Master of Strange Dao

Certainly, here's the translation of the provided text:

"Thank you, old brother."

Before Duke Lin said anything, Yu Ziqing stood up first, bowed, and expressed his gratitude.

Coincidental or not, it was just a modest expression from others. Yu Ziqing would not take it as a mere coincidence.

Various pieces of information had poured in on his side, but there was nothing of value. Su Li, a person from the Shadow Department, also hadn't found any crucial clues. Duke Lin, however, had; he must have put in a great deal of effort.

Duke Lin smiled gently, his eyes growing more amiable.

"Little brother, you should know that, regardless of what you do, it's always difficult to completely conceal someone's whereabouts.

I am entrusted by His Majesty, holding the military power of the Northern Territory, and have had some relations with the Western Desolation Army stationed near Almsgiving Town.

So, I had people investigate who was around Almsgiving Town during the days when you were abducted, or who might have appeared near Almsgiving Town.

Currently, twenty-eight experts above the Seventh Tier have been found. Twenty-four can be completely ruled out.

Of the last four, two were from the Evil Dao and accidentally killed by the Western Desolation General two days after being taken back by him.

They should have nothing to do with your incident.

Only two people remain, and with my identity, it's not very convenient for me to investigate further."

Duke Lin spoke casually, but Yu Ziqing understood that the manpower, resources, and favors required were not merely a matter of words.

A simple yet effective method.

Instead of tracing clues, the key was knowing who in that timeframe might have had the ability to be there.

Make a list and eliminate one by one.

Duke Lin, as the Northern Border Commander, was still in office.

And the Western Desolation General had been in the limelight these years, making it extremely easy to take action in the northwest of Dali.

Investigating openly, as long as the excuse was reasonable, no one could find fault.

Whether it was the new West Northern Border or the Abyssal Rift around Almsgiving Town, there was always a perfectly reasonable excuse to come up with.

"Old brother, is it related to the Shadow Department?"

"Looks like you actually have a clue." Duke Lin nodded, thinking to himself, as expected, how could he know nothing?

"Yes, it is related to the Shadow Department. There's a big Abyssal Rift beside Almsgiving Town, a place originally stationed by the Western Desolation Army for training.

Even if it no longer requires a large army garrison, it's still crucial and cannot be ignored.

Furthermore, it is close to Dali's new West Northern Border, still under the control of the Western Desolation Army.

Neither the former Northern Border Army nor the current Western Desolation Army can afford to be negligent.

If any expert passed through this area, some traces would always show up if you wanted to check."

Duke Lin paused slightly, emphasizing his words.

"Even if they're from the Shadow Department.

Unless the person continuously used the Shadow Great Escape for thousands of miles without appearing or resting,

Otherwise, no matter what mission they're on, in areas still considered a battleground, they would not go completely unnoticed."

Yu Ziqing remained silent, gaining some insight unknowingly.

The area around Almsgiving Town, including the Abyssal Rift and Dali's new West Northern Border, was still considered a battleground?

Or rather, it had never ceased to be, always an area of conflict.

Duke Lin's explanation made Yu Ziqing understand why he was so confident.

In a battleground, naturally, the authority of the army is higher, even surpassing that of the Shadow Department, though current circumstances seldom needed such authority.

"One is Ji Bochang, the former Shadow Envoy of the Shadow Department, and the other is Ye Jiuyuan, the current Shadow Chief.

At that time, the last two experts who could have been in that vicinity were only them."

Yu Ziqing knew about Ji Bochang, who indeed appeared in the region around Almsgiving Town during those days.

But Ye Jiuyuan, Yu Ziqing truly didn't know.

As the Shadow Chief, standing just below the Shadow Supreme, his whereabouts were secret even within the Shadow Department. Not even Su Li, a Shadow Envoy, could approach him.

Even the name Ye Jiuyuan, Yu Ziqing had only heard for the third time.

The first two times were a passing mention by Yang and Su Li.

Both merely noted Ye Jiuyuan as the current Shadow Chief, promoted more than a hundred years ago, with nothing more.

Yu Ziqing pondered. The person who abducted him, even with a disguise,

He could roughly determine at that time, the person shouldn't be Ji Bochang.

He knew Ji Bochang's situation later on, gone Devilic, and with such immense Devil Thought. That didn't just happen overnight.

Yet he hadn't sensed any of this from the one who abducted him.

Thus, using the simplest brute-force elimination, Ye Jiuyuan could roughly be identified as the sole suspect.

But something didn't add up; at that time, the person who abducted him wore a metal mask, possessing only a Seventh Tier Cave Void Realm strength, not aligning with the current Shadow Chief Ye Jiuyuan.

Ye Jiuyuan had been at the Eighth Tier decades prior.

Since becoming the Shadow Chief, he'd gained access to more resources and Classics, progressing rapidly.