The journey back to Great Zhou went far more smoothly than their departure had. Just as Physician Gu had predicted, Ziqing woke after a few days, her body showing no lasting ill effects—only having slept so long that her head felt somewhat heavy.

“Exhaling poisonous mist—how could anyone possibly manage that?” Ziqing wondered aloud, discussing with Jun Beiyue yet again the origins of that black-clad figure. Unfortunately, after a full day’s discussion, all they could confirm was that he was certainly connected to the Solitary Isle somehow—beyond that, they simply had far too few clues to go on!

“Could he be someone from the Solitary Isle itself?” Ziqing puzzled.

“If he were from the Solitary Isle, why hide it so carefully? He could simply have come to find the two of us directly,” Jun Beiyue said seriously. That man had gone to the sea valley, and then to the Bai family’s estate searching for the sacred mulberry tree—clearly, he too was searching for the Solitary Isle!

It was his poison techniques, though, that troubled Jun Beiyue.

He had once suspected Xuanyuan Lige, but Xuanyuan Lige’s frail, sickly body could never possess that kind of skill. Though they had only exchanged a move or two, he could tell that man’s hands and feet were remarkably agile, his speed extraordinarily fast—compared to Xuanyuan Lige, he lacked a certain graceful elegance, but possessed far greater nimbleness!

As they spoke, the shore came into distant view, and Jun Beiyue immediately sensed something was wrong!

Having spent so many years on the battlefield, he possessed an almost innate instinct for military matters. He immediately took hold of Ziqing’s hand, pulling her behind him protectively. “Qing’er, there are soldiers on the shore—a great many of them!”

“Didn’t you say Prince Baxian would come personally to receive us?” Ziqing still felt at ease regarding Prince Baxian. Jun Beiyue had told her he was the one person in all of Great Zhou, indeed in the entire Jun clan, who truly served the nation and its people!

During their long absence, countless rumors must have circulated, yet the capital of Great Zhou had never once fallen into chaos—that alone spoke to Prince Baxian’s remarkable capability!

“That’s exactly what puzzles me!” Jun Beiyue said flatly. He had claimed illness publicly, then appeared at Qinse Valley claiming to have recovered.

Within the Great Zhou imperial family, only Prince Baxian knew the truth of these past months.

Prince Baxian had never been one for grand displays. Even coming to receive him personally, he would at most bring along a few guards—how could the entire dock possibly be filled with troops!

Hearing Jun Beiyue’s words, Ziqing felt a flicker of alarm—either Prince Baxian had fallen from power, or he had come leading troops himself!

The latter possibility was far more serious than the former!

Both of them felt a growing unease, yet neither retreated. As the ship slowly approached the dock, sure enough, the entire dock was packed with troops, most of them archers—clearly meant to ensure they couldn’t escape even if they tried.

Jun Beiyue recognized at a glance that these were imperial archers. Deploying them would have required nothing less than Emperor Tianhui’s personal approval.

What exactly had happened?

And such an enormous show of force, all to welcome him back?

“Beiyue, it’s been a long time!” Suddenly, a familiar voice called out from nearby. A figure emerged from among the troops—dressed in a plain grayish-white robe, dark hair tied up high, temples streaked with gray, sporting a goat-like beard, his expression grave.

It was none other than Prince Baxian!

“Ha, Prince Baxian, it’s been a long time indeed!” Jun Beiyue said with a smile, stepping forward to meet him. He appeared relaxed on the surface, but he never once let go of Ziqing’s hand, keeping her protectively behind him the entire time!

Within the entire Great Zhou imperial family, Prince Baxian was the only one who could put him this on guard. In most other respects, Prince Baxian wasn’t particularly exceptional, but when it came to the ability to seize both military and popular support at court, no one could match him!

Had he not withdrawn from politics, Great Zhou would surely have belonged to him long ago!

What could possibly have happened, to make this virtuous prince—whom Ziqing had personally invited on Jun Beiyue’s behalf—welcome him with such an enormous show of force?

“Word has been spreading through the martial world recently that you’ve acknowledged Gu Jun of the Isle of Immortal Retreat as your adoptive father. Is this true?” Prince Baxian asked.

