Li Guanyi’s heart was struck by a fierce ripple.
His gaze turned slightly cold, but the resilience honed by a decade of fleeing from disaster ultimately allowed him to control his emotional upheaval. At this moment, his first reaction was not concern for his Fate Grid but thoughts of Murong Qiushui.
Could it be that Aunt’s Dharma Form seal was also the work of this magician?
And was it possible that this very magician had taken his Fate Grid and poisoned him,
thus forcing his mother to expend a third of her Primordial Spirit to transfer the Green Bird to himself, which ultimately led to her inability to leave that palace and dying in the flames?
With this thought, Li Guanyi’s hand gripping the hilt of his sword nearly lost control.
Martial Artists should possess a measure of ferocity and a hint of murderous intent.
At this moment, a murderous aura surged in Li Guanyi’s chest yet was firmly suppressed by him. His right hand gripped the sword, his fingers turning pale, but the sword did not emit even the faintest whisper of a sword sound.
The court lady seemed to have finally been persuaded by the magician Hou Zhongyu.
Her tone softened as she said, "At least tell me, who is it?"
Hou Zhongyu replied, "The Crown Prince is the son of the Regent King, and Chen Country’s premier general, Mo Ke Wuliang, Xiao Wuliang, is a hero who rose in rebellion with the Regent King. If word gets out, who knows whether Xiao Wuliang would silently kill His Majesty’s illegitimate child?"
"I don’t mind telling you."
"His Majesty highly values this child, and even if you kill him, His Majesty would only make the offspring of the Xue Family his Crown Prince. He certainly wouldn’t side with Empress Tantai."
The court lady shuddered.
Clenching her teeth, she said, "The Fate Grid of the son of Taiping Duke was given to His Majesty’s illegitimate child?" The magician burst into loud laughter, pointing at his own brow and spoke indifferently, "That piece of memory has long been stripped from me."
"If you want to survive in this palace, knowing too much is not a good thing."
"As for how to find the illegitimate child, there are other means. My lady, there’s no need to probe further."
The court lady ground her teeth in anger.
This old magician, having lived through several emperors’ reigns, was extremely stubborn and, likely having lived so long, was naturally shrewd and slippery. She said firmly, "...fine, I will prepare everything you want."
"Just leave it here?"
"Of course not, if it’s discovered, neither of us will live."
The magician said, "What I want are the stone gall and mountain marrow of famous mountains and great rivers, the Qi Mechanism of Earth elements. Only the earth, long-lived and everlasting, and the so-called stone gall, mountain marrow, are parts of the Jiangnan Dragon Vein’s royal Qi. If His Majesty learns that we traded such items, he would be enraged."
The court lady exhaled and said, "Fine, then I will deliver the part I have already acquired to the location you specified, to the cave at the deep end of Shui Jian near the third pavilion in the Imperial Garden. The secret key will be the number in the seventh line of the third page of the Dual Calculation Scripture, under Geng Metal and Yi Chen."
Hou Zhongyu smiled and said, "Thank you, may I know how much mountain marrow?"
The court lady coldly replied, "As you said, it’s the primary peak stone marrow from Nanyue, South Mountain."
The magician then laughed and clapped his hands in delight, "Eternal as the pines of South Mountain, the Qilin lives eight thousand years undying, and the Eternal Moon sees ten thousand springtimes in longevity. Qilin Blood, South Mountain Marrow, though not quite offering immortality, extending life by decades and greatly enhancing one’s power is no difficult feat. My Eternal Moon Undying Medicine only lacks this mountain marrow now."
"Ha ha ha, how wonderful, how delightful."
Li Guanyi, within the Formation Eye, committed the location and secret key to memory.
His memory was excellent, and he never forgot what he saw.
Although he was now overwhelmed with killing intent, it only made him calmer, and he memorized the secret key thoroughly without the slightest oversight.
The magician sent off the court lady with a smile, then returned casually to pack away his things. Li Guanyi suppressed the murderous intent in his heart as well as his Qi Mechanism. This old fellow was unknowable in his depth, and by any means, he was just a first-level Martial Artist.
The magician before him was skilled and unpredictable with techniques far above the third realm, not someone he could contend with.
Li Guanyi planned to go straight back to Elder Xue.
Since there was an elder who was tough as old boots, skilled in both fighting and plotting, there was no need for him to take action himself.
What he had heard today, had it not been for the trustworthy and intimate relationship he had built with Elder Xue, he wouldn’t dare tell him. Such news, if spoken by someone else, be it to an aristocratic family, the Emperor, the Empress, or the Xue Family, would mean certain death without exception.
Even Li Guanyi, without the candid revelations of yore, wouldn’t dare to speak.
The young man suppressed the tumultuous rage and killing intent swelling within him.
The magician began to pack away various bottles and jars.
At that moment, Li Guanyi suddenly became alert.
A chill unexpectedly rose in his heart.
Without caring for concealment, he suddenly stepped to one side, his right hand gripping the heavy sword of the Imperial Guard, and swept across in a wide arc. With a Sweeping Cloud strike, the sword scabbard sent a jade bottle flying into a corner where it shattered.
The liquid inside sprayed out, and in an instant, the pavilion corroded and thunderously collapsed.
Li Guanyi’s pupils contracted, and he felt a chill go down his spine.
Seeing the magician standing there with a slight smile and saluting: "This member of the Imperial Guard, I wonder when did you arrive, and how long have you been listening?"
Old foxes really do encounter ghosts!
This bunch of old fellows is truly hard to deal with.
Li Guanyi couldn’t help cursing inwardly, his nerves taut as he faced the magician’s probe. His mind raced and in an instant, he spotted a sliver of a chance for survival. Far from fearful, he spoke out rebukingly, "Hou Zhongyu, as His Majesty expected, you know quite a bit."