Martial Saint through Reading

Chapter 385: Chapter 282: Palace Attendant_2

The Crown Prince sat at the desk, looking down at the scrolls.

In the dim light, there seemed to be shadows moving.

"Your Highness." Dark Guard Zi Yue returned.

"Speak."

"Lord Tang did not trouble Chu Ming; instead, he greatly admired Chu Ming."

"The Left Minister got the news and indeed hurried to Wenlin Garden, adding tests."

"Chu Ming’s talents are exceptional; he consecutively passed the tests of Master Tang Bai and the Left Minister, entering Wenlin Garden."

Zi Yue detailed the events of Wenlin Garden.

"Master Tang Bai has resided in Wenlin Garden for so many years; it seems he truly doesn’t want to meddle in Tang Family affairs anymore."

The Crown Prince set down the scrolls, raising his eyes, with candlelight flickering in their deep depths.

"As for Zuo Yuan, it was unexpected that he personally went to Wenlin Garden to set questions."

"Your Highness, I’ve discovered that the metal box of Cui Ye from the Ministry of Industry’s Repair Department not only contains the evidence against the Tang Family’s Tang Xuan but also against Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat Luu Shizhong."

"Oh? Are you saying that Chu Ming holds evidence against Luu Shizhong, who is Zuo Yuan’s man, and that old fox is afraid?"

Dark Guard Zi Yue said nothing.

"Haha, that is quite a pleasant surprise." The Crown Prince’s face revealed an inscrutable smile.

"Your Highness, should I retrieve the evidence?"

"No rush," the Crown Prince lowered his eyelids, "Let the evidence stay with Chu Ming; this boy also harbors secrets; it’s best not to alert anyone prematurely."

"Understood."

"By the way, how is our second brother doing?" the Crown Prince asked again.

"The Second Prince is as usual, either playing chess with the Third Prince and Fourth Prince or hunting in the suburbs."

"Only yesterday, His Majesty summoned the Second Prince."

"Do you know the reason?"

"I’ve gathered a little information."

"Speak."

"It concerns the Eastern Expedition Army and Southern Sikong Army."

"Is Father intending to act against Xiao Yu and Sikong Heng?"

"It’s not confirmed yet."

"Haha, then continue to investigate. The Second Prince appears idle, yet secretly he is very close to Divine Mystery Bureau Ming Yu!"

The Crown Prince’s eyes turned dark: "How is the investigation of the past matter going?"

"Your Highness, there is evidence proving it was Divine Mystery Bureau Ming Yu’s doing."

"Continue the investigation! I want irrefutable evidence!"

"Yes."

"..."

...

The Imperial City, Western Palace, Jingran Hall, Ran Jing Garden.

At the beginning of winter, there shouldn’t have been vibrant flowers, yet Ran Jing Garden still boasted blooms in various colors.

In the garden, there was a long pavilion; the Seventh Prince sat beneath it.

Not long after, two figures walked in from outside.

"Your Highness." Tao Long and Chu Ming saluted.

"Mm, thank you, General Tao."

The Seventh Prince waved his hand, signaling Tao Long to retreat, then stared intently at Chu Ming.

"I’ve heard you not only passed Master Tang Bai’s test but also overcame the Left Minister Zuo Yuan’s challenges?"

"You’ve outshone Luu Xi, known for his talent in the Qin Capital and son of Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat Luu Shizhong."

"Thanks to Your Seventh Highness." Chu Ming bowed deeply.

"Mm, I didn’t misjudge you," the Seventh Prince waved his hand as a palace maid brought over a chair, "Sit."

"Wenlin Garden is a nice place but not suitable for you." The Seventh Prince continued, "Elder Brother sent you to Wenlin Garden to test your prowess in Ancient Shell Script."

Chu Ming listened quietly.

"Master Tang Bai should have given you the fragmented scroll of the ’Mountain and Sea Great Wilderness Scripture·Sea Scripture’?"

"Your Highness." Chu Ming took out the fragment.

The Seventh Prince didn’t look at it but produced another scroll, saying: "The ’Mountain and Sea Great Wilderness Scripture·Sea Scripture’ and the Mountain Scripture you researched in Xirong County originate from the same source."

"However, the Sea Scripture is incomplete; the fragment you have contains one hundred pages, while I have another two hundred pages."

Two hundred more pages?

Chu Ming’s heart stirred slightly.

On the way here, he had already skimmed through part of the fragment given by Tang Bai.

The complexity of the Sea Scripture surpasses the Mountain Scripture by dozens of times; he has yet to start deducing.

"Three hundred pages are still a fragment, but the content inside is very important."

"Cangqian Continent, Ancient Profound Western Continent, Qin Dynasty, this is the last line from a First-Grade Cold Family letter, extracted from the Sea Scripture fragment."

"Based on current deductions, whether it’s us in the Qin Dynasty or the Western Jiurong, Bei Xue Di, South Jing Yue, East Yi Yang, or even further nations, the places they occupy are but parts of one continent, the Ancient Profound Western Continent."

"And beyond the Ancient Profound Western Continent lies boundless and terrifying seas, the Ghostly Sea."

"Everyone thinks the Ghostly Sea is endless, and the Ancient Profound Western Continent is the only land."

"Laughable and pitiful, the world has never even ventured into the Ghostly Sea, yet they dare declare such things, like frogs at the bottom of a well."

"Both the Ancient Profound Western Continent and the Ghostly Sea are merely parts of the Cangxuan Continent."

The Seventh Prince, saying this, tossed the fragment in his hand to Chu Ming.

"How vast the Cangxuan Continent truly is is hidden in the Sea Scripture, and from my perspective, you are the most likely to unlock this secret."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Chu Ming felt a rush of joy.

The ’Mountain and Sea Great Wilderness Scripture’ indeed harbors the secrets of the Cangxuan Continent, although for him, it holds even more significant value.

The waters of the Sea of Consciousness Mountain Scripture Lake seemed to be urging him to quickly deduce the fragment in hand.

Perhaps, soon enough, the Sea of Consciousness Mountain Scripture Lake won’t be called the Mountain Scripture Lake anymore.

"I hope you can unlock the mystery of the ’Mountain and Sea Great Wilderness Scripture·Sea Scripture’ soon."

"I will do my utmost."

The First-Grade Cold Family has two goals: one for the Sea Scripture, the other for that strange scroll that causes starlight to appear in the Sea of Consciousness, significantly advancing the progress of Calligraphy and Painting.

Now that I’ve obtained the Sea Scripture fragment, the next step is to find out where it came from and the location of the complete scroll.

As well as finding a way to access the strange scroll.

"Mm." The Seventh Prince continued speaking.

"Actually, the First-Grade Cold Family has three major scrolls; only upon clearing all of them can one be considered a First-Grade Cold Scholar."