NOVEL NEXT Chapter 345: Di Shu
Upon hearing this, Xu Peipei immediately perked up. Although the Sect Leader had glimpsed certain future opportunities through the Eye of the Future, those things belong to another time. Right now, the most urgent matter for the Divine Constabulary is the theft of the official silver.
All this while, in interactions with the external world, the Song Dynasty has always been on the weaker side. Despite being suppressed at the First Transformation Level Three, the external influential families have enhancements, refinements, magic power quality, combat techniques, and cultivation technique level that are unmatched by the Song Dynasty.
Even when the influential families' powerful figures are suppressed to First Transition Level, defeating Song Dynasty's Level Three prodigies is effortlessly easy. This is akin to the difference in levels of life; no matter how strong an ant is, it would be crushed underfoot by an elephant.
It's true that many ants may hinder an elephant, but how many ants would that take? Does the Song Dynasty have that many?
As a royal organization established to handle cultivators, the Song Dynasty has been consistently submissive in the dealings with external families, losing face time and again.
The Divine Constabulary is struggling, and though the Emperor of the Song knows this, the fire inevitably remains.
Especially with the accumulated distrust over the years, the Emperor's confidence in the Divine Constabulary has dwindled, even suggesting the ministers propose its abolition in last year's court meeting.
Though it was not approved, it shook the foundation of the Divine Constabulary.
Thus, the seemingly thriving Divine Constabulary is now on the brink of danger.
For Xu Peipei, who grew up in the Divine Constabulary, how could she wish for its downfall and disappearance from the Song Dynasty?
Yet, after a month-long search for clues in the case of the stolen official silver, absolutely nothing has been discovered, leading to the conclusion that it must be the doing of external powerful forces; otherwise, how could not a single trace be left behind?
"A month ago, three million taels of gold and seventy million taels of silver, prepared by Your Majesty for the Crown Prince Chengde, vanished overnight from the national treasury without any traceable transport evidence. The night guards perceived no abnormalities, and even repeated checks found nothing amiss. These silvers seemingly disappeared into thin air."
Xu Peipei detailed the current intelligence to Lu Hong.
After listening to the narration, Lu Hong slightly furrowed his brows. Honestly, it sounded quite unbelievable.
Three million taels of gold and seventy million taels of silver, what kind of concept is that, who knows how heavy it is.
He himself couldn't possibly remove such amounts of silver without stirring anybody.
Even with a space ring, how large a space ring would be necessary? How many space rings would be needed?
And most crucially, why would someone with so many space rings even bother with such amounts of gold and silver?
Despite appearing significant, how many Yuan Currency does it exchange for?
Thus, for an external strong force to commit such a crime is almost impossible, unless it's done by someone cultivating special techniques.
"Apart from the official silver, have you lost any ores or similar items?"
Xu Peipei shook her head: "Besides the official silver, there hasn't been any loss of other items over the years."
Well then, the possibility of special cultivation techniques seems unlikely too.
Gold and silver are easy to gain; if meant for cultivation, they wouldn't solely take gold and silver, but ore as well.
An ordinary person couldn't pull off such a massive case, and an external strong force wouldn't engage in such thankless tasks; given such circumstances...
After pondering for a moment, Lu Hong turned to Xu Peipei and asked, "Could it be a plot orchestrated by your Emperor himself?"
"This...," Lu Hong's suspicion left Xu Peipei speechless, "This was a gift Your Majesty specifically prepared for the Crown Prince's grand wedding. If he didn't wish to give it, he would've refrained from mentioning it initially. What's the purpose of such an act? Moreover, there were no signs of major transportation the night of the theft within the capital."
"Perhaps he regretted it later?"
Xu Peipei rolled her eyes irritably, "Please don't joke like that; it's pointless."
"Alright," Lu Hong withdrew his gaze with a smile, adding, "If it's not your Emperor's theatrical stunt, then unfortunately, retrieving that money is unlikely."
Upon hearing this, Xu Peipei froze, "Has Your Excellency identified the culprit behind the stolen official silver?"
"Just a hunch, but it may not be accurate. If you're expecting me to provide evidence, I'm afraid I have none."
"Then please inform me so I can report to the Sect Leader truthfully."
Lu Hong nodded and continued, "The theft of your official silver might have been done by a demon beast with formidable power from All Heavens and Myriads of Worlds, the most supreme type."
Listening to Lu Hong's explanation, Xu Peipei felt even more baffled, "Master, why would a fierce beast with overwhelming power steal our Song Dynasty's official silver?"
"That's beyond my understanding, but it's my most rational conjecture. Though I cannot fathom why such a beast would take gold and silver, nothing else has such supernatural abilities."
Lu Hong was referring to the ancient mythical beast that had brought him to the Song Dynasty.
The timing of his arrival in this realm coincides with a month ago, exactly when the official silver vanished. Perhaps it was that ancient mythical beast using its spatial abilities to transport the silver.
Xu Peipei scrutinized Lu Hong's expression. Once confirming he was not jesting, Xu Peipei continued, "I will report this matter truthfully to the Sect Leader. As for the final decision..."
Xu Peipei, of course, did not believe it.
After Xu Peipei departed, Lu Hong quickly left the capital, heading to the nearest mountain peak within view.
Although the evidence for the theft of official silver was lacking, Lu Hong was convinced of his theory.
Based on this deduction, the ancient mythical beast might not have left, and the missing gold and silver are likely tied to its recovery. Otherwise, why take the silver at all?
Standing atop the peak, Lu Hong surveyed the surroundings, hoping to find some trace left by the ancient mythical beast. With its enormous size, its landing would surely alter the local terrain.
Regrettably, after searching, Lu Hong found absolutely nothing.
Could it really have left?
Lu Hong hesitated for a moment, suddenly looking upward into the towering clouds.
Through the thick cloud layers, Lu Hong's gaze seemed to pierce all, sighting the mythical beast hidden within the void!
The ancient mythical beast also sensed the watchful eyes; it abruptly opened its eyes.
The moment their gazes locked, Lu Hong felt his mind explode, and he plunged headlong off the mountain top.
With a booming crash, Lu Hong was smashed into the ground.
Fortunately, his sturdy physique prevented any fatal injury.
After a long period, Lu Hong's consciousness slowly returned.
With a pale complexion, Lu Hong crawled out of the pit, astounded; the ancient mythical beast had indeed not left!
And then, an ancient and weary voice echoed within Lu Hong's mind: "H...u...m...a....n...."
"Are you the ancient mythical beast?!"
"My.....name.....is.....Di.....Shu."
The beast's voice, though ancient and weary, carried endless fatigue and weakness.
It seemed evident that it hadn't recovered from the damage inflicted by that instrument which tore the world.
"Are you injured?" Lu Hong knowingly inquired, trying to discern the condition of the ancient mythic beast, Di Shu.
"Yes.....that.....thing's.....power.....is.....great."
Hearing this, Lu Hong was silent for a moment, realizing that Di Shu's calamity was entirely brought about by him. Fortunately, Di Shu wasn't aware of this, or else it would have skinned him alive in righteous fury.
"Di Shu, is there anything I can do to assist you?"
"Seek.....gold.....and.....silver.....only.....these.....can.....help.....me.....restrain.....the.....red.....light's.....erosion."
The red light, that strange force which dissolves, is it?
So Di Shu has been fighting against such forces!
Feeling guilty, Lu Hong promptly promised, "You can trust me, I will help you."
"Thank.....you....."
After speaking, Di Shu once again fell into slumber, leaving no further sound.
Meanwhile, Lu Hong too now considered intently how to convince the Song Dynasty and external families to exchange for gold and silver.