What's wrong with me, a powerful minister, supporting a few female officials?

Chapter 211 System Evolution! The Second Demon-Subduing Pestle!
Hearing Lin Moyin say that there was nothing else in the cellar, Nangong Sheyue was taken aback.

With the Eight Gates Ghost Spider Gathering Formation set up for protection, and a cellar guarded by a Grand Sorcerer of the Divine Realm, how could there be no anomalies?
The two of them looked at the restrained old man simultaneously.

Then her pretty face changed.

They were shocked to see black blood flowing from the old man's eyes, nostrils, and seven orifices; he had already died a violent death.

Nangong Sheyue stepped forward and examined the dark-faced woman.

"It's a Soul-Stealing Curse!"

Her eyebrows furrowed, and her tone was grave: "This is a technique only a Golden Core Realm sorcerer possesses!"

"If the person who planted the curse has their magic power imprisoned, they can activate the Soul-Stealing Curse with their divine soul power, thus severing their own life force!"

Lin Moyin gave a wry smile: "I was careless!"

"Fearing he would activate the Eight Gates Ghost Spider Gathering Formation, we severed his meridians and sealed his magic power. Unexpectedly, he was actually cursed with a Soul-Stealing Curse!"

Nangong Sheyue waved his hand: "That's how it should be done!"

"Otherwise, once the Eight Gates Ghost Spider Gathering Formation is activated, it will be very troublesome to deal with!"

As she spoke, her face darkened as she pondered, "To make a sorcerer at the Divine Transformation Realm willingly die, an ordinary person probably wouldn't have such means..."

Upon hearing this, Lin Moyin took a slight breath, her expression extremely solemn: "Lord Nangong, do you mean... the Heavenly Mother Sect Leader?"

Nangong Sheyue nodded slightly: "There are fewer than a hundred Golden Core Realm sorcerers in the world, and even fewer Heavenly Infant Realm sorcerers."

"Such powerful individuals are even rarer; few would dare to oppose the imperial court!"

"This person is indeed very likely connected to the Heavenly Mother Cult!"

As she spoke, she gave Lin Moyin a deep look: "Are the people here really related to the remnants of the Tianmu clan of the Li family manor that Lord Lin wiped out two months ago?"

Lin Moyin hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded: "I only obtained some information. It is suspected that there are members of the Heavenly Mother Cult in this area."

"We should investigate thoroughly before making any statements, so as not to alert the enemy."

"Since Lord Nangong is going to take action, let's come and see for ourselves."

Although the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Phoenix Cry Division are both intelligence agencies of the Great Wu, they are not subordinate to each other and therefore do not share intelligence.

In fact, even within the Embroidered Uniform Guard, each of the various thousand-household units and the North and South Garrison Commands had its own intelligence channels, and internal competition for credit was very intense.

Unless absolutely necessary, they will never easily share the intelligence they have acquired.

Nangong Sheyue originally thought that it was just evidence of Zou Hou's crimes, but she did not expect that the matter was related to the Heavenly Mother Sect, so she naturally dared not take it lightly.

The Tianmu Cult's headquarters in Chuyunling was destroyed. It is said that the Tianmu Cult leader led his followers to sea, and the Tianmu Cult's disturbances throughout the country have basically disappeared.

But there is no doubt that many cult members have gone into hiding.

When the Heavenly Mother Cult makes a comeback, they will coordinate with the outside world to wreak havoc on the Great Wu!
In particular, the Nine Dragons Demon Path, known as the number one in the world, is extremely powerful and its whereabouts are unknown. It is the biggest threat to the Great Wu!
Two thousand households diligently searched every part of the Fu residence.

Su Mo watched the two women busy themselves, opened her mouth as if to tell them that the item should be hidden in the backyard.

The system message says that something seems to be buried in the backyard of the Fu family residence, ten miles outside the city.

However, since he had mentioned it briefly before, and was clearly not of high enough status, Nangong Sheyue didn't take it to heart.

Su Mo simply went to the backyard and did it herself.

The backyard of the house was much larger than the backyard of Su Mo's house in the capital, after all, land in the suburbs was not as valuable as land in the city.

The courtyard was planted with many large trees, but now all the branches and leaves have fallen, leaving only bare trunks.

There are also several artificial hills, pavilions, and a pond about 30 feet square, the surface of which is frozen.

A shallow layer of snow on the ground.

