Starting as the heir of a marquis's mansion, I gained access to a summoning system.

Before he could finish speaking, a faint whooshing sound came from outside the window.

Dongfang Wudi raised an eyebrow, waved his hand, and the window opened silently by itself.

A dark figure landed silently outside the window on the porch and knelt on one knee.

"My lord, I have a secret report."

These are the secret guards of the Marquis of Weeping Blood's mansion—elite scouts personally trained by Dongfang Wudi, each with a cultivation level above the Innate Realm.

They excel at concealment, tracking, and intelligence gathering, and spend years lurking in various corners of the imperial city and even the four borders of the empire, collecting the most secret information for Dongfang Wudi.

These bodyguards have no names, only numbers. Each of them is a master of concealment and disguise, and can lie in wait in the same place for seven days and seven nights without leaving a trace.

"Speak." Dongfang Wudi's voice was calm, but his eyes were completely different from before, sharp as a knife.

The guard bowed and said, "The Second Young Master's latest movements in Pingyang County, Guangling Prefecture, have been ascertained."

Dongfang Wudi and Qin Lanyin both tensed up at the same time.

"The Second Young Master is currently the Commander of the Pingyang County Town Pacification Division, with a substantive appointment. Since taking office, he has participated in several operations, and his performance has been lawful and without any abnormalities."

The guard continued, "However... during my investigation, I discovered a force whose appearances at the same times and locations overlapped with those of the Second Young Master."

"What power?" Qin Lanyin asked.

"Azure Dragon Society".

"The Azure Dragon Society?" Qin Lanyin frowned, searching her memory for the name. "Never heard of it. A newly risen one?"

"Yes," the guard replied. "The Azure Dragon Society first appeared in Qinghe City and is a new force that rose to prominence within a year."

Its rise to power coincided almost exactly with the Second Young Master's arrival in Qinghe City. Subsequently, the Azure Dragon Society expanded throughout Pingyang Prefecture, and the Second Young Master's transfer to Pingyang Prefecture also closely matched this expansion period.

"Is there a direct connection between the two?" Dongfang Wudi's voice turned somber.

"There is no direct evidence at present. However, the number of times the time and place overlap is too many to be considered a coincidence."

The guard said, "Currently, the Azure Dragon Society has unified the underground forces in Pingyang County. Its publicly known organization is called 'Yiyue Hall,' and its leader, Shangguan Jin Hong, is a Grandmaster-level expert who is skilled in using a pair of mother-and-child dragon-phoenix golden rings. His cultivation is unfathomable. He has many experts under his command, including Meng Xinghun, Han Tang, and the Xuanming Elders. Among them, Meng Xinghun and Han Tang are skilled in assassination, while the Xuanming Elders both practice the Frost Palm and are both at the Innate Realm."

"Just a few days ago, Shangguan Jin Hong publicly killed Qingmu Zhenren of the Qingmu Sword Sect at the West Training Ground of Pingyang County."

"You're saying that I'm the only one connected to this Azure Dragon Society?" Her voice was slightly low.

"My investigation revealed that the Azure Dragon Society's first public attack occurred in Qinghe City," the guard reported. "At that time, assassins from the Blood Demon Cult infiltrated Qinghe City, attempting to assassinate the Second Young Master. The Second Young Master forcefully killed them. Subsequently, the Azure Dragon Society suddenly appeared, swiftly killing one of the Blood Demon Cult's leaders, and claiming that they had offended someone they shouldn't have."

"What?" Qin Lanyin stood up abruptly, spilling a few drops of tea from her cup onto the table.

Her voice suddenly rose: "Someone tried to assassinate me? How come I didn't know about something this big?"

The Blood Demon Cult's target was the Tianlan Mine in Qinghe City. And since he's safe and sound, I didn't tell you, lest you worry all the time.

Dongfang Wudi's voice was calm, as if he were talking about a trivial matter.

Qin Lanyin gritted her teeth, her chest heaving. She stared at Dongfang Wudi for a long while before finally uttering two words: "You..."

"Continue." Dongfang Wudi didn't look at her, but only at the guards.

The guard said, "According to cross-verification from various sources, the Azure Dragon Society killed the Blood Nether Cult assassin within an hour of the Second Young Master's attack. Afterwards, the Azure Dragon Society took multiple actions, either to eliminate hostile forces or to nip potential threats in the bud. The targets of these actions were all found to be related to the Second Young Master's safety or interests."

