Chapter 1580: Strange Tales

Having served in the imperial court for many years, she had encountered all sorts of officials. Many of them were not actually productive but acted very diligently, making outsiders believe they accomplished a great deal. Yet, it was precisely these types of individuals who thrived in officialdom, with a higher probability of promotion and advancement each time.

To her, Golden-Badge Eleven appeared to have investigated extensively, but everything he found had already been checked by others. There were no new discoveries; it was all repetitive work. In her opinion, Zu'an was one of these individuals, and she naturally felt some displeasure.

However, the other party was, after all, a Golden-Badge Embroidered Envoy. With Lord Seven gone, if anything truly went wrong, no one would be able to protect her. She certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to reveal her feelings. Unfortunately, she had no idea that Zu'an possessed an anger value system, which allowed him to discern her emotions from the anger values he received in the background.

Zu'an was somewhat puzzled: why did this woman dislike him so much? Could it be that she had a guilty conscience and didn't want him to investigate further?

Leaving the others to investigate different leads, Zu'an took Xiao Jianren and Zhang Zitong directly to Blackwater Pool. On the way, he asked casually, "Did Lord Seven show any unusual signs before the incident?"

Zhang Zitong replied, "Lord Seven has always been taciturn, so nothing seemed out of the ordinary about him. The only unusual thing was that he was exceptionally busy during those days, appearing somewhat preoccupied."

Zu'an then asked, "Where was he originally going on the day of the incident?"

Zhang Zitong shook her head. "How could we, as subordinates, inquire about our superior's whereabouts? The Embroidered Envoys are inherently a secretive profession, let alone a Golden-Badge Envoy."

Zu'an was somewhat frustrated. It was a case of asking three questions and getting no answers; there were absolutely no leads. "What about his belongings?" he asked. "What did Lord Seven leave behind?"

At this point, before Zhang Zitong could answer, Xiao Jianren quickly handed him a booklet. "I've checked Lord Seven's belongings," he said. "They are all registered here, and they include..."

Zu'an nodded slightly. It seemed this old fellow hadn't entirely wasted his time on chasing women these days; he had actually accomplished quite a bit.

Xiao Jianren listed each item, then added, "These are all very common items that many Embroidered Envoys possess. Nothing seems unusual about them."

Zu'an scrutinized the list of items, noncommittally.

Although the city gates were closed at night, Embroidered Envoys were accustomed to moving freely. To avoid trouble, they didn't communicate with the city guard commander, instead finding a secluded spot to climb out. Zhang Zitong and Xiao Jianren both instinctively took out their grappling hooks. A large city like Yijun had defensive formations everywhere, so even as Silver-Badge Envoys, they couldn't simply scale the city walls.

Zu'an frowned slightly. He was short on time and had no leisure to slowly wait for them here. So he grabbed each of them by a shoulder, and with a light touch of his toes, he soared over the tall city wall with them.

Zhang Zitong's lips parted slightly. She had previously observed Zu'an showing no signs of vital energy fluctuations, just like an ordinary person, and had thought he was either someone with connections or skilled in intellectual pursuits. She hadn't expected his cultivation level to be so high. From his display, it seemed he had already reached the Grandmaster level. Wouldn't that place him firmly among the top Golden-Badge Embroidered Envoys?

Seeing her shocked expression, Xiao Jianren felt an inexplicable satisfaction, as if Eleven's prowess also brought him some glory. Speaking of which, Eleven's growth was truly rapid. When he first met him, his cultivation was almost at the bottom among all Golden-Badge Envoys. How long had it been, and he had already broken through to the Grandmaster level?

"Show me the way, where is Blackwater Pool?" Noticing that a significant amount of time had passed, Zu'an didn't put them down after crossing the city wall, deciding to fly them there instead.

"Th-that way," Zhang Zitong stammered, somewhat flustered. In the Embroidered Envoy system of Yijun, she had always maintained a reserved demeanor. Aside from Lord Seven, she was rarely overly enthusiastic with anyone. Although she had experience going on missions with colleagues, she had rarely had physical contact with anyone over the years. This was the first time she had been "intimate" with a man in such a way. Yet, she felt no romantic inclination whatsoever. This was because the other party acted in a purely businesslike manner, seemingly looking down on her low cultivation level. The way he held her by the shoulders, as if she were a small chicken, greatly disheartened her.

Flying was much faster. They soon arrived at a cliff edge, where a waterfall cascaded down. In the distance below, they saw a large pool, its surface steaming with mist.

"That's Blackwater Pool," Zhang Zitong said, pointing downwards. She felt a certain admiration for Zu'an. He had flown for so long while carrying two people, yet he wasn't even flushed or out of breath. At least his cultivation was beyond reproach. Had her initial assessment of him been wrong?

Zu'an glanced downwards. The pool appeared bottomless. The water was clearly transparent, yet from a distance, it looked somewhat dark. This was likely the origin of the name Blackwater Pool.

"Could Lord Seven have fallen into this stream and been washed into Blackwater Pool?" Zu'an asked. He observed the nearby waterfall; its current was extremely fast, and the moss-covered rocks were very slippery. Even a cultivator could accidentally lose their footing.

"Unlikely," Zhang Zitong shook her head. "Lord Seven had no external injuries. Even if a cultivator's body is robust, falling from such a height would at least result in scrapes or bruises, if not fractures. But when I examined him, there was nothing."

Hearing this, Zu'an took the two of them and jumped directly to the edge of the pool below. "So Lord Seven drowned after falling into the water down here?" he mused. "I can't wrap my head around it, no matter how much I think about it." Not to mention a Golden-Badge Embroidered Envoy, even the lowest-ranking Copper-Badge Envoy shouldn't drown in water.

"Are there really no fierce beasts in this Blackwater Pool?" Zu'an asked, using his divine sense to scan and probe. However, Blackwater Pool was too deep, and divine sense didn't have as wide a range in water as in air. After probing to a certain depth, it became difficult to continue.

"No, if there were, our local Embroidered Envoy system wouldn't have absolutely no record of it," Zhang Zitong replied, her tone much more deferential than before.

Xiao Jianren, standing beside her, felt a pang of emotion. He was accustomed to this woman's arrogant demeanor, and her current behavior felt somewhat unusual to him. If I were to become a Golden-Badge Embroidered Envoy, her attitude toward me would probably be much warmer...

"But I've heard some legends about Blackwater Pool, that people often disappear here?" Zu'an mentioned.

Zhang Zitong replied, "We've investigated the cases that occurred in recent years. They were all committed by bandits who murdered and robbed, pushing the blame onto those legends to mislead people."

Zu'an nodded subtly, noting this was almost consistent with the information he had received earlier. "Recently?" he pressed. "What about even further back?"

Zhang Zitong hesitated somewhat, but still replied, "Aside from the cases we investigated, the next recorded incident dates back thirty years. I wasn't even born then, and there are very few old-timers left in Yijun's entire Embroidered Envoy system who were around thirty years ago. No one knows what truly happened back then. However, judging by the case files, they seem to be cold cases. The local populace, being ignorant, spread various strange tales and legends."

Zu'an frowned. It seemed this Blackwater Pool might indeed hold some secrets.

"I'll go down and see." Without waiting for the two to react, he immediately jumped into the water. He possessed the ability of the Azure Duck; after entering the water, he rapidly sank, his figure instantly vanishing from their sight.

Seeing his swift actions, Zhang Zitong was startled. "Will Lord Eleven be alright?" After all, Blackwater Pool was considered an inauspicious place; another Golden-Badge Embroidered Envoy had drowned there previously.