“It is indeed so!”
The news that Lin Qingqing brought back just confirmed Lin Jiangnian's guess.
"The Wang family was wiped out, and I'm afraid they have something to do with it!"
While in the dungeon, Lin Jiangnian had only some guesses. But when he heard the people from the Celestial God Cult suddenly and hastily leave at this time, it seemed that something was fishy.
Thinking of this, Lin Jiangnian immediately asked: "Is there any news about their whereabouts?"
Lin Qingqing shook her head, feeling a little regretful: "When I arrived at the inn, they had already left. I sent people to find out their whereabouts, but..."
"Their movements are strange, and their style of action is cautious. It may not be easy to find them!"
Lin Qingqing was right. Since their last encounter, the members of the Heavenly God Cult had been keeping a low profile in Xunyang City, barely attracting anyone's attention. If Lin Jiangnian hadn't stumbled upon them this time, no one would have connected the Wang family's extermination with the Heavenly God Cult.
Even Lin Jiangnian, without previous contact with Liu Su, could not make this connection.
"How many of them are there?"
Lin Jiangnian suddenly asked.
Lin Qingqing lowered her head and said, "According to the innkeeper, the other party is a group of about seven or eight people, including two women..."
"Two women?"
Lin Jiangnian was stunned.
Although there are many women in the Tianshen Sect, the first person he thought of was Liu Su.
Could these two women be related to Liu Su?
Will she appear in Xunyang City?
Just as he was about to ask something, he realized something and glanced beside him.
Zhiyuan sat quietly aside, looking into the yard, as if she didn't hear the conversation between the two.
Lin Jiangnian was about to speak, but held back.
"Your Highness, what should we do now?"
Lin Qingqing asked, "Do you need someone to hunt them down?"
Lin Jiangnian thought about it and shook his head: "Forget it, there's no need!"
Since these members of the Celestial God Cult acted cautiously, they would likely have left Xunyang City immediately after leaving the inn. Chasing them would be extremely difficult and a thankless task.
For Lin Jiangnian, it was nothing but a waste of energy.
It is not known whether the Wang family was exterminated by the Celestial God Cult. It is also not clear whether the Wang family was exterminated or seeking revenge, and how much grudge they had.
However, these have little to do with Lin Jiangnian.
Thinking of this, Lin Jiangnian turned his head to look at Zhiyuan beside him: "What do you think?"
Zhiyuan was admiring the scenery in the courtyard. When he heard Lin Jiangnian's words, he was silent for a long time and did not speak.
Seeing this, Lin Jiangnian waved at Lin Qingqing.
How smart is Lin Qingqing?
She looked at Sister Zhiyuan and then at His Highness, realizing that she was no longer needed, and quickly took her leave and left the courtyard.
After Lin Qingqing left, Lin Jiangnian sighed: "I really missed something this time. I didn't expect someone to get ahead of me!"
"However, the Wang family's fate seems to be exactly the same as that of the Jiang family back then..."
Perhaps history really is a cycle.
Back then, the Wang family joined forces with other families in Xunyang County to plot against the Jiang family, which led to the extermination of the Jiang family. Isn't the Wang family today very similar to the Jiang family back then?
"Do you think this is retribution?"
Zhiyuan's gaze fell quietly on the courtyard. After a while, he said coldly, "We must eradicate the roots!"
"Wow, you think further ahead than me!"
Lin Jiang laughed young, looking at Zhiyuan's cold face which didn't seem to be joking.
Obviously, she was reminding Lin Jiangnian of something.
Back then, the Jiang family was exterminated, but Zhiyuan survived. Over a decade later, Zhiyuan returns to seek revenge. While she had nothing to do with the Wang family's annihilation, the Wang family's current situation is entirely due to Zhiyuan.
Even though the Wang family had been wiped out, some still managed to escape. For example, Wang Changjin, whose whereabouts were unknown, and Wang Qin, who was still imprisoned in the dungeon...
Zhiyuan's words were a reminder to Lin Jiangnian... not to give anyone from the Wang family the chance to become the next her.
"Don't worry, I have a plan!"
Lin Jiang laughed young: "Yuan Zhongnan would not want anyone from the Wang family to be alive even more than we do. As for the others, we can wait a little longer... After all, this time, someone is more anxious than us!"
Zhiyuan withdrew his gaze and fell on Lin Jiangnian. He stared at his face for a few seconds and then turned away.
Then he stood up and walked out the door.
"Where are you going?"
"Go out for a walk."
The kite didn't even look back.
…
The news that the Wang family was wiped out could not be concealed for too long.
The attack on the prefectural governor's mansion alarmed the city's defense forces, and these things could not be hidden from the eyes and ears of those with ulterior motives. Such a large-scale commotion naturally alarmed the various forces within Xunyang City.
Although no one knew the specific situation, many noble families in Xunyang City sent people to inquire.
