Chapter 677: Not the End

"Wait a moment?"

Li Fei's words made Shentu Yue pause in surprise.

If they were going to spar, why wait a moment?

But seeing that Li Fei's attitude toward her was completely different from his attitude toward Huang Jin just now, she couldn't help but feel a bit shy.

After all, Li Fei had just told Huang Jin that he "didn't want to fight anyone tonight," yet when facing her, he said he could wait a moment.

Such an obvious contrast was indeed hard not to overthink.

"Is he specifically rejecting Senior Brother Huang to show me his stance?"

Shentu Yue thought to herself.

Everyone present had similar thoughts, and the looks they cast toward Li Fei became a bit more ambiguous.

Truly, heroes have loved beauties since ancient times!

A smile appeared on Chi Chengyu's face: "Then let's wait a moment. Come, Marquis of Jing'an, I offer you a toast."

The atmosphere of the banquet became lively once again.

The Inspection Department.

Li Fei had brought the two enemies he captured alive under control.

As for the "Night Demon" Suo Ze, who had initially killed his way in through the front gate, he had broken out of the Inspection Department's courtyard before the Flowing Sand retreated.

The three Dao Foundation realm martial artists and over a dozen Qi-Refining martial masters who besieged him failed to stop him, and none of them pursued him.

Besides that, a Great Mage at the Possession realm who had been hiding in the shadows also escaped.

However, this person's two magic treasures, the mask and the Soul-Shaking Mountain-Breaking Hammer, had fallen into Li Fei's hands.

Having lost his primary magic treasures, this Great Mage with astonishing combat power was basically crippled and posed no threat for the time being.

"I intend to use a secret technique to interrogate these two people first."

Li Fei said to He Jian, "Rest assured, I will have a sense of proportion this time and won't let their memories be destroyed."

He Jian nodded: "As long as Lord Li has a sense of proportion, that is fine."

In any case, the success of tonight's ambush was almost entirely due to Li Fei.

Li Fei was trying to trust the professional capabilities of He Jian and the others, and He Jian was also trying to trust this Marquis of Jing'an.

Thus, Li Fei remained alone in the cell where the prisoners were held, and the others left for the time being.

Although he trusted He Jian and the others, he would not let them see the specific interrogation process, so as not to expose his own secrets.

Soon, Li Fei cast the "Gate of the Dream Realm" and entered the subconscious worlds of the two men one after another.

Ten-odd minutes later, Li Fei walked out of the cell with a somewhat solemn expression.

"Lord Li, how did it go?"

He Jian asked immediately.

Li Fei sorted through the memories in his mind and spoke slowly:

"I found new clues, but the people involved are somewhat tricky..."

At Red Sleeve Restaurant, a new song and dance performance began.

Everyone was drinking and chatting, the sound of strings and bamboo was pleasant to the ear, and the beauties before their eyes were also a feast for the senses.

Li Fei handled the compliments and toasts from the crowd with ease; such an occasion actually made him find some of the feelings from his past life.

It was just that in his past life, he was the one taking the initiative to toast others and say complimentary words to them.

But now, he had become the "protagonist" of this banquet.

Suddenly, Li Fei frowned slightly.

"Marquis of Jing'an, what is wrong?"

Chi Chengyu, who was to the side, noticed Li Fei's anomaly.

Li Fei's eyes shifted, and he soon returned to normal: "It's nothing, someone else is coming in a while."

"Oh, who is it?"

"Lord Chi will know in a moment."

"Hahaha, good."

After a brief conversation, the two continued to enjoy the song and dance.

It was just that Chi Chengyu keenly noticed that Li Fei's interest was not high, as if he were pondering something.

After a while, a subordinate from the Stop-Conflict Department walked quickly to Chi Chengyu's side and whispered a few words in his ear.

The smile on Chi Chengyu's face vanished, and he turned to look at Li Fei:

"Someone went to the Inspection Department to break out prisoners; is the Marquis of Jing'an aware of this?"

He had already received news from the Inspection Department's courtyard.

Li Fei nodded: "I am aware."

The smile on Chi Chengyu's face disappeared bit by bit:

"It seems the Marquis of Jing'an came to the banquet tonight to set a trap?"

"That was indeed the intention; I hope Lord Chi will not mind."

Li Fei said calmly.

Shentu Yue had actually been paying attention to this side the whole time, and with her cultivation, she could clearly hear the conversation between the two.

Upon hearing this, she turned her head abruptly to look at Li Fei in the main seat, her expression complex.

So he came to the banquet tonight to lure the snake out of its hole, not because he really wanted to spar with me?

Then what was the reason for the change in his attitude earlier?

Shentu Yue withdrew her gaze and gave a self-deprecating smile.

"Assisting the Marquis of Jing'an in solving cases is my duty; how could I mind? It is just that if the Marquis of Jing'an had told me in advance, I could have arranged for people from the Stop-Conflict Department to cooperate ahead of time."

Chi Chengyu said.

