Lin Ran originally had some clues, but when he heard Huo Qiyun’s words, he was instantly confused. “Not human? What’s that? Could it be a phone? Is Liu Yuntao actually on the phone with someone else?”
“What’s a phone?”
Huo Qiyun asked in confusion. Before Lin Ran could explain, he shook his head. “Forget it. You can ask her.”
As he spoke, Huo Qiyun took out a small porcelain bottle to shake under Zhou Zhiqing’s nose.
Soon, Zhou Zhiqing opened her eyes, but when she saw the Ten Miles Sword God standing in front of her, her eyes rolled back and she was about to faint again!
“Don’t be afraid! He won’t kill you!”
Only then did Zhou Zhiqing hold on and not faint. However, her face was pale and her body was trembling. It was obvious that she was still frightened.
Seeing this, Lin Ran said in a friendly tone, “As long as you cooperate obediently, I won’t kill you… Tell me about that ‘Supreme Mo’.”
“Yes, I’ll tell you…”
Zhou Zhiqing nodded and took a few more breaths before explaining, “I saw Supreme Mo at the Eight Directional Mountain last night… No, I didn’t see him. I only heard him talking to Liu Yuntao in private.”
“I heard them mention something like Sword Mount and Fate, but I was discovered before I could hear much. After that, I was stunned by a wave of sword intent… I’ve never seen such a strange sword intent. It’s unlike ordinary sword intent, and it gives off a very cold feeling. It felt as if I’ve fallen into an ice cave!”
“Like falling into an ice cave?”
Lin Ran felt that this description was a little familiar, but he couldn’t remember it at the moment. He looked at Huo Qiyun and asked, “Just based on these two descriptions, you’re certain that Supremo Mo isn’t human. Isn’t that a little arbitrary?”
Huo Qiyun pursed his lips. “I didn’t say that I was certain. I just have this feeling.”
Lin Ran’s lips twitched. “Feel whatever you like. The state banquet should be over by now. I’ll go ask His Majesty something first!”
With that, Lin Ran turned around and left. He had made an appointment with the empress last night. After the state banquet ended, she would tell him why Daoist Li looked exactly like the Ten Miles Sword God.
Huo Qiyun could roughly guess what Lin Ran was going to ask. He sighed with a complicated expression and knocked Zhou Zhiqing unconscious again. Then, he took out a porcelain bottle and walked towards the others.
After leaving Mingzhao Hall, Lin Ran went straight to the imperial study. Now that he couldn’t take off the mask of the Ten Miles Sword God, it was much more convenient for him to walk in the palace.
As he had expected, the empress was indeed in the imperial study. When she saw Lin Ran, she couldn’t help but sigh. “Lord Lin, you came so early. Do you really want to know so much?”
“I just don’t want to be kept in the dark by my friend.”
As Lin Ran spoke, he moved a chair and sat opposite the empress. “Tell me, what are you hiding from me?”
“Actually, you’re not the first to pretend to be the Ten Miles Sword God.”
Lin Ran’s expression changed. It was not because the news was shocking, but because he did not expect the empress to be so straightforward!
According to Lin Ran’s previous speculation, even if the empress agreed to tell him, he would still have to nag her.
After half a minute, Lin Ran came back to his senses. “What do you mean? What do you mean that I’m not the first to pretend to be the Sword God?”
“Literally.”
The empress smiled, but there was a hint of bitterness in her smile. “Back then, after Grandpa Sword God went into seclusion, the Great Yong Dynasty in the north began to make trouble.”
“At that time, the Heavenly Saint Dynasty was weak. Once the war started, we would definitely lose. Helpless, my father found someone to pretend to be Grandpa Sword God, hoping to intimidate the Great Yong Dynasty, and that person is Daoist Li.”
Lin Ran nodded in understanding, then looked puzzled. “But if that’s the case, why is Daoist Li guarding Mount Sword? Why is he blind?”
The empress revealed a sly look. “I only said that I would tell you why Daoist Li looks like Grandpa Sword God. As for why he’s blind and why he’s guarding Mount Sword, that’s another matter.”
Lin Ran was speechless. “You’re cheating!”
Lin Ran was frustrated. Suddenly, he thought of something and smiled. “I found out something just now. It might be related to the Great Yong Dynasty.”
Hearing the words “Great Yong Dynasty”, the empress’s expression instantly turned serious. “Tell me!”
Lin Ran smirked. “Then tell me why Daoist Li is blind first.”
The empress’s expression turned cold. “Lord Lin, please don’t forget who you are! You can’t use matters related to the Great Yong Dynasty to bargain with me!”
Seeing that the empress was so serious, Lin Ran realized that he had gone overboard. Although the two of them were considered friends, the empress was still the ruler of the Heavenly Saint Dynasty. When it came to state affairs, she would not show any mercy.
After realizing this, Lin Ran revealed an apologetic expression. Then, he roughly explained the results of Huo Qiyun’s interrogation. After a pause, he added, “At the moment, we’re still investigating the identity of this ‘Supreme Mo’, but if it’s a person, it’s most likely someone from the Great Yong Dynasty.”
The empress thought for a moment and nodded. “Qiyun knows the sects of the Heavenly Saint Dynasty very well. If he says that there’s no such person, there definitely isn’t. However, Liu Yuntao is already dead. How are you going to investigate?”
Lin Ran smiled. “That’s simple. Supreme Mo has been to the Eight Directional Mountain before, so he’ll definitely leave traces. Perhaps he’s still in the mountain. If we act as soon as possible, we might be able to catch him!”
The empress’s eyes lit up. “You are right! I order you to go to the Eight Directional Mountain immediately and find out who this ‘Supreme Mo’ is!”
“Now?”
Lin Ran was stunned. He didn’t expect the empress to be so impatient.
Seeing that Lin Ran was unwilling, the empress suddenly thought of something and teased with a faint smile, “Why? You don’t want to leave after staying in the palace for a few days? Is it because your heart is stolen by one of the consorts in the harem?”
Lin Ran was speechless. “Don’t talk nonsense! According to the previous plan, I should go to the Dao Seeking Sect first. After all, they were really involved in the rebellion. Now that I suddenly have to go to the Eight Directional Mountain, I’m afraid the Dao Seeking Sect will take this chance to flee.”
The empress began to hesitate. “That makes sense. Why don’t you and Qiyun split up?”
Just as Lin Ran was about to speak, he suddenly felt a sword intent rushing over. He instinctively raised his hand and grabbed it. It was a jade token that looked like a small sword. There were actually a few drops of blood on its surface!
Seeing the blood, Lin Ran’s expression changed slightly. He hurriedly infused his divine sense into it and realized that it was a message from Huo Qiyun. It said, “Danger! Return quickly!”