Xiu Jiming was familiarizing himself with the affairs of the Xunzhu Department when an officer from the main hall’s administrative office approached him.
The man knelt on one knee and said, “Pacification Commissioner Xiu, there is someone outside who says he wants to see you. He says he is your Senior Brother.”
Xiu Jiming’s brow twitched at the words.
He paused for a moment in thought before finally putting down his pen with a sense of helplessness.
He walked toward the entrance, and as expected, he saw Gong Xuance’s smirking face.
The man waved at Xiu Jiming and said, “Hello there, Junior Brother. We haven’t seen each other in a few days. Did you miss me?”
Xiu Jiming looked at him coldly, his gaze fixed on the man for a long time.
Gong Xuance held his hands behind his head and prepared to stroll into the Xunzhu Department with a grin.
However, Xiu Jiming slowly moved to block his path and asked, “What are you here for?”
Gong Xuance smiled and flashed the medallion in his hand.
“I have accepted orders from above to come and call you all to assist in an investigation.”
“The imperial decree is here,” he added.
Then, as if performing a magic trick, he produced a golden imperial decree from his other hand.
Xiu Jiming frowned.
He took the medallion and glanced at it before tossing it aside like trash.
Gong Xuance scrambled to fly over and catch it, complaining, “What are you doing! What are you doing!”
Xiu Jiming opened the imperial decree and scanned the contents quickly.
Then, he said indifferently, “Since that is the case, you may follow me. But remember to stay far away from Lin Ling.”
Gong Xuance smiled and reached out to pat Xiu Jiming’s shoulder.
“Don’t worry, don’t worry, Little Junior Brother. I won’t touch the one you like.”
Xiu Jiming looked at him with a headache.
He didn’t care what the man said and simply walked back inside with his hands behind his back. He then commanded the others, “Find a jail cell for this man to live in.”
Gong Xuance immediately began to beg for mercy.
“Wait, that’s not right, Junior Brother. I’m not a prisoner now, so you can’t just lock me up whenever you want. I’m currently an Imperial Envoy specially dispatched by the court!”
He looked at the Xunzhu Department officers who were stepping forward to take him into custody and suddenly pulled out his medallion, waving it around.
“What do you think you’re doing! I’m an Imperial Envoy personally appointed by the Emperor! Who dares move against me!”
Xiu Jiming rolled his eyes and said, “Then find him a shabby room and let him stay there. We will call him when he is needed.”
Gong Xuance quickly waved his hand.
“No need, no need. Since Junior Brother is taking such good care of me, I’ll just stay outside. I wouldn’t want to put you to any expense. I’ve been wandering the world for so many years and have managed to keep some of my fortune; I wouldn’t want to trouble you. Ahaha, ahahaha.”
Xiu Jiming gave a satisfied smile.
“If you have any requests, come find me again.”
Gong Xuance suddenly blurred and reappeared in front of Xiu Jiming, blocking his path.
Xiu Jiming immediately threw a whip kick at his face.
Gong Xuance raised his hand to block, but Xiu Jiming’s foot sent him flying quite a distance.
Gong Xuance laughed and said, “Don’t be so impatient. I actually have a request right now that I need you to handle.”
Xiu Jiming watched him without saying a word.
Gong Xuance shook the medallion and said, “This is a matter concerning our sect. You know what I’m talking about.”
Xiu Jiming’s heart skipped a beat.
He looked at him slowly and understood instantly.
This fellow wanted him to go and look at the *Sutra of Breaking Delusions with the Sword*.
After thinking for a moment, Xiu Jiming said seriously, “Then I shall accompany you for a trip.”
“Hehe, smart.”
Gong Xuance nodded with satisfaction.
Before leaving, Xiu Jiming quickly gave orders to several subordinates who had always been loyal to him.
He told them to look after Lin Ling, as he might be gone for a period of time.
After the men promised to comply and Xiu Jiming had arranged his affairs, he prepared to leave with Gong Xuance.
—
The sky gradually darkened.
For the entire day, Lin Ling had buried herself in a sea of records.
She had been searching for information regarding the destruction of the Jade Fox Clan, but as expected, the documents had been redacted.
This led Lin Ling to a chilling conclusion.
‘If this person is within the imperial court and holds a high position…’
The fall of Yuzhou was a massive event, and if it was their handiwork, they would have erased all traces to hide their involvement.
‘What exactly is this person trying to do?’
Thinking of this, the little fox felt a sense of lingering fear, and she hesitated over whether she should continue her investigation.
However, there were some things Lin Ling couldn’t quite figure out.
Based on the timeline information she had obtained from Lin Kejing, the records she had gathered by subtly questioning Xiu Jiming, and the information that hadn’t yet been redacted, the Yuzhou Incident occurred exactly eighteen years ago.
She had also spent eighteen years in that world before coming to this one.
In other words, if she really was Lin Ling of the Yuzhou Fox Clan, then during the period she had died and crossed over to Earth, only about a month had passed in this world before she returned here.
At that time, the catastrophe of the Yuzhou Fox Clan had already occurred, and Yuzhou had fallen.
She then descended into this world and became the son of Magistrate Lin.
The timeline seemed a bit off.
‘Could it be that although I lived in that world for nearly twenty years, there was no corresponding timeline in this world at all?’
Furthermore, how exactly did she come back?
Why did Lin Kejing and the Temple Warden design a plan to turn her back into Lin Ling the moment they saw her, and how could they be so sure it was her?
Fear began to grow in Lin Ling’s heart.
The more she thought about it, the more bizarre it felt.
She took a deep breath, cast a Calming Incantation on herself, and continued to flip through the secondary records.
The records stated very subtly that the year before the Yuzhou Incident was the year the current Emperor was born.
Counting it up, the current Emperor was only nineteen years old.
The incident happened eighteen years ago—did they have some sort of connection?
The more Lin Ling flipped through the records, the more her hands shook.
A great sense of dread was creeping into her heart.
A sense of fear, as if some powerful existence were watching her from the shadows, continuously enveloped her mind.
‘I can’t keep investigating for now,’ Lin Ling thought as she sighed and slowly closed the records.
At that moment, she suddenly noticed a gaze fixed upon her from the doorway.
Lin Ling quickly looked up.
As soon as that figure saw Lin Ling look up, it vanished instantly.
Lin Ling chased the figure to the door, but she couldn’t see anyone.
This made Lin Ling feel even more uneasy and afraid.
It seemed she would have to find Lin Kejing and ask for clarification.
Otherwise, she would never find a solution if things continued this way.
It was useless to keep searching for records; the archives here at the Yunzhou Xunzhu Department were already massive.
If they could be redacted to this extent, other places would likely be the same.
Lin Ling looked at the documents and pondered for a moment.
If she wanted to continue investigating the case, she would have to find someone who knew what had happened back then.
However, she truly had no leads and didn’t know where to start.