Chapter 17: Soul Leaving the Body to Search for Someone
"Why can't I enter the minister’s manor, Your Highness?" Fang Chen smiled and looked at the crown prince with his gray eyes.
The crown prince's eyes flickered with disdain, but despite his unsavory thoughts, he spoke calmly. "You’ve caused quite the commotion at the Qingsong Superior Academy last night. What qualifications does a criminal like yourself have to enter the minister of war’s manor?"
Fang Chen didn’t respond but instead turned to the official from the Grand Brilliance Bureau and waved him over. "You, come here for a moment.”
The official was bemused, but he walked over anyway. Reaching Fang Chen’s side, he saluted the crown prince and then fixed his gaze at Fang Chen.
"You seem more familiar with the law. Tell me, am I guilty of anything?" Fang Chen asked, a faint smile hung on his face.
The crown prince's flickered with sharpness, and he looked at the official. "What's your name?"
"I am Yuan Zhuang, an official from the Grand Brilliance Bureau," Yuan Zhuang replied respectfully, to which the crown prince nodded.
"Well, go ahead and tell Divine General Fang if he’s guilty or not,” the crown prince ordered, his cold eyes carrying a clear threat.
Yuan Zhuang hesitated, and the constables by his side started sweating profusely.
Thinking it over for a moment, Yuan Zhuang chose his words carefully and said, “According to the law, Fang Chen needs to follow me to the Grand Brilliance Bureau, and only if the bureau head’s verdict proclaims him guilty will he be considered guilty.”
The crown prince's face instantly darkened as he eyed Yuan Zhaung venomously.
Knowing that he had offended the crown prince, a bitter smile rose on Yuan Zhuang’s face. He couldn’t help but curse his shitty luck!
Had he known this task would be this troublesome, he would have never accepted this responsibility!
“Did you hear that, Your Highness? Besides, Minister Ye has already given me permission to search his manor. If there’s no other reason, Your Highness should not be stopping me from doing what I have to do.” Fang Chen paused, then he added, “Unless... Your Highness is an accomplice of the minister and you know that Xiao En is inside. That would explain why you rushed here in a hurry to prevent me from conducting my investigation.”
The expression on the faces of those present changed instantly.
Ye Dongming immediately snapped. "Go ahead and search if you want, but don't slander the crown prince! Why would he possibly shelter martial artists of the Qingsong Empire?!”
"Very well then." Fang Chen smiled and walked into the manor.
The crown prince did not intervene, he simply stared coldly at Fang Chen's back briefly, he then eyed Yuan Zhuang.
"The Grand Brilliance Bureau ordered you to capture someone, yet you allowed him to run rampant around the city to the point where he even found the guts to barge into the residence of a minister. As the supervising officer, you have neglected your duties."
“Your Highness, please don’t make things difficult for me. Even if I were to forcibly try and detain Divine General Fang, we are simply no match for him. His cultivation has fully recovered, and he’s the only expert in the Qi Core Stage in our Grand Xia,” Yuan Zhuang explained helplessly.
To capture someone like Fang Chen, a group of constables was simply insufficient. One would need a military force of at least a thousand well-equipped soldiers. That said, even if they had such a military force, they still had no guarantee they would be able to successfully capture Fang Chen.
"The court has filled up with useless individuals like yourself in recent years. It's no wonder our Grand Xia Empire is in a period of sharp decline." The crown prince snorted coldly and led his men into the manor.
Yuan Zhuang's expression soured, but after a moment of self-deprecation, the smile returned to his face. "Whatever, let's head in. There must be a reason Divine General Fang came all the way here to the minister’s manor. Let’s see if there are actually martial artists from the Qingsong hidden inside.” With that, he led a few constables into the manor as well.
When they arrived inside, everyone noticed Fang Chen standing in place, motionless, a state he had been in the moment he set foot inside the manor.
