Zanxing

Chapter 91 - King Shengning (1)

Zanxing and Gu Baiying exchanged uncomfortable glances. Requesting records that glorified the old ruler's heroic deeds seemed rather pointless.

The current ruler of Li'er Kingdom coughed again as he spoke.

Seeing this, Zanxing, after some thought, politely said, "Your Majesty, although the search for the demonic merman isn't over, please take care of your health despite your worries."

"It's nothing," the ruler smiled. "I've had this condition since birth. I heard my father, the former king, suffered the same—coughing up blood on his worst days. That's why the palace storeroom never runs out of medicinal herbs. The ones used for Rong Xianzhang's elder brother are nothing special."

Zanxing looked at him. The ruler of Li'er Kingdom did indeed appear frail and delicate, lacking any imposing aura. She asked, "If I may be so bold, Your Majesty, do you resemble the former king in appearance?"

The ruler seemed taken aback by her question but quickly smiled. "Indeed, I do resemble my father."

Zanxing had seen Princess Lizhu before. The princess was bold and spirited, still lively despite her age. But the current ruler shared no such traits—he seemed more like a fragile patient.

After a bit more conversation, the ruler had their breakfast cleared, and Zanxing's group left the main hall.

Rong Yu had to return to care for his brother, so he left first. Zanxing and Gu Baiying walked through the courtyard, with Zanxing saying, "Martial Uncle, don't you think something seems off?"

"What do you mean?"

"Yesterday, we reviewed eight volumes on the demonic merman case. They all painted the old king as a heroic figure, like a mighty warrior. They said he perished alongside the demonic merman only because the creature was too cunning." Zanxing faced Gu Baiying, walking backward as she continued, "But today, the ruler implied that the former king was weak and often coughed up blood, more like a fragile patient."

Gu Baiying raised an eyebrow, prompting her to continue, "And?"

"It's a contradiction," Zanxing said. "Do you remember the golden statue we saw by the shore? It depicted the old king as brave and handsome, showing no signs of illness."

"Royal families tend to embellish their image."

"A little exaggeration is normal, but for someone frail to defeat a vicious demonic merman—it doesn't seem plausible. How did the old emperor manage that? Just with the demon-exorcising array? But the records didn't explain anything about the array." Zanxing continued, "I think something's not right here."

As she spoke, she stumbled over a stone and nearly fell. Gu Baiying grabbed her arm, steadying her, and scolded, "Can you walk properly?"

Zanxing regained her balance and smiled, "Okay, Martial Uncle, what do we do next?"

"Even though you're rambling, I agree that something is off about the old king," Gu Baiying said with a sly smile and dark eyes. "So, I've decided to look for clues myself."

"What kind of clues?"

"I've heard that the royal family's archives for each ruler are kept in the Tianlu Pavilion. We might not find anything more about the demonic merman case, but we could discover something about the old king in those records."

"Tianlu Pavilion?" Zanxing shook her head. "I've heard of it too, but that place is highly confidential. No outsiders are allowed in, not even cultivators like us. The ruler won't permit it."

Gu Baiying scoffed. "Who said I need his permission?"

"Martial Uncle, you mean..."

"An immortal cultivator hesitating to enter a mortal palace has no future in cultivation. We should give up now." He strode forward confidently. "Tianlu Pavilion or whatever it's called—if I want in, I'll get in."

With that, he left Zanxing with a graceful exit.

Zanxing hesitated only for a moment before quickly following him.

...

Every royal family harbors secrets they prefer to keep hidden.

After all, even a ruler is still human, and humans make mistakes. To protect their divine image in the eyes of the common folk, they won't allow outsiders to see their flaws.

And these "flaws" might be found within the Tianlu Pavilion.

The Tianlu Pavilion of Li'er Kingdom resembled Taiyan Sect's library, though much smaller. Guards clad in light armor patrolled the entrance. Gu Baiying cast an invisibility spell on both himself and Zanxing, allowing them to enter unnoticed.

Once inside, Zanxing was stunned.

The royal family's records were all bound identically, with no variation in size or cover design. In other words, all the books looked the same, neatly stacked on the shelves. Unlike Taiyan Sect's library, where each scroll had a distinct cover and its title clearly written on the spine, these records offered no such clues.

The pavilion must have dedicated staff to manage these books. For an outsider, finding anything specific here would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. If they had a guide, that would help, but finding what they needed on their own could take until nightfall. And with the secret realm expedition just days away, they couldn't afford to waste time. Every day they failed to find the culprit meant another girl in Li'er Kingdom might be killed.

Gu Baiying frowned, likely not expecting such an obsessive level of uniformity in the royal archives. Without familiarity with this place, finding anything seemed impossible.

Just then, Zanxing's storage pouch stirred. Before she could speak, Mimi, her spirit beast, jumped out.

Mimi, always by Zanxing's side, was too heavy for her to carry, so she often stored it in her pouch, treating it like a pet bag.

Mimi must have grown restless after being confined for so long and leaped onto the bookshelf. The chubby cat wasn't content to sit still—after a few steps, it swiped at a scroll, knocking it off the shelf.

Zanxing quickly caught the scroll before it hit the ground, breathing a sigh of relief. Any noise could alert the guards, and that would be a disaster.

She was about to put the scroll back when she noticed two words written in the lower-right corner: Shengning.

Shengning—the title of the old king.