Starting from the imperial palace guards, his clones spread all over the world.

Chapter 458 Shocks all parties!

Xi Rong, along with Liang Jin and his party, hurried towards Donghuamen.

The moonlight was like water, falling on everyone, reflecting their faces, some serious, some puzzled.

Donghuamen stands quietly in the night, like a dormant giant beast, tall and majestic.

The east gate of this palace has special significance.

On weekdays, if you enter the palace from here to attend court, you can walk a much shorter distance than entering from the Meridian Gate.

It was also for this reason that the emperor showed special grace and allowed some elderly officials of the first and second ranks to enter and exit here to show his great grace.

As for the Imperial Guards, when it was time to change shifts, they would enter and exit from the Meridian Gate. Their neat steps and shining armor demonstrated the supreme majesty of the Royal Guards.

When they occasionally went out on missions, they would not choose the Meridian Gate, but would enter and exit from the East or West Hua Gate. At this time, there was no need to display the majesty of the Imperial Guards, so entering and exiting through these two gates was more convenient and faster.

When Xi Rong led his men to Donghua Gate, the guards at the gate were making preparations to open the gate in an orderly manner.

The heavy bolt was slowly lifted, making a dull sound.

Taking advantage of this break, Xi Rong cleared his throat and began to explain the mission to everyone.

His voice was deep and powerful, echoing in the night air:

"A new batch of ceremonial equipment has been completed and delivered to the capital. As you all know, the Emperor's travels are always unpredictable. To avoid panic in the event of an emergency, we must complete the inspection and acceptance of the ceremonial equipment as soon as possible."

"The brothers on the day shift have already inspected most of the work. Tonight, we must hurry up and complete the remaining inspections."

The so-called ceremonial guards are the weapons of the ceremonial guards, which are the flags, umbrellas, fans, weapons and other items held by the imperial guards when the emperor travels.

The weapons required for these ceremonial weapons are very different from actual combat weapons. The most important thing is that they must be beautiful and handsome enough to demonstrate the majesty of imperial power.

Because of this, ceremonial objects are subject to great wear and tear. Once they become damaged or old during use or storage, they will be discarded without hesitation. Only new and intact ceremonial objects can demonstrate the solemnity and dignity of the royal family.

It is understandable that Liang Jin, a flag commander and a low-level military officer, would be responsible for inspecting and accepting ceremonial supplies on weekdays.

Xi Rong continued to issue orders in an orderly manner, his eyes as sharp as a hawk's as he scanned everyone one by one:
"General Li Qi, please go to the west of the city and inspect the delivered armor and ingot-nailed armor."

"General Wang Qi, go back to the Yiguan Office and inspect the ceremonial sword, leopard tail spear, tuanqian, and banjian."

At this point, his gaze rested on Liang Jin:
"Boss Liang Qi, go to the Su family's cloth shop to inspect the halberd and the phoenix flag."

Xi Rong did not give Liang Jin a chance to respond, and then said:

"Boss Liang Qi, I know you've just taken up your position and aren't very familiar with inspection and acceptance."

"Therefore, I will send two soldiers to accompany you, to guide you and explain the relevant procedures to you."

"You should be alright here, right?"

Judging from his tone, everything seemed to be arranged very carefully.

Liang Jin heard this, his expression calm, and replied calmly:
"I humble my duty and obey my orders."

When Xi Rong heard Liang Jin's agreement, the murderous intent in his eyes flashed across his eyes like a meteor in the dark night.

What he was most worried about was that Liang Jin would find various excuses to avoid going.

And now that Liang Jin has agreed to go, in his opinion, Liang Jin has already embarked on a path of no return.

At this time, the city gate had been fully opened, making a creaking sound.

Xi Rong immediately spoke in a loud voice:

"Everyone, go and do your own thing."

"I will personally go to the horse purchasing office to inspect the war horses. If anything unexpected happens along the way, please send someone to report back at any time."

Having said that, Xi Rong slowly glanced at everyone. His gaze was as real as substance. Anyone who was swept by his gaze would immediately stand up straight involuntarily. Only Liang Jin remained calm and unmoved.

This made Xi Rong's eyes slightly cold, as if covered with a thin layer of frost.

"Please give me some energy!"

Xi Rong suddenly raised his voice and shouted loudly. The gilded tiger head badge on his waist hit the armor with a crisp sound, as if to cheer for his anger:
"There is no room for error in the inspection of the ceremonial guard. If anyone delays the emperor's journey, I will punish him severely for dereliction of duty!"

