The masked man snorted coldly and explained concisely: "The hatred of having my wife taken away and the hatred of having my family exterminated are irreconcilable."
Upon hearing this, Xiahou Qing hurriedly searched his mind for the aristocratic families that had been exterminated within Liang State over the past twenty years by the Liang royal family, but found nothing. This left only two possibilities: either this mysterious individual came from some unknown, small family; or, alternatively, he was a prominent figure comparable to Emperor Wen of Liang, the father of Emperor Qian Zhao, the legendary Empress Wang Zhen. Perhaps this person was the figure vaguely mentioned in Wang Zhen's notes.
Among the books and manuscripts retrieved from the nameless cave, Wang Zhen deliberately omitted the name of a person, using the character "δΊ‘" as a pseudonym. Judging from the notes, this person held a pivotal position for both Wang Zhen and Emperor Wen of Liang at the time.
After pondering it over, Xiahou Qing felt that the man before him might not be as simple as he appeared. Just as he had said, he had merely given him a few words of advice, and Tianshu Tower hadn't missed a beat since then. While collaborating with such a person was certainly dangerous, the benefits to be gained were also considerable. As the saying goes, wealth and honor are sought in danger, it's true. "So, it seems that there are still many opportunities for cooperation between you and me. But to return to the previous question, I wonder what brought you to Qinghe County?"
The masked man raised an eyebrow and said, "Although Pavilion Master has a treasure like the Life-Growing Gu in his hands, if the Mother Life-Growing Gu has a problem, those mighty armies of the living dead will be useless."
"Your Excellency knows quite a bit, I wonder what your thoughts are." While knowledge of the Shengxi Gu is no longer limited to a select group of people, there are still only a few who can clearly articulate its name and origin. This individual's movements are elusive, and it's unknown when they appeared in Qinghe County. It would be impossible for a single person to possess such comprehensive knowledge.
Seeing that Xiahou Qing had basically let down his guard against him, the masked man asked curiously, "You're so sure I'm the person you know, aren't you afraid I'm trying to trick you?"
Xiahou Qing smiled and said, "I believe in your ability, and I also believe in my own judgment. I will not give the things I give to you lightly to others."
The masked man said that sometimes such self-confidence is necessary, but it is best not to mistake arrogance for confidence: "It seems that Pavilion Master Xiahou is very confident in himself, but it is best not to be too clever."
The smile on Xiahou Qing's face gradually froze. This person's words were full of hidden meanings. He must have something else to say: "What do you mean by this, sir?"
The masked man shook his head slightly and said, "It's nothing special. It's just that Pavilion Master Xiahou believes that everything in Qinghe County is under his control, but he doesn't realize that there are many people like me who are out of control."
While talking with the masked man, Xiahou Qing had a feeling, for some reason, that this person might be related to a strange name he had seen somewhere before. He couldn't help but ask, as per protocol, "Haha, Your Excellency is joking. Since you have taken the initiative to show yourself and are willing to cooperate with our Tianshu Tower, I wonder if I might have the honor of meeting you. Also, could you please tell me your name?"
The masked man smiled and replied, "From what you said, Pavilion Master, it seems that you have some suspicions about my identity?"
Xiahou Qing also said frankly: "That's right, that's why I would like to ask you to help me solve my doubts."
"I heard that you have a lot of Queen Wang Zhen's relics in your hands?"
This masked man always likes to beat around the bush when talking to others, and it always seems like he is deliberately hiding something, as if as long as he doesn't want others to know, no matter how much others ask, he can always find another way to talk about it.
Hearing this person mention Wang Zhen, Xiahou Qing couldn't help but tremble. "Your Excellency has good eyes and ears. Apart from the people of Tianshu Tower and our mortal enemy, it seems that no one else knows about this matter."
The masked man said, "It doesn't matter where I learned this. What matters is who Pavilion Master Xiahou thinks I am."
Xiahou Qing explained, "Queen Wang Zhen mentioned many people in her notes. I, a humble person, have heard of them all, but one of them is called 'Yun'. At first, I thought this 'Yun' had a different meaning, but after a closer look, calling it a person's name seems to better fit the content of the notes. I wonder if you have heard of him?"
The masked man didn't admit Xia Houqing's speculation, but he didn't deny it either. "She intentionally concealed what happened back then, and those clues should have been shelved by the black market by now. If she were still alive, she wouldn't have imagined that I could actually do what I said back then." As he spoke, the masked man removed the heavy veil from his face to express his sincerity.
When Xiahou Qing saw the face that looked 70% similar to Wang Yanzhou, he almost jumped out of his chair: "......!"
Seeing Xiahou Qing's surprise, or rather, panic, Yun He couldn't help but tease, "Pavilion Master Xiahou seems quite shocked by my appearance. He looks like he's about to soar into the sky."
Xiahou Qing didn't express his shock, saying only, "It's a bit surprising indeed. Just by hearing his voice, I thought Mr. Yun was an octogenarian. But he seems only a few years older than me."
Yun He couldn't help but laugh at himself: "Haha, in a few years, I'll be sixty, isn't that old?"
Xiahou Qing put away the inappropriate expression on his face and continued, "I know a lot about Queen Wang Zhen's past, and I've even dealt with her before; but I've never seen you around her."
"My fate with her ended completely when she entered the palace as empress." Yun He seemed reluctant to say more about the matter between Yun He and Wang Zhen. However, from his eyes, Xia Hou Qing saw resentment and hatred. This person's purpose in coming to him seemed not much different from what he had said at the beginning.
Xiahou Qing probed, "Just now, sir, you mentioned a grudge against Liang State for stealing your wife. Could it be..."
Yun He interrupted, "It's better for Pavilion Master to keep some of these things to himself. For now, Pavilion Master just needs to know that we share a common goal."
This action actually confirmed Xiahou Qing's suspicions. In fact, when he saw his appearance, wasn't everything already determined? "Speaking of which, I have something I'm very curious about, and I'd like Mr. Yun to explain it to me."
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