Chapter 645: Mysterious Master

The two quickly arrived at the Imperial Study. Eunuch Wen bowed respectfully outside the door and announced, "Your Majesty, Master Eleven has arrived."

"Let him in," a majestic voice responded from within.

Eunuch Wen stepped aside and gestured for Zu An to enter.

Zu An nodded with a smile, but his heart skipped a beat. Had the Emperor returned? If so, the cult leader sister would be in danger.

Upon entering, Zu An saw the enormous mirror on the dragon throne and immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, it was just a wisp of the Emperor's spiritual consciousness.

Still, it looked strangely like a posthumous portrait. The Emperor didn't seem to mind if it was inauspicious.

Another person was in the room: Cheng Xiong, standing respectfully to the side, yet secretly eyeing Zu An with a sneer, as if he foresaw Zu An's miserable fate.

Zu An ignored him and directly bowed to the Emperor. "Greetings, Your Majesty!"

The man in the dragon robe in the mirror slowly opened his eyes. Without preamble, he got straight to the point: "The Left Guard General claims you colluded with assassins. Is this true?"

Zu An had anticipated this, so he wasn't flustered. "Your Majesty, I have been wronged. How could I possibly collude with assassins? General Cheng is simply slandering me."

"Slander?" Cheng Xiong sneered. "Didn't you go to the Imperial Hospital recently to seek medicine for soul injuries?"

Zu An's heart sank. The issue indeed stemmed from that.

He replied, "Yes, I did go there."

Many people had witnessed it, so there was no point in denying it.

Cheng Xiong stated, "How would a Grandmaster use soul damage against a minor figure like you? Furthermore, the long-haired female assassin initially displayed only a Master's cultivation, making it even less likely she would deliberately expose soul-attacking methods. How then could your soul be injured? In my opinion, the medicine you sought for soul injuries was most likely for that female assassin."

Zu An almost gave him a thumbs-up. This guy had essentially guessed the truth from beginning to end.

Of course, he couldn't admit it aloud. "General Cheng, you're not a Grandmaster; how could you know a Grandmaster's thoughts? Your speculation is no different from a village woman presumptuously guessing that the Empress eats pancakes!"

"You!" Cheng Xiong trembled with rage. This fellow's mouth was simply too sharp.

He realized he never got the better of Zu An.

Rage points from Cheng Xiong +311311311...

"Impudence!" At this moment, the Emperor in the mirror opened his eyes, and a majestic gaze fell upon Zu An. Clearly, he was displeased by the comparison involving the Empress.

Zu An then realized that this world truly had an Empress. He was too used to making such jokes in his previous life.

Fortunately, the Emperor didn't dwell on that point. His gaze, like a torch, fixed on Zu An. "That night when you came to the Imperial Study, I did not observe any damage to your soul."

Cheng Xiong, standing by, almost grinned from ear to ear. Since the Emperor himself had said so, the matter was settled. He wondered how Zu An would meet his end.

Zu An's heart sank, and he quickly explained, "At that time, I hadn't realized I was injured. It was only after leaving the Imperial Study that the damage to my soul manifested."

The Emperor frowned. Grandmasters indeed possessed such methods.

At this, Cheng Xiong sneered, "It's pointless for Master Eleven to tell such lies. With His Majesty's cultivation, he can determine whether your soul is injured with a single glance."

He then bowed to the Emperor. "Your Majesty, please deliver your judgment!"

The Emperor nodded, and his sharp gaze fixed on Zu An. Two faint golden lights, almost substantial, enveloped Zu An, giving him no chance to refute.

"Let's see you escape this time!" Cheng Xiong felt extremely comfortable. This fellow was too troublesome; despite targeting him repeatedly, he had achieved nothing. Fortunately, there was the invincible Emperor, whom no one could deceive.

At this moment, Zu An's expression was peculiar. What a coincidence! He had just damaged his soul using 'Jian Lai' and then nourished it with the Five-Element Mystic Ganoderma. Now, moments later, this was being examined. It felt like an open-book test.

