Hou Ye's palm heart is a black lotus

Chapter 754 The True Master (Third Update)

Yun Cheng immediately cast a sympathetic look at him.

"Didn't the master tell you to keep an eye on Prince Jing's residence? How come you've even gotten into this line of work? No wonder things are going so badly..."

Out of camaraderie, Yun Cheng swallowed the rest of his words, but unfortunately, the smile on his lips was so wide that even if Lian Zhou wanted to pretend he didn't see it, he couldn't.

He was too lazy to argue with Yuncheng any further, so he simply recounted what had happened in detail.

"...I examined the body. He died from being shot through the throat with a triangular dart. Strangely, there were no other signs of struggle on his body. It seems... he didn't have time to fight back."

"How could this be?" Yun Cheng frowned slightly. "His personal attendant is skilled in martial arts. Although he doesn't usually show off, he is by no means incompetent. Logically speaking, it's impossible for him to be so easily ambushed and shot."

When these things were mentioned, Lian Zhou's expression became serious.

“I’ve confirmed it several times. That triangular dart must have been thrown at close range, with the two people no more than five zhang apart. Given his skill, there are only two possibilities for this to happen. One is that he was distracted at the time, and the other is... he was too shocked. He must have seen who the person who attacked him was, and it’s very likely that it was someone he knew, which is why he was so unguarded and didn’t even have time to react in his surprise.”

Yun Cheng nodded slowly, "What you're saying makes it quite possible..."

He turned to look at Shen Yanchuan, "What does Master think?"

Shen Yanchuan asked, "Did you bring back that triangular dart? Let me see it."

"Yes."

Lian Zhou immediately took out the wrapped triangular dart from his pocket and presented it with both hands.

Shen Yanchuan opened it.

A three-edged dart, about an inch long, made of black iron, lay quietly in his hand.

The dart head was sharp, with jagged edges, and was stained with dried blood. Just looking at it, it exuded an invisible chilling aura!

“This thing…” Yun Cheng paused, as if pondering how to begin, “is quite well-made.”

Shen Yanchuan raised an eyebrow slightly. "Take a closer look. Doesn't it look somewhat familiar?"

These words immediately stunned Yun Cheng and Lian Zhou.

Lian Zhou, in particular, examined the corpse carefully several times after digging it out, especially the dart, which he examined repeatedly before carefully bringing it back.

But... he didn't find this thing familiar.
Yun Cheng stared at the triangular dart, his brow furrowing slightly.

Lian Zhou couldn't help but ask, "Has Master seen this thing before?"

Shen Yanchuan shook his head. "No."

"Then..." Lian Zhou was even more puzzled.

If you've never seen it before, how can you say it "looks familiar"?
Suddenly, Yun Cheng seemed to remember something, and he looked up abruptly, unable to hide his surprise.

"The material and forging process of this black iron do indeed look different from ordinary objects. Could it be—that it originated from Shilu City!?"

"Shiluan City!? Isn't that—" Lian Zhou subconsciously started to finish, but quickly swallowed the rest of his sentence, his eyes still filled with disbelief. "This, this... isn't this too much of a coincidence!?"

He certainly knew about the strange iron mine in Shilu City. His master had even gone to investigate it himself, but for some reason, all the investigations came to a halt later.

With so many things happening afterward, almost everyone has forgotten about it.

If Shen Yanchuan hadn't brought it up, even if he had stared at it for three days and three nights, he would never have connected this thing with the iron mine in Shiluan City.

I didn't realize it before, but now that I look at it again, something just doesn't seem right!

Shen Yanchuan said, "The crossbows forged in that iron mine are crafted with superb skill and exquisite detail. This triangular dart... does indeed bear some resemblance." Lian Zhou and Yun Cheng exchanged a glance, both understanding perfectly well that their master's words meant confirmation!
"But who else besides the true owner of that iron mine could obtain this?" Yun Cheng still felt incredulous. "If what Master said is true, then doesn't that mean he died—"

“Xiao Chengxuan was exiled long ago, how could he possibly still have such power?” Lian Zhou couldn’t understand it at all. “But if he wasn’t secretly directing things, who else would have such ability?”

For a moment, no one spoke, and the room fell into a subtle silence.

Shen Yanchuan picked up the triangular dart and examined it closely.

There are no markings left on it, so it is impossible to tell who it belongs to or what its origin is.

But precisely because of this, it points unequivocally to the only possible answer!
“Ordinary people naturally cannot obtain crossbows and hidden weapons produced from iron mines, but the person who made the move today is clearly not an ordinary person.”

Shen Yanchuan narrowed his eyes slightly. The afterglow of the setting sun shone in through the window, falling on the edges of the triangular dart, making it particularly dazzling.

He suddenly chuckled softly.

"Perhaps he died at the hands of his own people?"

Lian Zhou reacted for a moment, then his eyes widened in shock.

"Does Master mean that the one who makes the move today is Jing—"

He was completely stunned and couldn't understand it at all.

"But why? This is his trusted confidant who has followed him for many years!"

“It doesn’t seem like it’s been that many years.” Yun Cheng thought carefully for a moment and then calmly said, “It’s only been a few short years since he left the palace to establish his own residence. And the people who serve in his residence, including the one who died today, were all recruited from outside the palace at that time.”

He paused.

"Moreover, the closer someone is to you, the more careful you must be. If they make a mistake, the consequences will be far more severe than for anyone else."

Lian Zhou hesitated, "But..."

He couldn't help but look at Shen Yanchuan, "If it's really as we suspect, and he really sent people to do it, then how did his people get these triangular darts? Doesn't that mean the iron ore mine is actually—"

He held his breath, lowered his voice, and spoke each word with great difficulty.

Shen Yanchuan's thin lips curled slightly.

"When did I ever say that the iron mine belonged to Xiao Chengxuan?"

Even in the very first thick memorial he submitted to Emperor Muwu, which listed various pieces of evidence, he never said such a thing.

Everything is just speculation based on a lot of evidence.

Emperor Mu Wu secretly favored Xiao Chengxuan and deliberately ignored the clues and evidence submitted by Shen Yanchuan, which caused the matter to be shelved.

Unexpectedly, the situation was disrupted today!

Or... in such an unexpected way!
Yun Cheng pondered for a long time, still feeling something was off.

"But all the previous clues point to Xiao Chengxuan, and more importantly, that iron mine was indeed actually controlled by Xiao Chengxuan's subordinates..."

"Are all his subordinates working for him?"

boom.

Shen Yanchuan casually put down the triangular dart, his expression indifferent and his tone calm.

"Just like Fan Chengzhuo, who can be sure who his true master is?"