As a result, the prefectural government's mansion was tightly closed, and security was tightened inside and outside the compound, turning away anyone who came to make a tentative visit.
This caused panic and anxiety among the aristocratic families.
Someone even noticed that the guards inside and outside the prefectural palace had been replaced by a new group of people. All the clues pointed to a very bad omen, which was gradually intensifying.
All of this pressure fell on Yuan Zhongnan. Before the news of the Wang family's annihilation could be exposed, he had to stabilize the situation as quickly as possible and minimize the impact.
Otherwise, if unrest occurs, the consequences will be unimaginable.
However, no clues were found in the case of the Wang family's massacre. Just when Yuan Zhongnan was looking gloomy and anxious, Lin Jiangnian suddenly sent someone to deliver a clue.
"Celestial Cult?!"
Yuan Zhongnan looked down at the letter in his hand that was sent by His Royal Highness the Prince of Lin, frowned and fell into deep thought.
After a while, he looked up at the door with an expressionless face: "Someone come!"
A soldier in armor walked in hurriedly.
"Go check!"
Yuan Zhongnan threw the letter in front of the soldiers, his face expressionless: "Even if we have to dig three feet deep, we will find the people from the Tianshen Sect!"
"yes!"
On the other side, in the yard.
"Your Highness, will Yuan Zhongnan believe it?"
Lin Qingqing stood aside, somewhat puzzled.
Why did His Highness suddenly ask her to hand over the clues about the Tianshen Cult to Yuan Zhongnan?
Lin Jiangnian lay leisurely in the rocking chair in the yard, squinting his eyes and enjoying this rare leisure time.
Xiao Zhu followed closely and stood obediently beside him, carefully serving his own prince.
The weather was getting colder, and the little maidservant helped His Highness wrap up his clothes without leaving any trace.
"He will."
Lin Jiangnian was confident and said with a half-smile: "Even if he doesn't believe it, he will still take a gamble."
Lin Qingqing was still confused, but Lin Jiangnian did not explain any further.
Yuan Zhongnan would definitely believe it, after all, Lin Jiangnian did not lie to him.
This time, the dignified Xunyang prefect was murdered right under his nose. If he couldn't solve the case quickly and handle the matter properly, it would have a huge impact on him as the governor of Yanzhou. Not only would it affect his authority in Yanzhou, but it would also affect the court's view of him.
At this time, Lin Jiangnian suddenly gave him a clue, and he would not let it go regardless of whether it was true or false.
If it was fake, it would have no impact on him. But if it was true, it would be a favor from Lin Jiangnian to him as the Governor of Yanzhou.
More importantly, Lin Jiangnian had no interest or energy to hunt down the people from the Tianshen Sect.
But Yuan Zhongnan is different.
He would be very interested.
Lin Qingqing seemed to be thinking about something, but didn't ask any more questions.
"Your Highness, I have just received a lot of information about the Celestial God Cult..."
"Last month, the prince ordered a large-scale hunt for members of the Celestial God Cult in Linzhou, and quite a few were captured. However, I heard that the Celestial God Cult seemed to have taken precautions long ago, so they weren't able to capture many useful people..."
Lin Qingqing said this while feeling puzzled.
I wonder why the prince suddenly took action against the Tianshen Sect. How could an organization that I had rarely heard of before be captured by the prince’s personal order?
Lin Jiangnian was quite clear-headed. He had anticipated that Lin Hengzhong would attack the Celestial God Cult. After all, Liu Su's assassination attempt on Lin Hengzhong had failed, and the Celestial God Cult was the mastermind behind it.
As for the fact that the Tianshen Cult had already taken precautions, it was probably Liu Su who tipped off the group.
"By the way, where's the kite?"
Lin Jiangnian suddenly asked, it seemed like he hadn't seen her today?
"Sister Zhiyuan went out early in the morning." Before Lin Qingqing could speak, Xiaozhu's voice came from the side.
"Out? Where did she go?"
"have no idea……"
Xiao Zhu shook his head.
Lin Jiangnian was a little confused. Where did the kite go?
Could it be that she has some acquaintances in Xunyang City?
…
Inside Xunyang City.
In the western suburbs, a private residence.
A light figure climbed over the wall, landed in the yard, and walked towards the room.
Just as she reached the door and was about to push it open, she was suddenly stunned and instantly alert.
Is there anyone in the room?!
"who?!"
She spoke in a timid tone and immediately reached for the sword at her waist.
The next second, a cold voice came from the room: "It's me."
The woman outside the door was startled, and the next second a look of surprise suddenly appeared on her face, and she pushed open the door.
In the quiet room, a man in blue shirt sat quietly at the table.
"Sister, is that you?!"
Shen Lingjun said in surprise: "You are still alive?!"
Soon, Shen Lingjun realized that what he said was inappropriate: "Pooh, look at the nonsense I'm talking about..."
