Chapter 519: Passing the Test

The 519th Chapter: Passing the Test

"Are you trying to steal the glory, or defy orders?" Zou Si Ju, disguised as Qin Ge, now exhibited a confidence that was unlike his usual timid self, but in Han Xiang's eyes, he was merely a coward trying to find a pretext to escape from danger.

That was all there was to it.

Originally, Han Xiang had intended to give his opponent some face, but since this fool had been so impertinent, he no longer needed to hold back.

"Qin Ge, what merit do you have that I would want to steal? What right do you have to question me about defying orders?"

Han Xiang turned his back on the long gun stuck in the ground and took a few strides forward, his eyes fixed on Zou Si Ju.

Behind him, the investigators from the Nine Rooms closed in, their faces stern.

On the other side, Zou Si Ju's subordinates exchanged nervous glances, though they didn't dare to turn tail and run. They didn't have the courage to defend their boss.

"The Honorable Liu Long said it clearly: this task is to be completed together! This information is mine, and I only notified you to come because of your status, to put aside past grudges and work together in good faith. Now you're trying to chase me away?"

Zou Si Ju, surrounded by the Nine Rooms personnel, flashed a fleeting look of fear and anger on his face, his neck stiff with defiance. "This isn't about stealing glory, this isn't about defying orders!"

Han Xiang's eyes narrowed. "You and I are not separate entities in this case. Why should you make decisions on your own?"

Zou Si Ju's face turned red with anger. "Han Xiang, I'm not afraid of you. I'm afraid that if I don't take care of this, it will lead to internal strife and ridicule."

In a dreamlike state, the connection point was set one li outside, and the snowdrifts were so deep that every step felt heavy.

"Just because I'm Mo Si, and you Qin Ge are just a Mo Wu who rose to power by flattering and sycophanting?"

Han Xiang sneered. "Do you believe I would kill you now, and no one would dare to say it was me?"

Zou Si Ju turned around abruptly, his voice low and menacing. "But every word you say, I'll report to Honorable Liu Long. Who is loyal, who is treacherous, it's up to him to decide."

Han Xiang's threat didn't faze him, and he coldly laughed, his attention focused solely on the scene before him.

If the real Qin Ge were to hear this, he would probably turn on him right then and there, let alone the current "Qin Ge" who was Zou Si Ju.

Zou Si Ju's eyes scanned the surroundings, and to his surprise, he saw that everyone around him was from the Nine Rooms.

In the midst of the stunned gazes of the Ten Rooms personnel, Zou Si Ju slapped Han Xiang's hand away and took a step forward, his eyes blazing with anger.

This was the current priority!

"Threatening me? Bring someone!"

"Han Xiang, don't think you can be so arrogant just because you've solved a few cases. If you really have the ability, why haven't you caught all the traitors in the Middle Court?"

Han Xiang's eyes flashed with disdain, and he poked Zou Si Ju's chest with a finger.

The group of underlings, who were trembling with fear, breathed a sigh of relief and followed Zou Si Ju out.

"If you have any complaints, you can report them to the Honorable Liu Long at any time. As long as he gives the order, I'll withdraw from this task and let the Ten Rooms take over."

"I dare say, who would dare to move?"

Han Xiang's words not only slapped Zou Si Ju in the face but also exposed his weaknesses.

"However," Han Xiang paused, a mocking smile on his lips, "can you? Or are you still the same Qin Ge who was forced to kneel and beg for mercy a year ago?"

In a secluded study, surrounded by snowdrifts, a single, solitary bookshelf stood.

"Bear against bear, wolf against wolf. If you want to challenge me, first go back and learn how to lead people."

"Leave!"

In a distant dream world, the sky and earth merged into a silver expanse.

"I'm starting to suspect that you're only doing this for personal gain, wanting to gain glory and power, so you're intentionally provoking the situation, disregarding the interests of the entire Compassionate Assembly, even the entire Middle Court."

"You're just a coward, Li Jun is a Wu Sequence outlaw, he has no rationality, how do you know he won't turn his gun on us next time?"

The two men's voices rose in argument, the atmosphere tense and volatile.

"Waste of space."

"Talking about hierarchy, are you? I'll tell you right now, if you want to steal glory and defy orders, you'll have to kill me first."

As he approached the study, his clothes were already soaked through by the melting snow.

Zou Si Ju, what kind of humiliation have you never experienced?

"Han Xiang, don't be so arrogant, do you still have any respect for Honorable Liu Long, or Liu Long Elder?"

"The facts are right in front of us, he's clearly targeting the Ru Sequence, it's only beneficial for us to sit back and watch."

"You don't need to use Honorable Liu Long's name to intimidate me. This time, the Honorable Liu Long had me lead the Nine Rooms in this task, and I don't know what you're talking about."

Zou Si Ju's face turned red with anger, and he pushed aside the Nine Rooms personnel blocking his way.

How can I get the Gold Mountain Liu Family to cooperate with me, and these self-proclaimed intelligent scholars to voluntarily offer their necks to Li Jun's knife, to exhaust their energy?

Zou Si Ju's face was ashen, his eyes shrinking under Han Xiang's piercing gaze.

"The Middle Court will be purged, it's only a matter of time. Since you've spoken up, I'll make it clear to you: the Wang Flag case will no longer be handled by the Ten Rooms, we'll take it on ourselves."

The door creaked open by itself, a warm breeze wafting in.

Liu Tu was already waiting inside, smiling at Cui Xi.

