Chapter 473: Questioning.

Chapter 473: Chapter 473: Questioning.

Bai Lingyu’s eyes widened slightly as she finally noticed a tall young man standing quietly on the path directly in front of her, just a few meters away.

Li Feng was watching her silently under the moonlight.

"..."

"—!"

Bai Lingyu’s heart nearly stopped for a moment.

All the twisted joy on her face vanished instantly, replaced by a perfect mask of gentle surprise and slight panic.

She quickly lowered her head in a graceful bow, forcing herself to stand straight and maintain the dignified appearance of a high-ranking concubine.

"Young Master... may I ask who you are?" she asked softly, her voice returning to its usual gentle and elegant tone.

"This is the inner palace. It is quite inappropriate for a man to wander alone at this hour..."

Li Feng calmly observed the woman.

With his sharp senses and rich experience, he could easily tell what kind of "business" she had just finished.

The faint scent of mixed yang energy, her unsteady legs, the slight flush that hadn’t completely faded, and the way she tried to hide the soreness in her body... it was all too obvious.

Remembering something, Li Feng’s mouth twitched slightly.

Thanks to this women, he now knew the woman’s perspective when she was on her knees... something he had never had any interested in at all.

Just recalling that scene made anger flare in his chest, but he held it in and spoke coldly.

"Follow me."

Without waiting for her reply, Li Feng turned and walked toward a more secluded pavilion nearby, his robe fluttering slightly in the night breeze.

Bai Lingyu’s eyes glinted.

’This man... does he want to pull me somewhere secluded and enjoy himself?’ she thought, a trace of disgust and calculation flashing across her mind.

But she couldn’t help frowning in confusion as well... she had never seen or heard of this young man before.

’Could it be that Master told him about me?’

Thinking so, she couldn’t help but complain inwardly.

That old prime minister really was working her to death.

With a soft sigh, she lowered her head slightly and followed Li Feng obediently to the secluded pavilion.

Once they were hidden among the flowering trees and away from prying eyes, Bai Lingyu gracefully stood before him.

Even though her legs were still weak and her body ached from the intense "greeting" earlier, she maintained her elegant posture perfectly.

She looked at Li Feng with a gentle, slightly wary expression.

"Young Master... may I know your purpose for seeking this lowly concubine so late at night?" she said softly, her beautiful face appearing gentle and docile.

Li Feng stared at her for a moment and couldn’t help nodding inwardly at this woman’s acting ability.

If he didn’t already know her true face, he might have been fooled and simply thought of her as a conservative, well-mannered concubine.

He cut straight to the chase.

"Do you know where Fen Ziyan is?"

Bai Lingyu’s long eyelashes trembled slightly.

She couldn’t help but frown at the sudden question.

For some reason, she had a feeling that things were heading in a different direction than she initially thought.

She tried to ask about his identity again—

"I don’t know."

Bai Lingyu’s eyes widened in shock as her mouth answered on its own.

The words spilled out smoothly, as if someone had forced the truth out of her throat.

She immediately covered her mouth with both hands, her face turning deathly pale.

’W-what did I just say?!’

Li Feng’s eyes narrowed at the answer.

He had just used his authority to command her to speak the truth... but he didn’t expect that response.

A simple "I don’t know" meant she truly had no clue where Fen Ziyan was.

’Hmm... Let’s adjust the question a bit.’

Li Feng took another step closer, his voice low and commanding as he stared directly into her eyes.

"Then tell me everything you know about Fen Ziyan’s situation after she returned to the palace."

Bai Lingyu’s body trembled violently.

Her eyes filled with horror as she tried desperately to clamp her mouth shut, but the words forced their way out again.

"...I don’t know that Princess Fen has returned to the palace either. All I know about her is that she should be returning to the sect after I failed the mission to capture her."

Bai Lingyu’s face was deathly pale, sweat dripping down her forehead as she fought against the compulsion with all her might.

