363: Prince Jing's Residence

On an ice table in the Hanyue Valley Underground Palace lay a detailed map of Prince Jing's Estate. The pavilions, towers, rockeries, and ponds within the estate were all clearly marked.

Only the “Quiet Contemplation Courtyard” in the northwest corner was obscured by a blurry ink blot, with a note beside it: “Guarded year-round, no unauthorized entry.” Jun Xiaoyao's fingertip hovered above the ink blot, his gaze penetrating the icy mist.

It fell upon the water mirror — Flying, carrying his worn-out woodcutting knife, moved like a shadow along the high walls of the Prince's Estate, his grey cloth robe blending with the shadows at the base of the wall.

“Zhao Gao, the guards of the Quiet Contemplation Courtyard have been replaced three times. Each group consists of Peak Grandmaster Realm experts, and they all carry the 'Mechanism Guide.' If one person is attacked, the entire courtyard will be alerted.” Jun Xiaoyao's voice carried a hint of coldness. The secret report on the table detailed The Net's hidden agents' observations over several days. “Even more peculiar is that every day at Yin hour, a tightly covered carriage drives in and leaves at Chen hour. The markings on the carriage are identical to the Blood Shadow Cult's token.”

Zhao Gao emerged from the shadows, holding a black pill the size of a pigeon's egg in his hand: “Young Lord, this is the 'Breath Concealing Powder' newly concocted by Cheng Lingsu. It can conceal a Martial Artist's aura for three hours. Even a Land Immortal Realm expert would find it difficult to detect without deliberately searching. It has already been sent to Flying through a secret passage.”

Jun Xiaoyao picked up the pill, feeling a cool touch on his fingertips. In the water mirror, Flying was squatting on an old locust tree outside the Quiet Contemplation Courtyard, crushing the pill and smearing it on his collar. Then, he drifted down like a falling leaf, his feet landing without stirring a single speck of dust. He moved along the corner of the wall, avoiding the sight of the patrolling guards, his gaze finally resting on the tightly shut vermilion lacquered door of the Quiet Contemplation Courtyard — the door knocker was a bronze taotie head, with a dark-glowing copper bead in its mouth, clearly a trigger point for a mechanism.

[Character Panel: Flying]

[From: 'sentimental swordsman, ruthless sword' World]

[Realm: Peak Heaven-Human Realm]

[Martial Skill: Fast Blade (Perfection), Endurance Art (Transcendent)]

[Current Status: Lurk]

[Special Status: Breath Holding (Qi fluctuation reduced to normal human level)]

[Loyalty: 82%]

“His Endurance Art has become even more refined.” Jun Xiaoyao watched Flying easily pick the lock with a thin iron wire, his movements as light as a breeze. “The ground in the Quiet Contemplation Courtyard is paved with 'ringing stones.' Stepping on them will emit a warning sound. Have The Net's hidden agents send a message to remind him to walk along the gaps between the green bricks.”

Zhao Gao bowed in agreement and turned to relay the message. In the water mirror, Flying had just stepped into the courtyard gate and paused, seemingly having received the message. Then, he lightly tapped his toes, accurately landing in the gaps between two green bricks, indeed making no sound.

Dozens of lilac trees were planted in the courtyard, currently in full bloom. However, amidst the rich fragrance, there was a faint, almost imperceptible scent of blood. Flying's nostrils twitched, and his gaze swept over the rockery in the corner of the courtyard — the soil there was darker than elsewhere, clearly having been recently disturbed. He flickered, hiding behind a lilac tree, watching three guards carry a wooden box covered with black cloth out of the main house. Dark red liquid seeped from the wooden box, and when it dripped onto the ground, it caused white smoke to rise from the green bricks.

“It's bone-melting water.” Jun Xiaoyao tapped lightly on the table with his fingertip. “It seems this Quiet Contemplation Courtyard is not only a secret chamber but also an interrogation room.”

After the guards had gone far, Flying quietly sneaked into the main house. The interior was simply furnished with only a zitan wood table and a few chairs. On the wall hung a painting titled 'Fishing Alone in the Cold River,' and faint traces of a mechanism were visible near the scroll. He walked to the painting, gently twisted the lower end of the scroll with his fingertip, and with a soft 'click,' the wall slowly moved aside, revealing a stone staircase leading underground. The staircase had anti-slip patterns carved into it, indicating frequent use.

