Holy Bone

Chapter 2034 The Luogeng Jade Plate Searches for the Whereabouts of Emperor Kangheng's Daughter
This concludes our recollection of Emperor Kangheng.

As Emperor Kangheng's physical form charged at the Jiang family patriarch and his companions with a sword, the memory ended there, and all the images froze.

The Hidden Dragon Ancestor sighed and said in a deep voice, "That day, Emperor Kang Heng's skin came wielding a sword, and our battle with the Jiang family patriarch and the others was forced to be interrupted as we were busy dealing with the sudden attack of Emperor Kang Heng. So the memory ends here."

"The final outcome of that battle was that Emperor Kangheng's physical body wreaked havoc in all directions, causing chaos. In the end, Emperor Kangheng's young son was found by the Imperial Guards of the capital in a civilian house, while the whereabouts of Emperor Kangheng's physical body remained unknown. As for his physical body and the Empress, they were both destroyed by the masters of the Divine Path, their bodies shattered to pieces."

"The family of three could not escape a tragic end. It's a long story, a long story indeed."

Master Zifeng's eyes were red, and he said in a suppressed voice, "When Emperor Kangheng was still alive, my fellow disciple and I were the closest to him."

“We originally wanted to save Emperor Kangheng’s young son, but we failed… Whenever we think about this, my senior brother and I feel extremely indebted to Emperor Kangheng.”

"Fortunately, Emperor Kangheng's youngest son managed to escape and did not suffer the same tragic fate as Emperor Kangheng and the Empress. This is a stroke of luck amidst misfortune."

Jin An walked up to the body of Emperor Kang Heng and looked at it with a complicated expression.

He still clearly remembers the appearance of the martial arts immortal who saved him in the Corpse Painting Cave in the underworld that day.

Emperor Kangheng's appearance was exactly the same as that of the Martial Immortal from that day; there was not a single difference between the two. Therefore, he was certain that Emperor Kangheng was the Martial Immortal from that day.

It was precisely because he was certain that his eyes held such a complex expression.

There was reluctance in his eyes.

I'm sad.

There is a sense of oppression.

There was grief and indignation.

There was also a deep sense of reluctance to part, a feeling of heroes cherishing heroes...

Master Qianlong sighed again, his voice filled with anguish, and said, "It is precisely because we had a good relationship with Emperor Kangheng that we find it even more difficult to accept the fact that the Empress had cannibalism and that Emperor Kangheng was a villain who died suddenly! We have always wanted to reopen the case and find out the truth of what happened more than ten years ago!"

"Marquis Shenwu, this is why we have come to you. We hope that you can prove the innocence of Emperor Kangheng and the Empress, and allow them to rest in peace and ascend to the Western Paradise in tranquility and joy!"

Master Qianlong looked at Jin An and said.

Master Zifeng nodded vigorously beside him.

"Emperor Kangheng and the Empress died such tragic deaths, alas." Even the old Taoist priest sighed repeatedly, chanting Taoist scriptures to pray for their souls to be delivered from suffering.

Jin An wanted to reach out and touch Emperor Kang Heng's skin, but his hand touched nothing, passing right through Emperor Kang Heng's skin. Memories are illusions, not real entities.

Jin An said with a complicated look in his eyes, "Half a year ago, Emperor Kang Heng's human skin saved my life in the underworld, so even if you two hadn't asked me for help, I would still have investigated the case and cleared Emperor Kang Heng and the Empress's name."

"You two don't need to say too much, I have already taken over this case."

The Hidden Dragon Master and the Purple Vine Master were deeply moved, and countless words were uttered only in their clasped hands and bowed respectfully.

Jin An gently smoothed the two people down with a wave of his hand. This scene greatly shocked Qianlong Zhenren and Zifeng Zhenren. They stared at Jin An in astonishment for a long time.

Jin An's move truly shocked the two of them.

This strength indicates that Jin An's strength far surpasses that of the two. They are at the peak of the late stage of the third realm and could break through to the fourth realm at any time... Doesn't that mean that Jin An's divine cultivation has already reached the fourth realm?
It's very likely that this isn't just any ordinary fourth realm!

Perhaps he's already in the middle stage of the fourth realm!

Judging from the fact that Jin An effortlessly lifted the two of them from a distance, it's clear how incredibly strong he is.

"Marquis Shenwu...your cultivation level..."

"Has it already reached the fourth realm?"

Master Zifang cautiously asked in a low voice.

After receiving Jin An's nod of approval, Master Zifeng and Master Qianlong couldn't help but exchange a glance, both seeing shock in each other's eyes.

After a long pause, Zifang Zhenren said with a wry smile, "Shenwu Hou looks so young, but I never imagined he already had such profound cultivation, surpassing even my senior brother and me, these two old geezers..."

"We seem to see a similar image in Marquis Shenwu..."

"Oh?"

Jin An asked curiously, "Who is it?"

