Dead Man

Under the moonlight,

Su Qingyang casually landed atop a lake, one hand behind his back, looking for all the world like an immortal deity beneath the moon.

Deep meaning churned within his pitch-black eyes, like a secluded mountain pool, unfathomably deep.

Just now, he had used his Martial Dao will to muddle Su Huai's mind and confirmed it once more. There had been no major discrepancies in the man's statements before and after.

That meant Su Huai had not lied.

But if he had not lied, then this matter was enormous...

The entire Barbarian Prefecture had likely gone terribly wrong.

The government army had breached Eagle Tread and Wolf Pursuit Counties, then slaughtered the cities for two days and nights,

turning both cities into lands of the dead...

"No one saw it, no one knew of it. That leaves plenty of room to write between the lines!!"

Su Qingyang murmured to himself as a suspicion arose in his heart.

Still...

It needed further verification first!!

Su Qingyang raised his head and gazed toward the brightly lit Great Harmony City. It was filled with the ordinary warmth of mortal life, peaceful and placid, yet who knew how many mysteries lay hidden within it?

"I originally thought it was merely an ordinary struggle between princes. I never expected it to involve an even greater secret."

"The world sees only the Martial Dao struggles out in the open, unaware that beneath the Martial Dao lies another world unknown to all."

"How much do those Martial Dao Grandmasters scattered across the land know about this?"

"This is becoming more and more interesting."

Su Qingyang chuckled softly.

The mortal world was too small. If nothing unexpected happened, the Five Qi-Blood Realms would be his limit.

But now,

The curtain of a broader, more mysterious new world was slowly rising before his eyes.

The next day, dawn broke.

The sky had only just begun to brighten.

A shrill scream shattered the stillness, awakening Purple Pavilion Manor from its slumber.

A young eunuch on watch came scrambling out of Eastern Courtyard Number Seven, rolling and crawling, his face ashen as if he had seen something unimaginable.

In mere moments, a squad of soldiers clad in jet-black heavy armor and wielding long halberds marched in orderly steps to Eastern Courtyard Number Seven. They swiftly sealed off the entire courtyard layer by layer, forbidding anyone from approaching.

A clanging, murderous air spread through the grounds!

Not long afterward, a chief eunuch dressed in a purple brocade robe hurried into the courtyard, anxiety written all over his face.

It was Eunuch Meng, who oversaw the manor's miscellaneous affairs.

The guards shoved open the wooden bedroom door.

A twisted corpse lay on the floor.

Eunuch Meng strode forward, crouching down to carefully inspect the body.

A moment later, his face gradually sank into darkness.

"There is no life left."

"His vitality was burned away completely. He died drained dry!"

"What a vicious method!"

The surrounding eunuchs and Imperial Guards all changed expression. One young eunuch cautiously asked:

"Godfather, could he have been poisoned in secret? Or was it the work of someone who cultivated demonic arts and devoured another's essence, qi, and spirit?"

Eunuch Meng knitted his brows tightly.

His mind swiftly searched through the famed poisons and heretical cultivation arts of the realm.

"If it was poison, the Withered Life-Draining Elixir can indeed exhaust one's vitality, but this medicine is only used on those at death's door, granting them a brief moment to settle their final affairs."

"It should be impossible for it to burn away the vitality of a young man in his prime!"

"As for demonic methods that devour a person's essence, qi, and spirit, I have heard of the Northern Darkness Life-Absorbing Art!"

"But victims harmed by the Northern Darkness Life-Absorbing Art have all the flesh and blood on their bodies shriveled like mummified corpses from years past. The manner of death is different."

As he considered it, Eunuch Meng's heart suddenly tightened, and his voice became shrill and urgent:

"This is bad! Quickly inform Eunuch Huang. Nothing must happen to the other young masters awaiting verification!"

The eunuch entrusted with the order rushed off at full speed!

Before long, all the prospective Sixth Princes residing in Purple Pavilion Manor were led by eunuchs to wait in the manor's main hall.