It doesn't seem to have much of a special feature.

Su Mo searched for a long time, even using a hoe to dig and dig, but found nothing.

Nangong Sheyue and Lin Moyin searched the house thoroughly, their expressions grave, clearly having found nothing.

When the two arrived at the backyard, they saw Su Mo diligently wielding a hoe and digging the ground. They frowned and exchanged a glance.

Lin Moyin knew that her man possessed special supernatural abilities.

For example, finding one's lost gold lock.

For example, it was known that the followers of the Heavenly Mother Sect were hiding in the Longmen Grottoes!
She thought for a moment, then asked in a deep voice, "Commander Su, do you think the secrets of this mansion are hidden beneath this courtyard?"

Su Mo nodded: "That's the feeling!"

He turned his gaze to Nangong Sheyue: "Lord Nangong, your cultivation is profound. Have you discovered anything special about the courtyard?"

Nangong Sheyue shook his head: "Commander Su, don't think that immortals and sorcerers are omnipotent."

"The only difference between sorcerers and ordinary people is that their five senses are stronger and they are more sensitive to magical power."

"There is no trace of magical power in this courtyard, and my divine sense cannot penetrate the soil to search for the secrets underground!"

Su Mo was stunned for a moment: "Then what should we do?"

Nangong Sheyue hesitated for a moment, then said, "If Commander Su is certain that there is something strange hidden underground in the courtyard, then..."

Su Mo asked instinctively, "Then what should I do?"

Nangong Sheyue's expression was solemn as he slowly said, "Then let's dig together!"

Su Mo...

To everyone's surprise, the aloof and sharp-tongued Lord Nangong gave such an answer.

Next, Nangong Sheyue and Lin Moyin actually found two hoes and started digging themselves, digging away!
Those with profound Taoist skills can dig pits faster than ordinary people.

With a single stroke of the hoe, large clumps of soil are turned up, making it as efficient as an excavator.

Unfortunately, despite their hard work and digging for a long time, the three of them found nothing.

Several artificial hills were shattered by the two commanders, but nothing unusual was found underneath.

Nangong Sheyue and Lin Moyin couldn't help but look at Su Mo with suspicion, and then at the frozen pool.

They clearly wanted to know whether the pool should be dug as well.

Su Mo was also dumbfounded.

The system says the secret lies beneath the courtyard!

However, the system is too unreliable.

Last time, we talked about how the golden lock was on the crow-shaped persimmon tree, and it was only after the crow knocked it down that he found it.

Su Mo opened the task panel again to see if he had missed any key information.

As soon as I turned on the system, a "ding" sounded in my head... and then, it really did make a "ding" sound.

The task panel remains unchanged, and the prompts are the same as before!
Su Mo closed the panel in frustration and was about to speak when suddenly his eyes snapped open, and he stared in disbelief at the huge yellow arrow appearing above Nangong Sheyue's head!

The kind of large arrows that are used in straight-ahead road signs.

The arrow points downwards and moves up and down, much like the prompt when pressing a button in a game.

Of course, this arrow sign is definitely not meant for Su Mo to dig out the top of Lord Nangong's head!
Su Mo took a deep breath, her expression becoming serious.

It made a "ding" sound, but actually it only made one "ding" sound?
Has the system evolved?

It seems the system really wasn't lying to me!
If you can't find anything, it doesn't necessarily mean you're digging in the wrong spot; it could also mean you're not digging deep enough.

It's just like digging a well.

If you dig a few times and don't find water, it doesn't mean there's no water there. It just means you dug too shallowly and couldn't find any. If you dig deep enough, you'll definitely find water.

Su Mo looked at Nangong Sheyue with a serious expression.

"Lord Nangong, please move aside!"

Nangong Sheyue was taken aback.

However, I still moved away.

Sure enough, the arrow marker didn't move!

Su Mo raised the hoe high and slammed it into the ground!

Nangong Sheyue and Lin Moyin looked at each other in bewilderment.

In the blink of an eye, Su Mo dug a pit that was half a zhang deep.

But nothing happened, and Su Mo continued digging.

Lin Moyin finally couldn't hold back any longer: "Commander Su, are you sure there's something down there?"

Su Mo struck down with his hoe and nodded emphatically: "There definitely is!"

"Lord Nangong..."

He was just about to have Lord Nangong take over when suddenly, with a clang, the hoe seemed to have struck something hard.

