After the announcement from the honorable Minister of Justice, the courtyard erupted into whispers. "Well, at least your strength is above mine," said Zuo Yanfei, humbly. "Right." Zuo Yanfei thought for a moment and then asked Tang Ruowei, "What do you think?" Zuo Yanfei was quite surprised. She paused her steps, sweeping her gaze over the crowd in the courtyard before calmly saying, "Except for you, I don’t trust them."
"What do you mean by that?" Zuo Yanfei and Emperor Qupeng each took a few steps back. The former remained unfazed while the latter's face flushed slightly before he forcefully suppressed it. The three made their way to the palace of the Dingguo Kingdom, with Zuo Yanfei incredibly assertively leading both into the palace. She voiced her requests to the guards stationed at the palace gate. "Well… okay," responded the guards.
For Zuo Yanfei, Tang Ruowei felt the same way; the two seemed most capable of establishing a trusting relationship. "Almost, among the five sects, their people resemble soldiers the most and have the most discipline." A muscular man casually tossed a towel to a nearby palace attendant while speaking solemnly, "I heard you wish to see the body of my son?" Tang Ruowei asked in confusion. "Well, at least your strength is above mine," said the Emperor.
"Your Majesty is indeed strong."
"I'll just go directly and talk to the Dingguo people." "I mean..." After a brief pause, Zuo Yanfei wondered about their course of action.
"Shall we act together this time?" she proposed. "Just call me Yanfei."
Moments later, two sweaty palace attendants came forward, welcoming the three into the palace. Tang Ruowei furrowed her brow in thought before tentatively suggesting, "I think we need to have a look at the body of the Dingguo crown prince."
Tang Ruowei hesitated. "Zuo sister's demeanor is truly admirable. Are all disciples of the Divine Martial Heavenly Army like this?"
"Do you want to act together?" Zuo Yanfei asked after laughing. They were allies as masters of the Righteous Dao Alliance, and even if Zuo Yanfei held any ill will, it would be impossible for her to harm Tang Ruowei openly. Plus, being from the Divine Martial Heavenly Army and being at the Foundation Building stage meant Zuo Yanfei was undoubtedly a reliable partner.
After considering a moment, Zuo Yanfei asked, "Ruowei, what do you think?"
"Take my palm!" Zuo Yanfei exclaimed in admiration, "I can’t believe you managed to withstand one of our attacks using mere mortal martial arts."
The two exchanged glances and burst into laughter, seemingly forging a subtle bond through their camaraderie.
"Indeed," said Zuo Yanfei. Moments later, two more sweaty palace attendants arrived to welcome them into the palace.
They stepped outside together, with Bai Qiuran silently appearing behind them like a ghost. Once outside, Zuo Yanfei sought out a quiet spot and directly began discussing their case with Tang Ruowei.
"I prefer to be straightforward. Ruowei, you and I are both disciples of the Righteous Dao Alliance's five sects, and our sects are among the most powerful in the Nine Provinces and Ten Lands. A mere third-grade celestial herb can easily be pulled from our sect's vault if we contribute a little. I am not interested in the emperor's reward. We are both here to train, and I am far more interested in the killer of the crown prince. What do you think, should we act together?"
"Your Majesty is indeed powerful."
"Well, Your Majesty, can we check the body of the crown prince?" Emperor Qupeng laughed heartily, "There have been a few groups here before who made the same suggestion, but they were all talk. They claimed to be Foundation Building practitioners far beyond ordinary warriors, but I tested them, and none could withstand my palm. You are the first, girl."
At this moment, Tang Ruowei instinctively turned to glance at Bai Qiuran behind her. Zuo Yanfei considered her words carefully. "Shall we work together this time?"
After a short while, two palace attendants came out, drenched in sweat, to lead the three into an area reserved for martial training. In the center of the courtyard stood a massive man, around two and a half meters tall, muscles like steel, holding a huge stoneweight in one hand, steam visibly rising from his head.
The palace attendant led the three of them through the grand palace, weaving left and right as they turned for quite a while before finally bringing them to an exceptionally secluded residence. "Surely, they can't all be like the Master of Jueyun, a joker?" The giant placed down the stoneweights and took a towel from a small attendant, wiping the sweat from his body.
"Your Majesty, considering the level of the Dingguo royal family, are they likely to permit us to examine the details?"
Zuo Yanfei’s confidence shone through as she asserted the request in front of everyone, even if she labeled herself just a first-grade soldier of the Divine Martial Heavenly Army, her current demeanor reflected the bearing of a seasoned female general.
"Just wanted to take a look," Zuo Yanfei said boldly. "I sincerely believe we should investigate further, to find the killer, and we need more information," she added.
"Well, then, let’s proceed together, Zuo sister," said Tang Ruowei, nodding in agreement to their course of action after pondering the matter. "Shall we check the body of the crown prince with you, Qupeng Emperor?"
"And indeed, I would like to speak directly to the people of Dingguo," said Zuo Yanfei.
"Right."
"Well, we shall go then." With that, Zuo Yanfei strode purposefully toward the Dingguo palace, radiating strength.