Online Game: Me, with Unparalleled Comprehension

Before an incense stick could burn, the guards were escorted to the courtyard outside the palace.

The leader was a square-faced man in his thirties with a thick beard.

He knelt down as soon as he entered the courtyard, pressing his forehead against the scorching hot floor tiles, not daring to breathe.

Li Qiushui stood in the shadows under the corridor, looking down at him.

"Was anything unusual this morning?"

The guard's voice trembled: "Your Majesty, everything was normal this morning. I led my men on three patrols and found nothing unusual."

"Where is the city gate?" Li Qiushui turned her gaze to another guard kneeling beside her.

The man swallowed hard. "There was nothing unusual at the city gate last night. Everything was normal during the handover at dawn. No one left."

Li Qiushui remained silent.

The courtyard was so quiet that only the soft rustling of the wind through the eaves and the heavy breathing of the guards could be heard.

She frowned.

No one saw Li Qinglu leave.

No one left the city. Those living people just vanished like that?

She remembered that she had stayed in the princess's palace for a long time last night, not leaving until 9 PM.

In other words, the robbery occurred after 9 PM.

Although those guards had some martial arts skills, they were only third-rate in the martial arts world. If they encountered a real master, they wouldn't be able to find anything.

Li Qiushui's gaze swept across the faces of those people, finally landing on the bearded guard.

"Who was on duty with the third team last night?"

The guard paused for a moment, then replied, "Your Majesty, last night the third team was under the command of Lord Wu Qianyu. He is a newly arrived deputy general, responsible for patrolling that area at night."

Li Qiushui raised her eyebrows slightly.

Wu Qianyu. She had heard Helian Tieshu mention this name before, saying that this person was skilled in martial arts and had killed Murong Fu.

She had seen him in person a few nights ago, right outside the princess's palace. When he spoke to her, he was calm and showed no signs of anything unusual.

"Where are the others?"

The garrison commander swallowed hard. "Your Majesty, Lord Wu... Lord Wu left after the handover this morning, and should be resting now."

Li Qiushui didn't ask any more questions. She turned and walked back to her palace, her voice coming from inside: "Investigate. Find out everything about this person."

An hour later, the message came back.

Wu Qianyu joined Yipintang a few days ago, starting as an ordinary member. Within a few days, he was promoted several ranks and personally promoted by Helian Tieshu to deputy general, and transferred to the palace to be responsible for night patrols.

Before joining Yipintang, there was no information about his background.

Li Qiushui sat behind the desk, tapping her fingers lightly on the armrest.

Its origins are unknown, and it rose too quickly. Could it be that Helian Tieshu has betrayed me?

She stared at the rooftop for a long time, then turned around, her voice as cold as ice in the twelfth lunar month: "Chuan Helian Tieshu."

Helian Tieshu arrived very quickly.

He knelt down as soon as he entered, his ashen face filled with trepidation: "Your Majesty, did you summon me?"

Li Qiushui stood by the window with her back to him, her voice flat and devoid of emotion: "You know about the princess's disappearance?"

Helian Tieshu swallowed hard: "I just heard about it."

"That Wu Qianyu," Li Qiushui turned around, her gaze falling on his face, "was he someone you promoted?"

Sweat beaded on Helian Tieshu's forehead: "Yes, it was my doing. He killed Murong Fu, and I thought his martial arts were quite good, so..."

Have you checked his background?

Helian Tieshu opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Li Qiushui looked at him, a slight twitch at the corner of her mouth, a chilling smile: "You dare to send people of unknown origin into the palace?"

Helian Tieshu lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to utter a sound.

Li Qiushui walked up to him and stopped.

The oppressive feeling made Helian Tieshu even slow down his breathing.

"Go investigate," she said. "Turn the whole city upside down, find this person. Live or dead."

Helian Tieshu kowtowed: "Yes!"

He got up and left, his steps hurried, and soon disappeared at the end of the corridor.

Li Qiushui stood by the window, sunlight slanting in through the gaps in the carved window frame, casting long, thin shadows on her deep purple palace dress.

She stared at the sun-bleached sky outside the window, her brows furrowing deeper and deeper, her fingertips tapping lightly on the window frame.

Suddenly, a thought popped into my mind: Wu Xingyun's figure.

She turned around abruptly, her deep purple skirt sweeping across the blue brick floor, creating a soft rustling sound.

That bastard Wu Xingyun must be going through a phase of rejuvenation lately.

Counting the days, his skills have indeed recovered considerably. Could it be...?

Li Qiushui narrowed her eyes, her phoenix eyes flashing.

If it really was her who came to Western Xia and kidnapped Qinglu when she wasn't paying attention, that would make sense.

Although that bitch's skill level is not at its peak, with her cunning and methods, she could accomplish all of this without any problem.

But what about Wu Qianyu? This guy was promoted to palace guard general entirely because of Helian Tieshu's recommendation.

She had never seen this person before.

She stood in the room, going over the events of the past few days in her mind. That bitch wouldn't go so far as to ask a man for help.

After all, she knew Wu Xingyun well; he was proud and arrogant and wouldn't ask for favors.

Moreover, it's even more impossible for her to ask a man for help.

She took a deep breath, suppressing her turbulent emotions. Now was not the time to lose her temper.

"Someone come here."

A palace maid immediately pushed open the door and entered, bowing her head in greeting: "Your Majesty."

"Go tell Helian Tieshu," Li Qiushui said calmly, her voice devoid of emotion. "Tell him to send men to search the city thoroughly for a girl who is seven or eight years old. Remember, it must be done in secret; not a word of it may leak out."

She paused, her gaze falling on the maid's drooping hair, her voice turning colder: "If word gets out, kill without mercy."

The palace maid trembled slightly, replied "Yes," and quickly retreated.

Li Qiushui walked back to the soft couch, sat down, leaned against the armchair, and closed her eyes.

My fingers tapped lightly on the armrest, once, once.

Sunlight streamed through the cracks in the window, casting shifting shadows on her face.

Half an hour later, Helian Tieshu came to report back in person.

He stood at the door, sweat beading on his ashen face, clearly having run all the way. He knelt down as soon as he entered, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Your Majesty, I have sent men to search the entire city, but we have not found the girl you spoke of."

Li Qiushui opened her eyes and looked at his face.

Helian Tieshu swallowed hard and continued, "We searched inns, houses, temples, Taoist monasteries, and even several villages outside the city, but we found nothing. The brothers went door to door with the portrait, but no one had ever seen a girl like that."

Li Qiushui didn't speak. The room was so quiet that only the occasional birdsong from outside the window could be heard.

"As for the princess..." Helian Tieshu began cautiously, "there's no news either. That Wu Qianyu seems to have vanished into thin air. We haven't been able to find anyone with that name. Maybe, maybe it's an alias."

As Helian Tieshu spoke, cold sweat poured down his forehead.

Li Qiushui's eyebrows twitched slightly, and she tapped her fingers on the armrest.

She gave a slight, chilling twitch at the corner of her mouth.

She sat up straight and looked at Helian Tieshu: "Has the portrait of Wu Qianyu been drawn yet?"

Helian Tieshu took out a piece of paper from his pocket and presented it with both hands: "It's finished. It's about 70-80% accurate."

Li Qiushui took the portrait and glanced at it.