Noticing Shen Lixue's gaze, Dongfang Heng pulled himself out of his thoughts and looked at Shen Lixue. Her light blue dress and jet-black hair fluttered in the wind, making her look as beautiful as a fairy, which made him momentarily stunned.
"It's getting late, let's hurry to Nangong Xiao's villa!" A delicate fragrance wafted in the wind. Before Dongfang Heng could react, Shen Lixue had already walked over. Looking at Shen Lixue's small hand tightly gripping his arm, Dongfang Heng's lips curled up slightly, and he let her pull him outside.
Nangong Xiao's villa was located in the suburbs, in a beautiful environment where few people came. But at this moment, the villa was brightly lit, with maids and servants bustling about, diligently serving tea and water. Lei Taiwei, Shen Minghui, and some other court officials gathered in twos and threes, discussing quietly.
A large number of Imperial Guards, clad in armor and wielding longswords, surrounded the villa, their faces cold and their guard on high alert.
Dongfang Heng and Shen Lixue entered the courtyard. The ministers greeted Dongfang Heng, who responded indifferently, his gaze remaining fixed on Shen Lixue.
Through the crowd, Shen Lixue saw Nangong Xiao sitting to the side, leisurely sipping his wine, completely out of place with the lively atmosphere.
Frowning slightly, Shen Lixue stepped forward: "Nangong Xiao, we'll need your help finding someone later. What kind of wine would you like?"
"That insect is too ugly and disgusting. I was half-drunk and couldn't even see its nasty appearance!" With that, Nangong Xiao picked up another cup of wine and gulped it down.
Shen Lixue: "..." Even the ancients had amazing logic!
"Deputy Commander Zhuang!"
"Commander Lei!"
As Lei Taiwei and Zhuang Weicheng greeted her, Shen Lixue turned around and saw Zhuang Weicheng standing in front of the Imperial Guards with his arm half in a sling, a long sword at his side, a cold face, and an extraordinary demeanor.
"He injured his arm, yet he still came to observe the ritual?" Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow.
Dongfang Heng stepped forward and gave Zhuang Weicheng a cold look: "He is injured in his left shoulder and left arm, but he can still use his right arm to wield a sword. Tonight is another great opportunity to make a contribution, so why would he let it pass by!"
"I wonder if we can find the mastermind tonight?" Several ministers stood together, whispering among themselves. This matter was highly confidential. They had only received the emperor's decree at nightfall, ordering them to come to the villa. Only when they arrived did they learn that a ritual was to be performed tonight to capture the mastermind.
"As long as the Southern Border Princess finds the mastermind behind this, I will definitely arrest him and bring him to justice!" Zhuang Weicheng's voice was loud and clear, full of confidence as if he were making an oath, and most of the people in the courtyard could hear it.
Seeing that everyone was looking at him, he gave Lin Yan a cold glance, his provocation evident in his words.
Lin Yan smiled slightly, ignoring Zhuang Weicheng's arrogance, a hint of coldness flashing in his gentle eyes.
"General Lin doesn't seem very confident about catching the mastermind behind this?" Lin Yan ignored him, and Zhuang Weicheng felt a little embarrassed, secretly mocking him.
Lin Yan smiled lightly: "To capture someone, you need martial arts skills, not just words!"
"You!" Zhuang Weicheng gritted his teeth in anger. Fine, fine, so you rely on martial arts, huh? Once the mastermind shows up, he will definitely catch him before Lin Yan does, and see how Lin Yan can still be so arrogant in front of him.
"His Majesty has arrived! Prince Zhan has arrived!" Accompanied by the eunuch's distinctive high-pitched voice, the emperor, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, strode in, surrounded by the crown prince and other princes, his gaze majestic and his aura extraordinary.
Everyone bowed and said, "Rise!"
The emperor walked to the highest seat and had just sat down when a large number of flower petals fell from the sky, and a wave of fragrance wafted over, intoxicating everyone. As the petals danced in the air, a woman in white slowly descended, and a slender woman appeared before everyone.
Wearing a white conical hat, with long, thin white veils hanging down from it to conceal the woman's face, a large vine flower was embroidered on the front of her white dress, winding and covering the entire front, while the hem was embroidered with petals of flowers, making her extremely beautiful.
