"Who stole the Seven Star Arrow Box? And why did it appear in the Everlasting Prefacture, almost killing me? How did my father obtain the Astral Qi Energy Bead? And what caused him to die in Dragon Abyss without even finding his body?
Wu Jian had a vague feeling that there was an invisible hand manipulating everything, making it all seem confusing and mysterious.
The most urgent task was to find the holder of the Seven Star Arrow Box. In order to do that, he needed to go to the Nameless Sword Villa and investigate the clues left behind from when the arrow box was stolen, then follow the trail to find the culprit.
After all, the holder of the Seven Star Arrow Box had already attacked him once, and news of his survival would soon spread. Although he had the confidence to withstand the Seven Star Arrow's attack with his mastery of the Astral Qi Energy and his martial arts expertise, he did not dare to take any chances.
In addition, it wouldn't be long before Emperor Qiguo summoned the young princes of the Nine Provinces to the imperial capital for their coming-of-age ceremony and to pay respects to their ancestors, which would give the heirs of each fiefdom the right to return to their own territories to inherit their thrones.
Of course, this did not mean that the old feudal lords would withdraw from the power center altogether, but rather they would step back and allow their children to take the lead in managing their respective estates.
Meanwhile...
"How could Wu Jian not be dead? Didn't the Shaking Light Arrow already hit him?" Two days ago, in the Killing Tower in Sin City, a red-clothed man wearing a ghost-face mask looked at a confidential letter and exclaimed in anger.
"Crack, bang!" The teacup on the table was crushed by the red-clothed man's hand.
"He is such a useless fool. Send the Red Lotus Executive Hongyi to me. I have something to tell him." The red-clothed man shouted at the door.
"Yes," came the response from outside the door.
In a moment, a gust of cold wind blew in, but the candles in the room did not go out. A masked man appeared silently in the room, wearing red clothes but not the same ghost-face mask as the previous man.
"Hongyi, I just received a confidential letter. Wu Jian is not dead." The ghost-face man spoke.
"Impossible, I personally did it. I saw the arrow hit his left heart position. How could he survive?" Hongyi widened his eyes in shock.
The ghost-face man looked down coldly at Hongyi and said in a chilling tone, "No need to say more. This is the news from our disciples in the Everlasting Prefecture. It can't be false. Although Wu Jian is not dead, he must have been seriously injured by the Shaking Light Arrow."
"You seize this opportunity, go to the Everlasting Prefecture, avoid more trouble, and get the Heavenly Pivot Arrow. This time, you must kill him and redeem yourself!"
"Yes, I will do it right away." Hongyi bowed and said, then disappeared into the darkness like a ghost.
In the Phoenix Tower of the Yong Prince's Mansion, the room was filled with sandalwood incense, and the dragon-patterned window with hollowed-out floral patterns let in fragmented rays of light.
At this moment, Wu Jian sat cross-legged facing north, his body blurry as if it were ethereal. He closed his eyes, and his palms faced each other, circulating his "Innate Astral Qi." A circle of silver vortex-like shields spun around Wu Jian at high speed.
"Hoo, hoo, disperse!" Wu Jian whispered with closed eyes, and the last trace of bloodthirsty and violent aura, entwined in his Jueyin Palace in the lower dantian, dissipated into nothingness.
"Finally recovered. The Shaking Light Arrow is really terrifying." Wu Jian opened his eyes, breathed out a breath of turbid air, and murmured. Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind.
"I guess the other side already knows that I am alive. Given the terror of the Shaking Light Arrow, even if a Grandmaster is shot, they will not die, but they will definitely be seriously injured. If they suspect this, they must also think that I am seriously injured."
"Next, they will definitely look for an opportunity to attack me again. Why not take the initiative and create an opportunity for them, lure them out, and also investigate the strength of the mastermind behind the scenes?"
Thinking of this, Wu Jian pondered for a moment, and then immediately had an idea.
At the same time, in the boudoir of Ye Qingfu in the Luan Feng Tower, a large Ru Kiln flower pot sat on a carved wooden table with different patterns. The pot was filled with peonies that exuded a fragrant scent.
Does the peony also symbolize the elegant and charming appearance of Sister Qing? Is that why it can bring joy to the master and be placed in the most prominent position in the room?
Through the pink curtains, one can see a emerald green makeup table with plum blossom carvings, on which hangs a diamond-shaped bronze mirror. At this moment, Ye Qingfu is wearing a light pink palace dress, facing the bronze mirror and applying red lipstick with a slanted brush.
From time to time, she purses her lips, her beautiful eyebrows like paintings, her eyes shimmering like water, and her long hair flowing like a goddess in the water.
Just then, Wu Jian burst in.
"Sister Qing, aren't you going to Pu Hua Temple today to pray? I have recovered and can accompany you on the trip, and then..."
Before he could finish his sentence, he looked at Ye Qingfu's stunning appearance, which was both angry and happy, and despite being very familiar with her, he couldn't help but be stunned.
Ye Qingfu glanced at the impulsive intruder and said softly, "Wait a moment, Jian'er. I'll find a hairpin, freshen up, and then we can go to Pu Hua Temple."
.....
The royal family took a carriage to Pu Hua Temple, which was a bit far from the palace. Wu Jian, Ye Qingfu, and the little maid Rong'er shared a carriage.
Curious about the luxurious travel of the royal family, the spacious road was soon crowded with ordinary people in the Everlasting Prefecture. Two columns of armored guards drove the crowds away and led the way. The sound of the carriage wheels on the white jade floor was like rain. The carriage was wrapped in luxurious silk, and the windows were inlaid with dark jade and blue curtains to block the outside view.
The carriage was drawn by four white horses, following the "the emperor drives six, the nobles drive four" rule. Over ten dark-armored Eternal Guards with swords were coldly watching the surroundings, noticing every movement, and their eighth-level breath was faintly discernible.
The carriage was spacious and had a small table with fruit. Ye Qingfu sat quietly aside, listening to Rong'er's interesting stories about the palace, her eyes occasionally glancing at Wu Jian.