Purple Pavilion Manor's main hall was immensely spacious. Nine vermilion pillars carved with lifelike coiling dragons stood tall, supporting a dome painted like a palace amid clouds. It was extravagance taken to its utmost.

Wind blew through the hollow-carved wooden windows, stirring the lavish hanging curtains. The four young men standing in the hall were all silent and solemn.

The impostors from the earlier batches whose identities had been checked and ruled out had long since been sent away. All of the remaining prospective princes were now present.

Su Qingyang stood in a corner of the hall, observing the others. They were all handsome young men.

Once everyone had arrived, a gaunt old eunuch hurried into the hall with four eunuchs dressed in azure brocade robes.

That gaunt old eunuch was the very person Su Qingyang had met briefly yesterday...

Eunuch Huang.

The moment Eunuch Huang stepped through the hall doors, his gaze fell upon Su Qingyang in the corner. Seeing that the latter was safe and sound, he seemed to let out an imperceptible sigh of relief.

"Gentlemen, I presume you have all heard of the disturbance in the manor just now."

"Young Master Su Huai, who was brought here from Barbarian Prefecture yesterday, was found collapsed in his room this morning. The abnormalities across his body were strange and unsettling. This household suspects that he was secretly poisoned and murdered."

"The inner palace and the Six Doors must now investigate this matter. I hope you gentlemen will forgive the inconvenience."

At those words, the four people in the hall displayed varying reactions.

A young man dressed in an elegant scholar's robe was the first to step forward. He cupped his hands to Eunuch Huang in salute.

"Thank you for your trouble, Eunuch Huang."

Eunuch Huang smiled kindly, then gave a slight signal to the four eunuchs beside him.

The eunuchs immediately stepped forward separately and began examining the others one by one.

Eunuch Huang himself walked over to Su Qingyang's side in the corner.

"Young Master, forgive the offense."

His gaunt, cool fingers lightly rested on Su Qingyang's wrist as he carefully examined the circulation of his qi and blood. After inspecting him, he found no abnormality such as the accumulation of sinister poison within his body.

However, when he examined Su Qingyang's meridians and found not the slightest trace of inner force, he seemed to sigh softly.

"Elder Huang seems to know me..."

Su Qingyang had quietly taken in every subtle shift in the other man's expression. He suddenly spoke in an even tone.

"Alas..."

Eunuch Huang slowly withdrew his hand and gently shook his head. His tone was obscure and unfathomable. "Young Master need only wait a few more days. Then everything will naturally become clear."

Su Qingyang's expression remained calm and unruffled.

Riddle-speakers really were interesting.

Still, he could clearly tell that Eunuch Huang probably knew him.

But he had lived in Spirit Peak County for many years and rarely set foot outside it. Other than Liu Qingni, how could he possibly have any acquaintances in Great Harmony City?

Therefore, the most likely possibility was...

Eunuch Huang did not recognize him personally, but rather this face, which closely resembled someone from the past.

As Su Qingyang pondered this, a startled cry suddenly rang out in the hall.

An eunuch discovered traces of concealed poison within one young man's flesh. Immediately afterward, the other three were found to have the same condition.

Panic instantly spread through the hall. Several young men turned deathly pale and frantically began examining themselves.

Eunuch Huang's brows immediately furrowed. His old face twisted like a bitter melon as he quickly walked over and personally reexamined the three men one by one.

The results were crystal clear.

Apart from Su Qingyang, who had only entered Purple Pavilion Manor yesterday,

all four of the other prospective princes awaiting identification bore traces of poisoning to varying degrees.

Moreover, the method was exceedingly covert and could not normally be detected. It would likely only erupt suddenly under some particular trigger.

"What a method. What a vicious fiend..."

Eunuch Huang's face darkened, his voice already carrying dense killing intent.

Poisoning the prospective princes so brazenly was a direct provocation against the Great Jin court. Moreover, there truly was a Sixth Prince within Purple Pavilion Manor.

If anything happened, even his own head might not remain on his shoulders.

Just then, a guard hurriedly burst into the hall and reported:

"Eunuch Huang, people from the Six Doors have arrived."