White-Robed Chief

Zhuo Feiyang sat quietly at his table and looked handsome in his green tunic. His gaze was spirited and piercing, and he gave off an elegant and imposing aura.

He was fiddling with a silver cup absentmindedly and seemed to be deep in thought as he looked out the window with a blank gaze.

Chu Li was disguised as a middle-aged man as he came over and sat across Zhuo Feiyang before asking, “What’s the matter?”

He had changed his appearance but not his voice, so Zhuo Feiyang knew that he was Chu Li upon hearing his voice.

Zhuo Feiyang did not turn around but continued to fiddle with the cup while looking outside the window as he replied, “I’m afraid my identity is going to be exposed soon.”

Chu Li asked, “What happened?”

Zhuo Feiyang’s identity contained a mixture of truth and falsehood, so the problem of his identity getting exposed was nonexistent. Zhuo Feiyang had only been in contact with Chu Li, who had used a stranger’s face to approach him every time they met. Therefore, it was impossible to find any evidence against Zhuo Feiyang. No one could make groundless accusations against him since he could easily turn the accusations around and say that everyone else was suspicious too.

They sat facing each other, so Chu Li could clearly see the troubled look on Zhuo Feiyang’s face.

“King Jing’s Imperial Residence has recently recruited a new ambassador. You’ve probably heard of him already,” Zhuo Feiyang said while frowning. “He’s a Tide-listening Pavilion descendant called Lu Guangdi.”

“Yes, he once came and challenged me.” Chu Li nodded. “I heard he’s quite a formidable figure.”

Zhuo Feiyang scoffed and muttered, “The guy is very annoying. He has been fixing his attention on me.”

“Why is he keeping an eye on you?” Chu Li asked. “Did you have a round of battle with him?”

“Yes, and I was no match for him,” Zhuo Feiyang replied with a frown. “Fighting with him felt quite similar to fighting with you. He kept seizing key moments to attack me, and it felt like I was being driven into a corner. It was such a suffocating feeling!”

Chu Li knitted his brows together.

He was capable of doing that because he had the Omniscient Mirror, which allowed him to read minds. Naturally, he could always seize the right moment to make his move.

Xiao Qi was also capable of this, and so was Lu Yurong. It turned out that Lu Guangdi had a similar ability too.

“Were the two of you using palm or sword techniques during the battle?” Chu Li paused for a moment and then asked, “Does he have extraordinary martial arts skills?”

“I don’t think it’s his martial arts skills,” Zhuo Feiyang replied. “His martial arts skills aren’t exactly impressive, and his moves seem quite ordinary. It’s just that he was able to capture the right moment to make his move. That’s why he managed to defeat me. Everyone else who fought with him had the same feeling too. It was very frustrating!”

Chu Li paused and slowly nodded. “Does he always gain the upper hand as well when he’s handling other matters?”

“… I think so,” Zhuo Feiyang. “It’s as though he’s capable of reading the minds of others. He’s extremely intelligent and is almost on par with the third lady.”

Zhuo Feiyang was talking about Xiao Qi. He would only recognize her as his superior since he held her in very high esteem.

Chu Li had a thoughtful look on his face.

Xiao Qi could see through the thoughts of others just like Chu Li. If Zhuo Feiyang had felt that way when fighting with Lu Guangdi, it would mean that Lu Guangdi possessed a special ability that allowed him to read minds too.

“Recently, he has started suspecting me,” Zhuo Feiyang said.

Chu Li frowned. “What’s his status in King Jing’s Imperial Residence?”

“His Royal Highness King Jing thinks very highly of him,” Zhuo Feiyang replied. “He asks for Lu Guangdi’s opinion on every single matter.”

Chu Li nodded thoughtfully and said, “Well then, it seems like he’s a formidable opponent.”

“If the situation were to go on like this, he’ll certainly expose my identity,” Zhuo Feiyang replied.

Chu Li chuckled. “You’re being too timid. He has no evidence against you. Have you done anything to hinder the affairs of King Jing’s Imperial Residence? There’s nothing wrong with your identity. You’re not even a traitor!”

“But I…” Zhuo Feiyang frowned.

Chu Li said, “You haven’t kept anything about your identity and background a secret. You’re a servant who has been abandoned by the Yi Public House, so you bear a grudge against them. Even if you remain loyal to them, it’s not a big deal either. After all, King Jing’s Imperial Residence and the Yi Public House aren’t enemies.”

“I’m just afraid that he won’t even care to hear my explanation and instead directly launch an attack to kill me,” Zhuo Feiyang replied and shook his head. “He’s an ambassador, so he has the authority to command the Imperial Residence protectors.”

He was no match for Lu Guangdi in a one-on-one fight, so he could never get away alive if he had to also go up against the Imperial Residence protectors at the same time.

“Will His Royal Highness King Jing do anything to you?” Chu Li asked.

Zhuo Feiyang shook his head.

