Chapter 205 Ji Heng was once a person of exceptional talent.
"They only contacted you this once?" Bai Xiuming suddenly asked.
Ji Mo shook his head: "Not long ago, a woman came to me, saying that she was sent by the princess. She said she would stay in the capital for a while and asked me to help cover up her identity as a demon. I thought that the government would not easily come to my residence to investigate, so I let her enter the residence as my concubine."
Do you know what she's doing in the capital?
"I don't know, and I don't dare to ask any more questions."
Bai Xiuming nodded and said, "Then tell me how Ji Zhuang and his son died."
Ji Mo's body stiffened. Considering his current situation, even being implicated in a murder case didn't seem like such a big deal. He decided to stop hiding it and said directly, "Ji Zhuang's mother killed my mother before. Ji Zhuang was afraid that I would take a share of his property, so he tried to kill me several times. In the past, I didn't bother with him, but this time he took the initiative to come to my door. He even tried to persuade me to adopt his son after seeing that my son was gone."
Ji Mo sneered: "So I came up with a plan to kill someone with a borrowed knife."
He recounted how he had his servants lead Ji Zhuang's son to the sorceress's dwelling, and then added, "His son was no good. After arriving in the capital, he frequented brothels. Hearing that my concubine was extremely beautiful, and seeing that no one was around, he went to spy on her, only to be discovered and lose his life."
"What about Ji Zhuang?"
“I reminded the demon that Ji Zhuang had come to the mansion repeatedly to investigate his son’s murder. He was a stubborn man who would not give up once he set his mind on something, so she killed Ji Zhuang as well.”
Ji Mo spoke calmly throughout, and he did not think there was anything wrong with using the demon race to kill Ji Zhuang and his son.
He only regretted that he was too cowardly back then, allowing them to live for so many more years.
"Is there anything else?"
“Really, that’s all.” Ji Mo emphasized, afraid that Bai Xiuming wouldn’t believe him. “Only these two times.”
Bai Xiuming lowered his eyes to look at A Chan and asked her, "Is there anything else you want to ask?"
Achan shook her head. Once the secret was revealed, it was just another ordinary grudge or feud.
She already knew everything she needed to know. As for the whereabouts of Ji Heng and that so-called princess, she believed Bai Xiuming would find out.
Just then, Jiang Kai's voice came from outside: "Sir, the people from the Imperial Observatory have arrived."
"Let him in."
Upon hearing Bai Xiuming's instructions, Jiang Kai led a man in. The man bowed to Bai Xiuming and, without saying much, went to collect Ji Mo's blood and then A Chan's fingertip blood to test their bloodlines.
On the kinship plate, six out of ten squares are lit up.
The man showed the kinship chart to Bai Xiuming and said, "Sir, the two are not father and daughter, but they are undoubtedly relatives."
The other party's words also indirectly proved that what Ji Mo said was true.
"Thank you for your help. We still need to confirm the suspect's identity, which may take some time."
"You flatter me, sir. The Supervisor sent me here to assist the Mingjing Division in investigating the case."
Listening to their conversation, Achan knew that in order to verify Ji Mo's identity, the living members of the Ji family would probably be brought to the capital for investigation, and those who had died would likely not be spared either.
Once the case is solved, the Ji family will probably cease to exist in the capital, but that will no longer be relevant to her.
After verifying the bloodline, Bai Xiuming handed the person over to Jiang Kai, and then left Zhenyu with Achan.
Not far from leaving the prison, Achan suddenly stopped and turned to Bai Xiuming, asking, "Do you know the identity of the princess that Ji Mo mentioned?"
Logically speaking, even if Ji Mo repeatedly claimed to know nothing about the so-called princess, his words should not be believed. However, Bai Xiuming never investigated the matter further, which is somewhat strange.
"We have some leads, but we still need to verify them."
Achan winked at him: "But I'm really curious right now."
Bai Xiuming laughed: "So, does Achan want to know the answer now, or does she want to go home?"
I want both.
"That's too greedy. You can only choose one." Bai Xiuming raised his hand and tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear, gently kneading her earlobe with his fingers. "How about I choose one for you?"
