Xu Qi An quickly reached the lake bottom, his eyes glowing with clear qi like two small lanterns in the darkness.

The bottom was covered in silt. Centered around the foundation of the white jade platform, stone pillars were arranged in a unique pattern, encircling the platform.

This seems to be some kind of formation… Xu Qi An speculated.

In the capital of Great Feng, only the sorcerers from the Bureau of Astronomy could set up such formations. This meant that the Bureau had been involved in the construction of the Eternal Mountain and River Temple.

From this, he could deduce that besides the current Emperor, the old Observatory Master also knew the secret of Sang Lake… So, was the Observatory Master’s illness real? Or was it caused by the collapse of the Eternal Mountain and River Temple?

Hiss… What secret was hidden here?

The forces seeking Sang Lake’s secret and the culprits who destroyed the Eternal Mountain and River Temple must be at the top level… As a mere Bronze Bell, getting involved in this feels like I could be caught in the crossfire of immortals fighting at any moment…

Even if I uncover the truth, would the royal family allow me to live?

Thinking of this, Xu Qi An felt a heavy weight in his heart.

“Wei Yuan has already pointed out a clear path for me. If I encounter insurmountable difficulties, I should notify the yamen and inform Golden Bell Yang… This hint is obvious enough. I’m just a pawn sent to scout, a hunting dog to track. If worse comes to worst, I can fake my death and flee far from the capital.”

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, he swam towards the nearest stone pillar.

The surface of the pillar was carved with twisted, strange tadpole-like characters.

Xu Qi An could tell these were some kind of writing, but due to his limited education, he couldn’t decipher them. He memorized a few characters carefully.

After examining several more pillars and finding the same characters, Xu Qi An’s fear of the deep sea urged him to leave the pitch-black lake bottom.

In the silent, deep waters, he kept imagining a pair of cold eyes staring at him from behind, or a huge dark shadow emerging from the darkness ahead.

Xu Qi An broke the surface and returned to the small boat. He sheathed the black gold long sword he had been holding in his mouth and used his qi to evaporate the lake water.

Wisps of steam rose around him.

Li Yuchun stared at him in surprise. This kid had advanced to the Qi Condensation realm under his guidance, but in such a short time, his Qi had become so rich and powerful.

“Your qi doesn’t seem like that of a newly advanced Qi Condensation practitioner,” Li Yuchun said, puzzled.

“I just meditate for two hours every day,” Xu Qi An replied with an innocent expression.

“…” Brother Chun waved his hand, unwilling to discuss the topic further. He glanced at Silver Bell Yang and said, “Yang doesn’t approve of you. He came up earlier and analyzed the underwater situation for us, which was somewhat fruitful. He said if your analysis matches his, he’ll accept you.

“We’re all on the same team, there’s no need to hide anything.”

The tall and thin Yang Feng smiled without objecting.

Xu Qi An looked at the bearded Min Shan, who remained silent but was staring at Xu Qi An, waiting for him to speak.

Xu Qi An rolled his eyes and said, “From the broken edge of the platform, we can deduce that the explosion point was inside the temple, not underwater. Moreover, the gunpowder was likely hidden in the temple after the ancestral worship ceremony, no more than an hour after it ended.

“If it had been hidden in the temple beforehand, the strong smell of gunpowder would have been noticed by His Majesty when he entered. The opportunity only came after the ceremony ended. Round up all the servants, officials from the Court of Judicature, and Ministry of Rites who were responsible for the cleanup, and interrogate them one by one. Silver Bell Yang, you handle this.

“Also, notify the yamen to request several White Robes from the Bureau of Astronomy from His Majesty to assist in the investigation. Captain, you take care of this. Hmm, I want Miss Caiwei from the Bureau of Astronomy to help me.

“Silver Bell Min, come with me to the Ministry of Works. I need the records of the gunpowder factory’s ins and outs. Such a large amount of gunpowder couldn’t have been smuggled out unnoticed.”

He paused, then added, “But before that, we must examine the remains of the sacrificed soldiers.”

The three Silver Bells looked at each other, realizing that this junior colleague was quite reliable. His task assignments were orderly, his thinking clear, and his logic meticulous. Yang Feng and Min Shan set aside their contempt and distrust for him.

They had to admit, that if it were them, they probably wouldn’t have been able to provide such a clear and concise direction so quickly. It would have taken them much longer to organize their thoughts.

The bodies had been collected in the military camp. The Imperial Guards led them to a tent, lifted the curtain, and inside were corpses covered with white cloths.

Two nearby large tents contained similar bodies. A total of 312 soldiers who had been patrolling near Sang Lake had all perished.

Xu Qi An lifted the white cloths, examining the tragic state of each body.

“You know how to examine corpses?” Yang Feng, seeing his increasingly serious expression, couldn’t help but ask, “What have you discovered?”

“I’ve discovered something big.”

“Tell us.” The three Silver Bells perked up, and even the Imperial Guard leader looked over.

Xu Qi An spoke slowly, “I’ve discovered that I’m just a small Bronze Bell, and when it comes to combat, I’ll have to rely on you three gentlemen to work hard.”

All the soldiers had died in the same manner, their vital essence and blood drained by some sort of demonic technique, with no other wounds on their bodies.

This level of skill was not something a Qi Condensation practitioner could handle.

