After the fairy disappeared

Chapter 2593 Tracing the Cause
Here comes the key point. Lu Yongyan took a breath before continuing, "There was a coincidence. The innkeeper's nephew happened to be passing through Tuoxiang and stayed at his inn. His nephew was a waiter at the Yuchi Pavilion in Lingxu City, specializing in welcoming all kinds of people. That night, he peeked out from the kitchen and saw a familiar face among the visitors. He quickly went upstairs and didn't see him, and he didn't dare to come out."

Yuchi Pavilion is a scholar's residence in Lingxu City, where guests can bathe, dine, drink, enjoy music, watch dances, or enjoy various other forms of entertainment.

Lingxu City is the most prosperous place in the world, with all kinds of entertainment facilities and venues. The main category of Yuchi Pavilion is "music appreciation" to show the elegance of famous scholars. However, in addition to master musicians, there are also beautiful female musicians who can play music.

“He was certain that this person had visited their pavilion four or five times and was named Gao Shiyang!” Lu Yongyan dared not let the Holy Venerable speak for him and reported in one breath, “After obtaining this clue, I sent people to the Jade Chi Pavilion to investigate in secret. It turns out that the leader of the Western Sea Merfolk had once given a grand reception to Gao Shiyang of Xiangtai Mansion there.”

Lingxu Saint Venerable hummed in agreement: "So it's Nie Xiaolou's Incense Altar Residence."

Xiangtai Mansion is a new institution established ten years ago by Nie Xiaolou, the National Preceptor of Qing Palace. It is also under the jurisdiction of Qing Palace. To the outside world, it only does paperwork and desk work, but in reality, it is an armed force that specializes in espionage and assassination.

The Qing Palace had been corrupt for many years. After Nie Xiaolou took over the Qing Palace, he first established the Xiangtai Mansion as a convenient tool, and then used it to reorganize the Qing Palace. The results were remarkable, and the Xiangtai Mansion was also preserved.

“I checked, and the female guest checked in on the night the Heavenly Palace team was attacked. The innkeeper said that the female guest was plain-looking, dressed like a local, and had sallow skin, but her fingers were very thin and long when she took out silver, not like someone who did manual labor. She seemed to be a little unwell, so the innkeeper recommended the nearest pharmacy to her. She thanked him but didn’t go, and went straight to her room.”

Not moving properly? Most likely, you've suffered a minor injury.

In other words, on the night the funeral procession to the Heavenly Palace was attacked by the Mou people, Tong Yiyi escaped; shortly afterward, Nie Xiaolou's men also rounded up and captured a female guest in Tuoxiang, fifteen miles away.

“We checked the room later and it was very clean. There wasn’t even a single cobweb under the bed, so it must have been deliberately cleaned.”

Gao Shiyang and his accomplices wanted to cover up what had happened in the guest room.

So, could that female guest be Tong Yiyi?

"Appearance can be changed."

After the Venerable Lingxu finished speaking, the hall fell silent, the air almost frozen.

Lu Yongyan knew this would be the outcome, so he remained silent and waited for the Holy Venerable to speak.

Tong Yiyi escaped the attack by the Mu people, but fell into the hands of the Xiangtai Mansion. No wonder she has been missing ever since; that seems plausible.

Lu Yongyan has already said it's "reliable information," so there's no need for Lingxu Saint Venerable to ask "Are you sure?"

The fact that the Heavenly Palace was building the Spiritual Essence Palace overseas was completely unknown to Bega and Lingxu City—at least, they had never known it before. Bega had been a nation for six hundred years, and although it was still the sharpest blade in the hands of the Heavenly God, it had developed its own will and ideas, making it less responsive to their will. Moreover, the current Demon Emperor, the Holy Venerable Lingxu, was not entirely satisfied with him, so the Heavenly God would never willingly share such a crucial secret with him.

