Why Should We Support

Lu Weilou took a deep breath and continued,

"After discovering this situation, Alliance Leader Yang and I immediately arranged for people to track them."

"Then we found out that these masked men do not live in any city."

Not living in a city?

Gu Chengyin's eyes flickered slightly.

Lu Weilou's voice continued,

"After obtaining the food, they all headed outside the city."

Outside the city.

The desolate wilderness.

Places devoid of people.

"And... what's even stranger is..."

Lu Weilou furrowed his brows,

"The more remote the area, the more agile they became."

"Especially in the high mountains and lofty peaks, they were simply too nimble to be human."

"But precisely because of this..."

At this point, a trace of embarrassment appeared on Lu Weilou's stern face as he said,

"Our men lost track of all of them."

This sudden twist made Gu Chengyin blink involuntarily. He asked hesitantly,

"Lost track of all of them?"

Lu Weilou nodded with some difficulty.

Gu Chengyin looked at Lu Weilou, then at Yang Yifei.

Yang Yifei's complexion didn't look good either.

Both men kept their heads down, looking like incompetent subordinates who had botched a job.

Gu Chengyin shook his head. If it were up to him, he certainly wouldn't have arranged things this way.

The targets were already running into the wild, yet they still followed so foolishly—were they terrified of not being discovered?

But what was done was done. The most important thing right now wasn't to assign blame, but to figure out what to do next.

Although there was no conclusive evidence proving these masked men were of the Monster Race, all signs pointed in that direction.

And the only reason Gu Chengyin was interested was because Gu Xiaoli was a monster herself, specifically a cat monster.

Rounding it up, that basically made her a catgirl loli.

However, Gu Chengyin was merely interested. There was no profit or benefit in this for him.

Why should he support them? Why should he get involved?

Gu Chengyin even wanted to retort: So what if these masked men are monsters?

They were legally and compliantly using their battle merits to exchange for the food and daily necessities they deserved.

They didn't murder, commit arson, or do anything heinous. What the hell did it matter to them?

It couldn't possibly be just to uncover the so-called truth behind the disappearance of the Immortal Race, could it?

Towards such an illusory matter that offered absolutely no benefits,

Gu Chengyin had always held one attitude: let go of the urge to help others and respect their fate.

Seeing that the two had no intention of continuing,

Gu Chengyin finally summarized,

"So you haven't found any solid evidence."

"This is merely a guess based on the anomaly in the faction's battle merits?"

The question was very direct, so direct that it made Yang Yifei and Lu Weilou's faces look even more embarrassed.

But they couldn't refute it, because what Gu Chengyin said was the truth.

They had no evidence.

Only guesses.

Only inferences.

Only a pile of unclear and inexplicable suspicious points.

The pavilion fell into silence.

Only the mountain breeze occasionally blew past, sweeping up a few fallen leaves.

Gu Chengyin looked at the two men opposite him and said nothing.

Yang Yifei and Lu Weilou sat there, heads bowed like prisoners awaiting trial.

Ultimately, it was Yang Yifei who raised his head and took the initiative to speak, saying very sincerely,

"Junior Preceptor Gu, although we haven't found any evidence, this logic is rigorous,"

Yang Yifei's eyes carried a hint of expectation:

"Furthermore, we are intensifying our efforts. We will find evidence very soon, and it's not even impossible that we might capture them directly."

Very soon?

Gu Chengyin didn't speak; he just watched quietly.

Yet it was this calm gaze that made a wave of unease well up in Yang Yifei's heart.

He felt as if he was being scrutinized, scrutinized by a young man who wasn't even as old as him.

After a while, Gu Chengyin finally spoke at a leisurely pace,

"Let's not talk about the future for now."

"Right now, you have nothing, correct?"

Yang Yifei opened his mouth, wanting to argue a bit, but found he couldn't say anything.

Because what Gu Chengyin said was a fact.

Right now, there was no evidence.

Gu Chengyin continued unhurriedly,

"Alliance Leader Yang, Valley Master Lu."

"With this performance of yours, it is very hard for me to believe you."

Yang Yifei's heart tightened, and he hurriedly said,

"Junior Preceptor Gu, we..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Gu Chengyin raised his hand, just a slight lift.

But it was this single action that made Yang Yifei swallow the words that had reached his lips.

Gu Chengyin looked at him, his gaze calm as he said,

"Let's set aside the matter itself for a moment."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across their faces,

"You belong to the Humble Faction."

The Humble Faction.

As soon as these words came out, both Yang Yifei and Lu Weilou's expressions changed.

They subconsciously looked at Wang Gangfeng; including this Imperial Censor of the Censorate, all three of them were from the Humble Faction.

Generally speaking, although everyone had their own respective factions, no one would explicitly point it out.

But now, Gu Chengyin had directly laid the matter out on the table.

Gu Chengyin looked at their reactions and continued indifferently,

"And I am His Highness's man."

Gu Chengyin was the Junior Preceptor of the Crown Prince.

He was Luo Zhao's man.

He belonged to the Crown Prince's Party.

Meanwhile, the three of them were people of the Humble Faction.

Although these two factions were not as incompatible as fire and water, they were by no means in a casual cooperative relationship.

Gu Chengyin's gaze turned serious.

He did not deliberately release any coercive pressure, nor did he even use any cultivation base.

Yet that invisible aura of a superior made Yang Yifei and Lu Weilou feel an immense pressure.

This was a presence honed in the imperial court, an aura forged through countless political struggles.

Yang Yifei felt as though he were being crushed by a mountain, unable to catch his breath.

Gu Chengyin's voice continued:

So, why should I support you?

Why should he support them?

This question pierced straight into Yang Yifei's heart.

He opened his mouth to speak, only to find that he couldn't utter a single word.

Because Gu Chengyin was right.

In terms of competence, the two of them didn't even have concrete evidence. They wanted Gu Chengyin's backing based solely on a bunch of speculations?

On what grounds?

In terms of factions, they belonged to the humble-born faction, while Gu Chengyin was a member of the Crown Prince's party.

Instead of seeking the backing of Hu Juzheng or Yuan Zhengqing, they came to him, the Junior Preceptor of the Crown Prince?

What gave them the right?

Yang Yifei and Lu Weilou looked at each other, both seeing the helplessness in the other's eyes.

And the bitterness.

Yes, bitterness.

Was it that they didn't want to seek out Hu Juzheng? Or Yuan Zhengqing?

These two were the leaders of the humble-born faction. One was the Second Minister of the Grand Secretariat, and the other controlled the Chief Surveillance Bureau and the Ministry of Justice.

They were truly prominent figures in the imperial court.

But would it be of any use?

Yang Yifei recalled the missives he had submitted, the replies that had sunk like stones in the ocean, and the polite rejections.

Being able to dispatch Wang Gangfeng was already a tremendous show of support.

After all, there was no solid proof.

After all, the Grand Secretariat was far away in the Divine Capital.

They couldn't possibly mobilize a massive effort over mere speculation, could they?

Therefore, they had no choice but to come to Gu Chengyin, to try and persuade this important figure from the Divine Capital.

Yang Yifei took a deep breath, suppressing the turbulent emotions in his heart, and looked at Gu Chengyin.

He had to convince this Junior Preceptor of the Crown Prince.