Chapter 1622: Chapter 1312: Lu Zhengze’s Worries
Lu Chen couldn’t understand why someone would spread this news. What was the purpose?
He didn’t think it was baseless. After all, so much time had passed, and suddenly someone brought up his matters; there must be a motive behind it.
Seeing Lu Chen lost in thought, Xiao Xueying said, “Could it be because the Immortal Dynasty Master of the Tianxia Immortal Dynasty is near death, and those kings are spreading this news to accuse King Guangren of colluding with external forces?”
Lu Chen thought for a moment, then said, “Not likely.”
“Within the Tianxia Immortal Dynasty, anyone who has lived from billions of years ago to today knows that the past events are related to Lu Jingfu. This rumor holds no effect on him.”
The struggle for the throne in the Immortal Dynasty is somewhat different from the mundane royal succession conflicts. In a mundane empire, collusion with external forces is a disgrace. However, in the Immortal Dynasty, if a king can connect with many top forces, it’s considered an advantage.
Thus, Lu Jingfu’s association with top forces is not detrimental; rather, it aids his bid for the throne.
The bigwigs within the Tianxia Immortal Dynasty, including the tributor members of the Royal Family, value Lu Jingfu more due to his extensive connections.
At this point, Lu Chen couldn’t help but think, could it be Lu Jingfu himself who released this news, turning this into his achievement?
Indeed, there is such a possibility.
If Lu Jingfu spread this news, he might be reminding some people within the Tianxia Immortal Dynasty that back then, he had dealings with many top forces to eliminate the Chen King, so they should carefully consider whom to side with.
After pondering this possibility, Lu Chen decided not to pay it much mind. He smiled and said to Xiao Xueying, “Let’s not worry about it for now. Sister, Cao Shiyun has already advanced to the True Immortal Realm, so you must work harder.”
“Let me help you cultivate, and strive to break through to the True Immortal Realm within a hundred years.”
Xiao Xueying blushed and said, “You have just helped Senior Sister Cao and consumed a lot of energy. Your health is important; take a break.”
Lu Chen stroked Xiao Xueying’s jade-like cheek, gazing at her beautiful eyes and said, “For me, it’s merely cultivation and doesn’t require rest.”
Xiao Xueying pursed her lips and said, “Alright then.”
Later, Lu Chen and Xiao Xueying went to the room next to Cao Shiyun’s to continue their cultivation.
White Feather City.
Lu Zhengze looked at the woman sobbing in front of him and fell into contemplation. Then he asked, “Are you sure Lu Yao hasn’t been home for half a year?”
The woman said, “Sob… It’s true, he hasn’t returned for half a year. At first, we thought the City Lord might have assigned him some work, so he hadn’t come back. Later, when he still hadn’t returned, I asked Commander Wang of the City Lord’s Mansion, but he didn’t know where Lu Yao went either.”
Lu Zhengze then instructed a soldier beside him, “Go and bring Wang Xiujie here.”
After speaking, Lu Zhengze reassured the woman in front of him, “Don’t worry, we will definitely find Lu Yao.”
Even though Lu Yao is just a minor soldier in the City Lord’s Mansion’s trusted aides, he’s a descendant of the people who followed the Chen King to White Feather City back then.
Not many of those descendants are left. Now that the Chen King has returned, these people have potential for future significant roles. Even a minor soldier’s whereabouts must be investigated.
Soon after, a burly man in golden armor stood before Lu Zhengze, “Greetings, City Lord!”
Lu Zhengze directly asked, “You didn’t assign Lu Yao any other duties?”
Upon hearing this, Wang Xiujie was taken aback and said, “No, Lu Yao’s wife inquired about his whereabouts, and I thought it was you who assigned him a special task.”
Lu Zhengze frowned. A trusted aide from the City Lord’s Mansion had been missing for half a year, and they were completely unaware. Lately, he had been overwhelmed with the affairs of White Feather City’s expansion, not noticing what was happening around him.
Lu Zhengze immediately said, “Send people out to find Lu Yao’s whereabouts. Alive, we find him; dead, we need to see his body.”
At this moment, Lu Zhengze felt a vague sense of unease. Lu Yao is a trusted aide within the City Lord’s Mansion, and he had been present when Lu Chen returned.
Although Lu Yao didn’t personally know Lu Chen, he holds memories of him. If someone accessed those memories, they could immediately recognize Lu Chen through Lu Yao’s recollections. This isn’t a trivial matter.
While such a coincidence might not occur, the gravity of the situation necessitates caution.
In the following days, White Feather City’s soldiers searched for Lu Yao’s trace, but despite their efforts, they found no clues of his whereabouts, only that several other individuals had also suddenly disappeared recently.
Upon learning that others besides Lu Yao had vanished, Lu Zhengze’s sense of crisis intensified. He realized someone might be capturing White Feather City’s soldiers to gather information, and possibly many of the city’s secrets had already been compromised.
If merely collecting intelligence, it would not be unusual. After all, White Feather City had never expanded before, and its population had been dwindling over the years. His leadership was once lackluster. Suddenly revitalized, he vigorously restructured White Feather City and initiated expansions, naturally arousing curiosity from neighboring cities, prompting them to investigate.
However, if merely conducting reconnaissance, there’s no need to take people away, as it could easily expose their tracks. In cases where people are taken, it often means they’ve been killed.
Lu Zhengze thought: For someone to abduct under his watch, the perpetrator is at least an Immortal with the power to conceal their presence.
If an Immortal is involved, identifying who’s behind it will be immensely challenging.
Nevertheless, this indicates that White Feather City is indeed under scrutiny, necessitating heightened caution moving forward.
City Lord’s Mansion.
In the Meeting Hall, Lu Zhengze sat at the head, listening to updates from the soldiers gathered.
At this time, Commander Wang Xiujie of the trusted aides reported, “City Lord, I have ordered that the trusted aides within the City Lord’s Mansion must gather for roll call every morning. If any soldiers go missing, we’ll discover it immediately.”
Previously, soldiers didn’t need to gather daily. Duty rosters indicated who was on duty, and any soldier who didn’t serve for an extended period could go unnoticed for days.
Though some have disappeared, no one can predict if more will target the mansion’s trusted aides. It’s wise to remain vigilant.
At that moment, a soldier entered the hall, “Great King, recently there have been many rumors about the Chen King in the Tianxia Immortal Dynasty.”