Chapter 29: Aurora Pavilion

“What happened?”

Ji Feiyun frowned, reaching out to stop the constable who was rushing forward with his head down.

Seeing him, the two constables quickly halted and said, “Chief Ji.”

They then proceeded to quickly recount the details of finding Guan Shanxue in the restaurant.

“It seems Miss Guan has had her acupoints struck; she is completely unable to move. We tried to help her release the pressure on her acupoints, but we found it impossible, so... we had no choice but to carry her back.”

Hearing this, Ji Feiyun’s frown deepened

“What kind of acupoints are so difficult to release?”

He then waved his hand and instructed the two constables

“Set her down first. I will try.”

The two constables immediately complied, placing the stretcher on the steps within the yamen courtyard.

At this moment, the situation caught the attention of many constables from the Six Doors, and before long, several of them began walking over.

Lying on the stretcher, Guan Shanxue sensed the footsteps approaching from all sides, and at this moment, she felt like she wanted to die.

Normally, because of her father, the Divine Constable, she could come and go freely within the Six Doors headquarters.

She possessed high martial talent, having stepped into the realm of a Martial Arts Grandmaster at a young age. Combined with her elegant beauty and cold temperament, countless young constables in the yamen were willing to fall at her feet.

Although Guan Shanxue had high standards and did not care for these men, she thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of being the center of attention.

However, her usual image was undoubtedly about to be shattered today.

As a dignified Martial Arts Grandmaster, she had defeated every constable in the Six Doors below the top ten famous constables; not a single one was her match.

Yet, she was being carried back to the Six Doors—this was an unprecedented first!

Meanwhile, Ji Feiyun glanced at Guan Shanxue. Knowing she could not speak, he did not ask anything further.

However, to be cautious, he did not recklessly attempt to release the acupoints. Instead, he circulated his true qi and injected it into Guan Shanxue's body to examine the condition of her apertures and meridians.

Before long, Ji Feiyun's expression suddenly turned grim, and he said in a heavy voice

“Just who dealt such a ruthless blow? Aside from a very few life-critical apertures, every other acupoint in her body has actually been sealed!”

Hearing this, the two constables nearby were startled and hurriedly asked

“Chief Ji, what should we do then?”

Ji Feiyun pondered for a moment, then waved his hand and said

“It is no matter. It is merely that a large number of acupoints have been sealed; it will just take more time to release them.”

With that, Ji Feiyun’s fingers flickered rapidly, sending several streaks of true qi into the major acupoints of Guan Shanxue's body.

However, to his immense surprise, these streaks of true qi had no effect whatsoever after entering the acupoints.

The aura sealing Guan Shanxue's acupoints was as solid as a rock, seemingly impossible to shake.

Ji Feiyun knit his brows tightly and immediately exerted his full strength to attempt to strike a single minor acupoint first.

But after dozens of breaths had passed, the result remained the same; he could not release the acupoints on her body at all.

Ji Feiyun reached out to wipe the sweat from his forehead, his gaze shifting uncertainly.

If he couldn't even release a single acupoint, how could he manage when so many were sealed within her?

By now, many Six Doors constables had gathered around. Seeing that something had happened to Guan Shanxue, they all showed expressions of anxiety and hurriedly asked

“Chief Ji, how is it? Why is Miss Guan still lying there motionless?”

Ji Feiyun fell silent for a moment. It was difficult for him to admit something that would clearly cause him to lose face—that he couldn't even release a single acupoint. He simply shook his head and said

“The person who attacked Shanxue was too ruthless. To avoid injuring her, I dare not act recklessly for the moment. I am afraid we will need an expert proficient in acupoint striking to release them.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the many young constables were shocked, but soon people began to work together to find a solution.

They would either seek help from other chiefs within the Six Doors or search for experts in Shangyang City skilled in acupoint martial arts. Of course, some rushed to report the matter to the Divine Constable himself.

At this time, Cang Yinyue, who had just sent Li Musheng to the Aurora Pavilion, happened to return to the Six Doors.

Her gaze swept past the crowd toward Guan Shanxue, who was lying on the stretcher on the ground. She stood there with her arms crossed, watching for a while with an air of composure.

As if sensing her gaze, Guan Shanxue's pupils dilated, filled with both shock and immense fury.

However, after standing for a while, Cang Yinyue walked away as if nothing had happened, showing no intention of helping.

Seeing this, Guan Shanxue desperately wanted to open her mouth to call her back, but she could not make a sound.

Cang Yinyue had previously asked Li Musheng, and he had mentioned that Guan Shanxue's acupoints would release themselves after twelve hours. It seemed this woman had quite a long wait ahead of her!

...

Shangyang City, Aurora Pavilion.

The five-story building, adorned with intricate carvings and paintings on all sides, sat in the very center of the bustling Beishen District, making it the most luxurious restaurant in the area.

However, the usual scenes of bustling crowds and endless guests were gone; instead, the interior and exterior were surrounded by heavily guarded soldiers.

The Aurora Pavilion had now been requisitioned by the Tianjin Guards to house the "reserve" Seventh Princes from various parts of the Great Li Empire.

After completing a series of "check-in" procedures, Li Musheng successfully entered.

The so-called procedures were, naturally, the various proofs Li Musheng used to verify his identity as a Seventh Prince, though Cang Yinyue was the one handling them.

Li Musheng glanced at the side; it seemed quite complicated. One could not simply claim to be a Seventh Prince and move into the Aurora Pavilion.

One had to possess tangible evidence suggesting they might be a Seventh Prince lost among the common people, and receive recognition from the Tianjin Guards to be recorded as a reserve member.

"Ordinary people wouldn't be able to obtain these 'procedures.' From this, it seems that the people in the Aurora Pavilion are, to varying degrees, supported by certain powers behind the scenes."

Li Musheng thought pensively as he followed a young eunuch dressed in azure robes toward his assigned room.

The architecture of the Aurora Pavilion was unique, with high buildings surrounding a massive central courtyard.

The courtyard contained rockeries, ponds, and ornamental trees; even the very center featured a large pond filled with blooming red lotuses.

Every floor of the Aurora Pavilion had a connecting corridor that circled the perimeter. Following the young eunuch along the walkway, Li Musheng looked down into the courtyard and nodded slightly

"The scenery is indeed quite nice."

However, at that moment, an untimely voice suddenly drifted from the corridor ahead

"Another one has come to his death."

Hearing this, Li Musheng looked over. It was a fair-faced young man, leaning casually against the corridor railing while holding a sandalwood folding fan.

The young eunuch, hearing the remark, acted as if he hadn't heard anything, continuing forward with his eyes fixed straight ahead.

But at that moment, Li Musheng suddenly stopped. He stared at the man for a moment and said

"It looks to me like your time is running short!"

(End of Chapter)