The Empress's No.1 Lackey

The night deepened, and the clouds over the Capital sped up their flow as the wind blew. The wisps of clouds, like rags, repeatedly wiped the moon, which shone cold and clear as new.

Around the Kong Mansion, figures clad in nightwear were hidden in the darkness, ensuring that even a mosquito penetrating the perimeter would be detected.

"Whoo… exhale…" Across from the mansion, at the mouth of a narrow alley.

Zhang Han's body was straight, leaning against the icy grey wall, his chest heaving irregularly with his breathing.

Tonight, as the leader of Nine Halls' most valued team, he was stationed outside Kong Hanlin's residence to ambush and track the Demon Path.

Not long ago, he had witnessed a woman walking straight into the mansion.

Zhang Han silently counted his heartbeats, estimating that the person had been inside for about two quarters.

"My lord, are we to continue waiting like this?" A Master emerged from the narrow alley, asking in a soft voice.

In the darkness of the narrow, long alley, about a dozen pairs of eyes were hidden. Everyone's blades were wrapped in cloth, and their boots were made of the softest fabric to prevent any sound from accidental collisions.

Zhang Han remained silent, shook his head, but his gaze stayed fixed on the house.

Due to the intelligence passed by Zhao Douan during the day, Ma Yan had changed his tactics.

"Since the Demon Path can possess others to approach its target, waiting like sitting ducks won't work. If someone approaches Kong Hanlin, don't startle the snake in the grass. Instead, track the Demon Path once it leaves, and try tracing its origin."

Lord Ma's voice resonated in his memory.

"She's out!"

Suddenly, the tension among the watchers turned to surprise, as they saw the coarse-handed woman leaving the Kong Mansion alone.

She closed the door, checked her surroundings, and walked toward the cool side of the street.

Suddenly, she stopped, turned around, and walked directly toward the narrow alley where everyone was hidden.

"Come out, I can see you."

The woman said with a smile, just as the clouds scattered and the moonlight illuminated her eerie grin.

Zhang Han's heart sank. He gripped the handle of his seven-foot sword and stepped forward, commanding in a deep voice, "Capture her!"

The Jinyi agents streamed out from behind him, their swords drawn in a synchronized motion, quickly forming a semicircular formation.

No one attempted to converse with the woman who could bewitch minds.

However, under the moonlight, the woman just smiled as they closed in. Then, abruptly, she clasped her head with both hands and twisted vigorously!

"Crack!"

The woman had twisted her neck, rotating her head one hundred and eighty degrees, collapsing dead on the spot.

"Ah—"

Even the battle-hardened Jinyi were taken aback.

"Whoooosh—"

Suddenly, the sound of a fluttering robe filled the night sky.

Ma Yanru, like a giant night owl, rode the wind from afar, swiftly arriving and landing gracefully.

He was dressed in a black-and-red intermixed cloak, his expression stern and focused. "What happened?"

Zhang Han quickly briefed him on the situation, concluding:

"Just as Master Zhao described, the true body of the Demon Path never arrived and detected us, denying us any chance to track it."

Ma Yan turned to look at the Kong Mansion and said, "What about Kong Hanlin?"

"I haven't entered to investigate yet."

Ma Yan strode forward, his cloak flowing like lotus leaves:

"Go in and see. Take Kong Hanlin away later and take control of the entire Kong Mansion. Once we ensure no one inside is compromised, release them."

Continuing, government officers stormed into the Kong Mansion amid the panicked glances of the people inside. Ma Yan directly went to the study and pushed the door open!

He froze.

Inside, the candlelight had extinguished, and the frail, aged Kong Hanlin had hanged himself from the beam.

His eyes bulging, his body hanging like a cured meat, and below him, the stool he had kicked away.

"Ah! My lord!" Outside, his elderly wife cried out in grief before fainting.

Ma Yan's face was as still as water. Ignoring the chaos, he walked to the desk and saw the torn "The Son Does Not Speak of Disturbing Spirits" and the scattered saintly books.

"Lord… this…"

Ma Yan, without a word, suddenly realized something and muttered, "Not good!"

Immediately, he leapt out of the Kong Mansion, soared into the sky, his cloak billowing as he dashed into the night.

He suspected that the Deputy General of Thousand Cows Guard and the Divine Officer Zhao at the Alchemy Dao might also face mishaps.

Since the Demon Path had seen through the government office's tracking ruse, they must alter the plan to prevent further casualties.

…

…

"Sir, we're closing soon, would you please…"

In a shop somewhere in the city.

A waiter, wearing an apron and holding a rag, approached the corner of the shop where a particularly handsome young man was seated.

Outside the entertainment district for theaters and bars, there wasn't much of a "nightlife" in the Great Yu Dynasty, and eateries closed a bit earlier.

Now, in this shop, only this one table remained. The waiter had already extinguished half of the lanterns.

Wu Ling, the beloved young actor from Bafang Opera House, who had made a name for himself in the Capital's opera circles, paused.

Looking at the empty shop, then at the table in front of him with empty dishes and an empty wine jug,

he silently rose, laid down a string of copper coins, smiled apologetically, and left.

Leaving the shop, Wu Ling walked on the quiet streets, his expression growing solemn.

Today was the designated day to meet with the contact "Ballast Stone" to pass on messages.

However, Wu Ling had waited until the shop closed but still hadn't seen the "contact" appear.

