This scoundrel is a bit of a swordsman.

Chapter 253 Astrologer

A large crowd gathered at the entrance of the imperial palace, all eagerly awaiting Emperor Wu's next move.

The vast ocean has been mortgaged by the Confucian Temple to that little-known Great Xia. If the Chen family knew this, they would probably be furious. Time passed by, and night quietly fell. Finally, an imperial edict was issued from the palace.

With the imperial edict issued, the investigation into the massacre of Chen Haoran's family, the former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, will be reopened, with Ning Chen leading the effort and all relevant departments investigating the details.

This imperial edict is truly perplexing, as it is far too casual. Who exactly is Ning Chen? And who exactly are the various departments covered? None of this is explained in detail; it seems to be merely a perfunctory response to the Chen family.

However, upon hearing of Ning Chen's name, the Chen family bowed in gratitude and disappeared outside the imperial palace with their coffin.

This puzzled many people. What exactly was Ning Chen's official title? Among the ministers of the Great Qian Dynasty, no one had ever heard of this name. Even the veteran ministers who had served in the court for decades were full of doubt, because there was no minister in any department named Ning Chen.

However, although no one knows who this person is, judging from the Chen family's retreat, this person must be someone of great importance.

Of course, this was merely speculation when the various states gathered, and this person was very likely a key minister behind Emperor Wu, like a deadly weapon hidden in the shadows.

However, some rumors still spread like wildfire. It was said that Ning Chen was the successor of an astrologer in the Great Qian Dynasty, whose fate was intertwined with that of Emperor Wu. The entire Yong'an was under the surveillance of Ning Chen's grand array, and anything that happened in Yong'an would be revealed by astrology.

The astrologer's intervention was intended to warn those with ill intentions against causing trouble in Yong'an, and also to appease the Chen family, assuring them that Emperor Wu would give them a satisfactory explanation.

"I never expected this ancient profession to reappear. Li Jinxian, does your Dali still have astrologers?"

At this moment, young people from various countries were gathered together, filled with curiosity about this astrologer. Especially after Yun Xiyao was injured, the people from the water area had quieted down considerably. The arrogant Meng Qianfan was experiencing the danger of the Great Qian Dynasty for the first time.

His arrogance stemmed from his strength, but even someone like Yun Xiyao was severely injured. This meant that if he remained foolish, he might suffer a much worse fate. Because of this, he began to take other forces seriously, learning much information unknown to the other factions from them.

The wild and unruly Wu Xie asked Dali provocatively, because among them, if anyone still had an astrologer, it must be Dali; no one else could possibly have one.

“No, we sensed the existence of astrologers from the last Starfall Array. This profession is so ancient that we can't find a single word about it in ancient books. I find it hard to believe that there are actually astrologers here. What is the origin of the Great Qian? Why do they still have the inheritance of astrologers after hundreds of years of fighting? If their astrologers have always existed, why did the Wilderness and the Great Li drive them to the brink of despair a hundred years ago? That doesn't make sense.”

Dali was the first to express doubt about this news. Astrologers not only predict the future but can also harness the stars for their own use, controlling powers that don't belong to the human world. With such power, he highly doubted how they had managed to besiege the city back then.

"Throughout the history of the Great Qian Dynasty, there are several crucial moments,"

The young monk Miaowu from Burning City was also among those invited, and his words drew everyone's attention.

"The first key moment is the struggle between Emperor Wu and the Huangfu royal family. How did Emperor Wu win?"

He first asked the question, which drew nods of agreement from the crowd.

"According to the records of our Great Yan, an irresistible force intervened, and some suspect it came from above,"

"Well, let's not delve into the truth for now. The second question is about Xiao Jianxian's sudden appearance. Even now, Xiao Jianxian remains a mystery. Where did he come from? What was his cultivation level? Where did he go afterward? I'm sure you've all been searching for that quite a bit, haven't you?"

“Of course, the matter of Xiao Jianxian has been investigated for hundreds of years, but it's as if he evaporated, leaving no trace. We even believe that this person appeared out of thin air, but how is that possible? A person cannot disappear without a trace.”

Miaowu nodded and continued.

“But he really did appear, and I can tell you a secret of our Burning City: Xiao Jianxian went to Burning City and left some things behind.”

"what?"

Miao Wu's words were like a thunderclap, startling everyone to their feet. The existence of Xiao Jianxian was a thorn in the side of everyone, and also an important factor in determining the course of the world.

"Don't get excited. There's something in Burning City that Xiao Jianxian is interested in, so he came here in person and left a few words at the Silent Temple,"

"What are you saying?" This time, everyone's interest was piqued, and they all looked at Miaowu.

"Bajie, why are you here?"

"what?"

"Didn't you hear me?"

"What does this mean? Who is Pigsy?"

Everyone looked at each other; the most important part of this sentence was clearly the name "Bajie" (八戒). It was obviously a name.

Miaowu shook his head, "We don't know what 'Bajie' means, but we guess that Bajie is a powerful demon."

"That must be a powerful demon, otherwise you wouldn't have gone to such lengths to find the Silent Temple, which suppresses demons,"

"But have you ever thought about how Xiao Jianxian could be related to demons?"

"Yes, Xiao Jianxian is extremely mysterious. Even the Great Qian itself doesn't know his origins, whereabouts, or life story. If we say he came from the demon race, it would make sense."

This casual remark made Miaowu frown. Indeed, if Xiaojian was a demon, it could explain many things, but how could that be?

"And the third one? Don't dwell on the previous questions, little monk, please continue,"

"Thirdly, there's this gathering of poets,"

Miao Wu hesitated for a moment, then slowly spoke, a statement that immediately drew various responses.

"We also find it strange. This year's Poetry Festival is so different from the past. We've long suspected that Daqian has ulterior motives," Dali was the first to respond. Li Jinxian never hesitated in such matters.

"There is a problem, but what can a mere poetry gathering cause? Could it possibly kill us all here? Even if it does kill me, it won't affect the foundation of our nation. After all, we're not important figures; if we die, we die."

"That's the biggest problem. We've participated in the Poetry Immortal Gathering before, but this time it feels like the Great Qian doesn't care at all. Don't you agree?"

"Yes, that's the feeling. In the past, the Poetry Immortal Gathering was a grand gathering of literati and would attract a lot of attention. But now, it seems that the Confucian Temple has disappeared. Although they sent a sage, this sage seems to be just there to fill a quota and doesn't care at all about what the Poetry Immortal Gathering is like."

Miaowu nodded solemnly, already beginning to seriously consider whether the Great Qian Dynasty was really just trying to hold a poetry gathering.