"Set off!!!"

Immediately, Xi Rong and all the flag chiefs led their men out of the city gate in neat steps and headed towards their respective mission locations.

Only two imperial guards came up to Liang Jin, raised their hands in salute, and said expressionlessly:
"Master Flag General, we are here to show you the way!"

Although the tone of these two soldiers appeared to be businesslike, upon closer listening, one could hear a subtle hint of contempt.

Obviously, they did not really respect Liang Jin, the newly appointed flag chief.

Liang Jin looked at the two of them with a faint smile on his face:

"Thank you."

The two soldiers turned around and immediately walked out of the city gate.

Liang Jin followed slowly behind.

He knew very well that these two people were most likely Xi Rong's men.

But Liang Jin was not worried at all, because the place he wanted had now been determined - Su's Cloth Shop.

Su's Cloth Shop is quite famous in the capital. It is a cloth merchant that specializes in providing various cloth products to the court and the royal family.

The major shareholder behind it is a royal relative with a deep background.

The location of Su's cloth shop happened to be on the east bank of Taiye Lake.

As a royal pond, Taiye Lake has beautiful scenery and the surrounding buildings also show royal style.

The fact that Su's cloth shop was located here shows its prominent status in the capital.

However, what Liang Jin cared about was not how powerful the background of the Su Family Cloth Shop was, but that its location was consistent with the information provided by the system, which meant that the Su Family Cloth Shop was most likely the place where Xi Rong planned to kill him.

Liang Jin shook his head slightly and thought to himself:

"They actually planned to kill me near the Royal Merchants and the Royal Pond Garden. They are really bold. Aren't they afraid of making things worse?"

"Or are you so sure that you can kill me quietly?"

"Alright, if that's the case, then I'll oblige you. Let's make this as big a fuss as possible, and spread it all over the place!"

Immediately, Liang Jin's mind moved, and he instantly opened the [Nine Sky Boundless] and pulled all the warriors into it.

next moment.

Liang Jin only felt that the light and shadow in front of his eyes changed instantly, as if time and space were distorted at this moment.

In the blink of an eye, he was already in the [Nine Sky Boundless].

The sky here is as deep and dark as ever, without a trace of starlight, as if it is an endless cosmic abyss.

On this lifeless land, the replica of the capital city stands quietly, like a forgotten empty city.

At this time, a group of warriors also appeared here.

Without exception, their faces showed deep doubts.

In the past, they could only enter this strange place once a day.

And now, I came here for the second time in one day.

This sudden change made them wonder: Could it be...that something big had happened?
Just when the warriors were full of doubts.

suddenly!

The whole world suddenly shook violently.

It was as if an invisible giant hand was shaking the world wantonly. The ground shook violently and everyone hurried to steady themselves.

Followed by.

"Boom!!!"

A deafening roar came from deep underground, which was terrifying.

Then, a thick beam of light shot up into the sky, instantly illuminating the entire city. The darkness seemed to be completely torn apart at this moment, turning into day.

The warriors looked at the location of the light column in shock. It seemed to be... near the east bank of Taiye Lake!
The warriors could only roughly see the direction. Just when they wanted to take a closer look, the light column disappeared without a trace in an instant like a phantom.

Everything around fell into dim darkness again.

The warriors were all stunned. They had never seen such a strange sight before.

While the warriors were still immersed in surprise.

A powerful and majestic voice, as if coming from the end of heaven and earth, resounded throughout the entire [Nine Sky Boundless]:
"Where light arises, treasure appears!"

“Not here, but on the other side.”

The sound was like rumbling thunder, causing pain in the eardrums of all warriors, as if it was going to shatter their souls.

After being surprised, the warriors' eyes lit up instantly.

Treasure?!
In this mysterious and strange place, if there is really a treasure found, it must not be the ordinary treasures in the mortal world!

In an instant, greedy thoughts emerged from their hearts like weeds.

But...what does the phrase "not here, but on the other side" mean?

Could this place be referring to the strange [Nine Sky Boundless]?
And where is the other shore?

Buddhism says: Birth and death are this shore, and nirvana is the other shore.

But this place obviously has nothing to do with Buddhism, and this other shore is probably not the other shore referred to in Buddhism.

Just as everyone was astonished, they saw several figures flying into the air like meteors, rushing towards the direction where the light column emerged.

The moment they saw these figures, the warriors were all shocked:
"It's them!"

Those seven figures were exactly the group of weirdos who had defeated a third-grade warrior with a sword formation!

