Chapter 040
Chapter 40: Second Prince
Afterward, Cang Yin Yue returned to the courtyard room to continue interrogating the armored guard.
Before leaving, she strongly urged Li Mu Sheng to discard the Shadow Assassinate Order as far away as possible. But Li Mu Sheng remained unmoved. He leapt back onto the rooftop, lifting his gaze to the moonlit sky, shaking his head slightly.
[Is there truly someone in this world who can kill me?]
“Just three assassination attempts, Shadow Assassinate Pavilion. You’d better keep your word and prove yourselves somewhat useful to me.”
…
An incense stick’s time later, Cang Yin Yue emerged from the room, visibly weary.
“I’ve asked everything I could,” she sighed. “He doesn’t carry the key to the Heavenly Revelation Secret Treasury.”
Li Mu Sheng landed lightly from the roof, unsurprised by her words. Indeed, he never expected his luck to be so good that capturing one remnant of Great Qi would immediately yield rewards.
“However,” Cang Yin Yue continued softly, “he did offer clues related to the keys.”
“What clues?”
“These remnants of Great Qi openly belong to a force called ‘Qing Shan House.’ Over the years, they’ve never ceased their search for the Heavenly Revelation Secret Treasury.” Cang Yin Yue shook her head slightly, adding, “Although this person holds some status within Qing Shan House, matters concerning the treasury are high-level secrets. He knows very little. He only mentioned Shang Yang City might hold one or perhaps two keys, one of which seems to involve the Second Prince.”
“Second Prince?” Li Mu Sheng raised an eyebrow.
Cang Yin Yue nodded gently, eyes narrowing slightly. “Do you remember the two men we encountered on our way here, under General Wu An? General Wu An serves the Second Prince. Among all the princes, aside from the First Prince—the rightful heir—the Second Prince and the false Seventh Prince stand the greatest chance of seizing the throne.”
She explained further, “Second Prince’s martial talent is no weaker than that of the false Seventh Prince. However, he’s deeply immersed in schemes and ambition, focusing more energy on growing his power. Still, he’s genuinely reached the Great Completion of the Martial Grandmaster realm.”
Concerned that Li Mu Sheng might act rashly due to the keys, Cang Yin Yue looked solemn as she cautioned, “As far as I know, the Second Prince’s mansion houses many talented martial advisors. Powerful martial experts guard his home; entering is no different from stepping into a den of dragons and tigers.”
“More importantly,” she continued, “every prince in Great Li has hidden experts from the palace secretly protecting them. I advise you not to act recklessly.”
Hearing this, Li Mu Sheng thoughtfully rubbed his chin and nodded slowly.
Seeing him, Cang Yin Yue breathed a little easier, believing he had taken her warning seriously. But her relief was short-lived as Li Mu Sheng promptly asked:
“So, where exactly is the Second Prince’s mansion?”
Cang Yin Yue stared blankly, confused.
…
Li Mu Sheng caught the disbelief in her eyes and quickly waved a hand. “Don’t worry. That man’s information is vague. I won’t alert them rashly. I’m just curious.”
Cang Yin Yue frowned, clearly skeptical.
Li Mu Sheng paused thoughtfully and then suggested, “In my opinion, it’s wiser to start from Qing Shan House. Let’s capture a key figure among the Great Qi remnants, get accurate information, and then act. Didn’t you mention Shang Yang City might have more than one key? Perhaps they know where the other is.”
Cang Yin Yue studied Li Mu Sheng for a moment and finally sighed softly. Despite his reassuring words, she could tell he still planned on going to the Second Prince’s mansion. Unfortunately, she was powerless to stop him. She couldn’t fight him, and after all, he might truly be a prince.
She finally said, “About Qing Shan House, I’ll inform Six Gates tomorrow. They’ll investigate and keep you updated. I only have one request: please don’t act rashly until your identity as Seventh Prince is confirmed. The Second Prince’s mansion is dangerous. If anything happens, even I won’t be able to save you.”
Li Mu Sheng shrugged lightly. Then his eyes shifted toward the room in the courtyard as he asked, “Did that man say anything else?”
Cang Yin Yue nodded slightly, saying, “That’s exactly what I wanted to mention next. His purpose in sneaking into Aurora Pavilion was indeed to kill the real Seventh Prince and seek revenge against Great Li’s imperial family. But that wasn’t their main goal. Their true intention was to cause chaos at Aurora Pavilion to divert attention from all Imperial Capital forces, secretly planning to infiltrate Dragon Abyss Lake and steal the Imperial Dragon Divine Sword.”
“Imperial Dragon Divine Sword? What’s that?” Li Mu Sheng’s expression filled with curiosity.
Cang Yin Yue’s eyes flickered softly as she explained in a low voice, “Great Qi once gathered the world’s greatest Artifact Refining masters and invested countless resources to forge five divine artifacts to uphold the empire’s fate. When Great Qi fell, these Five Celestial Relics were divided among the Five Kingdoms. The Imperial Dragon Divine Sword belongs to Great Li.”
Hearing this, Li Mu Sheng’s interest deepened. “What’s special about the Imperial Dragon Divine Sword? Why are the remnants of Great Qi risking so much to obtain it?”
Cang Yin Yue blinked slowly, meeting his gaze. “Being called a divine artifact naturally means it possesses extraordinary powers. Legends say these artifacts gather the world’s fortune, and whoever collects all five can rule the world. Each artifact is a treasured weapon, highly desired by every warrior for its mysterious power.”
Cang Yin Yue’s eyes glowed faintly. “There was once a list called Heavenly Arms Ledger circulating through the Martial World, listing twenty-three weapons. The Five Celestial Relics of Great Qi were all among them.”
She paused thoughtfully, prompting Li Mu Sheng to quickly ask, “And what else?”
“I’ve heard a rumor…” Cang Yin Yue paused again.
“What rumor?”
“It’s said if any Innate Stage martial artist earns the approval of one of the Five Celestial Relics, they can leap three realms overnight and directly enter the Heavenly Union Stage,” she said, her eyes sparkling with longing.
Li Mu Sheng frowned lightly. “That’s it?”
But after a moment, he reconsidered and nodded slowly. “That does sound impressive. For someone yet to reach the Heavenly Union Stage, it’s indeed appealing.”
Then he turned back to Cang Yin Yue and asked, “Is this true?”
Cang Yin Yue shook her head gently. “It’s merely a rumor. Probably only members of the royal family like you would truly know the answer.”