Chapter 177
Chapter 177: Doubts
“Young Master Mei, is it true that the Heavenly Brocade Guard Branch Manor is haunted by murderous ghosts?”
At this moment, Hu Rui An walked straight up to Mei Yan Yu without any nonsense and directly voiced the doubt in his heart.
Hearing this, Mei Yan Yu remained standing in place, silently gazing at Hu Rui An for a long moment. After a while, he took a deep breath, sizing Hu Rui An up and down before replying in a solemn voice, “Indeed, the haunting and killings are very real.”
Upon hearing this, Hu Rui An’s brows knitted together as he asked, “If it’s real, then why did nothing happen to us today? Could it be that this ghostly murderer picks specific days, or was it perhaps busy today?”
Normally, Hu Rui An would not ask such a childish question, but right now, his heart was filled with too many puzzling doubts. According to his own thinking, if the ghost truly attacked today, with Li Mu Sheng at their side, no matter whether they could survive or not, the issue would have reached some conclusion.
Yet, oddly enough, while the ghost had killed so many people before—even Mei Yan himself barely survived and was severely injured—today it had strangely chosen not to act against their group. Because of this, Hu Rui An felt as though a sharp blade hung just above his neck, never falling but always threatening, leaving him anxious and unsettled.
After hearing Hu Rui An’s questions, Mei Yan Yu showed an expression clearly stating, “That should have been my question.” Yet, after observing Hu Rui An for a bit and seeing that he genuinely didn’t understand, Mei Yan Yu shook his head and briefly shared what he knew about the ghostly killer’s patterns.
“I, too, am greatly puzzled by this matter. Lord Hu, perhaps you could ask that hidden master behind you. He might know something,” Mei Yan Yu suggested thoughtfully.
Indeed, Hu Rui An’s group had a hidden master backing them—one who could defeat Baili Chang Feng with a mere gesture. Perhaps such a martial expert had secretly clashed with the ghost and prevented its actions today.
Hearing this, Hu Rui An’s eyes flickered thoughtfully. A sudden realization seemed to dawn on him, causing him to glance instinctively toward Li Mu Sheng. A flash of relief crossed his face before he returned his gaze to Mei Yan Yu, his tone serious as he said, “Let’s put aside the ghost for now. Young Master Mei, last night you promised an answer today. Can you speak clearly now?”
Caught off guard by this sudden shift, Mei Yan Yu’s expression changed rapidly. Initially, he had been certain Hu Rui An and his group would surely perish, making any response unnecessary. Now, pressed for an answer, he struggled to reply. Just as he was about to vaguely dismiss the topic, Hu Rui An’s face turned cold, and he declared firmly:
“My purpose is clear—I demand an immediate order for the Heavenly Brocade Guard of Sheng Province to march to Lan Province. If your Mei family cannot or will not do it, then tomorrow I myself will directly take command.”
Having finished, Hu Rui An turned to leave. Midway, however, he abruptly spun around, sharply adding:
“And pass along this message, Young Master Mei: anyone within the Heavenly Brocade Guard who dares disobey tomorrow’s orders shall be executed without mercy!”
With that, Hu Rui An walked away decisively, heading toward Li Mu Sheng and the others.
Watching Hu Rui An’s departing figure, Mei Yan Yu’s expression darkened slightly. His servant, also observing Hu Rui An, quietly said:
“Young master, it seems we must return and discuss this matter with the master.”
Mei Yan Yu nodded slowly, responding, “I’m fully aware. What concerns me most right now is that hidden martial expert behind them.”
He had clearly seen Hu Rui An’s reaction when the hidden master was mentioned, noting how Hu Rui An had immediately looked toward Li Mu Sheng. This confirmed Mei Yan Yu’s earlier suspicions—the expert who killed Baili Chang Feng undoubtedly had ties to the Eighth Prince.
Yet, what was difficult to believe was that this expert had seemingly managed to deter the ghost haunting the Heavenly Brocade Guard Branch Manor. Apart from that, Mei Yan Yu simply could not think of any other reason why the ghost had refrained from attacking today.
The servant standing behind Mei Yan Yu shook his head slowly, speaking up:
“I’ve faced that ghost myself—it moves like a shadow, impossibly fast and elusive. I had no way to fight it, and even Master nearly lost his life to it.”
“If the one behind them truly stopped the ghost, their martial skill must surpass mine considerably. They cannot be underestimated.”
Mei Yan Yu’s expression shifted uneasily as he murmured, “According to Mother, the ghost spared Father only out of respect for my grandfather. Yet today, it did not harm Hu Rui An or his companions even slightly. This puzzles me deeply. Could the hidden master behind the Eighth Prince be more respected by the ghost than my grandfather, a Martial Saint?”
“And moreover,” Mei Yan Yu continued with growing confusion, “as far as I know, the Eighth Prince has lived quietly for twenty years in a remote town. He neither possesses great martial talent nor influential connections. How, then, could he secure the protection of such a powerful martial master?”
Listening silently, the servant behind Mei Yan Yu could only frown, unable to offer any answers.
…
Meanwhile, with the crack of a whip, a carriage rolled steadily onward, carrying Li Mu Sheng and his group back to Murong Manor.
Inside the carriage, Hu Rui An, now relaxed, showed no trace of his earlier anxiety regarding the ghost.
“Your Highness, when exactly did you deal with that ghost? None of us noticed anything all day,” Hu Rui An asked curiously. Although Li Mu Sheng hadn’t spoken about it, Mei Yan Yu’s earlier suggestion had convinced Hu Rui An that Li Mu Sheng must have intervened.
At this moment, Shen An Ran and Murong Xiao Ya both looked puzzled, unaware of any ghostly matter, thus confused by Hu Rui An’s question. At the same time, Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong, seated at the coachman’s spot, listened carefully, ears perked up. Though the ghost had not attacked today, their hearts remained uneasy. Only Li Mu Sheng’s direct confirmation could truly reassure them.
Yet, leaving everyone surprised, Li Mu Sheng’s voice suddenly echoed from within the carriage:
“When did I handle a ghost? How come I don’t know about this?”
Upon hearing this, even Hu Rui An, seated across from Li Mu Sheng, paused in surprise. Seeing Li Mu Sheng’s puzzled expression, his heart sank a bit as he cautiously repeated his question:
“Your Highness truly had nothing to do with the ghost staying its hand today?”
Li Mu Sheng shrugged lightly, replying casually:
“That’s exactly what I wanted to ask all of you. There was talk of ghosts appearing, and I was eager to see one myself. Yet all day, not even a shadow appeared. I almost forgot entirely about this matter.”