Chapter 0178: Xiao Xuanqin

Chapter 0178: Xiao Xuanqin

To ensure absolute safety, the guardian of Xiao Yuemei would certainly be at the Martial Dao realm. That’s why Qin Yun and Xie Wufeng didn’t encounter anyone at the Martial Dao realm when they went to Xiao Yu Tower.

“I’ll help you investigate, but don’t cause any more trouble! Rescuing Xiao Yuemei will be much harder from now on. You have already alerted them by acting. I might not even be able to find out where she has been moved,” Duan Qian instructed them sternly before leaving the Hall of Intricate Runes in a hurry.

Qin Yun led Xie Wufeng and the others to his spacious suite. Their faces were filled with disappointment as they sat silently in the hall.

Xie Wufeng broke the silence, taking out the key they had obtained from Xiao Yu Tower. “This key was kept under guard inside Xiao Yu Tower. It must be very important!”

Qin Yun took the key and examined it with his spiritual sense. Nodding, he said, “This key was placed on a table engraved with runes. It seems to be gathering energy for the key.”

“My grandfather mentioned that Xiao Yu Manor is a yin location, always cold, making it ideal for storing beast meat and other items,” Meng Feiling suddenly said.

Murong Daren added, “A key that requires gathering yin energy—what could it be used for in the Tian Xiao Empire?”

Xie Wufeng stood up, pacing back and forth in deep thought, saying nothing.

After a while, he spoke. “A key that requires gathering yin energy is probably used to open a tomb! Could this be the key to the Tian Xiao Imperial Mausoleum?”

Hearing Xie Wufeng’s speculation, Qin Yun and the others were visibly shocked, looking at each other with astonishment.

The Tian Xiao Imperial Mausoleum! That was where the heroes of the Tian Xiao Empire were buried. Only royal family members or those who had made significant contributions to the empire were interred there.

Murong Daren’s eyes lit up. “Xiao Yanglong of the Tian Xiao Empire is despicable. How about we desecrate his ancestral tomb?”

Meng Feiling chuckled lightly. “Since I know about this intriguing matter, I must join in!”

Huo Zhong also nodded.

Xie Wufeng said, “We need to plan this carefully. First, we must confirm if this key can indeed open the Tian Xiao Imperial Mausoleum. We also need at least the strength of someone at the eighth level of the Martial Body realm. Losing such a key, the Tian Xiao Empire will surely dispatch even more powerful warriors to guard the tomb.”

Qin Yun agreed, saying, “We’ll plan this later!”

Murong Daren laughed. “We mustn’t tell Chief Steward Duan about this!”

Meng Feiling added, “The Tian Xiao Empire lost such a precious key and definitely won’t make it public. It’s too embarrassing. Chief Steward Duan won’t know about the key being stolen from Xiao Yu Tower.”

If Duan Qian knew these kids were planning to dig up the ancestral tomb of the Tian Xiao Empire, he would surely be furious.

As dawn broke, Duan Qian arrived at Qin Yun’s suite.

Qin Yun and the others hadn’t rested. They were waiting in the hall, disappointment still evident on their faces.

Duan Qian said, “You’ve caused quite a situation. The Tian Xiao Empire is furious. Now, the streets are swarming with guards from the Tian Xiao Empire, and there’s a bounty of 100 million crystal coins to capture those who attacked Xiao Yu Manor.”

The Tian Xiao Empire’s strong reaction further confirmed the key’s significance. As Meng Feiling had suspected, the Tian Xiao Empire didn’t publicize the loss of the key but instead focused on finding the perpetrators.

Duan Qian continued, “I’ve gathered some information. Around noon yesterday, several carriages left Xiao Yu Manor for Tian Xiao Tower. It’s said that most of the top-tier warriors guarding Xiao Yu Manor were leaving at that time.”

This was why Xiao Yu Manor was so easily breached. Most of the experts had been drawn away, giving Qin Yun and his group an opportunity.

From the Tian Xiao Empire’s perspective, someone was after the key to their imperial mausoleum, so they took advantage of the temporary lapse in security to steal it.

Xie Wufeng said, “This means Xiao Yuemei should be in Tian Xiao Tower. Tian Xiao Tower is within a large manor, which is also open to the public, making it easier to infiltrate.”

“Tonight, I’ll go in and scout around. I must find out where Yuemei is hidden before we make a move,” Qin Yun said.

He could blend into the darkness at night, making infiltration easier. His expertise in strategic formations also allowed him to detect trap arrays.

Duan Gan urged, "Be careful! There are many powerful experts in Tian Xiao Tower, and most of the strongest individuals in the Tian Xiao Empire are inside."

"Yes, I'll go disguise myself now, and take action tonight." Qin Yun nodded in agreement.

"I'll help you with the disguise!" Meng Feiling charmingly smiled and then followed him into the room.

After careful makeup, Qin Yun transformed into a middle-aged man, with some wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. To prevent others from recognizing him by his eyes, Meng Feiling changed his eyes to red, resembling residual bruises from an injury, and made his eyes much smaller. She also added a small beard.

Seeing Qin Yun come out, Murong Daren laughed, "It's really difficult to recognize you now; you can go to Tian Xiao Tower with confidence!"

