Sheng Lengshuang saw Luo Yang dressed in a luxurious and ostentatious manner and scoffed, "Luo Yang, as a concubine, appearing near the imperial palace without summons is a capital offense!"
When she saw a squad of imperial guards approaching Luo Yang, she chuckled.
Luo Yang's expression changed drastically. As she ran, she shouted, "Sheng Lengshuang, do you want to know the whereabouts of Tao Li and Zhou Wenxing? Then come to the private room of the teahouse... Ah! Let go of me, let go of me! I am a concubine bestowed upon Zhou Wenxing by the late emperor. You have no right to treat me like this!"
Two imperial guards restrained Luo Yang and then took the cursing woman away.
Sheng Lengshuang nudged the man beside her with her elbow, "Don't you think Luo Yang's appearance is too coincidental? Luo Yang couldn't possibly not know that appearing in the imperial palace without a summons is a capital offense. So why did she dare to come?"
Mo Lingxi, however, thought of something else. He ordered the imperial guards to fetch an imperial decree to confiscate the Zhou family's property.
Upon hearing this, Sheng Lengshuang pulled him to the prison.
Seeing Luo Yang locked up in the cell, she said kindly, "Do you know that the Zhou family has been confiscated?"
Luo Yang, who was about to curse her, heard this and grabbed the bars, shouting sharply, "Impossible! Impossible! The Zhou family has done nothing wrong. They cannot be confiscated. You are lying!"
The Zhou family was one of her patrons and the trump card for her comfortable life. If anything happened to the Zhou family, what would become of her future days?
Sheng Lengshuang replied, "Does His Majesty need a reason to confiscate the Zhou family?"
Luo Yang collapsed to the ground, as if she had lost her parents, "How could this happen, how could this happen?"
She had finally achieved her current good life, only to lose everything in an instant and have to return to her previous impoverished days.
Sheng Lengshuang sneered at her, "Luo Yang, have you forgotten that without my antidote, you will be in excruciating pain every month?"
Luo Yang shivered. Forgetting her worry about the Zhou family's confiscation, she knelt on the ground, clasping her hands together and begging, "Miss Sheng, please give me the antidote, please. I will tell you everything I know and promise not to offend again in the future."
Sheng Lengshuang signaled Luo Yang to explain why she had run to the vicinity of the imperial palace gate.
Luo Yang stated that she was forced. Originally, she was living a comfortable life in the Zhou family, but today the man in the veiled hat came to her and demanded that she go near the imperial palace gate and lure Sheng Lengshuang with the whereabouts of Tao Li and Zhou Wenxing.
The man in the veiled hat said that if she did not do as he said, she would not only lose her current good life but also wish she were dead.
"I really don't know what this person is trying to do, nor did I ask about his situation. He also threatened me."
She truly regretted it. If she had known it would turn out this way, she should have taken all of the Zhou family's assets and fled to hide and live a good life.
Sheng Lengshuang guessed that this was likely a chain of schemes, but she had basically confirmed that the person helping Zhou Wenxing and Tao Li was the same person who helped Luo Yang.
She just didn't know who could accomplish these things.
"Miss Sheng, please let me out, please."
Hearing Luo Yang's desperate pleas, Sheng Lengshuang merely glanced at her and left the prison with Mo Lingxi.
"Most likely, Luo Yang has been abandoned," she said indifferently.
Mo Lingxi did not think so. "People like Luo Yang, after enjoying a life of honor and luxury, will do anything to regain it if they lose everything."
Sheng Lengshuang thought it made sense and kept a careful eye out. "Let's pay more attention and see if we can find out about the mastermind."
"Careful!" Mo Lingxi suddenly swept her up in his arms and leaped onto the rooftop.
Sheng Lengshuang, not understanding, followed his cold gaze and was shocked, "Old Master Tao and the others!?"
Upon closer inspection of Old Master Tao and the others, her expression became grave.
Old Master Tao and the others had vacant stares, their eyes hollow and lifeless, their clothes tattered, their skin a greenish hue, and their movements sluggish.
"Gu people?" Sheng Lengshuang was unsure if they were Gu people. In her past life, she hadn't truly encountered such things, only heard about them from the Miao Jiang tribesmen.
Mo Lingxi protected her. "Do you know what this is?"
Sheng Lengshuang stated she was uncertain. "I have never truly seen Gu people, but as far as I know, Gu people can be refined from living people or corpses. The conditions are extremely harsh, and it's not easy to succeed."
"Relatively speaking, Gu people are invulnerable to blades and spears, and they won't die even if their heads are cut off."
Upon hearing this, Mo Lingxi raised his hand and ordered the hidden guards to deal with Old Master Tao and the others.
Several hidden guards appeared before Old Master Tao and the others and struck them fiercely with swords.
However—
When the sword struck, apart from a wound, there was no blood at all. Old Master Tao's movements were unaffected, and he continued to walk forward slowly.
Seeing this, Sheng Lengshuang's heart sank. Then, seeing that Old Master Tao and the others had their hands or heads cut off but were still alive, she became even more certain that these might be the weakest Gu people.
According to the Miao Jiang tribesman, Gu people were divided into several types, with the highest level being indistinguishable from ordinary people, but with excessively high physical functions.
"Take Old Master Tao and the others..."
Before she could finish speaking, she saw Old Master Tao and the others leap up and rush towards her. Her pupils contracted instantly, and she raised her hand to sprinkle medicinal powder, but Mo Lingxi pulled her back.
Immediately after, seven or eight hidden guards intercepted Old Master Tao and the others.
"Burn them with fire!" she shouted.
While the hidden guards were preparing torches, Sheng Lengshuang saw a group of masked figures appear and, without a word, directly take away Old Master Tao and the others, forming a hypothesis.
She did not let the hidden guards pursue but landed on the ground with Mo Lingxi.
"I'm afraid Old Master Tao and the others were test subjects. Thinking about it now, it's not surprising that the mastermind poisoned Old Master Tao and the others, and didn't even dwell on the matter."
She hadn't understood it before, but now she did.
Only by having Old Master Tao and the others 'die' at her hands could the mastermind achieve multiple objectives with one action.
Mo Lingxi comforted her not to worry too much. "I will resolve this matter. Tell me about Gu people."
Since those things had weaknesses, there was no need to worry too much.
Sheng Lengshuang detailed the matter of Gu people. "Old Master Tao and the others are not necessarily Gu people. They might be other things, such as refined using special techniques... Corpse Manipulation!"
Mo Lingxi had heard of Corpse Manipulation. "Corpse Manipulation is a very sinister martial art. It is said that those who learn this martial art can control corpses for their own use."
The Corpse Manipulation known to Sheng Lengshuang was different from what she had heard, but she did not point it out. "Do you know who has learned this martial art?"
Mo Lingxi replied, "It is rumored that this martial art has long been lost. It is not impossible that someone coincidentally obtained the martial art manual and learned it. I will investigate this matter thoroughly."
Sheng Lengshuang had not examined Old Master Tao and the others and was unsure if they had become Gu people or if someone had practiced the martial art of Corpse Manipulation. "I don't quite understand why the mastermind would reveal such a trump card as Old Master Tao and the others."