In the underground secret chamber, candlelight flickered, illuminating the torture instruments hanging on the walls — branding irons, rakes, chains... each stained with blackened blood. On the stone platform in the center of the secret chamber lay a dying old man. The old man was dressed in a python robe and was none other than the former Minister of Revenue, Li Song — who had “died of illness” three months ago after impeaching Prince Jing for embezzling military funds. At this moment, his limbs were bound by iron chains, and there were obvious burn marks on his chest, clearly indicating he had been severely tortured.

“Are you going to talk or not?” A sinister voice came from the shadows, and Prince Jing slowly walked out, toying with a dagger in his hand. The cold gleam from the dagger reflected his twisted face. “As long as you sign the confession and admit to colluding with Beyond Heaven, this Prince will give you a quick death.”

Li Song coughed up a mouthful of blood, his eyes full of disdain: “Prince Jing... you collude with the Blood Shadow Cult, embezzle military funds, and harm loyal officials... Even if I die, I will turn into a vengeful ghost and haunt you!”

The smile on Prince Jing's face vanished instantly, and the dagger plunged into Li Song's shoulder: “You refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit! Give him the 'soul-devouring gu worms'! Let's see how long he can keep his mouth shut!”

At his command, two Cultists of the Blood Shadow Cult emerged from the shadows, holding a black clay pot. Several pitch-black Gu worms crawled around the mouth of the pot, these were precisely the soul-devouring gu worms that could devour a person's Divine Soul.

Flying, hidden in the shadows, narrowed his eyes. His right hand quietly gripped the hilt of his knife — although he didn't meddle in other people's affairs, Li Song was a loyal official after all, and Prince Jing even wanted to frame Beyond Heaven, which had touched Jun Xiaoyao's bottom line.

“Act!” Prince Jing shouted fiercely.

Just as the Cultists were about to open the clay pot, Flying's knife was unsheathed like lightning!

The knife light was so fast that its trajectory was indiscernible. Only two soft 'thuds' were heard, and two Cultists' throats already had bloodstains. The clay pot in their hands fell to the ground, and the soul-devouring gu worms were sliced into powder by the blade. Prince Jing reacted extremely quickly, backhanding his dagger towards Flying's heart, while retreating rapidly, intending to press the alarm bell on the wall.

But Flying's knife was faster.

The knife light flashed again, Prince Jing's dagger was flicked away, a bloodstain appeared on his wrist, and the alarm bell's pull cord was also severed by the blade. Flying did not pursue but turned to cut the chains on Li Song, saying in a deep voice: “Go!”

Li Song weakly shook his head: “I... I can't go anymore... This is the account book of Prince Jing's transactions with the Blood Shadow Cult, you... you must give it to Lord Bao...” He took out an oilcloth package from his In my arms, stuffed it into Flying's hand, and then slammed himself against the stone wall — he was actually trying to kill himself, leaving no room for Prince Jing to threaten him.

With a muffled 'bang,' Li Song's head hit the stone wall, and he died on the spot.

Prince Jing watched this scene, both shocked and enraged: “It's you! Someone from Beyond Heaven!” He recognized Flying's movement technique as similar to that of a Luowang Assassins, and shouted fiercely, “Guards! Assassin!”

Flying no longer lingered, grabbing the oilcloth package, his body shot like an arrow towards the stone steps. As soon as he rushed out of the secret chamber, he saw dozens of guards armed with crossbows rushing over, arrows raining down on him. Flying tapped his toes on the wall, his body suddenly rose higher, and the woodcutting knife danced into a blade curtain, blocking all the arrows. At the same time, he used the force to rush out of the main house and land on the courtyard wall.

“Trying to run?” Prince Jing chased into the courtyard, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes as he looked at Flying's retreating figure. “Release the 'Soul Chasing Bees'!”

The guards immediately opened a bamboo cage, and hundreds of golden poisonous bees buzzed out. The stingers on their tails glowed green, clearly indicating extreme toxicity. These poisonous bees were extremely sensitive to the scent of living people, relentlessly chasing Flying, and were about to catch up.

Flying frowned slightly, then suddenly turned, drawing an arc with his woodcutting knife. The knife wind swept up the lilac petals on the ground, forming a wall of flowers. The Soul Chasing Bees crashed into the flower wall, and were actually confused by the fragrance of the petals, beginning to circle aimlessly.

“Petty tricks.” Flying snorted coldly, then turned and disappeared outside the high walls of the Prince's Estate.

In front of the water mirror, Jun Xiaoyao watched Flying successfully escape and said to Zhao Gao: “Send the account book to Lord Bao. Also, have The Net's 'Xuan' group spread the news that the former Minister of Revenue, Li Song, was imprisoned in a secret chamber by Prince Jing and has been silenced.”

