Chapter 682: Testing the Waters

Chapter 682: Chapter 682: Testing the Waters

The news was shocking enough, and enough to make even someone as usually composed as Pang Ban lose his calm.

Because if it were only Prince Jin, Pang Ban wouldn’t have been too concerned. The Emperor had ruled the Empire for decades, his power unmatched. For Prince Jin to try and reclaim the throne was utterly impossible; no one would be foolish enough to openly support him. At most there would be some disturbances, nothing truly harmful.

But Yang Yansi’s utterly unexpected appearance together with Prince Jin changed everything.

Who was Yang Yansi? Even though he was now sidelined by the Emperor, he was still the Minister of War, and moreover, the National Pillar General of the Dynasty; his prestige in both the military and among the common people was second to none.

Even during the previous incident of "raising bandits to strengthen oneself," although there was no direct evidence implicating Yang Yansi, he undoubtedly played an important role. Otherwise, the Emperor wouldn’t loathe him. The reason he was not dead was probably that the Emperor, anticipating the then-impending war, needed to preserve some dignity for the generals in the military; otherwise, Yang Yansi could not have kept the post of Minister to this day.

Viewed separately, Pang Ban did not think much of either Yang Yansi or Prince Jin, to be honest. Both were Profound Sea Realm cultivators, but so what? There were many in the Profound Sea Realm; had any ever dared swagger through the Imperial City? Did they have a death wish?

But if Yang Yansi and Prince Jin came together, that was another matter. Should Yang Yansi rally support and combine forces with Prince Jin’s lineage, this might really stir up unrest. The key point was that Pang Ban knew, at this very moment, the Emperor did not have long to live, and coupled with the internal and external troubles plaguing the Dynasty, the variables were significant.

"And what about Prince Ling?" Pang Ban could not help but worry, while also having doubts about what role Spirit King Shu played besides Yang Yansi and Prince Jin. How did he become involved in this as well?

"Unknown. According to our information, that teahouse Prince Jin visited belongs to Prince Ling. The Zither Master he met is also a regular guest of Prince Ling’s Mansion. But for now, there’s nothing directly tying Prince Ling to this matter."

That Zither Master was the Binding Princess. However, Shen Hao had previously instructed his men not to report any information connecting Binding Princess with the Moon Shadow Tower, so Jiang Cheng was unaware, and Pang Ban likewise seemed not to have this information in hand.

"Investigate! There’s no way Prince Jin would sit and listen to zither arts for two hours for no reason; he must have another purpose."

"Yes, my lord!"

"Dismissed. This matter cannot suffer delay; I must enter the palace at once." Pang Ban did not keep Jiang Cheng for further discussion. He stood up in front of Jiang Cheng, donned his coat, called for his Guard, and hurried out as well.

Just like Jiang Cheng, but with different information at hand, Pang Ban viewed this news with even greater tension.

After parting from Jiang Cheng, Pang Ban made his way straight to the Imperial Palace. He waited for over half an hour outside the palace gates before someone came out carrying the Emperor’s token to admit him inside. And that was not all: after entering, he had to pass through five successive checkpoints before he was allowed to proceed. During the entire process, Pang Ban could distinctly sense several powerful auras locked onto him—experts of comparable cultivation.

Inside Fuan Palace, he found the Emperor looking weary, and Yang Xiusheng, whose expression was wooden.

"Your subject greets Your Majesty. Greetings, Manor Master Yang."

The Emperor leaned back onto his divan, waved his hand, and half-closed his eyes. Yang Xiusheng nodded to Pang Ban by way of greeting.

"Speak." The Emperor was truly exhausted. He could only sleep for brief stretches at night; this was a rare time when he could relax, free of pain. But now Pang Ban had disturbed him; his mood was grim. Nonetheless, he knew that for Pang Ban to come late at night, there must be something urgent.

"Your Majesty, Black Water has found Prince Jin’s whereabouts."

With a single sentence, not only did the Emperor abruptly straighten and open his eyes, even Yang Xiusheng by his side turned towards him with a serious expression.

"You found him? Where?" The Emperor was a bit surprised. He’d only given the order to ’give it a try,’ not expecting that the intelligence network Xuanqing Guard had just established could be useful here. But this was an unexpected success. It had only been a few days—looked like Black Water was quite competent.

Pang Ban explained in detail the intel Jiang Cheng had just reported, without exaggeration or adding his own opinions—a simple retelling.

Pang Ban understood well that in such matters, presumptions on his part must not be added. The Emperor would have his own judgment. If advice was needed, he would ask. If not, it was best to remain silent.

"Wu Village? Yang Yansi?!" The Emperor raised his brows, turned to look at Yang Xiusheng, and asked, "Uncle, what is the meaning of this?"

Yang Xiusheng was silent for a while, then shook his head. "Impossible. I personally sealed Yang Yansi’s meridians. His cultivation is only Profound Sea First Layer—he cannot break the Sealing Meridian technique. I also assigned a Golden Sword cultivator to watch his every move. If anyone had made contact, I would know about it."

Yang Xiusheng did not say so outright, but he was clearly skeptical, obviously questioning the intelligence Pang Ban provided.

The Emperor, however, held another view. He frowned: "Nothing in the world is absolute. Uncle, can your Sealing Meridian method truly guarantee there exists no way in the world to break it? And when was the last time your assigned Golden Sword cultivator reported in?"

"He checks in daily as ordered; everything Yang Yansi does must be reported, and there has never been a delay or omission." That was precisely why Yang Xiusheng found this unbelievable; he had to doubt Pang Ban’s news.

The Emperor glanced at Pang Ban but did not question him, turning again to Yang Xiusheng: "Uncle, can you still get in touch with that man?"

"Yes, I have a Thousand-Mile Sound; I can reach him at any moment. I’ll contact him now."

"Wait!" At this point, Pang Ban had no choice but to interject. Seeing the Emperor and Yang Xiusheng turn to him, he explained, "Your Majesty, Manor Master Yang, you can indeed contact the Golden Sword cultivator beside Yang Yansi, but perhaps you should carefully consider your phrasing. If something has gone wrong on that side, sudden contact could easily alert them."

The Emperor nodded in agreement. Yang Xiusheng thought for a moment in understanding, then, after careful consideration, produced a Thousand-Mile Sound and began to contact the Golden Sword assigned to Yang Yansi.

What Yang Xiusheng said, the Emperor and Pang Ban did not know. But it was not long before Yang Xiusheng’s suddenly changed expression made it clear there was trouble.

"Something has happened." Yang Xiusheng’s face darkened as he handed the Thousand-Mile Sound to the Emperor.

"I said that with the tense situation in the Imperial City recently, as the Minister of War Yang Yansi was sure to be probed by various factions, so I asked if he needed me to send Li Ming to assist him. His reply: no need. But in Fenghong Manor, there is no cultivator named Li Ming at all."