Chapter 205 Ji Heng Was Once a Genius…

Chapter 205 Ji Heng, Once a Prodigy…

"Did they only contact you this once?" Bai Xiuming suddenly asked.

Ji Mo shook his head. "Not long ago, a woman came to me, claiming to be sent by the princess. She said she planned to stay in the capital for a while and asked me to help conceal her identity as a yao. I figured the authorities wouldn’t readily investigate my residence, so I allowed her into my household as my secondary wife."

"Do you know why she came to the capital?"

"No, and I didn’t dare ask too much."

Bai Xiuming hummed thoughtfully. "Then tell me how Ji Zhuang and his son died."

Ji Mo stiffened slightly, but considering his current predicament, admitting to murder seemed trivial. He saw no point in hiding anything and stated bluntly, "Ji Zhuang’s mother killed my mother in the past, and Ji Zhuang himself feared I’d claim a share of the family wealth, so he tried to kill me multiple times. I had always ignored him, but this time he came to my door, even suggesting—after seeing my son was gone—that I take his son as my heir instead."

Ji Mo sneered. "So I devised a plan to kill him by proxy."

He explained how he had his servants lure Ji Zhuang’s son to the yao woman’s residence, then added, "That son of his was worthless—once he came to the capital, he frequented brothels. When he heard my new secondary wife was exceptionally beautiful and saw no one around, he tried to spy on her. He was caught and paid with his life."

"And Ji Zhuang?"

"I warned the yao that Ji Zhuang kept visiting my residence to investigate his son’s death. He was stubborn—once he got an idea in his head, he wouldn’t let go. So she killed Ji Zhuang too."

Ji Mo recounted this calmly, seeing nothing wrong with using the yao to get rid of Ji Zhuang and his son.

He only regretted being too timid in the past, allowing them to live all those years.

"Anything else?"

"Truly, nothing more," Ji Mo emphasized, fearing Bai Xiuming wouldn’t believe him. "Only these two incidents."

Bai Xiuming lowered his gaze to A Chan and asked, "Anything else you want to ask?"

A Chan shook her head. Once secrets were exposed, they were just ordinary tales of grudges and vengeance.

She had learned all she needed to know. As for Ji Heng and the so-called princess’s whereabouts, she trusted Bai Xiuming would uncover them.

Just then, Jiang Kai’s voice came from outside: "My lord, someone from the Bureau of Celestial Observation has arrived."

"Let them in."

At Bai Xiuming’s order, Jiang Kai escorted a man inside. The newcomer bowed to Bai Xiuming without further pleasantries, then proceeded to draw blood from Ji Mo and A Chan’s fingertips to test their bloodline.

On the lineage disk, six out of ten sections illuminated.

The man showed the disk to Bai Xiuming and said, "My lord, they are not father and daughter, but they are undoubtedly related."

This indirectly confirmed Ji Mo’s claims.

"Thank you. Next, we’ll need to verify the suspect’s identity, which may take some of your time."

"You flatter me, my lord. The Director sent me specifically to assist the Bright Mirror Bureau in this investigation."

Listening to their exchange, A Chan realized that to confirm Ji Mo’s identity, all living members of the Ji family would likely be brought to the capital for questioning—even the deceased might not be spared.

Once the case was resolved, the Ji family would probably cease to exist in the capital. But that no longer concerned her.

After the bloodline test, Bai Xiuming handed the man over to Jiang Kai and left the prison with A Chan.

Not far from the prison, A Chan suddenly stopped and turned to Bai Xiuming. "Do you know the identity of the princess Ji Mo mentioned?"

Logically, even if Ji Mo insisted he knew nothing about the so-called princess, his words couldn’t be fully trusted. Yet Bai Xiuming hadn’t pushed for more details, which was odd.

"I have some leads, but they need verification."

A Chan blinked at him. "But I’m very curious now."

Bai Xiuming smiled. "Would A Chan like the answer now, or would she prefer to go home?"

"Both."