Ah Chan immediately retorted, "Don't even think about it, I'm going home."
"I send you."
"No need." She took two steps, then turned back. "Lord Bai, please don't keep me waiting too long."
"Sure, just remember to leave the door open for me tonight."
Not long after Achan left, Jiang Yan found Bai Xiuming and reported to him: "Sir, the skin you sent has been examined, and it is the same kind of skin as the fake county princess's skin from last time."
"What I'd like to know more is whether that face was moved from someone else's face, or whether it was a fake?"
“It’s a fake face,” Jiang Yan replied confidently. “The person who made the face is exceptionally skilled; the face is indistinguishable from a real one. I’m incompetent; I can only analyze the two materials used to make the fake face for now.”
"It's alright, knowing this is enough."
After sending Jiang Yan away, Bai Xiuming rode away from the Mingjing Division and headed straight for the Ming Prince's Mansion.
As soon as he entered the Prince's residence, he heard the steward say that the Emperor had sent someone to deliver something to Prince Ming, and that the man was currently in the study. So he went to the study without having anyone announce his arrival.
Just as he arrived, the chief eunuch who had delivered the message was leaving. When he saw Bai Xiuming, he greeted him with a smile.
Bai Xiu returned the greeting before entering the study.
It was unclear what the two had just discussed, but King Ming was frowning, as if something was troubling him.
"Father."
King Ming raised his eyes: "Why have you come at this time?"
Bai Xiuming turned around, closed the door, and sat down opposite Ming Wang: "There's a very troublesome case in the yamen, so I came to tell you."
King Ming became interested: "What kind of case could be so big that it would cause you trouble?"
Bai Xiuming twitched the corner of his lips: "The Marquis of Jinyang is a fake."
King Ming was taken aback.
Bai Xiuming continued, "According to his confession, Ji Heng had someone give him a fake face and made him the Marquis of Jinyang. At that time, the female demon who was with Ji Heng was called Princess by him."
After a brief moment of stunned silence, the Ming King reacted, his expression darkening slightly: "The Demon Emperor's daughter?"
"If nothing unexpected happens, it's her."
King Ming leaned back in his chair and sighed softly, as if he were recalling something.
After a long silence, he spoke: "I still remember Ji Heng. He was very intelligent as a child, with exceptional talent for cultivation. Back then, his grandfather always boasted that almost everyone in the court knew that the Marquis of Jinyang had a worthy successor. Later, after joining the army, his fame grew even more. When did he begin to fade into obscurity?"
"I heard that he was injured in his early years, and his cultivation level dropped from the fourth realm to the third realm. He has never left the capital since then."
When Marquis Jinyang was at the height of his power, Bai Xiuming was still in Xiling. After returning to the capital, he became a low-profile, leisurely marquis. Bai Xiuming had no further contact with him and all the information he knew about him came from outside sources.
“I remember he was injured in a battle with the demon race, and it was said that his foundation was damaged.” Ming Wang shook his head with a smile. “Even I forgot that Ji Heng was once a person of exceptional talent.”
Bai Xiuming thought to himself, "It's not just the Ming King; nowadays, probably no one in the court remembers what the former Marquis of Jinyang was like. Even if they occasionally recall those days, they only sigh, and no one doubts that the Marquis of Jinyang is an imposter."
"Why would someone like that abandon everything and join the demon race if there wasn't an immense benefit?" After saying this, Ming Wang looked up at Bai Xiuming sitting opposite him. "What do you think the reason might be?"
Bai Xiuming slowly slashed his blade: "This year, during the Lantern Festival, a half-demon advanced to the fifth realm. Before that, Princess Xueyao sent people to steal the Demon Seal, but failed, and then seized the Dragon Pearl of the Dragon Clan. Father, you said that both of those items once belonged to the Demon Emperor and were imbued with his aura. Clearly, the half-demon's breakthrough to the fifth realm was related to the Demon Emperor, and those two items were very likely necessary for that breakthrough."
King Ming nodded without interrupting him.
