Chapter 42: The Bureau of Astronomy

Lu Chenzhou was half-skeptical of He Shan's words, yet driven by irrepressible curiosity, he asked what had been seen.

Gazing at the page in the file dedicated to Yang Jing'an, He Shan drifted back into his memories.

Twenty years ago, when He Shan had first entered the Bureau of Astronomy—perhaps because he had read a few books—he was assigned to tend to the instruments and manuscripts housed within the bureau. He dimly remembered the first time he met Yang Jing'an. Back then, he had been led to the location ahead of time, told only to engrave a single phrase upon his heart: "See no evil..."

Feng Jinglan's gaze flickered. This was the first time she had ever seen Zhou Baiwan stripped of his habitual smiles, wearing such a solemn expression—though on a man with a plump physique and a prosperous, fortune-bringing face, that look undeniably felt rather out of place.

There was also another presence, squeezed into a corner by the bandit sisters from the City of Bandits, rendering herself almost entirely invisible—Sister Dongfang.

With a soft rustle, Su Su sheathed her sword and turned back. The sword spirit of the Immortal-Slaying Sword was inherited from He Qingfan's soul, and naturally, it could seamlessly merge with He Qingfan as one.

"Why is my makeup bag with you?" She had clearly hidden it inside her suitcase, and the case was even locked.

Having obtained the Emperor's decree, the members of the Qin family left the Palace of Heavenly Purity with satisfied hearts, while Li Jingyi was detained by the Longwu Emperor.

However, the minds of certain individuals were simply beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. This was the primary reason why Nangong Jue had been able to safeguard his ancestral heritage and build a commercial empire. It was not difficult to discern that some deep secret seemed to be concealed within the affair of Nangong Jue abandoning Jiang Chengce.

Shi Qinghan's words failed her, leaving her utterly helpless. If this were a simple matter, she would not find herself in such a difficult predicament.

"Big Feng, if we're friends, don't try to persuade me." Zhou Minglan puffed out her cheeks, her chest still heaving violently.

Muyan now acted precisely like a stingy, penny-pinching housekeeper, raising her right index finger at Lan'er as a reminder.

"Everything you perceived as unusual was merely my doppelganger, Bihai." Hua Shiyi directly shut down any further discussion with a single sentence.

True to its reputation as the domain of alchemists, the city of Yangyan was a place where one could see people trading pills and exchanging medicinal herbs everywhere they walked on the streets. The atmosphere here stood in stark contrast to the previous city of Longyan; it possessed less of a murderous chill and far more serenity.

Naturally, in such a short span of time, Xiao Yi was bound to be incapable of comprehending such profound principles. The reason he flew into a rage was simply that his pride could not forgive the fact that he had actually been suppressed in terms of sheer aura by a monster composed entirely of data.

After inspecting everyone's work credentials and learning that they belonged to the most formidable Counter-Terrorism Bureau, coupled with the claim that those executed were all terrorists, the police asked no further questions and set about assisting with the cleanup. The brothers from the Intelligence Division quickly departed from the scene with the bodies, hurtling back toward the Counter-Terrorism Command Center.

To save time, Su Zhe directly utilized his clairvoyant ability to scan the stones one by one. In the end, he selected ten barely usable ones out of twenty. Among them were two stones where he could not discern through clairvoyance whether two different types of jade coexisted inside, nor what the secondary jade might turn out to be.

"What is going on? What just happened?!" While gripping Kaguya's arm in a death grip, Minato was equally appalled by the bizarre and shocking spectacle unfolding before his eyes.

"I trust your intuition. Help me find him," Jackson continued coldly, his tiger-like eyes blazing crimson and his breathing growing ragged. No one was willing to be abandoned, and no one was willing to be betrayed; at that moment, Jackson's heart was filled with boundless rage, humiliation, and a lingering trace of bewilderment.

While retreating, her slender palm tilted upward, already forming a defensive stance before her. If Ximen Qing attempted to press the attack while the opportunity availed itself, he would not profit from it under any circumstances.

Beneath a gloomy sky and a persistent drizzle, countless puddles of varying depths formed on the ground from the accumulated rainwater. Amidst the drifting mist, Ling and Itachi gazed fixedly at each other.

Ye Shuang decisively feigned death. Although it was somewhat unfair to her subordinates, it was probably best to avoid provoking unnecessary disputes of this nature.