Lu Mingyuan pointed at the group of Imperial Guards and unleashed a torrent of curses.
"Your Highness, please calm your anger. We are acting on the Holy Emperor's orders to search the Imperial Palace and capture the traitors. We ask for your understanding."
The Commander of the Imperial Guard came before him, cupped his fist, and spoke with a demeanor that was neither servile nor overbearing.
"What? So these were Father Emperor's orders? Very well, then..." Upon hearing the explanation, Lu Mingyuan let the anger on his face subside. 'I had known this all along, of course, but I still had to put on an act.'
Half an incense stick's time passed. The Imperial Guards who had been searching all came out of the hall, shaking their heads.
"Nothing."
The Commander of the Imperial Guard frowned. "How is that possible? We've searched more than half of the Imperial Palace, and the palace gates have been sealed for two days. There's no way these traitors could have escaped."
"Alright, we'll split up. Form small teams and search the other palaces behind the Cold Palace."
"We don't have much time. We must find them before dawn!"
"Yes, sir!"
Lu Mingyuan watched as the team of several dozen men split into eight groups and dispersed.
He noticed that the palace he had marked during the day was also being searched.
But they came out very quickly, apparently having found nothing.
Lu Mingyuan narrowed his eyes, confused.
'How could there be no one there?'
'I stared at that palace all afternoon. People went in, but no one came out. Could they have escaped through a window?'
'Or perhaps there's a hidden world inside?'
Thinking this, Lu Mingyuan glanced at a thin-faced Imperial Guard who was regrouping nearby, awaiting orders.
"What's your name?"
The Imperial Guard was slightly taken aback, then cupped his fist and said, "Zhou Pingfu. Greetings, Sixth Prince."
'No matter how neglected he is, he's still the Emperor's son. I should naturally be respectful.'
"What kind of traitors are these that you can't even find them inside the Imperial Palace? Are you not trying your best? Neglecting your duties?" Lu Mingyuan scoffed.
"Of course not. We are utterly loyal to the Holy Emperor, diligent and hardworking, without a shred of selfishness."
Zhou Pingfu didn't wonder why the Prince was talking to him; he just answered honestly.
"Then how can you not find them? Did they dig a hole and escape?"
Zhou Pingfu shook his head again. "Impossible. The Imperial Palace has activated its City Defense Array. If there were any trace of them, we could dig three feet into the ground and still find them."
Lu Mingyuan's eyes darted, and he said casually, "What if the traitors are hiding inside one of the palaces, waiting for the commotion from your search to die down?"
Hearing this, Zhou Pingfu was at a slight loss for words. He frowned and said:
"That... this subordinate truly hadn't considered that."
Lu Mingyuan said seriously, "Search it again. You might find something. From here... to over there."
He pointed to the palace he had marked.
Seeing that the Commander hadn't returned yet and there was still time, Zhou Pingfu glanced at the waning moon in the sky, a sense of urgency rising in his heart. He thought of his wife at home and said to the brothers under his command:
"The Sixth Prince has a point! Follow me, we'll search it again!"
Lu Mingyuan watched them go, and a line of text appeared before his eyes.
[Emperor Orange Fate Grid - Trapped Dragon in the Abyss, Refinement Level 8%]
[Trait Awakened: Hidden Dragon (Basic Level)]
[Hidden Dragon (Basic Level): A hidden dragon bides its time. Yang Energy is concealed, aiding cultivation and doubling comprehension.]
Surprise flashed in Lu Mingyuan's eyes. 'I didn't expect the Trapped Dragon in the Abyss to have more than one Life Chart Trait.'
'Doubled comprehension is an extremely practical trait. The speed at which I can read books and Cultivation Techniques, as well as the effectiveness of my study, will all improve across the board. This is a huge boost for me.'
Just as he was pondering this, the ground suddenly began to shake and the mountains seemed to sway!
The tremors were as intense as a small earthquake, and the source was the very palace Lu Mingyuan had marked earlier.
Nearly all the Imperial Guard and the Bright Lamp Guards from the Bright Lamp Bureau were drawn in, their attention shifting to the commotion.
An extremely fast black shadow shot out of the main hall, instantly landing on the black-tiled eaves. Its aura was clearly not weak.
Lu Mingyuan noticed it immediately.
He silently retreated behind the crowd.
The black-clad figure spoke in an icy tone, "Dealing with King Yama is one thing, but his imps are a real pain. To come back after leaving... someone must have leaked our location. Who was it..."
Before he could finish, he was locked on by an invisible and terrifying Qi Force, and a thunderous voice boomed from the Deep Palace.
"You dare act so presumptuously in the Great Yan Imperial Palace? You're courting death!"
A man with a tiger's head draped over his shoulder and wearing an airtight Iron Helmet rose from the void and threw an unstoppable black gleam.
As it flew over everyone's heads, they saw it was a short halberd trailing a chain.
Black flames radiated out in rings from the halberd, pulsing with ultimate power.
In a single strike, it pierced through the black figure, splattering hot blood across the air.