Shen Lingjun excitedly stepped forward, looking up and down at the young woman in green, and was pleasantly surprised: "Sister, where have you been all this time? I haven't heard from you since you left some time ago. I thought..."
Speaking of this, Shen Lingjun felt a little nervous.
The sister in front of me has never appeared since she left last time.
The city was in turmoil during this period. Shen Lingjun went out to inquire many times, but there was no news of her sister, so much so that she almost thought that her sister had met with an accident.
Now that she saw her sister appear in front of her, she was so happy!
"This matter is hard to explain in a few words..."
Zhiyuan looked at the woman in front of him quietly, as if he wanted to explain, but he didn't know where to start. He was silent for a moment: "There was a little accident, but it's okay."
"It's okay, it's okay!"
Shen Lingjun breathed a sigh of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders. Then she remembered something: "Oh, about what happened to my sister earlier..."
"It's over."
"Finish?"
Shen Lingjun was stunned and a little confused.
Zhiyuan was silent for a moment: "The Wang family's revenge has been avenged..."
“…”
After hearing what Zhiyuan said, Shen Lingjun widened her eyes in disbelief.
"You, you mean... the Wang family was, was wiped out?"
"Everyone in the Wang family is dead?!"
Zhiyuan nodded calmly: "Yeah."
Shen Lingjun stood there in a daze, unable to come back to her senses for a long time.
During this time, she often inquired about news in the city and kept an eye on the Wang family's movements. In the past two days, she did notice that something was amiss in the prefectural government, but she never imagined that the Wang family would be... wiped out?
The news came so suddenly that she couldn't accept it for a while.
His eyes were blank for a long time, then he seemed to think of something and looked up at Zhiyuan: "Yes, who did it?"
Zhiyuan shook his head and did not explain.
She looked at Shen Lingjun in front of her and said, "I'm leaving!"
Shen Lingjun finally came to his senses: "Where to?"
"The capital, right?"
As if thinking of something, Zhiyuan's voice became softer.
"The capital?"
Just when she was about to ask her sister what she was doing in Beijing, Shen Lingjun held back.
She remembered that her sister had said before that she wanted to come to Xunyang City for revenge, and her sister's enemy seemed to be related to the Wang family.
Now that the Wang family has been wiped out, it also means that my sister has been avenged.
So……
She might indeed have to leave.
"So, sister, you came to say goodbye to me today?"
Shen Lingjun felt a little regretful and reluctant.
"Um."
Zhiyuan nodded, was silent for a moment, and said, "Thank you for your time!"
Shen Lingjun quickly waved her hands: "No, no, why thank me? I should thank you..."
She was able to reach Xunyang City alive thanks to this sister.
Otherwise, given her state of having lost all her martial arts skills, no one knew what would have happened.
"Come to think of it, I can't do anything to help you, sister!"
Shen Lingjun felt somewhat regretful.
She thought she could show off her skills this time, but she didn't expect that the Wang family would be wiped out before she could make a move.
This made her feel completely uninvolved.
Zhiyuan seemed to have read her thoughts. He glanced at her for a few seconds and said softly, "You are the woman with the most sense of justice I have ever met. I hope you can always maintain this original intention in the future."
Shen Lingjun blinked. Sense of justice?
"Sister, you are the same?!" Shen Lingjun spoke. She also felt that the sister in front of her was very kind and had a strong sense of justice.
Didn't they travel together and do justice some time ago?
Zhi Yuan didn't say anything more. He took out a piece of jade from his bosom and handed it to Shen Lingjun: "I'm going to the capital. You keep this jade. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, you can take this jade to the capital to find me. Someone will naturally pick you up when the time comes..."
Shen Lingjun looked down at the jade in her hand. It was crystal clear and obviously worth a lot of money. Just as she was about to refuse, she saw Zhiyuan waving her hand: "Okay, I should go now!"
Hearing this, Shen Lingjun couldn't help feeling a little sad.
Although she had only known this sister for a short time, she liked her very much and she had helped her a lot along the way. Now that they were about to part, she was indeed a little reluctant.
We are parting ways this time, and I don’t know when we will meet again.
When people from all walks of life say farewell, it is often a farewell forever.
Shen Lingjun walked her sister to the door. When she saw her sister was about to leave, she seemed to remember something: "By the way, sister, I still don't know your name?"
Only then did she remember that she still didn't know the name of this unknown sister.
Zhiyuan slowed down his pace, paused, and said lightly: "Zhiyuan."
"Kite?"
Shen Lingjun silently recited the name, and his eyes lit up slightly.
It sounds very nice.
After watching Sister Zhiyuan's figure disappear on the street, Shen Lingjun withdrew his gaze with a sense of loss. When he was about to go back, he turned around and his eyes suddenly fell on an old man wearing a gray robe and carrying a box on the side of the street.
She was stunned at first, then Shen Lingjun was pleasantly surprised.
"Master, uncle-master?"
"Why are you here?!!"
“…”