Chapter 106: Seven-Day Manhunt

After dispatching the head of the Secret Police Bureau, the Eastern Palace sank once more into silence.

Chu Danqing went again to speak with Wang Qi, the Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, and was then ordered to rest.

Wang Qi had arranged this because he knew Chu Danqing had only just arrived in the capital that day, exhausted from travel and still unaccustomed to the environment, and thus could not yet assist.

Chu Danqing had no objection to Wang Qi’s arrangement.

Once settled, Chu Danqing opened the treasure chest dropped by the assassin.

【You opened: Treasure Chest (Excellent Rank), obtained: Crimson Copper Essence Iron Staff, Paradise Points ×2500】

【Crimson Copper Essence Iron Staff】

【Type: Equipment · Long Staff】

【Quality: Excellent】

【Durability: 100/100】

【Attack: 10~25】

【Crimson Copper Flame (Passive): Adds 10 extra fire damage when releasing staff-based energy projection techniques】

【Equipment Requirement: Strength 10, Constitution 8】

“Sigh, my strength is still too weak,” Chu Danqing sighed; failing to obtain anything valuable was normal.

In this trial world, judging a top expert was simple: did they master a skill?

Beyond top experts, obtaining basic skill books required accumulating treasure chests through tasks like bandit suppression—quantity eventually yielding quality.

This assassin was still far from it; if his Cang River Heart Method had reached level 40, he might have gained Melee Mastery, and killing him could then yield a basic skill book from his chest.

“Another cash crop,” Chu Danqing muttered, then tossed it into his storage space.

Chu Danqing had considered giving it to Da Bao, but Da Bao had claws and couldn’t grip weapons easily.

Moreover, ordinary Excellent-rank gear was inferior to Da Bao’s claws—only items like the Nine Sons Ghost Mother Painting’s quality would be usable.

“Alright, time to sleep,” Chu Danqing lit incense and replaced the offerings at the Snake Spirit Shrine.

His bond with the Snake Spirit grew ever tighter; sometimes, even in sleep, the Snake Spirit entered his dreams.

Due to this bond, the Snake Spirit’s affection for Chu Danqing was naturally at its peak.

It had just gone a bit off-track—he’d come to see Chu Danqing as his father.

Fortunately, this wasn’t bad news—it was good news.

Being a father was better than being a grandson; Chu Danqing accepted it and cared for it meticulously.

He’d raised it himself; being a father wasn’t so bad.

He slept until he woke naturally, took out the Five-Colored Flower—Empty Valley Orchid—and practiced for half an hour, then made three offerings before strolling outside leisurely.

The Eastern Palace had not slept all night and had gained many new personnel summoned from outside the palace as additional guards.

By noon, the Crown Prince returned and immediately received Wang Qi, Chu Danqing, Xiong Zhigang, and others.

The Crown Prince, already possessing low constitution, appeared extremely haggard from lack of sleep.

Someone brought him a ginseng tea; he didn’t even touch it—he’d developed a psychological aversion after the last calming tea.

“Your Highness, thanks to the assistance of Left Guard Captain Chu, we’ve uncovered numerous leads,” Wang Qi said. “The assassin’s name is Zhang Cai, a staff master from the Cang River Society.”

“He entered the capital a month ago; in his home, we found one hundred taels of official silver, the serial numbers matching registered military pay.”

“Zhang Cai was formerly a veteran soldier defending the border against the Su Shen, later discharged during the peace treaty and military downsizing.”

“Yet this pay has been withheld until now,” Wang Qi concluded his key identity details before continuing: “The coroner’s autopsy revealed large quantities of Wu Shi Powder in his stomach.”

“Excessive consumption had shattered his mind, leaving him in a mad, frenzied state.”

“But we still don’t know why, even with his mind gone, he would still attempt to assassinate Your Highness.”

“We’ve also identified the blacksmith who forged his iron staff—Wu’s Forge in the capital; all personnel have been detained.” Wang Qi finished his report and stepped aside.

The Crown Prince rubbed his temples, feeling utterly drained.

“What about the mastermind behind this? Any leads?” The Crown Prince knew Zhang Cai was merely a disposable pawn—these details were all surface-level, undeniable but useless.

He already had suspects: Consort Zheng and Prince Fu.

Chu Danqing listened, astonished—no wonder they stood at the pinnacle of power; in one night, they’d dug up every detail of the assassin.

Could he turn the tide? Even he couldn’t uncover all this in less than three or five days.

After the Crown Prince finished speaking, a servant presented a sealed, tightly concealed testimony.

The content was highly confidential; few present knew it—it had been extracted personally by Wang Qi.

The Crown Prince unfolded it and read word by word, his expression unreadable.

“Left Guard Captain Chu, Grand Coordinator Xiong, you two should take a look,” the Crown Prince said, then resealed it and had it passed to Chu Danqing.

Chu Danqing had no reservations—he took it and read immediately.

He skimmed through it quickly and passed it to Xiong Zhigang; the gist pointed unmistakably in one direction.

The calming tea the Crown Prince drank daily had been laced with a slow-acting poison, and the mastermind was Consort Zheng and Prince Fu.

From current evidence, the mastermind behind the assassination was likely these two, growing impatient.

“What do you think?” the Crown Prince asked.

Chu Danqing paused briefly, then replied: “The drunkard’s intent lies not in wine, but in the mountains and rivers.”

He couldn’t say it plainly—he felt the mastermind wasn’t these two, so he spoke vaguely.

The Crown Prince nodded, then said: “I entrust this to you. Uncover the truth within seven days. Do you have confidence?”

