After saying that, he assigned Chu Wang a lot of manpower and ordered him to find the murderer who killed Ling Wei within three days.

Chu Wang took the transfer token and was about to take his leave, but was stopped after taking only a few steps.

Chu Wang's smile froze slightly, and he quickly suppressed it, turning around with a worried expression to ask the Emperor, "Father-in-law, is there anything else?"

Since his affair with Ling Wei became public, Chu Wang had been calling the emperor "father-in-law" in an effort to curry favor with him and build a closer relationship. Now, even though Ling Wei is dead, he still calls him "father-in-law" without any hesitation.

"Ling Wei is no longer here, so you don't need to call me that anymore." The emperor, standing beside the dragon throne, waved his hand. He seemed to have just recovered from the news of Ling Wei's death, and the spiritual energy emanating from his body was no longer as violent as before.

"Yes," Chu Wang replied meekly.

"I see your aura is surging, you must be about to break through?" the emperor said calmly, his tone unfathomable, making it impossible for anyone to discern his thoughts.

Chu Wang's expression stiffened. He didn't know if the other person's question was casual or something else, so he could only cautiously reply.

The emperor standing above nodded, then reached out and tapped the thumb ring on his thumb.

A moment later, he took out a fruit from his ring and casually tossed it towards Chu Wang.

His casual gesture made it seem as if the fruit he tossed to Chu Wang was something worthless.

Chu Wang hurriedly took it, and after seeing what it was, his eyes widened in surprise.

He did not speak, but waited quietly for the emperor above to speak.

"Your cultivation is quite fast; you're already about to break through to the Great Spirit Master at such a young age. I'll lend you a hand. After you go down there, eat this spiritual fruit, break through to the Great Spirit Master, and then go capture people!"

The emperor knew the principle that horses need grass to run, so this small spiritual fruit was nothing to him. He gave it away casually, just like a favor.

Little did he know that Chu Wang was the type to hold grudges but not gratitude, and a single spirit fruit was not enough to make Chu Wang grateful.

Chu Wang held the spirit fruit in both hands, lowered his head, and responded meekly.

This attitude is excellent, but deep down I feel it's not worth mentioning.

Chu Wang finally breathed a sigh of relief when the emperor allowed him to leave.

Clutching the fruit tightly in his hand, Chu Wang quickly left the palace and returned to Ling Wei's residence. He then conjured a portrait of Lin Jingge and had his servants search for it throughout the city. He went to his cultivation room, ate the spiritual fruit, and began attempting to break through to the next level.

This way.

Lin Jingge bought a lot of supplies in Xingyao City and was about to leave the city when she discovered that she was being followed.

Fortunately, she was very cautious. Instead of immediately entering the secret realm after leaving the city and the surrounding towns, she had the people behind her circle around the Starry Forest.

He intended to use this opportunity to shake off the person behind him, but unexpectedly, not only did he fail to shake them off, but it also seemed that the other party saw through his intentions.

The other party, dressed in white, descended from the sky and landed in front of Lin Jingge, blocking her path.

Lin Jingge managed to brake in time, preventing herself from hitting the other party.

She glanced at him and realized that she didn't recognize the man in front of her, but he looked somewhat familiar. However, she couldn't remember where she had seen him before.

"Who are you, and why are you following me?!" Lin Jingge asked.

She couldn't see the other party's cultivation level, nor did she sense any killing intent from them, so she wasn't flustered.

"Please don't misunderstand, young lady. I meant no harm," the man said.

He spoke in a gentle tone, which was as pleasant as a spring breeze.

However, Lin Jingge didn't feel much of a reaction.

"If you meant no harm, why are you stopping me?!"

"May I take a look at the bead in the young lady's hand?" the man asked.

He didn't speak forcefully when he said this, nor did he try to take advantage of his superior status to forcefully seize it; his face remained calm.

Lin Jingge glanced at the other party, and upon hearing the request, subconsciously tightened her grip on the Star Bead in her hand.

The Star Bead wasn't branded by her. This bead seemed to have its own consciousness. Ever since it was awakened from her body by the Blood Mandarin Duck, it would occasionally run out on its own.

Lin Jingge was so annoyed that she could only hold onto it tightly in her hand.

The Star Pearl wasn't large for Lin Jingge; she could hold it firmly in the palm of her hand, making it impossible to see what it was.

However, judging from the tone of the person in front of him, it seemed that he recognized the bead.

"No, I won't let you see it!" Lin Jingge refused coldly.

"Don't follow me anymore!" With that, she gripped the Star Bead tightly in her hand and turned to walk away in another direction.

After Lin Jingge finished speaking, the man was conflicted about whether to pursue her or not.

But the Imperial Preceptor has been missing for so long. We finally found something related to his aura, are we just going to give up like this?

Unbeknownst to him, who had been wandering in the wilderness, the long-lost Imperial Advisor he had been longing for had already returned to the capital.

Lin Jingge ran far away and only breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that no one was chasing after her.

She found a secluded spot and entered the secret realm.

At this moment, Gan Lan is in the Blood Mandarin Duck's cave.

To Lin Jingge's utter surprise, Gan Lan and Wu Xuan got along the best.

Upon seeing Lin Jingge, Gan Lan immediately got up and ran towards her.

"Gege, you're finally here!" Upon seeing Lin Jingge, Gan Lan abandoned Wu Xuan without hesitation and ran to Lin Jingge's side, chattering about what she had done in the secret realm.

After patiently listening to her finish speaking, Lin Jingge asked, "I'm going to the Cloud Cauldron Continent. Do you want to come with me, or stay here?"

After Lin Jingge said this, Gan Lan, who had been making some noise, immediately quieted down.

Lin Jingge's intention in staying behind was certainly not to leave Gan Lan in the secret realm.

The Secret Realm Pearl always followed Lin Jingge. This secret realm was like a personal space, taking Lin Jingge with her wherever she went.

Therefore, when she said "stay," she meant that Ganlan should stay in Canglan.

Gan Lan hesitated. She really wanted to go with Lin Jingge, but she also wanted to stay and find her mother.

Seeing the other party's conflicted look, Lin Jingge shook her head slightly, but did not immediately let Gan Lan make a decision.

After all, Gan Lan still has plenty of time to think.

She raised her hand and patted Ganlan on the shoulder: "You stay here and think it over. I'll go find the entrance to the teleportation array."

After saying that, he walked towards Wuxuan.

Right now, there's only Wuxuan in the cave halfway up the mountain; the other three have disappeared.

If we're talking about who knows the secret realm best, it has to be the Blood Mandarin Duck Clan, who have lived there for countless years.