White-Robed Chief

Chu Li said, “If that’s the case, King Ping might be in danger.”

“Yes.” Fu Mengshan nodded gravely. “If His Highness was unaware of his Deputy General being an informant and decided to act rashly in the end, he’d easily fall into a trap and find himself surrounded. We have to deliver the news to King Ping as quickly as possible!”

Chu Li said, “The fastest communication method would be at the Secret Guardians Hall, wouldn’t it?”

“The fastest method would be to use the Golden Eagle,” Fu Mengshan replied, frowning. “The problem, however, is that King Ping may not have confidence in it. Plus, none of our people can get close to King Ping, anyway.”

Xu Huande added, “Once the Xi Jiang Military begins to move, it’ll be even harder to locate King Ping.”

“…Leave it to be, then,” Chu Li offered quietly.

A grin appeared on Fu Mengshan’s face. “Young Chu, you have the best Light-body Technique, and you bear an important identity. You’re our best bet.”

Chu Li requested, “I need a token of trust that I can use to gain King Ping’s confidence.”

“I have a gold plate. As long as you present this plate, King Ping will definitely agree to meet you.”

“I’ll need a personal belonging of King Ping as well,” Chu Li added.

“I’ll think of something!” Fu Mengshan suggested.

Chu Li replied, “Okay, I’ll find King Ping and tell him to beware of that Deputy General.”

“Can’t get any better!” Fu Mengshan laughed.

Chu Li gave a fist salute. “I’ll return to the Imperial Residence to make some arrangements first. Commander, once you’ve made all the necessary preparations, just summon me.”

“Come over as soon as possible,” Fu Mengshan instructed. “We can’t delay the matter for too long. Perhaps a short delay might determine the life and death of King Ping.”

Chu Li nodded in obedience.

…

Chu Li first returned to the Imperial Residence to change his clothes. Taking off the white robe he had always been wearing, he put on a purple tunic. Instantly, the outfit added an air of nobility to his appearance, making his appearance scream that he was a wealthy and respectable figure.

When he returned to the main hall of the Secret Guardians Hall, Fu Mengshan and Xu Huande were already waiting for him there.

“This is a ring often worn by King Ping.” Fu Mengshan took out a white jade ring from his pocket and held it out to Chu Li. “I went to great lengths to get this. Be careful not to lose it!”

Chu Li examined it briefly and smiled. “Looks like an exquisite item. Commander, are you planning to return it?”

“Of course I have to return it,” Fu Mengshan replied. “Otherwise, our secret guardians will be exposed. King Ping is extremely sensitive about this. If the secret guardians were to be exposed, we’d completely lose our grasp on King Ping. The nets of the Secret Guardians Hall mustn’t be misplaced, not even the Imperial Residence of Prince Ping!”

Chu Li nodded in comprehension and took the ring from him.

With a touch, he felt its smoothness and delicacy. This was no ordinary item indeed. It was made of the best jade and had been warmed and nourished for quite some time; giving it a sense of spiritual energy.

He conveniently slipped the white jade ring on to his left index finger. It fitted his finger just nicely as if it had been tailor-made for him.

Chu Li caressed the ring on his finger, enjoying its sensation.

Following that, Fu Mengshan took out an Amethyst Gold Plate from his inner pocket again. It was octagonal, approximately the size of one’s palm. A dagger had been engraved on both sides of the plate; one of them was pointing up and the other down.

These two daggers looked vivid and lifelike, as though they were about to shoot out of the plate and stab at someone. Anyone who witnessed it would impulsively back off, trying to avoid it.

Nonetheless, Chu Li remained unaffected and continued staring at it. With a glance, he could easily tell that this was the work of an expert with a high cultivation level. No ordinary person would be able to create an engraving with such imposing energy.

“Good sword!” he exclaimed.

Fu Mengshan laughed. “You have a sharp eye for detail. This gold plate contains a sword technique, and whoever can cultivate this sword technique will be able to overrun the world and become almost invincible!”

Chu Li chuckled and shook his head in disbelief. “How is that possible?”

Fu Mengshan replied, “Don’t you believe it?”

Chu Li continued shaking his head.

Fu Mengshan huffed. “The Emperor himself told me this!”

“Was it the Emperor who engraved the sword technique?” Chu Li asked.

Fu Mengshan shook his head. “His Majesty stumbled upon it by accident as well. That’s why he bestowed it upon me: to let me have a go at it and see if I’m fated to learn it.”

“Has the Commander been able to comprehend the nature of the technique then?” Chu Li asked.

Fu Mengshan shook his head. “My level of comprehension isn’t high enough, so I haven’t been able to comprehend it fully. Nonetheless, it has been very beneficial in helping me improve my own sword techniques.”

Xu Huande said, “Chu Li, your level of comprehension is higher than most people. You can try comprehending it as well, but be sure to finish your task first. Don’t mix up your priorities.”

