Chapter 1634: Cat Tricks

"Why?" Zuan pressed.

Mr. Huo replied, "Prince Yan's Mansion is heavily guarded, and his study is the most crucial part. Moreover, Prince Yan has recruited martial arts masters from all over the land, and the study itself is filled with traps. It's naturally impossible to obtain that ledger."

"What kind of traps?" Zuan demanded.

Mr. Huo's expression changed. "You're not actually thinking of stealing the ledger, are you? That's impossible."

"I ask, you answer. No other nonsense," Zuan said coldly.

Mr. Huo swallowed. "The exact nature of the traps is highly confidential; I don't know the specifics. However, I do know that the place where the ledger is hidden has a self-destruct mechanism that will destroy it if there's any unusual movement. Prince Yan accidentally let that slip when he was drunk once."

Zuan thought to himself that the ledger contained all the evidence of rebellion, so Prince Yan's extreme caution was understandable.

He then asked a few more questions until he couldn't extract any more information, at which point he knocked Mr. Huo unconscious.

Only then did he go to wake up the other Embroidered Uniform Envoys. However, after being affected by the illusion, ordinary calls were useless. He had to subtly use his Hundred Chirps ability to startle them awake.

"Don't look into his eyes!" Once awake, the few individuals were like startled birds, scrambling to hide.

When they saw the situation in the room clearly, they froze. Zhang Zitong stared incredulously at Mr. Huo on the ground. "Lord Eleven has already subdued him?"

Zuan didn't answer. Xiao Jianren, who was nearby, immediately started flattering him, "Lord Eleven is truly unfathomable. Even the formidable Mr. Huo was subdued with ease."

Zhang Zitong's expression was complicated. She prided herself on being one of the most skilled Embroidered Uniform Envoys in Yi Commandery, yet she had been utterly helpless against Mr. Huo moments ago.

Thinking back to the last time at Prince Yan's Mansion, Mr. Huo hadn't fully unleashed his abilities. Just now, with their lives at stake, he had held nothing back, and she had instantly fallen into a nightmare from which she couldn't escape.

"I've asked most of what needed to be asked. You can take care of this man for now," Zuan said, sharing the newly acquired information with them.

Xiao Jianren's face was filled with shock. "Prince Yan actually intends to rebel!"

Whether it was smuggling military supplies to the demon race or maintaining private armies, every single one of these acts was enough for a capital crime of rebellion. The silver-badge Embroidered Uniform Envoys present all turned ashen, understanding the implications.

"No wonder they went to such desperate lengths to harm Lord Seven!" Zhang Zitong said through gritted teeth.

The people in the room nodded in agreement. Before, they couldn't understand why anyone would dare to brazenly kill a gold-badge Embroidered Uniform Envoy, as the risk and reward were completely disproportionate. Now they finally understood: Prince Yan knew that Gold-Badge Seven was investigating him, and thus had no choice but to eliminate him.

"Lord Eleven, we should immediately report our findings here to the imperial court," Zhang Zitong said, her face filled with hatred.

Zuan shook his head. "We don't have definitive proof. That's clearly why Gold-Badge Seven didn't report it back then either."

"But isn't there a witness?" Zhang Zitong pointed at Mr. Huo on the ground.

The usually imposing Mr. Huo now looked like a dishevelled old man, his trousers half-pulled down, revealing part of his buttocks, appearing as if he had been badly mistreated. Her expression immediately turned a little strange. No wonder Lord Eleven had always been indifferent to her; could it be that he preferred *this* type?

Unaware that his image had just collapsed in a young woman's mind, Zuan explained, "A single witness isn't enough to bring down Prince Yan. He could easily deny everything, and we wouldn't truly be able to avenge Gold-Badge Seven."

Xiao Jianren, who was nearby, had an idea. "Is Lord Eleven planning to find that mysterious ledger?"

Zuan nodded. Finding the ledger wasn't the end of it; they would also need to verify and secure relevant evidence based on its contents.

"Couldn't that be a trap?" Zhang Zitong asked, a little worried.

"That's why I need you to investigate over the next few days and gather all information about the ledger's hiding place," Zuan ordered.

"Yes, sir!" Zhang Zitong, Xiao Jianren, and the others bowed in acknowledgment. Ordinarily, such classified information would be impossible for outsiders to obtain, but as Embroidered Uniform Envoys, they had their own methods.

"Right, this matter is of utmost importance. Remember not to reveal even a single detail, or you might very well follow in Lord Seven's footsteps," Zuan warned. If Prince Yan became truly alerted, it wouldn't be difficult for him to eliminate a few silver-badge Embroidered Uniform Envoys on his territory.

Zhang Zitong and the others felt a chill, their expressions turning serious.

Zuan nodded. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something and turned back to instruct them, "The Ruyi Workshop business can no longer continue. Be careful when handling it; don't let Prince Yan's side suspect anything."

"Don't worry, we're professionals at this. Prince Yan won't suspect a thing," Zhang Zitong replied.

Only then did Zuan feel relieved, and he quickly vanished into the night.

Without dwelling on the journey, it was already past midnight when he returned to Purple Mountain. Xie Daoyun was sound asleep on the outer couch. When awake, she was a rather demure lady, but her sleeping posture was far from proper; half her blanket was about to fall to the floor, revealing her thin undergarment and glimpses of her fair, tender skin.

Zuan couldn't help but chuckle. This naive girl truly had no sense of self-protection. He cautiously walked over, pulled up the blanket, and was about to cover her.

