Chapter 94. Treasure Hunt.

As Hou Gong stepped forward,

Chui Yun Kai and Meng Yan Meng, among others, watched the various performers with a calm expression, hiding their inner tension.

- Lord Namgung.

In the front of the banquet hall,

a secret message quietly circulated among the group of lords engaged in conversation.

Namgung Hak slightly furrowed his brows.

He looked at the seat beside him, where Lord Murong Jun, the head of the Murong family, had sent the secret message.

- Speak.

- It's about the Crown Prince of Tianhua Library.

- Ah... Yes.

- It seems you treat him with particular respect, but have you had a close relationship with him before?

- No, we haven't had a close relationship, but I do treat him with particular respect.

Namgung Hak smiled.

At first, he thought the secret message might contain something serious, but now, seeing it was just out of curiosity, he felt relieved. It seemed that Lord Murong was puzzled by the fact that the Tianhua Library group was accommodated in the eastern garden.

On the other hand, Murong Jun inwardly frowned upon hearing the answer.

'To treat someone with particular respect despite no prior relationship.'

He had only casually mentioned it, but since Lord Namgung didn't dodge the question and admitted it directly, his curiosity grew even more.

The Lord Namgung he knew was a deep and cold person. He was not someone who could be easily swayed by a few words or emotions. It was a mystery how he came to treat the Crown Prince of Tianhua Library with particular respect.

That being the case,

- Perhaps you've seen something we haven't.

Regarding the Crown Prince of Tianhua Library, what was known was that he had confronted the Ximen family, crushed their plot, and achieved an overwhelming victory. This led to him gaining the trust of the leaders of the Kai Bang and the Wu Lin Alliance.

Of course, that alone was already quite impressive.

But how can one truly know a person's heart?

Without experiencing it firsthand, one cannot grasp the essence. Evaluating a person completely is always limited to what is shown on the surface. The fact that Lord Namgung, who was well aware of this, used the term 'particular' without hesitation suggested that he had already experienced it.

- Hehe... I haven't had the chance to observe him. I simply trust the discernment of the Kai Bang branch leader.

- ...

- Chui Yun Kai is known for his ability to identify those with bad intentions and for not even glancing at such people. So, if he is close to someone, I also want to be close to them.

Though it was a valid point,

both knew it was a diplomatic response.

- That's true, but it only makes me more curious.

- I plan to invite the Crown Prince to a gathering with various lords this evening. You can observe him then.

- Hehe... That's a good idea.

Seeing that Lord Namgung seemed reluctant to say more, Murong Jun didn't press further and laughed it off.

The conversation ended, and a brief awkwardness lingered.

Murong Jun changed the topic.

- By the way, the level of disguise among the performers is astonishing. Were the elders of Yin Ying Men really this skilled?

- I was also surprised.

- Even I, an old man, would have missed them if I hadn't had prior information.

A new competition was added to this year's Tianlong Grand Tournament.

Identify the disguised performers.

It was called a treasure hunt.

The competition was about disguise.

The participants were the performers.

Over the four-day schedule of the Tianlong Grand Tournament, they would be evaluated based on how quickly and how many disguised performers they could identify. Therefore, the banquet hall and its surroundings were now filled with disguised performers.

- You're being too strict, Lord. No matter how skilled they are, they can't escape the eyes of the Murong family.

- No, I haven't seen the whole picture, but I've only managed to identify two people here.

Namgung Hak smiled at this.

Lord Murong was being overly modest, but Namgung Hak didn't mind. After all, the disguise evaluation was his suggestion.

He had asked the head of Yin Ying Men, who readily agreed.

The elders of Yin Ying Men were sent.

And now,

the disguised performers could be maids,

servants,

or guards.

- It seems no one has identified any disguises yet.

- If they did, it would be more surprising.

- Hehe... That's true.

- It's about time to inform the young talents that the treasure hunt has begun. I'm already curious about their reactions.

- Haha, I agree.

The young talents were not yet informed.

This was what the lords wanted.

They were curious to see if any of the young talents could identify the disguises without prior information, before the official announcement of the task.

They hoped so.

As part of this,

the elders of Yin Ying Men were intentionally circling around the young talents participating in the tournament.

But as expected,

no one seemed to have noticed anything unusual.

If they had, they would have already rushed over.

It wasn't fair to blame their lack of skill.

