Chapter 189: A Flaw
“Your Highness, the Twelfth Prince of Great Li hasn't detected any issues.” Ma Tianhe said solemnly, “Whether it's his appearance or martial arts, even the people around him have been investigated, and there are no problems.”
“No problems…” Chu Zhiyuan mused.
He previously felt there was a problem because he sensed hostility, and then he noticed the absence of imperial aura. Now that he knows Great Li has issues, hostility is normal.
The only reason left is the imperial aura.
After meeting Li Hongzhao, he became even more certain that this Twelfth Prince was problematic. Imperial aura is an ethereal thing, but it does exist. Without imperial aura, he shouldn't be a member of the imperial family.
Then why couldn't the Surveillance Department detect it?
Great Jing doesn't value Great Li, but the Surveillance Department still has people stationed there. The Surveillance Department's methods are extremely effective.
“Your Highness…” Ma Tianhe hesitated and whispered, “Unless he used top-tier disguise and bone-shrinking techniques, he wouldn't be able to deceive so many people, right?”
“If there are such disguise and bone-shrinking techniques,” Chu Zhiyuan said, “and with the people around the Twelfth Prince covering for him, could it be done?”
“…That's possible.” Ma Tianhe nodded, “If it really came to that, it could indeed create a convincing illusion.”
“Does Great Meng have such secret arts?”
“The martial world of Great Meng… From what I know, Great Meng has quite a few disguise techniques. The most advanced is the Faceless Sect's Great Formless Skill, which can create a convincing illusion… but it's too difficult to master, and few can succeed.”
“The Faceless Sect, one of the three major sects of Great Meng,” Chu Zhiyuan nodded, “Then how can we determine if he's a disciple of the Faceless Sect? There must be some flaw, right?”
He knew of the Faceless Sect, one of the three major sects of Great Meng, alongside the Phoenix Sword Sect and the Prayer Spirit Sect. Seamless, seamless, if it's not seamless, it's impossible to be flawless.
Even the best disguise is still fake, and there's always a flaw.
It's just that a masterly disguise conceals the flaw, making it invisible to outsiders.
“For the Faceless Sect, appearance, aura, and internal energy can all be imitated, creating a convincing illusion. It seems there are no flaws.”
“None?”
“I haven't heard of any.”
“Then how can this Faceless Sect still exist?” Chu Zhiyuan smiled, “It would have been wiped out long ago, right?”
“The foundation of the Faceless Sect is the Great Formless Skill, which is incredibly powerful. It's one of the three major sects of Great Meng, and no one can destroy it.” Chu Zhiyuan smiled, unimpressed.
“The imperial court also has many imperial family disciples who cultivate in the Faceless Sect.” Ma Tianhe said, “The three major sects of Great Meng are different from our four major sects. They have a closer relationship with the imperial family, which is also a way to protect themselves, right?” Chu Zhiyuan said, “It seems I have to meet that Ninth Prince again.”
The Faceless Sect is only one of the three major sects, not the strongest.
If the Great Formless Skill could truly be seamless, unless they swore an oath never to use it against the imperial court or the other two major sects, they would have been targeted long ago. Then let's ask Li Hongzhao about it.
Chu Zhiyuan said, “Are there any signs that Great Li is planning to attack our Great Jing?”
Ma Tianhe's expression became solemn, and he slowly said, “Your Highness, the situation is indeed not quite right. We hadn't thought about it from this perspective before.”
“Not right?”
The two dynasties have been in constant conflict, fighting and stopping, but neither has been able to defeat the other.
Their submissiveness and flattery towards Great Jing weren't aimed at gaining any benefits from Great Jing. Their ultimate goal is to prevent Great Jing from helping their opponent. Great Jing feels they are all remote and backward, and doesn't bother to intervene, so they don't help either side.
Chu Zhiyuan said, “What about the Great Guang Dynasty? We must also guard against them taking advantage of the situation.”
“They are also mobilizing their army, which is why we thought the two sides were going to war… Could they be joining forces? That's unlikely.”
“Anything is possible.” Chu Zhiyuan said, “It's always good to find out.”
