BVAHEDLA[W Chapter 52

Chapter 52: Ancient 26 Plan

As Chu Li-fei expected, the emerald green-clad man had someone deliver an invitation to the manor in the outskirts of the capital early the next morning. It was received by a person Chu Li-fei had arranged in advance, and then quickly sent to the Prince’s mansion.

When the Prince told Chu Li-fei and Lu Mo-chen about this news, he also took out a finely crafted letter.

The main colors were black and gold. The envelope was primarily black, with thick paper and hidden patterns. A faint fragrance wafted from it. The edges were sealed with gold-colored paint, and the opening was sealed with golden sealing wax, with a coiled dragon on top.

– This must be the so-called invitation from Hongguang Pavilion.

Although Hongguang Pavilion was located in the outskirts of the capital, its specific location was not well known, and there were various disguises at the entrance.

When Lu Mo-chen raided Hongguang Pavilion in his previous life, he heard that only those with invitations could enter, which greatly enhanced its secrecy, making it a good place to hide secrets that could not be known.

Chu Li-fei took the invitation and turned it over to examine it carefully. After confirming that there were no mechanisms, he took a letter opener and cut it open along the seal.

Lu Mo-chen also leaned over.

Chu Li-fei took a dark red piece of paper from the envelope and unfolded it on the table.

The paper was a thick red, but not as bright as fresh blood, as if it had been dry for a long time. Arrogant ink sprawled across the paper, the handwriting wild and twisted, like an invitation from hell, with countless black tentacles stretching out, eager to move.

The letter stated the address and time of the auction.

“The night of February 17th…” Lu Mo-chen read softly, calculating the days. “Isn’t that the day after tomorrow?”

“Yes…” Chu Li-fei nodded. After pondering for a moment, he whispered, “If we still can’t find any clues or evidence by then, we won’t have much time left…”

Lu Yuan-jing had given them seven days to investigate the case. Today was already the fourth day. The auction would be held on the night of the day after tomorrow, leaving them with only one day.

Chu Li-fei frowned slightly, a faint suspicion arising about the timing of the auction.

Was this really not intentional?

Deliberately scheduling the time on the evening of the sixth day, so tight yet leaving a day, was it to provoke them after seeing through their identities?

Or… was it really just a coincidence?

But regardless of the situation—

Chu Li-fei’s lips curled into a sneer.

They were really arrogant—

But that’s exactly what made it so challenging, wasn’t it?

Chu Li-fei’s eyes lit up with interest, and he picked up the letter and continued reading.

He already knew the time and location. Next was the restriction on who could enter.

The requirement mentioned was: one invitation only allows one person to enter, with at most one servant.

In other words, one invitation could only allow two people in, and one of them had to be the other’s servant—

The two looked at each other.

Lu Mo-chen spoke first, “I’ll pretend to be your Imperial Uncle’s servant—”

Before he could finish, Chu Li-fei immediately rejected it, “No, they will definitely recognize my face. We won’t get any results, and we’ll only alert the enemy.”

“Then I’ll just go in alone. That man in emerald green clothes knows my face, so there shouldn’t be any problems. You can wait for me outside, Imperial Uncle—”

Unfortunately, this plan was also quickly rejected by Chu Li-fei.

“It’s too dangerous inside, and there are too many variables. I can’t let you face it alone.”

Lu Mo-chen’s heart warmed at these words, and his eyes were touched. Countless countermeasures flashed through his mind in an instant. “Then why don’t we just go early and lie in ambush, and then snatch one?”

Lu Mo-chen initially thought of having someone counterfeit an invitation, but he quickly rejected this plan himself.

The invitation was well-made. Not to mention the material issues, it was uncertain whether they could even make a convincing copy. Moreover, they didn’t know if Hongguang Pavilion had any methods to identify the authenticity of the invitation, or if they would discover a discrepancy in the number of invitations. If that happened, everyone would suffer.

It would be more convenient to just snatch one.

As for how to snatch it—

Lu Mo-chen said it would be simple.

But this method was also rejected by Chu Li-fei.

There must be a reason why Hongguang Pavilion had survived to this day without being discovered. If the invitation could be easily snatched, its secrets would have been exposed long ago, and it would have been wiped out.

It was possible that they had a special way of recognizing people, or that they had tampered with the invitation. Chu Li-fei and Lu Mo-chen had no way of knowing.

Moreover, the invitation mentioned – one could bring a servant.

This wouldn’t be an ordinary servant. Chu Li-fei estimated that they would most likely be death warriors or guards, or at least know some martial arts. Otherwise, how would those people dare to be so bold in such a risky situation?

“There’s no need to say anything else. I’ll pretend to be your servant and enter Hongguang Pavilion with you.”

Chu Li-fei made a final decision.

“Imperial Uncle—” Lu Mo-chen immediately sat up, protesting, “How can that be? How can I let you be my servant?”

Chu Li-fei put down the dark red letter in his hand. “Alright, there’s no need to say anymore. This is the safest plan, isn’t it?”

“Imperial Uncle—” Lu Mo-chen wanted to say something more, but when he saw Chu Li-fei’s determined expression, he had no choice but to give up.

But he still felt uneasy.

In the afternoon, Chu Li-fei and Lu Mo-chen discussed the plan with Qian Ming briefly and then began to prepare for the upcoming events.

During these two days, the two of them did not forget to continue investigating clues about the Qi and Cheng families, but unfortunately, they still found nothing.

It seemed that the breakthrough point still pointed to Hongguang Pavilion.

Time quickly came to two days later—

The sky darkened.

Chu Li-fei was dressed in a black outfit, with a silver mask covering his face, following behind Lu Mo-chen with his head lowered.

The two arrived at the entrance of a gambling den—

And this was the true entrance to Hongguang Pavilion, as indicated on the invitation!