"Forged?"
Princess Pingyang opened her eyes wide.
She was not a scheming woman, and she was not as suspicious as Sun Lang.
Hearing her master's conclusion, she narrowed her eyes and carefully examined the file in Sun Lang's hands. Then, her eyes revealed a confused expression. "There is no problem with the paper..."
A manuscript from nearly two years ago, after it was written and recorded, it was placed in this old archive a year ago. The paper had not been weathered by the passage of time, but it was still different from new paper... In Princess Pingyang's view, there was no problem with the quality of this file. Her master insisted that it was a forgery, so where exactly was the problem?
Sun Lang narrowed his eyes and slowly said, "There is no problem with the paper. Look at the ink, look with your heart."
Princess Pingyang looked at the ink again, looking at the color of the ink, smelling the smell of the ink, and observing the traces left behind by time. Although she guessed something, she still did not find anything.
Sun Lang looked at her confused expression and suddenly came to a realization. He patted his head and shook his head. "I forgot, you no longer have a sword... so I can't see it.
There is no problem with the paper, and there is almost no problem with the ink, but in the end, there is a small problem exposed... "
The General of Divine Strategies reached out his hand and slowly stroked the words on the page. The ink that had long dried up on the page became moist again as if it had a life of its own. "Let's take a look again."
Princess Pingyang finally found a clue. She frowned and said softly, "The ink is new, but someone used a special method to make it old. It seems like the paper is the same..."
She had once wielded the Star-Suppressing Sword. Although she had already relinquished her duties as a Sword Saint and no longer possessed the Earth Spiritual Energy that could transform all things, she still retained a considerable amount of experience. She was able to sense a hint of smoke and fire from the ink that still had some imperfections. Princess Ping Yang extended her slender jade-like finger and wiped the flowing ink. Immediately, she revealed a shocked expression. "This … this was only completed today?"
This pair of master and disciple talked to each other, but Zhan Zhao at the side felt like she was listening to a heavenly book. She had no idea what they were talking about. She only knew that they had discovered that the file was forged, and it seemed to have been swapped today... The cat-eared girl frowned. She remembered their conversation during the day. At that time, she had suggested that Sun Lang move as soon as possible, but Sun Lang had said that there was no hurry, and delayed the matter until nighttime.
Now it was easy, right?
She wanted to say a few words of sarcasm, but she found that Sun Lang did not look embarrassed at all, and was extremely relaxed. At this moment, General Shentse also looked over. "You must be laughing at me in your heart."
The cat-eared girl took a small step back and said submissively, "Your subordinate does not dare."
Sun Lang shrugged and said leisurely, "You told me during the day that if the Emperor was a little more suspicious, the messenger to destroy the evidence was already on the way... but I still delayed the matter until nighttime. Because for me, it is good to be able to find clues, but even if the Emperor is one step ahead, it is nothing."
He waved the file in his hand, and a cold light flashed in his eyes. "Because for me, as long as the Emperor takes action, it is good news... because if he takes action, he will leave a flaw. If I catch the flaw, I can win more, just like now."
Zhan Zhao's expression changed slightly. "General, what did you find?"
Sun Lang smiled. "The person who did it didn't destroy the dossier directly, but replaced it. Although it seems very stupid, there is a certain degree of consideration behind it. If I'm not wrong, the names recorded in this dossier should all be wrong. If we continue to investigate according to this, I'm afraid there won't be any results. Instead, it will alert the Emperor and we might even step into his trap …"
"However, this matter was not handled properly."
General Shentse looked at Princess Pingyang. "Pingyang, you say it."
Princess Pingyang knew that this was her master's inspection. She had also deduced the identity of the person who did it, so she was very shocked. When she heard Sun Lang calling her, she hesitated for a moment, and then spoke tirelessly.
Her Royal Highness said softly, "The paper and ink were all made today, which means that the person came to the Ministry of War before us and successfully replaced the file. This person's martial arts must be very high, and he is very good at hiding his tracks. He is also very familiar with the Ministry of War's yamen, so he could sneak in quietly..."
Zhan Zhao raised his eyebrows and raised his objection. If her ears were not covered, those furry beast ears would definitely stand up. "High martial arts?
