Secular Immortal of the Nine Realms - Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Searching Via Astral Projection

“Your Highness, why can’t I enter the Minister of Military Personnel’s manor?” Fang Chen asked as he eyed the crown prince with his grayish-white eyes.

Contempt flashed across the crown prince’s eyes as he said, “You are a criminal for wreaking havoc in the Greenpine Superior Dojo last night. What right does a criminal have to step into the manor of our Minister of Military Personnel?”

“The official from the Court of Great Brilliance, come here for a moment.” Fang Chen beckoned with his hand.

Taken aback, the official worriedly walked up to them. He first bowed to the crown prince before turning to Fang Chen.

“You’re more well-versed with the law than us. Am I currently a criminal?” Fang Chen asked.

The crown prince looked at the official with sharp eyes. “What’s your name?”

“I am Rectifier Yuan Zhuang from the Court of Great Brilliance,” Yuan Zhuang respectfully replied.

“Good. You better explain to War supreme-ruler Fang whether he’s a criminal or not.” The crown prince nodded as he eyed Yuan Zhuang menacingly. He didn’t bother to be subtle since Fang Chen couldn’t see.

There was no need for him to conceal it since Fang Chen couldn’t see.

While Yuan Zhuang was thinking it through, the constables beside him were profusely sweating. Seconds later, he slowly spoke up, “According to the rules, War supreme-ruler Fang has to first enter the Court of Great Brilliance and be deemed guilty of his charges before he’s considered a criminal. Since he hasn’t been to the Court of Great Brilliance yet, he still isn’t a criminal from the eyes of the law.”

The crown prince’s complexion turned awful. He glared at Yuan Zhuang.

Yuan Zhuang revealed a bitter smile, knowing that he had offended the crown prince. shit! There’s no way I would have taken on this accursed job if I knew it would turn out like this.

“Did you hear that, Your Highness?” Fang Chen asked with a smile. “Minister Ye has agreed to let me search his manor. If Your Highness has no other grounds to deny me, I’d have to ask you to let me through.”

He paused for a second before adding, “Could it be that Your Highness is aware that Xiao En is hiding in the manor and wishes to protect him, so you decided to hinder my investigation?”

The civilians’ expressions visibly changed upon hearing those words.

“Search my manor all you want, but don’t you frame His Highness. There’s no way His Highness would protect a Greenpine martial artist!”

“Very well,” Fang Chen said before entering the manor.

The crown prince coldly watched Fang Chen’s back as he told Yuan Zhuang, “The Court of Great Brilliance sent you here to apprehend him, but you allowed him to roam free and even barge into the Minister of Military Personnel’s manor. This is a breach of duty.”

“Your Highness, I’m in a spot too. None of us are a match for War supreme-ruler Fang if things get ugly. I’ve heard that War supreme-ruler Fang has regained his martial cultivation, making him the only fourth stage Ki Manifestation expert of our Great Xia…” Yuan Zhuang said in resignation.

The imperial court would have to assign an army of at least a thousand men armed with the best equipment to him if they truly wanted him to apprehend such a person, but even so, he still wouldn’t be confident that he could capture Fang Chen alive.

“Our Great Xia is in decline because our imperial court is filled with useless people like you.” The crown prince harrumphed before leading his people into the Minister of Military Personnel’s manor too.

Yuan Zhuang’s complexion turned awful. A few seconds later, he laughed self-deprecatingly before saying, “Let’s go in too. War supreme-ruler Fang wouldn’t have come here for no reason. Let’s see if there’s a Greenpine remnant here.”

He led his constables into the manor too.

Shortly after Fang Chen entered the manor, he suddenly stood still on a single spot.

Ye Qinghe smirked as he secretly heaved a sigh of relief. “You might possess incredible means, but you aren’t an immortal. There’s no way you can find Xiao En as long as he conceals himself well.”

He had lost himself earlier out of a guilty conscience, but his heart was put at ease now that he remembered the measures he had taken. There was no way War supreme-ruler Fang could find Xiao En, at least not in the spur of a moment.

“War supreme-ruler Fang, when do you intend to start searching? My manor is a small ‘Four Entrance Residence’. There aren’t many places to hide here.” Ye Dongming smiled and stroked his beard upon seeing that Fang Chen had fallen still.

But Fang Chen didn’t reply.

That left Ye Dongming feeling awkward.

The crown prince sneered, “War supreme-ruler Fang, aren’t you here to look for someone? You do know that you won’t find anything standing here.”

There was still no response from Fang Chen.

One was the Minister of Military Personnel, whereas the other was the crown prince. They were two highly important figures in Great Xia. Yet, Fang Chen disregarded the two of them as if they were nothing.

The crowd was a little shaken.

“So this is War supreme-ruler Fang! I’m truly lacking,” Yuan Zhuang thought.

Others couldn’t tell, but Fang Chen had drawn out his soul via and was searching every inch of the manor from above. Through his soul, he could see, or rather, sense, much more than his eyes.

There were thirty rooms in the manor, and Xiao En was not in any of them.

However, Fang Chen didn’t lose his patience. He was certain Xiao En was inside the manor, and someone would have informed him if the latter had escaped.

Seconds later, he noticed something amiss with a fake hill not too far away. He charged into the fake hill with his soul and discovered a hidden chamber. Xiao En was seated cross-legged in the hidden chamber, his ears twitching as he listened to the movements outside.

“Fang Chen, I’ll never forgive you for killing my father. I’ll definitely kill you with my own hands in the future. As for Ye Qinghe, how dare a Great Xia scum use me as leverage for his future? What a joke!” Xiao En uttered with a vicious glint in his eyes.

Fang Chen chuckled at that sight before pulling his soul back into his body.

“Minister Ye, that’s a unique fake hill you have. Who did you hire to construct it? I’d like to have one in the Fang Manor too.” Fang Chen pointed at the fake hill not too far away and smiled.

Ye Dongming frowned. Ye Qinghe started sweating profusely. The crown prince had a nonchalant expression which suggested that he was unaware of the fake hill’s secret, but that didn’t stop Fang Chen from doubting him.

The crown prince is likely the one who ordered Ye Qinghe to protect Xiao En.

“War supreme-ruler Fang, are you searching for a person or admiring my scenery?” Ye Dongming sneered.

“I am both searching for a person and admiring the scenery. If I hadn’t come here in person, I would have never known that there’s a secret behind your fake hill,” Fang Chen said.

With a wave of his hand, he unleashed a lightning bolt on the fake hill.

The fake hill was blown into smithereens, revealing the door of a secret chamber underneath.

The crowd was startled. Half of it was due to Fang Chen’s means, whereas the other half was due to the revelation of a secret chamber beneath the fake hill.

Ye Dongming was stunned. Even he was unaware of the secret chamber beneath the fake hill.