Chapter 31: The Key

"Great Qi?"

Xiao Anzi cried out in shock.

The Great Qi dynasty had fallen over a hundred years ago, and currently, the five nations of the world were locked in a struggle for supremacy. So, where could this Beiqi Mingqi cultivation technique, which should have long since vanished, have come from?

"Could it be the work of remnants from the Great Qi?"

Xiao Anzi's eyes flickered as a possibility quickly came to mind.

An Quan did not deny it; he merely stared at the young man on the ground, his brow furrowed deeply.

For a moment, he thought of the five people who had died in the Aurora Pavilion.

"So, it was all because of this Beiqi Mingqi. It hides within the body and kills invisibly; no wonder we couldn't find any clues."

An Quan muttered to himself. The five people who died in the Aurora Pavilion last night had no visible injuries, yet they had died sudden, mysterious deaths.

The Tianjin Guards had been unable to find the cause, and in the end, they could only turn to the Six Doors. He hadn't expected that they would unexpectedly find the culprit like this.

An Quan suddenly turned to look at Xiao Anzi and asked in a sharp voice

"You just said this was discovered by the gentleman who arrived today?"

Hearing this, Xiao Anzi nodded hurriedly

"That's right. Moreover, it was that gentleman who specifically told me to check the Tianquan acupoint; otherwise, I wouldn't have discovered that black mist at all."

At this, An Quan unconsciously narrowed his eyes and continued to ask

"By the time the Beiqi Mingqi invaded your true qi and body, was it also he who stepped in to help disperse it?"

Xiao Anzi nodded again, but seeing the look of extreme astonishment on An Quan's face, he asked somewhat confusedly

"Godfather, is there something wrong with this?"

"What you don't know is that Beiqi Mingqi relies on martial true qi and blood qi to exist. Once a living person is tainted by it, it will only dissipate when their life force is exhausted and the true qi and blood qi in their body vanish. Otherwise, it will remain within the human body forever."

An Quan spoke with a grave expression, which left Xiao Anzi terrified. He asked doubtfully

"But that gentleman was able to disperse it. Why is that?"

An Quan shook his head and mused

"That is also what I want to know. As far as I know, Beiqi Mingqi is almost impossible to resolve."

"Either it must be suppressed by powerful martial cultivation, or one must find the person practicing this technique and force them to deal with it. There is no other way."

Hearing this, Xiao Anzi frowned and asked

"Could it be that you suspect that gentleman practices the Beiqi Mingqi?"

An Quan nodded, then shook his head and said

"I am not certain. When those five people met with their fate, he hadn't arrived at the Aurora Pavilion yet. Furthermore, he had no reason to help you, as doing so would only expose himself."

As he spoke, he pondered for a moment, his peripheral vision sweeping over the young gentleman on the ground, before he commanded

"Go and bring me all the files regarding this person and the new gentleman. I want to verify everything."

"Additionally, this matter is of great importance. I need to discuss it with the other eunuchs and the Grand Protector before making a decision."

With that, An Quan instructed several other young eunuchs to guard the area, then, with a movement of his body, he left behind a residual shadow and vanished from the room.

...

Li Musheng found his room, inserted the jade token into the groove of the door, and gave it a gentle twist. The door before him slowly opened automatically.

"This mechanical art is quite exquisite."

Li Musheng nodded slightly. It was said that in the neighboring country of Great Zhou, there was a sect called the "Temple of the Divine Craftsman" that had pushed mechanical arts to their absolute limit.

Legend had it that this sect had not only built a massive mechanical city, but the houses, streets, and walls of the entire city were all operated by countless mechanisms, a sight to behold.

Moreover, they could craft massive mechanical warships, giant mechanical beasts, and mechanical humans with strength comparable to powerful martial artists...

Thinking this, Li Musheng sat down at the table in his room and took a six-sided wooden box from his robe.

On his way to Shangyang City, he had already thoroughly studied the key to the Tianqi Secret Treasury.

Li Musheng discovered that this wooden box was very likely one of the true keys.

Hidden inside the box was a strangely shaped magnet that possessed an extremely unique and powerful magnetic field.

Without the protection of the wooden box, any iron or stone within a hundred-meter radius would be attracted to it; even heavy iron weighing hundreds of catties could be pulled flying toward it.

"This magnetic field is very unique. Perhaps it can create some kind of resonance with other keys. I can carry this box with me at any time; if I'm lucky, I might encounter other keys."

With a thoughtful expression, Li Musheng put the wooden box away.

Seeking transcendence through martial arts could not possibly depend on a single "crooked tree"; he would have to find other ways.

Perhaps opportunities existed here in Shangyang City, or perhaps there was nothing at all, but at this moment, Li Musheng had not yet decided where to begin.

Of course, if his identity as the Seventh Prince were real, he might be able to find some opportunities through it.

But he truly did not want to get involved in all sorts of messy factions, which would undoubtedly be a troublesome affair.

Just then, the young eunuch from before came to knock on the door

"Master Li, the Grand Protector of the Tianjin Guards, Lord Yu, has summoned everyone to the main hall on the first floor. Please make your way there."

Li Musheng pushed open the door, glanced at the young eunuch, and asked casually

"Did you find out what that black mist on the boy was?"

Hearing this, Xiao Anzi hesitated for a moment, looked left and right, and whispered

"My godfather said it is Beiqi Mingqi, a secret cultivation technique originating from the Great Qi imperial family."

While saying this, Xiao Anzi kept observing Li Musheng's expression. Seeing that there was nothing unusual, he asked in a low voice

"Master Li, you wouldn't happen to practice such a technique, would you?"

Li Musheng glanced at him and said

"I don't even know what Beiqi Mingqi is. Why would I practice such a thing?"

With that, he had Xiao Anzi lead him down to the main hall.

Before long, the prospective Seventh Princes residing in the Aurora Pavilion had all gathered in the first-floor hall.

Li Musheng stood in a corner of the hall, observing the people around him; they were all young people of his age.

However, his gaze was quickly drawn to one person.

It was a very handsome young gentleman, with a face like white jade and lips as red as cherries. His moon-white robes gave him a striking presence.

But he could clearly perceive that this person was a woman.

"Interesting. The competition and pressure for this Seventh Prince identity are at their peak; even women are sneaking in to join the fray."

Li Musheng rubbed his chin. This woman surely had a significant background; to be able to forge an identity and deceive the eyes of the Tianjin Guards, her methods were certainly impressive.

However, what puzzled him was what this woman intended to do by entering the Aurora Pavilion.

Did she really think no one could see through her true nature?

One had to realize that the Imperial Palace possessed countless masters, and the martial cultivation of Emperor Yuanwu was unfathomable; seeing through someone's disguise would be effortless.

(End of Chapter)