"How could you get yourself into such a mess? Why not use your authority to move yourself directly to the door?"

"This is your dream, you haven't given the order, so I didn't use it."

Cui Xi stood respectfully at the door, only after receiving Liu Tu's permission did he step inside.

"You're a decent person, I'll give you that."

Liu Tu chuckled, then said, "But this dream world isn't mine, I'm just a guest here."

As he spoke, the copper pots placed in the corners of the room, filled with burning charcoal, suddenly flared up, as if responding to Liu Tu's words.

"Is there someone else here?"

Cui Xi's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively scanned the surroundings.

"You and I are currently inside the body of the dream world's owner."

Liu Tu seemed to have guessed Cui Xi's thoughts, and smiled. "This study is the owner of this Yellow Gold Dream world."

Cui Xi's eyes widened in shock. "This study is a person?"

"This is the magic of the dream world: you can become whatever you want. I want her to be a bookshelf that never cries or laughs, so she'll spend her entire life in this snowy world, waiting for me to occasionally enter."

Liu Tu's voice was low and gentle. "Until her real body dies, the charcoal in this room will go out, and the snow outside will stop. This Yellow Gold Dream world will disappear."

In the dream world, there is a Yellow Gold Room.

Keeping someone alive, guiding them to become trapped in the dream world forever, creating a completely secret and safe space.

Cui Xi had only heard of such things before, but never thought he would experience it himself.

"Am I being too cruel?"

Liu Tu looked at Cui Xi, his expression calm. "But I'm doing this out of necessity, within the Liu Clan."

The weight of ancestral burdens pressed upon him, each lineage a chain, yet he clung to resolve, for in the shadows of duty, a fragile hope flickered—until the storm of betrayal swept through, leaving silence where whispers once thrived.

Ding-dong, ding-dong!

From the roadside antique sundial-clock shop came a crisp chiming, the long hand of time leaping to the character for the Hour of the Dog.

Signboards of the surrounding shops lit up simultaneously at this precise moment, as auspicious projections of various forms drifted out, flapping and tumbling in the gathering damp, cold wind, soliciting customers on behalf of the proprietors.

The dismissed day-laboring thralls bustled in a hurry, swarming out from beneath the towering buildings, striding swiftly toward their homes.

To them, this was nothing more than an ordinary summer rainstorm.

But Li Jun knew that the tempest brewing next would engulf far more than just the patch of sky overhead; it would sweep through the six ministries of the entire city of Jinling and the clans of those officials.

Li Jun pressed down the conical straw-like round hat on his head and stepped out to merge into the crowd.

This was the hour he had agreed upon with Zou Sijiu. Once the Hour of the Dog arrived, if Zou Sijiu had not called for aid, it meant this warm-up act had already concluded smoothly.

Next, he just had to wait for the proper opportunity to turn the tables, shifting his role from treacherous rogue to loyal minister.

"The Liu brothers and I, Zou Sijiu and the Central Courtyard Mohists, plus Lord Ma and that pack of Bright Ghosts whose alignment remains unclear—three plays staging simultaneously, quite a spectacle indeed."

Li Jun sighed helplessly in his heart: "But what a hassle it truly is. If I were at Sequence Three right now, why bother with all this trouble? I could just kick down the door and call them out by name."

Thinking of this, Li Jun began to calculate his current sequence and rituals.

Back in the Japanese Zone, through Su Ce's 'Gluttony' ability, he had been bestowed a complete mastery of the Court-Awing Martial Arts, successfully ascending to a Sequence Four Ember Lord.

Yet after slaying Ba Du, Lu Yuzhang, and a team from the Universal Love Investigation Unit, though the proficiency points in his possession had skyrocketed from 194 points to nearly 500, Li Jun still lacked the slightest inkling of how to take his next step.

He even felt he had not thoroughly comprehended the two words 'Ember Lord' itself; though he knew not what other secrets lay hidden within his genome, it surely couldn't be just a simple matter of fists growing heavier and life growing hardier, right?

As for the even more distant Lone Traveler Sequence Three ritual, Li Jun gave it no further thought.

"Meals must be eaten bite by bite, and paths must be walked step by step."

Right at that moment, Li Jun, who was weaving through the crowd, suddenly shifted his stride and turned into a tavern that had just opened its doors.

The Heroes' Den.

The interior decor of the tavern could hardly be called elegant, bordering even on coarse and rudimentary; at a fleeting glance, perhaps only the establishment's name possessed a modicum of character.

"The guest arrives at a fortuitous moment, coming right as we throw open the doors. May I ask what you would like to drink? Or perhaps play with?"

The proprietor bustled forward with eager hospitality, "Don't look down on my small place, sir; whether it's genuine or counterfeit, large or small, soft or hard, I have it all here."

The sparrow may be small, but who would have thought it hid dragons and tigers?!

Li Jun raised an eyebrow; under normal circumstances, he would certainly have made the proprietor pull the items out for a look.

Regrettably, today was not the time.

"No need for playing, it's too early today, no interest in looking up. Just bring over any bottle of Bright Wine... make it two bottles."

Li Jun chose a seat by the window and sat down, yet the moment he removed the hat from his head, a handsome face was reflected into Li Jun's eyes.

"Allow me to introduce myself, Sect Martial Artist Four, Shen Li. My greetings, Brother Jun."

The uninvited young martial artist cupped his hands in salute toward Li Jun, a radiant smile gracing his face.