"Go to Second Brother's residence?"
Li Yuanling's expression went clearly blank for a moment upon hearing Li Musheng's words.
Honestly, before this she could not recall ever hearing of Li Musheng having any dealings with the Second Prince.
And for Li Musheng to go looking for the man the moment he returned to the capital, it was hard to say what his purpose might be.
Seeing Li Yuanling's puzzled expression, Li Musheng simply said casually, "On the road to Falling God Peak, the Second Prince sent someone to assassinate me. And he also happens to have something I need."
Previously, Li Musheng had actually been thinking of sneaking into the Second Prince's residence to take the Tianqi Secret Treasury key, or simply taking it by force.
But now that he had legitimate grounds to request it, the sneaking around and strong-arm approach were things he preferred to avoid where possible.
"The Second Prince sent someone to assassinate you? How could he do that?"
Li Yuanling's priorities in what she had heard were clearly different. She shot to her feet, her eyes fixed on the distance with clear fury, and something close to killing intent.
Before the news of Li Musheng destroying Falling God Peak had come out, in everyone's eyes he had been nothing more than an untethered prince with no backing who had been raised among common people. And this man had still gone and tried to have him killed. It was depraved beyond words.
"Let us go. We are going to settle this properly."
At that moment Li Yuanling seemed even more fired up than Li Musheng himself, and immediately grabbed his arm and made to go straight to the Second Prince's residence.
The big black cat lying on the ground nearby saw this and immediately stood up straight, its green eyes lighting up.
It was thoroughly delighted at the prospect of a scene to watch, and quickly moved over and made to follow along with Li Yuanling.
Li Musheng had originally planned to wait for Cang Yinyue's message. Before he had left the capital, he had asked her to look into the other Tianqi Secret Treasury key.
But he had just learned from Yu Jin that the young woman had not been seen anywhere in the capital during his absence.
And so Li Musheng had asked Yu Jin to try and find her, though there were no results yet.
"Never mind. We can go to the Second Prince's residence first. It should not take long."
Li Musheng thought it over and decided to retrieve the key from Li Que first, then come back and wait for news of Cang Yinyue.
After all, even the Tianjin Guards would need time to find one person in a city as vast as Shangyang.
Seeing Li Musheng agree, the big black cat was immediately raring to go. Its eyes flashed with ferocity, its whole bearing that of a cat that had already begun picturing a battlefield of blood and ruin.
Li Yuanling, meanwhile, was already fuming. She pulled Li Musheng along out of the Tianjin Guards headquarters and into the carriage, which set off directly for the Second Prince's residence.
At the same time, the various forces that had been watching the Tianjin Guards headquarters from the shadows were immediately set into motion, each stirring like a stone thrown into still water.
In the current climate of Shangyang City, any movement from Li Musheng was enough to demand everyone's full attention.
"Find out immediately where the Eighth Prince is heading."
The hidden observers acted at once, quietly following the carriage Li Musheng was riding in.
Li Musheng naturally sensed all of it, but did not care in the slightest.
Before long the carriage had sped along its route and drawn up in front of the Second Prince's residence.
At the same time, the martial world figures inside the Second Prince's residence who had been gathering intelligence were already reporting to Li Que in frantic haste.
For Li Musheng, the Great Li prince who had single-handedly destroyed Falling God Peak, to return to the capital and head directly for the Second Prince's residence was enough to terrify anyone.
"What is the Eighth doing here?"
Li Que, who had been in his secret chamber cultivating, went white in the face the moment he heard the news.
He immediately burst out of the chamber and rushed to find the Elder Zhe.
Against Li Musheng, the only place he could find even a trace of security right now was beside the Elder Zhe.
When the Elder Zhe heard Li Que's news, he too was unable to stay calm. The old face shifted rapidly through several expressions of deep gravity.
His gaze came to rest on Li Que several times, his thoughts unclear. But in the end he let out a quiet sigh and said, "What comes your way comes your way and cannot be avoided. Your Highness, this old one will accompany you."
The truth was that when the Elder Zhe heard of Li Musheng's arrival, he had briefly considered slipping away himself, or taking Li Que and fleeing.
But in the end he chose to stay, because he owed Li Que a great debt of gratitude that he had not yet repaid.
He also understood that Li Que could not simply leave Shangyang City. Even if he could hide for a time, he could not hide forever.
Under those circumstances it was better to face that world-shaking prince directly. Perhaps things were not as bad as they imagined.
At those words, Li Que's face was completely drained of color. His entire body trembled in a way he could not fully suppress.
It was not only the terror of Li Musheng's widely known and devastating martial cultivation.
He also understood very clearly that even though he was nominally Li Musheng's second elder brother, even though he was a Great Li prince, he was someone Li Musheng could and would kill without the slightest hesitation.
And the reason he knew exactly what kind of person Li Musheng was, was that Third Prince Li Zhu had already provided the example.
"Elder Zhe... must we truly go and face him?"
Second Prince Li Que looked at the elder before him with eyes that had gone somewhat vacant.
The Elder Zhe was quiet for a moment, then gave a helpless nod, "His purpose in coming is unclear. If we flee in panic, it may very likely make things worse."
"And the outcome may not be the worst we are imagining."
At those words, Li Que's body swayed slightly. His hands were already shaking inside his sleeves.
But in the end he forced a deep breath, bore down on the fear in his heart, and said, "Since the Elder Zhe will not leave my side, then I have no thought of withdrawing either."
As he said this, he looked at the Elder Zhe with something determined in his gaze. The Elder Zhe waved his hand, and a surge of pure and powerful martial aura flowed into Li Que's body.
In the next instant, Li Que felt his mind clear and sharpen remarkably, and the suffocating fear that had been pressing down on his heart eased considerably.
"Let us go, Your Highness."
The Elder Zhe spoke slowly. Li Que gave a wooden nod, and the two of them left the room and walked toward the reception hall of the residence.
At the same time, the group of three and one cat had already been led inside the residence by a servant.
Li Yuanling, somewhat calmed by the journey over, now wore an expression that was perfectly composed. Nothing in her manner revealed her feelings.
The big black cat, however, strutted along boldly, occasionally scanning the surroundings, every bit the demeanor of a cat that had come to start trouble.
Not that anyone in the Second Prince's residence was paying it any attention.
All of Li Que's advisors and martial world guests, having heard the news of Li Musheng's arrival, had already assembled quickly and were urgently discussing how to respond.
But no matter who was involved, whether they knew the full story or not, not a single person dared suggest making a move against Li Musheng.