CHAPTER 428: CHAPTER 428: WHO IS THE MASKED MAN?

The competition for Qi Xinzhu had ended.

Today’s opponents had become several Fourth Tier experts.

Even though their strength was a notch below Luo Muqing’s, they made up for it in numbers.

These people were all elites, the top tier of club prospects from the GuiXi district.

Qi Xinzhu’s dominant performance had thoroughly snuffed out their hopes of winning the club conference and harvesting resources.

With the participants this year being so strong, even a Sunset Association expert like Luo Muqing was defeated, making it difficult for them to find another opportunity.

Having secured today’s victory, Qi Xinzhu had also entered the list of the top 32.

However, the top 32 meant little. The goal, as Lu Luo saw it, was to win the championship and secure a spot in the top ten.

By doing so, they could ensure the benefit of two points.

"Let’s see what tomorrow brings!"

Qi Xinzhu looked up at the stands where, she heard, several important figures had arrived today, including GuiXi’s district head.

This spoke volumes of the importance they attached to this club conference.

My performance now should surely catch the attention of many, she thought.

And that was one of Lu Luo’s goals.

Their ultimate aim was never the rewards or resources but to establish connections.

Although GuiXi was impoverished, poverty had its advantages—where places are poor, the Transcendent forces are relatively weak.

Planting roots and developing here offered them more advantages than elsewhere.

While looking towards the stands, Qi Xinzhu caught sight of the veiled woman.

This woman stood out among the other rotund individuals, drawing Qi Xinzhu’s special attention.

A special invited guest, or someone with another identity?

Without pondering too long, Qi Xinzhu left the venue.

She had a busy day ahead of her, such as visiting Bai Yuetong and helping him expand local scientific research operations, among other things.

「...」

That evening, Li Ji received footage of Qi Xinzhu’s competition from one of her attendants.

Qi Xinzhu’s excellent performance had clearly caught Li Ji’s eye.

Excellent, beautiful, and full of potential—such a woman is worth recruiting!

"Your Highness, the investigative report on Qi Xinzhu has arrived."

"Bring it in."

An attendant brought in a rather concise document. Li Ji was busy and had no time for lengthy details.

So any document that reached her was always trimmed down, highlighting simplicity and accuracy.

"Qi Xinzhu, 22 years old, married, her husband an Investigator from the Wings of Blazing Sky, Lu Luo?" Li Ji murmured, looking over the report repeatedly. The more she looked, the stranger she found it.

Qi Xinzhu’s emergence felt off, as if she had popped out of a rock.

A forged identification card?

The industry of forged identification cards in the Imperial Empire had become a vast black market enterprise.

Almost all the guard offices were quietly engaged in this kind of business.

The wages of guard offices weren’t high, so such business was not a big deal, yet it brought in significant additional income.

Thus, the Imperial Empire had repeatedly tried and failed to stop this practice, eventually turning a blind eye.

Now, upon seeing Qi Xinzhu’s identification card, Li Ji quickly determined that her identity was fake.

Such an identity can hardly be used without a careful investigation. What a pity...

Li Ji genuinely liked Qi Xinzhu, or rather, she liked women who were as outstanding as herself.

Because, in Li Ji’s mind, women were naturally not supposed to be weaker than men.

Qi Xinzhu’s potential was truly worth nurturing.

To have a husband as well—if she were a criminal deliberately concealing her identity, she shouldn’t have revealed such information. Could her husband be a form of protection for her own identity? After all, with the talent and strength Qi Xinzhu has, she would easily become the target of some despicable men’s envy.

Li Ji analyzed meticulously, and her curiosity about Qi Xinzhu grew ever stronger.

Along with that, she became curious about the records of Qi Xinzhu’s husband as well.

"Do you have any information on someone named Lu Luo?"

"Yes, please wait."

Li Ji’s attendants were highly efficient; indeed, they functioned much like her secretaries.

While Li Ji was investigating Qi Xinzhu, the secretary would have already organized Lu Luo’s information.

Whether Li Ji would use it or not was one thing, but it was essential for the secretary to be prepared.

Shortly after, an attendant brought over Lu Luo’s information.

After handing over the documents, the attendant added, "According to intelligence, the Inspection Department’s Shadow Department is also investigating this man."

The attendant did not elaborate further, as all the other details were already recorded in the documents.

It was better for Li Ji to read it herself for more accurate information.

Li Ji nodded slightly. The Inspection Department’s Shadow Department, eh? Another bunch of dirty executioners.

"This Lu Luo..."

Wait. Li Ji visibly paused when she saw Lu Luo’s photo.

This person looks so familiar! Have we met before?

Curious, Li Ji read through the information in detail.

