Chapter 53: The Tianjin Guard

Li Musheng did not care in the slightest whether Sun Changyu believed his words or not.

As for the debt of saving a life, such things were merely words to be heard and forgotten; if one took them too seriously, life would become quite tedious.

One day, if the other party's master ordered Sun Changyu to kill him, Sun Changyu would likely proceed with the killing as required. At most, he would say a few extra words before striking

"A master's command cannot be defied. I can only repay your great kindness in the next life!"

...

Seeing Li Musheng's instructions, the Grand Eunuch Sun Changyu sat down sheepishly and began to fiddle with the tea tray. He asked nothing more, focusing solely on boiling water and brewing tea for him.

This allowed Li Musheng to enjoy a taste of the treatment a prince deserved before he truly became one.

On the other side, shortly after the carriage carrying Li Musheng departed, Song Shanyue, clad in black with a masked face, arrived at the long street.

His figure moved through the curtain of rain, leaving only a residual shadow flickering in the mist.

But soon, he came to an abrupt halt, looking up at the street ahead, which had collapsed and been destroyed beyond recognition, and the five corpses that could not be more dead.

"Am I too late?"

Song Shanyue's heart sank. He approached cautiously to inspect the condition of the five corpses.

After looking, his face was instantly filled with horror.

He did not recognize two of the men in black, but the two swordsmen in green and the Old Man with the Skull-Knocking Bamboo Staff were not unfamiliar to him.

All three were wanted criminals of the Imperial Court, notorious for their evil deeds and countless killings in the martial world. Furthermore, all three were true Grandmasters of the martial arts.

Among them, the swordsmen who called themselves the "Two Heroes of the West Wind" hailed from the "Western Abyss Demon Den," a gathering place for rogue practitioners of the demonic path.

The two relied on the "Pure Wind Demon-Transforming Sword Manual" and were exceptionally skilled in combined assassination techniques. Although they were not as capable of fighting Heaven-Man Realm experts as they claimed, fighting half-step Heaven-Man Realm experts was no problem at all.

The Old Man with the Skull-Knocking Bamboo Staff was also a renowned Grandmaster of great achievement who had been famous for many years; his strength was extraordinary.

Yet, all these people had been killed here, and it appeared they had been killed instantly.

This left Song Shanyue both shocked and filled with lingering fear.

Given the situation, if he had arrived just a little earlier, he would likely have met the same end as these five corpses.

"That person must have a martial arts expert protecting them in secret. This matter is no longer feasible."

Song Shanyue did not dare to continue the pursuit. He immediately turned away from the long street and sped back toward the Aurora Pavilion.

As for Zhang He's request, he could only abandon it for now or look for another opportunity in the future.

But he knew that once Li Musheng's identity was confirmed, assassination would likely become even more difficult.

...

On the rain-misted long street, a luxurious carriage sped along relentlessly. Despite the fierce wind, heavy rain, and rolling thunder, it eventually arrived safely at the Imperial Capital's Tianjin Guard Headquarters.

As Grand Eunuch Sun Changyu led Li Musheng out of the carriage, armored soldiers hurried forward to hold up oil-paper umbrellas to shield them from the rain.

At the same time, Yu Jin, the Suppressor of the Tianjin Guard, had already received news from the Palace and was waiting at the main gate to receive them.

"Eunuch, was the journey smooth?"

Yu Jin's injuries were clearly not yet fully healed, and he asked with a somewhat pale complexion.

Hearing this, Grand Eunuch Sun Changyu gave Li Musheng an imperceptible glance and waved his hand, saying

"There were some complications, but I shall report to the Commander personally."

Upon hearing this, Yu Jin asked no further questions. He glanced at Li Musheng and then led the way, guiding the two into the headquarters.

Outside the main gate, amidst the curtain of rain, the coachman Cao Gaoshan stood by the carriage. Watching Li Musheng's departing back, he reached out to touch the hilt of the blade beneath the seat, wearing a contemplative expression...

Under Yu Jin's guidance, Grand Eunuch Sun Changyu and Li Musheng arrived at a great hall.

The hall of the Tianjin Guard was adorned with carved beams and painted rafters; it was tall and spacious, appearing extremely solemn and majestic.

Yu Jin led Li Musheng and Sun Changyu to stand in the center of the hall.

Directly in front of the three sat a heavy official desk piled with various dossiers. In the seat of honor behind the desk sat a middle-aged man in his fifties.

The man wore purple-gold dragon-fish robes and a gold-threaded cap. His hair and eyebrows were half-white, and his forehead was deeply wrinkled. He was currently looking down, flipping through a dossier in his hands.

On the other side of the desk stood an old eunuch dressed in crimson eunuch attire.

The old eunuch had white eyebrows and no beard, with a white whisk resting on his arm as he sat with his eyes closed in meditation.

However, after Li Musheng and the other two entered the hall, he had already slowly opened his eyes.

"My Lord, Eunuch Sun and the others have been brought here."

Yu Jin bowed with cupped hands. The Commander of the Tianjin Guard, Fu Qiwen, waved his hand and said

"Sit first."

"Yes."

Suppressor Yu Jin complied and immediately led Li Musheng to sit in a grand armchair on the eastern side of the hall.

After bowing to Fu Qiwen and the Director of the Divine Palace, Eunuch Shen, Sun Changyu stood to one side of the hall, just as Yu Jin did.

Meanwhile, Commander Fu Qiwen looked up at Li Musheng, and Li Musheng was likewise observing him.

"Young Master Li does indeed bear a strong resemblance to Consort Jing," Fu Qiwen remarked with a slight nod, his tone gentle.

There was no praise or criticism in his words, but Li Musheng could feel that in that short span of time, the man's gaze had already scanned him thoroughly from head to toe.

As for Li Musheng's objective evaluation of this man—the top authority of the Great Li Tianjin Guard and one of Emperor Yuanwu's most trusted confidants—it was

*Passable, but still not strong enough.*

...

Li Musheng raised an eyebrow, swept a glance over Fu Qiwen and Eunuch Shen, and asked

"When will the verification of my identity begin?"

Hearing this, the eyes of Eunuch Shen, the Director of the Divine Palace, narrowed slightly as he looked at Li Musheng and said

"It can begin at any time. However, before that, I have a few questions I wish to pose to Young Master Li."

Li Musheng rubbed his chin and asked

"Is it that if I don't answer your questions, the identity verification cannot begin?"

"Naturally not. It is just that since this concerns the true identity of the Seventh Prince, it is better to clarify certain matters first."

Upon hearing this, Li Musheng simply waved his hand

"I am not well-acquainted with you. Skip the questioning phase and proceed directly to verifying my identity."

Eunuch Shen was momentarily stunned. He then looked toward Commander Fu Qiwen, who sat behind the desk. The Commander nodded slightly and said

"Young Master Li is a straightforward person. There is no need for questioning; let us begin directly."

Eunuch Shen frowned slightly but said nothing more. After bowing in agreement, he pulled a jade box, vibrant and green, from his wide sleeve and walked up to Li Musheng.

"Young Master Li, please place your finger into the jade box and allow the jade needle to draw blood."

Li Musheng glanced at the jade box, feeling suspicious about whether this thing was reliable; after all, paternity tests in his previous life were not this simple.

However, he did not ask further. He reached directly into the jade box, allowing the upright jade needle to pierce his finger.