She carefully took out a small bottle of tobacco paste, preparing to study it closely.
Just then, she heard soft footsteps outside the door. She quickly hid the luminous pearl and the opium paste, and with a swift movement, she slipped behind a nearby cabinet.
The door was gently pushed open, and a gust of cold air followed.
The person who walked in was burly, his face hidden in the darkness.
He also held a fist-sized luminous pearl in his hand, looking around.
Li Xi held her breath, afraid that the person would notice her presence.
She cursed Si Liu and San Qi inwardly for their negligence, for not noticing someone had come in and almost putting her in danger.
She could hear the person rummaging through something, and they didn't leave for a long time. Li Xi was getting restless; the air in the cabinet was stagnant.
Suddenly, the man exclaimed "Huh?" as if he had discovered something.
Li Xi's heart tightened suddenly, but she tried her best to remain calm, fearing that even the slightest movement would reveal her location.
However, the person did not walk towards the cabinet, but instead turned and walked towards the door.
Li Xi felt relieved, but she still dared not be careless until the man's footsteps faded into the distance before she dared to peek out from the cabinet.
Suddenly a cold light flashed, and Li Xi felt a chill on her neck, her body instantly stiffening.
She slowly turned her head and saw that the person had been standing behind her at some point, a dagger pressed against her throat.
"Who are you?" the man asked in a low voice, his voice carrying a hint of familiarity.
Li Xi was startled; she hadn't even noticed this person approaching.
She stared intently at the face, trying to recognize him in the darkness.
Suddenly, she exclaimed, "It's you! Brother Feng?!"
The dagger in the man's hand trembled slightly, as if he were somewhat surprised: "Xiao Xi? What are you doing here?"
Li Xi felt a mix of emotions. She hadn't expected to run into him here, and she almost got into trouble.
"Let's go outside first and talk about it." The two looked at each other, and Li Xi nodded gently.
Feng Monian put away his dagger and followed Li Xi out of the cabinet.
They walked through the dimly lit corridor until they reached a relatively safe place outside, where they stopped.
Li Xi took a deep breath and asked, "Brother Feng, what are you doing here?"
Feng Monian frowned and said in a low voice, "I was asked to come here to track down a gang that sells banned drugs. How did you end up here?"
Li Xi hesitated for a moment, then guessed that they were investigating the same group of people, and told them what she had discovered over the past few days.
Upon hearing this, a look of shock flashed in Feng Monian's eyes: "So, you're also after that batch of banned drugs?"
Li Xi nodded: "Yes, I found some clues during the investigation. I didn't expect that Master Huang would be so arrogant."
Feng Monian took a deep breath: "Those people are very cunning. My men have been tracking them for a long time, but they still can't find the person behind them."
After considering it in her mind for a moment, she voiced her guess.
"The person behind him is probably from the Red Lotus Sect. That day, I heard Master Huang call that person 'Supreme Envoy,' so he must be quite influential in the Red Lotus Sect. He probably used most of what he earned to support the Red Lotus Sect."
After saying this, she expressed her deep hatred for Huang Er, saying that it was people like them who made their sect grow stronger and stronger.
I've heard that being a member of the Red Lotus Cult comes with a pretty high monthly salary. That's quite a clever tactic, exploiting human weaknesses.
Feng Monian stood with his hands behind his back next to Li Xi, saying, "My subordinates have also sent word that they have connections in all walks of life in Jingyuan, and their number of followers is enormous."
Li Xi led Feng Monian back to the inn. Pointing to Chen Quan's room, she said, "Brother Feng, why don't you go and rest there first? We can talk about everything tomorrow."
Seeing Li Xi's exhausted appearance, Feng Monian nodded in agreement: "Okay, then you should get some rest too. We'll discuss this further tomorrow."
He turned to leave, but then suddenly turned back, looked at Li Xi and said, "Xiao Xi, be careful in everything you do. Since those people dare to sell banned drugs in Jingyuan City, they must have something to rely on. We must not let what happened today happen again."
Li Xi knew he was talking about how he almost ruined his life, and that her own vigilance had been lowered, which was indeed a big mistake. "Okay, I understand."
Feng Monian then left with peace of mind, his figure quickly disappearing into the night.
Li Xi looked in the direction he left, sighed deeply, and turned back to her room.
That night, Li Xi tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
Although she suppressed her craving for cigarettes with her powerful internal energy, the craving still raged in her mind, making her thoughts unusually active and unable to calm down.
Lying in bed, feeling that indescribable excitement, my heart was filled with unease and anxiety.
She didn't know if she could get out of this predicament, nor did she know who could help her get out of this trouble.
However, she was unaware that at that very moment, someone who could help her get rid of this predicament was rushing towards Huangshi Town.
Two days ago, Chen Quan rushed back to Kyoto with the letter and tobacco paste, and told everyone the whole story.
After conducting in-depth research on this tobacco paste, Meng Zhelan discovered that it contained an extremely dangerous ingredient with powerful addictive and hallucinogenic effects.
Long-term use can not only seriously damage a person's physical health, but also lead to psychological distortion, and may even cause a person to fall into a situation from which they cannot extricate themselves.
This tobacco paste is extremely harmful to Li Xi, and measures must be taken as soon as possible to help Li Xi break this dangerous addiction.
So early the next morning, she took Tian Tian and Chen Quan and headed to Huangshi Town.
Emperor Wenyuan learned from the retired emperor that this drug was harming his people and attempting to overthrow the peace of the country.
He was deeply shocked and outraged, and immediately ordered a thorough investigation, vowing to eradicate this evil force that was wreaking havoc on the country.
Deep within the palace, the Crown Prince was diligently investigating the identity and purpose of the men in black at the hunting grounds, while the Prince of Liang had already traveled to Liangjiang to personally oversee the flood control efforts.
The other princes are still young and are not yet capable of handling the current situation and crisis.
Emperor Wenyuan sat upright on the dragon throne, his gaze gentle and concerned as he looked at Prince An, who stood below him.
"Yu'er, your face still looks a little pale. Have you fully recovered?" Emperor Wenyuan's voice revealed deep concern.
Prince An bowed respectfully and replied, "Your Majesty, I am well. Thank you for your concern, and thank you to Doctor Meng and the Imperial Medical Academy for their meticulous treatment."
"That's good, that's good. In that case, go to Yun City on behalf of Father Emperor." Emperor Wenyuan explained in detail the situation in Yun City and the problems that needed to be solved.
The following day, Prince An, with his entourage, quietly left the capital. Publicly, they claimed he was going to recuperate.
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