"Could something have delayed him? Considering how thorough Ballast Stone is, this kind of thing shouldn't happen," Wu Ling thought, a surge of unease rising in his heart.

As a member of the Kuangfu Society spies, he did not yet know that the "contact" was already dead, and he was completely unaware of the State Preceptor's arrival.

But as a spy, his inherent instinct for sensing danger kept him from remaining calm.

After a moment's consideration, Wu Ling clenched his teeth and decided to take a risk and meet another society member.

As a Divine Chapter Realm magician specializing in the "Play God" Spell, he was a high-ranking member in the sub-branch, holding contact methods for more than one spy.

Like a ghost, Wu Ling ran through the night, taking a large detour through alleys to ensure no "followers" were behind him, before he appeared outside the "Golden House" bookstore.

He knocked on the door, but there was no response.

Wu Ling simply leapt in, floated into the courtyard, and pushed open the door to see the dishes still not cleared on the table and a candle still burning.

In the dimly lit room, there was no sign of "Golden Eagle."

"Something's not right!"

Wu Ling's gaze sharpened, and he suddenly noticed some strange traces in the room. Following them, he pushed the back window and found it damaged, as if forcefully shut by someone.

As he reached the backyard, he saw distinctly disordered, uncleared footprints on the ground.

"Darn it!"

Wu Ling's heart sank, his body spun, and in an instant, he transformed into a thin, palm-sized "Donkey Skin Shadow," depicting a little figure in play attire, fluttered out of the courtyard until he was far enough to feel safe, and then reverted to human form.

"Has something happened to Golden Eagle?"

Worried, Wu Ling bit his teeth, turned back, and went to find another nearby spy, but again ended up empty-handed.

Unwilling to give up, he simply used a spell to travel a long distance to find a third spy and once again came up empty!

Disappeared!

Disappeared!

Still disappeared!

At that moment, Wu Ling's heart fell into intense agitation, not understanding what had happened.

He bit his teeth and forced himself to calm down, then sprinted back to his residence—the Bafang Theater!

He didn't have many spies left and couldn't continue searching, but he knew that if something serious had happened, someone would notify him.

When Wu Ling returned to Bafang Theater, he squatted on the external wall, touched his brow with a finger using a Secret Skill, and a light blue light shone through his eyes.

Ensuring there was no anomaly around the theater, he then carefully transformed into the "Donkey Skin Shadow" again to float into the courtyard, avoiding the attention of others in the theater.

Then, slipping through the crack of his room door, he entered his room.

"Phew... something is very wrong! I'll wait until dawn at most. If Ballast Stone still hasn't sent any message, I'll have to take the risk and use the backup channel to try contacting the main branch..."

As Wu Ling was pondering, suddenly, he stiffened, the palm-sized Donkey Skin Shadow sharply widened its eyes, staring intently at the figure sitting cross-legged on the bed in the room.

That was a Daoist wearing a black and white grid robe, with a Peach Wood Sword slung diagonally, and his hair pinned by a Peach Wood hairpin.

He appeared to be over fifty, his facial features slightly prominent and his two yellowish eyebrows very distinct.

"Hehe," the Gu Huo National Master looked down at the little figure by the door from his deep-set eyes, his lips slowly curving, and with his hands positioned in a gesture, he pointed forward:

"Just in time, come and protect this National Master."

...

On the other side, Zhao Douan led a group from Lihua Hall, replicating the process.

Based on the information obtained from "Huang Jinrong," they rapidly eliminated one spy after another.

Every time, the Thousand Faces God disguised himself to gain trust, engaged the target in conversation first to stabilize them, and then struck unexpectedly, with the Lihua Hall Jin Yi operatives cooperating to capture them, followed by Gongshu Tianyuan using the fox fairy to interrogate.

It was a repetitive cycle.

Under Zhao Douan's deliberate instructions, the Thousand Faces God repeatedly exposed the truth of the Xuan Sect's political coup to different individuals.

Yun Xi, holding the "Double Sound Flower," was forced to hear the harsh truth over and over.

At first, the young girl still tried to maintain a resolute demeanor, but gradually, as more and more people provided answers, the carefully nurtured, passionately justice-seeking girl by Zhuang Xiaocheng—whose heart grew increasingly cracked by the truth.

Until some unknown time, her face was already tear-stained like a soulless puppet.

Qing Niao's handkerchief, used to wipe her tears, was completely soaked.

"You all knew, right? The Grand Tutor has been lying, hasn't he?"

During another pause, Yun Xi suddenly turned, teary-eyed, looking at Qing Niao.

Ashamed, Qing Niao averted her gaze, whispering, "I... I didn't dare tell you while in prison..."

"So, the Grand Tutor has been deceiving me? Us? Deceiving everyone?"

"…Yes."

Yun Xi painfully closed her eyes, then opened them again, turning to gaze at Zhao Douan, a mocking smile suddenly appearing on the beautiful girl's face:

"Am I stupid? You all knew, only I didn't, still foolishly thinking about dying heroically in prison. So, when Zhuang Xiaocheng abandoned me, I should have understood then."

Zhao Douan couldn't be bothered with the girl whose faith had collapsed; he stepped down from the carriage, looked at the people returning empty-handed ahead, and frowned:

"Unsuccessful?"

...

Thank you, book friend "I am ikun enemy released horse" for the 8888 coins reward!

The next chapter will update before midnight.