Zhongwu himself probably doesn't know yet."

Bai Ziqi asked him: "You just said that there might be an extraordinary organization behind the Great Emperor of the Nine Netherworlds?"

He Lingchuan shielded himself: "I'm just guessing, without proof."

Guessing, well, one doesn't have to be responsible for guessing.

Bai Ziqi said "Hmm": "It's a line of thought. The Great Emperor of the Nine Netherworlds and this organization might have a subordinate relationship, or a cooperative relationship. What do you think this organization is?"

"That I don't know." He Lingchuan waved his hand, "The Flash Gold Plain is so big, or rather, the world is so big, what kind of ghosts and monsters aren't there?"

But he knew that since Bai Ziqi brought it up, he must have a plan in mind.

He scratched his head and asked Bai Ziqi again: "By the way, Envoy Bai, you are investigating the Great Emperor of the Nine Netherworlds, how did you track him all the way to Tian Shui City? Is the Great Emperor of the Nine Netherworlds here?"

The mirror shouted: "Hey, hey, can you stop randomly inspiring your opponent!"

He Lingchuan ignored it. The enemy was already under his nose; burying his head in the sand wouldn't work.

"Just passing by to handle some matters." Bai Ziqi grabbed a pebble from the ground and flicked it out. The pebble skipped six times on the river surface like a dragonfly, and finally sank into the water, creating ripples, "I will set off for Mangzhou tomorrow or the day after, to take a trip to Xiaotao Manor."

Oh, so Bai Ziqi hadn't been to Xiaotao Manor yet? He Lingchuan said solemnly: "Then I wish Envoy Bai success!"

"I originally wanted to find you for lunch, but Chief Envoy Liang is hosting a banquet in the city, sigh." Bai Ziqi patted his shoulder, "In a few days, when I return to Tian Shui City, let's have a good chat."

He reached out so suddenly; someone with less composure would probably have drawn their sword on the spot. He Lingchuan put his hands behind his back and smiled very sincerely: "Good, I will definitely prepare enough good wine and food, waiting for Envoy Bai's return."

After the riverside stroll was over, Bai Ziqi walked back, and You Rongzhi and other officials eagerly sent him off.

He rode his horse westward, with dozens of riders following behind, clattering away.

He Lingchuan watched his back until he couldn't see him anymore, then slowly turned around.

The mirror in his arms asked: "Does he suspect you?"

With people nearby, He Lingchuan just nodded.

What was there to see about the construction of the new shrine? What Bai Ziqi wanted to see was him! ===== CHAPTER 1593 =====