They were running towards the beam of light at this moment. Could it be that they were trying to pursue the legendary treasure?
At this moment, many warriors could no longer suppress their greed and rushed to follow the seven weirdos towards the light column.

Although they were not sure whether the so-called treasure really existed in this strange time and space, they had to find out anyway.

High in the sky.

Liang Jin was looking down at all this from a God's perspective.

All the movements just now were carefully planned by him. Now, seeing that most of the warriors were rushing towards the Taiye Lake in this fake capital, he knew that his plan had succeeded.

In that case, it's time to end it!

Immediately, Liang Jin had an idea and kicked all the warriors out of [Nine Sky Boundless].

Before many warriors could come to their senses, they found themselves back in the real world.

……

A luxurious house.

In the wing room.

The three warriors trembled violently, and then their eyes cleared instantly.

"We...are coming out now?" one of the warriors said with a puzzled look on his face.

"This time we can leave that strange place without fighting?" Another warrior also said in surprise.

"What on earth happened in that place?" The third warrior frowned, his heart full of confusion.

The three warriors looked at each other.

But they are concerned about another issue:
"Those seven guys using the sword formation have appeared again. From the looks of it, they're heading to the east bank of Taiye Lake to search for the so-called treasure."

"The so-called 'other shore' is most likely the real capital. Those seven guys who know how to use sword formations will probably search near Taiye Lake in reality."

At this point, the three warriors' faces showed deep anger.

"Last time, they suddenly appeared and intimidated us, causing us to fail in the assassination and have to retreat in a hurry."

"This time, we have to settle the score with them!"

"Let's go and report this to the Lord immediately. Have him send experts to help us find those seven guys and find out who's behind them!"

It turned out that these three warriors were the assassins who had assassinated the wife of the commander of the Southern Forbidden Army.

Their assassination failed because of the battle puppets in the formation.

During this period, they and the forces behind them have been searching for the traces of the formation war puppet.

However, the battle puppet of the formation has been put into the [Props Bar] by Liang Jin, and they will not be able to find it even if they dig deep into the entire capital.

Just now, they were in the [Nine Sky Boundless] and clearly saw the anxious whereabouts of the formation war puppet.

Now back to reality, they are certain that the formation war puppet will definitely head to the east bank of Taiye Lake!
Then, it’s time to settle the accounts!

……

the other side.

Southwest bank of Taiye Lake.

There is a large area of ​​magnificent buildings here, with flying eaves, brackets, carved beams and painted buildings. The yellow glazed roof is particularly gorgeous, showing the royal style everywhere.

This is the emperor's new residence.

However, the new house is no longer filled with the noise of music and play.

Because the emperor was ill.

A while ago, the emperor was taking a boat trip in Taiye Lake when he suddenly fell into the water.

After the emperor was rescued, he caught a cold.

To this day, the emperor's condition has not only not improved, but has become more serious.

Today, the new house is filled with a quiet and tense atmosphere.

Since the emperor fell ill, many people have lost their lives.

Several eunuchs and palace maids who failed to provide adequate service were dragged out and killed.

The imperial physician who could not cure the disease would not be able to escape death.

Even some actors who failed to please the good king were brutally killed.

This series of killings made everyone in the new house panic, fearing that they would become the next unlucky person.

But this oppressive atmosphere did not only come from the emperor.

After all, the emperor is now bedridden, and there are very few people who can get close to him.

In fact, this tense atmosphere comes more from the factory owner.

Recently, the factory manager seems to be in a particularly bad mood. Once he is unhappy, no one in the new house will have a good time.

at this time.

In an exquisite five-story pavilion, a skinny old man with a white face and no beard slowly walked out.

The old man's face was as white as powder, but with a bluish-gray hue. His cheeks were sunken, as if they had been cut by a knife or an axe. His brow bones were high into his temples. When his phoenix eyes were half closed, it seemed as if they were hiding a bottomless cold pool. The fine lines at the corners of his eyes spread like spider webs to his ears.

He wore a black gauze winged hat, with a python pattern woven with gold thread faintly visible in the candlelight. On the jade belt around his waist hung a police station badge inlaid with blood chalcedony, which glowed with an eerie purple light in the moonlight.

He stood up straight by the railing and looked into the distance. His sight seemed to be able to penetrate the darkness and see the other side of Taiye Lake.

The water of Taiye Lake at night is pitch black, like a huge piece of black silk. The willows by the lake sway gently in the breeze, like women with their hair hanging down, which looks very strange.