With a THUD, the body plummeted from the sky.
Amidst the Imperial Guards who swarmed forward, a Commander examined the strange tattoos on the corpse and made a judgment:
"It's a fiend from the Witch Sect."
"How could someone from the Witch Sect be in the Imperial Palace?"
"Look at the flesh on his face, it's all dissolved. He used a disguise to get in, pretending to be one of the palace's Imperial Guard."
From a distance, Lu Mingyuan heard the crowd's discussions and silently returned to Qingzhu Hall.
"Greetings, General Pei."
Many of the surrounding Imperial Guard saw the General in Bronze Battle Armor with a tiger head on his shoulder striding over and bowed respectfully.
General Pei glanced at the corpse with his Spiritual Sense, then nodded thoughtfully and said:
"So they used a Thousand Mechanism Blood Divine Jade to block the Celestial Secret. No wonder we couldn't find them. They were all hiding underground beneath the Imperial Palace. A real pack of sewer rats."
'He was a Middle Fifth Grade expert, at the very least. And he died after taking just one hit from me?'
Then, he set his gaze on one of the Imperial Guards. "Everyone who participated in the capture has earned merit. You have earned the highest."
Zhou Pingfu's armor was in disarray and a trickle of blood was at the corner of his mouth. He cupped his fist and said, "I don't deserve the credit. I was only doing my duty to the best of my ability."
"Mm. Throw all these guys into the dungeons. Bring the corpse of this Witchcraft Sect elder before His Majesty."
Just then, an Imperial Guard ran over in a panic, shouting:
"This is bad! Something terrible has happened!"
"What's all the panic about?" General Pei's expression soured.
"One of the Commanders went mad! He slaughtered all the captured traitors, and then he killed himself!"
"What?!"
General Pei's eyes flew wide. He slammed his short halberd into the ground with a startling CLANG.
"Dammit! There are still more of them!"
His voice boomed with rage. "Not a single one left alive?"
"No, sir! They're all dead!"
At these words, the faces of all the Imperial Guards present turned pale, including Zhou Pingfu's.
This meant all their work tonight was for nothing.
"Extremely cunning!"
General Pei drew a Forbidden Army Saber and hacked the corpse on the ground to pieces, discovering that the man's abdomen was filled with black, purulent blood.
"Corpse-Dissolving Powder... Good. Very good!" General Pei narrowed his eyes and ground his teeth.
Then he commanded the crowd:
"This General will report every last detail of tonight's events to the Holy Emperor!"
Hearing this, Zhou Pingfu felt a sense of foreboding.
He glanced one last time at the moon, now hidden by dark clouds, and thought of his wife still at home.
He couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
...
「Meanwhile.」
A handsome young man was on a couch in the grand hall, enjoying a massage from a Palace Maid.
A delicate fragrance wafted from between the gauze curtains.
Zi Yun had removed her shoes and socks and was kneeling behind Lu Mingyuan, carefully kneading his shoulders.
Lu Mingyuan had his legs crossed, leaning back against her soft body. He appeared to be staring into space, but he was actually examining the text appearing before his eyes.
[Gua Cheng, Medium Fortune.]
[Calamity Averted. Life Chart Trait (Dragon Raising Its Head) triggered. Acquired one blue Opportunity.]
[Acquired Green Fate Grid - Reading the Room, Refinement Level 20%]
[Green Life Chart (Reading the Room): Judge a person by their expression, gauge them by their bearing. An expert can hear the whispers of the heart; the skilled can discern their relationships and fortune.]
[Unlocked Life Chart Trait - Recognizing People (Middle Level)]
[Recognizing People (Middle Level): You can see a person's micro-expressions, allowing you to determine their feelings, preferences, and character. Your words become more convincing.]
'This is a very useful Fate Grid,' Lu Mingyuan thought. 'Its Refinement Level is already at 20% from the start. Could it be that the difficulty of Refinement is related to the Fate Grid's quality grade?'
'Hidden Dragon is a great help, and Recognizing People is even better. Navigating the Harem, I'll inevitably have to meet all sorts of people.'
'Besides, there's still that blue Opportunity. That's something to look forward to.'
With a thought, Lu Mingyuan made the text disappear. He looked up and asked:
"Have you finished copying the things I gave you?"
Zi Yun's voice was delicate. "Your Highness, I've copied half of it."
"Let me see it."
Lu Mingyuan took the yellow booklet from her sleeve and began to flip through it.
"Shaking Mountain Fist Manual, Fiery Fire Saber Technique... just some basic Martial Arts."
As he read, he discovered that the diagrams seemed to move, playing out in his mind, allowing him to quickly grasp their essentials.
'It seems my comprehension really has improved significantly.'
At this thought, Lu Mingyuan suddenly grew excited. He sat up on the couch and began to meticulously read the fist manual and saber technique.
Behind him, Zi Yun watched the utterly strange Lu Mingyuan, tilting her head, her beautiful eyes revealing her confusion.
'The Sixth Prince is ignoring me... to go read a book?'
'Is this normal?'
...