【Side Quest: Uncover the True Culprit of the Staff Attack within Seven Days】

【Trial Difficulty: B-Rank (Brave）】

【Trial Reward: Paradise Points ×5000, Attribute Points +3】

【Trial Failure: Paradise Points -10000】

The Dimension Paradise issued the quest prompt—and it was B-Rank, even higher than the trial quest.

After a moment’s thought, Chu Danqing accepted immediately.

“Your Highness, rest assured—I will uncover the truth within seven days!” Chu Danqing declared.

The Crown Prince was pleased with Chu Danqing’s attitude.

“Do your best,” the Crown Prince soothed; he valued the truth, but not overly so.

The suspects were only two factions: the Secret Police Bureau and the Qiutan Party.

The former represented the Emperor; the latter represented Consort Zheng and Prince Fu.

Finding out the truth would be best; if not, it didn’t matter—he’d retaliate regardless.

Past rivalries had been confined to court politics; now they’d tried to kill him—how could the Crown Prince sit still?

“Leave me. I’m exhausted,” the Crown Prince could no longer hold on.

He departed under the escort of the Crown Prince’s Grand Protector, a man whose strength rivaled Tie Zhang Fei Long Yuan Chong—a peerless expert.

He was a military general who normally resided in the barracks, not the Eastern Palace.

The group dispersed quickly; Chu Danqing followed Wang Qi and Xiong Zhigang.

“Left Guard Captain Chu, don’t worry—this matter doesn’t require your direct involvement. Your Zhiyu Guard is full of capable talent; uncovering the truth in seven days won’t be hard,” Wang Qi replied, his tone weary.

He was an old man; staying up all night had taken its toll.

Chu Danqing looked puzzled—he’d assumed the position of Left Guard Captain of the Zhiyu Guard was merely nominal, but it seemed he actually had authority.

“Where?” Chu Danqing asked; if he didn’t know, he’d ask.

Wang Qi stopped walking: “You don’t know?”

“Huh? I should know?” Chu Danqing was equally baffled—he’d only been here one day, hadn’t been shown anything; how could he possibly know?

“Left Guard Captain Chu comes from humble origins and has seen little of the world; it’s natural you don’t know,” Xiong Zhigang interjected smoothly.

Wang Qi wore a look of helpless amusement; the rescue feat was indeed great.

One was a wandering sorcerer with no knowledge, the other a simple-minded fool—and yet they’d become the Left and Right Guard Captains of the Zhiyu Guard.

Directly or indirectly, they’d saved the Crown Prince twice—it was, in fact, reasonable.

“Then please, Grand Coordinator Xiong, guide Left Guard Captain Chu,” Wang Qi chuckled. “My old body can’t hold out much longer.”

Xiong Zhigang, too, had not slept all night, but his robust physique suffered little.

“Your official robes and the Donghua Token have already been delivered to your official residence,” Wang Qi added. “Grand Coordinator Xiong, please take Left Guard Captain Chu to collect them.”

“As for Senior Wu’s, it will take more time—we can only delay. But the Great Return Divine Pill has already been sent ahead.” Wang Qi finished speaking and departed immediately.

He boarded his sedan chair and returned to his mansion without delay.

Seeing this, Xiong Zhigang had no choice but to comply.

He led Chu Danqing to the official residence, chatting along the way.

“I’ve been reinstated as Grand Coordinator of Ping Su; I must leave the capital for the frontier within three days at most,” Xiong Zhigang began bluntly. “I recommended you hoping you’d become a guest of the Eastern Palace.”

“But I underestimated you—within a single day, you’ve won the Crown Prince’s full trust. I’ve been of no help at all.”

Chu Danqing replied: “Without your recommendation, I wouldn’t have even gotten through the door—how could I have achieved any of this?”

“By the way, about the military supplies and the dam breach—any progress?” Chu Danqing asked.

“The Crown Prince was assassinated—I haven’t mentioned it yet. I’ll wait until tomorrow,” Xiong Zhigang said; he wanted to speak, but the timing was wrong.

If confirmed, the two grave crimes—assassination attempt and arms trafficking—would doom the Qiutan Party outright.

Individually, there might still be room for maneuver; Emperor Taichang didn’t want court chaos, so he’d only execute the ringleaders.

But linking both crimes together would inevitably suggest rebellion.

Qiutan Party members could marry, have children, and leave descendants—unlike the eunuchs of the Secret Police Bureau, who depended entirely on imperial power.

“But if you’re interested, Left Guard Captain Chu, you might investigate through the Zhiyu Guard—you might find something,” Xiong Zhigang continued; he was leaving the capital and had no time to act himself.

The Suqin people’s movements have become increasingly frequent; he cannot afford to delay much longer.

“Are the Feather Guard really that powerful?” Chu Danqing asked skeptically.

“They are the Crown Prince’s personal troops; when he ascends the throne, they will become the Imperial Feather Guard,” Xiong Zhigang explained to Chu Danqing. “Wherever the Feather Guard go, it is as if the Crown Prince himself is present.”

“Therefore, Mr. Chu, you must be careful with your words and actions—your every word and deed represents the Crown Prince’s will.”

Chu Danqing had not expected the Crown Prince to invest so heavily—and then he remembered something: “The Crown Prince also gave me discretionary authority.”

Xiong Zhigang’s pupils contracted sharply; he paused, as if weighing his words.

After about ten seconds, he finally spoke: “Then make noise—make this incident as big as possible!”

(End of Chapter)