The Left Governor's trap stirred silent undercurrents in the capital. Rumors began to quietly spread overnight among low-ranking officials and aristocratic families that "the leader of the Rootless Sect was colluding with the Demonic Sect."
Before evidence was presented, Xiao Wuchen's political reputation was severely damaged.
Before dawn, Xiao Wuchen stood at the end of the long street leading from the Directorate of Ceremonial to the Qianqing Palace. He was dressed in a simple eunuch's robe and had not rested. Under a dim palace lantern stood Chief Eunuch Bixie, the man who held the power of life and death in the palace. He stood with his hands behind his back, awaiting Xiao Wuchen.
Bixie's gaze was like an icy, bottomless pool, devoid of emotion yet carrying invisible pressure.
"You arrived faster than I expected," Bixie said calmly yet with a voice more oppressive than any roar.
Xiao Wuchen did not bow but stood still and looked directly at Bixie. "The Left Governor's blade is already at my throat. A moment later, and blood will flow."
"A knife?" Pi Xie sneered, his tone filled with contempt and manipulative, sadistic pressure. "The evidence from the Black-Clad Guards is already on His Majesty's desk. Those bloody records are exactly like your usual methods. Tell me, Xiao Wuchen, are you truly involved with the Demonic Sect?"
"If I were, I wouldn't be here today," Xiao Wuchen replied.
Pi Xie took a step forward, his powerful aura instantly enveloping Xiao Wuchen like a mountain pressing down on him.
"You rely on nothing more than your martial arts skills and the abilities the system has given you. But you've forgotten that in power struggles, force is the last and most useless card."
Pi Xie saw through Xiao Wuchen's trump card, forcing him to abandon his most powerful weapon—martial arts—and rely solely on strategy and political experience to overcome the crisis. This was the highest level of mental torture inflicted on a powerful individual.
"I'll give you a chance." Bi Xie spoke calmly, his words carrying an undeniable authority, like a royal decree.
"Until the Left Commander formally presents the 'decisive evidence,' you are not permitted to use force against any core member of the Black-Clad Guard. You must rely on political maneuvering and the connections you've cultivated within the palace to prove your innocence."
"What if I cannot prove myself?" Xiao Wuchen asked.
Bi Xie turned away from him, his back now facing Xiao Wuchen. His voice was icy cold. "Then prove you are nothing more than a brave but reckless, utterly useless pawn. At that time, the Black-Clad Guard's blade will fall cleanly and decisively, and I will not shed a single tear for you."
Xiao Wuchen knew that Bixie wasn't standing idly by. Rather, he was setting up an extremely dangerous testing ground. If Xiao Wuchen could thwart the Left Governor's scheme through political maneuvering, Bixie would support him fully. If he failed, however, Bixie would abandon him without hesitation to save himself.
This wasn't mere neutrality; it was a test of Xiao Wuchen's qualifications to become a "pawn of immortality."
"I accept," Xiao Wuchen said resolutely.
"Not only will I prove my innocence, I will also present His Majesty with complete evidence of the Left Governor's collusion with powerful families and his attempt to usurp imperial power. I don't want to escape punishment; I want the position of Director of the Directorate of Ceremonial."
Bixie paused slightly, a hint of barely perceptible approval flashing across his lips.
"Greed is a good thing, but don't let it burn you." He didn't answer directly, but simply tossed down a key ingredient for the Qi-Building Pill. "This will help you utilize your internal energy at a deeper level, but the prerequisite is that you must obtain it alive."
Bixie departed, his figure quickly disappearing into the shadows of the palace walls. Xiao Wuchen picked up the ingredient, feeling a chill in his palms but also a fiercer fighting spirit igniting within him.
After receiving permission (or rather, a restriction) from the Evil-Repelling Sword, Xiao Wuchen knew he was alone and could not demonstrate any of his martial prowess. He immediately turned his attention to the information the system provided about the Wang family and the necessity of infiltration.
He returned to his residence and summoned his three most trusted confidants from the Rootless Sect.
"From this moment on, you are responsible for creating the illusion that I am 'disturbed and secluded.' All external messages will claim that I am gathering evidence to refute the Black-Clad Guards."
He activated the "Shadow Concealment Technique," erasing himself completely from the Rootless Sect. With the enhancement of the Flying Swallow Without a Trace technique, Xiao Wuchen's aura, heartbeat, and presence were suppressed.
He transformed into a true "shadow," no longer a dazzling nobleman, but a hunter lurking in the shadows of the court.
As night fell again above the Wang family's deep mansion in the capital, an imperceptible black shadow, like flowing ink, silently infiltrated. He knew the evidence against the Left Commander was fermenting, and he had to find the Left Commander's fatal weakness before the Black-Clad Guards launched their final offensive.
