Crossing the Cultivation Realm: Two Souls Coexist

"Last night, when you came to pick up Miss Qingyin, the smell of blood on your body was extremely strong, Mr. Gu!" The magistrate said with a smile, holding the gold coins in his hand.

"I caught a cold last night and coughed up some blood on my way home. It might have accidentally gotten on my clothes. The magistrate is really amazing. He can even smell it." Hu Qing pretended to admire and praised him.

The magistrate said nothing more and asked the guards to help deliver the kerosene to the ancient mansion.

After Hu Qing saluted, he took two guards and walked towards the ancient mansion, carrying flaming oil through the streets of Haitian City.

The surrounding shops seemed unusually deserted, with few people, a stark contrast to the prosperity of the past.

Soldiers patrolling the streets can be seen everywhere, their vigilant eyes sweeping through the crowd, maintaining order in the city.

Citizens on the street were whispering to each other about the alley murder that happened last night, fear and curiosity intertwined in their eyes.

Hu Qing's mood was inevitably affected. He quickened his pace, hoping to return to the ancient mansion as soon as possible.

When he arrived at the door of his house, he immediately noticed the luxurious carriage parked there, which was not common on weekdays.

This outfit should be from the palace, but I don’t know who the person is.

Hu Qing walked quickly into the yard and found that the visitor was the captain of the guards. He was sitting in the yard drinking tea, while Qingyin and Sun Dajun beside him looked reserved.

The captain of the guards was wearing official uniform and seemed to have just come out of the palace. This must be the emperor's order.

As expected, as soon as the captain of the guards saw Hu Qing, he conveyed the emperor's will:

"Master Gu, the emperor wants to discuss something with you. Please follow me to the palace."

Hu Qing quickly placed the newly purchased kerosene in the corner of the yard and turned to Sun Dajun and said:

"Dajun, we are closed this afternoon. You should go home early. The city is not safe recently."

After hearing this, Sun Dajun was a little confused, but he still nodded. He knew that the young master must have his reasons for saying this.

Hu Qing did not stay for long, as he knew he could not keep the chief guard and the emperor waiting for too long.

He followed the captain of the guards out of the yard and boarded the luxurious carriage.

The carriage started slowly and drove towards the palace.

Hu Qing sat quietly in the carriage, but he was thinking quickly about the reason why the emperor summoned him.

Is it because of last night's case? Or is there something else he needs to do?

He didn't know what the consequences of this summons would be, but he knew that he had to face it no matter what.

As the carriage stopped outside the palace, Hu Qing adjusted his clothes, calmed himself, and then followed the captain of the guards into the palace.

The magnificent hall and the solemn atmosphere made Hu Qing feel even more pressured.

Led by the captain of the guards, Hu Qing passed through one palace gate after another and finally arrived at the emperor's study.

When Hu Qing was about to step into the study, the captain of the guards waved his hand to signal him to stop and asked him to wait at the study door.

Hu Qing was full of doubts, but he didn't show it on his face. He just stood quietly outside the door.

He heard a conversation coming from the study, the voices mixed with anger.

Hu Qing listened carefully and realized that the emperor was talking to a middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man's voice revealed anger and dissatisfaction, and he was very emotional, as if he was arguing with the emperor about something.

Hu Qing was curious and looked at the captain of the guards next to him. He found that he was also eavesdropping on the conversation in the room, so he felt relieved.

Hu Qing slowly approached the study door, put his ear to the wall, and heard:

"My dear minister, please calm down first. You are old and can't stand such anger. We will definitely find out the real culprit, but it will take some time." This was the emperor speaking, but one could not hear his emotions.

"Time? How long will it take? I already locked onto the murderer's aura last night. If you hadn't summoned me, I would have rushed over and killed him long ago. Why would I have to wait patiently for the Dali Temple to find out the result?"

Locking the Qi? Hu Qing immediately recalled the palpitations he had last night. It was originally because of the knife wound on his back, but he didn't expect that someone was locking on him.

Fortunately, he was summoned by the emperor, otherwise he would have died last night.

But why would the emperor summon him so late at night, and at such a good time? It doesn't make sense no matter how you think about it.

The conversation in the study was still going on, and Hu Qing gradually recognized the identity of the middle-aged man - General Qin, Qin Fen's father.

Hu Qing's heart tightened, and he felt a little uneasy. Qin Fen's death was caused by his own hands, and now General Qin was inside.

Hu Qing thought quickly, but still couldn't figure out why the emperor would invite him and chat with General Qin first.

Soon, a loud noise was heard in the study, as if something was slammed heavily on the table.

Immediately afterwards, the door of the study was suddenly opened and General Qin walked out angrily.

He was tall and mighty, with a gloomy face. He glanced at Hu Qing and the captain of the guards, then angrily shook his sleeves and strode out of the study.

Hu Qing felt a little relieved when he saw General Qin leave, but he soon realized that he might face a severe interrogation.

He took a deep breath, adjusted his mentality, and prepared to receive the emperor's summons.

When the chief guard saw General Qin leave, he signaled Hu Qing that he could enter the study.

Hu Qing nodded, walked into the study, faced the emperor, and prepared to listen to the emperor's instructions.

In the study, the emperor sat behind the desk with a calm expression, but a hint of seriousness in his eyes.

The Imperial Master was standing right next to him, holding a piece of blue crystal in one hand and drawing on paper with the other.

Hu Qing looked at the paper for a while, but gave up when he found that he couldn't make out what it was. He turned to look at the emperor and bowed respectfully.

The emperor looked at Hu Qing and spoke slowly, his voice carrying a hint of majesty:

"Guyang, do you know about the incident that happened in the alley last night?"

Hu Qing's heart trembled. He knew the importance of this question and had to answer it carefully.

He bowed his head slightly as a sign of respect, then calmly replied, "Your Majesty, I have heard a little bit about it, but I don't know the specific details."

The emperor was silent for a moment, then continued, "Oh, really? What do you think of the death of Qin Fen, the third son of the Qin family?"

Hu Qing's heart tightened, he knew that his answer would directly affect his fate.

He replied in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, I didn't know that Master Qin Fen was dead. I haven't seen him since last night at the auction."

The emperor was silent for a while, and the imperial teacher also put down his brush, and the two of them stared at Hu Qing together.

Hu Qing looked at their eyes and felt a little scared, but when he thought about it, he didn't say anything wrong.

After waiting for a while, the emperor stood up and said:

"Go away. I won't keep you here for dinner today."

Hu Qing was a little stunned after hearing this, but he still bowed respectfully and left the study.

In the study, the Imperial Master put down the crystal and said:

"Brother, don't keep it. Just get the things!"