Chapter 695 - The Importance of the Nation's Altars
Chapter 695 of "Red Heart Patrols the Sky" unveils: Compared to the capital cities of other nations, Xinâan City was not grand.It was not... Continue the story!
Compared to the capital cities of other nations, Xinâan City was not grand.It was not just inferior compared to Yong Countryâs capital but also couldnât match up to the capital of Mo Country, Dingwu City.
When Taizu Zhuang Chenggan of Zhuang Country established the capital in Hualin County, the nation was impoverished.
After several generations of management and accumulation of wealth, the capital underwent some repair and expansion.
However, the capital could never shake off the air of a lesser familyâs estate.
There were ministers who proposed to demolish and rebuild this city, but they were stopped by Du Ruhui.
Du Ruhui advised, âThe solidity of mountains and rivers, the weight of the land and grain, rest in the people, not the place; in the monarch, not the city.â
Zhuang Gaoxian willingly accepted this and stated that until the nation grew stronger, not a single brick would be added to the capital city.
When Lin Zhengren approached this city with great caution, what he saw was a bold, commanding figure, seated on the city gate with a lance across his lap.
Like a deity guarding the gates, he watched over Xinâan.
The torrential rain from last night had passed, and now the morning sun was just beginning to rise.
The sunlight broke free from the long night, illuminating Zhu Weiwo so brilliantly.
His solitary figure with the lance signified his personal vigil over the city, offering peace of mind to the citizens.
No matter the opponent, no matter the enemy, they could not set foot into Xinâan City until his Ember Ending Lance broke.
Lin Zhengren squinted his eyes.
Too dazzling, he thought.
Yet, he had to admit, upon seeing Zhu Weiwo with his lance atop the city gate at this moment, the wariness in his heart had dissipated.
Xinâan City was now very safe.
Zhu Weiwo had the ability to instill such a feeling in people.
âBrother Zhu!â He greeted him with neither subservience nor arrogance.
Zhu Weiwo gave him only a glance, saying nothing in response.
Lin Zhengrenâs expression remained calm; he had always known that Zhu Weiwo looked down on him.
âBy the priestâs order, I have returned from the frontline battlefield to investigate the state of the capital,â he still offered an explanation to Zhu Weiwo before addressing the guards standing proudly at the city gate, âWhere exactly did the attack on Dong Ah occur?
Take me to see the crime scene.â
The street where the battle took place had been completely sealed off, and all clues were preserved as much as possible.
Zhuang Countryâs strongest were not in the capital, and the deputy prime ministerâs death demanded a conclusion.
Therefore, preserving the scene was imperative until those of high status returned.
Before the blockade was lifted, residents on both sides of the street could only enter and exit through their back doors.
Dong Ahâs head and limbs had been severed, and his body was still lying in the street, untouched.
The two disciples who returned to Xinâan City with Lin Zhengren were pale-faced.
Lin Zhengren examined Dong Ahâs body in detail, his face devoid of emotion.
All his belongings including the storage box were undisturbed; the Two Realms Ruler lay next to his severed hand.
At the center of his torso, right over his heart, lay a green jade ornament, not very precious.
The cuts on the limbs and head were very smooth, the weapon was a sword, an extremely sharp one that sliced through the body of a Neifu Cultivator without much resistance.
On the severed limbs and head, there were fine, elongated slits, likely made with a needle-like magic artifact, yet thicker than ordinary needlesâŚ
Lin Zhengren observed with great diligence, even checking Dong Ahâs hair strands several times, before getting up to examine the entire battle scene.
The sudden downpour from the previous night had washed away many traces, but some marks couldnât be erased by the rain.
Like the broken floor tiles, like the vestiges left by various Dao TechniquesâŚ
Lin Zhengren bent down to pick up a lump of colorless matter at his feet, rubbed it with his fingers, and confirmed that it was a section of decayed wood.
âYou two go back first and send a message to the priest,â he turned and instructed the two disciples, âMinister Dong has been murdered, and the killer is alone and has already fled.
Brother Zhu Weiwo is now in charge of Xinâan City, ensuring its safety.
