Starting with being handed over to the Imperial Concubine, building a family with a thousand-year hi

"No." Su Mu shook his head and said calmly, "I've been cultivating in my room the whole time. I haven't heard any unusual noises or seen any strange people."

The powerful figures in the palace naturally wouldn't believe it so easily, and began to search the library carefully, turning over almost every corner from the study to the courtyard and then to the kitchen.

But they had never been to the library before and had no idea that there was a hidden cellar in the corner of the kitchen; moreover, they had other areas to search and could not afford to linger here for long.

"Eunuch Huang, which noble person in the palace was the target of this assassination attempt?" Su Mu asked casually, following behind Huang Yuan, hoping to get more information from him.

Huang Yuan hesitated for a moment, but finally answered, "It is Consort De."

He hadn't intended to tell Su Mu, but remembering that Su Mu had once served as a servant in Shude Palace, and that Cheng Ping'an and Su Mu had a close relationship, and that Su Mu might be able to regain favor once Cheng Ping'an established himself in the Shangwu Bureau, he told him the story—even if he hadn't, Su Mu would most likely have found out through other channels in the future.

"Is Consort De alright?" Upon hearing this, Su Mu's expression changed slightly, and he asked with feigned concern.

He understood perfectly: Xu Qian'er's sister was plotting to assassinate Consort De! Xu Qian'er had only been transferred from the Imperial Wardrobe to Shude Palace not long ago, and her sister had already entered the palace to assassinate Consort De—there was definitely something fishy going on! Xu Qian'er's request for Consort De to transfer her to Shude Palace was probably not just to get closer to him, but more likely to provide convenience for her sister!

"Don't worry, Eunuch Su, Consort De is fine; she only suffered minor injuries." Huang Yuan noticed Su Mu's expression and assumed he was worried about Consort De's safety, so he reassured him.

"That's good." Su Mu feigned a sigh of relief, then asked with a hint of doubt, "With such tight security in the palace, how could an assassin have managed to infiltrate Shude Palace and attempt to assassinate Consort De?"

"I don't know about that." Huang Yuan shook his head, looking helpless. "Perhaps someone is working on it from the inside."

Huang Yuan and his men searched the library thoroughly, and only after confirming that there was nothing suspicious did they hurriedly leave with a group of imperial guards to continue their search in other places.

In the dead of night, the palace was in an uproar, filled with shouts from the imperial guards and servants searching for the assassin—the Empress De had been assassinated, and this was no small matter; the murderer had to be caught as soon as possible!

At dawn, a group of powerful figures from the palace returned to the library and conducted an even more thorough search, but still found nothing.

On this day, Su Mu cultivated, cooked, and tended to the library as usual, acting as if nothing had happened and revealing no flaws.

He didn't go to the cellar to check on Xu Shan'er, nor did he go to find the woman in black—it wasn't the right time yet.

After waiting for a full day and night, Su Mu confirmed that no powerful figures from the palace would suddenly appear before he quietly went to the kitchen under the cover of night.

He moved the firewood to the side, picked up an oil lamp, and jumped into the cellar.

This was a cellar about ten feet long and wide, dark and damp. Xu Shan'er lay in the corner of the cellar, still unconscious. Her injuries looked even more serious, and her face was deathly pale.

If she hadn't received timely treatment and remained unconscious, she would likely have died. Fortunately, her martial arts skills were quite good, and her physical strength far exceeded that of ordinary people; otherwise, she would have already perished.

"What an eerie black cloak!" Su Mu frowned, carefully examining the black robe Xu Shan'er was wearing.

He noticed something strange about the black robe last night. Just now, during his inspection, he discovered that when the robe came into contact with shadow, it became translucent, almost blending into the shadow itself—could it be an invisibility cloak?

The woman's black robe was tattered, indicating that she had been seriously injured during her escape. As a result, the cloak's cloak's invisibility effect was greatly reduced, and it did not completely conceal her figure.

She was wearing an invisibility cloak; no wonder she dared to assassinate Consort De in the heavily guarded palace!

Su Mu could tell from the faint aura emanating from her body that she was a powerful expert in the Innate Realm. As for whether she was in the early, middle or late stages, Su Mu could not make an accurate judgment for the time being because she was seriously injured and her aura was disordered.

Su Mu stretched out a hand and pinched her philtrum hard.

After a few breaths, Xu Shan'er's eyelashes fluttered slightly, and she slowly opened her eyes.

The moment she saw Su Mu, she reacted instinctively, raising her hand to throw a punch at Su Mu's chest—this was a martial artist's instinctive reaction!

Already severely injured, her condition worsened with this movement, and a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of her mouth. The intense pain brought her back to some consciousness.

She seemed to have thought of something, and her fist stopped just inches away from Su Mu's chest. Her eyes were fixed on Su Mu, with a hint of wariness and doubt in them.

"This invisibility cloak isn't something everyone has!" Su Mu shook his head and sighed. "What a waste!"

Such a wonderful treasure, and she used it like this.

"Eunuch Su, do you have any healing pills here?" Xu Shan'er's voice was very weak, almost without any strength, but her eyes held a hint of expectation.

"Yes." Su Mu nodded, then changed the subject, "But if you want me to heal your injuries, I have to figure out what happened first! Why did you try to assassinate Consort De? What is your relationship with Xu Qian'er?"

"I can't tell you about this." Xu Shan'er gritted her teeth and shook her head. "All I know is that I'm Xu Qian'er's older sister, Xu Shan'er!"

"Can't you say?" Su Mu straightened up, shrugged, and said coldly, "In that case, you might as well stay here and wait to die!"

After saying that, Su Mu made a move to turn around and leave.

"Wait!" Xu Shan'er hurriedly spoke, a hint of worry on her face. "If I perish here, it will do you no good! My sister Xu Qian'er is still in Shude Palace. Once my disappearance is exposed, she will definitely be implicated, and you will be in trouble too!"

"That's fine too!" Su Mu remained unmoved, still looking like he was about to leave.

"You are my sister's husband, how can you just watch me go to my death?" Xu Shan'er frowned slightly, feeling that the eunuch Su in front of her was somewhat different from the gentle and cowardly image her sister had described.

"Husband? Haha!" Su Mu revealed a strange smile, his tone laced with mockery. "I'm just a eunuch!"

He paused here, then continued, "A eunuch punished and confined to his study, seeking only peace and quiet and unwilling to cause trouble! Do you think I would risk my life to save an assassin like you because of some so-called 'marital bond'?"

"Fine!" Xu Shan'er's face paled, and she finally gave in. "I'll tell you everything you want to know! But you must promise me you'll heal my injuries and keep my secret!"