Chapter 107: Suolong Well

"Thank you, Mr. Youshan."

Ji Song gently clasped his hands, lowering his drooping eyelids:

"In my old age, I have dedicated my life to Da Li; I have done very little truly for personal gain."

As he spoke, he raised his gaze slowly toward the middle-aged man and Li Que. A sharp glint flashed through his cloudy eyes, and his hunched figure subtly exuded the authority of the Grand Chancellor of Da Li, surpassing a hundred officials, as he said:

"However, today I am willing to be selfish once for those two pitiful daughters, even if it costs me my lifelong reputation and this position of Right Chancellor."

Hearing this, the middle-aged man fixed his gaze on the old man before him, his expression suddenly becoming solemn:

"I know Mr. Ji's determination. Even if I must pay with my life, I will certainly fulfill Mr. Ji's request."

Li Que's thoughts shifted; immediately, he clasped his hands with great solemnity and said in a deep voice:

"Rest assured, my lord Right Chancellor. This matter is my undeniable responsibility; I will certainly spare no effort, mobilizing all the power at my disposal to capture the culprit."

Ji Song nodded slightly, his entire aged body almost curling up in the armchair, and said:

"With the Second Imperial Prince's status and my slight influence, there is no need to worry about any faction in the Da Li court failing to act. As for matters in the Jianghu, I shall trouble Mr. Youshan."

However, as soon as he finished speaking, a sound of footsteps echoed outside the study, and soon a servant came to report:

"Reporting to the two Imperial Princes and the Right Chancellor, the Tianjin Guard has refused the order to capture the culprit."

Upon hearing this, the three people in the study—Ji Song and the others—all froze in surprise.

Reacting, the Third Imperial Prince Li Zhu became instantly furious; he directly struck out with his palm, blasting the study door open from a distance, and shouted with a gloomy face:

"Fu Qiwen has a lot of nerve!"

Ji Song and Li Que exchanged changing expressions; Li Que looked toward the messenger outside the door and asked in a cold voice:

"Why did the Tianjin Guard refuse to capture the culprit? This matter is within their official duties."

The servant outside the study had already prostrated himself on the ground, trembling and whispering in fear:

"The Eighth Imperial Prince said the Tianjin Guard must find the Fire Qilin for him, so... they have no time to help capture the culprit."

"What!"

Li Zhu's tiger eyes widened; his clenched fist suddenly smashed into the red sandalwood chair beside him, shattering it into pieces with flying wood chips:

"He is merely an Imperial Prince whose identity was restored less than a few days ago; he hasn't even had his name entered into our royal Li family genealogy, yet he dares to act so recklessly and disregard us? Who gave him the courage?"

The Second Imperial Prince Li Que's eyes shifted slightly; he also shook his head and rebuked:

"This old eighth is truly too immature and lacks discipline. What is so important about finding a Fire Qilin compared to chasing the culprit? I really cannot understand why the Emperor let the Tianjin Guard get involved with him."

Hearing this, Ji Song did not speak; he narrowed his wrinkled eyelids and slowly looked toward the kneeling servant outside the door, asking:

"Besides that Eighth Imperial Prince, did Fu Qiwen give any reply?"

"Minister Fu never appeared and gave no reply whatsoever."

The servant answered without hiding even a shred of information; Ji Song remained silent for a moment, then waved his hand, ordering him to withdraw.

After a while, he finally spoke:

"This matter should not be solely the will of that Eighth Imperial Prince; Fu Qiwen likely tacitly approved of it as well."

Upon hearing this, the Third Imperial Prince Li Zhu's face instantly turned gloomy enough to drip; he hurriedly moved to go outside:

"No, this matter cannot be left like this; I must go to the Tianjin Guard personally to ask for an explanation."

Seeing this, Li Que wanted to speak out to stop him, but Ji Song shook his head and said in a cryptic voice:

"Let him make a scene; it is good for him to vent. No matter what reason Fu Qiwen has, he should not have ignored us like this; in the end, he is the one in the wrong."

Hearing this, Li Que hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded slightly, saying:

"What the Right Chancellor says makes sense."

Then, he withdrew his gaze from Li Zhu's departing back, his eyes shifting as he looked toward the middle-aged man who had not yet left, and clasped his hands to ask:

"I wonder what this senior's honorable name is?"

Ji Song raised his gaze to look at Li Que once, then took the initiative to introduce:

"Mr. Youshan is the Master of the Tianji Pavilion within the Da Li Realm, his status second only to the Tianji Old Man within the Tianji Pavilion."

"If the Second Imperial Prince is interested, you may associate with Mr. Youshan frequently in the future."

Hearing this, the middle-aged man's expression remained normal; he showed no hint of flattery nor any impatience toward Li Que, simply nodding peacefully.

Meanwhile, after the carriage carrying Li Musheng and Cang Cang Yin Yue had traveled through Shangyang City for nearly an hour and a half, they arrived at the Suolong Well Ward.

The Suolong Well Ward is located at the intersection of Xuanwu Street and Baihu Street, near the central area of the entire Da Li capital, situated exactly adjacent to Longyuan Lake, the city's number one lake.

"It seems those remnants of Da Qi have still not given up on that sword."

Li Musheng reached out to push aside the carriage curtain, his gaze looking outward.

After entering the Suolong Well Ward, one could clearly feel a layer of misty water vapor filling the wind blowing from the northwest direction.

The humidity in the air here was also obviously higher than in other parts of the city.

"The Dragon-Subduing Divine Sword was once a divine artifact of Da Qi used to suppress the fortune of the dynasty; those remnants of Da Qi have likely coveted this object for many years."

"The death of Noble Consort Ji this time has attracted the attention of various factions in the capital; although the city's imperial guards are patrolling more strictly than usual, for them, it is still a very rare opportunity."

Cang Cang Yin Yue spoke softly, guiding the coachman to stop the carriage at a secluded alley.

Then, she slightly discerned the direction of the path and led Li Musheng toward a six-cornered, flying-eave high tower within the ward.

The Suolong Well Ward centers on a thousand-year-old well; four high towers were built in the four directions of east, south, west, and north, and cold iron chains were connected from the foundations of these towers to the four sides of the ancient well, claiming to lock the celestial and earthly dragon veins within the well.

The high tower where Cang Cang Yin Yue and the other arrived was a refined residence where scholars and poets gathered; this building was quiet and elegant, with none of the noise and clamor of a tavern.

"Two honored guests, please go upstairs."

The waiter smiled as he welcomed the two toward a private room upstairs for tea.

Meanwhile, Cang Cang Yin Yue quietly transmitted a voice to Li Musheng using true qi condensed into threads:

"The spies of the Six Gates have already infiltrated and taken root here; we need to find that person to confirm the situation here, and then decide how to proceed."

Li Musheng nodded lightly, signaling Cang Cang Yin Yue to proceed with her own plan.

After a servant brought up a pot of fine tea along with some fruits and sweets, he sat at ease, sipping the tea.

At that moment, Cang Cang Yin Yue pretended to knock over a teacup by accident, scolded angrily with a few harsh words as if furious, then deliberately pushed over a stool in the room, positioning it at a special angle directly facing the open door.

"This is our signal for contact; if the spies stationed in this building see it, they will come to find us on their own."

Cang Cang Yin Yue explained.

Shortly after, a servant in charge of cleaning glanced furtively around, then slipped directly into the room where Li Musheng and the other were.

(End of this chapter)