Zuo An was treacherous and dangerous; dealing with him required a decisive, single strike. That was why Qin Feiyang didn’t dare to make hasty decisions either. After a moment of contemplation, he finally formulated a strategy. "Do you know what Zuo An’s hobbies are?" he asked.
Chief Li replied, "I know absolutely nothing about him. Who knows what his interests are?"
Qin Feiyang grinned. "Even if you don’t understand him, you should understand Jiang Zhengyi, right?"
"Why bring the Pavilion Master into this?" Chief Li asked, bemused.
Qin Feiyang explained, "Don’t forget, Zuo An is now impersonating Jiang Zhengyi. Whatever Jiang Zhengyi enjoys, Zuo An must pretend to enjoy as well. Otherwise, his cover will be blown."
Chief Li thought for a moment and laughed. "The Pavilion Master quite enjoys drinking wine."
Qin Feiyang said, "That makes it easy. Go prepare a jar of good wine and send it to him."
"Would Zuo An accept it?" Chief Li frowned.
Qin Feiyang explained, "Of course. Jiang Zhengyi likes it, so he must pretend to like it too; otherwise, his identity will be exposed."
Chief Li’s eyes lit up in understanding, and he gave Qin Feiyang a thumbs-up. "I happen to have a treasured jar of wine right here."
With a wave of his hand, a sealed wine jar materialized on the ground.
Qin Feiyang opened the lid, and a rich, intoxicating aroma immediately wafted towards him. Then, he leaped onto the wine jar and, with a thought, entered the ancient castle. The ancient castle transformed into a speck of dust and fell into the wine jar.
"What’s going on?" Chief Li was slightly stunned. The next moment, his Image Crystal Stone flickered. He took it out, and Qin Feiyang’s projection swiftly materialized.
"What are you up to?" Chief Li watched him, perplexed.
Qin Feiyang said, "Shake the wine jar. I want to see if the ancient castle fell in."
Chief Li held the wine jar and gently shook it. Qin Feiyang immediately heard the sloshing of liquid.
Qin Feiyang chuckled. "No problem. The ancient castle is now inside the wine jar. Seal the lid and deliver it to Zuo An."
"So, that’s your plan to sneak in," Chief Li said teasingly. "Aren’t you afraid Zuo An will actually drink you down?"
"Even better. I’ll make him explode from the inside," Qin Feiyang’s eyes flashed with a cold light.
"You’re ruthless!" Chief Li waved his hand, deactivating the Image Crystal Stone. Then he picked up the wine jar and walked toward the underground secret chamber.
The underground secret chamber was a restricted area of the Treasure Pavilion. Usually, only Chief Li and Jiang Zhengyi were allowed in, as the Treasure Pavilion’s treasury was located here.
After a short while, Chief Li arrived at the entrance. It was a stone door, currently shut tight. Chief Li pressed a spot on the adjacent wall, and the stone door slowly swung open, revealing two War Kings guarding the interior. Seeing Chief Li, they immediately bowed in greeting.
Chief Li chuckled. "I’m going to deliver a jar of wine to the Pavilion Master. Keep a close watch and don’t let anyone sneak in."
"Yes, sir," the two nodded.
Carrying the wine jar, Chief Li stepped through the stone doorway. Before him lay a wide passage, about four to five meters across. On both sides, Nightlight Stones were suspended at regular intervals, emitting a soft, hazy glow.
Roughly ten breaths later, Chief Li reached the end of the passage, where two stone doors stood. The door directly ahead was larger, about three meters wide; this was the entrance to the treasury. The door to the side was just over a meter wide and led to the secret chamber where Zuo An was.
Chief Li took a deep breath and knocked on the side stone door.
"Who is it?" The voice of ’Jiang Zhengyi’ came from within.
"Pavilion Master, it’s me," Chief Li smiled.
After a moment, the stone door opened, and a familiar figure appeared, blocking Chief Li’s advance. Beyond the figure, he could see that the secret chamber was brilliantly lit, like daylight. The figure was indeed Jiang Zhengyi! Except, it was an imposter.
Zuo An, smiling, asked, "What brings you here?"
Chief Li smiled back. "Pavilion Master, I noticed you’ve been in seclusion, so I thought I’d bring you a jar of wine for some refreshment."
Zuo An chuckled. "Thank you, but I’m not in the mood for wine right now."