The cast iron hoe was shaken so badly that it shattered into pieces!
A glimmer of golden light appeared in the cracks of the soil!
Nangong Sheyue and Lin Moyin's beautiful eyes flashed with cold light as they stared intently at the golden light! Su Mo also became excited.

The evolved system is really useful!
He quickly dug away the soil, and then his expression suddenly changed.

Demon-subduing pestle!
It's exactly the same as the vajra he got from the locust god statue in the mountain god temple!
What's even weirder is.

The vajra appeared in a corpse.

Judging from the exposed sternum after the soil was removed, the vajra should have been nailed to the heart of the corpse!

Su Mo hesitated for a moment, suppressing the urge to pull out the Vajra Pestle, and looked at the two senior Taoist sorcerers.

Lin Moyin and Nangong Sheyue made their move.

Soon, the complete remains were unearthed.

After looking at the stark white skeleton, Lin Moyin and Nangong Sheyue exchanged a glance, their eyes finally settling on Su Mo.

Lin Moyin, in particular, had a strange look on her pretty face.

She knew that Su Mo wore a Vajra pestle around his neck, exactly the same as the one on the corpse, and he never took it off!

Su Mo hesitated for a moment, then finally couldn't help but ask, "My lord, should we pull out this Vajra Pestle?"

Nangong Sheyue turned to look at Lin Moyin and noticed the strange expression on her face, so she frowned slightly.

After waiting a moment, seeing that Lin Moyin did not speak, she said, "This should be the array core artifact of the Eight Gates Ghost Spider Gathering Formation!"

"Normally, when the Vajra Pestle is pulled out, the Eight Gates Ghost Spider Gathering Formation will dissipate."

"but……"

"Even I cannot be certain!"

As she spoke, Nangong Sheyue paused slightly, looking at Su Mo with suspicion: "How did Commander Su know that the Eight Gates Ghost Spider Gathering Array Artifact was hidden underground here?"

Su Mo really didn't know how to answer.

Suddenly, the vajra hanging around his neck became incredibly hot.

The vajra within the corpse's sternum also faintly shone!

Su Mo's heart stirred, and he pulled out the Vajra Pestle, saying with a wry smile, "This humble servant also has such a Vajra Pestle, which I obtained by chance."

"It must be that the two vajras are responding to each other, which is why I feel something is strange about this place!"

Nangong Sheyue's eyebrows twitched slightly.

The Vajra Pestle is clearly related to the Heavenly Mother Sect! How could Su Mo have the same Vajra Pestle?
With a flick of her wrist, she pulled the vajra up.

Just as she expected, the massive black aura surrounding the mansion poured into the Vajra Pestle like a giant whale sucking in water!

In the blink of an eye, the gloomy atmosphere in the house vanished completely, and even the courtyard appeared bright and spacious.

Nangong Sheyue hesitated for a moment, then looked at Lin Moyin. Seeing that she didn't react, she finally handed the Vajra Pestle to Su Mo: "Take this Vajra Pestle!"

"Whether you tell Commander Leng or not is up to you!"

Obtained the Vajra Pestle.

Su Mo suddenly felt a jolt in his palm, and both Vajra Pestle began to shake violently at the same time.

Unable to be grasped by the palm, the two vajras unleashed an astonishing suction force and suddenly adhered together!
When the two pestles were combined, their size did not change at all, and even more strangely, their weight did not increase, which completely defied the laws of physics.

However, the strange patterns on the surface became more and more obvious, and a faint divine light flowed around them.

Su Mo hesitated for a moment before putting the Vajra Pestle away.

Then he looked at the skeleton: "Lord Nangong, do you see anything strange about these skeletons?"

Judging from the degree of decomposition of the remains, the body had been buried underground for at least five or six years, or even longer.

Nangong Sheyue's expression turned solemn, and he slowly said, "If I am not mistaken, this corpse is Zou Hou, a fifth-rank official of the Imperial Observatory!"

Lin Moyin and Su Mo's expressions changed instantly!

If the corpse is Zou Hou, then who is the one who was just recommended by the court to become the chief examiner of the Immortal Martial Arts Grand Examination?

Nangong Sheyue took a deep breath and pointed to the left foot of the corpse: "When Zou Hou was young, his left big toe was bitten by a poisonous snake, and he cut off his toe to save his life!"

"This matter is recorded in the official files."

