Chapter 642: Mysterious Master

The two quickly arrived at the Imperial Study. Outside the door, Eunuch Wen bowed respectfully: "Your Majesty, Lord Eleven has arrived."

"Let him enter," a majestic voice resonated from within.

Eunuch Wen stepped aside, gesturing for Zu An to enter.

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

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

Still, it looked so strange, like a portrait of the deceased. Didn't the Emperor fear it was ominous?

Another person was in the room: General Cheng Xiong stood respectfully to the side, but he secretly watched Zu An, a cold sneer on his lips, as if he had foreseen Zu An's miserable end.

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: "General of the Left Guard says you colluded with assassins. Is this true?"

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

"Slandering?" General Cheng sneered. "The other day, did you go to the Imperial Hospital to look for medicine to treat spiritual injuries?"

Zu An's heart sank. The problem indeed lay there.

He replied, "Yes, I did go."

Many people had seen him, so there was no need to deny it.

General Cheng said, "How would a Grandmaster use spiritual damage against a minor character like you? Besides, the long-haired female assassin initially only displayed the cultivation of a Master, making it even less likely for her to intentionally reveal spiritual attack methods. So how could your spirit be damaged? In my opinion, you were probably looking for that kind of spiritual healing medicine for that female assassin."

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

Of course, he couldn't admit it aloud: "General Cheng, you're not a Grandmaster, so how would you know a Grandmaster's thoughts? How is your speculation any different from a village woman presumptuously guessing that the Empress is eating flatbread?"

"You!" General Cheng trembled with rage. This guy's mouth was simply too sharp; he found he could never get the better of him.

Rage points from General Cheng: +311 +311 +311...

"Presumptuous!" At this moment, the Emperor in the mirror opened his eyes, and a majestic gaze landed on Zu An. Clearly, he was displeased with Zu An's analogy involving the Empress.

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

Fortunately, the Emperor didn't dwell on that point. His gaze, sharp as a torch, fixed on Zu An: "That night you came to the Imperial Study, I didn't detect any spiritual damage in you."

General Cheng, standing nearby, almost split his lips with a grin. With the Emperor saying this, the matter was settled. He wondered how Zu An would die.

Zu An's heart sank, and he quickly explained, "At the time, I hadn't realized I was injured. The spiritual injury only flared up after I left the Imperial Study."

The Emperor frowned. Grandmasters indeed possessed such methods.

General Cheng sneered at this: "It's meaningless for Lord Eleven to tell such lies. With His Majesty's cultivation, he can determine whether your spirit is damaged with a single glance."

Saying this, he bowed to the Emperor: "Your Majesty, please make a judgment!"

The Emperor nodded, his sharp gaze fixed on Zu An. Two golden rays of light, seemingly substantial, faintly enveloped Zu An, giving him no chance to refute.

"Let's see you try to escape death now!" General Cheng felt immensely pleased. This guy was too troublesome; he had targeted him repeatedly, only to fail every time. Fortunately, there was the invincible Emperor; no one could deceive him.

Zu An, however, had a peculiar expression. What a coincidence, he thought. He had just used the "Key" to cause spiritual damage and then used the Five Aggregates Secret Ganoderma to nourish his spirit. And now, they were checking for exactly that, like an open-book exam.

The Emperor observed for a moment, then calmly stated, "Indeed, your spirit is damaged, and there is also a faint aura of having been treated by the Five Aggregates Secret Ganoderma."

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

How could this be!

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

He was interrupted by the Emperor before he could finish: "Are you questioning Our judgment?"

Cold sweat poured down General Cheng's face: "This subordinate would not dare! However, when the assassins caused a disturbance earlier, the palace guards found that two Gold Medallion Embroidered Uniform Guards had left. But I investigated, and at that time, there could be no other Gold Medallion Embroidered Uniform Guards in the palace besides Lord Eleven. Therefore, it must have been him who secretly sent the assassin out using an Embroidered Uniform Guard's uniform. A check of his uniform will reveal the truth."

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

Zu An's heart skipped a beat. Although using the "Key" had created a uniform out of thin air, that uniform would have disappeared by now.

One must know that the "Key"'s boasting effect was only temporary and would disappear after a period. Otherwise, he could just boast about being the strongest in the world with an incredibly tough spirit, and then he could endure any spiritual backlash.

Just then, a soft, effeminate voice came: "There's no need to check further. I personally inspected it just now. Lord Eleven's uniforms are all intact, and there are no signs of them having been worn by anyone else." Zhu Xie Chixin walked in, his narrow eyes fixing on General Cheng, a glint flashing in them.

General Cheng grew anxious: "Your Majesty, these Embroidered Uniform Guards cover for each other internally..."

Zhu Xie Chixin's face darkened: "General Cheng, please mind your words. In all these years, when have I ever covered for a subordinate? On the contrary, some people enjoy framing others."

"Enough. Do not discuss this matter further. You two should not attack each other privately. Focus on your own 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 speaking.

"Yes!" General Cheng dared not say anything more and hastily bowed before withdrawing.

Zu An glanced at Zhu Xie Chixin, expressing his gratitude, then also walked out. Neither of them dared to speak much near the Imperial Study. Only when they reached the outer perimeter did Zu An speak: "General Cheng, why do you target me again and again? Have I offended you somewhere?"

General Cheng replied indifferently, "Lord Eleven, what are you talking about? This general never acts based on personal grudges. Everything is handled impartially."

Zu An had to admire the man's thick skin. Of course, he hadn't stayed to reason with him; he intended to harvest some rage points: "I truly enjoy seeing the General hate me yet be utterly helpless, hahaha."

After speaking, he turned and strode away.

Only General Cheng was left behind, his face contorted in rage, steam practically rising from his head.

Rage points from General Cheng: +999 +999 +999...

At this moment, General Cheng's trusted aide quietly approached: "General, why are we always going after this guy? He's a Gold Medallion Embroidered Uniform Guard after all, not someone easy to provoke."

Even dealing with a single Gold Medallion Guard was difficult, let alone with Zhu Xie Chixin behind him. They felt that General Cheng's decision this time was a miscalculation.

General Cheng snorted: "You know nothing. His Majesty has always wanted to deal with Prince Qi's faction. This assassin incident is the best excuse. It's obvious they intend to remove me first. My best option is to strike first and find a scapegoat."

In reality, whether the truth about the assassins was uncovered or not didn't matter. What was important was finding someone to take the blame for him.

After looking around, Gold Medallion Guard Eleven was the most suitable. His status carried enough weight, yet his background wasn't overly powerful. Moreover, his relationship with the assassin was already murky, making him a natural scapegoat.

Meanwhile, Zu An was leaving the Imperial Study, planning to return and continue his reunion with Sister Cult Master, while also contemplating how to deal with General Cheng. Suddenly, a young maid approached him: "Lord Eleven, my master requests your presence."

"Who is your master?" Zu An was curious. Who else did he know in this imperial harem?

The maid did not answer: "Lord Eleven will know when he gets there."