"It wasn't certain whether anyone would actually come to break out the prisoners, and I was afraid of alerting the enemy, so I did not inform Lord Chi."

Li Fei explained.

When he learned that the Stop-Conflict Department and the Inspection Department of Gan Province had joined forces and spent ten days without finding any clues about the original interception and killing of Liu Jiehui and the others, He Jian felt there was a problem.

He could no longer trust the government forces of Gan Province.

Therefore, for the trap tonight, Li Fei and He Jian had not told anyone else in advance.

Facts proved that there must be a mole inside the Inspection Department; otherwise, there was no way to explain how the Flowing Sand could precisely find the location of Liu Jiehui's cell.

Chi Chengyu looked at Li Fei: "Is there anything else you need me to do now?"

Li Fei nodded: "A demonic martial artist escaped; I ask Lord Chi to have people search the whole city."

Chi Chengyu was somewhat surprised.

Li Fei had been sitting beside him the whole time, and no one had passed him any messages midway; how did he know the situation over there?

"Good, I will issue the order now."

Chi Chengyu turned and gave the order to the subordinate who had come to report, dispatching experts from the Stop-Conflict Department to search the entire city.

"Since there is an emergency, should this banquet continue?"

Chi Chengyu turned to look at Li Fei.

Li Fei picked up his wine cup with a calm expression and took a sip: "Let's wait a bit longer; I will need Lord Chi's cooperation in a moment."

"Oh?"

Chi Chengyu's expression remained unchanged, "Good, then I will listen to the Marquis of Jing'an."

The Li Fei at Red Sleeve Restaurant was indeed not his true self, but a clone driven by "Shadow."

If one did not have a core-level extraordinary ability related to perception, his clone was enough to pass for the real thing.

However, this was not enough.

Li Fei also utilized the Dream-Obeying Order to cast the "Leaf-Obscuring-the-Eyes Technique" on this clone with the realm of a Possession-realm Great Mage.

Finally, he had this clone wear the Golden-Thread Jade-Scale Armor.

Any protective clothing would affect others' perception, and with the quality of this divine garment, it could almost isolate most perceptions from the outside world.

With all these things superimposed, this clone of Li Fei could truly "deceive the heavens and cross the sea"!

Although Chi Chengyu was a martial arts master, he did not possess supernatural powers related to perception, so he did not see through Li Fei's disguise.

Of course, just not being seen through as a clone by others was not enough.

Li Fei also needed to be able to multitask; the true self was fighting over there, while the clone here could act freely and talk to people.

This was not something "Shadow" could achieve.

By combining "Danger Perception" and "Shadow," Li Fei could at most allow the clone to possess independent perception, but that did not mean he could make the clone possess independent consciousness.

The person who ultimately helped Li Fei solve this problem was True Person Qingding.

Li Fei had never forgotten this "old grandpa" living inside the Dream-Obeying Order.

It was just that there were too many things to be busy with before, and he had no time to ask the other party for advice.

It was not until he finished attending that grand ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven and broke through to the Possession realm that he began to ask True Person Qingding more about the cultivation of the Art Path.

Li Fei's previous cultivation was all self-taught, relying on his own powerful mental strength, plus the inspiration gained from dual-cultivating Law and Martial arts, as well as his own talent (Ten Thousand Blood Bead).

He had smoothly broken through to the Possession realm all the way.

But starting from the Possession realm, the cultivation of the Art Path involved fields that became more complex, requiring research into how to better control magic treasures and refine magic treasures.

At this stage, besides mental strength, neither dual-cultivating Law and Martial arts nor the Ten Thousand Blood Bead could bring Li Fei any obvious advantages anymore.

Just like the Martial Path, the cultivation of the Art Path also requires the guidance of a teacher.

Zhao Renjie, the master of Zhao Yi, was merely a Great Mage at the Possession Realm; the things he taught Zhao Yi, and the notes and insights he left behind, could only guarantee that Zhao Yi would not encounter too many problems before reaching the Possession Realm.

Therefore, Li Fei, relying on the secret manuals obtained from Zhao Yi for self-study, also encountered many problems that he could not solve.

At this moment, the value of the True Person Qing Ding manifested.

Even if he had never practiced the techniques of the Nightmare Sect, and even if he specialized in the Dao of Alchemy, guiding a Li Fei who had just entered the Possession Realm was still more than enough.

If a Great Mage of the Possession Realm is wealthy enough, he can have several magic treasures, which leads to a problem:

How to control several magic treasures at the same time?

This is a problem that only a "nouveau riche" needs to consider, and the successors of the Great Luo Sect are naturally all "nouveau riche."

Therefore, the Great Luo Sect has quite a few techniques used to solve this kind of problem.

True Person Qing Ding taught Li Fei a "Five Hearts Facing the Origin Observation."

This is a technique that can divide one's own virtual thoughts into five at most, allowing one to use one mind for five tasks and control five magic treasures simultaneously.

This is already considered the simplest "thought-splitting" method of the Great Luo Sect.

