Chapter 124: Uncle Zhou

As the final words fell, a cold blue sword aura erupted from the Qingyuan sword in Li Yunji’s hand. He crouched down slowly and thrust the blade into the stone floor. As a white light flickered, a runic formation spread from beneath his feet, instantly enveloping the entire Prince’s Mansion in a hemispherical dome of light.

The onlookers stared in stunned silence, completely astonished.

"This is the barrier of Eternal Instant!" Yun Tian was the first to exclaim. "You actually found the eye of the formation!"

"Stop blathering!" Li Yunji suddenly shouted, "Come and help!"

Hearing this, the others snapped out of their stupor, gathered around Li Yunji, and joined forces to strike the formation's eye. The light grew brighter and brighter, and the energy it radiated surged in intensity. The group did not dare to slacken, exerting all their strength until their faces twisted with effort.

*Crack—*

A fissure suddenly appeared in the hemispherical dome. It spread rapidly, white light leaking from the rift and instantly illuminating the entire Beiling City. After a few moments, the dome suddenly collapsed into the core of the formation. The mansion fell into a deathly silence. Under the anxious gazes of the group, the collapsed barrier transformed into tiny specks of starlight, drifting away with the wind like fireflies.

"It really... broke," Yun Tian said, squatting down and panting. He looked up at Li Yunji, puzzled. "How did you find the eye of the formation?"

Li Yunji sheathed his sword, let out a long sigh, and said in a deep voice, "Although I cannot understand the symbols, I can understand the diagrams. The arts recorded in that book all share one common trait: the orientation between the practitioner and the art itself."

Li Yunji recalled, "In the few battles I had against sorcerers, I noticed they always performed their arts from specific directions. After reading that book, I understood that direction dictates fortune. Sorcerers habitually position themselves in a 'lucky' direction to enhance the effects of their arts."

The others listened, confused, but Yun Tian nodded continuously. Orientation was indeed a mandatory subject for any practitioner of the mystic arts, yet he was surprised that Li Yunji had taught himself so quickly.

"You are correct," Yun Tian stepped forward, looking at the stone floor beneath his feet and then at the sky above the mansion. "But based on Tuoba Mu’s positioning, his 'lucky' spot should have been there." He pointed a finger, and a light appeared where he looked.

"Lucky spots are usually around the practitioner," Li Yunji looked into the air, saying calmly, "But kid, don't forget, among us, there are members of the Yun family who are experts in the arts of the esoteric. If Tuoba Mu had played by the rules, this formation eye would have been found within an hour."

A sudden realization flashed through Yun Tian’s mind. He looked at the eye of the formation at Li Yunji’s feet in astonishment.

Li Yunji paused, then continued, "Therefore, it was impossible for Tuoba Mu to place the eye in a conventional lucky spot. Furthermore, the situation was urgent; he didn't have much time to think. He subconsciously set the eye in an 'ominous' spot. It is a matter of human cognitive inertia."

Li Yunji spoke with such clarity that Yun Tian’s eyes widened in sudden enlightenment, looking at Li Yunji with disbelief. Eleven nudged him with her shoulder and chuckled, "Just learn from the Young Master’s wisdom." Yun Tian remained silent, but his gaze toward Li Yunji held a touch more reverence.

"What day is it?" Su Qingmeng asked, looking at the sky.

Yun Tian calculated with his fingers and replied in a deep voice, "Three days until the Heshan Poetry Gathering. We still have time to make it if we leave now."

He prepared to set off, but Li Yunji showed no intention of leaving. He looked toward the west and said solemnly, "Before we go, I need to see someone."

With that, he leaped into the air. Now possessing the strength of a Fourth-Rank martial artist, his speed was astonishing. In the blink of an eye, he arrived at the Zhou family estate. The gates were open, and through the front courtyard, candlelight could be seen flickering in the main hall. The guards bowed as they saw Li Yunji.

Without hesitation, Li Yunji flew to the main hall. Seeing Zhou Li, who looked much older, he bowed and said, "Uncle Zhou."

When he was a child, that was how Li Yunji addressed him. Back then, whenever Zhou Li visited the mansion, he would bring him rare trinkets. In Li Yunji’s memory, Zhou Li was always laughing, as if nothing in the world mattered. But ever since Li Yi had left, Li Yunji had never seen him smile again.

"Your Highness," Zhou Li braced himself and slowly rose. He had shed the confrontational attitude he showed when Li Yunji first returned to Beiling, bowing respectfully.

"Thank you for helping me escape," Li Yunji said quietly. From Zhou Li’s demeanor, he could tell that the arrow had cost him all his cultivation.

Zhou Li smiled faintly. "Your Highness, no need for thanks. You are the rightful master of Beiling; it was my duty."

"So, the Zhou family never defected to the Crown Prince?" Time was of the essence, so Li Yunji asked directly.

Zhou Li nodded slightly. "Jingzhi pretended to defect to the Crown Prince, but in reality, he was secretly gathering evidence. Minister Su had long discovered that the Crown Prince had colluded with the Witch Tribe to hijack the tax silver, but there was insufficient evidence to convict him at the time."

Li Yunji frowned. "Why was Zhou Jingzhi implicated in this case?"

Zhou Li’s eyes reddened, and his voice trembled. "Those so-called bandits who died at Mt. Lu... they were actually the old troops of Beiling."

His words hit Li Yunji like a thunderclap. Zhou Li coughed and continued, "After the Prince died, Beiling was controlled by Li Yi. Many brothers were unhappy with his usurpation and secretly left Beiling to hide on Mt. Lu. Later, when Jingzhi learned of the tax silver case, he was determined to avenge them. He left Taihu Academy and went to the capital alone, lurking by the Crown Prince’s side."

Li Yunji’s brow furrowed, a thousand thoughts exploding in his mind. This meant that Zhou Jingzhi had long been conspiring with Su Ming. Pretending to serve Zhao Heng, he was actually a mole in his inner circle. By using the pretext of merging the academies, he was merely catering to Zhao Heng to lower his guard.

"Your Highness," as Li Yunji pondered, Zhou Li pulled a secret letter from his sleeve. "This is the proof of the Crown Prince’s collusion with the Witch Tribe. I beg you, seek justice for the two hundred and thirty-eight souls who died unjustly on Mt. Lu!"

Li Yunji took the letter without a word, his expression deepening. He bowed to Zhou Li and turned away resolutely.

"I will make that beast pay the price!"

The words echoed in the hall, lingering long after he left. Li Yunji appeared once again in the dark sky above Beiling, his pace becoming more urgent. To proclaim Zhao Heng’s crimes to the world, he had to stay alive.