No, not necessarily. Sometimes, one doesn't need to be highly skilled in martial arts to sneak into the old archives of the Ministry of War. One only needs a reasonable identity … For example, an ordinary handyman in charge of patrolling and cleaning this place can easily replace any of the files. "
Princess Pingyang turned her eyes to the ground and said softly, "The ground is covered with a layer of light and well-proportioned dust. If someone had been here before, he must be a master of Lightness Skill, or even a master who can fly for a short time. Otherwise, he would have left traces on the ground."
Zhan Zhao looked at the slate on the ground speechlessly. She used her sharp eyesight as a cat-person to the extreme, but she still did not find "a layer of light and well-proportioned dust" on the clean ground under her feet. However, when she saw Sun Lang's approving look, she knew that Princess Pingyang was right.
It was not that the dust did not exist, but that Zhan Zhao could not see it.
— — Because her martial arts were too weak. No, it was because these two guys were too strong.
Miss Cat's self-confidence was once again thwarted. The empire was full of martial arts monsters. If these two guys were to investigate criminal cases, they would definitely succeed, and even Master Bao would not be able to compare with them. If these two guys were to commit crimes, they would definitely succeed repeatedly, and even Master Bao would find it difficult to solve.
She felt a sense of defeat, but she was still not convinced. After all, Zhan Zhao had been working with Bao Xiren on cases for many years. He was a theoretical expert with solid basic experience. Naturally, he would feel a little displeased when he encountered Princess Ping Yang, who used her martial arts to cheat and could even see the tiny dust on the ground clearly.
It was just like when a skilled old technical backbone encountered more convenient modern technology, he would inevitably feel unhappy. The skills that he had honed his whole life were not as useful as a broken machine. What a f * cking dog!
So she asked, "So what?
You can tell that the other party is a master, but can you identify his identity?
Did the other party leave some martial arts here? "
"He left it."
The princess sighed softly. She took the file from Sun Lang's hand and gently stroked it with her finger. "To be able to forge a nearly flawless file and hide it from my eyes, there is only one person in the world who can do this."
"... Who is it?"
Princess Pingyang glanced at Sun Lang, bit her lip, and whispered, "The slightly old paper, the slightly old ink, and the passage of time stored in the old archives. Only someone who has mastered the spirit of wood could forge all these flawlessly..."
Zhan Zhao's face became a little ugly. "... Wood Sword Saint."
Sun Lang smiled and said, "Lingmu Li."
At first, the cat-eared girl looked a little shocked and uneasy because another Seven Luminaries Sword Saint was involved. But after hearing this name, she was even more shocked. "... Lingmu Li Sword Saint is already dead?"
According to the official statement of the world, the Wood Sword Saint was also dead. The tragedy of the battle in the Great Wilderness Mountain was beyond everyone's imagination. Even the Seven Luminaries Sword Saint, who represented the ultimate force of the Empire, was badly beaten. If the Earth Sword Saint did not come out in the end to calm the situation, it would have been too ugly.
As a foreigner living in the Empire, Zhan Zhao naturally accepted this statement and almost believed it without any doubt. Now that Sun Lang suddenly said that the Wood Sword Saint was not dead, she was naturally very shocked and did not believe it.
As for Sun Lang, Sun Lang smiled brightly at her. His white and shiny teeth were clearly visible in the dark of the old archives, which made this gentle smile even more terrifying. Zhan Zhao felt her hair stand on end. Then she heard Sun Lang say in a strange tone, "If I say he is not dead, then he is not dead. You know what I mean."
At this moment, the cat-eared girl's calves were cramping. She agreed with the Commander Of War's point of view in an unprecedentedly obedient tone. She carefully said, "Yes, I know, I know."
Sun Lang took back the file from Princess Pingyang and said in a light tone, "When I first heard the news of Lingmu Li's death, I also found it very strange. I clearly did not... Oh, he clearly did not suffer any serious injuries. The Wood Sword Saint is very good at self-healing. How did he die?"
The princess said softly, "He went missing. We did not know where he went. We thought he was like Old Bai..."
At this point, she stole a glance at Sun Lang. Seeing that her master's expression was as calm as before, she continued, "... Out of self-blame or fear, he fled. Because no one has seen him in the past two years. It is said that the Wood Sword has been left in the Chronos Sword Palace. Who would have thought..."
Her tone was also complicated and strange. There was doubt, bewilderment, and even fear.
The princess suppressed the trembling in her voice. "Why did he not show up? Why did he hide in the dark? What did he want to do?"