“Yes!” Ma Tianhe nodded solemnly.
These were indeed things he had never considered.
Chu Zhiyuan continued to read the files, which included information about Li Hongzhao and Cheng Tianfeng, who were all enjoying themselves and traveling around.
Ma Tianhe quietly left and returned, reporting to Chu Zhiyuan that Li Hongzhao was currently listening to music at Leisure Cloud Pavilion.
Leisure Cloud Pavilion is famous for its singing, hiring famous performers from Jade Capital, and even from all over the world when they come to Jade Capital, they will be invited by Leisure Cloud Pavilion to sing for a few days. Chu Zhiyuan put down the files and went straight to Leisure Cloud Pavilion.
He had already seen the elegant room on the third floor where Li Hongzhao was, through the window he could see the high platform in the central atrium of the restaurant.
On the high platform in the center of the atrium, several veiled girls were playing instruments, two women wearing white veils, one humming a melodious tune, the other singing a high-pitched aria. One high-pitched and one low, one clear and one hoarse, the two complementing each other, highlighting each other's characteristics even more.
The two voices formed a strange contradiction and harmony, giving a strong impression and aftertaste, creating a lingering feeling that lasts for three days. Chu Zhiyuan, who was extremely sensitive to sounds, listened to the two voices and sighed inwardly: In every profession, there are masters.
These two are indeed masters of singing.
He sat down at a table on the second floor, with Zou Fang sitting next to him. Guo Chi and the other four sat at the neighboring table.
They didn't know what Chu Zhiyuan was going to do, and Chu Zhiyuan didn't say much, just let Zou Fang order wine and dishes.
The Imperial Sword Art was still running in his body, impacting the Copper Tower round after round, without changing the appearance of the Copper Tower in the slightest. The Copper Tower was unscathed.
Ignoring the despair that surged in his heart, he just kept impacting it, wanting to test how slow the progress really was.
His aptitude was already extremely good, and the Imperial Sword Art was the top-tier art in the world. Under these circumstances, he wanted to see how long it would take to break through the first layer of the Copper Tower. Through the practice of these two days, because the Copper Tower hadn't changed, his super-sense was unable to estimate how long it would take to break through.
After a song was finished, the thunderous cheers almost lifted the entire Leisure Cloud Pavilion. Chu Zhiyuan also clapped and cheered.
This song was indeed a masterpiece.
Super-sense could see the faces of the two women under the white veils, and they were indeed beautiful, though not as beautiful as Xiao Ruoling, they were also rare beauties.
Such beauty, yet they covered it up.
Was it to avoid trouble, or to make people ignore their appearance and focus on their voices? Moreover, the two women also possessed considerable martial arts skills, with cultivation around the third level of the Innate Realm.
This should be a unique inheritance. During the process of singing, their breath circulated, constantly enhancing their cultivation. Singing was a way of cultivation for them.
There was such a cultivation method, which opened Chu Zhiyuan's eyes.
Li Hongzhao and Su Qiuyan sat at a table, enjoying the singing on the stage. Su Qiuyan suddenly said, “The Fourth Prince is here too.”
Li Hongzhao's eyes swept below, but she didn't find him. Su Qiuyan said, “He should be on the second floor.”
“…Forget it, let's pretend we didn't see him.” Li Hongzhao said. Su Qiuyan was quite surprised.
Li Hongzhao said embarrassedly, “I really want to dig out this guy's eyeballs. Compared to Cheng Tianfeng's eyeballs, I want to dig his out even more!”
“He is indeed too perceptive.”
“I don't dare to say anything in front of him, for fear that I'll reveal a flaw and he'll discover something.”
“Then it's better not to meet.” Su Qiuyan said.
“…Or, let's meet him.” Li Hongzhao gritted her teeth and finally said, “I don't believe I can't beat him!” Su Qiuyan glanced at her and nodded.
Li Hongzhao smiled and said, “This guy is very troublesome, I must understand him well and find his flaws when I have the chance!”
“Yes, find his flaws.” Su Qiuyan nodded.
She nodded secretly in her heart.
This is Li Hongzhao, never surrendering, never discouraged.
