Chapter 23: Director

Li Musheng nodded lightly.

Those words were indeed quite simple and easy to understand, but...

"Miss Cang, have you forgotten the agreement between us?"

Cang Cang Yin Yue looked at Li Musheng, a hint of hesitation flashing in her eyes; immediately, she turned her head to look ahead and sighed lightly:

"Let's just forget it. My ability is limited, and besides, the tattoo on my face has been there for many years; I am already used to it, so whether it is removed or not actually makes no difference."

Li Musheng smiled and casually patted the horse's back:

"When we reach Shangyang City, I will have only Miss Cang as an acquaintance."

Hearing this, Cang Cang Yin Yue said nothing; after a moment of silence, she took a deep breath, as if finally making a decision, and said:

"Very well. Since I was the one who brought you out of Shun'an City, our agreement stands as before."

Saying this, she turned her head to gaze at Li Musheng:

"However, from now on, you must follow my arrangements. I cannot guarantee it is for your own good, but at the very least, I will not harm you."

Li Musheng touched his chin and nodded.

Indeed, which girl does not love beauty?

Moreover, bearing such a huge "Base" character on one's face—who could stand it if it were anyone else?

With this, Cang Cang Yin Yue, this human encyclopedia, could be used again.

Li Musheng raised his eyebrows; of course, he did not necessarily need her to do anything.

After all, this girl possessed only this level of strength; only her identity within the Secret Intelligence Bureau and her knowledge far surpassing ordinary people could occasionally be of some use in answering his questions.

"When will you remove the tattoo on my face?"

At this moment, Cang Cang Yin Yue continued, asking.

Those clear, cold eyes stared straight at Li Musheng, a hint of expectation faintly flashing within her gaze.

She had not really believed Li Musheng could help her solve the tattoo problem before; she had only held the idea of trying it out.

But along this journey, the other party had given her too many surprises; at this moment, she actually held considerable expectations for Li Musheng.

Otherwise, she would not have taken such a great risk and still chosen to accept the previous agreement.

Li Musheng thought for a moment, his gaze narrowing slightly, and said:

"When we reach Shangyang City, I will naturally act for Miss Cang."

"However, for the sake of safety, I suggest you first obtain the Wu Gong of the 'Bone-Eroding Yin Wind Finger'; this way, when I act with a specific target, the certainty will be greater."

Hearing this, Cang Cang Yin Yue frowned and pondered for a while, then nodded lightly:

"I will do my best."

For the rest of the journey, the two returned to that "harmonious" relationship they had before.

Moreover, after Li Musheng had cashed in a condition in advance,

even though Cang Cang Yin Yue was annoyed to death by his various questions and even felt like vomiting, she could only grit her teeth and tell him everything without holding back.

However, when Li Musheng tried to probe indirectly to find out what exactly this girl was hiding from him,

the other party was extremely tight-lipped, keeping her mouth shut like a sealed bottle the entire time.

Just like that, the two rode two mules and finally arrived outside Shangyang City.

"Once inside the Imperial Capital, do not trust anyone in the Secret Intelligence Bureau except me; indeed, sometimes you should not easily place trust in me either."

Cang Cang Yin Yue reined in her horse and stopped before the towering black giant city, speaking with utmost solemnity to give her warning.

At this moment, Li Musheng looked up at what lay before him, the Imperial City far more magnificent than any city he had seen before, and could not help but marvel:

"Indeed, one must travel everywhere and see more of the world."

This giant city of the feudal dynasty lay across the earth like a sleeping giant; the city walls were towering and boundless, extending to distant mountains and lands that could not be seen.

Although technology in this Martial Way World was not developed, human effort had been pushed to the extreme.

However, building such a magnificent city would be difficult without hundreds of years of accumulation.

"Miss Cang, did not the Secret Intelligence Bureau send you to find me? Why can't you even trust your own backer?"

Li Musheng asked while looking back, and dismounted along with Cang Cang Yin Yue, leading the reins toward the broad city gate that stood ten zhang high.

At the city gate, commoners coming and going were endless; dozens of armored guards, clad in heavy armor and holding sharp weapons, stood guard at the entrance and exit, checking and verifying travel permits one by one; only after confirming there were no problems would they allow passage.

Cang Cang Yin Yue looked at the Imperial Capital they were about to enter, her face shifting for a moment, but she still used true qi to condense a thread of sound transmission and said:

"I originally did not intend to tell you this, but since things have come to this, I think it is better for you to know some things."

"Do you know who is the one wielding the authority of the Secret Intelligence Bureau?"

Hearing this, Li Musheng nodded slightly and said:

"Naturally, it is that great favorite beside Emperor Yuanwu, the Great Li 'Dark Prime Minister' whose true face no one has ever seen."

In these days, Li Musheng had learned quite a lot about the situation in all of Great Li, big and small matters, through Cang Cang Yin Yue and some scattered martial world gazettes.

It was said that this Dark Prime Minister's identity was extremely mysterious; it seemed only Emperor Yuanwu and a very few people had seen him.

Moreover, legend held that this person possessed a seven-orifice exquisite heart, was well-versed in the Wu Gong of a hundred schools, and his Martial Way cultivation was divine; having wielded the authority of the Secret Intelligence Bureau for so many years, he had killed countless people, causing neighboring countries to tremble with fear upon hearing his name.

"What you say is correct; however, you only know that the Director of our Secret Intelligence Bureau is trusted by Your Majesty, but what you do not know is that he is actually the teacher of the Seventh Imperial Prince."

Cang Cang Yin Yue's gaze was dark and indistinct; she looked steadily at Li Musheng and said:

"The Seventh Imperial Prince I speak of is that fake Imperial Prince currently imprisoned in the Great Li Heavenly Prison."

Saying this, she sighed lightly:

"That Seventh Imperial Prince and the Director share a master-disciple bond of over ten years; therefore, you should now understand why I said that."

Hearing this, Li Musheng's face showed a look of sudden realization.

He thought for a moment, then stared at Cang Yin Yue for a while longer before saying:

"Given the Dark Minister's conduct and style, this matter must be a secret among secrets; I'm afraid very few people in the entire Great Li know about it, right?"

Cang Yin Yue nodded lightly and said:

"You need not doubt; I learned of this matter purely by chance. Before today, I have never mentioned it to anyone."

Hearing this, Li Musheng extended a thumb toward her and praised:

"Miss Cang telling me this news shows you are truly loyal and righteous!"

Cang Yin Yue's eyelid twitched; she let out a light huff and said:

"I merely wanted you to know your current situation. After all, you promised to remove the tattoo for me, so naturally I must do my utmost to ensure you come to no harm."

As they spoke, the two had already arrived before the city gate's armored guards.

Before Cang Yin Yue reached out to produce her token, she transmitted a voice secretly:

"The Imperial Capital was already fraught with undercurrents; now, with the matter of the false Imperial Prince, numerous factions are eyeing it hungrily. Not only the Secret Intelligence Bureau, but you must also beware of forces from all other quarters."

Saying this, she handed her Six Gates Constable token to the city gate guard, pointed at Li Musheng beside her, and said:

"Returning from handling a case; this is the wanted criminal I captured on this journey."

Hearing this, Li Musheng was slightly stunned.

Not bad, not bad; before even entering Shangyang City, this Miss had already taught him a lesson.

(End of this chapter)