No wonder Jiang Wang was so astonished.

Cui Zhu had managed to reach the front of The Imperial Ancestral Temple and fire that shot at Emperor Qi. This was not something a simple power could accomplish.

Take Hell Has No Door, for instance, which now ranks as a notable Assassin Organization in the Eastern Region. Yet, absolutely no Yama could have the opportunity to approach Emperor Qi.

Let alone to attempt an assassination, they would not even have the chance to get close to Emperor Qi.

It would require many years of deep cultivation within Qi Country to possibly achieve this.

Once such a power made a move, they surely had thought through everything from the beginning to the end, so as not to leave any obvious slip-ups that could be quickly caught—if it were that simple, Cui Zhu would have long been thrown into the great prison by the government officials.

"There isn’t," Zhongxuan Sheng shook his head, "Even if there is any progress, Beiyaduwei wouldn’t reveal even a hint of information before a definitive breakthrough is made. This is a matter of losing heads."

Jiang Wang was somewhat puzzled, "Then what do you want to talk about?"

"Let me ask you," Zhongxuan Sheng said seriously. "Before today, had you ever met Cui Zhu?"

"Where would I have met him?" Jiang Wang shook his head. "I only learned of this name when I participated in the master’s ceremony this time."

Zhongxuan Sheng breathed a sigh of relief, "If you’re sure, then there’s no problem. Otherwise, I was worried someone might try to make an issue over the fact that Cui Zhu turned back to speak to you last."

Jiang Wang did not ask why someone would make an issue out of this.

Whether he was blocking someone’s path or it was purely out of jealousy, there were too many reasons.

He had long realized that in this world, people are not all the same.

As he had advised Emperor Qi, "Unified yet divided, loyalty and treachery coexist."

And if someone really did make an issue of it and found evidence that Cui Zhu had met with Jiang Wang, it indeed could be used to seriously smear Jiang Wang, saying Cui Zhu used his death as a step to elevate Jiang Wang.

That’s why Zhongxuan Sheng asked this question. If Jiang Wang had seen Cui Zhu, and where, Zhongxuan Sheng could respond in advance. If he truly hadn’t seen him, then with Zhongxuan Sheng’s methods, he wouldn’t possibly let people have the chance to sling this dirty water.

But speaking of Cui Zhu...

His seemingly meaningless stab before dying, all the efforts that dissolved his body, soul, and life, could not help but affect those who witnessed it.

At that moment, Jiang Wang had to sever distractions to react immediately. Afterwards, he couldn’t help but wonder, what could possibly drive such a man, with a promising future in the military, to rush to his death?

"Before Cui Zhu died," Jiang Wang said, "he claimed he had no regrets."

Cui Zhu’s last words had their sound obliterated on the spot. Though some powerful individuals might still have heard it, clearly Zhongxuan Sheng wasn’t one of them.

Hearing this now made him pause briefly.

Unable to resist discussing it, he said, "Which faction do you think Cui Zhu was from?"

Indeed, this was currently the most concerning issue for the people of Qi Country. In terms of attention, it even surpassed the Yellow River Gathering, though it wasn’t convenient to discuss publicly.

When Jiang Wang faced Emperor Qi, he said that Cui Zhu’s stabbing was not an internal plot to usurp the throne. For looking over Qi Country, truly no one possessed the strength to change dynasties now—the Jiang Royal Family still tightly held supreme power. Any plot to usurp the throne had no foundation.

This viewpoint naturally had its persuasive power.

But to trace the roots and identify Cui Zhu’s mastermind was not something that could be done by mere speculation.

"How would I know?" Jiang Wang shook his head.

"Could it really be someone from Summer Country?" Zhongxuan Sheng mumbled to himself.

During that moment in the square when Cui Zhu screamed his last words, everyone present had heard them, and now it likely spread throughout Linzi.

Those words were—"In the thirty-first year of Shenwu, Cui Zhu stabs Jiang Shu."

The Jiang Shu mentioned in this sentence was indeed the real name of the current Emperor of Da Qi.

As the Son of Heaven controlling the highest power in the supreme ruling country, it had been many years since anyone dared to address him directly by his name.

And "Shenwu" was the era name used by Summer Country. Since the Year 3888 of the Dao Calendar, the war between Qi Xia ended with Summer Country completely withdrawing from the Eastern Region and retreating to the Southern Territory, where they changed their era name to "Shenwu" and continued to this day.

Even if Jiang Wang didn’t know what the era name "Shenwu" represented at that time, he should know now.

He asked doubtfully, "But if it’s someone from Summer Country, what’s the point of such an assassination that was bound to fail? A mere Cultivator from Inner Mansion Realm couldn’t even get past me, how could he assassinate the Son of Heaven?"

"No matter which power is responsible. Since this assassination had no chance of success, that means their goal was not a successful assassination..." Zhongxuan Sheng said, "but the act of stabbing the emperor itself."

Even someone as wise as Zhongxuan Sheng couldn’t touch the truth without any information, but he quickly outlined a certain scope.

"So, was this assassination merely to provoke another war between Qi Xia? The assassin might not be from Summer Country; does the true mastermind behind this want to take advantage like a fisherman?" Jiang Wang asked.

"Whether the assassin is from Summer Country is not important..."

Zhongxuan Sheng suddenly shook his head, then changed the subject, "What’s important is that you might be in trouble. Have you thought about why Cui Zhu chose to die today?"

He explained, "The military is full of experts, and all Qi Jiuzi are elite. Because Wang Yiwu was trapped in death row, Cui Zhu could find an opportunity to participate in the master’s ceremony and join this imperial martial comparison.

And your duel with Lei Zhanqian made it clear to him that he would definitely not be your match next, and he wouldn’t get the spot to participate in the Yellow River Gathering."