Chapter 126: Questions |
In any case, there was probably no one in this world who could kill him now.
And the only thing Li Musheng cared about was the pursuit of transcending the martial Dao.
Beyond that, he did only what he himself believed was right. As for those who felt he was wrong, they naturally had no means to do anything about it.
At this moment, Cang Yinyue gently bit her lip, her gaze turning to Li Musheng. She clasped the sword in both hands and bowed with solemn formality, saying, "Your Highness has shown Yinyue such deep and weighty kindness. Yinyue vows to follow Your Highness for the rest of her life without wavering, and to devote herself wholeheartedly to seeking out the Tianqi Secret Treasury."
Hearing this, Li Musheng raised an eyebrow slightly and glanced at Cang Yinyue, feeling vaguely that there was something a little odd about the way she had phrased that.
Even so, he did not dwell on it further, and instead turned his head to look out through the carriage window, saying suddenly, "You've been following us for quite a while now. Why not come out and have a proper conversation?"
The moment those words fell, Cang Yinyue's expression changed at once, and she immediately looked out of the carriage.
Just then, a sudden gust of wind swept the carriage curtain aside, and with the faint sound of moving air, Guan Tianqian's figure appeared silently within the carriage.
"Divine Constable Guan?"
But thinking back to what Li Musheng had just said, she quickly understood, and her gaze turned sharp as she looked at Guan Tianqian with guarded wariness, saying, "For a Divine Constable of your standing to have been trailing us all this while, what exactly are your intentions?"
Guan Tianqian let out a quiet breath, and rather than answering Cang Yinyue, he clasped his hands respectfully and bowed toward Li Musheng, saying, "This subject pays his respects to Your Highness the Eighth Prince."
Hearing this, Li Musheng waved a hand and studied the man for a moment. Noticing that he bore a certain resemblance to Guan Shanxue, he had a fairly good idea of who he was dealing with.
"Speak. What do you want?"
Li Musheng asked with a composed expression.
From the moment Guan Tianqian had begun following him and Cang Yinyue, he had already been aware of it. But since the man carried not the slightest killing intent, he had not bothered to pay it much attention.
Now that the matter of the Qingshan Tower Great Qi remnants had been concluded with considerable gains to boot, he was in a somewhat leisurely mood and curious to have a look at this Heaven-Human expert who had been trailing behind him.
Guan Tianqian, faced with Li Musheng's question, felt his expression shift through a succession of changes as his thoughts churned with difficulty.
He had followed Li Musheng and Cang Yinyue all the way into the depths underground, and apart from the matter involving the Azure Dragon Elder, which he had not witnessed, he had quietly observed nearly everything else from the shadows, including the full extent of the strength Li Musheng had displayed. He had seen it all with his own eyes.
The shocks he had accumulated along the way were no fewer than those Bu Chengyang and Ah Bin had experienced.
At first, he too had been unable to believe that this young Eighth Prince before him possessed such a terrifyingly profound martial Dao cultivation.
But by now he had gradually come to accept it fully. After all, the facts had been laid out plainly before him, witnessed firsthand. Whether he believed it or not was beside the point.
Moreover, everything he had seen had also confirmed certain suspicions he had harbored before.
The one thing he had not anticipated was that the person who had truly moved against the Cangyuan Marquis household and taken the life of Imperial Consort Ji was none other than the Eighth Prince standing before him.
Guan Tianqian steadied his thoughts. Given Li Musheng's level of martial Dao cultivation, he had likely detected his presence long ago.
With that in mind, he mulled it over briefly, then clasped his hands and said, "This subject happened to notice Chief Constable Cang traveling alongside Your Highness, and curiosity led me to follow..."
However, Li Musheng simply raised a hand and cut him off, saying, "I did not call you out here to listen to your excuses. You are a Divine Constable of Six Doors, yet you have been following Miss Cang, who is merely a Silver Constable. You must know something."
With that, Li Musheng narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze resting on the man as he suddenly asked, "You went to look into the Cangyuan Marquis household case, didn't you?"
Hearing this, Guan Tianqian furrowed his brow lightly, but nodded.
Seeing this, Li Musheng rubbed his chin and looked at Guan Tianqian, saying, "Then you must have seen the words I left behind as well."
As he spoke, he settled back leisurely against the cushion behind him and raised an eyebrow, saying, "If you have questions you want to ask me, go ahead and ask."
The moment those words landed, Guan Tianqian was momentarily stunned.
He reached up instinctively to wipe the cold sweat that had beaded on his brow, then raised his eyes to look at Li Musheng before him.
He had originally planned to deflect and talk his way past the matter for the time being, but the Eighth Prince before him was evidently far from easy to deal with.
Guan Tianqian stood hesitating in place for a while before lowering his head and speaking, saying, "This subject was in truth investigating the Cangyuan Marquis household case, which is why I followed Chief Constable Cang..."
But before he could finish, Li Musheng gave a light nod and said, "That's right. I killed everyone in the Cangyuan Marquis household."
"Furthermore, Imperial Consort Ji in the palace was also killed by me. As for the reason, I imagine you already saw it when you were at the Cangyuan Marquis household."
With that, Li Musheng regarded Guan Tianqian quietly, saying, "I understand what you came for, and I have already given you your answer. As for what you choose to do next, that is something I have no interest in."
The moment those words fell, Guan Tianqian looked up in stunned disbelief at Li Musheng before him.
He could hardly believe that the man had admitted to everything so calmly, without the slightest attempt at concealment.
But in that instant, a sudden chill ran down Guan Tianqian's spine, and he immediately began circulating the vast martial True Qi within him at full force.
For Li Musheng to admit everything so candidly, it was very likely that he had long since prepared to ensure that Guan Tianqian would not be leaving this place today.
Even knowing the truth behind the deaths of Imperial Consort Ji and the others, he would not be able to carry that information away.
Li Musheng observed Guan Tianqian's reaction in full, yet only said mildly, "Now that I have given you the answer you came for, I also have a question of my own that I would like to hear your answer to."
Hearing this, Guan Tianqian's entire body tensed, and he fixed a wary gaze on Li Musheng.
Li Musheng appeared to have no intention of making a move, yet Guan Tianqian knew the man could act at any moment.
At the same time, he could not bring himself to strike first against a prince. And as for simply fleeing on the spot, setting aside whether he could even manage to escape, they were still in the middle of a conversation. To turn and run without a word would be conduct utterly unbefitting a man of iron resolve like Guan Tianqian, a Divine Constable of Six Doors. He could not bring himself to do something so craven no matter what.
Left with no other option, Guan Tianqian steeled himself and said, "Please put your question to this subject, Your Highness. I will answer everything I know without concealment."
Hearing this, Li Musheng gave a gentle nod, saying, "My question is simple. You only need to answer me this, did those people deserve to die?"
The moment those words landed, Guan Tianqian froze, and his head snapped up to meet Li Musheng's gaze.
Yet he found no particular emotion in Li Musheng's eyes, only calm and ease.
The man seemed not the least bit concerned about the question he had just asked.
After a long moment, Guan Tianqian gently closed his eyes and then slowly opened them again, drew a deep breath, and said, "Those people naturally deserved to die."
With that, he clasped his hands toward Li Musheng and went down on one knee, saying, "This subject overstepped his bounds by prying too deeply into the matter. I beg Your Highness's pardon."