After fifteen years of cultivation, he finally reached the pinnacle of the first rank!

Chapter 165 Coma
There are lotus ponds, winding bridges, pavilions and towers. Young men in gorgeous robes hold fans and recite poems, while young ladies walk gracefully with their hairpins. Hundreds of bright lanterns shine under the night sky, and the garden is filled with the sounds of zithers and silver spoons hitting cups.

Hu Ruian and the other two stopped outside the covered bridge, and the doorman who led them walked quickly towards the noisy crowd.

Soon, the doorman came to a young man in a purple brocade robe and stopped. He leaned over respectfully and whispered a few words in the other's ear.

The young man in purple robe turned his head and glanced at Hu Ruian and the other two. He narrowed his eyes slightly, then nodded gently and said something.

Hearing this, the doorman immediately bowed and left, then quickly walked back to Hu Ruian, bowed his head and said:
"My young master invites Master Hu to come over for a chat."

Hu Ruian frowned, his expression looking a little unhappy for a moment, and said in a cold voice:
"I'm here to see Commander-in-Chief Mei-sama. If he's not here, there's no need for anyone else to see him."

After saying this, he turned around and prepared to leave, but the doorman said:
"My master is ill, so all the affairs of the mansion have been handed over to you for the time being. You have just been told that you can consult him about anything you have."

Hearing this, Hu Ruian's expression changed. He stopped, turned to look at the other party and asked:

"Master Mei is ill? When did this happen?"

"About a month ago, the master unfortunately caught a cold due to being overworked with Tianjin Guard affairs."

The doorman replied with his head down, but Hu Ruian naturally didn't believe it.

After all, the other party is a master in the realm of heaven and man. How could he just fall ill due to a cold and not do anything?

Either the other party was making an excuse of illness or he was really unable to take care of the matter, but the reason certainly could not be catching a cold.

Thinking of this, Hu Ruian suddenly had an idea.

A month ago, the haunted incident in Tianjin Guard happened. Could it be that Mei Yan was also involved in this incident?
Hu Ruian thought for a moment with a pensive look on his face, and finally decided to stay and meet the young master of the Mei family.

However, what Hu Ruian did not expect was that when Mei Yanyu, the son of the Mei family, met with him, he took the initiative to mention that the Tianjin Guards of Shengzhou had not set out for Lanzhou.

"Sir Hu, this incident wasn't caused by my father disobeying orders. Rather, over a month ago, a strange incident occurred in the Tianjin Guards of the state capital. Many of them died, and even my father was seriously injured."

Mei Yanyu, dressed in a purple brocade robe, poured wine for Hu Ruian, his face showing an extremely helpless expression. He said:
"Since receiving the order from the commander-in-chief, father has been eager to make arrangements, but due to his injuries, he is unable to command the Tianjin Guards in Shengzhou."

"So the burden of this matter fell on me, but my qualifications were shallow, and the pacification envoys from various places in Shengzhou Tianjinwei did not recognize me. Therefore, the execution of this matter was extremely difficult, and it has been delayed until now."

After listening to the explanation of the young master of the Mei family, Hu Ruian looked normal, but in his heart he did not believe the other party's words at all.

He glanced at the drinks on the table in front of him, but had no intention of drinking them. He just said:

"I've also heard about the ghost incident at Tianjin Guard, but I'm not sure how seriously Master Mei is injured now."

"If it's convenient, I'd like to go visit Master Mei. Perhaps I can be of assistance?"

Hearing this, Mei Yanyu poured himself a glass of wine, but shook his head and said:

"Thank you, Lord Hu, for your kindness. Father's external injuries have mostly recovered, but the damage to his spirit has worsened. He has been unconscious for a few days and is unable to see guests."

As he spoke, Mei Yanyu bowed to Hu Ruian to apologize, and Hu Ruian waved his hand, but a gleam of brilliance flashed in his eyes.

The other party might as well pretend to be unconscious, which would be a good excuse. In this way, it would be difficult for him to force himself to see Mei Yan. Even if he really saw him, he would have no way to deal with an "unconscious" person.

At this time, Hu Ruian glanced at Mei Yanyu, thought for a moment, and said:
"To be honest, we just came from the Tianjin Guards' yamen, and we happened to encounter a haunted incident ourselves. I wonder if Master Mei could tell us about it."

As soon as these words came out, Mei Yanyu's expression changed visibly. He looked at Hu Ruian in front of him and Wu Shang behind him, and asked with a strange look:
"Master Hu, are you kidding me? Did you really see the ghost in the Tianjin Guard Mansion?"