Li Fei learned it very quickly, and then, under the guidance of True Person Qing Ding, he made certain modifications to his clone, enabling the clone to accommodate a portion of his virtual thoughts, becoming like a special magic treasure.

In this way, this clone of Li Fei could truly be called a clone in the real sense.

A clone capable of independent action and independent thought can be described as having infinite wonderful uses!

Moreover, the "Five Hearts Facing the Origin Observation" allows every strand of Li Fei's split thoughts to maintain contact within a certain distance, and they can transmit information to each other.

This is the reason why Li Fei was sitting in the Red Sleeve Restaurant, yet could timely know the situation inside the main courtyard of the Inspection Department.

After the dinner party had continued for another twenty minutes or so, He Jian suddenly walked up from downstairs with a group of people.

The arrival of these people made everyone present somewhat surprised.

"Is this the person the Marquis of Jing'an was waiting for?"

Chi Chengyu did not feel surprised by the arrival of He Jian and the others.

"Yes."

Li Fei slowly stood up.

His true self did not follow along.

For one, the true self still needed to continue to sit in the prison of the Inspection Department to avoid being caught in a surprise counterattack.

For another, Li Fei did not want to expose the matter of his clone yet.

He stood up, and Chi Chengyu and Su Xuesong also stood up along with him.

Chi Chengyu made a gesture, and the song and dance performance taking place on the stage stopped immediately, and the dancers quickly exited.

The guests who were drinking also sensed that the atmosphere was somewhat wrong and put down their wine glasses one after another.

The scene quickly quieted down.

"I am truly sorry to disturb everyone's elegant interest."

Li Fei cupped his hands and bowed to everyone present, and finally bowed to Chi Chengyu and Su Xuesong respectively.

At this, how could the others dare to remain seated? They stood up one after another, looking at Li Fei with confusion.

Li Fei looked at He Jian and nodded to him: "I have troubled you, Lord He, to explain it to everyone."

Thus, He Jian stepped forward and said in a loud voice:

"Just now, the dungeon of the Inspection Department's main courtyard encountered an attack by thieves; someone attempted to abduct the prisoners inside."

These words immediately caused a commotion.

Daring to rob the prison of the Inspection Department?!

This kind of vicious incident had not occurred for many years.

"Fortunately, these thieves did not succeed in the end, and we even captured two of them alive."

He Jian continued, "After some interrogation, we obtained some important intelligence, so we rushed over here immediately."

Just when everyone thought that He Jian wanted to inform Li Fei of the important intelligence at the first opportunity, the words he said next made everyone present change their expressions:

"According to the intelligence, we have reason to suspect that someone is in collusion with these thieves, so I brought people over at the first opportunity."

"."

The scene was silent for a few seconds.

Su Xuesong looked at He Jian: "Lord He means that among the people present tonight, someone is in collusion with the thieves who robbed the prison, and you are here to make arrests?"

"Yes."

He Jian nodded without hesitation.

There was another commotion at the scene.

Those who arrived today were all big figures in Gansu Province, and they all knew what case Li Fei and He Jian were investigating; if one were in collusion with the thieves who robbed the prison, it could be related to the assassination case at the Altar of Heaven.

This is a life-threatening matter!

"Who is Lord He going to arrest?"

Chi Chengyu spoke up.

There was no expression on his face anymore; this was a sign that he was already angry.

This dinner party tonight was carefully prepared by him, and he specifically invited Li Fei just to boost his own momentum.

As it turned out, Li Fei came to the banquet just to set a trap.

That would be fine, but now he actually wanted to make arrests on the spot at the banquet?!

This was a bit too disrespectful to him, Chi Chengyu.

Could he not wait until the banquet was over to make the arrests?

Chi Chengyu glanced at Li Fei beside him; he did not believe that Li Fei was unaware beforehand.

"Among the thieves caught tonight, there is one person with the code name Quicksand, who is proficient in the art of earth-escaping and also knows the situation inside the dungeon like the back of his hand, knowing where we kept the prisoners. Two days ago, someone transmitted a piece of intelligence out of the Inspection Department, which finally reached the courtyard at No. 19 Xicheng Road."

He Jian did not immediately answer Chi Chengyu's question, but said in a calm tone.

"The courtyard at No. 19 Xicheng Road?"

Many people present felt very unfamiliar with this address, while Huang Jin, who was next to Shentu Yue, had already changed color, clenching his fists tightly!

"Shentu Yue."

He Jian turned his head to look over, his eyes deep, "Please come with us."

The courtyard at No. 19 Xicheng Road is Shentu Yue's residence!

Chi Chengyu's expression changed completely, and even Su Xuesong, who was on the side, could no longer remain calm.

Everyone present was equally shocked.

Li Fei looked at Shentu Yue and said with some regret:

"I originally wanted to have a martial arts duel with Miss Shentu... I hope there will still be a chance in the future."

PS: I have been sick for the past two days, and my head is very dizzy after taking medicine, so I cannot update twice.

(End of this chapter)