Hearing this, not just Jun Beiyue but Ziqing too immediately understood. No wonder Prince Baxian had gone to such lengths—his secret birth had been exposed!

If it were merely a rumor circulating in the martial world, acknowledging an adoptive father wouldn’t have been such a serious matter. But someone must have reported this to Prince Baxian directly, and that person must have possessed rock-solid evidence—otherwise, Prince Baxian would never have believed it so readily!

Ziqing understood well that in an age where the emperor’s authority reigned supreme, the purity of the imperial bloodline mattered just as much as the safety of the entire nation!

Even a man like Prince Baxian took it just as seriously!

If Jun Beiyue were not truly a son of the Jun clan, then once he seized control of Great Zhou’s power, it would mean the Jun imperial dynasty had effectively fallen!

A matter of this magnitude would be enough to unite the entire imperial court and every faction against Jun Beiyue—even the troops under his own command might turn against him!

If anyone with ill intent stirred this matter up, the troubles facing the Prince Yao’s estate would be immense, far beyond ordinary!

Worse still, if word of this reached the ears of other nations’ rulers, they could use it as an excuse to refuse to recognize Jun Beiyue’s authority entirely, even easily overturning all the border agreements and national laws he had worked so hard to establish over the years!

Who exactly had betrayed him?

Jun Beiyue was certainly aware of the gravity of the situation. A flicker of complexity passed through his eyes, but he answered flatly all the same, “Yes. The Gu clan taught me their internal energy techniques—this time, after my grave injuries, only the Gu clan could save me.”

Who would have thought Prince Baxian would erupt in fury? “Is that so? But someone has come forward accusing you of being the Gu clan’s son by blood!”

With that, he threw a memorial document forcefully into Jun Beiyue’s hands.

Jun Beiyue skimmed through it, and to his shock, it contained a detailed record of everything that had happened since he was sent to the Gu clan, right up to the present!

Jun Beiyue understood immediately—whoever had reported this could only be Madam Gu, or Gu Suying!

But how had this document made its way into Prince Baxian’s hands?

“Consort Yao told me the Gu clan taught you their internal energy techniques, but Consort Yao never once mentioned that you possessed such extraordinary aptitude for the Gu clan’s internal energy! How could someone possess such aptitude for it unless they carried the Gu bloodline themselves?” Prince Baxian pressed further.

“Who sent this?” Jun Beiyue asked, still calm, still flat in tone.

“The Tenth Prince!” Prince Baxian didn’t hide it at all!

At these words, Ziqing’s brow furrowed instantly. So it was the Tenth Prince—that reckless fool wouldn’t know the weight of such matters. This must have come through Jun Beiyao, the one closest to the Tenth Prince!

And whatever came from Jun Beiyao’s hands must have originated from Xuanyuan Lige!

So it was him, after all!

Finally, Jun Beiyue’s voice turned cold. “Aptitude has never been a fixed, certain thing—otherwise it wouldn’t be called aptitude at all. Prince Baxian, this is no small matter—do you suspect this king based on nothing more than a single flimsy sheet of paper?”

“Prince Yao, both witnesses and physical evidence await at the Ministry of Justice. This king comes bearing the imperial decree—please, come with me,” Prince Baxian said, his tone equally cold.

He held extremely high hopes for Jun Beiyue, held him in the highest regard—but no matter how much he admired him, none of that could outweigh the matter of bloodline!

At this moment, he wasn’t standing on Emperor Tianhui’s side. He was standing on the side of the entire Jun clan itself!

Witnesses and physical evidence, no less?

Jun Beiyue snorted coldly. “Fine, let’s go. This king would very much like to see just what witnesses and evidence exist, that could make Prince Baxian believe so firmly!”

Seeing Jun Beiyue’s disdainful attitude, and hearing his words, a flicker of hesitation passed through Prince Baxian’s stern eyes despite himself. Yet even at the risk of offending Jun Beiyue, this was a matter he couldn’t afford to treat carelessly!

Ziqing remained silent throughout, thinking to herself with resignation—after being away for so long, coming back only to head straight for the Ministry of Justice was hardly what she’d expected…