So, is the Demon Emperor now secretly using violent means to steal the secrets of the Spiritual Essence Palace?
After a long while, the voice of the Holy Venerable Lingxu rang out again, as cold as the north wind in December:
"The information obtained by the Demon Emperor was used by Cang Yan?"

Lu Yongyan immediately bowed and said, "I dare not say that."

The Demon Emperor's identity is that of the Lord of Bega.

Even if it were Du Yun who instigated it, he wouldn't dare to accuse it of colluding with foreign enemies in such a serious way.

After a long while, the Holy Venerable Lingxu finally spoke:
"On the day you took office, you also handed over the prescription for the 'heart-wrenching' medicine, didn't you?"

Lu Yongyan shuddered and responded in a low voice, "Yes."

The divine magic, combined with the secret medicine "Heart-Binding," is the Holy Venerable's leverage over the thirteen demon kingdoms, binding the demon kings' lives to the Heavenly God, making them share the same fate. Since the existence of the Bega Kingdom, the secret formula for "Heart-Binding" has never been revealed.

However, on the night the old Duyun chieftain passed away, he summoned Lu Yongyan and personally read out the prescription. Passing it down orally, without leaving a written record, was a rule passed down by each generation of Duyun chieftains.

Unfortunately, the Heavenly Palace failed to keep the secret that night!
If the location of Lingyun Palace is revealed, will the "Heart-Tendering" formula survive? If the Demon Emperor obtains the formula, deciphers it, and develops an antidote, then...

The exposure of Lingyun Palace shook Lingxu Saint Venerable's plan for divine descent;

The exposure of the recipe for the Heart-wrenching Formula would shake the foundation of the gods' rule over Bega.

None of these are good news for Venerable Lingxu.

The temperature inside the temple was almost at freezing point.

Lu Yongyan stood respectfully with his hands at his sides, awaiting further instructions from the Holy One.

After a long while, the voice of the Holy Venerable Lingxu rang out again:

"Stop investigating Gao Shiyang, and don't arouse Nie Xiaolou's suspicion. But you need to confirm whether the Demon Emperor has obtained the 'Heart-Binding' formula."

Lu Yongyan thought for a moment and replied:
"The Magic Finger Beans used in the 'Heartbreak' medicine are produced in extremely small quantities; it is known that only two vines remain in the world. If the prescription has been stolen, they will definitely use Magic Finger Beans when they test the medicine. I will send Duanmu Heng to investigate from this point."

Lingxu Saint Venerable hummed in agreement.

When a leader makes a request, a subordinate can immediately come up with a concrete solution; that's what makes someone capable.

"Also, the Heavenly Palace needs to be reorganized; there are too many spies infiltrating it."

Lu Yongyan agreed, bowed again, and said, "Regarding the Nine Nether Emperor, the newly appointed Jieliang Envoy, Duanmu Heng, has some new advice, which I find reasonable. Could you...?"

"Is it the person you think can replace Bai Ziqi?"

"Yes."

This is high praise, considering Lu Yongyan is already the chief of Duyun. The task of the top leader of the Heavenly Palace is not only to make decisions, but also to be good at using people. And so far, the people Lu Yongyan has promoted have all been quite capable.

He had been preparing for a long time in order to achieve great things after taking power.

The Holy Venerable Lingxu simply said, "Summon him up."

Lu Yongyan couldn't keep the Emperor waiting any longer, as Duanmu Heng was already waiting at the foot of the Star-Picking Tower. Upon receiving the summons, he caught up in just a dozen breaths, then slowed his pace and respectfully entered the hall.

He was very young, only twenty-five years old, tall and handsome with striking features.

Twenty years ago, the Jieliang Envoy would have been thirty-three or thirty-four years old or older, and it would have been impossible for such a young man to take the position; but in these years of the great outbreak of the Imperial Flow, the courts of various countries have changed dramatically in sync with the world environment. The average age of the officials in the Cangyan court is only thirty-five years old. Although the average age in Lingxu City is high, there are more and more young faces in various institutions and important positions.

(End of this chapter)