Hu Ruian just nodded slightly without explaining too much.

Seeing this, Mei Yanyu did not say anything, but stared at Hu Ruian, as if trying to see the truth from his face.

After a while, he shifted his gaze to the young men and women who were still bustling about in the garden, and said quietly:

"To be honest, I actually hope that Master Hu is deceiving me..."

He paused, then suddenly turned around and squinted his eyes.

"Otherwise, Master Hu, you might not survive tomorrow!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong, who were standing behind Hu Ruian, suddenly became somewhat ugly.

Hu Ruian, on the other hand, looked normal, but suddenly said:
"I don't think so. If Lord Mei could survive the haunting incident, we might be able to do the same."

Hearing this, Mei Yanyu shook his head slightly, poured himself another glass of wine, glanced at Hu Ruian, and said:
"Master Hu may not know the inside story. The greatest credit for my father's survival from those ghosts goes to my mother. Otherwise..."

Mei Yanyu said this but did not continue.

Upon hearing this, Hu Ruian's face changed.

There are actually two main reasons why Mei Yan's status and position are far beyond his reach.

One of them is that the other party has a sister of the queen. As the undisputed brother-in-law of the king, even if the commander-in-chief comes in person, he has to give the other party some face.

The other one is the other party’s wife.

Mei Yan's wife is named Mu Qingxia, also known as "Madam Yun Ni" in the martial arts world. The Neon Magic Skills she practiced are unpredictable and infinitely gorgeous. She once traveled around the martial arts world with these skills, and she was able to do whatever she wanted without any hindrance.

Of course, she has a more important identity, that is, the beloved daughter of Mu Tianxing, the Martial Saint of Yuming Mountain.

There is no need to explain the status of the Martial Saint Mu Tianxing in the martial arts world, and Mei Yan, as his son-in-law, also has a high reputation in the martial arts world. All the big and small forces in the martial arts world will give him some face.

The mother that Mei Yanyu was talking about was naturally Madam Yun Ni.

If the other party came to help, then he really could not compare with Mei Yan.

At this time, Mei Yanyu, who saw Hu Ruian's reaction, had a hint of teasing in his eyes, but he did not show it well, and said:
"Anyway, I've said all I can. Whether you believe it or not is up to you, Lord Hu."

He paused again and said:

"Of course, if Lord Hu is already scared, he can stay in the Mei Mansion temporarily. Although I can't help Lord Hu get rid of those ghosts, staying in the Mei Mansion is safer than staying in other places in the state capital."

Hearing this, Hu Ruian suppressed his inner emotions and glanced at Mei Yanyu in front of him.

For a moment, someone's figure appeared in his mind, and he suddenly became calm again, and said in a deep voice:
"Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Mei, but we don't really need it."

Mei Yanyu looked at Hu Ruian for a while, with a hint of surprise in his eyes, as if he didn't understand where Hu Ruian got the confidence from?
However, Hu Ruian did not intend to explain, but changed the subject and said:
"Let's get back to business. Although I regret that Lord Mei is seriously injured and unconscious, I cannot disobey the Commander's orders." "Shengzhou and Lanzhou are adjacent. You still have time. I have only one purpose, and I have been entrusted by His Royal Highness the Eighth Prince to mobilize the Tianjin Guards from Shengzhou to Lanzhou."

Having said this, Hu Ruian looked at Mei Yanyu and said:

"If Lord Mei can't do it, then I will take over the Shengzhou Tianjin Guard. When I arrived, the commander-in-chief had already issued a handwritten order. Anyone who disobeys the order will be executed immediately!"

"So, tonight, Master Mei, please give me a firm signal. Can you order the Tianjin Guards of Shengzhou to march to Lanzhou within two days?"

Hearing this, Mei Yanyu was slightly stunned, then his eyes narrowed.

However, he did not answer Hu Ruian's words, but said in surprise:
"I didn't expect that Lord Hu would be traveling with the Eighth Prince, who was newly recognized by His Majesty."

Ever since Li Musheng's identity was recognized, the news that the royal family of Dali had an eighth prince had already spread to all parts of Dali via Feixun.

Even through the channels of spies from neighboring countries, the four surrounding countries are now beginning to spread this news.

Mei Yanyu naturally knew about this a long time ago, but he did not expect that the Eighth Prince, who had been living among the people and whose identity had only been recognized a few days ago and who had not yet established a firm foothold in the imperial capital, would be involved in the affairs of Tianjin Guard so soon.