After observing for a moment, the Emperor said calmly, "Indeed, his soul is injured, and there are traces of it being treated by the Five-Element Mystic Ganoderma."

"What?!" Cheng Xiong's smile froze on his face.

How could this be possible?

He quickly said, "There must be something wrong here..."

Before he could finish, the Emperor interrupted, "Are you questioning Our judgment?"

Cold sweat trickled down Cheng Xiong's face. "Your subject wouldn't dare! However, during the assassin incident, the palace guards found that two Golden Robe Embroidered Envoys had left. Yet, my investigation shows that at that time, there could have been no other Golden Robe Embroidered Envoys in the palace besides Master Eleven. Therefore, he must have secretly smuggled the assassin out using an Embroidered Envoy's uniform. A check of his uniform status will confirm this."

"Oh?" The Emperor's scrutinizing gaze turned to Zu An once more.

Zu An's heart leaped. Although he had created a uniform out of thin air using 'Jian Lai,' after such a long time, that uniform would have long vanished.

The effects of 'Jian Lai' were temporary and would disappear after a period. Otherwise, one could simply boast about being the strongest in the world, with an incredibly resilient soul, and then withstand any subsequent soul backlash.

Just then, a delicate voice resounded: "There's no need to investigate further. I personally checked just now. Master Eleven's uniforms are all intact, with no signs of having been worn by anyone else." Zhu Xie Chixin walked in, his narrow eyes fixed on Cheng Xiong, a glint of light flashing through them.

Cheng Xiong grew anxious. "Your Majesty, these Embroidered Envoys protect each other within their ranks..."

Zhu Xie Chixin's face darkened. "General Cheng, please choose your words carefully. In all these years, when have I ever protected my subordinates? On the contrary, some people enjoy framing others."

"Enough. Drop this matter. Do not attack each other privately. Focus on your respective cases. Zhu Xie Chixin, stay. The rest of you may leave," the Emperor said coldly, then closed his eyes, clearly having no further interest in conversation.

"Yes!" Cheng Xiong dared not say more and quickly bowed before withdrawing.

Zu An glanced at Zhu Xie Chixin to express his gratitude, then followed him out. Near the Imperial Study, neither dared to speak much. Only when they reached the outer perimeter did Zu An finally speak, "General Cheng, why do you repeatedly target me? Have I offended you somehow?"

Cheng Xiong replied flatly, "Master Eleven, what are you talking about? I, as a general, never let personal grudges interfere with my work. Everything is handled impartially."

Zu An had to admire the man's thick skin. He hadn't stayed to reason with him, but rather to harvest some rage points. "I truly enjoy seeing the General like this: clearly hating me, yet utterly helpless. Hahahaha."

With that, he turned and strode away.

Cheng Xiong remained, his face contorted with rage, steam practically rising from his head.

Rage points from Cheng Xiong +999999999...

Cheng Xiong's trusted attendant quietly approached him. "General, why are we constantly going after this fellow? He's a Golden Robe Embroidered Envoy, after all, not someone easily provoked."

Even a single Golden Robe Envoy was hard to deal with, let alone with Zhu Xie Chixin behind him. They felt that Cheng Xiong's decision this time was quite ill-advised.

Cheng Xiong snorted. "You know nothing! The Emperor has always wanted to deal with the Prince of Qi's faction. This assassin incident is the perfect excuse; it's clear they plan to remove me first. My best strategy is to act preemptively and find a scapegoat."

The truth about the assassin didn't matter. What was important was finding someone to take the blame for him.

Looking around, Golden Robe Master Eleven was the most suitable: his status carried weight, yet his background wasn't overly powerful. Furthermore, his connection with the assassin was already murky, making him a natural scapegoat.

Meanwhile, as Zu An was leaving the Imperial Study, intending to reunite with the cult leader sister and consider how to deal with Cheng Xiong, a young maidservant suddenly appeared beside him. "Master Eleven, my master requests your presence."

"Who is your master?" Zu An asked, curious. Who else did he know in the imperial harem?

The maidservant did not answer. "Master Eleven will know when you arrive."