Chen An slowly rubbed the copper token in his hand, eyes gleaming with thought.
Not even those closest to him knew that, in addition to being a branch head of the Canal Guild, he was also a member of a mysterious organization called the Soil True Officials.
Or rather... he had only just passed the entrance test and officially joined not long ago.
In fate and destiny calculation, "True Official" is one of the "Ten Gods," signifying official career and fortune. Of the five elements, earth governs this aspect.
Thus, the Soil True Officials were known as the overseers of all that is righteous, heaven's envoys walking among mortals, enforcers of law who use themselves as the law.
Chen An only had a vague understanding, but he knew this organization had long roots in the Liang Kingdom. It was strongly tied to the royal Court, feared even by high-ranking officials.
Yet at the same time, the Soil True Officials operated independently from the royal court, with their own internal hierarchy and decision-making.
Most operations could be carried out without external approval.
Only the largest or most sensitive matters might be influenced by someone within the capital.
Importantly, there were almost no mortals among the Soil True Officials.
Even cultivators had to pass rigorous screening. The organization demanded absolute secrecy. First and foremost, it assessed moral character and integrity, power and status were only considered afterward.
Of course, lacking status or power meant you probably wouldn't get noticed in the first place...
Chen An had become a Canal Guild branch head about a year ago. Around the same time, he caught an assassin attempting to sneak into Jishao Prefecture to murder the prefect.
That incident led to a fateful encounter with a member of the Soil True Officials.
That same person had later become his direct superior and sponsor into the organization.
Chen An alighted from his carriage and arrived at a secluded manor.
The entire property was awarded, anyone without a token would instantly be treated as hostile.
The copper token in Chen An's hand marked him as a Class C member.
He had heard that the "Zheng" tokens were split into four ranks: A, B , C, and D. The simpler the token, the higher the rank, "honoring heaviness and honesty" over decoration.
The highest rank, Class A, was said to be made of plain wood... and there was only one such token.
But a person of that caliber was far beyond what Chen An could hope to meet. Whether the story was even real, he had no way to verify.
Inside the manor, towering bookshelves packed with scrolls filled the space. Even the sunlight filtering through the windows seemed dimmed by the dense collection.
Everything was quiet.
Only a few Class B members were seen working, organizing documents and channeling information through formations etched into the walls, transmitting it to where it was needed.
Chen An quickly found his superior:
Pei Xiu, a Class B member.
Pei Xiu was a middle-aged man in a wrinkled gray-green robe.
His eyes were perpetually half-lidded, his posture slouched, exuding a languid air. He was currently chatting with a female member.
To an outside observer, the two seemed to be silently mouthing words. There was no sound at all.
That was due to the formation's influence, token holders could trigger this communication at will with a mere thought.
"If nothing went wrong," Pei Xiu said, scratching his head with a frown, "then the people the general entrusted should've already reached the Wild Ferry... but our agents haven't found anyone."
"Yesterday's sword strike, confirmed to be from the Mysterious Divine Path Sect's Dao Child. Could it be related?"
The female agent pondered. "Unlikely. First, that person already escaped the capital. There is no reason for Shen Xingzhu to attack him."
"Second, if Shen Xingzhu had struck, she wouldn't have harmed the others indiscriminately."
"More likely... something else happened."
Pei Xiu scratched his scalp again, almost tearing out his hair. "That's even worse!"
"If Prince Ji Qi finishes quelling the Night Barbarians and returns with an army, it'll be near impossible for them to leave Liang!"
He sighed miserably. "Forget it. All we can do now is keep searching. Send more people, especially around the Eastern Court Lake. The moment we hear anything, report to me immediately."
"Understood," the woman replied before leaving.
Only then did Chen An approach.
"Sir Pei, I'd like to use the Soil True Officials' intelligence network to investigate someone."
Pei Xiu waved his hand lazily. "Go ahead. With your clearance, you could check up on a whole village if you want. No need to report to me."
Chen An lowered his voice. "I understand. But I'd like to look deeper this time."
His tone was off. Pei Xiu finally looked up. "What happened? Trouble?"
Chen An nodded. "I have a brother, he was lost for thirteen years. You may have heard. Today, he suddenly came back."
Pei Xiu raised an eyebrow. Now he was interested.
Things had stalled lately, he might as well follow this trail.
"What's his name?" he asked.
"His name is Chen Kuang. The character Kuang is-"
"Stop."
Pei Xiu abruptly sat upright, interrupting him. "Say that again?"
Chen An blinked. "Chen Kuang. Kuang as in-"
"No need."
Pei Xiu stared at him with a strange expression for several seconds, making Chen An's scalp tingle.
Then Pei Xiu cleared his throat, feigned thought, and said:
"I'm aware of this case. I'll look into it for you personally. Just go home and wait for the results."
Chen An raised a brow.
Over the past year, he had learned one thing about Pei Xiu: the man would avoid work at all costs.
So why offer to help now?
He couldn't help asking, "Are you sure, sir? Maybe we should let someone else handle it-"
Pei Xiu's mouth twitched. "I said I'll handle it. Don't you trust me?"
"No, sir, of course not!"
Chen An hesitated, then gave a small bow. "Then I'll trouble you. It's urgent."
I'm more anxious than you are, Pei Xiu thought, but kept his mouth shut.
He changed the subject. "The Enlightenment Envoy has arrived at the Prefect's office. What about the matter I asked you to look into?"
Chen An's expression turned serious. "There's a lead."
"A month ago, the prefect invited a mid-third-rank cultivator. Based on what Fan Hailong has hinted, it looks like they're preparing to restart the Lake Dragon King sacrifice."
Pei Xiu's pupils contracted. "A human sacrifice?! Is he mad?! Doesn't he fear the people of Jishao rising up?"
"I'm not sure. But I'm certain the prefect had ties to the Zhou court long before this."
Pei Xiu took a deep breath. "Keep investigating and report back. I want to know just how bold this prefect truly is. Especially now that the Eastern Court has lost the dragon."
As Chen An left, Pei Xiu stared after him, his face grim.
"A second Chen Kuang? There's no such coincidence!"
"I've scoured the ends of the earth for him, and now he shows up right at my feet."
He muttered to himself, "That brat really did stumble into a pot of gold..."
...
Meanwhile, in a guest room of the Chen estate, Chen Kuang followed a maid to the door, knocked, then pushed it open and placed a meal box on the table.
Inside, Shen Meinan lay sprawled on the table, fiddling with a teacup. Qingcuo stood silently in the corner, like a shadow. Chu Wenruo tended to the unconscious little princess.
Hearing the door open, Chu Wenruo turned around in surprise.
Chen Kuang unpacked the food and smiled.
"Everyone, come try my cooking."