Free Web NovelChapter 440: The Gu Worm’s Aura Disappeared
Ye Qianning had gone to great lengths with Xi Fengying and Xinghua, making their hairstyles, facial features, adornments, and attire perfectly consistent. People were more likely to overlook two such similar-looking individuals.
The Hidden Guards didn’t just rely on sight; a person’s aura was also crucial.
Makeup alone could completely conceal a person’s identity, let alone the fact that her height, build, and aura had all been altered. With an almost identical-looking person acting as a foil, it would be incredibly difficult to spot anything unusual.
Fortunately, nothing went awry. There shouldn’t be any issues after the search by Mr. Li and the Hidden Guards.
Now, it was a matter of time—and her own issues.
Back at Yuehua Small Building, Ye Qianning filled a bathing tub with water from the Spiritual Spring in her personal dimension. She had to first cleanse the Gu worm aura that had attached to her.
She would need to soak in the water from her dimension overnight.
As for the large, adult Gu worm inside her dimension, she would have to find a way to eliminate its odor when she had the time. An adult Gu worm of that size was a rare find.
Though Gu worms were venomous, they were also precious items used for creating antidotes and saving lives.
—
At midnight, a man in a black cloak entered the Capital City. The city gates, sealed for days, were opened at midnight to allow passage.
The man rode swiftly into the city. His horse trotted around the streets for a few turns before letting out a sharp neigh and galloping toward the Beili Imperial Palace.
「Imperial Palace, Consort Yuan’s Bedchambers」
The Beili Emperor stood by the window, feeling no desire to sleep. The Hidden Guards had searched the entire street of the General’s manor but had found no one suspicious.
Ever since the Capital City had been sealed, there had been no news of Xi Fengying whatsoever. ’Did she just tunnel into the ground and disappear?’
"Your Majesty, it’s very late." Consort Yuan draped a cloak over his shoulders.
"I have a feeling some great expert is orchestrating things in the Capital City," the Beili Emperor said gravely.
"An expert?"
"Yes. I asked the leader of the first-class Hidden Guards. Even he admitted he could not have silently carried away everything from your palace."
"That is true. The porcelains from my palace alone would fill two carts. Then there was the gold and silver jewelry, and all of my medicinal herbs. It was so much altogether. I truly cannot fathom how the thief managed to carry it all away."
"Could the legends of immortals and monsters actually be true?" The Beili Emperor’s gaze grew distant as he stared into the pitch-black night sky.
Hearing this, Consort Yuan also looked toward the horizon. A cold wind gusted past, and she couldn’t help but shiver. "Your Majesty, please don’t frighten me. There are no such things as gods or monsters in this world."
"The recent events in the Imperial Palace have been too bizarre. An ordinary person could not have possibly accomplished them." An idea began to form in the Beili Emperor’s mind.
"Perhaps it was someone with exceptionally high Inner Strength."
The Beili Emperor shook his head.
"Your Majesty, there is someone outside the palace with an imperial token requesting an audience." A eunuch knocked on the door.
"An imperial token?" The Beili Emperor frowned.
"It might be my senior brother," Consort Yuan said, her face lighting up with joy. "Your Majesty, if my senior brother is here, it means we have a lead on the thief!"
"Bring him here."
"Yes."
The eunuch withdrew.
Initially, the Beili Emperor hadn’t connected the disappearance of Xi Fengying with the theft from the Consort’s palace. However, the results of the search and the clues found over the past few days were simply too strange.
Thus, he was forced to consider that the two incidents were linked.
Before long, Yuan Yintang arrived, clad in a black cloak and covered in the dust of his journey.
"I, Yuan Yintang, pay my respects to Your Majesty and Your Highness."
"Rise," the Beili Emperor said.
Yuan Yintang rose to his feet.
"Senior Brother, is there any news?" Consort Yuan asked urgently.
Yuan Yintang nodded, then shook his head. "The trail went cold in the Capital City."
"’Went cold?’" Consort Yuan asked in surprise.
"Yes."
"What happened? Explain in detail," the Beili Emperor said, his brow furrowing even deeper.
"After receiving my junior sister’s letter, I retrieved the tracking Gu. The Gu has been pointing toward the Capital City this entire time. I followed it all the way here, but the moment I entered the city, the residual aura the Gu was tracking vanished completely."