"Too greedy. You can only choose one." Bai Xiuming brushed a loose strand of her hair behind her ear, his fingers lightly caressing her earlobe. "Shall I choose for you?"

A Chan immediately scowled. "Not a chance. I’m going home."

"I’ll escort you."

"No need." She took two steps, then turned back. "Lord Bai, don’t make me wait too long."

"Of course. Remember to leave the door unlocked tonight."

Shortly after A Chan left, Jiang Yan found Bai Xiuming and reported, "My lord, the skin you sent has been examined. It’s Wei snake skin, just like the Fake County Princess’s disguise."

"What I’d like to know is whether that face was taken from someone else or crafted artificially."

"It’s fabricated," Jiang Yan stated firmly. "The craftsmanship is extraordinary—the face is virtually identical to real skin. I could only identify two of the materials used. My apologies for my limited progress."

"No need to apologize. This is enough."

After dismissing Jiang Yan, Bai Xiuming left the Bright Mirror Bureau and rode straight to King Ming’s residence.

Upon arrival, the house manager informed him that the emperor had sent presents to King Ming, and the messenger was still in the study. Bai Xiuming didn’t request an announcement and headed there directly.

As he approached, the chief eunuch who had delivered the message was just leaving. Spotting Bai Xiuming, the eunuch greeted him politely.

Bai Xiuming returned the greeting before entering the study.

Whatever had been discussed, King Ming was frowning, as if troubled by something.

"Father."

King Ming looked up. "What brings you here at this time?"

Bai Xiuming closed the door behind him and sat across from King Ming. "There’s a complicated case at the bureau. I thought I should inform you."

King Ming’s interest was piqued. "What case could trouble you?"

Bai Xiuming smirked. "The Marquis of Jinyang is a fake."

King Ming froze.

Bai Xiuming continued, "According to his confession, Ji Heng arranged for him to have a fake face, allowing him to pass himself off as the Marquis. At the time, Ji Heng was traveling with a yao woman he referred to as 'princess.'"

After a moment's hesitation, King Ming’s expression grew serious. "The Demon Emperor’s daughter?"

"Almost certainly, yes."

King Ming sank back in his chair and let out a quiet sigh, as if lost in thought.

After a lengthy pause, he said, "I still remember Ji Heng—remarkably intelligent as a child, with outstanding talent for cultivation. His grandfather never stopped bragging about him, and soon the whole court was aware the Marquis of Jinyang had a capable successor. Later, he entered military service and his reputation only grew. When did he become ordinary?"

"It's said he was injured in his early years, his cultivation fell from the Fourth Realm to the Third Realm, and he never left the capital again after that."

During the Marquis of Jinyang's heyday, Bai Xiuming was still in Xiling. By the time he returned to the capital, the Marquis had become a reclusive noble, and Bai Xiuming had no dealings with him. Everything he knew about the Marquis came from rumors.

"I remember he was injured in a battle against the demon race, said to have damaged his foundation." King Ming shook his head with a smile. "Even I had forgotten that Ji Heng was once a prodigy."

Bai Xiuming thought to himself, *Not just King Ming—nowadays, probably no one in the court remembered what the Marquis of Jinyang was like. Even if they occasionally recalled those days, it was only with a sigh, and no one suspected the Marquis might be fake.*

"Such a man—what could possibly make him abandon everything and defect to the demons without immense benefits?" King Ming looked up at Bai Xiuming sitting across from him. "What do you think the reason could be?"

Bai Xiuming said measuredly, "This year during the Lantern Festival, a demihuman advanced to the Fifth Realm. Before that, Princess Xue Yao failed to steal the Demon Seal and then took the dragon pearl from the dragon race. Father, you once said both those items once belonged to the Demon Emperor and were imbued with his essence. Clearly, that demihuman’s ascension to the Fifth Realm was related to the Demon Emperor. Those two items were likely essential for the breakthrough."

King Ming nodded without interrupting.

