Chapter 1084 - 906: Deliver in Batches (2)

Li Hongjiu frowned again upon hearing this, "You are a Heavenly Court Official, and someone hired assassins to kill you? The Nanshan Royal Court is full of talent, if they wanted to kill you, would they need to hire an assassin organization?"

Shi Chun countered, "Do you remember last time when I invited you to accompany me to Dazhi City?"

Li Hongjiu nodded slightly, of course he remembered, and it was with deep impression, as he had just received the news of the death of his brother Ming Chaofeng.

Shi Chun said, "At that time when I left the Yanbao Sect for Dazhi City, someone had already hired assassins from the 'Blood Shadow Pavilion' to assassinate me."

Li Hongjiu's face showed a look of astonishment.

Shi Chun then took out a Jade Scroll and placed it on the table, pushing it forward, "Regarding that assassination, while we were still trapped in Yanfu Continent, someone secretly sent me this clue. I want to confirm with you, Brother Jiu, whether the person who made your brother Ming Chaofeng kill me in the Battle of Great Pardon is related to the person in this clue?"

Li Hongjiu was slightly stunned, took the Jade Scroll and conjured a spell to check it, upon seeing the name inside, he murmured in confusion, "Lei Ying…" and then asked, "Who is this person?"

He wasn't pretending, he truly didn't know or recognize this person.

Shi Chun closely observed his expression and calmly said, "Gong Shaoci, the grandson of Minister Nanshan, his trusted subordinate."

When these words were spoken, Li Hongjiu's pupils shrank suddenly, remembering something.

Shi Chun noticed this subtle change, lightly tapping his fingertip on the table, a series of clicks, he then asked again, "Is the person who made your brother kill me in the Battle of Great Pardon related to this person?"

This was the purpose of his trip to the mountains.

He hadn't received an answer from Li Hongjiu before, but now he returned, using a different approach to confirm.

Li Hongjiu remained silent.

This attitude itself explained the problem, Wu Jinliang and Huang Yingying looked at each other subconsciously.

A slightly despondent Shi Chun already knew the answer he wanted, knowing this answer indirectly confirmed the authenticity of the Jade Scroll content, confirming that some fiend indeed wants to kill him, willing to brutally assassinate him repeatedly!

Once he identified the mastermind behind two assassination attempts against him, he could suspect that the secrets of his mount seeing the Sandalwood Gold vein might also be related to this mastermind. With a direction to investigate, he could confirm how the enemy knew the secret of San seeing the Sandalwood Gold vein.

Having secured his position as Heavenly Domain Dingnan Commander, he had fewer worries, personally stepping out this time to peel away layers of hidden conspiracies and would not let the mastermind endlessly attempt bottomless assassinations against him.

Seeing Li Hongjiu still unwilling to reveal the mastermind, Shi Chun added calmly, "I am a Heavenly Court Official, and he dared to hire assassins against me, your brother Ming Chaofeng is a Royal Court Official, so what? That time, your brother was attacked first, then me, was it really a coincidence? I suspect the mastermind is the same person!"

Upon hearing this, Li Hongjiu suddenly looked up at him, obvious surprise and doubt in his eyes.

Shi Chun pointed to the Jade Scroll in his hand, "Brother Jiu, I am not asking you for that person's name, I am only asking if the mastermind is related to Lei Ying?"

Li Hongjiu tightened his lips and remained silent.

Shi Chun continued, "Alright, your attitude has given me an answer." He pointed to the list, "Based on various signs, the person who helped the assassins track me to Dazhi City should be among those cloaked people, point out the names for me, I will check them one by one. The people your Yanbao Sect dare not reveal or investigate, I will investigate, and after discovering the truth behind your brother Ming Chaofeng's death, I promise to tell you the truth."

Although the task of verifying the identities of those cloaked figures was handed to Wu Jinliang to manage, since he personally came, naturally he intended to resolve the situation with the Nanshan list.

Li Hongjiu did not resist this time, upon sweeping his eyes over the list again, he dipped a finger in the tea water, marking several names with tea stains, silently pushing the list back.

His mood was somewhat gloomy, having hoped for some monetary compensation from the other party, yet the issue of money was not even mentioned, and he ended up doing such a favor first.

Shi Chun took the list, glanced at it silently for a moment, then handed it to Wu Jinliang at his side, "First find out the details of these six people."

After scanning through the names of the six, Wu Jinliang nodded and said, "Hmm, that's simple."

Inwardly, he sighed self-deprecatingly, it truly was simple, and within moments, he had pinpointed the six Demon Eye Cultivators from the Nanshan list.

He had been pondering how to coax Li Hongjiu appropriately before.

Shi Chun reached out for the Jade Scroll in Li Hongjiu's hand, and placed a Qiankun Bag onto Li Hongjiu, smiling modestly yet awkwardly, "Brother Jiu, you know the money brought directly from Yanfu Continent is limited. On the Dingnan Prefecture's side, there are still significant expenditures requiring urgent attention. Here, I have managed to spare a hundred billion for you, don't scoff at its small amount, I'll compensate you once more funds become available."

Holding the money bag, Li Hongjiu was startled again, questioning, "Didn't you retrieve all the funds?"

Shi Chun didn't directly answer the question, vaguely replying, "You are well aware of how detailed the checks at the exit are."

Li Hongjiu tilted his mouth corner, genuinely curious how the other party extracted the money. Now hearing that the bulk was not retrieved, he guessed the person's plan, estimating they would let those with access qualifications bring them out bit by bit.

He did not further question nor intended to get too deeply involved, casting a spell to check within the Qiankun Bag, unable to count the profit thoroughly at the moment; in any case, lots and lots of money—in Yanfu Continent's past, he hadn't seen so much money before, planning to count leisurely when alone…

Shi Chun and his party did not linger long at Yanbao Sect. Given the constant threat of assassination, they did not remain outside for long after leaving the sect; Xun Gate's rapid transitions brought them directly back to the Heavenly Domain Dingnan Prefecture.

Returning to the official residence, with no other idlers around, Wu Jinliang then asked, "Looks like the real mastermind is probably Gong Shaoci, what do we do now?"

Shi Chun felt extreme dissatisfaction at the name 'Gong Shaoci,' sneering, "What else can we do, since it's been confirmed from Li Hongjiu that the mastermind is related to Lei Ying, of course let Yu Xuanbing capture them directly, interrogate to determine the truth."

Previously, he dared not easily speak of such matters involving arresting Gong family members. Now, not only spoke easily, but his means of resolving it were direct and blunt.

Wu Jinliang expressed discontent saying, "Li Hongjiu, though without explicitly saying it, indirectly pointed to Gong Shaoci, Yu Xuanbing having been dispatched, why capture, interrogated true or false, then killed outright, return the favor. He sent people to assassinate you, you send people to assassinate him back, it's fair."

Shi Chun cast a sidelong glance, "How did the secret of Mount San seeing the Sandalwood Gold vein leak, must investigate! Moreover, don't you want the Dingbei Prefecture's territory? Population introduction initiatives unfulfilled? Gong family has real wealth and power, if their members committed such deeds, it demands explanation!"