After transmigrating into the body of the protagonist's childhood friend, he was targeted by a

Master Qingcheng leaned closer and pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket.

When I unfolded it, it turned out to be a layout map of the imperial palace, with several circles marked on it in vermilion.

"I bought this from a palace purchasing eunuch at great expense," said Daoist Qingcheng, his face contorted with pain. "That eunuch was insatiable; he charged me a hundred taels of silver for just one picture!"

"Buying a fake picture for a hundred taels of silver is definitely a rip-off." Yun Ling leaned over for a look and commented mercilessly.

Master Qingcheng became anxious: "How can it be a fake image?"

Yun Ling rolled her eyes: "Is the main hall for holding court in your palace next to the harem?"

Master Qingcheng looked down and examined the eunuch closely. His face turned ashen, and he began to curse the eunuch's ancestors for eighteen generations.

Lin Zhixu rubbed his temples: "Alright, let's put the map aside for now. Master Yunhe, any news from your side?"

Master Yunhe said solemnly, "After entering the city, we inquired about the situation. Recently, the number of guards at the palace has indeed increased significantly, especially after nightfall. There is a squad of imperial guards patrolling every hundred paces near the palace walls."

"Some people also say that they can hear strange noises coming from inside the palace at night, like the roars of some wild beast. But the palace has issued a gag order, and no one dares to spread it outside."

"A beast's roar?"

"Yes. And recently the palace has been frequently recruiting doctors from the common people, but none of them have ever come out. I've also heard that quite a few people have died in the inner palace, all of them young and beautiful palace maids and concubines."

Master Qingcheng snorted coldly: "I told you long ago, that Imperial Preceptor is no good. I've never heard of any elixir or medicine that can make people young again and live forever."

"That imperial advisor is clearly sacrificing living people to prolong the emperor's life!"

Master Yunhe nodded.

They had heard of such evil arts while traveling the world, but they were all just wicked tricks and deceptions, completely useless.

I wonder how skilled this imperial advisor is, and whether he can really use such evil magic to exchange lives for lives.

Master Qingcheng suddenly snapped out of his reverie and looked at Lin Zhixu suspiciously: "Wait, we've been so busy talking about us. You haven't said anything yet, why did you suddenly come to the palace?"

Lin Zhixu didn't hide anything and said truthfully, "I have two fellow disciples who went into the palace to investigate the evil cultivators and have been out of contact for several days. I'm here to rescue them."

The expressions of the three of them changed simultaneously.

They really are evil cultivators! They've done so much harm!

Master Qingcheng slammed his hand on the table, indignantly exclaiming, "I knew it! Ever since that Imperial Advisor arrived, the palace has practically become a den of monsters! Your friend has most likely been detained by that Imperial Advisor. We must hurry and rescue him, or he might die!"

Lin Zhixu: "The situation is urgent, there is no time to wait, I have to find a way to get into the palace tonight."

Master Yunhe nodded solemnly: "But the palace is heavily guarded, and we don't know the layout inside. If we rush in, we might not only fail to save anyone, but also get ourselves killed."

Lin Zhixu was also troubled by this matter. He frowned, his gaze unconsciously falling on the fake map on the table, when suddenly a flash of inspiration struck him.

and many more.

He's got some kind of cheat code.

Lin Zhixu immediately called out in his mind: "System, it's your turn. Generate a map of the imperial palace for me."

The system replied almost instantly, with a hint of pride in its tone: 【Yes, host!】

Almost at the same instant, a very detailed layout of the palace appeared in Lin Zhixu's mind.

Lin Zhixu was overjoyed and quickly took out paper and pen from his storage bag, laid them on the table, and began to draw according to the image in his mind.

The three people next to him didn't realize what was going on at first, assuming he was just writing down a plan.

But as they saw the lines and markings gradually taking shape on the paper, their eyes widened even more.

"You..." Yun Ling was about to speak when Master Yun He quickly covered his mouth and whispered, "Don't speak, don't disturb him."

Yun Ling nodded quickly, her eyes sparkling as she stared at the picture.

Soon, a simplified layout of the palace was completed.

Lin Zhixu put down his pen and pushed the paper onto the table: "You should all make a copy, just in case."

Master Qingcheng leaned closer and examined the map for a long time, then pointed to several marked areas: "This... have you been to the palace? Is this map accurate?"

Before Lin Zhixu could speak, Master Yunhe beside him answered for him: "Accurate! Absolutely accurate!"

"I was invited to the palace before, and the layout of several palaces is exactly the same as this map. It's just that the palace is too big, and I can't remember them all. Now, looking at this map, I can connect the places I visited back then."

The three looked at Lin Zhixu in astonishment.

Could this person be a prince who has been exiled from the palace?

No, even princes who grew up in the palace couldn't remember the entire layout of the palace.

Lin Zhixu: "...It's not as conspiratorial as you all think. I just suddenly remembered it because I had seen a layout of the palace elsewhere before. Alright, enough talk, hurry up and copy it, I'm going to the palace tonight."

The three of them stopped asking questions and began to draw.

Master Qingcheng drew the fastest, but his lines were crooked and uneven. Yunling leaned over to take a look and said with a look of disgust, "What are you drawing? A latrine?"

Master Qingcheng blushed slightly: "As long as I can understand it myself, that's enough!"

Lin Zhixu ignored their bickering and waited until the three of them had put away their respective maps before assigning tasks: "Yunling and I will go into the palace to investigate. Daoist Qingcheng will provide support from the outside and keep an eye on the patterns of the Imperial Guards' rotation."

"Master Yunhe, go and wander around the restaurants and teahouses in the city to see if you can find out any other information. Before dawn, regardless of whether you have found anything, meet here."

"If we enter the palace and don't come out, then leave. You don't need to wait for us."

Yunling puffed out her chest: "Don't worry, Master, I can run really fast! You don't need to worry about me."

Master Qingcheng and Master Yunhe hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

The four split up and acted separately.

Lin Zhixu led Yun Ling to a secluded corner outside the palace wall.

This place is far from the palace gates; one patrol of imperial guards has just passed by, and the next patrol hasn't arrived yet, making it the perfect time to climb over the wall.

Lin Zhixu looked up and estimated the height of the wall, which was at least five or six zhang high. It was hard to say whether an ordinary martial artist could even touch the top of the wall, let alone climb over it.

He channeled his spiritual energy, lightly touched the ground with his toes, and silently leaped up like a night owl, landing lightly on the inner side of the palace wall.

After landing, he listened carefully. It was very quiet all around, with only the faint sound of drums coming from the distant palaces.

Lin Zhixu turned around but didn't see Yun Ling.

Lin Zhixu was startled, then climbed out again. He saw Yun Ling standing at the base of the wall, looking up at the high palace wall, her little face scrunched up.

"What's wrong with you? Why don't you come in?"

Yun Ling's voice was low and strained: "I...I can't get in. I can run fast, but that doesn't mean I can fly. This wall is so high, I can't jump up it..."

Lin Zhixu: "..."