Chapter 188
Chapter 188: Investigation
On the dark, empty street, a carriage slowly stopped before the Heavenly Brocade Guard branch office. Cao Gao Shan swiftly dismounted from his horse, lifting his gaze toward the tightly shut gates of the pitch-black building. Shortly afterward, Hu Rui An and the others stepped down from the carriage.
As soon as they arrived at the Heavenly Brocade Guard’s branch, Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong felt their hearts tighten, haunted by the memories of the ghosts they encountered the previous night. They quickly drew closer to Li Mu Sheng’s side.
Li Mu Sheng swept his gaze across the quiet building before him. Seeing nothing unusual, he signaled the others to open the gates. Observing Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong’s visible fear of the place, Cao Gao Shan sighed softly and scaled the wall himself, then opened the gates from within.
“Your Highness, last night the ghostly shadow and laughter appeared suddenly when I passed by a certain hall inside,” Hu Rui An explained. Upon entering, the building was silent. No lanterns were lit, no one was in sight, exactly as it had been the previous night. Hu Rui An led Li Mu Sheng straight toward the hall from before, clear in his intentions—they were not here for leisure, after all.
Soon, Hu Rui An paused before the hall he had seen last night. His eyes scanned the area. Everything appeared exactly the same. All other halls were locked tight, their doors and windows firmly shut, except for this small, inconspicuous hall, whose door was left slightly ajar.
Seeing this, Hu Rui An’s expression grew serious. He looked around carefully, waiting silently. After a moment, seeing neither ghost nor laughter emerge, he stepped toward the Little Hall.
Hu Rui An climbed the stairs, eyes fixed upon the slightly open doorway, Qi energy spreading around him, locking onto the hall completely. Just then, a large black cat slipped through the narrow gap, emitting a loud “meow.”
“Oh? What a big cat!” Li Mu Sheng raised an eyebrow upon seeing the animal. It was the first time he had encountered a cat of such enormous size. Its fur was pitch-black, and its body so massive that from afar, it could easily be mistaken for a large black dog.
Startled, the big cat halted at the top of the steps, eyes gleaming green as it cautiously eyed Hu Rui An and the others standing before the hall.
“Come here, kitty,” Li Mu Sheng crouched down, clapping his hands gently to coax the creature closer. He recalled his previous trips to the park, where he often encountered stray cats and dogs. Usually, he would play briefly with the prettier ones, but he ignored those that weren’t appealing.
The large cat stared at Li Mu Sheng, eyes narrowing slightly, letting out a hesitant meow, clearly unsure of what to do. However, in the next instant, Li Mu Sheng flashed swiftly beside the cat, reaching down and gently stroking its sleek fur.
“There must be plenty of mice here at the Heavenly Brocade Guard branch to have made this cat grow so fat,” Li Mu Sheng remarked, stroking the cat as he turned to Hu Rui An and the others. Shen An Ran’s eyes sparkled brightly as she hurried over to Li Mu Sheng’s side. She couldn’t resist running her delicate, snow-white hand along the big cat’s smooth coat.
Immediately, the cat whipped around, fur bristling, emerald eyes glaring fiercely at Shen An Ran. Yet, perhaps sensing Li Mu Sheng beside it, the cat refrained from scratching her. Instead, it let out a soft purr and trotted aside, tail raised proudly.
“This cat is a bit fierce!” Shen An Ran muttered softly, her brows lightly knitted together. Hu Rui An eyed the big cat thoughtfully, then said slowly, “I feel this cat might be in league with the ghosts here.”
Last night, the appearance of the cat had coincided exactly with the emergence of ghostly shadows and laughter. Moreover, it was odd that this cat could coexist peacefully in a place supposedly haunted by spirits.
Shen An Ran nodded thoughtfully. “Perhaps the ghost keeps this cat as a pet?”
Li Mu Sheng stood up, glancing briefly at Hu Rui An and dismissively waving his hand. “It’s just a big, fat cat. Lord Hu, there’s no need to jump at shadows.” Then, shifting his gaze toward the Little Hall, he added, “Since Lord Hu says there’s trouble here, let’s take a look inside first.”
Hu Rui An glanced once more at the big black cat now comfortably sprawled on the steps, before cautiously scanning their surroundings. Tonight, curiously, no ghosts had appeared. His gaze turned skeptical, but without further remark, he nodded and approached the hall again.
With a creak, the door swung fully open, revealing pitch darkness within. Hu Rui An pulled out a fire striker from his robe, blew on it to ignite a flame, then stepped forward onto the tiled floor. Wu Shang, Cheng Zhong, and the others closely followed behind Li Mu Sheng as they entered the hall.
Inside, Hu Rui An paused, flicking the flame lightly with his fingertips, instantly igniting the oil lamps scattered throughout the hall. At once, the Little Hall brightened, illuminating its interior layout clearly. It appeared to be a storage chamber belonging to the Heavenly Brocade Guard. Neatly arranged wooden shelves lined the walls, stacked with rolls of documents and many wooden boxes sealed with white paper bearing red characters.
Hu Rui An glanced briefly around and began to thoroughly search the area, clearly hoping to find some clue. Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong, though preferring to stay close to Li Mu Sheng, couldn’t shirk their duties. Bracing themselves, they also joined in the search. Shen An Ran and Cao Gao Shan likewise lent a hand. After a thorough inspection, however, they found nothing unusual. The scrolls and boxes remained untouched; it seemed to be nothing more than an ordinary storeroom.
Hu Rui An frowned deeply, suspecting hidden mechanisms but unable to find any. Wu Shang approached cautiously and suggested softly, “My lord, perhaps we should search elsewhere in the building. Maybe encountering ghosts here was just a coincidence.”
Hu Rui An remained silent, casting a thoughtful look at Li Mu Sheng. By now, their group had been in the Heavenly Brocade Guard branch for quite some time, making considerable noise, yet strangely, the ghosts had stayed hidden. This strengthened Hu Rui An’s belief that perhaps these ghosts truly feared Li Mu Sheng and thus didn’t dare appear.
Just then, Li Mu Sheng’s eyes suddenly fixed upon one wall. Moving swiftly toward it, he pointed and turned back to Hu Rui An and the others, asking, “Take a look at these cat paw prints. Do you notice anything unusual?”