"Sir Hu, I wonder where the Eighth Prince is now?"

Mei Yanyu looked at Hu Ruian and asked, while Hu Ruian glanced at him and said:
"Mr. Mei, please don't change the subject. With your Mei family's influence in Shengzhou, it's easy for them to know where we are. Please answer my question first."

Hearing this, Mei Yanyu's expression remained normal. He thought for a moment and remained silent, then he bowed and said:
"This matter is not something I can decide on my own. I need to discuss it with my mother and the other lords of the Tianjin Guard. So, why not wait until tomorrow and give Lord Hu a reply in person?"

Hu Ruian's eyes moved slightly, but surprisingly he did not refuse. Instead, he nodded and said in a deep voice:

"it is good."

After saying that, he had no intention of staying any longer. He stood up and said goodbye to Wu Shang and the other two and left.

However, the moment he turned around, he suddenly turned back, looked at Mei Yanyu and said:

"A reminder to Master Mei: the affairs of Lanzhou are of great importance. I hope you will take good care of yourself!"

Then, he said no more, took Wu Shang and the other two and left along the way they came, disappearing from Mei Yanyu's sight.

The young master of the Mei family looked in the direction where the three people left, drinking his wine without saying a word.

Not long after, Mei Yanyu seemed to sense something and suddenly turned around to look at an old man who had been sitting at the table for some time.

If Hu Ruian saw this person, he would definitely be familiar with him, because he was the old man who was pushing a cart of tea bags before.

"Is Mu Lao back?"

Mei Yanyu naturally picked up the wine jug beside him, stood up, poured a glass of wine for the other party, and asked:
"Is there any situation at the Tianjin Guards' yamen?"

Hearing this, the old man shook his head, took a sip of the wine glass, and said:
"I met three unlucky guys."

After these words were spoken, Mei Yanyu's eyes moved slightly, but he didn't say anything more.

It seemed that in his eyes, there was no value in discussing a person who was doomed to die.

……

After leaving Mei Mansion, Hu Ruian, who had originally planned to go to Zhu's house to meet the governor Zhu Ziming, suddenly became uninterested.

"Forget it, let's go back to Murong Mansion."

Hu Ruian finally called out to Wu Shang and the other two, then rode forward.

Hearing this, Wu Shang and the other two hurriedly followed.

"Sir, we only have two days. Why did you agree to the Mei family's request?"

Wu Shang had watched the entire conversation between Hu Ruian and Mei Yanyu before, but now he asked the doubts in his mind.

However, before Hu Ruian could explain, Cheng Zhong, who was riding beside him, suddenly frowned and said:

"From what I see from Master Mei, he seems to be certain that the three of us won't survive tomorrow."

Hearing this, Hu Ruian turned around and looked at the other party, saying:
"That's right. Whether we can survive will be the key to how things progress next."

After these words were spoken, Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong looked at each other, but it was obvious that they didn't quite understand what Hu Ruian meant.

At this time, Hu Ruian saw the doubts in the two people's hearts and explained:
"Based on my observations, it's not untrue that Mei Yan was seriously injured by a ghost. Otherwise, Master Mei wouldn't be so sure that we wouldn't survive tomorrow."

"As for why they didn't mobilize the Tianjin Guards to Lanzhou, I don't believe it at all. With the prestige of the Commander-in-Chief and the Dali court, as long as the order is passed on unimpeded, how dare those pacification envoys disobey it?"

"So I feel there must be something else going on, and it all seems to be related to the ghost story of Tianjin Guard..."

Having said that, Hu Ruian did not continue.

It was obvious that he was betting all his chips on the truth of the Tianjinwei haunting incident.

If he wants to find out the truth, he must survive tomorrow.

He might have had some confidence in himself before, but after experiencing the ghosts and laughter in the Tianjin Guard Mansion, and learning about Mei Yan's situation from Mei Yanyu.

At this point, he no longer had the confidence to deal with those ghostly creatures.

However, just because he can't do it doesn't mean no one can.

Although he does not have a wife who is the daughter of a martial saint like Mei Yan, he has Li Musheng behind him, a prince who can knock Shen Juesheng away with one punch.

Although His Royal Highness the Eighth Prince doesn't like to meddle in other people's affairs, what if problems arise?

"Hmm... Your Highness wouldn't just watch me get strangled to death by a ghost, right?"

When the time came, Hu Ruian felt a little unsure again.

After riding back to Murong Mansion with Wu Shang, he rode non-stop back to the courtyard where he lived.

(End of this chapter)