Three punches shattered the demonic soul, young hero, I'm an honest man!

Chapter 72 The Mystery of the Old Case

Pei Yun's smile also faded somewhat.

"Lord Luo is discerning and insightful."

He first skillfully offered a compliment, then became serious.

"I have indeed made some discoveries regarding the Candle Shadow Sect."

"I am certain that the Jade Garden incident was orchestrated by the Holy Maiden of Candlelight."

Pei Yun identified three suspects in Yuqin Garden—

Yan Xu, the heir of the Prince of Yan's mansion; Li Xuanping, a true disciple of the Xuan Shu Sect of the Tai Su Dao lineage; and Su Jinyue, the seemingly innocent young lady of the Su family.

—I informed Luo Qingyi.

"Since I returned yesterday, I have been organizing the information I found from Yuqin Garden and other sources."

"Currently, these three are the most suspicious."

"I am 70 or 80 percent certain that one of these three is deeply involved with the Candle Shadow Sect."

"Now that the enemy is in the open while we are in the dark, it is a good opportunity to follow the clues and find the source."

At this point, Pei Yun paused slightly, his brows furrowing.

"However, two of these three have rather special identities."

"Yan Xu is the heir of the Prince of Yan, a member of the royal family and of noble birth; Li Xuanping is a true disciple of the Xuan Shu Sect, and the Tai Su Dao lineage is no ordinary force either."

"It will probably take more than a day to thoroughly investigate their background and gather solid evidence."

"Even with the intelligence networks of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce, it will probably still take some time."

Luo Qingyi listened quietly, her bright eyes sparkling with thoughtful light.

She only spoke slowly after Pei Yun finished speaking.

"The Prince of Yan's Mansion—the Xuan Shu Sect—is indeed a bit troublesome."

"Now that you have the initiative, you can make arrangements at your leisure."

"If there are any obstacles in our intelligence work, please inform me at any time."

She had always trusted Pei Yun's abilities.

Pei Yun nodded, as if remembering something, and said, "While we're gathering intelligence, I plan to start investigating first."

"The file you gave me before, the one from eighteen years ago."

After bidding farewell to Luo Qingyi, Pei Yun returned to the Hundred Households Hall.

Recalling the moment he mentioned starting to investigate the file from eighteen years ago, a complex emotion flashed across Luo Qingyi's eyes.

Although the fluctuation was subtle, it did not escape Pei Yun's eyes.

It was obvious that his powerful, tall boss was unusually concerned about Su Wenruo's case.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have entrusted this old matter to him so secretly.

Behind this file, there are likely untold entanglements.

Pei Yun unfolded the yellowed file, his gaze slowly wandering over the old ink marks.

The protagonist of the case file is named Su Wenruo.

Eighteen years ago, I served in the capital as a seventh-rank civil official, a lowly and insignificant position.

According to the case file, this person was convicted of "inappropriate speech that offended the palace."

The outcome was: dismissal from office and investigation, with no possibility of future employment.

For a Beijing official who relies on his salary to support his family, this was undoubtedly cutting off his livelihood.

Shortly after being dismissed from his post, Su Wenruo died in depression.

His family members were scattered like stars in the sky and their whereabouts became unknown.

And then, nothing more was said.

This file, sealed away for eighteen years, contains only a few brief entries.

Apart from the tragic end of a minor official in the capital, there was nothing else.

At first glance, there doesn't seem to be anything unusual.

A minor official was punished for his slip of the tongue, and his family fell into poverty.

This is but a drop in the ocean in the vast annals of the Immortal Dynasty.

But in Pei Yun's eyes, this was the biggest anomaly.

The reason is simply that this case file is too "simple".

It was so simple it was almost crude; many of the case details that should have been meticulously recorded were completely missing.

The details of what "inappropriate" words Su Wenruo said and how she "clashed" with the palace are not clearly stated.

What puzzled Pei Yun even more was the court's handling of Su Wenruo—it was all too swift.