In fact, there was already an answer to this question.
The forged file in Sun Lang's hand was the answer.
Only the Emperor had the motive to replace the file of this matter in this year. Only the Emperor had the need to prepare for a rainy day or to mend the pen after the sheep were lost. Because he could not kill Wu Hui, he was worried that the Mars Swordsmen would leak the information. Therefore, it was normal for the cold and cautious Emperor to send someone to make up for it.
But the person he sent... was Lingmu Li.
It was the Wood Sword Saint who had disappeared a long time ago.
This meant that the Wood Sword Saint who had disappeared for two years did not disappear from the Empire. Instead, he had moved to the dark side of the Empire. From a glorious Sword Saint of the Empire to a blade in the shadow of His Majesty... A shadow holding a holy sword was so frightening. Why did Lingmu Li obey the Emperor's order? What was the Emperor's plan?
Sun Lang's lips curled into a smile. "Wonderful, truly wonderful."
Princess Ping Yang inched a little closer to her master, feeling her master's breathing and listening to her master's heartbeat. The fear in her heart also faded away … Although she had always been estranged and afraid of her cold father, her master was able to give her courage, the courage to keep calm and self-respect.
She calmed down and said softly, "The file is fake. The list is meaningless. But my master found the trace of Lingmu Li. The clues are still there."
Sun Lang nodded. He thought about the cause and effect of tonight's incident and said slowly, "But we need to pay attention to one thing... Did the Emperor send someone to make up for this loophole in advance or did he foresee my arrival?"
Princess Pingyang was shocked.
General Shentse thought for a moment and said, "Things have changed... Let's split up. Pingyang, you and Zhan Zhao go back to the Copper Sparrow Terrace and wait for orders. I'll go to the Jupiter Sword Palace."
Princess Pingyang's eyes flashed with a trace of reluctance, but she still nodded and said, "Master, be careful. Also, Lingmu Li is not likely to wait for you obediently."
Sun Lang smiled and said, "That's hard to say."
They put the fake file back and left the way they came. They did not get the information they wanted, but they did get an unexpected clue. It was not good or bad.
They locked the door again as if nothing had happened. They avoided the patrolling soldiers of the Ministry of War and went around the intricate hidden posts and traps. They left the Ministry of War's encampment under the cover of night and hid in the darkness of the Ministry of War's main road. Sun Lang sent them off until they could see the magnificent pavilion of the Copper Sparrow Terrace from afar. Then he parted ways with his disciple and the cat girl. He did not forget to remind them before leaving.
"If you meet an enemy, fight. If you can't beat them, call me. You know the old rules. Go back and sleep. Don't let your guard down. Also, don't bully that cat."
Princess Pingyang blinked and looked at Zhan Zhao. She smiled and said, "Master, don't worry. I won't."
Zhan Zhao did not like to travel with the princess. She could clearly feel the princess' hostility. It was probably because she had exposed her identity and deceived the princess.
Unfortunately, cats that could not be touched had no human rights.
After sending Sun Lang off with her eyes, Princess Ping Yang looked at Zhan Zhao with a gentle gaze. The cat-eared girl's expression was a little stiff. After a moment of silence, she raised her two little paws. "Meow."
Sun Lang could not be bothered with the interaction between his disciple and the cat girl. After all, he did not have any feelings for Zhan Zhao. She was a child who knew her limits. There was no need for her to care.
He walked along the streets of the capital, facing the night wind. After nightfall, curfews were imposed in many areas of the capital. However, there were also some areas that did not sleep. As the most prosperous city in the country and even in the world, it naturally had to have a prosperous night view. However, the sacred Sword Palace was not included in this list.
Among the five elements, wood was in the east. The Jupiter Sword Palace was also in the east of the capital. This was the goal of his trip. Lingmu Li was obviously still alive. However, he had pretended to die in battle and hid in the darkness. Either he was on an important mission, or he could not be seen.
Thinking of the fact that he was under the command of the emperor... things were getting interesting.
'Let's see if I can find this bastard. If I can't, I'll at least find some clues... Moreover, the Wood Sword Saint had announced his death in battle. Logically speaking, the sacred sword should be kept in the Sword Palace to keep up appearances. If the Wood Sword Saint was really in the Sword Palace, then... hehehehe.
Speaking of which, what were the side effects of the Wood Sword Saint?