Xueying sighed deeply, "Alas! This time I've really made a fool of myself! Li Mingjie will definitely hide the account book deeper and more secretly! It seems like I have to find another way!"
Dark Moon Fairy raised the corner of her mouth slightly, revealing a sly smile: "I do have a way to make Li Mingjie obediently hand over the account book in person! But..."
Xueying couldn't wait to ask, "But what? Tell me now!"
Dark Moon Fairy blinked and said with a malicious smile: "Hey, you have to give me some compensation!"
Xueying raised his eyebrows and responded generously, "Is one thousand taels of gold enough?"
Dark Moon Fairy was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly: "Haha, the Sect Master is really generous!"
Li Mingjie fidgeted in his room, his heart filled with unease and anxiety. His brow furrowed, his eyes flickering, as if he were worried about something serious. Who had sneaked into his study? Strangely, none of the guards could find any trace of the thief.
Just as Li Mingjie was lost in thought, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside the door. Then, the butler hurried in with a nervous look on his face and announced to Li Mingjie, "Master! Masters Xuanhu and Xuanbao are here!"
Upon hearing this news, Li Mingjie's heart tightened. Xuan Hu and Xuan Bao were no ordinary men; they were the Crown Prince's retainers, highly skilled in martial arts and extremely powerful. Could the sudden visit of these two gentlemen be related to the incident just now? Li Mingjie speculated secretly, while also preparing for a response.
Li Mingjie heard footsteps outside and immediately stood up and hurried out. With a fawning smile on his face, he bowed to the visitors and said, "Since you two have come to visit me so late at night, I believe you have something important to discuss. Does His Royal Highness the Crown Prince have any important instructions for me to convey?"
Xuanhu's face was as gloomy as water, and he said in a serious tone: "Sir Li, we are not here to convey the instructions of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, but to take away the salt trading account book!" His eyes were as sharp as a knife, staring at Li Mingjie.
Li Mingjie's heart tightened, and a look of confusion appeared on his face. "Why did His Royal Highness suddenly take the account book? Is there something wrong? Please explain it clearly."
Xuanhu frowned and explained in a somewhat impatient tone: "The people on the Third Prince's side are now holding on to the matter, and the situation is becoming more and more tense. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is worried that something will happen if time is delayed too long, so he thinks it is more appropriate for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to keep the account book himself!" After saying that, he stretched out his hand and motioned Li Mingjie to hand over the account book.
Li Mingjie rolled his eyes, looking at Xuanhu with a twinkling gaze, and said in a questioning tone, "Lord Xuanhu! You want to take these account books, but do you have the receipts given to you by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince? After all, these are not ordinary things. Without the receipts, I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to hand them over!"
When Xuan Bao heard this, he was immediately furious. He widened his eyes and shouted angrily: "How dare you question us!
However, Xuan Hu reached out to stop the enraged Xuan Bao, then slowly pulled out a token from his bosom. The token was engraved with the Eastern Palace emblem, clearly a token from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. He handed the token to Li Mingjie, his eyes firm and serious.
Li Mingjie took the token and examined it carefully. He carefully examined every detail, and after confirming that everything was correct, he respectfully handed the token back to Xuanhu and said carefully, "Master Xuanhu and Master Xuanbao, please don't be angry! This account book is extremely important. I must check it thoroughly before I can be assured. I hope you two masters will forgive me!"
Xuan Hu expressed his understanding of Li Mingjie's cautious attitude. He nodded and said in agreement, "It's a good thing that Lord Li is being cautious! After all, these account books are of great importance and cannot afford any mistakes. I believe that with Lord Li's ability, he will be able to handle this matter well."
Li Mingjie carefully took out the account book from his pocket, then solemnly handed it to Xuanhu, and instructed: "Master Xuanhu, this account book is of vital importance. Please be sure to keep it properly!"
Xuan Hu took the account book and nodded solemnly, saying, "Rest assured, Lord Li, I will take good care of it! Without further delay, my brother and I will return to the palace to report to the Crown Prince! Furthermore, the Crown Prince specifically asked me to convey his instructions, urging Lord Li to remember not to cause any more trouble! Tomorrow morning, you must escort Prince Xiao safely out of the city!"
Hearing this, Li Mingjie's expression became more solemn. He straightened his body and replied in a firm tone: "Your humble servant will obey the orders of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince! I respectfully bid you two farewell!" After that, he bowed deeply to express his respect and farewell to Xuanhu and the others.
Xueying and Dark Moon Fairy stood in the abandoned courtyard of the Li Mansion. Xueying's eyes showed admiration, "Dark Moon Fairy! I never thought you were so amazing! Not only can you disguise yourself as Black Tiger, but you can even imitate his voice perfectly!"
Dark Moon Fairy curled her lips slightly and responded with a hint of dissatisfaction, "You should have stayed still when I told you to pretend to be Black Leopard. We agreed not to speak, so why did you have to be so talkative?"
Xueying scratched his head awkwardly and explained, "Oh, isn't it because I didn't know you forged the East Palace token? I..."
However, his words were rudely interrupted by Dark Moon Fairy: "Let me tell you, this token is genuine! It was given to me by the Eighth Princess!"
Xueying was dumbfounded when he heard this, and secretly sighed in his heart that Dark Moon Enchantress's methods were indeed very clever.
Dark Moon Fairy threw the account book in front of him with a look of disgust and warned him fiercely, "Remember to send all this gold to Dark Moon Pavilion! Uh... it's not your fault that you're ugly, but I really didn't expect you to be so horrifyingly ugly! From now on, you'd better wear that mask honestly, so as not to scare others!"
Faced with this sarcasm and ridicule, Xueying chose to remain silent. He secretly wondered in his heart, if it wasn't for the perfect disguise as the Black Leopard, how could he easily take off this mask?
The Dark Moon Enchantress flew away lightly like a ghostly figure and disappeared in the endless night in an instant, as if she had never appeared.
Blood Shadow quickly summoned a mysterious man in black and solemnly handed him the account book. "Pass this to the Wise King as soon as possible! I'm sure he'll know how to handle it!"
However, after the man in black took the account book, he hesitated for a moment, and finally couldn't help but ask, "Young Master, has Dark Moon Fairy noticed that your appearance is different?"
The corners of Xueying's mouth lifted slightly, revealing a faint smile: "The potion given by my father-in-law is indeed extremely powerful! Dark Moon Enchantress didn't notice that I had changed my appearance! She... even disliked my ugliness! Haha!" After saying that, he couldn't help but laugh at himself.
Laughter echoed in the air, yet it seemed to conceal a hint of unspeakable bitterness and helplessness. Blood Shadow's eyes gradually grew deep and hazy, as if recalling some past event. However, he quickly regained his composure, his gaze fixed firmly into the distance, as if silently pondering his next move.
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