Chapter 32: Acquaintance

The grand hall of the Ji Guang Pavilion was immensely spacious, nine pillars carved with lifelike mythical beasts rising to support a ceiling painted like a cloud palace, exuding extreme opulence.

Wind blew through the latticed wooden windows, causing luxurious curtains to sway and flutter; the young men standing throughout the hall remained silent and solemn.

Occasionally, someone whispered a low remark, and when it reached Li Muxian’s ears, it gave him a general sense of recent events within the Ji Guang Pavilion.

“The deaths of those five were surely caused by Bei Qi Ming Qi—this suggests the Ji Guang Pavilion is far from peaceful.”

Li Muxian withdrew his gaze from the woman in the hall, his peripheral vision flicking toward a corner, his mind deep in thought.

After everyone had arrived, a middle-aged man clad in a black dragon-fish robe, along with four eunuchs in purple silk robes, hurried in.

Behind them came a group of junior eunuchs and armored guards, their footsteps clattering to a sudden halt at the center of the hall, the atmosphere instantly stern.

All the young men turned their gazes toward them; the atmosphere in the hall grew heavy.

“Gentlemen, you are all aware of last night’s incident. We have now found leads to the killer. We ask for your cooperation with the Tian Jin Guard’s investigation.”

Zhen Fu Shi Yu Jin wasted no time; he spoke directly and bluntly.

Hearing this, the crowd in the hall reacted with varied expressions; a young man in a Confucian robe stepped forward first to bow respectfully to Yu Jin:

“We are grateful, my lord. As long as the killer is caught, we fully support any arrangement made by the Tian Jin Bureau.”

Upon hearing this, several others quickly spoke up, earnestly voicing their agreement.

Li Muxian scanned the men vying to speak—each carried an air of distinction, clearly of noble birth, and all possessed considerable martial cultivation.

Meanwhile, the senior eunuch An Quan’s gaze swept past the others, subtly glancing toward Li Muxian in the corner.

When he saw Li Muxian’s face, An Quan’s eyes subtly narrowed, a flicker of surprise crossing his expression.

At that moment, Yu Jin turned back and bowed:

“Please, Your Excellencies, examine the Tian Quan acupoints of these young gentlemen—but be extremely careful not to be contaminated by the Bei Qi Ming Qi.”

Hearing this, An Quan subtly withdrew his gaze and gave a slight nod to the other three senior eunuchs, then stepped forward toward the young men in the hall.

In the corner, Li Muxian silently raised an eyebrow:

“That old eunuch was staring at me—he’s probably that junior eunuch’s adoptive father.”

He recalled Xiao Anzi’s earlier questions and hoped the Tian Jin Guard wouldn’t be so foolish as to mistake him for the killer.

At that moment, Li Muxian suddenly noticed the woman disguised as a man was also watching him.

And upon seeing him, she seemed to have discovered something delightful, walking straight toward him.

Soon, she stopped before Li Muxian and bowed with both hands, smiling:

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

Li Muxian glanced at her—her face was handsome, but she had a faint beard shadow, a visible Adam’s apple, and a distinctly male voice.

Yet he was certain: she was a woman. The qi between men and women differed, even eunuchs were unmistakably distinct.

Others might not notice, but for Li Muxian, the difference was crystal clear.

Thus, her disguise was extraordinarily refined—not merely changing clothes and appearance, but altering key physical traits to make deception flawless.

“Li Muxian.”

Li Muxian gave her a slight nod, then lowered his voice and asked with a smile:

“Is Li Yuan your real name?”

At this, the handsome young man froze, standing there stunned for a moment.

Yet she showed no panic; instead, a spark of intrigue lit her eyes, and she silently transmitted a question via qi:

“How did you know my true identity?”

Li Muxian shrugged.

“It was obvious at a glance.”

But he glanced at her again, curious:

“You admit it so openly—aren’t you afraid I’ll expose you?”

Yet the young man did not answer his question; instead, she fixed him with an intense gaze and asked:

“Would you do that?”

Li Muxian stroked his chin thoughtfully:

“I admit I’m handsome—but do I really look that much like a good-hearted fool?”

Hearing this, Li Yuanling blinked, studying Li Muxian carefully from head to toe, then suddenly smiled, her features softening.

“Brother Li, you’re quite interesting—unlike anyone I’ve met.”

She glanced around the hall and said:

“This Ji Guang Pavilion is too dangerous right now. Brother Li, you’d best stay by my side—I can protect you.”

Now Li Muxian was genuinely puzzled. He frowned and asked:

“Miss, have we met before?”

“We haven’t met before—but now we have.”

Li Yuanling pulled a folding fan from her waist, flicked it open, revealing a painting of sunset birds returning home—utterly elegant:

“Brother Li, I feel we’ve met far too late.”

Hearing this, Li Muxian fell into thought, then slowly nodded.

Riddles are interesting.

Yet he could clearly tell: this woman disguised as a man somehow “knew” him.

But he had never left Shun’an City in over a decade—aside from Cang Yin Yue, how could he possibly know anyone in Shangyang City?

So the most likely explanation: she recognized his face.

As Li Muxian pondered this, a sudden outcry erupted in the hall.

One of the senior eunuchs had detected Bei Qi Ming Qi in a young man’s body—soon, several others were found to harbor the same poison.

A wave of commotion swept through the hall.

The senior eunuch who checked Li Muxian was An Quan—he naturally found no trace of Bei Qi Ming Qi within him.

Yet when he examined Li Muxian’s meridians and discovered not a single speck of qi, he was visibly astonished.

Of course, he said nothing, merely cast a startled glance at Li Muxian before returning to the center of the hall.

In the end, it was confirmed: ten individuals—including the first young man—had secretly been infused with Bei Qi Ming Qi.

This meant these ten were likely to die suddenly tonight, just like the previous five, in their own rooms.

“We must find the killer quickly—otherwise, more will die.”

Yu Jin’s face darkened. How dare someone kill so brazenly under the Tian Jin Guard’s very eyes? This was a direct challenge to him and the entire bureau.

Moreover, one of these people in the Ji Guang Pavilion might truly be the Seventh Imperial Prince—if anything happened to him, Yu Jin’s own head might be forfeit.

At that moment, a guard rushed into the hall and reported:

“My lord, the Liu Shan Men have arrived.”

(End of Chapter)