Chapter 3436 — Sending Someone to Investigate

"It is like this. Four of my best people came over here to take care of some business, and then they suddenly went silent!" Miss Lan said.

"Four of your best? How strong were they? When did this happen?" Ancestor Xuanchen was taken aback, somewhat surprised inwardly. He had not expected Miss Lan to bring people along—but what level of experts were these?

"Four experts at the peak of the late Heaven rank, at the Great Perfection of their strength. This afternoon, after they went off to handle their business, they lost contact with my headquarters people—and we still cannot reach them." Miss Lan held nothing back now; after all, if she did not give Ancestor Xuanchen even these details, where was he supposed to start looking?

"What?! Four experts at the peak of the late Heaven rank, Great Perfection of strength?" This time Ancestor Xuanchen was utterly shocked. He had not imagined that the Center had such depth and strength, to be able to send out four late-stage Heaven rank peak Great Perfection experts all at once!

He had thought they had only done research in technology and the modification of bio-humanoids, never expecting that they also kept hidden experts in reserve. Even Ancestor Xuanchen had known nothing of these experts—so others certainly would not know of them either.

Still, once his shock passed, he asked, "Where did they go, and what were they doing? And don't worry yourself too much, Miss Lan. With the strength of those four, they are practically invincible here on our side. Unless our Five Luminaries Sect steps in, there is truly hardly anyone who could hold them back!"

Ancestor Xuanchen did not blame Miss Lan for not mentioning this beforehand. Although the Five Luminaries Sect belonged to the Central Plains of Huaxia, that did not mean every cultivator in the Central Plains fell under the Five Luminaries Sect's jurisdiction.

Besides, Ancestor Xuanchen and Miss Lan were in a cooperative relationship. By both sentiment and reason, he ought to lend his strength and help resolve this matter.

"It happened like this." Miss Lan did not conceal much either. She began with the Devil's Trial, with a guest elder of the Overseas Cultivators Association seizing her Center's legacy, and went on until they had waited for that guest elder to return to the Central Plains of Huaxia before making their move...

"The Overseas Cultivators Association, eh!" After hearing her out, Ancestor Xuanchen felt some displeasure that Miss Lan had acted against one of her younger brother's subordinates—but the man was, after all, only a guest elder, so he let it go. Moreover, the man had already returned, so his ties to the Overseas Cultivators Association were no longer significant. "That guest elder—does he have any backing here in the Central Plains?"

"According to our investigation, none!" Miss Lan said. "That guest elder's real name is Song Lingrui. He is from the Song family, a secular clan. How could a clan of that caliber have any backing?"

"What?!" Upon hearing the names Song Lingrui and the secular Song family, Ancestor Xuanchen gave a violent start and slapped the table as he rose. "Miss Lan, what did you say? This Song Lingrui is from the secular Song family?"

"That is right... Mr. Xuanchen, what is that expression on your face?" Miss Lan looked at the utterly shocked Ancestor Xuanchen with some puzzlement. In her eyes, Ancestor Xuanchen had always been a most steady man, seldom showing such an appalled expression. "Could the Song family—a mere secular clan—still have backing at the ancient level? If so, why would they be content to remain merely a secular clan?"

"The Song family, though only a secular clan, and though it is true they have no backing at the ancient level, still has a far more formidable patron—one who gives even me a great deal of trouble..." Ancestor Xuanchen smiled bitterly and said, "In fact, Miss Lan, you have likely heard of him as well. That man is Wei Zhao!"

"What?! Wei Zhao?" Miss Lan was stunned for a moment, then her brows knitted tightly. "This Wei Zhao... could he really have killed four experts at the peak of the late Heaven rank, at Great Perfection? That seems impossible, surely?"

"By common reasoning, it is indeed impossible—but I fear he may have called in some outside aid, such as the Paoli clan. My disciple Xiao Yi was killed by men of the Paoli clan at Wei Zhao's behest," Ancestor Xuanchen said with some helplessness. "If the Paoli clan has a hand in this, then it truly is possible..."

Miss Lan's expression shifted again and again. At last she said, "Then, Mr. Xuanchen, do you have a way to handle this?"

"In my view, the pressing matter is first to investigate whether this affair has any connection to Wei Zhao at all—and if so, what sort of connection, and whom Wei Zhao enlisted to do it!" Ancestor Xuanchen thought for a moment and said, "The key question is to search carefully for those four people—whether any of them are still alive, or whether they have already perished!"

"Very well. I will leave this matter in your hands, Mr. Xuanchen. As for the grade-one and grade-two automated medicinal cauldrons, I will have Dr. Benjamin II and his people push the research and production forward with all speed! We will bring them to market as soon as possible!" Miss Lan said.

"Mm." Ancestor Xuanchen nodded, then called toward the door, "Xiao Er, come in a moment!"

"Yes!" Xiao Er's voice came swiftly, and with it Xiao Er stepped into Ancestor Xuanchen's room. "Master, you called for me?"

"It is like this. Take Kang Zhaoming and go to Yanjing City at once. You are to investigate a matter. It is like this..." Ancestor Xuanchen recounted the disappearance of Miss Lan's four people at the hands of the secular Song family, then said, "Be careful in this matter, and listen to Zhaoming's counsel. The boy is rather sharp. If there truly are formidable enemies over there—men of the Paoli clan, say—do not clash with them head-on, understand?"

"In that case, let Zhao Guangyin, Mian Huatang, and Zhao Qibing go along to protect Kang Zhaoming. Your son-in-law's strength is rather low—we wouldn't want him to suffer a loss!" Miss Lan thought for a moment and said, "After all, he will be doing work for our Center!"

"Oh? Then I thank you, Miss Lan!" Ancestor Xuanchen was overjoyed. At the Heaven rank trial, he had originally intended to have Kang Zhaoming bring three of the Zhao family's experts along—but he had not yet raised it with Miss Lan and had not known whether she would agree. Yet now, before he could even speak, Miss Lan had proposed it herself, which delighted Ancestor Xuanchen greatly!

When the trial came, Kang Zhaoming could bring those three along to take part—and that would be only natural.

"No need for thanks. I only hope you can find out the whereabouts of our Center's four people as soon as possible!" Miss Lan waved a hand. The three Zhao family experts were merely modified test subjects, not particularly important to her—and those four experts had their flaws as well, so the Center did not care much about them either. "Then I will go rest first, and wait for word from your side, Mr. Xuanchen!"

"Rest assured, Miss Lan. The moment there is news here, I will notify you at once," Ancestor Xuanchen said with a nod.

After Miss Lan left, Ancestor Xuanchen sent Xiao Er to find Kang Zhaoming and the others to arrange the trip to Yanjing City...

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