35: Chapter 35: The Assassin Originated from the Flower Palace?

The news of Liu Xi's assassination and death quickly spread.

Since it happened in broad daylight before a large crowd, the people of the Eastern Depot couldn't hide it even if they wanted to.

Not to mention, there might not even be anyone among them who wanted to hide it.

Liu Xi's death might not be a good thing for the Eastern Depot, but it was good news for those within the Eastern Depot who wanted to rise in rank.

Upon receiving the news, the Emperor was furious and strictly ordered the Eastern Depot and the Ministry of Justice to issue a wanted poster, demanding that the assassin who killed Liu Xi be caught at all costs.

Liu Xi's former confidant, Tan Tian, the First Head of the Eastern Depot, was thus appointed as the Acting director of the Eastern Depot. If he could catch the assassin, he would have the chance to be officially promoted and become the new director after Liu Xi.

The Emperor did this because, firstly, he had no one else available at the moment, and secondly, he was truly enraged.

Before his death, Liu Xi not only managed the Eastern Depot but was also one of his close ministers.

Despite such a status, someone actually dared to assassinate him in Chang'an, and they even succeeded.

Although it happened outside the Imperial Palace, it was still a provocation to the imperial court and a threat to him.

Furthermore, Liu Xi was one of the few top experts by his side; his death was equivalent to losing a line of defense.

Combining all these factors, the Emperor felt very insecure.

If the killer wasn't found and executed, he wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully in the future.

The people of the Eastern Depot and the Ministry of Justice also understood the reasons and naturally didn't dare to be negligent.

Soon, the wanted poster spread rapidly.

Meng Li also learned of this, but he didn't take it to heart.

When he carried out the assassination, he had made complete preparations, not only playing the pig to eat the tiger to scheme against Liu Xi but also thoroughly disguising his identity.

He wore a bamboo hat and a face mask, used bone-shrinking and shape-shifting techniques, and even applied a human-skin mask.

The assassination process was not only fast but also completely silent; the two palm strikes he landed on Liu Xi to finish him off were the Prajna Palms, which he didn't intend to use again.

These Prajna Palms, like the Great Force Vajra Palms used to finish off the two masked experts before, were "learned" from a Shaolin Monastery outcast.

Under such circumstances, unless he exposed himself, it would be a miracle if the imperial court could find him.

However, just in case, Meng Li took a stealthy look at the wanted poster and then felt completely at ease.

Because the portrait on the wanted poster didn't show any specific features at all; it was just a man wearing a bamboo hat and a face mask with a fierce look in his eyes.

It would be strange if they could find anyone like that.

After feeling completely relieved, he hurriedly packed his things to go home.

He had already been delayed for a month; if he didn't go back soon, his father-in-law would probably disappear with his wife.

As for whether Tie Ruyun would meet with an accident?

Meng Li wasn't worried; the man was an old hand in the Jianghu. Although his Martial Arts couldn't compare to the absolute peak, he was still at a high level. Moreover, his main goal in returning this time was to hide, so he would naturally be more careful than usual, making the probability of an accident basically zero.

Instead of worrying about his father-in-law, Meng Li should think about how to explain why he had gone out to chase someone but was returning a month late.

Maybe he should just reveal his secret identity; they were going to be family soon anyway, and otherwise, it would be hard to make his story consistent!

But then how would he explain his Martial Arts?

Thinking about these things, Meng Li set off on his return journey on horseback without attracting anyone's attention.

He, the assassin, had vanished into obscurity, but the impact of Liu Xi's death was far from over.

...

Red Leaf Pavilion.

As the largest intelligence organization in the Jianghu, the Red Leaf Pavilion not only had many eyes and ears but also collaborated with the Eastern Depot, learning of Liu Xi's assassination and death immediately.

This matter had an impact on the Red Leaf Pavilion, and not a small one at that.

Because during his lifetime, to allow the Eastern Depot to better penetrate the Martial Forest, Liu Xi had deep cooperation with the Red Leaf Pavilion and provided them with a significant amount of money.

However, in Liu Xi's eyes, the Red Leaf Pavilion was merely a tool under his command, to be used when needed and set aside when not, with everything revolving around his leadership.