"Who's there!" To his surprise, Xie Daoyun suddenly woke up.

Their eyes met. Zuan was holding the blanket; he couldn't put it down, nor could he fully pull it up. He awkwardly said, "If I told you I was just covering you with the blanket, would you believe me?"

Xie Daoyun's normally fair skin instantly turned crimson. She snatched the blanket and wrapped herself in it. "Thank you, Brother Zuan!"

Zuan thought to himself, "What a mess! The image of a gentleman who doesn't take advantage in the dark, which I'd so painstakingly built, has completely crumbled. I should have just ignored it."

To ease the awkwardness, he said, "Did anyone come looking for me tonight?"

"No," Xie Daoyun shook her head slightly, then suddenly remembered something. "Oh, that's right. The Biyou Palace sent someone to deliver a gift as thanks and also brought a message from Miss Pei. She said she's recovering today with her master's help and will thank you personally in a few days."

Zuan's heart stirred. He figured "Big Manman" was tied up with her sect and couldn't come, and was also worried he might be discovered by her master if he went over, so she specifically sent a warning.

"Brother Zuan, are you done with your business?" Xie Daoyun felt it was impolite to lie down like this, but when she tried to sit up, she realized her current attire was inconvenient.

"Mostly done, but I might need to make a few more trips later," Zuan said, noticing her discomfort. He stood up. "Sister Ling'er, get some good rest. I won't disturb you."

After saying that, he practically fled to the inner room.

"Oh, how embarrassing," Xie Daoyun grabbed the blanket and pulled it over her head. "Brother Zuan won't think I was deliberately trying to seduce him, will he?"

In truth, she had been anxious in the past few days and always dressed conservatively. But as a pampered young lady since childhood, she had never endured such discomfort. After interacting with him for several days, she knew Brother Zuan was a true gentleman. Moreover, since he was out tonight, she had reverted to her usual cool sleeping attire, never imagining that Zuan would happen upon her. The thought of the recent situation filled her with both shame and annoyance—not at Zuan, but at herself, completely at a loss as to how to explain such a thing.

Zuan lay in bed, his mind full of the beautiful scene of a sleeping beauty from moments ago. He quickly shook his head to clear it and began to ponder Prince Yan's ledger, wondering if he should hand it over if he found it. After all, the enemy of my enemy could be my friend.

However, the memory of fighting alongside Gold-Badge Seven suddenly came to mind, and the hesitation in his eyes gradually vanished. It seemed he would need to find time to contact the Prefect of Yi Commandery later.

However, constantly rushing back and forth at night was too tiring. If only he had a clone technique. Wait, would creating a clone be like cheating on myself?

The next day, Zheng Yang Sect had repaired the arena, and the various sects resumed the grand competition that had been interrupted.

By the end of the day, the first-place finishers of all nine groups were determined. Except for Zhiyin's group, where there was an unexpected upset, the group leaders in the other eight groups were all the chief disciples of their respective sects.

Then, the eight best-performing second-place finishers from the groups began their duels. Zhiyin was among them. After a night of treatment with various spiritual medicines from Lihen Heaven and Guan Chouhai's assistance, he had barely recovered some combat ability. His opponent was from Kunlun Void and had initially hoped to take advantage of his severe injuries. However, Zhiyin seized an opening and slammed into him with an "Iron Mountain Lean," disorienting him completely, then brutally beat him with "Shadowless Balls" until he was covered in bruises.

Perhaps still seething from yesterday's loss, Zhiyin wielded the Shadowless Balls to their utmost potential, his various maneuvers dazzling and his every attack appearing and disappearing like a ghost. The surrounding disciples clicked their tongues in amazement. For Zhiyin, even when severely injured, to display such astonishing combat power showed the vast difference between chief disciples and other disciples. At the same time, they admired Pei Mianman even more. What kind of monster was she to be able to defeat a fully recovered Zhiyin?

Besides Zhiyin, Zhao Xiaodie from Lihen Heaven also defeated her opponent and secured a spot. Her beautiful, butterfly-like movements left a deep impression on everyone at the Golden Summit. Coupled with her esteemed status as a princess, her popularity soared, challenging the two acknowledged goddesses, Chu Chuyan and Pei Mianman.

The other two spots were both claimed by Zheng Yang Sect: one by Zhang Xi, the chief disciple of Guaxin Peak who had previously greeted guests at the mountain gate, and the other by Song Chu, the chief disciple of Leiyin Peak. Everyone sighed, realizing that Zheng Yang Sect was indeed the strongest, securing 3 out of a total of 13 spots!

In the following days, the top young talent among the nine sects would be determined. The four second-place finishers from the groups would not participate, as they had become second precisely because they had lost to the first-place contenders in their respective groups. To be crowned the top of the nine sects, one could not lose a single match.

The remaining nine participants would draw lots in each round. One person would receive a bye, while the others would fight in pairs.

The results of the draw were as follows:

Wu Xiaofan of Zheng Yang Sect versus Luo Dongjiang of Luofu Mountain;Wan Guiyi of Biyou Palace versus Qiuchanzi of Qingxu Manor;Lou Wucheng of Baiyu Capital versus Shi Dingtian of Taixuan Cave;Liang Ling of Kunlun Void versus Peng Wuyan of Kongming Island.

And Pei Mianman was lucky enough to receive a bye!

Yun Jianyue was quite displeased about this. "That big-chested woman getting a bye must be fishy. Maybe that guy manipulated the draw behind the scenes!"