“Who’s the one making decisions on matters relating to the Imperial Residence?” Chu Li asked.

Zhuo Feiyang replied, “His Royal Highness King Jing will be the decision-maker when it comes to matters of great importance. Meanwhile, Lu Yurong is in charge of dealing with smaller matters.”

“Lu Yurong hasn’t left?” Chu Li asked with a frown.

Zhuo Feiyang replied, “Lu Yurong has been staying at King Jing’s Imperial Residence for a while now. She has become His Royal Highness King Jing’s most trusted aide, so almost everything passes through her hands. In fact, there are numerous matters that even His Royal Highness King Jing is unclear about because she has been handling all of them.”

Chu Li knitted his brows together and sighed.

He did not expect Lu Yurong to rise in status so quickly. When he had previously been in Fairy’s Capital, Lu Yurong had only been staying at King Jing’s Imperial Residence as a guest and had not completely joined His Royal Highness King Jing’s side.

At this point, it seemed like Lu Yurong was going to go all out and assist His Royal Highness King Jing with all her strength to help him seize the throne.

Chu Li knew Lu Yurong’s capabilities very well. While she might be inferior to him in terms of martial arts, her level of intelligence was definitely on par with or even higher than his. After all, it was only because of the Omniscient Mirror that he had been capable of overpowering her. If he did not have the Omniscient Mirror, which allowed him to read minds and helped him enhance his mental capacity, Chu Li would not have managed to go up against Lu Yurong.

“Don’t worry. If Lu Yurong is the one calling the shots, nothing bad will happen to you,” Chu Li said.

Although Lu Yurong hated the Yi Public House, she was on friendly terms with Chu Li, so even if she happened to find out that Zhuo Feiyang was his spy, she would not try to kill him. Judging by her personality, she would propose a trade instead.

“How’s the relationship between Lu Guangdi and Lu Yurong?” Chu Li asked.

“Lu Guangdi seems to have feelings for Lu Yurong,” Zhuo Feiyang replied.

Chu Li gave him a sideways glance and asked, “Does Lu Guangdi have to take orders from Lu Yurong, or is he an exception to this rule?”

“He has to take orders from Lu Yurong too,” Zhuo Feiyang replied. “However, Lu Guangdi doesn’t seem happy about that. He believes that he shouldn’t be answering to a woman, especially when the woman is someone he likes. He has been trying to prove himself superior to Lu Yurong. That’s also why he previously went to challenge you.”

Chu Li had a pensive look on his face. “He’s unwilling to submit to Lu Yurong’s authority… Interesting.”

“Lu Yurong doesn’t seem to care though,” Zhuo Feiyang said.

Chu Li laughed and replied, “I know Lu Yurong’s temperament well. She takes great pride in her capabilities, so she won’t tolerate any acts of provocation and defiance from others. Just bear with your situation for now. I believe he’s going to run out of luck soon. After all, Lu Yurong isn’t someone to be trifled with!”

“Alright then,” Zhuo Feiyang muttered and nodded in resignation. “I hope Lu Yurong won’t kick me out of the Imperial Residence first before dealing with him.”

He had put in so much effort to gain a firm foothold in King Jing’s Imperial Residence, so he truly did not wish to let all his previous efforts go to waste.

Zhuo Feiyang would never be able to bring himself to stand tall before Chu Li anymore if he were to get kicked out of the Imperial Residence.

Although Chu Li had become famous in Fairy’s Capital and had even come to be known as Chu Li of the North, Zhuo Feiyang had always secretly believed that he was also capable of achieving the same level of success. All he needed was to work harder and be given more opportunities to prove himself. Thus, he had not been completely willing to submit to Chu Li either.

Chu Li exchanged a few more words with him to calm his worries and then stood up to leave.

After exiting the restaurant, Chu Li walked five hundred meters down the avenue before turning into an alleyway to take a shortcut back to the Imperial Residence.

A handsome young man dressed in a blue tunic blocked his path and stood in the middle of the alleyway while smiling faintly at Chu Li. This young man was Lu Guangdi.

Chu Li frowned as he glanced at Lu Guangdi briefly and then continued walking ahead.

Lu Guangdi muttered coldly, “Stop right there.”

Chu Li stopped in his tracks and looked at him. “May I help you, Your Excellency?”

“Who are you?” Lu Guangdi asked coolly.

Chu Li replied, “There’s no need for me to tell you who I am. Get out of my way. If not, don’t blame me for being rude to you!”

Lu Guangdi chuckled and shook his head. “As expected, there’s indeed something wrong with Zhuo Feiyang!”

He sensed that Chu Li did not possess any martial arts skills but simply could not peek into his mind as there was an invisible force around Chu Li that was preventing him from reading Chu Li’s thoughts.

Lu Guangdi was very curious to know what Chu Li was carrying on him. This should be no ordinary item since it was powerful enough to protect Chu Li against his mind-reading ability.