Chapter 32: Getting Acquainted

The main hall of the Aurora Pavilion was immensely vast. Nine vermilion pillars, carved with lifelike exotic beasts, stood tall to support the dome of the entire painted cloud palace, exuding ultimate luxury.

Wind blew through the hollowed wood-carved windows, causing the magnificent curtains to flutter as they hung low. The young people standing throughout the hall were all silent and solemn.

Occasionally, the low whispers of conversation reached Li Musheng's ears, giving him a general understanding of the recent events occurring within the Aurora Pavilion.

"The deaths of those five should have been caused by the Beiqi Meditative Qi. From the looks of it, this Aurora Pavilion is not a very peaceful place."

Li Musheng withdrew his gaze from the woman in the hall and cast a sidelong glance toward a certain spot, lost in thought.

Once everyone had gathered, a middle-aged man dressed in black dragon-fish robes and four eunuchs in purple silk robes walked in briskly.

Following behind the five of them was a group of young eunuchs and armored guards. They marched into the center of the hall with a clatter, their footsteps stopping abruptly with a solemn, imposing aura.

The crowd of young people all turned their gazes toward them simultaneously, and the atmosphere in the hall momentarily grew heavy.

"Gentlemen, I presume everyone is aware of last night's events. We have now found clues regarding the culprit. I request your cooperation with the subsequent investigation by the Tianjin Guards."

Yu Jin, the Suppressor, wasted no time with pleasantries, getting straight to the point.

Upon hearing this, the expressions of those in the hall varied. A young man dressed in scholar's robes was the first to cup his hands in a respectful salute to Yu Jin

"We thank you for your efforts, Lord Yu. As long as the perpetrator can be brought to justice, we will, of course, fully support any arrangements made by the Tianjin Division."

As soon as he spoke, several others quickly chimed in, expressing their agreement with sincere words.

Li Musheng scanned the individuals competing to speak; each possessed an extraordinary temperament, clearly coming from respectable backgrounds, and possessed significant martial cultivation.

At the same time, the head eunuch, An Quan, cast his gaze past the crowd, covertly looking toward Li Musheng in the corner.

Upon seeing his face, An Quan's eyes narrowed slightly, a strange expression surfacing in them.

At that moment, Yu Jin turned back and said with a cupped hand

"I must trouble the eunuchs to examine the Tianquan acupoints of these gentlemen. However, please be extremely careful not to be tainted by that Beiqi Meditative Qi."

Hearing this, An Quan withdrew his gaze imperceptibly, gave a slight nod to the other three head eunuchs, and stepped toward the young people in the hall.

In the corner, Li Musheng raised an eyebrow inwardly

"That old eunuch staring at me is probably that little eunuch's godfather."

He briefly recalled the questioning from Little An earlier, only hoping that these people from the Tianjin Guards weren't too foolish to mistake him for the so-called culprit.

Just then, Li Musheng suddenly noticed that the woman disguised as a man was also looking at him.

Furthermore, after seeing him, she seemed to have discovered something with pleasant surprise and walked directly toward him.

Soon, she stopped in front of Li Musheng, smiling as she cupped her hands in a salute

"I am Li Yuan. May I ask your name, brother?"

Li Musheng sized her up. Her features were handsome, but she had a slight stubble on her chin and an Adam's apple, and her voice was a normal male voice.

However, he was certain she was a woman; the aura between men and women was different, and even the difference between eunuchs and men was significant.

Others might not notice, but for Li Musheng, the distinction was clear.

It was evident that her disguise techniques were extremely superb; she could not only change her appearance but also alter certain prominent physical characteristics, making it difficult to distinguish truth from falsehood.

"Li Musheng."

Li Musheng nodded slightly to her, while simultaneously lowering his voice and asking with a smile

"Is Li Yuan your real name, lady?"

Upon hearing this, the handsome young man before him visibly froze, standing still for a moment.

However, she did not seem panicked. Instead, a brilliant light appeared in her eyes, and she quietly asked via true qi transmission

"How did you know my true identity?"

Li Musheng shrugged and said

"It was natural to tell at a single glance."

However, after glancing at her, he asked curiously

"Aren't you afraid that by admitting it so frankly, I might expose your secret?"

Yet, the young man before him did not answer his question. Instead, she stared at him with burning eyes and asked

"Would you do such a thing?"

Li Musheng rubbed his chin thoughtfully

"I admit I am quite handsome, but do I really look like such a 'good guy'?"

Hearing this, Li Yuanling blinked, staring intently at Li Musheng from head to toe for a long while. Then, her expression suddenly relaxed, and a smile spread across her face.

"Brother Li is very interesting; you are quite different from anyone I have met."

As she spoke, she scanned the hall around her and said

"The Aurora Pavilion is too dangerous right now. It would be best if you stayed by my side, Brother Li. I can ensure your safety."

Now, Li Musheng was truly puzzled. He asked with a suspicious look

"Lady, have we met before?"

"We didn't know each other before, but we do now, don't we?"

Li Yuanling took a folding fan from her waist and flicked it open. The fan revealed a painting of birds returning to a setting sun, looking incredibly elegant

"Brother Li, I feel as though it is a great pity we didn't meet sooner."

Li Musheng looked contemplative and nodded slowly.

*What a riddle-maker.*

However, he could clearly see that this woman in disguise likely "knew" him.

But he had not left Shun'an City for over a decade; aside from Cang Yinyue, how could he have any acquaintances in Shangyang City?

Therefore, it was highly likely that what she recognized was actually his face.

As Li Musheng was thinking, a sudden cry of alarm erupted in the hall.

One of the head eunuchs had discovered Beiqi Meditative Qi in one of the young men, and immediately after, several others were found to be in the same condition.

For a moment, a significant commotion broke out.

The one checking Li Musheng was the head eunuch An Quan, so naturally, he could not find any Beiqi Meditative Qi within Li Musheng's body.

However, when he checked Li Musheng's meridians and found not a single trace of true qi, he was visibly astonished.

Of course, he did not make a scene; he merely gave Li Musheng a suspicious glance before returning to the center of the hall.

In the end, it was determined that a total of ten people, including the young man mentioned earlier, had been secretly infused with Beqi Meditative Qi.

This meant that these ten people would likely die suddenly in their rooms tonight, just like the previous five.

"We must find the culprit who did this as quickly as possible, otherwise more people will be harmed."

Yu Jin's expression was grim. This person dared to kill people willfully right under the nose of the Tianjin Guards; this was a direct provocation to him and the entire division.

Furthermore, among the people in the Aurora Pavilion, the real Seventh Prince might very well be present. If something went wrong, he might not even be able to save his own head.

Just then, a guard rushed into the hall and reported

"My Lord, the people from the Six Doors have arrived."

(End of Chapter)