A Breakthrough In Investigation

Chujiu sat by the window, her breakfast dishes cleared away but her mind cluttered with urgent thoughts. The morning sun streamed in, casting a warm glow around her, but its brightness couldn't dispel the dark cloud of concern that hovered in her eyes.

Its been 3 days already since she discovered the threat.

She'd been in this world long enough to grasp certain realities, and one truth stood out starkly: the danger posed by dark energies. In her studies and observations, Chujiu had come to understand that these malevolent forces could infiltrate a person's body in only two ways—through the very air they breathed or the food they consumed. But dark energies cannot enter one's body easily, there should be a substance which can absorb them to the bodies.

A wave of realisation washed over her. If an individual possessed a dark element spirit root, these energies might serve as a source of strength or vitality.

But for those not so endowed, the consequences could be dire. The dark energies would act like a corrosive agent, eating away at the body's meridians—those vital pathways that facilitated the flow of spiritual energy—and wreaking havoc on their physical well-being.

How did the substances entered the systems of the Lin family members. It seems to be a mass operation because all the members including the servants got affected. She did not check the guards and all the servants but she is sure, most of them got affected.

She had a vague understanding of enemies plan, they want to cripple the Lin family all at once and attack them or annihilate them in one full swoop.

Good plan but it is destined to fail, as long as she is alive even if she is weak she will not let her enemy succeed. No matter what and no matter what sacrifice she has to make.

"Ugh, life just loves throwing curveballs," Chujiu grumbled. Her amazing Lin family was in a tight spot. The Dark Energy – This is threatening their health and cultivation. It couldn't have come from within, though. This whole situation felt fishy. That dark substance must be coming from outside.

Even after searching the whole manor, she could not find substance... not even a single lead is present. Nobody in the manner seems to possess it. 

The modern world did not have cultivation or spiritual energies, so people there developed skills and obviously use much brain power than the people here. Here in this world, people are habituated to use cultivation powers and hence they have less manual skills. Hence use less brain power. 

They cultivate soul power.

So, its not easy for spies to escape her eyes. She was a top spy herself, even though she lacks cultivation power, she can easily read people through their body language.

Chujiu's eyes narrowed as she connected the dots. "This isn't an inside job; it can't be," she thought, her mind racing. "Someone, somewhere, has deliberately brought this harmful substance into our midst, infiltrating the Lin Manor."

'But everything that comes into our house gets inspected carefully by our loyal servants. This doesn't make sense!'

A chill ran down Chujiu's back, but she forced it down. She had to stay strong and figure this out.

With this clarity, Chujiu knew she had to act fast. The first step is to investigate who would involve scrutinising the daily operations of the Lin household, particularly those responsible for procuring and distributing food and supplies. It was a daunting task, akin to finding a needle in a haystack, but she had no choice. Lin family is too big with several courtyards, servants and hundreds of guards stationed everywhere in the household.

So thousands of supplies are brought from several sources every week. Including the main Lin family members, there are also children from branch families staying in the main household.

Lin family train all the juniors from main and branch families in their special training grounds. So all the children and youngsters stay in the main household until they come to a certain age before leaving to their designated jobs.

Lin family have several businesses, resource supply chains and stations with armed forces where people are required to work.

All these juniors take up those positions depending on their qualifications.

Currently there are 1000+ people in the Lin family main house.

So Chujiu's task to find the culprit is not going to easy. 

Rising from her seat by the window, Chujiu is determined to find the source. She needed to mobilize quickly but discreetly, gathering information and observing patterns without arousing suspicion. This operation has to be done carefully without raising any suspicion.

As she mapped out her plan of action, Chujiu couldn't help but feel a twinge of apprehension. What if she failed? What if her efforts proved futile in the face of an unseen enemy?

Pushing those negative thoughts aside, Chujiu focused on what she could do. She knew she was smart and resourceful, and that would help them solve this problem.

The hours ticked by as Chujiu delved deeper into her investigation. She consulted household records, interviewed staff discreetly, and even ventured into the kitchens and storerooms under the guise of routine inspections.

All the while, she maintained a facade of calm and composure, unwilling to reveal her true intentions or suspicions.

Soon 2 weeks passed, and still, Chujiu remained vigilant.

Her efforts began to yield results, albeit slowly.

Chujiu started digging more deeply. She checked supply records, noticed some servants acting strange, and even caught a suspicious package coming to their house! Each clue took her closer to the truth, but who was behind it all? That is still a mystery.

Then, one fateful evening, a breakthrough occurred. While reviewing kitchen items brought from the main entrance, Chujiu spotted a familiar face—one she'd least expected to be involved in the conspiracy. One of the boxes she brought seems to have something that is surrounded by dark element energy.

Chujiu has been cultivating dark element since she has been receiving it. Her enemy is the source and she had to thank the people involved properly.

Along with others in the Lin family, Chujiu's body had that particular substance as well. But since she has dark element spiritual root, it turned out to be boon and she started wildly absorbing dark energies from the surrounding areas.