Chapter 109: The Enlightening Mentor
Li Yunji’s anus tightened as he shook his head, “Absolutely not!”
Su Qingmeng furrowed her brow slightly and lightly sniffed the teacup.
She seemed to detect nothing unusual, yet her gaze remained sharp.
“Are you using two teacups by yourself?”
Li Yunji was momentarily stunned but replied calmly, “Is that not allowed?”
As he spoke, he poured tea for Su Qingmeng, then shifted the topic, “How’s the investigation at the military camp going?”
Su Qingmeng accepted the cup, took a small sip, and said in a low voice, “You guessed wrong.”
“There’s nothing abnormal within Li Yi’s regiment.”
Li Yunji frowned slightly, deep in thought.
“With the trail going cold, what’s the next step?” Su Qingmeng’s eyes blazed as she asked slowly.
Li Yunji appeared unhurried, plopping into his chair and crossing his arms.
“No rush.”
“As long as the silver reaches Beiling, it will surely reveal its destination.”
“You have a lead?” Su Qingmeng’s curiosity was piqued.
“Not yet.” Li Yunji leaned back, casual and unbothered.
“Then why do you act so confident?” Su Qingmeng rolled her eyes.
Li Yunji’s lips curved slightly in a faint smile. “As long as we’re in Beiling, the silver will slip up eventually.”
“Patience makes perfect.”
Su Qingmeng said nothing, glanced once more at the teacups on the table, then rose and left.
Outside the bedchamber, Eleven and Seventh watched Su Qingmeng walk away, exchanging a glance before exhaling deeply.
“Eleven, who was that fairy in Master’s room just now?” Seventh whispered, eyes full of curiosity.
Eleven smiled knowingly, pride shining, “Master’s enlightenment teacher.”
“Enlightenment teacher?” Seventh frowned tightly.
That woman looked barely twenty.
What kind of enlightenment?
...
The next day, the sun was high in the sky.
Li Yunji rose lazily, pushed open the window, and sunlight poured into the room.
Eleven brought breakfast, but Li Yunji stared at the plate, utterly unappetized.
After some days in Beiling, he was weary of the food from the Star-Picking Pavilion.
He picked at it carelessly, then made no further move.
“Eleven, I want to ask you something.” Li Yunji set down his chopsticks and spoke gently, “What do you know about the Yun family from the South Sea?”
Last night, Gu Xian’er’s words had kept Li Yunji tossing and turning all night.
He had no ties to the Yun family of the South Sea, so why was he suddenly named?
Eleven supported his head thoughtfully, then a spark lit in his eyes.
“I remember now!” Eleven’s eyes brightened. “The Qi Men arts, the Yun family of the South Sea!”
“There are three kinds of worldly magic: the Minglou spiritual arts, the Northern steppes’ sorcery, and the Qi Men Dun Jia art of the Yun family in the South Sea.”
“Qi Men Dun Jia?” Li Yunji pressed on, “The legendary mysterious power that can divine the world and predict fortune and misfortune?”
“Exactly.” Eleven nodded.
The long-lost Qi Men art was in the hands of the Yun family of the South Sea.
Li Yunji was quite shocked.
No wonder Gong Qingfeng and Yun Qiwu were found hiding in such inconspicuous places back then.
“So, what Gu Xian’er said last night wasn’t baseless,” Li Yunji murmured.
“So what did that calamity truly mean?” Eleven followed up.
“How should I know?” Li Yunji shook his head. “I don’t practice Qi Men Dun Jia.”
Coming to his senses, he glared at Eleven, anger flashing, “Were you eavesdropping again?”
Eleven grinned slyly, “Master forgets, I always have sharp ears and eyes.”
Li Yunji sighed helplessly. “Fine, keep this under wraps for now.”
Eleven nodded.
After clearing the table, he asked, “Master, what are your plans today?”
Li Yunji rubbed his brow, contemplating briefly. “I want to go into town for a stroll.”
“You’re going out?” Eleven’s face lit up.
“Mm.” Li Yunji nodded, then stepped out the door. “Bring Seventh along.”
“We’ve been in Beiling for days; there’s something that needs handling.”
Walking through the streets of Beiling, Seventh excitedly introduced every street to Li Yunji.
Though a native of Beiling, the streets felt as foreign to Li Yunji as a strange land.
His memories were sparse—only a few times as a child when he rode on Li Jia’s shoulders to buy candied hawthorns.
The townsfolk kept their distance from Li Yunji.
As a child, he was considered a jinx, so no one dared approach.
Now, it was likely because of the notorious beating he gave Yang Xun at the Star-Picking Pavilion, which spread like wildfire, branding him a bully.
“Master,” Seventh said indignantly, “why are these people like this?”
Li Yunji remained indifferent, walking on, “Don’t mind them.”
After a few steps, he turned to Seventh, “By the way, you mentioned before that Steward Xiao is still in Beiling, right?”
Seventh nodded, “But Beiling is so large, I can’t recall where I heard any news about him.”
Li Yunji smirked, “We’ll just have to find someone and ask.”
Stopping in the middle of the street, he pulled out a large silver ingot and loudly proclaimed,
“Ten taels of silver for information on Xiao Quan!”
Passersby paused, whispering and exchanging glances.
At first, some hesitated, but soon a middle-aged man pushed through, a fawning smile on his face.
“I know where Xiao Quan lives. He’s in the west of the city, near the Willow River.”
Li Yunji tossed the silver casually and said, “Thank you.”
The man bit into the silver, instantly beaming with joy and gesticulating excitedly.
Many watching pounded their chests in regret for not acting sooner.
“Master, are you always this bold in handling matters?” Seventh frowned.
Eleven chuckled and nodded, “Master has always been straightforward, no beating around the bush.”
Following the man’s directions, Li Yunji and his group soon arrived at the Xiao residence.
The grand entrance was imposing, the vermilion gate solemn beneath the towering stone lions.
Even the bronze studs on the door gleamed brilliantly.
“This decor rivals the prince’s mansion,” Eleven marveled.
Li Yunji snorted coldly and climbed the steps to knock on the door.
Before long, a young servant in blue answered, scrutinizing them with displeasure.
“Who’s there?”
“Is Xiao Quan home?” Li Yunji asked bluntly.
“The master is not seeing visitors today,” the servant sneered, eyes full of disdain.
With a bang, the door slammed shut.
Li Yunji was momentarily stunned; the three exchanged glances.
“Boom—”
The door shattered with a crash!
Li Yunji strode directly into the courtyard, brushing dust from his hands and surveying the surroundings.
“Who dares—”
Xiao Quan emerged from the study, his expression changing drastically upon seeing Li Yunji.
“Your Highness, the Young Master…”
Xiao Quan hurried forward, a servile smile on his face, and knelt with a thud, trembling as he said, “I pay respects to Your Highness, the Young Master!”
The household servants inside followed suit, dropping to their knees.
Li Yunji paid him no heed.
His gaze was drawn to a painting hanging on the wall as Xiao Quan opened the study door.
The painting depicted a dignified woman, her eyebrows and eyes exuding an extraordinary aura.
Her bearing strangely matched a vague impression deep within Li Yunji’s heart...