Chapter 31: Key

“Da Qi?”

Xiao Anzi exclaimed in surprise.

Da Qi fell over a hundred years ago; today, the world is dominated by five rival states—so where did this long-lost Beiqi Ming Qi technique come from?

“Could it be remnants of Da Qi causing trouble?”

Xiao Anzi’s gaze shifted, and he quickly thought of one possibility.

An Quan did not deny it, only stared at the young man on the ground, his brows tightly furrowed.

In that moment, he recalled the five dead men in the Ji Guang Pavilion.

“So it’s all because of this Beiqi Ming Qi—hidden within the body, killing without a trace. No wonder we found no clues.”

An Quan murmured to himself: the five men who died in the Ji Guang Pavilion last night had no wounds, yet died suddenly and mysteriously.

Our Tian Jin Wei never found the cause, and finally had to seek help from the Six Gate Bureau—yet now, we’ve accidentally stumbled upon the culprit.

An Quan suddenly turned to Xiao Anzi and asked sharply:

“You just said this was discovered by the new young master who arrived today?”

Hearing this, Xiao Anzi nodded quickly:

“Yes, and it was that young master who specifically told me to examine the Tianquan point—otherwise, I never would’ve noticed the black qi.”

At this, An Quan unconsciously narrowed his eyes and asked further:

“Even though the Beiqi Ming Qi had already invaded your true qi and body, he still intervened to expel it?”

Xiao Anzi nodded again, but when he saw An Quan’s face twist with faint astonishment, he asked hesitantly:

“Dry Father, is there something wrong here?”

“You don’t understand—Beiqi Ming Qi depends on martial qi and blood qi to survive. Once a living person is tainted, it remains unless all life force is extinguished and the body’s true qi and blood qi vanish—otherwise, it stays forever within the body.”

An Quan spoke solemnly, and Xiao Anzi’s heart clenched at the words; he asked doubtfully:

“But how could that young master expel it?”

An Quan shook his head, deep in thought:

“That’s exactly what I want to know. As far as I know, Beiqi Ming Qi is nearly impossible to resolve.”

“Either suppress it with overwhelming martial cultivation, or find someone who cultivates this technique and force them to remove it—there is no other way.”

Hearing this, Xiao Anzi frowned and asked:

“Are you suspecting that young master cultivates Beiqi Ming Qi?”

An Quan nodded, then shook his head:

“I’m not sure. When those five died, he hadn’t even arrived at the Ji Guang Pavilion yet. Besides, he had no reason to help you—doing so would only expose himself.”

As he spoke, he paused to think, his gaze sweeping over the young man on the ground, then ordered:

“Go fetch the case files of this man and the new young master—I need to review them all.”

“Also, this matter is grave. I must consult with the other eunuchs and the Town Commander before deciding.”

With that, An Quan ordered several other young eunuchs to guard the scene, then moved his body in a flash, leaving only a lingering afterimage as he vanished.

…

Li Muxian found his room, inserted the jade tablet into the door’s recess, turned it gently, and the door slowly opened automatically.

“This mechanism is quite refined.”

Li Muxian nodded slightly; it was said that in the neighboring state of Da Zhou, there was a sect called “Lu Gong Divine Hall” that had pushed mechanism arts to their extreme.

Legend claimed this sect built a colossal mechanized city, where every house, street, and wall operated through countless mechanisms, astonishing to behold.

They could even forge massive mechanized warships, giant mechanized beasts, and mechanical men whose strength rivaled powerful martial cultivators…

Thinking of this, Li Muxian sat at the room’s table and pulled out a six-sided wooden box from his robe.

On his journey to Shangyang City, he had already studied the Da Qi secret treasure’s key in depth.

Li Muxian suspected this wooden box might be one of the real keys.

Inside the box lay a strangely shaped magnet with an extremely unique and powerful magnetic field.

Without the box’s casing, iron and stone within a hundred meters would be drawn to it—even hundred-jin heavy iron could be yanked through the air.

“This magnetic field is unusual—it might resonate with other keys. I should carry this box with me; perhaps I’ll get lucky and find others.”

Li Muxian’s expression turned thoughtful as he tucked the wooden box away.

Seeking transcendence in martial cultivation couldn’t depend on this one dead end—he needed other methods.

Shangyang City might hold opportunity—or nothing at all—but Li Muxian still hadn’t decided where to begin.

Of course, if his identity as the Seventh Imperial Prince was real, he might leverage it to find some openings.

But he truly had no desire to get entangled in all these messy factions—it would only bring trouble.

Just then, the young eunuch from earlier knocked on the door:

“Young Master Li, the Tian Jin Wei Town Commander, Master Yu, has summoned everyone to the first-floor hall. Please proceed there.”

Li Muxian opened 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, then glanced left and right before whispering:

“My Dry Father says it’s Beiqi Ming Qi—a secret technique from the Da Qi imperial family.”

As he spoke, Xiao Anzi watched Li Muxian’s expression closely; seeing no reaction, he whispered:

“Young Master Li, you haven’t cultivated this technique, have you?”

Li Muxian glanced at him and said:

“I didn’t even know what Beiqi Ming Qi was—why would I cultivate it?”

With that, he motioned for Xiao Anzi to lead him downstairs to the hall.

Soon, all the prospective Seventh Imperial Princes residing in the Ji Guang Pavilion gathered in the first-floor hall.

Li Muxian stood in a corner, observing the others—all young men his own age.

But he soon found his gaze drawn to one person.

He was a strikingly handsome young master, with skin like white jade, red lips and white teeth, clad in a moon-white robe that radiated elegance.

Yet he clearly sensed this person was a woman.

“Interesting—the competition for Seventh Imperial Prince is intense enough, and now even women are sneaking in.”

Li Muxian rubbed his chin; this woman must be someone important—she’d fooled Tian Jin Wei’s eyes with forged identity, her skills were formidable.

But he wondered: what was she doing inside the Ji Guang Pavilion?

Did she truly think no one could see through her disguise?

The imperial palace was filled with countless experts, and Emperor Yuanwu’s martial cultivation was unfathomable—he’d see through her disguise effortlessly.

(End of Chapter)