“Yes.” Zhao Gao paused, then added, “Prince Jing has many cronies in court. He will likely use his connections to suppress this matter. Should we ask Zhan Zhao to help?”

Jun Xiaoyao shook his head: “No need. Lord Bao will find a way to blow this matter up. We just need to wait and see.” He looked at the summoning array in the center of the underground palace. The spiritual power in the array's core had risen to 90% due to the account book Flying brought back (which contained records of Prince Jing's transactions with the Blood Shadow Cult in gold and silver). Amidst the circulating runes, a brush shadow actually appeared.

[System Notification: Detected intensifying court disputes, triggering a public opinion-based summon.]

[Summonable Character: Shi Naian]

[From: 'water margin' Author World]

[Realm: Grandmaster Realm Middle Stage (Martial Dao), Wenqu Star (Literary World)]

[Martial Skill: Brush Sword (Major Achievement), Rumor Art (Transcendent)]

[Specialty: Skilled at guiding public opinion with words, able to compile events into storybooks that circulate throughout the world, shaking the opponent's Foundation]

[Summon Cost: Spiritual Power 85%]

Jun Xiaoyao tapped on the name “Shi Naian.” The summoning array suddenly burst forth with inky black light, and the runes unfolded like bamboo slips. A figure dressed in a green robe, holding a writing brush, condensed in the light. Shi Naian had a gaunt face and eyes that held the keen insight of one who understood the ways of the world. He cupped his hands and bowed to Jun Xiaoyao: “This commoner, Shi Naian, greets Young Lord.”

[Character Panel: Shi Naian]

[Status: Standby]

[Special Skill: Storybook Legacy (Compiled stories can spread throughout the Jianghu within three days, influencing the direction of public opinion)]

[Loyalty: 80%]

[Current Thought: Prince Jing's deeds are quite suitable for inclusion in the jianghu secrets record]

“Mr. Shi,” Jun Xiaoyao pointed to Prince Jing's figure in the water mirror, “This man has a long list of misdeeds, yet he runs rampant, relying on his royal status. Please compile his crimes into a storybook so that everyone in the world can see his true face.”

A gleam flashed in Shi Naian's eyes. He picked up his brush and wrote the four characters “Secret History of Prince Jing” on the xuan paper he carried with him, the ink on his brush tip actually glowing faintly: “Young Lord, rest assured, this commoner will ensure that Prince Jing's scandals are known even to three-year-old children.” He turned and stepped into the teleportation array. When his figure appeared outside the largest bookshop in Kaifeng Prefecture, the opening chapter of the storybook was already written.

In the water mirror, the bookshop owner looked at the content of the storybook, his face turning pale with fright: “Mr. Shi, this... this is slander against a prince, it will cost us our heads!”

Shi Naian smiled slightly and placed a gold ingot on the table: “Boss, just print it. If anything goes wrong, Beyond Heaven will take responsibility. Also, for every copy sold, you get a 30% cut.”

The boss looked at the gold, then at the thrilling plot in the storybook. Ultimately, he couldn't resist the temptation of profit and gritted his teeth, saying: “Print it!”

In front of the water mirror, Jun Xiaoyao watched this scene and said to Zhao Gao: “The power of public opinion is sometimes sharper than swords.”

“Yes.” Zhao Gao handed over another secret report. “News from Zixia Holy Land indicates that Daoist Master Ziyang went into seclusion after returning. It is said that he sealed the zixia sword, seemingly with an intention to repent.”

Jun Xiaoyao said indifferently: “To correct one's mistakes is the greatest good. As long as he no longer covets the hanyue iron mine, there is no need to pursue the matter further.”

The underground palace returned to silence, with only the runes of the summoning array still slowly circulating. Jun Xiaoyao gazed at the Hanyue Valley outside the window. The night was deep, and the lights in the valley dotted the snowy ground like stars, reflecting the Milky Way in the sky. He knew that Prince Jing's downfall was only a matter of time, and as Shi Naian's storybook circulated, Beyond Heaven, though unseen, was already subtly influencing the direction of the Jianghu and the imperial court.

The spiritual power of the summoning array had recovered to 85%, and the runes flickered, seemingly anticipating the next summon. Jun Xiaoyao picked up the oilcloth package on the table. The pages of the account book inside were yellowed, but they recorded secrets capable of overturning the imperial court. He placed the account book back into the secret box, gently tapping the lid with his fingertip.

The chess game belonging to Beyond Heaven was gradually reaching its climax, and each move was precisely placed at the nodes of interest.

As long as the hanyue iron mine is guarded and the direction of public opinion is controlled, no matter how the Jianghu and the imperial court change, Beyond Heaven will remain invincible.