Both Master Qianlong and Master Ziteng spoke with solemn expressions: "Emperor Kangheng!"

"Martial Immortals have not appeared for many years. When Emperor Kangheng became a Martial Immortal, he was only about thirty years old. Such extraordinary achievements at such a young age are truly rare in the world!"

"Like Emperor Kangheng, Marquis Shenwu achieved extraordinary success at a young age. They are both exceptionally gifted individuals, worthy of admiration and respect!"

Jin An didn't say much on this topic. First, he didn't like to be too high-profile. Second, the other party was old and this topic was not suitable for in-depth discussion. Third, he had other things to deal with. So he changed the subject and said, "You both know that I am investigating the bone-collecting and cannibalism case. The missing children in the bone-collecting and cannibalism case have always been the focus of my investigation."

"According to the information I obtained from the Empress's eunuch, the infant that the royal family has been searching for is very likely the missing child of Emperor Kangheng from back then."

"Although the Kangheng Emperor's infant was found by the Imperial Guards, the royal family has always suspected that the infant they killed was not Kangheng Emperor's biological child, but was switched with another child. Therefore, the royal family has always wanted to find the remains of Kangheng Emperor's infant again."

"The royal family plans to use a finger bone from one of Emperor Kangheng's deceased relatives to determine whether the remains are those of Emperor Kangheng's infant child after finding the remains."

"pity……"

"Neither the bone collector nor Boss Liu and his group were able to find any remains. Instead, they unearthed a thousand-year-old blood corpse. The bone collector and the finger bone fell into the depths of Ghost Moth Mountain and have been missing ever since. It is now difficult to investigate the truth."

Master Zifang said with a serious expression, "Marquis Shenwu had already explained this matter to us when he was at the Wuzang Taoist Temple."

"Has Marquis Shenwu brought this up again? Has he made some new discovery?"

Master Zifeng solemnly declared, "As long as it can help Emperor Kangheng's family clear their name, exonerate them, and restore their innocence, Marquis Shenwu, just tell us what you need us to do, and we will do our utmost without hesitation!"

Master Qianlong also nodded solemnly beside him.

Jin An glanced at Emperor Kang Heng's physical form again, then followed the gaze of the form to the infant Emperor Kang Heng, whose chest had been pierced by the Jiang family patriarch and who was weak and dying. He paused slightly and said, "Do you two have any way to help me investigate the whereabouts of Emperor Kang Heng's infant?"

“Since we haven’t found the remains of Emperor Kangheng’s child at Ghost Moth Mountain, let’s assume for now that Emperor Kangheng’s child is still alive and has been preserved in the world. I want to find Emperor Kangheng’s child.” “Only by finding Emperor Kangheng’s child will many of the buried clues from back then naturally come to light.”

"This..." Master Qianlong and Master Zifeng exchanged a glance, then shook their heads apologetically.

"To be honest with you, Marquis Shenwu, if there really were a way to find the young Emperor Kangheng, my senior brother and I would have started looking for him more than a decade ago. We would have hidden him as far away as possible, away from the extraordinary capital, hoping that he could live out his life in peace."

Jin An circled the infant Emperor Kangheng several times, his eyes thoughtful, and said, "Gentlemen, do you have any items from when Emperor Kangheng was alive?"

"For example, hair, nails, accessories, jewelry, dolls..."

"To be honest, Taoist disciples have more or less grasped some of the arts of divination and geomancy, and I have also been fortunate enough to learn a little bit of it. Although I am still far from being a master, I do know a thing or two. I have a skill for finding people. All I need is a hair, a fingernail, a piece of jewelry, or a doll. As long as it has been touched by the aura of a living person, there is a certain chance of finding that person, even if they are thousands of miles away."

At this point, Jin An added, "If you have hair or nails, that would be even better, because these are the body's physical parts, and they are most imbued with spiritual energy, making them the most effective for finding people and tracing clues!"

Faced with Jin An's question, the two did not show much surprise on their faces, because such Taoist arts and supernatural powers were not only passed down in Taoism, but also in many physiognomist lineages.

Such Taoist arts and supernatural powers are quite common. The only difference is that some are proficient and can accurately find people and objects, and they are always effective; while others are very superficial and have almost no effect once they leave a village or a small town.

Master Zifang hesitated for a moment before saying, "Speaking of which, in my Celestial Master's Mansion, we have always kept a lock of hair from the young Emperor Kangheng."

"That lock of hair was a strand of hair cut off when Emperor Kangheng was a month old. When the child came of age, Emperor Kangheng went to the Celestial Master's Mansion to test his aptitude to see if he had the qualities to become a great physiognomist."

"As you already know, Marquis Shenwu, Emperor Kangheng has a good relationship with my Celestial Master's Mansion, so he has always wanted to give his only son the best treatment. For example, he wanted to have his only son become a disciple of my Celestial Master's Mansion, hoping that his child would achieve great things in the future."