"Ruoyan greets Your Majesty!" The woman in white stood on the ground covered with flower petals and gracefully curtsied. Her voice was high-pitched and delicate, like that of a child whose voice had not yet changed.
Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow. Wasn't the Southern Border Princess supposed to be twenty years old? Why does her voice still sound like a child's?
"Is she really the princess of Southern Xinjiang?" Shen Lixue asked Dongfang Heng in a low voice.
Dongfang Heng nodded, his gaze deep: "She has a token of the Southern Border royal family, which the Imperial Uncle has already confirmed!"
The War King has confirmed it, so it must be true! Shen Lixue didn't speak again, her cold gaze fixed on the woman in white. Her face was covered by a bamboo hat, making her truly mysterious. She wondered if the woman could find out who the mastermind was.
"Rise!" the emperor replied calmly, his sharp gaze fixed on the woman in white. "Princess Ruoyan, many days have passed since the Gu worm incident. Can you still use magic to find the mastermind behind the Gu worm?"
"Your Majesty, we in the Southern Frontier have a secret method. As long as the aura of the Gu worms remains, we can follow it to find the location where the Gu are being raised!" The white-clad woman's high-pitched voice was full of confidence.
"Very good!" The emperor nodded in satisfaction.
A servant presented two white undergarments to the woman in white.
Nangong Xiao explained softly, "These are the clothes worn by the two people who were infected with the Gu. They were infected for three months, so their clothes should still have the Gu's scent on them!"
The woman in white nodded and rummaged through her clothes: "The aura on these clothes is extremely weak. If Ruoyan needs to use a special method to examine them, please, Your Majesty and Your Highness, move fifty meters away!"
The crowd retreated fifty meters, leaving only the woman in white in the empty center of the field. She placed the tray and clothes on the ground, then took something from her person and sprinkled it on her clothes.
Instantly, a layer of yellow frost appeared on the white clothes. In everyone's sight, the yellow frost slowly condensed at a speed visible to the human eye, eventually turning into a few bright spots that glowed faintly in the darkness.
A moment later, a yellow light slowly rose up, drifting in mid-air and gradually moving in one direction.
"What is that?" Shen Lixue frowned deeply. It looked like a firefly, but she knew it was definitely not a firefly.
“It should be a kind of scent-finding Gu from the Southern Frontier, which uses scent to find the source of the Gu worm.” Dongfang Heng’s eyes narrowed. This kind of Gu is very useful. It looks ordinary, but it is extremely difficult to control. This princess from the Southern Frontier is not simple.
Having successfully cast the Gu poison, the woman in white secretly breathed a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat from her forehead through her veil: "Your Majesty, Your Highness, it has detected the Gu worm's aura and is drifting towards there!"
The emperor's gaze sharpened, and he said coldly, "Guards, follow me quickly!"
"Yes!" Zhuang Weicheng replied, leading his many Imperial Guards in a confident pursuit of the few points of light. His gaze fell on Lin Yan standing behind the Emperor, a hint of mockery flashing in his cold eyes. This time he had rendered meritorious service and received a reward. The Emperor would surely promote him to the position of Imperial Guard Commander. So what if Lin Yan was more skilled in martial arts than him? He still couldn't become the commander.
The Imperial Guards split into two groups to pursue the "Fireflies." One group followed Zhuang Weicheng, while the other group followed another person.
Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow: "How many deputy commanders does the Imperial Guard have?"
“Three.” Dongfang Heng explained in a low voice, “Qingyan has a total of three thousand Imperial Guards to protect the safety of the entire imperial city. Each deputy commander can only command one thousand Imperial Guards under his jurisdiction, while the commander can freely dispatch and command all three thousand Imperial Guards!”
Shen Lixue nodded in understanding. No wonder Zhuang Weicheng was so eager to become the commander of the Imperial Guard. Once he became the commander, he would have the safety of the entire capital in his hands, wielding immense power. The emperor would certainly have been extremely cautious in choosing this person...
The 'fireflies' didn't drift very fast. Shen Lixue, Dongfang Heng, and the ministers all wanted to know who the mastermind was as soon as possible, so they naturally followed.
Fireflies flitted through the streets and alleys, their twinkling lights guiding people toward the ruthless mastermind behind the scenes.