[Lu Luo, age 22, strength unknown, current status: Investigator for the case files of the Wings of Blazing Sky. He enjoys the reputation of having the ’Hand of God,’ and cases he takes on generally conclude within an extremely short period. Recently, he came to the Coal Capital as a challenger and participated in the club conference. The exposure of his identity as Qi Xinzhu’s husband occurred at a hotel of the Cain Secret Cultivator Society...]

Li Ji read through the documents carefully. This Lu Luo presents a significant problem!

"Do you have any combat footage of this person?"

"Yes, it’s in the disc below. The Inspection Department has information on him as well, but the data from the Inspection Department cannot be accessed."

"Understood."

The Inspection Department was not easy to deal with, but Li Ji understood that well enough. Having some information was sufficient.

Upon playing the disc, what caught her eye was an astonishing scene recorded by an old man from the Shadow Department with his smartphone.

In an instant, Lu Luo subdued fifty contestants in a combat stadium with his imposing aura.

This kind of power... it’s simply not something a primitive challenger should possess.

Li Ji compared herself. If I used my aura, would it be difficult to intimidate a lower-tiered Transcendent into fainting? Of course not. If I exerted my full might, even a Second or Third Tier Transcendent might pass out on the spot. But that wasn’t just one person; it was fifty! This ability to apply one’s aura to actual combat...

"This person is problematic!"

"Your Highness, do you need to investigate this person in detail?"

"Isn’t the Shadow Department looking into him? There’s no need for an additional investigation. Take my token and directly coordinate with the Shadow Department if there’s any issue."

Li Ji observed Lu Luo in the footage, remaining silent.

Lu Luo had been involved in too few fights. For example, he hadn’t even made a move in his first battle.

Therefore, she could not associate Lu Luo with that masked man from before.

Moreover, Lu Luo was too young.

Although the previous masked man could have been young as well, ’young’ and ’juvenile’ were two different concepts.

Lu Luo is only 22 years old. A Seventh Tier master at 22? What a joke!

"Let’s put aside the matter regarding Qi Xinzhu for now. How is it going with Zhang Changming? Hasn’t he arrived yet?"

Li Ji wanted to know the outcome of the last battle between these two men, so she had arranged a meeting with Zhang Changming tonight.

However, Zhang Changming’s response stated he was busy with official duties. He could come, but he didn’t know when.

Looking at the current time, it was almost 9:00 PM.

If Zhang Changming were to come after 9:00 PM, it would be somewhat excessive.

She was Wu Liji, an Imperial Princess. Although the Imperial Family was flourishing, with 46 officially recognized Imperial Princesses, an Imperial Princess was still an Imperial Princess. Her status was undeniable. Despite Zhang Changming being a director in the Inspection Department, treating her like this was somewhat disrespectful.

"Director Zhang, he... ah, Director Zhang is calling."

Li Ji glanced at the time: 8:55 PM. He’s certainly cutting it close! she thought.

"This Zhang Changming, he really is so contemptuous."

The attendant hesitated to speak, but after Li Ji noticed, she casually tapped on the table.

"If you have something to say, just say it. You don’t need to beat around the bush. Isn’t it informal enough here?"

"Uh, Your Highness, although Director Zhang is very arrogant, he is indeed very capable. The GuiXi district is quite stable under his governance. Moreover, Director Zhang is very young and still has potential for future growth. So... if Your Highness wishes to expand your own influence, it would be better to foster good relations with Director Zhang."

Li Ji slightly raised her head. She had heard this kind of suggestion more than once.

And it was what many members of the Imperial Family were doing.

Expanding influence? Heh, does the Imperial Family still need to expand its power? In the end, when it comes to allocating resources and redistributing interests, doesn’t it all depend on oneself?

Li Ji looked down on such maneuvers.

Therefore, she cared more about her own strength than these things.

"I will consider this matter. Have Director Zhang wait outside for a bit. I’ll be there after changing clothes."

Li Ji stood in front of the wardrobe and took off her coat.

A blood-red handprint still lingered on her chest.

Lu Luo’s palm strike had been very strong, shattering all the capillaries in her chest.

She had many healing medicines, and recovery was certainly possible, but it would probably take a long time.

If she wanted to heal without leaving a scar, it would take even longer.

That guy! Hmph!

To attract Zhang Changming’s attention, Li Ji deliberately put on a gray-white robe that evening.

This robe was similar to the one she wore that night, yet had some differences in the details.

Upon seeing such a robe, Zhang Changming should immediately recall last night’s incident, right?

Heh, being a Seventh Tier is no big deal. Reaching Seventh Tier is just a matter of time for me.

Up to this moment, Li Ji still believed that the gray-robed person had only defeated her because of the overwhelming disparity in their tiers of strength.