If you have very good eyesight, you can faintly see the tiny lights on the other side of the river, like the faint stars twinkling in the night sky.

"Treasure, the other side..."

The old man pondered for a moment.

He raised his right hand, only to see that his five fingers were covered in jade gloves, but three-inch long black iron barbs were exposed at the knuckles. There was a tiny blood groove engraved on the end of each barb, as if it had been stained with the blood of countless people.

With a slight hook of his finger.

The next second, a figure knelt beside him like a ghost.

The figure seemed to appear out of thin air, coming silently, but maintaining a respectful kneeling posture, obviously showing great respect and fear for the old man.

The old man spoke slowly. His Adam's apple did not move as he spoke, but his voice came from deep within his chest, carrying a metallic hum:

"Something might happen on the east bank of Taiye Lake tonight. Take a few people over to take a look."

As the old man finished speaking, the kneeling figure bowed his head and saluted, then disappeared again without making any sound, as if he had never appeared.

But the old man had already turned around and returned to the pavilion with steady steps.

……

Beijing.

The dark grey building complex located at the end of Zhuque Street in the capital looks like a dormant giant beast with iron scales in the night, exuding an awe-inspiring aura.

This is the place revered by all martial artists and feared by all fugitives in the world—the Six Gates!

The Six Gates of the capital city are the most important of the Six Gates in all the states in the world. They are the core hub for maintaining public order and arresting criminals in the entire dynasty.

The main entrance here is made up of six huge bronze panels, and each panel is cast with a relief of torture instruments from past unsolved cases.

As soon as you step into the entrance hall, three hundred and sixty bronze lampposts light up instantly, illuminating the entire space like daylight.

The columns on both sides are engraved with Daqian laws and regulations, and the characters are filled with cinnabar, which is bright and eye-catching, as if warning everyone who sets foot here.

Every three meters, a bronze mechanical beast would stick out its wolf head and spray a special potion from its nose. It could keenly identify whether the breath of the visitor was disordered, and anyone with ill intentions would find it difficult to escape detection.

After passing through three copper gates guarded by experts, there is a dark hall.

In the main hall, there is a sand table with a diameter of ten meters. In the center of the sand table is suspended a three-dimensional miniature model of the capital city carved with magnets.

From here, you can immediately issue arrest warrants, mobilize all the constables in the capital, block any street in the city, and control the capital's public security.

It can be said to be a place where power is concentrated.

At this time, a man was standing in front of the sand table, his eyes fixed on the miniature model of the capital.

His actual age is probably over 60, but he still looks young. It would not be out of place if he were in his 40s or 50s.

The man was eight feet tall, with a body like a pine tree and a face as gloomy as iron. He was like a towering mountain, exuding a majesty that was difficult to look directly at.

He was wearing a black brocade uniform, and the lapel was embroidered with gold thread, outlining not one golden eagle, but six!

There is only one person in the entire Six Gates who is qualified to wear such a uniform.

That is the God of Capture, Shen Wujiu!
At this moment, Shen Wujiu's gaze was focused on the emperor's new residence on the southwest bank of Taiye Lake on the miniature model.

He just looked at it gloomily, and it seemed as if not even the sound of breathing could be heard from his body. He seemed to have merged with this cold and majestic hall and become a part of it.

"Da da da!"

A burst of hurried footsteps broke the silence in the hall.

I saw a man walking quickly into the hall.

The man was plain-looking and wore the Golden Eagle uniform of the Six Gates. He was the head constable of the Shadow Gate, one of the Six Gates.

He hurried to Shen Wujiu's side and whispered a few words in his ear.

Shen Wujiu's gaze finally shifted slightly, from the southwest bank of Taiye Lake on the miniature model to the east bank.

"People from the Investigation Bureau will definitely go."

Shen Wujiu whispered, his voice squeezed out from between his teeth:

"Let's go too!"

"But...it's not advisable to publicize it."

The head of the Shadow Gate Constable took the order, turned around and left in a hurry.

Shen Wujiu continued to stand in front of the sand table, with a trace of distress and helplessness in his brows.

In the capital, all officials were afraid of the Investigation Bureau.

The only ones who dared to go against the Investigation Bureau were the Six Gates.

But now, the core backbone of the Six Gates, the Four Famous Constables, are not in the capital, and even Zhuying has unfortunately passed away. This has left Shen Wujiu with very few people available around him, and he is really stretched to the limit.

Otherwise, given the Six Gates' past style, how could they act so low-key?

How could it be possible... to be suppressed by the Investigation Bureau!
(End of this chapter)