If they encountered the culprits, Xu Qi An could only wave his hand and shout: “Charge!”

While he stayed safely in the rear.

…

Xu Qi An led Min Shan to the Ministry of Works. With the golden tablet clearing their way, they faced no obstacles.

He sought out the official in charge of the gunpowder factory and said, “I need to check the production and usage records of gunpowder for the past month.”

Ledgers were easy to falsify, with the most common method being exaggerating usage amounts. For example, if making a batch of cannonballs required 200 kilograms of gunpowder, they might record it as 300 kilograms.

Another method was to underreport the amount of raw materials during gunpowder production. If the transported raw materials could produce 200 kilograms of gunpowder, they might intentionally record less, allowing them to secretly keep the excess.

But these tricks couldn’t withstand scrutiny. Every crime left traces.

Xu Qi An didn’t trust the Ministry of Works officials. He sent someone to bring his clerks from the night watchmen’s yamen. Dozens of people poured into the Ministry of Works.

It was a tedious process with a heavy workload, as they also had to gather evidence and verify information from the raw material collection sites.

…

After lunch at the Ministry of Works, Xu Qi An sat comfortably in a large chair, picking his teeth and watching the clerks and Bronze Bells busy at work.

Yang Feng, who was responsible for investigating the Court of Judicature, Ministry of Rites, and palace servants, sent someone back with news.

“Three clerks from the Court of Judicature and Ministry of Rites each have gone missing, as well as three palace servants,” reported the Bronze Bell.

In the palace, lower-ranking eunuchs were called servants, usually doing odd jobs.

“When did they disappear?” Xu Qi An sat up straight, instantly shaking off his languid state.

“All personnel responsible for the cleanup after the ancestral worship ceremony have been jointly detained by the Ministry of Justice and the Prefectural Yamen. They refuse to hand them over to us,” the Bronze Bell said helplessly. “Silver Bell Yang is in a standoff with the people from the Ministry of Justice.”

“They dare to snatch people from us night watchmen?” Xu Qi An’s eyebrows shot up.

Although he had only recently joined the night watchmen, he had already absorbed their arrogant and domineering attitude.

The Bronze Bell explained, “The Ministry of Justice and Prefectural Yamen have also received orders from His Majesty to investigate the case. With imperial orders, they’re not afraid of us. Silver Bell Yang doesn’t have the golden tablet bestowed by His Majesty, so he sent me to quickly inform you, sir.”

Usually, the night watchmen held a higher status than other government offices, but there was one exception: when the Emperor issued a decree.

“Let’s go and demand the people!” Xu Qi An exploded.

It wasn’t surprising that the Emperor had also involved the Ministry of Justice and Prefectural Yamen in this case. Many major cases were investigated jointly by multiple departments. A single yamen had limited manpower and duties to handle, making it difficult to devote all resources to one case.

The benefits of the joint investigation were obvious, but so were the drawbacks – competing for credit!

“For me, it’s not just about solving the Sang Lake case. I must make a crucial contribution to this case for the court to waive my death sentence. If I achieve nothing, I might not escape beheading at the market… Whoever dares to obstruct my investigation will face the consequences!”

With his life at stake, Xu Qi An didn’t hesitate. He grabbed the black gold long sword from the desk, looked around at the clerks, and announced loudly:

“Continue the investigation. Thoroughly check all production and consumption records from mid-year until now. Anyone who uncovers a clue will be rewarded with twenty taels of silver.”

As the lead investigator, he had the authority to offer certain rewards, which would be paid by the night watchmen’s yamen.

The eyes of the clerks from the night watchmen’s yamen lit up.

Twenty taels of silver were equivalent to half a year’s salary for them.

Leaving the clerks behind, Xu Qi An led Silver Bell Min Shan and the remaining Bronze Bells, hurriedly leaving the Ministry of Works. They mounted fast horses and rushed towards the Ministry of Justice.

The Ministry of Justice wasn’t far. Riding at full speed, it took less than the time it takes to burn a stick of incense before Xu Qi An saw the red-lacquered gates of the Ministry of Justice.

The entrance was heavily guarded, with two rows of heavily armed soldiers standing watch.

Yang Feng and six Bronze Bells were blocked outside, facing off against the guards.

“The Ministry of Justice is investigating by imperial decree. Anyone who enters the Ministry without permission or obstructs the investigation will be killed without mercy,” the leading middle-aged military officer warned his hand on his sword, rebuking the night watchmen.

Behind him, dozens of soldiers placed their hands on their sword hilts.

Yang Feng’s forehead veins bulged with anger. He had probably never felt so frustrated before, with even lowly figures daring to rebuke him to his face.

Although he also had his hand on his sword hilt, he didn’t dare act rashly. Without the lead investigator present, he couldn’t claim to be acting under imperial orders. The Ministry of Justice surely knew that the night watchmen were also ordered to participate in this case, yet they deliberately blocked them outside.

This was intentional provocation, deliberately setting up obstacles for them.

“Heh!” The leading middle-aged officer sneered, his hand on his sword, as he saw a group of night watchmen riding towards them from afar.

“The Ministry of Justice is conducting an investigation. Any unauthorized personnel entering will be killed without mercy!”

He had just finished shouting when he saw the young Bronze Bell leading the charge draw the military crossbow from his waist and pull the trigger without hesitation.