"Among humans, those with exceptional talent are not rare. But from the Fourth Realm to the Fifth Realm, countless genius cultivators have fallen at this hurdle. No one can be certain they will break through to the Fifth Realm—I doubt even Ji Heng was confident."

King Ming continued Bai Xiuming’s line of thought, "But as the most powerful demon in their history, the Demon Emperor once helped his dying subordinate break through to the Fifth Realm, successfully prolonging his life. Though after the breakthrough, the subordinate had to serve him, he succeeded. Who wouldn’t want such an opportunity?"

"But back then, Ji Heng was just twenty-something. Was it necessary for him to be in such a hurry?" Bai Xiuming was puzzled.

King Ming shook his head helplessly. "This kind of thing, you’ll never understand. Even among geniuses, there are hierarchies. Some, after reaching the Fourth Realm, can see their limits at a glance."

The path of cultivation is cruel. You think you have potential, but when you reach the limits of your ability, you find the road ahead still stretches endlessly—and you can go no further.

Those who make it that far are all arrogant talents. How could they ever admit defeat?

"Sounds like you understand it well."

"But I can speculate." King Ming snorted. "Who wouldn’t want to take a shortcut when one exists? Besides, opportunities are fleeting. Precisely because he was young, with enough impulsiveness and ambition, he could ruthlessly abandon everything."

Bai Xiuming curled his lip. "Taking twenty years for a shortcut—what a waste."

King Ming glared at him before saying after a pause, "I’ll look into this matter myself. If it really is Ji Heng..."

"Even if his identity is confirmed, taking him down won’t be easy. If you personally intervene, it could be seen as a provocation against the demon race. Not only might it trigger a war between the two races, but it could also draw out other Fifth Realm demons," Bai Xiuming cautioned calmly.

"I know. I’m not a child—I understand the gravity of the situation."

The demon race is usually a scattered force, but if the King Ming of Great Xia were to act, the nature of the conflict would change. They might unite against humanity.

King Ming could act for his own satisfaction, but as the King Ming of Great Xia, he couldn’t disregard the lives of his people.

He then added, "If Ji Heng has truly betrayed humanity, he must die—but we must proceed carefully."

After this brief exchange, Bai Xiuming brought up another matter: "There’s one more thing I’d like to ask for your help with, Father."

"Need my help? With what?" King Ming was surprised—it was rare for his son to speak so politely.

"Could you ask the dragon kings you’re acquainted with if any of them have someone named A Mian by their side?"

"A Mian? That shouldn’t be difficult, but it’s hard to say when I’ll get an answer. Those dragon kings rarely meet..."

The dragon race is extremely territorial. Unless something major happens within their clan, the kings seldom interact.

At this point, King Ming suddenly paused and changed the subject. "Earlier, His Majesty sent someone to discuss a matter related to the dragon kings."

"His Majesty?"

Bai Xiuming was surprised. The emperors of Great Xia had changed countless times, yet the dragon race had never formally engaged with any emperor. It was said they resented the emperor being called the "True Dragon Son of Heaven."

"Yes. His Majesty said the dragon race sent a formal notice—the White Dragon King wishes to visit the capital of Great Xia and seeks his permission," King Ming said wearily. "His Majesty has never encountered this before and asked for my advice."

Setting aside the dragon race’s temper, allowing a Fifth Realm being into the capital carries risks. But agreeing could also build goodwill between humans and dragons, which would naturally be beneficial.

"You don’t know the White Dragon King?"

"I do."

"Are you on bad terms?" If they were friendly, his father wouldn’t sound like this.

King Ming snorted. "We don’t see eye to eye."

Bai Xiuming understood—there might be some enmity, but probably not much.

"Did the White Dragon King say why he’s coming to the capital?"

"He claimed a young member of his clan was bullied and a kind passerby rescued them, so he wishes to come in person to express gratitude," King Ming smirked. "I didn’t know he’d become so courteous."

Bai Xiuming’s expression suddenly stiffened. Why did this sound so familiar?