Thereâs nothing to worry about behind us; please tell them to fight at the front with peace of mind.â
The military situation was urgent, and since Lin Zhengren was the leader of this mission, the two disciples from the national academy hurriedly flew to the front line upon receiving the instructions.
Lin Zhengren was very patient and walked back and forth from one end of the street to the other four times, making sure he had not missed any details.
Finally, he walked up to the city wall, to Zhu Weiwoâs side.
âBrother Zhu,â he greeted.
Zhu Weiwo turned his head to look at him, waiting silently for him to continue.
âI have carefully examined Minister Dongâs body and found that on his severed limbs and head, there are thin, small cuts caused by needle-like magic artifacts.
I speculate that the effect of such artifacts was precisely able to counter Minister Dongâs Divine Skill of everlasting life.â
Lin Zhengren had prepared his thoughts well in advance and slowly said, âThis is enough to show that the murderer came specifically for Minister Dong, is very familiar with him, and made targeted preparations.â
Zhu Weiwo still did not speak.
âFrom the battle traces on the scene, I found that both sides consciously controlled the range of their fight, not affecting the residents on both sides,â Lin Zhengren continued, âMinister Dong, as the vice-minister of the nation, would naturally protect the people.
But what about the murderer?â
âI guess the murderer must also be from Zhuang Country.
At least, he used to be.â He even joked, âOr perhaps, the murderer is a great philanthropist.â
Zhu Weiwo clearly had no interest in his humor; his expression was unchanged as he responded indifferently, âTell me something I donât know.â
Before Lin Zhengren, Zhu Weiwo must have also inspected the death scene of Dong Ah; any detail that Lin Zhengren could see, Zhu Weiwo would not have missed.
Lin Zhengren was not upset by Zhu Weiwoâs impatience.
His expression just became more serious, âBrother, have you heard about the annihilation of the Lin Family?â
Zhu Weiwoâs eyes changed slightly, âIs it related to this matter?â
âThat person was also a cultivator of the Godâs Inner Mansion and indeed had the potential to kill Minister Dong.
AndâŚâ
Lin Zhengren said, âThere might be something that everyone overlooked at the time or didnât care too much about, myself included.
That person broke into Wangjiang Cityâs Dao Institute and forcefully demanded a Dao Technique from the instituteâs head, named âDecayed Wood Decisionâ!â
Almost instantly, Zhu Weiwo connected it with the crime scene, âAre you sure itâs the same technique?â
âMuch more powerful, but definitely from the same origin without the doubt.
That kind of powerâŚ
I am very familiar with it.â
As he said this, Lin Zhengren also felt some annoyance; why hadnât he raised awareness about the Decayed Wood Decision before?
A Dao Technique valued by a Neifu Cultivator, how could it be simple?
There must be potential that the head of Wangjiang City Dao Institute had not fully discovered!
He continued, âFu Baosong from the academy also practiced this technique; he should be able to confirm this.â
Zhu Weiwoâs voice became noticeably serious, âSo what do you know about this person?â
âAt that time, I found it strange that for some reason, that person seemed to hate my brother Zhengli intensely, determined to put him to death.
Moreover, he specifically chose to drown him.
This reminded me of a disciple from Maple Forest Cityâs Dao Institute who had borrowed your Ember Ending Lance to block our Lin Family Landâs gate.â
Zhu Weiwo was expressionless, but the air around him had already become scorching hot.
Lin Zhengren remained untroubled by Zhu Weiwoâs attitude, his expression calm as a still lake, and continued at his own pace, âMy brother Lin Zhengli was just a profligate from a small town.
What common link could he possibly have with the honorable Minister Dong?
The only link I can think of is a person, that young cultivator named Jiang Wang.â
âMaybe not everyone within the Maple Forest City Region died.
That Jiang WangâŚ
he came backâŚâ
âHoweverâŚâ
Lin Zhengren looked puzzled, âIf that person is Jiang Wang, why would he want to kill Minister Dong?
Wasnât Minister Dong his teacher once?
Could it be that the incident in Maple Forest City Region back thenâŚâ
He stopped there.
That was enough to say.
Anything more would be too much.