The leader of the Red Leaf Pavilion, Master Red Leaf, understood this but found it difficult to change.

This was because the Eastern Depot was backed by the imperial court, possessed wealth and power, and Liu Xi's Martial Arts were formidable, making his strength far superior to that of the Red Leaf Pavilion.

Now that Liu Xi was dead, both the current Master Red Leaf, Little Red Leaf, who had recently taken over the Red Leaf Pavilion, and the previous generation's Master Red Leaf, Old Red Leaf, breathed a sigh of relief.

To show off their status, both usually wore loose red robes.

Little Red Leaf was a young man with a buzz cut and glasses who liked to hold a feather fan, yet he gave off a sense of craftiness and wretchedness. Old Red Leaf was a burly, even somewhat obese man with curly hair and a large beard, giving off an impression of being deeply calculating.

The two had vastly different temperaments and didn't look alike, but their relationship was somewhat complex—on the surface, they were uncle and nephew, but in reality, they were father and son.

At this moment, they were studying the matter of Liu Xi's murder.

Little Red Leaf put down the documents in his hand and asked Old Red Leaf, "Uncle, I've gone through all the records of Jianghu experts from the last few decades, but I still can't figure out which expert killed Liu Xi. Do you have any results on your end?"

Sitting in his chair, Old Red Leaf shook his head. "I have no clue either."

"Given Liu Xi's Martial Arts, there are only a handful of experts in the Jianghu from the last few decades who could surpass him."

"The only ones I can think of are Yan Nantian, Yao Yue, and Lian Xing."

"But Yan Nantian mysteriously disappeared over ten years ago and there's been no news since; it's uncertain if he's even still alive. Yao Yue and Lian Xing have stayed in the Yihua Palace in recent years and have hardly come out, at most sending people to catch some unfaithful men."

"Furthermore, Liu Xi was always cautious. Even if these three had acted, they might not necessarily have been able to kill him."

Little Red Leaf nodded as he listened, but he became even more puzzled. "Then could this mysterious expert have just popped out from a rock?"

Old Red Leaf still shook his head. "That shouldn't be the case."

"The information we currently have is insufficient. To find out who this mysterious expert is, we need more information."

Just as he finished speaking, a Red Leaf Pavilion Disciple walked in and reported, "Master, Old Pavilion Master, the Acting director of the Eastern Depot, Tan Tian, has arrived."

Old Red Leaf nodded slightly. "Please invite him in."

"Yes." The Disciple cupped his hands and left.

Little Red Leaf chuckled. "This Tan Tian certainly has good luck."

Old Red Leaf warned seriously, "Now you should call him director Tan."

Little Red Leaf nodded while waving his feather fan, indicating he understood.

Then, Tan Tian walked in.

Due to the cooperation between the Eastern Depot and the Red Leaf Pavilion, Tan Tian had had plenty of contact with Little Red Leaf and Old Red Leaf back when he was still the First Head, so they were considered acquaintances.

Therefore, after a brief greeting, he stated his purpose directly: he wanted the Red Leaf Pavilion's help to find the mysterious expert who assassinated Liu Xi.

Out of professional instinct, Old Red Leaf and Little Red Leaf also wanted to uncover the identity of this mysterious expert, so they didn't refuse and instead asked about the relevant circumstances.

To find the person as quickly as possible and remove the 'Acting' from his title of director, Tan Tian didn't hide anything and shared everything he knew.

After the information was shared, Little Red Leaf and Old Red Leaf fell into thought.

After a long while, Old Red Leaf said, "director Tan, based on what you've said, I cannot confirm the identity of that mysterious expert with one hundred percent certainty. But if you're asking where he might come from, I can think of one place."

"Where?" Tan Tian asked.

"The Yihua Palace!"

Tan Tian's expression froze.

The Yihua Palace? That place was not to be trifled with.

When Liu Xi was still alive, the Eastern Depot didn't dare to provoke them lightly.

Now that Liu Xi, the Eastern Depot's strongest fighter, was gone, the Eastern Depot, lacking a top-tier expert to oversee things, dared even less to provoke them.

If Yao Yue or Lian Xing were provoked, it would truly be fatal.

In an instant, Tan Tian seemed to remember something and said suspiciously, "Wait, that's not right!"