"But..." The guard's voice became more cautious, "I conducted a three-month secret surveillance investigation on the Second Young Master and never found that he had any public contact with any member of the Azure Dragon Society. In fact, judging from the Second Young Master's movements, the closest he ever came to a core member of the Azure Dragon Society was three streets away."

"so……"

Qin Lanyin took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. "You mean, there's a force that has never had any contact with Wei Wo, and has been secretly protecting him?"

"I dare not make a hasty judgment," the guard said, bowing his head. "But all the circumstantial evidence points to this possibility."

"Furthermore, regarding the Azure Dragon Society itself," the guard's voice grew even more grave, "I have investigated the origins of all known members of the Azure Dragon Society—"

"It has no origin."

These four words made the indoor temperature seem to drop several degrees suddenly.

"Shangguan Jin Hong, the leader of the First Moon Hall of the Azure Dragon Society, is a Grandmaster-level martial artist skilled in using the Mother-Child Dragon-Phoenix Golden Rings. But before this, no one in the martial arts world had ever heard of this name. He has no master, no background, no past achievements, and no record of whereabouts. His martial arts style is also extremely peculiar, neither Buddhist, Taoist, nor demonic, forming its own unique style. Meng Xinghun, Han Tang, the Xuanming Elders, and others are the same—each one is a master, and each one has no origin."

The guard's voice was exceptionally clear in the quiet night.

"They're like they fell from the sky."

"Moreover, the Azure Dragon Society currently only presents itself to the outside world as 'January Hall.' According to the conventional structure of martial arts forces, a 'hall' is usually a branch rather than a headquarters. The Azure Dragon Society dares to use the name 'January Hall,' so by the most conservative estimate, there are at least February, March... or even twelve other halls. However, my subordinates have used all their undercover agents in Guangling Prefecture and spent three months searching, but still haven't found any clues about the existence of any other halls."

"This implies two possibilities. First, the other branches don't exist at all, and the January Hall is just bluffing. Second..."

The guard raised his head, and a rare hint of apprehension appeared in his usually sharp but now restrained eyes.

"The other branches are extremely well hidden, and my abilities are far from sufficient to detect their presence."

The former is just making things mysterious.

The latter is a true behemoth.

Qin Lanyin's breath hitched slightly.

She suddenly recalled some past events. The year she was born, there was an unusual celestial phenomenon: the nine stars aligned. Dongfang Wudi consulted the old director of the Imperial Observatory, who, after observing the celestial phenomena, uttered only one sentence before turning away.

"This child's fate is beyond the reach of divine secrets."

If it is not within the Heavenly Secrets, then it is outside the Heavenly Secrets.

The things beyond the secrets of heaven are beyond anyone's comprehension.

Dongfang Wudi remained silent for a long time.

The candlelight flickered in his deep eyes. He sat there like a silent mountain, making the atmosphere in the room heavy.

Finally, he slowly spoke.

What is your assessment of the Azure Dragon Society's strength?

The guard remained silent for three breaths, as if carefully considering his words.

"Judging solely from the currently exposed 'January Hall,' its leader, Shangguan Jin Hong, can directly kill a mid-stage Grandmaster, making him invincible at least below a half-step Grandmaster. His subordinates are all at the peak of the Innate Realm or half-step Grandmaster level. The organization is tightly structured and decisive, making it a top-tier force in Guangling Prefecture. But if there are truly more branches behind it…"

The guard lowered his voice.

"Then their strength will be impossible to assess."

"Go down." Dongfang Wudi waved his hand.

The guard vanished into the night in a flash, without a sound, as if he had never existed.

The window closed gently.

Silence returned to the room.

Qin Lanyin sat back down in her chair, picked up her teacup, and found that the tea in the cup had gone cold.

She put down her teacup and looked up at Dongfang Wudi.

"Only my child..."

Dongfang Wudi did not answer.

He remained seated in his armchair, his gaze passing through the window to the bright moon hanging over the imperial city. Moonlight bathed his profile, outlining his resolute features.

a long time.

Some things are better left unasked about.

His voice was deep and calm, carrying the composure and open-mindedness unique to a veteran of the battlefield: "When children grow up, they will always have their own secrets."

"But--"

"Lan Yin." Dongfang Wudi turned his head and looked at his wife.

His lips curled up slightly, revealing an extremely rare smile.

The smile was faint, yet it carried an indescribable meaning.

"A force that fell from the sky, appearing at the most crucial moment, and then silently protecting our son—don't you think that's a good thing?"

Qin Lanyin was stunned.