Ye Qinqhe inwardly sighed in relief, thinking, It doesn’t matter how well-informed or cunning Fang Chen is, he’s not omniscient. As long as Xiao En hides well, how can he possibly be found?
Fang Chen’s action had caused him to feel flustered earlier—even a little guilty—but after careful consideration, he found himself feeling quite confident of his arrangements. There is no way that Fang Chen can find Xiao En in such a short amount of time!
"Divine General Fang, where do you intend to start your search? My manor only has four courtyards. It is rather small, so we can’t possibly hide anyone without alerting others to their presence," Ye Dongming said, observing Fang Chen's unmoving posture with a faint smile as he stroked his beard.
Fang Chen snubbed the man, not bothering to respond.
Ye Dongming's expression turned a bit uneasy when he noticed Fang Chen’s indifference.
The crown prince sneered. "Divine General Fang, aren’t you here to look for someone? Standing there like a wooden doll won’t do you any good. Shouldn’t you be running about in the manor and searching all around?”
Fang Chen ignored the crown prince all the same despite his wanton disdain and clear provocation.
When everyone saw Fang Chen ignore these two influential figures of the empire, a minister and a crown prince, they couldn’t help but be shocked over his mettle.
"So, this is Divine General Fang.... He’s truly a figure for people like us to look up to." Yuan Zhuang sighed inwardly.
Even though no one could see what was happening, Fang Chen's soul had long left his body, and it was hovering quietly above as he probed the manor inch by inch.
Unlike his physical body, he could perceive much more with his soul. It was almost to a point where it allowed him to have a sense of awareness of his surroundings, rather than mere sight.
The minister of war's manor had over thirty rooms, but there was no sign of Xiao En in any of them. Still, Fang Chen wasn’t worried in any way. He was certain that Xiao En was here, hiding somewhere. Even if he tried to escape, his informants would notify him.
Shortly later, Fang Chen noticed that an artificial mountain near him was a little strange, and he headed toward it with his soul before going inside. The moment he phased through, he saw a hidden chamber beneath.
And inside was Xiao En, seated in meditation, his ear twitching non-stop, seemingly trying to pick up any movements outside.
"Fang Chen, the grudge of patricide is irreconcilable. I, Xiao En, will personally take your life one day! As for Ye Qinghe, how dare a mere commoner like him from this backwater Grand Xia use my life as a bargaining chip for his own gain?! What a joke!” Xiao En muttered under his breath resentfully, there was a hint of malevolence that danced in his eyes.
Finally confirming his location, Fang Chen smiled and returned to his physical body.
He turned to the minster, saying, "Minister Ye, that artificial mountain of yours seems pretty extraordinary. Can I ask which craftsman built it? I believe my Fang family have a very similar structure in our garden somewhere," Fang Chen took a few steps and pointed toward the artificial mountain not too far away, the smile not leaving his being as he stared at Ye Dongming.
Ye Dongming furrowed his brow slightly, while Ye Qinghe, on the other hand, broke into a cold sweat.
The crown prince maintained his poker face, seemingly unaware of the secrets this mountain hid. However, Fang Chen still didn't buy it.
Fang Chen was well aware that Ye Qinghe was the one hiding Xiao En, but he could very well be acting under the instructions of the crown prince.
"Divine General Fang, are you here to find someone or are you here to appreciate my manor?" said Ye Dongming, his words laced with mockery.
"Why not both? If I hadn't paid you a visit, how would I have discovered the secret beneath this artificial mountain?" Fang Chen replied and raised his hand, consuming a Purple Lightning Talisman and shooting a bolt of lightning at the structure.
The powerful bolt slammed into the artificial mountain, causing the massive structure to burst into pieces, flinging shattered rocks in all directions.
It didn’t take long for the dust to settle, and a hidden door was suddenly revealed.
Shock overtook the people watching, partly due to Fang Chen’s abilities, but largely due to this weird turn of events.
Ye Dongming was dumbstruck....
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