“Sure, I’ll give it a try. Thank you, Commander!” Chu Li smiled, knowing that this was a reward from Fu Mengshan.

Fu Mengshan toyed around with the Amethyst Gold Plate, seemingly reluctant to give it to Chu Li.

Chu Li urged impatiently, “Commander, don’t worry. I won’t lose it!”

“You better not have any thoughts about keeping this gold plate for yourself!” Fu Mengshan warned with a huff, “My life depends on it!”

Chu Li said, “Can it save the Commander from a death penalty?”

“Yes.” Fu Mengshan laughed. “With this gold plate, I’ll be able to sleep in peace.”

He knew too much about the Emperor, and knowing too much placed him in a dangerous position. Perhaps one day, His Majesty might be struck with a bad mood, deciding to kill him out of the blue.

Chu Li reassured solemnly, “Don’t worry. I’ll bring it safely back to you”

“Good.” Fu Mengshan held it out to Chu Li reluctantly.

Chu Li quickly grabbed it from him so that the Commander would not have the chance to go back on his word. “I’ll be off then!”

“Go on, go on,” Fu Mengshan said. “This is a gamble for us all. If your speculations turned out to be wrong, both of us would have to take responsibility for it too!”

Chu Li smiled and gave them a fist salute before turning to leave.

Fu Mengshan shook his head while watching his retreating figure. “How nice it is to be young, Elder Xu!”

Xu Huande responded, “If all went well this time, Commander, you’d be receiving great merit.”

Fu Mengshan smiled. “Well, that depends on whether or not he manages to meet King Ping then.”

…

With the white jade ring, Chu Li activated his All-Seeing Divine Power. Then, using God’s Limbs, it did not take him long to travel from the Fairy’s Capital to Xi Jiang.

He stood on the summit of a mountaintop, looking into the distance. Ahead of him, the military encampment spread out endlessly, filled with a sea of people. There were also banners and flags all over the place, fluttering about in the wind and covering the skies.

An army of ten-thousand might not sound like a lot, but it was only when he saw it for himself could he understand the magnitude and power of it. Within the scope of his Omniscient Mirror, all he could see were densely packed soldiers.

The military camps where the soldiers were at were arranged in an orderly fashion, seeming built following a certain formation.

Even the most powerful master of the martial arts world would not be able to break into this military encampment and come out alive. Firstly, they would easily lose their sense of direction, and secondly, the encampment itself was filled with martial arts masters.

Upon closer scrutiny, Chu Li saw that most of these soldiers were acquired masters. Meanwhile, one out of ten of them were Innate Masters, and one out of a thousand of them were Grandmasters. If placed in the martial arts world, these Grandmasters would definitely be capable of wiping out any of the sects. Aside from the four major sects, no one else would be able to stop them.

With such great power in hand, how would King Ping be willing to give it away, and how would King Jing be able to sleep in peace? Naturally, the Emperor would be left in a dilemma.

After intently observing the scene before him for quite some time, Chu Li discovered a profound secret as he noticed traces of the formation into which the military camps had been organized. This was probably the Battle Formation Technique.

When he read the Formation Codex, he had incidentally come across a brief mention of the Battle Formation Technique. The underlying principles were more or less the same, but it was applied differently compared to normal formations. Based on his current observations, he agreed with this very much.

While a formation typically used natural objects as tools to form a unique driving force with the power of Heaven and the Earth, a battle formation used people as instruments to derive and propel a such a special force.

He did not understand the formidable power of a battle formation, but could faintly sense it through his Omniscient Mirror nonetheless. Even Grandmasters could hardly do much damage and survive after entering a battle formation. How would anyone be able to carry out an assassination?

This military encampment had actually managed to keep King Ping so properly hidden using the Battle Formation Technique that even the Omniscient Mirror was unable to help Chu Li pinpoint King Ping’s location. After circling the military encampment a few times and walking over a hundred miles, he still had not found King Ping.

This way, it would be impossible for him to use his divine power to appear directly before King Ping. Instead, he would have to use the foolish way.

Fortunately, King Ping had not dispatched any troops yet. The situation here seemed rather calm, unlike the state of hostility and violence described by the military intelligence from the Ministry War earlier.

He was not sure what was happening. However, he chose not to want to ask too many questions as well. His only objective was to see King Ping as soon as possible and inform him that there was a spy by his side. He would leave the rest to King Ping. Seeing as His Highness was an expert in commanding troops, he should naturally be a good strategist.

Chu Li waited patiently from afternoon to nighttime, and from midnight until the next morning.

He suddenly felt his spirits rise when four cavalry soldiers appeared before him.

These were four scouts who had gone out on horses to gather some information and had noticed Chu Li on their way back.

“Neigh…” The horses whined as they came to a stop.

Chu Li held up a fist salute.

The four scouts stared at him with alert eyes, their bodies tensing up all over. They were all Grandmasters.

Chu Li said, “I have some important matters to report to King Ping, so I hope you can inform His Highness about this.”