Chapter 639: Key Come

Zu'an's mind stirred, and he began to sift through the list of suspects.

Zhu Xie Chixin? No, that's not right. He had been the emperor's confidant for years; even if there were suspicions, they wouldn't be directed at him.

The emperor's personal eunuchs? Also incorrect. If they were truly suspected, one could just find someone to torture them thoroughly. There would be no need to specifically assign a Golden Medallion Envoy like me to investigate the case.

That left only a few Imperial Guard generals...

Previously, he had been completely bewildered, but after learning from the empress that Cheng Xiong was a member of the Qi King's faction, many of his doubts were instantly resolved.

"It's Cheng Xiong!" Zu'an blurted out.

Yun Jianyue nodded, looking as if she were teaching a promising student. "That's right. Due to historical reasons, the Qi King holds immense power within the military, not only among regional forces but also within the Imperial Palace itself. If you were the emperor, would you feel at ease with such a crucial position as the Left Guard General being controlled by someone from the Qi King's faction?"

"Of course not," Zu'an replied, a look of excitement on his face as he followed the deduction. "It's been temporarily revealed that the assassins are connected to the Qi King... Hmm, actually, even if the assassins had no connection to the Qi King, the emperor wouldn't miss such a good opportunity. He would naturally push the blame onto the Qi King and use this as an excuse to purge his faction."

No wonder Yun Jianyue was so confident, unafraid even if her identity was exposed. She had accurately predicted that the emperor would follow their plan, seizing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to clip the Qi King's wings. This wasn't a conspiracy but an overt scheme, making her unafraid of being seen through.

He looked at Yun Jianyue with a complex expression. "Sister Matriarch, you are truly cunning."

"Thank you for the compliment," Yun Jianyue replied, her eyes sparkling with triumph. "You're not bad yourself, kid."

"So, what should I do next?" Zu'an asked. With such a cunning queen by his side, why bother racking his own brain?

Yun Jianyue fell into contemplation, her usually beautiful face appearing exceptionally solemn due to her serious thoughts.

After a moment, she said, "First, you need to go see Zhu Xie Chixin. As the Grand Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he has a duty to stand up for his subordinates when they are wronged. Furthermore, as the emperor's confidant, he will most likely cooperate with the emperor to remove Cheng Xiong, so he will definitely be a great help to you. However, there's a problem: he's always been very suspicious, so you need to think carefully about how to deal with his interrogations before approaching him. After you've established contact with him, then you..."

Zu'an had been overwhelmed, but her meticulous analysis brought a sudden clarity. He couldn't help but exclaim, "Anyone who marries you in the future would gain a wise helper, truly like Zhuge Liang!"

"Who is Zhuge?" Yun Jianyue frowned, then scoffed. "Why would I need to marry? If I want men, I can just take a few male consorts. Is there any man in this world worthy of me marrying him?"

Zu'an's expression was peculiar. After a long moment, he finally exhaled and said, "Sister Matriarch, you're truly formidable!"

Yun Jianyue raised an eyebrow, then turned away haughtily and began to adjust her hammock, clearly unwilling to share a bed with him again that night.

Zu'an then went out to find Zhu Xie Chixin. After such a conflict with Cheng Xiong, it would be illogical for an Embroidered Uniform Envoy not to complain to his superior.

However, halfway there, he suddenly had a thought: it seemed like a long time since he had drawn a lottery. The palace was treacherous and full of dangers, so it would be better to have more life-saving abilities.

So he went to a secluded spot and summoned the Rage Point System.

He hadn't checked in a while, and unknowingly, he had accumulated quite a lot of rage points.

He immediately started the lottery draw. At first, he used to wash his face and pray before drawing, but now, having drawn so many times, he was numb to it and couldn't be bothered with such elaborate rituals.

"Thank you for participating... Thank you for participating... Vitality Fruit... Thank you for participating..."

Huh, no Tiger Tally yet?

Looking through the results, Zu'an was a bit disappointed. He had previously drawn Daji with a Tiger Tally; although Daji's current strength was only at peak Rank 4, her greatest use was allowing him to resonate with the fire element, enabling him to cultivate and use fire-based cultivation techniques.