“Among humans, those with exceptional talent are not rare, but from the fourth to the fifth realm, countless talented cultivators have met their demise. No one dares to be certain that they can break through to the fifth realm, and I guess Ji Heng doesn’t dare either.”
Ming Wang continued Bai Xiuming's words, "But as the most powerful demon in the history of the demon race, the Demon Emperor once helped his dying subordinate break through to the fifth realm and successfully extend his life. Although he had to rely on him after the breakthrough, he succeeded. Who wouldn't want such an opportunity?"
"But at that time, Ji Heng was only in his early twenties. Did he really need to be in such a hurry?" Bai Xiuming asked, puzzled.
The King shook his head helplessly: "You will never understand this kind of thing. Geniuses are also divided into levels. Some people can see the end of their road ahead as soon as they advance to the fourth realm."
Cultivation is a cruel thing. You think you can go a long way, but when you reach the limit of your ability, you find that the road ahead is still long and you can no longer go.
Those who can go that far are all proud and arrogant geniuses; how could they possibly admit defeat?
"You talk as if you know everything."
“But I would speculate,” Ming Wang sneered. “If there’s a shortcut, who wouldn’t want to take it? Besides, opportunities are fleeting. It’s precisely because he’s young and has enough impulse and ambition that he can be so ruthless as to give up everything.”
Bai Xiuming curled his lip: "He spent twenty years taking shortcuts, he's really a good-for-nothing."
The King glared at him, pondered for a moment, and then said, "I will personally verify this matter. If it really is Ji Heng..."
"Even if we confirm his identity, eliminating him won't be easy. If you take action yourself, it will be seen as provoking the demon race, which could not only easily cause a war between the two races, but also attract other powerful demons from the fifth realm," Bai Xiuming calmly reminded him.
"I know, I'm not a child anymore, I can tell what's important."
The demon race is usually a disorganized bunch, but if the Great Xia's Ming King takes action, the situation will be different. They might unite and fight against the human race together.
The Ming King may be able to indulge himself, but he is the Ming King of the Great Xia Dynasty and cannot disregard the lives of the human people.
He then added, "If Ji Heng truly betrays the human race, he must die, but we must proceed gradually."
After a brief exchange of opinions between father and son, Bai Xiuming brought up another matter: "There is one more thing I would like to ask Father for a favor."
"You want my help? What kind of help?" King Ming was a little surprised, as it was rare to hear this young man speak so politely.
"Please ask the Dragon Kings you know well if there is a person named Amian among them."
"Ah Mian? That's not difficult, but it's hard to say when we'll be able to ask. We rarely see those Dragon Kings..."
Dragons have a very strong sense of territory, and unless a major event occurs within the clan, they usually do not meet with each other.
At this point, the Ming King suddenly paused, then changed the subject: "Just now, His Majesty sent someone to tell us something related to the Dragon King."
"His Majesty?"
Bai Xiuming was very surprised. The emperors of the Great Xia Dynasty had changed countless times, and the Dragon Clan had never had any formal communication with the emperor. It was said that this was because they were dissatisfied with the emperor being called the Son of Heaven.
"Yes, His Majesty said that the Dragon Clan sent a visiting card, and the White Dragon King wants to come to the capital of Great Xia. He asked for permission." King Ming said with some helplessness, "This is the first time His Majesty has encountered such a situation, and he asked me to make the decision."
Putting aside the dragons' bad temper, even just mentioning that sending the five realms to the capital carries some danger. However, if they agree, it would be a friendly exchange between the human and dragon races, which would naturally bring benefits.
"You don't recognize the White Dragon King?"
"know."
"Do we not get along well?" If they were on good terms, his father wouldn't have spoken in that tone.
King Ming snorted coldly: "It's too much trouble to say anything when we don't see eye to eye."
Bai Xiuming understood. He might have some grudge, but probably not much.
Did the White Dragon King say why he came to the capital?
"He said that a junior member of his clan was bullied, and a kind person happened to pass by and rescued him. He wanted to come to the capital in person to express his gratitude." King Ming sneered, "I didn't know he had become so polite."
Bai Xiuming's expression suddenly froze. Why did this sound so familiar?
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