The disguises of Yin Ying Men were that good, and identifying them without knowing the task was a different level altogether.

'Hehe... Even they seem calm.'

Namgung Hak turned his gaze to two people.

Chui Yun Kai and Meng Yan Meng.

Chui Yun Kai was standing around, tearing at chicken legs with both hands, while Meng Yan Meng was yawning lazily from a distance.

Their appearance clearly showed they had no clue about anything, and Namgung Hak smiled faintly.

'After all, who could have guessed? This is the Namgung family, and no information was given.'

They would be surprised when they found out.

The young talents would be no different. Namgung Hak hoped that through this, everyone would realize they were part of the martial world and develop a sense of vigilance.

No matter where or when,

even in the safest place,

the martial world is always present.

Deception and plots are never far away.

Therefore, one must always be alert.

He hoped this would be a reminder for the young talents.

- I should inform these two as well...

- Which two?

Murong Jun frowned.

Namgung Hak smiled.

- Chui Yun Kai and Huo Huo Jian. They will be quite surprised.

- Hahaha, that's what you meant. I don't want to see their reactions.

**

At that moment,

an elder of Yin Ying Men, who had left the Namgung family, entered a bustling street.

He walked slowly,

blending into the crowd.

His appearance gradually changed.

From a hunched and clumsy middle-aged worker, he transformed step by step.

His hunched back straightened, his awkward gait became more confident, wrinkles appeared on his face, and his black hair turned gray and then completely white.

After about twenty paces,

he became an elderly middle-aged man,

and after fifty paces, he was an old man.

His transformation was so slow and subtle that no one in the crowd noticed the change.

Even Namgong Xiaoyi and E Ying Shan, who were nearby, did not notice.

"Why did the Crown Prince of Tianhua Library laugh at me as soon as he saw me?"

"Big sister, there's no reason. He's just a weird person. He's a bad person, really."

"Indeed, that must be it."

"Of course. Think about how he refused your kindness and then went to watch a play with beggars a short while later."

"You're right. He's someone we shouldn't get close to. I wonder what Father saw in him."

At the second-floor window of a bustling inn,

the two women occasionally glanced outside but were so busy criticizing the 'Crown Prince of Tianhua Library' that they didn't notice the elder of Yin Ying Men, Gou Huan, removing his disguise and walking right below them.

Soon, Gou Huan entered the inn.

It was the building opposite Xiaoyi and Ying Shan.

The innkeeper recognized Gou Huan, recalled that he was a guest staying on the third floor, and greeted him. Gou Huan simply nodded and headed to his room.

'About an hour should be enough.'

As soon as he entered the room, Gou Huan immediately sat in a meditative posture and began to practice his internal energy.

The Namgung family had requested that he maintain the highest level of disguise today.

Maintaining the highest level of disguise consumes a lot of internal energy and causes extreme fatigue.

The limit for the highest level is about two hours.

Therefore, he needed to recover his energy.

Moreover, if he hurried to recover and returned, the other elders would also have time to recover.

Thus, Gou Huan entered a meditative state.

After about half an hour,

a young man stood in front of Gou Huan's room.

It was Hou Gong, who had followed Tian Xiang.

Hou Gong saw the latch on the door and formed a hand seal, drawing a line from top to bottom.

Swoosh.

The wooden latch cleanly split in two and dangled.

Immediately, there was a commotion inside.

The elder of Yin Ying Men, Gou Huan, sprang up, his clothes rustling.

"Who, who is it!"

"..."

Hou Gong furrowed his brows as he tried to open the door.

'What is this?'

The reaction was bewildering.

The sound of fumbling,

and a frightened voice.

The fumbling suggested he had just noticed, and the frightened voice revealed his weakness. Hou Gong could feel the other's inadequacy even from outside the door, which made him feel awkward.

'What...? Could he have infiltrated the Namgung family with just this level of courage and skill?'

It didn't make sense.

The skill and situation were mismatched.

The imbalance in strength was too great. What was filling this gap? What was behind these people?

Hou Gong gathered his thoughts and opened the door.

Click.

An old man was immediately visible.

It wasn't the appearance he had seen in the Namgung family.

But it was clearly the same person, so there was no doubt about his true identity.

The old man was as far from the door as possible, his eyes filled with caution. Hou Gong was surprised again by his timidity.

On the other hand,

Gou Huan finally recognized him and his eyes widened.