If he could draw a Valkyrie of another element, he would gain abilities from an additional element.

Just as he was feeling disappointed, Zu'an's eyes suddenly lit up. He noticed the keyboard cursor resting on the "J" key. Unfortunately, this was a batch draw, and two characters flashed across the screen too quickly for him to see clearly.

Finally, after waiting for the draw to finish, he saw that the screen displayed one skill and 280 Vitality Fruits as his winnings.

He eagerly looked at the skill description.

*Jian Lai!*

Skill Description: As a keyboard warrior, *Jian Lai* is the most essential skill. When encountering injustice, a cry of "Jian Lai" will unleash passionate words, commanding the situation and demonstrating the power of 'what is said becomes law.'

When this skill is used, your words will become reality.

Note: Using this skill consumes the power of your soul. Do not boast without limits. The greater the boast, the greater the backlash after half an hour, which will cause a severe impact on your spirit.

Only those above the Grandmaster realm, with stable spirits, can use this skill relatively freely.

Remember, if your boast is too grand, even the spirit of a Great Grandmaster cannot withstand it. Before the effect of your words can manifest, your soul will scatter on the spot.

As a keyboard warrior, you must be aware of this: you can boast recklessly behind a screen, but when facing someone directly, you must be extremely cautious with your boasts!

After reading the description, Zu'an was completely dumbfounded.

*Jian Lai*, words becoming law—what an incredible skill! This was truly the ultimate form of a keyboard warrior.

As for the limitations, they were understandable. If he were to boast about, say, creating heaven and earth, he would probably vanish into dust the moment the thought formed.

He wouldn't even need to make such a grand boast; simply claiming to be more powerful than the emperor would likely cause him to turn to dust.

What was the limit of this ability?

Zu'an felt a headache coming on. He wanted to try it, but he was afraid of accidentally killing himself. How embarrassing would it be to tell the reason for his death in the underworld: "Boasted myself to death"? He couldn't face that shame!

He had no choice but to temporarily set the skill aside. He gave the 280 Vitality Fruits to Daji. Daji had been at peak Rank 4, but after consuming these fruits, she immediately advanced to mid-Rank 5. The entire Rank 5 required 600 Vitality Fruits.

Every time he saw how few Vitality Fruits she needed, Zu'an became intensely jealous. He himself only needed few Vitality Fruits at the beginning of his cultivation; once he reached a slightly higher rank, it became almost impossible to improve by relying on them.

After completing all of this, he finally made his way to the Embroidered Uniform Guard's yamen.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard had a dedicated office in a secluded palace within the Imperial City, called the Embroidered Tower.

Upon seeing the name, he almost burst out laughing. It sounded far too feminine and completely clashed with the majestic and domineering aura of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Zhu Xie Chixin had already rushed back upon hearing the news, listening grim-faced as his subordinates lodged complaints against Cheng Xiong.

Clearly, the Embroidered Uniform Guard was accustomed to investigating others, so being investigated themselves today was truly frustrating.

Seeing Zu'an arrive, he motioned him over. "Eleven, come up with me. The rest of you, return to your posts. I will handle today's matter."

Zu'an followed him up to the second floor, which was his office.

Zhu Xie Chixin slowly sat down in his chair, motioned for Zu'an to sit as well, and then continued, "Do you have a grudge with Cheng Xiong?"

Zu'an shook his head. "I only met him two days ago. How could there be a grudge?"

"Then why is he so intent on dealing with you?" Zhu Xie Chixin asked, somewhat puzzled. With his keen insight, he naturally saw who Cheng Xiong's true target was.

Zu'an pretended to hesitate for a moment before saying, "I suspect he guessed what I was investigating, so he wanted to strike first."

"Are you suggesting he was the one who leaked the news of the emperor's absence from the palace to the assassins?" Zhu Xie Chixin watched him quietly, his eyes revealing nothing.

Zu'an shook his head. "I have no proof, but after thinking it over, it's the only possibility."

Zhu Xie Chixin shook his head. "No, there's another possibility: that Cheng Xiong's suspicions are correct, and you are indeed colluding with the assassins."

The moment he finished speaking, his gaze instantly became incredibly sharp, and his aura directly enveloped Zu'an.