If the opponent were also Sixth Tier... the winner would definitely be her.

「...」

Zhang Changming sat in Li Ji’s reception room, sipping tea while he waited.

His squinting demeanor was arrogant, as if he didn’t regard Li Ji, the Imperial Princess, at all.

Was that really the case?

Truly, he didn’t regard Li Ji at all.

The Imperial Family was populous, and there were indeed a great many Imperial Princesses.

Currently on record, there were 46 officially recognized Imperial Princesses.

There were also 34 Imperial Princes, adding up to 80 in total.

These were just the ones officially recorded; there were still some royal offspring who only had names but no official records.

Due to the low standing of their parents, they were provided with a monthly stipend and raised by the Imperial Family.

If they performed well, as they grew older, they would likely be granted a recognized status by the Imperial Family.

They might be granted lesser royal titles, like ’Royal Princess’ or ’Royal Prince.’

But those were just titles, nothing more.

In such circumstances, Wu Liji, the 33rd Imperial Princess, truly isn’t worth much. At least, in my opinion, such Imperial Princesses are not valued highly. Imperial Princesses without any significant position or status should be looked down upon; it would be odd to do otherwise.

With such thoughts, Zhang Changming naturally could afford to show a little neglect.

However, when Wu Liji appeared before him dressed in a gray robe, Zhang Changming was still slightly shocked.

This gray robe... it’s so similar to the one from last night. Although there are some differences, but...

Zhang Changming was a very cautious man.

In recent years, the only time his composure had been shattered was last night, by Lu Luo.

He hadn’t completely recovered from that shattering of his composure yet.

Now, seeing the gray robe worn by Wu Liji, he naturally thought of the events from last night.

Like Lu Luo’s beating! And the HEE HEE HEE giggles from members of the Inspection Department behind his back.

"Director Zhang, Director Zhang?"

"Huh? Apologies, I was being impolite."

Zhang Changming realized his impoliteness. After all, he shouldn’t have been staring at the Imperial Princess that way.

But the clothes she was wearing really did resemble the gray robe from yesterday.

The woman Lu Luo mentioned yesterday...

Zhang Changming’s expression and subtle movements were all observed by Li Ji.

Her lips curled up slightly. Although Zhang Changming was very strong and meticulous, the situation yesterday had definitely caused him some emotional disturbance.

"Does Director Zhang find my attire appealing?"

"No, no, it’s just that seeing these clothes reminded me of some things. Imperial Princess Li Ji, did we meet yesterday?"

Zhang Changming got straight to the point. As the head of the Inspection Department, there was nothing he couldn’t inquire about.

The matter of the person in the gray robe was significant, and even if the other party was an Imperial Princess, he didn’t need to be concerned about any taboos.

Wu Liji waved her hand to the other attendants, leaving only herself and Zhang Changming in the room.

Although this was somewhat against the rules, those attendants understood that some matters were beyond their control when it came to the Imperial Princess.

Moreover, the actions of certain Imperial Princesses were much more outrageous than those of Wu Liji.

After everyone left, Wu Liji’s expression suddenly became strange!

"Director Zhang has a really good memory, huh!"

By saying this, she all but admitted that she was the person in the gray robe from yesterday, which surprised Zhang Changming.

"You were the one yesterday?"

Lu Luo had been emphasizing that he wasn’t the one in the gray robe, and Zhang Changming had maintained his doubts about that.

If not for his inability to defeat Lu Luo, he would still be doubting it.

But unexpectedly, Wu Liji admitted it herself!

"I didn’t expect the Imperial Princess to be the one in the gray robe. Do you know the consequences of doing this?"

"There’s no evidence, Director Zhang, no evidence at all."

Zhang Changming frowned slightly. Wu Liji was correct; her status was special.

Unlike others, if he didn’t have evidence, he indeed wouldn’t be able to apprehend her.

"So what is the meaning behind the Imperial Princess asking this?"

"Director Zhang, you know the person from yesterday, right? From the very beginning of your conversation, I could feel that you knew each other, and quite well at that. It’s unexpected that Director Zhang, not only are you powerful, but you also know such a master that amazes others. Tell me, who is he!"

Li Ji’s curiosity was not merely about the man’s abilities, which were indeed strong.

But there were many Seventh Tier masters in the Imperial Capital.

Her intense interest was mainly due to the contamination she had felt from him yesterday.

What is the identity of the man in the mask? Is he the same person as that contaminator? Who exactly is he?

Under Li Ji’s expectant gaze, Zhang Changming shook his head.

"I don’t know, I’m not sure, I don’t recognize him."

After he finished speaking, Zhang Changming’s personal cellphone suddenly rang.

And the person calling was Lu Luo...