"Is Jiang Li here?"
This was the third person today to ask this question, and Yuan Wuxing was tempted to put up a sign outside that read "Jiang Li is not here."
"Yes, are you also suggesting that Senior Zhang withdraw the application?"
The visitor was wearing a cloak, and his face was not clear. When he heard Yuan Wuxing's question, a glint of sharpness flashed in his eyes.
"So many people have approached Zhang Li? I thought our Great Zhou was open and honest, and wouldn't have so many dirty tricks."
"Yes, you are the twenty-first or the twenty-second, I can't remember, but let me advise you, give up."
"You must be the owner of this house, Yuan Wuxing, right? You have misunderstood, I am a friend of Zhang Li's. I heard that he came to Great Zhou, so I came to see him specially."
Yuan Wuxing was about to say something, but he heard Jiang Li shout from the room, "Wuxing, let him in. He is indeed my friend."
As Jiang Li spoke, Yuan Wuxing naturally invited the cloaked man into the room.
"If I hadn't recognized your handwriting on the application, I wouldn't have known that you had arrived in Great Zhou. Why didn't you tell me, so I could have welcomed you?"
"I only wanted to do some things and leave. I didn't expect to be involved in such a big mess."
As he took off the cloak, he revealed a handsome face and a well-defined facial features, but the most eye-catching thing was his twin pupils.
"Your, your Majesty!" Yuan Wuxing exclaimed, shocked to the point of confusion.
"You haven't told him who you are yet, Jiang Li?" Princess Zhou Ji could not help but sneer at the shocked Yuan Wuxing.
"No choice, he bad-mouthed me as soon as we met. How could I know things from him without changing my identity?" Jiang Li shrugged helplessly, adjusted his features slightly, and returned to his original appearance.
"So you're not Dao Sect's Jiang Li, but Emperor Jiang?"
When Jiang Li returned to his original appearance, Yuan Wuxing's mind went blank, and he completely gave up thinking. When he came to his senses, his face was red.
Earlier, he had been mysterious and told Jiang Li things like, "The theft of the infant was supported by Emperor Jiang," "Emperor Jiang condones his cousin's practice of dark magic," "Emperor Jiang practices dark magic himself."
Yuan Wuxing just wanted to find a hole to hide in.
Princess Zhou Ji looked at Jiang Li with a smile that was not quite a smile, "If Lao Bai knew that you were Dao Sect's Jiang Li, he would be sleepless with joy for a year."
"Temporary identity, a temporary identity." Jiang Li was uncomfortable under Princess Zhou Ji's gaze and quickly changed the subject, producing a crystal ball.
Princess Zhou Ji slightly activated her magical power and saw the content of the crystal ball.
The head of the Jiang clan and City Lord Zeng intended to destroy the evidence; the head of the Jiang clan and City Lord Zeng conspired with Prefect Gong; Prefect Gong contacted the former Qingcheng lords to establish connections, as well as the involvement of the Third Prince and so on.
The people of the Jiang clan thought their actions were secretive, but they didn't know that there had always been a pair of indifferent eyes watching them and faithfully recording everything with the crystal ball.
"Phew," Princess Zhou Ji sighed, "Thank you, Jiang brother, with this evidence, it is enough to round up these people. The Qingcheng faction is deeply rooted and intertwined, it's my fault for not paying attention."
"Jiang Yixing said a lie that I allowed him to practice dark magic, and people believed it, even imagining that I never returned home to maintain an image, and that I was secretly practicing dark magic, and that the Emperor is the head of the dark magic, and that the power of belief is crucial for me, and so on. But no one thought Jiang Yixing was lying, no one thought I really never returned home."
Jiang Li sighed, "We work hard to make the world a peaceful and beautiful place, but there are always people who think the world is dark. But I also have a part of the responsibility; as a powerhouse, I only focused on my own cultivation, but neglected the possibility that someone was using my name to intimidate others, even if this person is a relative whom you have not seen for five hundred years."
Princess Zhou Ji also sighed, "Yes, the fate and justice of the Great Zhou are closely related, but there are always people who think that as long as they have good connections, they can bend the law for personal gain, escape legal sanctions. There are even those who dare not punish people from other empires, thinking it is a matter of diplomacy, not under the jurisdiction of the law, and even feel proud of being considerate of the saint's intentions. It's exhausting being an emperor."
Jiang Li and Princess Zhou Ji looked at each other, sighing in unison, "People turn a blind eye to what's in front of them and always like to make wild assumptions!"
Yuan Wuxing's eyes twitched as he watched the two influential figures sighing together, feeling as if an image had collapsed.
He was also a part of the "wild assumptions."
"But I can understand this situation. As the Emperor, there are few people who dare to question you. Isn't that right, Yuan Wuxing? Having a cultivator like you who upholds justice is the fortune of our Great Zhou!" Princess Zhou Ji patted Yuan Wuxing's shoulder forcefully, to encourage him.
Yuan Wuxing straightened up and called out, "Yes."
...
In the outskirts of Qingcheng, near the spatial node, the crowd swarmed. The people near Qingcheng came to see how the time-tracing would be conducted, as it involved rare spells related to the path of time.
The reason why the head of the Jiang clan and others did not realize that Jiang Li would apply for time tracing was largely because there were very few cases of applying for time tracing, and you might not encounter it even once in ten years.
Many parents of missing children also rushed from other cities to see if their children were really stolen by Jiang Yixing.
The Third and Fourth Princes stood side by side in the air, their eyes slightly closed, with hands behind their backs, and wearing yellow robes.
The head of the Jiang clan and City Lord Zeng stood together, without any tension, and even a bit of humor.
The two princes were in agreement and jointly covered up the truth. They didn't believe Jiang Li and Yuan Wuxing could turn the tables unless the Emperor Zhou or the Emperor questioned the result. Otherwise, there was no chance of a reversal, even if officials from other empires and major sect masters came, it would be useless!
But would the Emperor Zhou and the Emperor come here?
Joking, how could that be possible?
They looked towards Jiang Li and saw that besides Jiang Li and Yuan Wuxing, there was also a cloaked man standing, a sneaky character, clearly not a good person.
"The time has come; be prepared to conduct the time tracing." The Third and Fourth Princes opened their eyes and scanned around.
Countless people looked up, their gaze concentrated on the two princes.
They saw the two princes changing hand seals rapidly, even leaving behind layers of afterimages, which was astonishing.
As the two silently chanted, their voices were as soft as mosquitoes, making everyone feel as if they were crossing worlds and gradually distancing themselves from the two princes, not in terms of space but time. The two princes' figures gradually faded and eventually disappeared completely, transcending the space-time continuum.
Some cultivators sought inspiration from the way of time but accidentally fell into the illusion of time. If their companions hadn't discovered the problem in time and awakened them, they would have woken up hundreds of years later, even though it had only been an instant for them. The Royal Family of the Great Zhou practiced the way of time, requiring someone to protect them.
"The technique of the two nephews is very skilled, and the speed of forming hand seals is quite good at their level of cultivation," Jiang Li commented on the two princes.
"Hmph, Jiang Xiong, you don’t need to give me face. These two kids are obviously just showing off their skills. If so many procedures are needed during battle, they would have been killed long ago." Zhou Huang Ji snorted coldly, expressing dissatisfaction with her two sons. "After this matter is over, I will make sure they are well-prepared for real combat."
Yuan Wuxing stood trembling beside the two big shots, not daring to interrupt.