Everything happening was so bizarre that she couldn’t help but feel terrified of this young man in front of her.

Li Feng clicked his tongue in annoyance.

It seemed the culprit was extremely careful when capturing Fen Ziyan as they didn’t even reveal it to their own subordinates like Bai Lingyu.

He thought for a moment, then changed his approach.

His voice became calmer.

"Then tell me your honest opinion. Where do you think Fen Ziyan might be right now, since she disappeared from the sect? What is the most likely possibility in your mind?"

Bai Lingyu’s lips quivered.

She tried to resist with all her might, but the words still slipped out uncontrollably,

"...There is a high chance that my master, Prime Minister Mu, is responsible for this. He tasked me and a group of Death Soldiers to capture her before, but we failed."

"...And I noticed that about a week ago he had been acting strangely and seemed unusually busy. He even hired three Golden Core experts from outside... and used me more frequently to entertain them..."

Li Feng frowned.

"Golden Core experts? Do you know why he hired these three?"

Bai Lingyu’s voice trembled as more truth poured out against her will.

"...I don’t know the exact details, but I saw them lingering a lot around Prime Minister Mu’s residence. I think they might be guarding something."

"Oh?"

Li Feng’s eyes flashed.

He felt this might be an important clue, so he pressed further.

"Where is that place?"

Bai Lingyu bit her lip hard until it bled, desperately trying to resist, but her mouth still moved on its own:

"Prime Minister Mu’s private residence is located in the western part of the inner palace. The main building is called the ’Jade Courtyard.’ But... the three Golden Core experts rarely stay in the main courtyard. They are almost always inside the underground secret area beneath it. There’s a hidden entrance behind the artificial mountain in the back garden..."

Her body shook violently as she spoke.

"That underground area is extremely well-protected with multiple layers of formations. Even I am only allowed to enter the first layer when... when I am called to serve those three. I have never been allowed deeper."

Li Feng’s eyes narrowed sharply.

’Jade Courtyard... underground secret area guarded by three Golden Core experts...’

He stood silently for a moment, weighing his options.

Just then, Bai Lingyu continued.

"...And I happened to hear him mentioning something about an ’important ritual.’ Judging from all of this... that ritual seems to require Her Highness Fen Ziyan."

The moment those words left her mouth, Bai Lingyu’s eyes widened in despair.

She had wanted to stop talking.

If Prime Minister Mu ever found out that she had leaked so much information, she would experience the pain of her soul being torn apart by his soul contract.

Li Feng stood motionless for a few seconds, his expression turning colder.

’A ritual that requires Fen Ziyan...’

It seemed he couldn’t afford to waste any more time.

He had to check out that underground place tonight, but going there blindly would be extremely risky.

He was still recovering from the backlash, and facing three Golden Core experts plus whatever formations Prime Minister Mu had prepared was no small matter.

He was confident in defeating them, but... not confident he could do it silently.

They were still deep inside the imperial palace, so he didn’t want to create a huge ruckus if possible.

If Fen Ziyan was really there, then Li Feng wouldn’t mind turning the entire place upside down.

But he was worried she might not be... and all his efforts tonight would be in vain.

If he was branded a criminal, he might be banned from returning to the palace.

And that would leave him with only the option of going aggressive and using brute force after that.

But it would be extremely difficult for him to go against the entire dynasty right now, and he might even offend the Azure Moon Sect if he forced his way in too aggressively.

Li Feng clenched his fists tightly, his eyes flickering with hesitation and killing intent.

After a long moment, he took a deep breath and made a decision.

’It seems it’s better to let Shadow go in and check the situation there first.’

With Shadow’s ability to traverse between realms and its extraordinary stealth, Shadow was the perfect candidate for this kind of reconnaissance.

Even Golden Core experts and high-level formations would have no chance of detecting it.

Without saying another word, he looked down at the fearful Concubine Bai again and narrow his eyes.