It should be noted that even the Embroidered Uniform Guard had to conduct thorough investigations before apprehending those vicious and evil sorcerers.

The case of Su Wenruo was filed, convicted, and executed almost on the same day.

Its severity and speed are truly remarkable.

Their efficiency was so high that even the Embroidered Uniform Guard would be ashamed of themselves.

This doesn't seem like a normal case handling process; it's more like an impatient attempt to silence the suspect.

It was as if an invisible hand was watching, fearing that if Su Wenruo lived any longer, she would cause some enormous trouble.

"In the imperial court, words can kill, but blood is never seen."

Pei Yun sneered inwardly.

However, this deliberate "cleanliness" posed a challenge for Pei Yun.

His intelligence system, while able to discern the undercurrents in the capital, could not trace back to the events of eighteen years ago.

If they were to send people to investigate in a high-profile manner, it would contradict Luo Qingyi's original intention of having him investigate secretly.

If certain people who shouldn't be alerted are disturbed, the consequences could be unpredictable.

After a moment's hesitation, Pei Yun decided to go there himself.

He did not ask Zhang Quan and others to do it for him, but went alone to the secret vault of the Northern Garrison.

The fewer people who know about this, the better.

The secret treasury of the Northern Garrison.

The one-eyed old boss was still in charge of guarding the secret vault.

Having spent years surrounded by piles of old papers, it carries a musty, stale scent of ink and a faint musty smell.

"Oh, isn't this Commander Pei? A rare guest indeed!"

When the old shopkeeper saw Pei Yun, he grinned, revealing a few yellow teeth.

He had naturally heard of this young centurion who had recently risen to prominence in the Northern Garrison and whose methods were unpredictable.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard was never short of talented young men.

But someone like Pei Yun, who lost his cultivation and then transformed back into a dragon, capable of manipulating the clouds and rain, is truly rare.

Pei Yun nodded slightly and handed over his waist token.

The old shopkeeper took the waist tag and examined it carefully.

After confirming that everything was correct, the smile on the old man's face deepened.

"Please, Commander Pei, you know the rules."

He stepped aside to make way for him and did not ask any further questions.

Pei Yun headed straight for the depths of the secret vault.

The further you go in, the colder and damper the air becomes, and the more old the files look, exuding a strong sense of age.

Rows of towering bookshelves, like silent giants, stand quietly in the dim light.

The shelves were crammed with all sorts of files, made of kraft paper, Xuan paper, bamboo slips—a variety of materials.

Based on the year markings, Pei Yun quickly located the area where files from eighteen years ago were stored.

Using "Su Wenruo" as a clue, Pei Yun began to carefully search through the dusty files.

Time slips away, bit by bit.

About fifteen minutes later, Pei Yun emerged from behind a row of bookshelves.

His complexion was now even more somber than before.

He held a very thin file in his hand, walked up to the old shopkeeper, and gently placed it on the dusty table.

"What about the rest of this file?"

Pei Yun's voice was calm, yet it carried an undeniable pressure.

Upon hearing this, a hint of doubt flashed in the old shopkeeper's one eye.

He picked up the file, casually flipped through a few pages, and his expression suddenly changed slightly.

That hint of doubt quickly turned into seriousness, and finally into a sigh.

"well----"

The old shopkeeper looked up at Pei Yun and couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"Commander Pei, you really are—"

"It's been a long time since I've been to the secret vault. And now that I'm here, the things I need to investigate are all top secret."

His tone carried a hint of helplessness, yet also a hint of understanding.

Pei Yun frowned slightly: "My official badge isn't authoritative enough?"

Last time I tried to access historical records from the previous dynasty, I found that my access level was insufficient; at least a Zhenfu Shi (a high-ranking military commander) level was required.

Is this still not enough?

Upon hearing this, the old shopkeeper shook his head.

"Commander Pei has misunderstood."

"It's not that your badge doesn't have enough authority."

He paused, a complex light flashing in his single eye, and lowered his voice, saying, "But the rest... our secret vault simply doesn't have it—"

"No!"

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