Xiao Wuchen had fully entered the "Shadow Concealment Technique" state. It wasn't an invisibility technique from the cultivation world; rather, it was the ultimate application of aura, footwork, and blind spots in mortal martial arts at the "Flying Swallow Without a Trace" level. He was now an imperceptible shadow clinging to the thick walls of the heavily guarded Wang family compound in the capital.
The Wang family is a centuries-old aristocratic family in the capital with countless experts within, and they were heavily guarded. However, they guarded against visible enemies and were unable to detect the "shadow" that had merged Xiao Wuchen into his environment.
Xiao Wuchen's lightness skill had reached the "Traceless" level. He could sense the dampness of the moss on the wall and perfectly distributed his weight and center of gravity. He avoided all traps and sentries as if he were a thin sheet of paper stuck to the wall.
He avoided areas patrolled by the family's experts and headed straight for his target: the study where the patriarch usually handled confidential matters. Outside the study, he overheard the patriarch secretly conversing with a Black-Clad Guard master.
Xiao Wuchen rested against the study's window frame like a gentle breeze. The windowpane was slightly damp, and through a small hole, he could see everything inside.
The head of the Wang family was bowing and scraping to a man in a black guard uniform with a fierce expression.
"The Left Commander has instructed that, as long as the 'Record of Injustice Rectification' is perfectly disguised and presented by noon tomorrow, the position of Director of Ceremonial Affairs will be yours," the Wang family head said obsequiously.
Xiao Wuchen's gaze immediately locked onto the dossier on the table—the "decisive evidence" that the Left Commander had used to frame him: the forged, blood-red token he had colluded to create with the Demonic Sect while under the influence of "evil deeds points."
The elite guard in black sneered. "Patriarch Wang, you've done a good job. The Commander-in-Chief will certainly not treat you unfairly. But the Left Commander-in-Chief said this matter must be handled flawlessly. If that eunuch Xiao Wuchen retaliates, your Wang family must be prepared to sacrifice itself for the greater good."
The word "eunuch" wounded Xiao Wuchen's pride deeply. He suppressed the humiliation, transforming it into a ruthless driving force for his next move.
Xiao Wuchen wasted no time and quietly entered the study. The Xuanyi Guard experts and the family head were still discussing details. Their attention was completely focused on the Record of Injustice Rectified on the table. They were unaware that a deadly visitor had entered the room.
Xiao Wuchen flashed to the bookshelf and quickly located the ancient book, Shan Hai Zhi, that the system had prompted him to read. His fingers trembling slightly, he pulled out the book and carefully turned to the back page.
Indeed, inside was a thin, secret ledger. It detailed how the Left Commander-in-Chief had used his position in the Xuanyi Guard to smuggle and sell contraband salt with the Wang family and had secretly financed a private armed force with ties to evil cultivators.
This ledger proved not only the Left Commander-in-Chief's corruption, but also his serious crimes of "plotting rebellion and forming cliques," which were far more lethal than "colluding with the demonic sect."
Just as Xiao Wuchen was about to put the secret book in his robes, the system sounded another faint alarm.
[Beep—A miniature "spiritual tracking talisman" has been detected inside the book.] Once removed from the study, the talisman will activate and reveal the host's location."
Xiao Wuchen's heart skipped a beat. The Left Commander, with his keen observation skills, had anticipated Xiao Wuchen's attempt to steal the book. This talisman was the deadly hook the Left Commander had laid!
Xiao Wuchen couldn't leave with it. He quickly communicated with the system in his mind:
"Using the 'Soft Force' portion of the 'Life and Death Sword Intent' that you fused with last time, convert it into an internal force simulation and strip the spiritual consciousness from this talisman without revealing your martial aura!"
[System response: Calling the 'Purple Qi Comes from the East' soft force internal force simulation... Estimated internal force consumption: 10%." Xiao Wuchen abruptly channeled his inner force, sending a gentle, harmless thread of energy into the secret book. With a breadth of a mere millimeter, he peeled the tiny talisman from the page. The talisman hummed softly, then shattered without exploding.
He tucked the book into his robes, glanced at the "Record of Injustice Rectified" lying on the table, and a cold, dangerous smile appeared on his lips.
Not only had he taken the Left Commander's lifeline, but he had also left behind a seemingly insignificant "little gift"—enough to drive the Left Commander completely out of control. Then, he vanished from the study like a ghost.
The Wang family patriarch and the Xuanyi Guard experts were still gloating over tomorrow's "victory." Unbeknownst to them, their fates had been completely rewritten by the theft of the Records of Mountains and Seas.