"but……"

Master Qianlong paused slightly before continuing, "However, our Celestial Master's Mansion has tested Emperor Kangheng's baby hair, which was still a full moon hair, more than once or twice, but to no avail."

"Alas, when Emperor Kangheng's infant son was ordered to commit suicide, my senior brother and I also tested it once, hoping that Emperor Kangheng's infant son was not dead, so that we could save this child..."

"Unfortunately, the full moon hair didn't react at all. We thought that Emperor Kangheng's infant son had really died, and then we were buried together on Ghost Moth Mountain..."

At this moment, Master Qianlong spoke up and said to Master Zifeng, "Junior brother, give that lock of hair to Marquis Shenwu."

“The cultivation level of Marquis Shenwu is far superior to ours.”

"Perhaps Marquis Shenwu really has a way to find clues from this."

"Don't we both really hope that the young Emperor Kangheng is still alive and not dead? If Marquis Shenwu can really find the young Emperor Kangheng, it will be a dream we've had for over a decade to come true."

“Alright, Senior Brother!” Master Zifeng nodded solemnly.

Next, Master Qianlong withdrew his supernatural powers, and everyone exited their memories, standing once again in the Five Organs Taoist Temple. Then, a wisp of Master Ziteng's primordial spirit left his body and fled to the Celestial Master's Mansion to retrieve that lock of hair.

The divine realm expert's primordial spirit escaped very quickly. Jin An didn't have to wait long before the wisp of the Purple Vine Immortal's primordial spirit that had left his body returned to the Five Organs Taoist Temple.

After his spirit returned to his body, Master Zifeng solemnly handed a bundle of bright red cloth to Jin'an.

"Marquis Shenwu, I'm entrusting the rest to you."

"Kang Dingguo will not forget Marquis Shenwu."

Master Zifang spoke with great solemnity.

Jin An straightened his expression, took the cloth with both hands, and then unfolded the bright red cloth layer by layer. Looking at the small tuft of hair inside, his gaze was quite complicated.

After looking at it for a while, he carefully put his hair back in.

He planned to use the divine artifact, the Luogeng Jade Plate, to search for the person himself later. However, the Luogeng Jade Plate was of great importance, and he certainly wouldn't flaunt this artifact in public; he would definitely save it for when no one was around.

"Master Qianlong, Master Zifeng, I have another question I would like to ask you both."

"Excuse me, was Emperor Kangheng's infant son a boy or a girl?"

"It seems even the Empress's eunuchs don't know whether it's a man or a woman."

"Logically speaking, the birth of Emperor Kangheng's son is such a grand event that it's impossible for them to keep it so well hidden, not even knowing the gender, right?"

"I've always been curious about whether Kang Hengdi's baby was a boy or a girl, because it's related to whether I can find Kang Hengdi's baby successfully."

Jin An inquired.

Master Qianlong stroked his beard and said, "It's a girl."

"Emperor Kangheng rarely revealed the true gender of his young son out of a desire to protect him, and wanted to wait until the child was older before making the announcement."

"I'm sure Marquis Shenwu can understand Emperor Kangheng's good intentions. After all, being in the royal family, there are many things that are beyond one's control. For example, boys are always more reliable and more likable and loved than girls."

"Shouldn't Marquis Shenwu understand what I mean?"

"Because we had a good relationship with Emperor Kangheng, and Emperor Kangheng planned to have his young child become an apprentice of the Celestial Master's Mansion, the full-month hair-shaving ceremony for Emperor Kangheng's young child was solemnly held by our Celestial Master's Mansion. Therefore, the Celestial Master's Mansion is one of the few people who know the truth."

Jin An clasped his hands in a fist and said, "I understand. Thank you for enlightening me, Master Qianlong."

Master Qianlong clasped his hands in a fist and smiled, saying, "Marquis Shenwu is too kind."

Next, the Five Organs Taoist Temple and the Celestial Master's Mansion exchanged ideas for a while, from details about Emperor Kangheng and the Empress to summaries of cultivation experiences, and then to the situation of Kangding Kingdom for the next hundred years. The two sides had a deep exchange, talking from dusk until about 1:15 pm, when the Celestial Master's Mansion took its leave.

"Marquis Shenwu, we now await your good news."

"If you find Emperor Kangheng's daughter, I hope Marquis Shenwu will notify my Celestial Master's Mansion immediately."

"More than a decade ago, we failed to do our best to protect Emperor Kangheng's daughter, which has always been a regret for us, my fellow disciples. This time, we will not let this become a lifelong regret. We will do everything in our power to protect Emperor Kangheng's daughter and prevent her from suffering human pain and the joys and sorrows of life."

Jin An clasped his hands in a fist and promised, "I will."

"Haha, thank you very much, Marquis Shenwu. I hope everything goes well."

"Until we meet again, Marquis Shenwu."

Afterwards, everyone from the Celestial Master's Mansion left, leaving only Jin An, the old Taoist priest, and Xiao Jian at the Five Organs Taoist Temple...