The Formless Elder hunched his body, his rough old hands stroking the cane in his hand as he said, "To be honest with Your Highness the Second Prince, this old man came here for only one thing: to kill someone!"
Speaking thus, a grieving expression appeared on the Formless Elder's face as he stared at Li Que and said, "Not long ago, this old man received a death message from one of my disciples. When I rushed over, I learned that the disciple I had planned to have inherit my legacy had died."
"So this old man followed the trail of clues and found my way to Shangyang City."
"However, although this old man knows that those who killed my disciple were a man and a woman, in this vast Shangyang City, it is difficult to find their whereabouts."
Hearing this, Li Que's eyes shifted slightly as he nodded and said, "I understand what you mean, Elder. I will have people help you find the murderer who killed your disciple. I just wonder what you can offer in return?"
In an instant, the Formless Elder's face suddenly grew three faces squeezed together, saying in unison, "This old man will remain in the Second Prince's manor for three years. Moreover, I have long heard that the Great Li imperial capital is blessed with outstanding people and no shortage of martial Dao geniuses. Taking this opportunity, this old man also wishes to select a good prospect who can inherit my legacy."
Li Que glanced at Elder Zhe sitting on the grand preceptor chair beside him. Seeing the other nod gently, he immediately stood up, cupped his hands toward the Formless Elder with a smile on his face, and said, "Then I wish you success in finding a satisfactory disciple during your three years in the manor."
Hearing this, the Formless Elder's face returned to normal, revealing only an ordinary old man's appearance as he said with a smile, "Excellent, excellent."
Just at this moment, a guard came hurriedly to report, "This lowly one greets both Your Highnesses. A eunuch from the palace has come seeking an audience with His Highness the Third Prince, saying he has urgent matters to report."
Hearing this, Li Zhu, who had just witnessed Li Que gain another Heaven-Human expert and was about to offer congratulations, showed a subtle change in expression, "Someone from the palace? Could it be Mother Consort looking for me?"
Then he looked at the guard and ordered, "Have that eunuch come here to see me immediately."
The guard quickly agreed, cupped his hands in salute, and withdrew.
Seeing this, Li Que smiled and teased, "The Imperial Consort probably hasn't seen Third Brother for some time and misses you dearly?"
In response, Li Zhu gave an awkward smile. At this time, the Formless Elder's gaze fell on Elder Zhe. His withered hands cupped slightly as he said, "The Banished Immortal's reputation was illustrious in those years. I never expected that after retiring from the martial world, you would be hidden here. This old man is truly deeply honored to meet you in person today."
Hearing this, Elder Zhe in his gray robe waved his hand and said, "You praise me too much. Your Formless Divine Skill has reached the realm of transformation. The Formless Divine Canon of the Myriad Forms Demonic Sect falling into your hands is certainly not a case of being entrusted to the wrong person."
Upon hearing this, both Li Que and Li Zhu maintained calm expressions, not at all surprised by his demonic sect identity, as if they were long accustomed to it.
The Second Prince Li Que's manor had an extremely high tolerance for martial world figures. As long as they were willing to join, even demonic sect members were accepted without refusal.
Currently among all the martial world advisors in the prince's manor, at least more than half had identities from the demonic sects or were people wanted by various reputable orthodox martial world sects.
At this moment, the Formless Elder narrowed his eyes at Elder Zhe, stroking the cane in his hand as he said, "For the Banished Immortal to recognize this old man's origins at a glance, your martial cultivation has truly grown even more profound. If there is time in the future, this old man would like to request some guidance."
Elder Zhe's expression showed no ripples as he nodded gently and said, "After you have avenged your disciple, this old one can fulfill your request. It would also be a good opportunity to witness the Formless Divine Skill that has been lost from the martial world for many years."
"In that case, it's settled."
The Formless Elder's face showed an extremely exaggerated smile, appearing extremely strange and abnormal.
Li Que on the side saw everything but said nothing more. Regarding the conflicts among these martial world figures, he had always adhered to the strategy that guidance was better than obstruction.
More importantly, he trusted Elder Zhe. As long as Elder Zhe was present, any matter would be resolved easily.
...
Before long, the guard who had left returned with a eunuch to the viewing platform.
The eunuch bowed to both Li Que and Li Zhu in turn. Afterward, he said to Li Zhu in a low voice, "This matter is of great importance. Please, Your Highness, allow us to speak privately."
Li Zhu glanced at the eunuch, his gaze imperceptibly sweeping over Li Que before frowning and saying in a deep voice, "Second Brother is one of our own. Whatever you have to say, just say it directly."
Hearing this, the eunuch hesitated for a moment, but finally spoke in a trembling voice, "Please accept our condolences, Your Highness. The Imperial Consort... she, she has unfortunately passed away."
As soon as these words fell, the entire viewing platform suddenly became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Li Zhu stood in place, stunned. After regaining his senses, his tiger-like eyes immediately glared at the eunuch before him.
Reaching out with both hands, he directly grabbed the other's neck, lifted him into the air, and roared, "You're seeking death!"
The eunuch's entire face swelled to a liver color as he desperately tried to break free from the other's grasp, but he simply couldn't do it. He couldn't even cry out for mercy.
Just as the eunuch was about to be strangled to death, Li Que, who had regained his senses, quickly intervened to stop him, "Third Brother, don't be impulsive. Let him explain the situation clearly first."
Although he found Imperial Consort Ji's sudden death hard to believe, he also didn't believe that a eunuch would dare to speak nonsense about a consort's life and death.
Hearing this, Li Zhu took several heavy breaths and finally calmed down, throwing the eunuch in his hands aside like a dead dog.
The eunuch, having survived, coughed violently. But he dared not delay, afraid that Li Zhu would attack again. He immediately crawled up while kowtowing and told everything that had happened at the Yixin Hall.
In an instant, the entire viewing platform fell silent again for several breaths.
Seeing that Li Zhu was about to attack again, Li Que, whose expression showed shock and uncertainty, suddenly stopped him and said, "Under these circumstances, he absolutely wouldn't dare to lie. Third Brother, you probably need to enter the palace immediately."
Hearing this, Li Zhu's expression suddenly froze, his face instantly becoming as pale as paper.
After a moment, he suddenly rushed out, heading straight for the Great Li imperial palace.
Watching Li Zhu's departing figure, Li Que's gaze shifted. He glanced at the eunuch kneeling on the ground, then looked to the side and said, "Elder Zhe, what do you make of this matter?"
Elder Zhe's brows furrowed slightly as he shook his head and said, "To enter and exit the imperial palace to kill someone without a sound is truly too difficult. Even I would find it hard to do."
Hearing this, Li Que narrowed his eyes and pondered aloud, "In that case, the murderer should be inside the palace?"
However, Elder Zhe shook his head again at this moment and said, "Not necessarily. Just because I can't do it doesn't mean no one in this world can."
Hearing this, the Formless Elder on the side nodded and said, "That's right. Several years ago, Bai Wuying, who was hailed as the Thief Saint in the martial world, infiltrated the Great Xuan imperial palace and abducted a consort without anyone knowing. But because this matter was sealed by the Great Xuan palace, very few people know about it."