"Not in the mood?" Chief Li feigned bafflement. "Even your favorite wine doesn’t appeal to you? Has something happened?"
His favorite!
Zuo An’s heart skipped a beat. He shook his head and sighed. "It’s all because of Qingzhu. Although she colluded with Qin Feiyang, she was, after all, my daughter. Killing her with my own hands... it has been extraordinarily painful for me."
"Alas!" Chief Li sighed deeply, offering comfort. "Pavilion Master, the dead cannot be brought back to life. Don’t blame yourself too much."
"Yes," Zuo An nodded, then forced a smile. "Speaking of which, I do feel like having a little. Give me the wine jar!"
"A little is fine, but don’t try to drown your sorrows," Chief Li said with concern as he handed over the jar.
"I know." Zuo An nodded, taking the wine jar. He smiled. "You’ve been managing the Treasure Pavilion during this period. Thank you for your hard work."
Chief Li waved his hand. "It’s what I should do. If there’s nothing else, I’ll get back to my duties."
"Go on, then!" Zuo An waved him off with a smile.
Chief Li turned and strode away, a chilling light glinting deep within his aged eyes.
Zuo An sneered, then turned with the wine jar and entered the secret chamber. A young man in a purple robe emerged from a corner. Who else could it be but Lin Chen? As Qin Feiyang had predicted, he had already infiltrated the place.
"This Chief Li is truly a nuisance," Lin Chen said as he walked over and closed the stone door. He glanced at the wine jar in Zuo An’s hand, his eyes glinting fiercely. "Master, why don’t we find an opportunity to eliminate him?"
"Don’t be hasty. We’ll slaughter him eventually," Zuo An said with a sinister smile. "Does Jiang Zhengyi really have a habit of drinking?"
Lin Chen nodded. "It’s said he is indeed fond of fine wine."
Zuo An placed the wine jar on the floor. "Open it and check if there are any hidden tricks."
"Alright." Lin Chen grasped the lid and yanked it open. The rich aroma of wine instantly made his eyes light up. Zuo An, however, remained completely unmoved.
"Good wine," Lin Chen said, leaning in to sniff it. After a careful inspection, he looked up at Zuo An with a smile. "Master, there’s nothing unusual. Could you perhaps gift this jar to your disciple?"
Zuo An snapped, "Don’t you know that drinking interferes with important matters?"
As he finished speaking, he kicked the wine jar, shattering it. "If you want to drink, lick it clean for This Seat."
"I don’t want it anymore!" Lin Chen hastily shook his head, his face paling slightly.
"Still obsessed with wine and women at a time like this. Truly incorrigible! If you continue this way, don’t blame This Seat for being ruthless and refining you into a Bloodfiend Pill too!" Zuo An shot him a cold glare, then walked to the center of the secret chamber, sat on a meditation cushion, and took out a Bloodfiend Pill to begin refining it.
「Inside the ancient castle!」
Qin Feiyang chuckled. "On this point, I rather admire Zuo An."
Indeed. Wine was something best avoided if possible.
"He’s very cautious. There’s a reason he’s survived this long," Ren Wushuang remarked.
"No matter how cautious he is, he’s no match for our Boss. He’ll never guess in a million years that we’re currently lurking in his own den," Fatty said with a disdainful look.
"All I want is to avenge Ling Yunfei and the others," the Wolf King’s eyes blazed with terrifying ferocity.
Ren Wushuang glanced at them, then turned to Qin Feiyang. "Feiyang, since we’ve infiltrated, can we begin the second phase of the plan?"
"Yes." Qin Feiyang nodded and took out his Image Crystal Stone.
In a short while, the ethereal figures of Yan Nanshan and the two Elders coalesced.
Qin Feiyang grinned. "Hall Master, Elders, we have successfully infiltrated the secret chamber where Zuo An is."
"Excellent!" The three of them were overjoyed.
Qin Feiyang continued, "Next, I’ll have to trouble you to personally go and interrogate the First Prince, Lin Hao, Lin Hua, Xue Yang, Wang Xia, and Xie Fang."
"Interrogate them about what?" Yan Nanshan asked, puzzled.
Qin Feiyang said, "Interrogate them about what truly happened back then in the Yan Pan Mountains."
Yan Nanshan frowned. "Will that be useful? They’ll surely insist that it was you who wanted to embezzle those medicinal herbs."