"But Zou Hou was afraid that people would discover his missing left foot, which would affect his official career, so he had a gold toe implanted to fix it!"

Su Mo looked closely and indeed saw a gold nugget shaped like a big toe partially hidden under the left foot bone.

It was originally supposed to be attached to the left foot, but it fell down after the muscles and flesh rotted.

Lin Moyin said in a deep voice, "If this is Zou Hou's remains, then Zou Hou in the imperial court..."

"It's probably someone from the Heavenly Mother Cult in disguise!"

Nangong Sheyue's expression also turned serious!
Su Mo was also stern.

Suddenly I remembered Bai Susu, the demoness from the Heavenly Mother Cult.

She said she came to Shenjing to participate in the imperial examination.

Clearly, he wanted to become an official in the Great Wu Dynasty and infiltrate its ranks!

Zou Hou was a fifth-rank official in the Imperial Observatory, which was considered one of the high-ranking officials in the court.

How deeply has the Heavenly Mother Cult infiltrated the Great Wu Dynasty?
The reason why Zou Hou was recommended by the court as the chief examiner of the Immortal Martial Arts Examination was because Yuan Xingdao, the Grand Secretary of the Observatory and Director of the Imperial Observatory, who worked in the cabinet, recommended him and did his best to help him!

Could Yuan Xingdao, a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, also be connected with the Heavenly Mother Sect?
Thinking of this, Su Mo felt a chill run down his spine!

Yuan Xingdao was one of the six Grand Secretaries of the Great Wu Dynasty and the leader of the sorcerer faction in the court!

If it is confirmed that Yuan Xingdao is related to the Heavenly Mother Sect, the court will surely be engulfed in bloodshed, and countless heads will roll to the ground!

Even if it's unrelated, the resulting uproar won't be insignificant!

The three of them exchanged a glance.

Finally, Nangong Sheyue said in a deep voice, "This place must be sealed off. No one is allowed to approach!"

"This matter must be reported to His Majesty immediately!"

Lin Moyin naturally had no objection: "Lord Nangong is absolutely right!"

"I will immediately dispatch elite guards from the Embroidered Uniform Guard to protect the residence!"

Nangong Sheyue waved her hand: "No need."

"The Phoenix Cry Division's men have already been deployed nearby!"

He paused, then added, "Rest assured, Lord Lin, I will not take all the credit for myself!"

Su Mo quickly replied, "We're all on the same side! Lord Nangong, there's no need for such formalities!"

Nangong Sheyue glanced at Su Mo expressionlessly, but didn't say anything more.

He then took out a paper talisman, waved his hand, and the talisman transformed into a paper crane and flew away.

After a while.

The two petite women dressed in black entered the house.

Return the Blood Eagle to Nangong Sheyue.

Next, naturally, the Blood Eagle sent a message straight into the inner palace!

The Empress, who had just returned from the Hall of Establishing Government and was preparing lunch, saw the Blood Eagle appear. With a wave of her hand, the Blood Eagle landed in her palm.

After reading the message on the secret talisman, the Empress's phoenix face instantly darkened.

then.

Her phoenix eyebrows were furrowed!

They thought that by finding evidence of Zou Hou's corruption and abuse of power, they could take him down and make Chi Wulei take over.

But to everyone's surprise, "Zou Hou" was actually related to the Heavenly Mother Cult!

Could Yuan Xingdao also have problems?

Will taking down "Zou Hou" alert Yuan Xingdao?

Instead of taking down Zou Hou, we should secretly investigate the situation and allow him to continue serving as the presiding judge.

Will he take this opportunity to recruit more members of the Heavenly Mother Sect into the imperial court through the Immortal Martial Arts Trial?
The empress was conflicted.

In terms of martial prowess, with her cultivation at the Heavenly Infant Realm, she has few rivals in the world.

But when it comes to strategy, the Empress has a very clear understanding.

I'm really not good at this!
If you're ever in trouble, go to Su Mo!
The Empress channeled her magic, flames erupted, destroying the secret talisman. Then, she looked at An Wu and said calmly, "I am leaving the palace!"

　From now on, I'll most likely be updating during the day and at night! No more midnight updates! I'm devastated! In just three seconds, I lost 1500 yuan of my full attendance bonus and several thousand yuan in rewards—a month's worth of hard work gone to waste! Rewards are my main source of income! Brothers, could you give me a monthly ticket to encourage me?

　　
　
(End of this chapter)