I Can Extract Divine Power

Chapter 463: Chapter 172: Spirit Recovery Level 6, Part 3

By the time a figure appeared at the door, Shen Bai had already composed himself.

Zheng Xing walked in from outside, his expression grim.

The moment he entered, he clasped his hands and said urgently.

"Lord Shen, Lord Dongfang requests your presence."

In Nanxing Prefecture, everyone now addressed Shen Bai with the utmost respect.

Ever since Shen Bai had revealed his true strength, the way people addressed him had subtly changed.

Shen Bai frowned. "Is this about the missing person?"

If Dongfang Li had an urgent matter that required his attention, it had to be related to what he’d discussed with Fang Tong yesterday. The connection was natural.

Shen Bai nodded. "I understand. I’ll head over shortly."

Since someone had come looking for him personally, it had to be important. Shen Bai stopped grinding his Poison Avoidance and Spirit Recovery Skill Level.

Zheng Xing said, "I will arrange for an escort to accompany you immediately, Lord Shen."

Shen Bai was about to wave him off, but after a moment’s thought, he agreed.

His status was different now. If he went to meet another powerful figure in Nanxing Prefecture alone, the Observatory would lose face.

The larger his retinue, the more prestige he commanded.

Even if Shen Bai disliked it, this was the way of the Jianghu.

Before long, Zheng Xing departed.

Shen Bai left the Observatory with Amber.

At the entrance, Fang Tong and a dozen or so members of the Bing Division were waiting patiently.

Shen Bai saw at a glance that they were the same men who had accompanied him last time.

"Landlord Zheng said that since we’ve accompanied you once before, you’d find it easier to command a familiar group," Fang Tong explained.

The logic was sound. He couldn’t find any fault with it.

With a wave of his hand, Shen Bai commanded, "Move out."

Without hesitation, the group fell in behind Shen Bai and headed toward the Prefectural Magistrate’s Office.

...

「The Prefectural Magistrate’s Office.」

Dongfang Li stared at the Token in his hand, a thoughtful expression on his face.

He had intended to go to the Observatory himself, but the moment he returned, his officials had swarmed him.

He’d only been gone a short while, yet a mountain of work was already waiting. He truly couldn’t be in two places at once.

A Prefect’s duties were unlike those of a Si Mansion Chief. Dongfang Li, responsible for the livelihood of the entire prefecture, had far more numerous and complex matters to attend to. It was normal for him to be working past midnight.

That was why he couldn’t break away to visit the Observatory.

The Chief Constable approached. "My Lord, Lord Shen has arrived."

Dongfang Li, who had been deep in thought, immediately said, "Quick, show Lord Shen in."

No sooner had he spoken than he heard Shen Bai’s voice.

"No need for invitations. There are no such formalities between us."

Shen Bai strode into the main hall with Fang Tong and his men.

A quick-witted constable immediately arranged a seat for Shen Bai.

Shen Bai had barely sat down when another constable served him hot tea.

They wouldn’t dare do otherwise.

The man before them was a true power in Nanxing Prefecture. With a single word, he could decide matters of life and death. He was on the same level as the Prefect himself.

How could they be anything but deferential?

Dongfang Li waited for Shen Bai to take a sip of tea before explaining the whole situation.

It wasn’t that he lacked courtesy; the matter was simply too urgent to delay.

After listening, Shen Bai frowned and turned to Fang Tong. "Do we have any intel on the Feige Building at the Observatory?"

Fang Tong immediately replied, "Lord Shen, the Feige Building has members from the Daoist Sect who are skilled in Divination counter-techniques and are experts in Stealth. The Observatory has very little intelligence on them."

Shen Bai stroked his chin, lost in thought.

’Based on this exchange, the Feige Building is clever,’ he thought.

’They specialize in ambushes and are masters of Stealth, avoiding any action that might expose them.’

’That’s how they’ve managed to survive for so long.’

’But now they’ve provoked Dongfang Li, and he has come to me for help.’

Shen Bai lowered his hand, circulated the Qi in his body, and activated his Divination Divine Power.

His Divination Skill had now reached Level 4, and its Attributes had doubled.

Shen Bai wanted to see if his Level 4 Divination Skill could find any useful information.

But it was useless. He got no reaction at all.

The target had some way to block Divination, and with so few clues, finding them would be incredibly difficult.

After a moment’s thought, a flash of inspiration struck Shen Bai. He asked, "Did Fan Kai come to Nanxing Prefecture for the mines?"

Dongfang Li nodded. "That’s right."

Shen Bai asked again, "The Feige Building didn’t leave a ransom note. Is that because they were hired by a third party?"

Dongfang Li nodded again. "Yes."

Although he didn’t understand Shen Bai’s line of questioning, he answered nonetheless.

After Dongfang Li’s reply, Shen Bai fell silent, deep in thought.

Then, putting the clues together, he stood up.

"Lord Dongfang, please arrange a team of your men for me. I need to go to the mines. Of course, if you have the time, you are welcome to come with me."

Dongfang Li was taken aback. "I can make time," he said, puzzled. "Although I was busy, I’ve arranged for my duties to be handled. I can let things pile up for three to five days. But why go to the mines?"

He was indeed busy, but if there was a real lead, letting work pile up for a few days was acceptable. At worst, it just meant a few more tiring days later on.

But what Dongfang Li couldn’t understand was why they needed to go to the mines.

After all, Fan Kai had been ambushed on the main road. Surely he wasn’t taken to the mines.

’Wait... taken?’

A thought suddenly struck Dongfang Li. "Lord Shen, are you saying that the mastermind hired the Feige Building to carry out the ambush, and their real target is the mines?"

Shen Bai nodded. "Exactly. There must be a clue at the mines. Even if there isn’t, they will eventually send people there. All we need to do is lie in wait."