Chapter 53

Li Musheng didn't care whether Sun Changyu believed him or not.

As for saving his life and such, it was just something to hear and forget; if one took it seriously, it would be pointless.

One day, if his master ordered Sun Changyu to kill him, Sun Changyu would probably still kill him—unless he said a couple more words beforehand:

"The master's command cannot be disobeyed; your great kindness, I can only repay in my next life!"

…

Seeing Li Musheng give such instructions, the senior eunuch Sun Changyu sat down awkwardly and began fiddling with the tea tray, asking nothing more, truly focusing only on boiling water and brewing tea for him.

This allowed Li Musheng to enjoy, even before becoming a true imperial prince, the kind of treatment a prince ought to receive.

On the other side, shortly after Li Musheng's carriage departed, Song Shanyue arrived at the same long street, dressed in black robes and masked.

His figure moved through the rain curtain, leaving only a lingering shadow flickering in the mist.

But soon, he abruptly stopped, lifting his head to gaze at the street ahead—now collapsed and ruined beyond recognition—and the five corpses, dead beyond any doubt.

"Too late?"

Song Shanyue's heart sank; he cautiously approached to examine the condition of the five corpses.

After inspecting them, his face instantly filled with shock.

Of the two black-robed men, he didn't recognize them, but the two blue-robed swordsmen and the skull-cracking bamboo staff elder—he knew them well.

All three were wanted fugitives of the court, notorious in the martial world for their countless crimes and murders, and all three were genuine Wudaoda Sect masters.

The swordsman who called himself the Western Wind's Two Heroes came from the "Western Abyss Demon Cavern," a gathering of rogue cultivators and demonic sect members.

With their "Pure Wind Transforms Demons Sword Scripture," they excelled at combined killing techniques; though they didn't truly claim to fight Heaven-and-Mortal Realm experts, they could certainly handle half-step Heaven-and-Mortal Realm opponents without trouble.

The skull-cracking bamboo staff elder was likewise a long-established, accomplished Wudaoda Sect master, his power formidable.

Yet here, all these people were now dead—apparently slain in an instant.

This left Song Shanyue both stunned and deeply fearful.

Given this situation, if he had arrived even slightly earlier, he would have met the same fate as these five corpses.

"That man must have had a martial expert secretly protecting him—this matter is no longer feasible."

Song Shanyue dared not pursue further; he immediately turned and fled the street, racing back to the Polar Light Pavilion.

As for Zhang He's request, he could only abandon it now—or seek another opportunity later.

But he knew that once Li Musheng's identity was confirmed, assassination attempts would become even harder.

…

Through the rain-drenched street, a luxurious carriage raced onward, despite the fierce wind, heavy rain, and thunder booming.

Yet it arrived without incident at the Imperial Capital's Shengzhou Tianjinwei Headquarters.

Senior Eunuch Sun Changyu led Li Musheng out of the carriage, and armored soldiers hurried forward to hold up oil-paper umbrellas to shield them from the rain.

Meanwhile, Shengzhou Tianjinwei Garrison Commander Yu Jin had already received word from the palace and waited at the main gate to greet them.

"Your Excellency, was the journey smooth?"

Commander Yu Jin's injuries were clearly not yet healed; his face was pale as he spoke.

Hearing this, Senior Eunuch Sun Changyu gave an almost imperceptible glance at Li Musheng, then waved his hand:

"There were some delays, but I will report them personally to the Commander-in-Chief."

At these words, Yu Jin asked no further questions; he glanced at Li Musheng, then led the way, guiding Li Musheng and Sun Changyu inside the headquarters.

Outside the gate, beneath the rain curtain, the carriage driver Cao Gaoshan watched Li Musheng's retreating back, reached out, and brushed his fingers along the hilt of the blade beneath the seat, his expression thoughtful…

Under Yu Jin's guidance, Senior Eunuch Sun Changyu and Li Musheng arrived at a grand hall.

The Shengzhou Tianjinwei hall was carved with ornate beams and painted with intricate designs, towering and spacious, radiating solemn dignity.

Yu Jin brought Li Musheng and Sun Changyu to a stop in the center of the hall.

Directly ahead stood a heavy official desk, piled high with Juan Sect records; seated upon the main chair behind it was a middle-aged man over fifty.

The middle-aged man wore a purple-gold dragon-and-fish robe and a golden-threaded cap, his eyebrows and hair streaked with gray, deep wrinkles etched across his forehead, now bent over a scroll in his hands.

On the other side of the desk stood an old eunuch clad in crimson eunuch robes.

The old eunuch had white eyebrows and no beard, a white fly-whisk draped over his arm, eyes closed in meditation.

Yet after Li Musheng and the others entered the hall, he slowly opened his eyes.

"My lord, Senior Eunuch Sun and the others have arrived."

Commander Yu Jin bowed; Commander-in-Chief Fu Qiwén waved his hand and said:

"Sit down."

"Yes."

Commander Yu Jin responded, then led Li Musheng to sit on a grand armchair on the eastern side of the hall.

Sun Changyu, after bowing respectfully to Fu Qiwén and Shen Eunuch, stood to one side like Yu Jin.

Meanwhile, Commander-in-Chief Fu Qiwén raised his head to look at Li Musheng, and Li Musheng returned the scrutiny.

"Young Master Li does resemble Lady Jing very much."

Fu Qiwén nodded slightly, his tone gentle in assessment.

His words carried no praise or blame, yet Li Musheng sensed that in this brief moment, the man had scanned him from head to toe.

And Li Musheng's own objective evaluation of this man—the supreme commander of Da Li's Shengzhou Tianjinwei, one of Emperor Yuanwu's most trusted confidants—was:

Acceptable, but still not strong enough.

…

Li Musheng raised an eyebrow, glancing at Fu Qiwén and Shen Eunuch, and asked:

"When will you begin verifying my identity?"

Hearing this, the standing Shen Eunuch, Chief of the Divine Palace Supervision, narrowed his eyes and looked at Li Musheng:

"You may begin at any time, but before that, this humble one has a few questions to ask Young Master Li."

Li Musheng stroked his chin and asked:

"If I do not answer your questions, does that mean the identity verification cannot begin?"

"Certainly not; it is simply that, as this concerns the true identity of the Seventh Imperial Prince, it is better to clarify certain matters."

Hearing this, Li Musheng merely waved his hand directly:

"In that case, we are not close; skip the questioning phase and verify my identity first."

Eunuch Shen's expression froze; he then looked at Commander Fu Qiwen seated behind the desk, who nodded lightly and said:

"Young Master Li is straightforward; in that case, there is no need for questioning. Let us begin directly."

Eunuch Shen frowned but said nothing more; after bowing and acknowledging, he produced a jade box of vivid green from his wide sleeves, stepping before Li Musheng:

"Young Master Li, simply extend your finger into the jade box and prick it with the jade needle to draw blood."

Li Musheng glanced at the jade box, feeling suspicious and wondering if the thing was reliable; after all, paternity testing in his past life was not so simple.

However, he asked no more, directly reaching his hand into the jade box and letting the upright jade needle inside prick his finger.

(End of this chapter)