Xie Wufeng said, "I can't sense your aura either, it should be about right. And since they believe you're dead, even if someone finds you sneaking around, they wouldn't suspect it's you."

Duan Gan also thought it was okay and nodded.

……

In the evening, Qin Yun left Runic Patterns Hall and headed alone to Tian Xiao Tower.

Tian Xiao Tower was built inside a villa, near the Imperial Palace in the central area of the Imperial City.

Usually, anyone could enter and exit the Tian Xiao Villa, going to Tian Xiao Tower to drink, eat, or even stay. But during this time, there were certain restrictions for entering the villa.

For instance, one needed to pay a million crystal coins to enter because the entrance fees to Tian Xiao Tower and the villas had skyrocketed, and they took the opportunity to make some extra profit.

After his disguise, under the alias Yuan Bin, Qin Yun took out purple crystal coins from his storage spirit artifact, indicating his wealth and status.

He easily entered Tian Xiao Villa and headed to Tian Xiao Tower.

"It was so easy to get in; is Yue Mei really here?" Qin Yun felt uncertain but decided to proceed step by step. He planned to look for Xiao Xuanqin.

Xiao Yue Mei had told him that Xiao Xuanqin treated her like family.

In the royal family, a sense of kinship was rare and precious, so he decided to take a gamble on Xiao Xuanqin, unwilling to see Xiao Yue Mei and Xiao Yue Lan treated like items for trade.

Qin Yun believed he had a good chance of succeeding, as Xiao Xuanqin had also almost been sold off before and detested this kind of behavior within the royal family.

Thanks to his storage spirit artifact, Qin Yun was approached by many dignitaries during the multiple gatherings in Tian Xiao Tower, who toasted him and struck up conversations.

It wasn’t until late at night that the noble banquets in Tian Xiao Tower concluded and people started to disperse.

Qin Yun had enjoyed free food and drinks, but his biggest gain was finding out the residence of Xiao Xuanqin.

Xiao Xuanqin did not live in Tian Xiao Tower but in a small building inside Tian Xiao Villa, where it was quieter and more comfortable.

"Xiao Xuanqin’s small building is in a rose garden; it should be easy to locate!" Qin Yun used the unique power of his Black Sun Martial Soul to cover his body and blend into the darkness.

Suddenly, a group of patrolling guards walked by. Qin Yun quickly hid in the sparse grass and was not discovered.

Soon, he found the beautiful garden filled with roses, and in the middle of the garden, there was a three-story building with lights on the second floor.

Qin Yun cautiously approached and used his mental energy to float himself up to an open window on the second floor. The room was unlit and empty.

He hid in that room, observing the movements on that floor to see who was there.

After observing, he discovered that there was a secret room next door. Although the aura was very weak, he could sense that someone was inside.

"Is Xiao Xuanqin practicing in there?" Qin Yun thought, but practice rooms were typically very secure and difficult to enter.

He patiently waited in that room.

Shortly after, someone was outside this room. Qin Yun was greatly startled and quickly leaped onto the beam above, concealing his presence.

The door opened, and the night pearl glowed as mental energy activated it.

The person who entered was a woman, and it was indeed Xiao Xuanqin!

She was wearing a loose, simple white dress. Strikingly beautiful, elegant, and noble, her every movement exuded grace and dignity. Her mature, oval face bore a trace of weariness, and she was in the process of undressing...

It was only then that Qin Yun realized this was a bathhouse with a small water pool.

"This is wrong. I shouldn't watch anymore!" Qin Yun closed his eyes, his heart racing and his mind in turmoil. His eyelids itched, and he desperately wanted to open them...

Because of his restlessness, he inadvertently revealed a hint of his presence.

Xiao Xuanqin suddenly sensed a faint aura coming from the beam above. She glanced up sharply but saw nothing.

Qin Yun was also aware that he had leaked some of his aura. His heart pounded, and he hurriedly opened his eyes just in time to see Xiao Xuanqin taking off her outer robe, leaving her in her undergarments.

After all, she was at the ninth level of the Martial Body realm and highly confident in her senses. She furrowed her brows and, after a moment of thought, gently waved her hand, releasing a powerful spiral of inner energy.

"Oh no!" Qin Yun was secretly alarmed as he was swept into the water by the force of the inner energy.

Xiao Xuanqin paled with fright. She quickly wrapped herself in an outer garment, and just as she was about to release another burst of inner energy, she saw a familiar figure emerging from the pool.

Her raised jade palm hovered in the air as she looked on in surprise and exclaimed softly, "Qin Yun! Are you man or ghost?"

A moment ago, she couldn't see anyone on the beam, but Qin Yun had been there. Coupled with her belief that Qin Yun was already dead, she suspected he might be a ghost.

Especially considering how guilty she felt about Qin Yun's death, she suspected he might have come back as a vengeful spirit.

The thought of Xiao Yuemei's hateful gaze from back then made her heart ache even more.

So now, seeing Qin Yun, she was both surprised and delighted. She truly hoped that Qin Yun wasn't dead, for only then could Xiao Yuemei stop hating her.