"Interrogating them definitely won’t yield any results; they aren’t my true target," Qin Feiyang said with a cold smile. "My goal is to make Jia Hei and the others feel guilty! If you investigate this matter again with a skeptical attitude, they’ll surely suspect that you’ve discovered something. At that point, they will send messages or come personally to consult with Zuo An. That way, I can learn from their conversation who the other War Emperor is!"
"I see!" Yan Nanshan burst into laughter. "You sly rascal, that’s quite a plan you’ve hatched." He deactivated the Image Crystal Stone and looked at the beautiful woman and the other Elder. "This plan is perfect. We must seize this opportunity."
The two nodded.
Elder Wan chuckled and cursed, "That little scoundrel is full of wicked ideas."
The beautiful woman said, "Actually, the most formidable element isn’t Qin Feiyang, but the ancient castle he possesses. Without it, this plan would be impossible to execute."
"True, no one else could sneak up on Zuo An so undetectably."
"Never mind that for now."
"Old Wan, you go to the Elixir King Palace."
"Elder Ji, you go to the Lin family."
"I myself will go to the Royal Palace!"
"Let’s move out!"
The three of them rose and vanished like flashes of lightning.
「The Royal Palace!」
Yan Nanshan descended like a streak of light above the Golden Throne Hall.
WHOOSH!
Yan King sensed his presence immediately and flew out from a palace hall, laughing. "Brother Yan, what pleasant occasion brings you to my palace today?"
Yan Nanshan said, "Yan King, I’m not here today as a guest. I’ve come to find the First Prince to investigate the matter of the Yan Pan Mountains."
"Hmm?" Yan King frowned, looking puzzled. "Hasn’t the truth of that matter already been established?"
Yan Nanshan said, "To be frank, Your Majesty, I’ve found several suspicious clues. You’ll understand once we see the First Prince."
"Very well!" Yan King nodded and called out loudly, "Great Commander, bring the First Prince here at once."
WHOOSH!
In less than ten breaths, a rugged, gold-armored man, leading the First Prince, soared into the sky. This was the Great Commander of the Royal Palace.
"Greetings, Hall Master," both of them saluted Yan Nanshan.
Yan Nanshan nodded, then looked at the First Prince and said, "I wish to ask, was it truly because Qin Feiyang and his group attempted to embezzle the medicinal herbs that Jiang Zhengyi killed them?"
The First Prince smiled. "Replying, Hall Master, that is indeed the case."
"Then why, when I went to investigate the Yan Pan Mountains, did I find evidence of large-scale destruction?" Yan Nanshan questioned. "With Jiang Zhengyi’s strength, shouldn’t it have been effortless for him to kill Qin Feiyang and the others? What is the explanation for this?"
"What?" The First Prince’s pupils contracted, and panic flared in his heart.
Yan King asked in confusion, "Brother Yan, when did you go to the Yan Pan Mountains? Why was I not aware of this?"
"A few days ago," Yan Nanshan replied, his expression unchanging. "To tell you the truth, Your Majesty, I never believed Qin Feiyang would do such a thing, so I secretly journeyed to the Yan Pan Mountains. And indeed, I found many suspicious details. Based on the situation at the scene, an extremely brutal battle clearly took place."
"My son, what is this about?" Yan King frowned.
The First Prince shook his head. "Father, I don’t know either! Perhaps it was caused by the fierce beasts of the Yan Pan Mountains fighting amongst themselves!"
The Royal Palace’s Great Commander chimed in with a smile, "The fierce beasts of the Yan Pan Mountains are all very powerful. It’s not impossible that they fought amongst themselves. Lord Yan, you might be overthinking things."
Yan Nanshan glanced at him, a sharp glint flickering deep in his eyes. "I trust my instincts. There is definitely something wrong here! I will continue to investigate until the full truth comes to light! Yan King, I apologize for the disturbance. I shall take my leave."
With these firm words, Yan Nanshan turned and departed.
"Has Yan Nanshan gone mad?" the Great Commander of the Royal Palace frowned.
"You can’t entirely blame him," Yan King said. "He had placed so much hope in Qin Feiyang. It’s only natural that he finds it hard to accept what has happened. My son, if he comes to question you again, you must cooperate with him as much as possible. You need not worry. As the saying goes, ’An upright person fears no shadows.’ Without concrete evidence, he can’t do anything to you."
"Yes, Father." The First Prince bowed and acknowledged. Inwardly, however, he was already panicking.

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