The cold spring gurgled, and wisps of chilly air rose from it, drifting through the garden.
Duke Yanshan stood beside the cold spring, his face indifferent, but deep in his eyes, there was a constant flicker of anger.
On the other side stood several of his disciples.
The Duke of Yanshan took in eight people in his life. Apart from Tantai Qin, who was in seclusion recuperating from her injuries, and three others who were still away and had not yet returned, the remaining four were all here.
At this moment, they all lowered their heads slightly, unwilling to face their master's most intense rage.
With the teacher's temperament, he actually failed to control the power within his body. If it weren't for Yanshan Gong pouring most of his power into the void at the last moment, the area within a thousand meters of Plum Garden would probably have been reduced to ruins by now.
They could understand the teacher's anger.
To prepare for this Heaven-Seizing Array, the teacher personally went to great lengths, visiting various nobles and dignitaries, paying countless prices and making numerous promises to obtain all the necessary materials.
But all of this vanished half an hour earlier when the teacher finally returned after a long journey, only to find that the Dao stone that should have been in the cold spring was gone.
Such a blow would not be indifferent even to kings and nobles.
"Another half hour has passed, so can anyone tell me how the Dao Stone... exactly went missing?"
The deep voice of the Duke of Yanshan slowly echoed in the garden.
After a moment's hesitation, the leading expert from the Mountain and Sea Realm stood up and said respectfully yet firmly, "The theft of Plum Garden is a capital offense, but... we beg Lord Yanshan to judge!"
"Whether it's these past few days and nights, or the countless days and nights before, we have been grateful for the kindness of Duke Yanshan and have shouldered the responsibility of guarding Plum Garden. We have never dared to slacken our efforts in the slightest!"
"I swear on my Dao heart that from last night until today, no outsider has entered or left the Plum Garden. Even just now, I thoroughly searched every corner of the Plum Garden and found no trace of intrusion!"
After the powerful figure from the mountains and seas finished speaking, he lowered his head and waited.
Duke Yanshan remained silent for a moment, then looked at his disciples.
Guo Zhouyuan, the third disciple, understood Yanshan Gong's thoughts best and immediately said, "Master, I have been resting and reading in my residence since last night and have not noticed anything unusual."
With Guo Zhouyuan taking the lead, Nie Han, Wang Shuo, and the others also took the initiative to report their whereabouts.
Duke Yanshan remained silent in deep thought.
"Teacher, could there be someone inside Plum Garden...?"
The sixth disciple, Ren Zihan, couldn't help but speak up.
Duke Yanshan shook his head and said with great certainty, "Plum Garden is no different."
Those four simple words extinguished that possibility entirely.
Guo Zhouyuan and others did not raise any questions.
Duke Yanshan was a top expert among kings and nobles, and he had the ability to see through everything. At least in the Plum Garden, if anyone had ulterior motives or did something underhanded, they would definitely not be able to hide it from his eyes.
If he says no, then no.
Even the ten powerful experts guarding the outer perimeter would surely have noticed if they had lied.
No one can lie to a king or nobleman.
Duke Yanshan took a deep breath, just about to use his divination skills to find the only truth, when suddenly, a graceful figure appeared in the garden.
Instead of wearing a long black dress, she changed into a plain-colored training outfit, which made her look even more upright and graceful.
"teacher."
Tantai Qin's voice was cold and clear, and she showed little expression even when facing the Duke of Yanshan.
Why not continue to recover from the injury?
Duke Yanshan frowned, for only he knew how serious Tantai Qin's injuries were; they had almost touched the very foundation of her being.
Her encounter with Jiang Huan was not a simple "brief exchange".
Even if a genius of this caliber had no intention of risking their life, it was impossible for them to truly hold back.
The closer the difference, the more dangerous the confrontation.
Jiang Huan was injured in that battle, while Tantai Qin almost died.
Therefore, even with such a major incident as the theft of the Dao Stone, Duke Yanshan did not intend to require Tantai Qin to come forward.
Tantai Qin's expression was somewhat strange, and she rarely showed a look of wanting to say something but holding back. However, she finally said in a low voice, "I've come to share the burden with my teacher."
"Hmm?" Duke Yanshan was taken aback.
"Since the cold spring is flowing water, has the teacher checked the bottom of the water?" Tantai Qin expressed her thoughts.
Underwater?
Everyone in the garden was stunned by these words.
“Impossible!” Guo Zhouyuan shook his head directly. “At first, I also thought of this possibility, after all, the Cold Spring is connected to the water veins of the Northern Capital, but I have already entered the Cold Spring to check, and there are no signs of damage to the underground formation.”
The others, including those powerful figures from the mountains and seas, all nodded slightly.
The Cold Springs are located inside the Plum Garden, and they are not responsible for patrolling, but that doesn't mean the inner courtyard is truly poorly defended.
Not to mention that under normal circumstances, Duke Yanshan would be stationed in the inner courtyard, making it impossible for anyone to sneak in. Even if Duke Yanshan were not there, the Plum Garden was still surrounded by various formations, and anyone who did not leave a mark would be walking into a trap.
The underground of the Cold Spring was also guarded by a defensive formation personally set up by Duke Yanshan.
Even if Duke Yanshan was not a king or nobleman who specialized in formations, a king or nobleman is still a king or nobleman. Even a formation he casually set up is extraordinary, not to mention that the protective formation at the bottom of the cold spring must have been carefully arranged by Duke Yanshan.
Even mountains and seas cannot be broken.
"Is brute force the only way to get past a formation?"
Tantai Qin said calmly.
These words were like a wake-up call. Yan Shan Gong raised an eyebrow and suddenly flicked his sleeve, "Make way, all of you."
Everyone immediately retreated to a distance.
Splash!
Duke Yanshan reached out and grabbed it, and to everyone's astonishment, the entire cold spring began to ripple.
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