My best friend asked me if I was still doing system tasks.

Just as Lu Xizhou led Lu Zhongyuan and several key subordinates down the mountain for interrogation, Ji Daoyun and his group brought back some bad news—

The spiritual veins on this mountain are already depleted; there's not a trace of spiritual energy left. Someone must have cast a spell on the spiritual veins to make the Lu family believe they were normal.

If it weren't for Ji Daoyun's extensive knowledge and experience, Du Sitong and the others would never have discovered it.

Lu Xiwan's face turned ugly upon hearing Ji Daoyun's words—

She had always believed that outsiders were targeting the Lu family, and that the Lu family was united. However, all the signs now indicated that if there were no inside agents, how could problems with spiritual veins and formations have occurred?

She now suspects that the people below are conspiring to bring down the Lu family!

Lu Xiwan ordered her trusted confidants to gather all the workers associated with the Golden Leaf Wutong tree together to prevent them from fleeing or committing suicide out of fear of punishment.

She replaced a group of patrol personnel, and had the stewards and commanders who were not previously responsible for this area bring people to maintain order. She also took out a communication jade slip to inform Lu Chengping, the head of the Lu family, about what was happening here.

Lu Chengping was furious and ordered people to check whether the spiritual veins in the other forest farms had also encountered problems.

Ji Daoyun told everyone how to break the formation and asked Lu Xiwan's confidant to teach the others who were preparing to investigate.

Tao Xian handed a bag of fertilizer to Lu Xiwan: "Do you recognize all the fertilizers here?"

There's something here I don't recognize. I asked the workers mixing the fertilizer, and they said it was your request; the golden-leaved sycamores need this kind of nutrient this season.

Lu Xiwan took the bag, paused for a moment, and then said, "Is it the droppings of the black-necked cormorant?"

She grabbed a handful and identified it, saying, "I read in a book before the New Year that the droppings of that kind of spirit beast can make the leaves of the Golden Leaf Sycamore grow more and bigger. Coincidentally, there were several orders this year for using the leaves of the Golden Leaf Sycamore in medicine, so I specially ordered people to go to the Qiongzhou Islands to collect and purchase the droppings of the Earth-eating Cormorant."

"These white, granular things can't be feces, can they?" Tao Xian pulled her hand, her fingertips gently brushing the things aside. "I don't think so."

Lu Xiwan picked up the crushed substance, sniffed it, and immediately panicked: "No! The droppings of the black-necked cormorant are yellowish-brown, and they have an earthy smell when crushed. This stuff has no smell at all. I've never seen anything like it before!"

Luo Hanying watched Lu Xiwan pacing back and forth, then suddenly clenched the fertilizer in her hand and said, "Go and call Lu Zhicheng and Lu Yanxin! Tell them to bring the purchase records and distribution records!"

Lu Zhihe was also found for me!

Lu Xiang, go find Lu Zhixing and check the work records for the past year. Get the roster and match the names of the workers who compost and transport the fertilizer!

"Is someone targeting the Lu family? Has an outsider infiltrated the Lu family, or is there a traitor within the Lu family? Find out for me!"

Luo Hanying leaned closer to Lin Zhuzui and whispered, "Are we just going to wait here for the results?"

People were coming and going in front of them, and the crowd listened to Lu Xiwan's orders in a flustered manner. The large group of Shiren Sect disciples standing here felt quite out of place.

"Otherwise, what do you want to do?" Lin Zhuzui stood with his sword in his arms, motionless.

Nan Huachao teased the puppy and said, "We came here for the Golden Leaf Wutong and the missing people. Now, of course, we need to wait for news to determine our next move."

Hearing their conversation, Ji Daoyun asked, "Luo Hanying, what are your thoughts?"

Luo Hanying shook her head: "No, no, I just feel anxious waiting here."

Ji Daoyun reassured him, "Nothing can be accomplished overnight; waiting is also a viable strategy."

We've now identified the beginnings of the matter, and the truth will come to light.

Everyone agreed.

"My goodness, Cha Cha, this Ji Daoyun is so captivating!"

Luo Hanying couldn't help but complain, "I used to like him quite a bit; I felt he had a very special aura. I regret it now; I think he's so pretentious."

Ruan Chayan hadn't had much contact with Ji Daoyun, and upon hearing this, she exclaimed in surprise, "Really? Tell me quickly, why is he pretending?"

Luo Hanying repeated Ji Daoyun's words in an affected manner, then clicked her tongue a few times and said: "You think he's being pretentious? If there are no clues, there are no clues. If you can't determine how to continue the investigation or what to investigate, just say so. He's too good at using modifiers."

Wow, I'm having a hard time describing this feeling. You wouldn't say he's feigning profundity, would you? It's like he's radiating a kind of... well... you know what I mean? It's so hard to describe.

Ruan Chayan chuckled and said, "I think I understand now. After all, they were people from ancient times, so it's understandable that they're different from us."

The two then went on to criticize their fellow disciples, saying things like, "Isn't it a bit inappropriate to talk about someone behind their back?" and "Isn't it a bit immoral to talk about someone behind their back like this?" They finally comforted themselves with the thought, "If I don't talk about them behind their backs, am I supposed to talk about them to their face?" and had their fill of gossip.

Standing behind her fellow disciples, Luo Hanying suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. She warily scanned the people around her, but couldn't find the source of any malice.

"I went there, and I have this feeling like someone doesn't like me?"

Luo Hanying touched her arm, smoothing the bristling hairs. ["It feels like someone is staring at me menacingly."]

"Be careful, you might be the one who caused the Lu family to end up like this."

"If you go to help the Lu family, that person will definitely find you an eyesore." Ruan Chayan inquired about the situation on Luo Hanying's side, and Luo Hanying told her about the chaos there.

"This is so complicated."

Ruan Chayan said, "[Can Lu Xizhou extract anything from us? What if Lu Zhongyuan is innocent? Isn't it too hasty to use torture directly?]"

Luo Hanying felt uneasy: "I don't know, it's not up to us to decide what happens in other people's families."

I actually hope that Lu Zhongyuan has some kind of problem, then there will be a breakthrough in the matter.

You wouldn't believe it, but from Lu Xiwan to Lu Xizhou, from the head of the Lu family to the family steward, everyone in the Lu family has an inexplicable confidence in their management and the security of the Lu family.

They never suspected the problem stemmed from within their own family; they always looked for external causes, which is why the issue has dragged on until now without being resolved.

"How could such a large family, with its insurmountable class barriers, have remained without problems for hundreds of years?"

Ruan Chayan understood Luo Hanying's meaning and agreed, saying, "It's probably a long-standing grudge that's waiting for an opportunity to retaliate. Otherwise, how can we explain not being able to find any clues?"

They must have joined forces to overthrow the Lu family's rule.

"That's how it is." Luo Hanying stroked the withered tree trunk and sighed. "Ugh, so annoying, my head is spinning."

Why did the golden parasol tree wither? What is Lu Ze's true nature?