Black Street

Along the way, Lin Xiao discovered that the Prince's Manor treasury was guarded with extraordinary strictness.

Forget a person—there was no way even a fly could fly inside.

With such a tightly secured treasury, how could it possibly have been robbed?

And how could the thief have slipped away unscathed without anyone noticing?

By now, Lin Xiao had an idea in mind. There was a very high chance it had been an inside job.

But before coming here, he had looked into it.

The guards of the Prince's Manor were all Prince Qing's trusted confidants.

The manor's chief steward personally led the watch, and the entire treasury was sealed shut.

Whether by digging a tunnel or coming in through the roof, it was impossible to enter the treasury.

The only way in was through the main entrance.

But guards patrolled the main entrance around the clock, day and night, without even the slightest gap. How had the thief entered the treasury?

The treasury was filled with a dazzling array of treasures.

It was said that the thief had stolen only the Night-Shining Pearl bestowed upon Prince Qing by Your Majesty.

This Night-Shining Pearl carried extraordinary significance. If it could not be recovered—

Prince Qing would lose all face, and even his standing in Your Majesty's eyes would decline.

That was something Prince Qing could not accept.

That was why he had been so desperate to solve the case and recover the missing Night-Shining Pearl.

"It is said that the Night-Shining Pearl was transported into the Prince's Manor treasury together with several other treasures."

"And when they entered the treasury, they went through countless inspections. Every single transporter had their identity verified. How did the thief get in?"

"Could it really have been, as those people said, the work of a ghost?"

Little Fatty glanced over the Prince's Manor treasury, scratching his head in confusion.

Meanwhile, Lin Xiao focused his gaze on the boxes beneath the high platform where the Night-Shining Pearl had been displayed.

"A ghost is impossible. Perhaps I already know how the thief did it."

Then he raised his head and looked above the treasury, lingering for a moment on one of the beams in particular.

"What? You know how the thief did it?"

Little Fatty asked in disbelief.

"Quick, tell me. How exactly did the thief do it? Why can't I see anything at all?"

Lin Xiao could not be bothered with him and said slowly, "All right, let's go."

Seeing Lin Xiao keep him in suspense made Little Fatty's heart itch, but when he saw Lin Xiao's icy expression, he did not dare ask further.

After leaving the Prince's Manor, Little Fatty stretched lazily. "Where are we going... mmph!"

Before Little Fatty could finish speaking, Lin Xiao grabbed him and sped away.

The moment they left the guards' line of sight, Lin Xiao brought Little Fatty into hiding and stared intently at the Prince's Manor gate.

"What are we doing?"

Little Fatty asked cautiously, barely daring to breathe.

Lin Xiao said flatly, "If you want to make it back alive, tell me everything you know. If you don't want to make it back alive, pretend I never said anything."

"What do you mean?"

Then Little Fatty's expression changed. "You mean..."

Lin Xiao gave a faint nod. "That's right. We've been made into scapegoats—discarded pawns meant to take the blame."

Upon hearing this, Little Fatty's face turned ugly. So that thousand-household officer's words about them being even more unlucky had carried a deeper meaning.

"How much do you know about the Prince's Manor steward?"

Hearing Lin Xiao's question, Little Fatty hurriedly said, "Prince Qing's steward?"

"I don't know much. I only know that ten years ago, when Prince Qing was traveling, this steward saved him. After that, he became Prince Qing's trusted confidant and has served as steward for ten years."

After hearing Little Fatty's account, Lin Xiao nodded slightly, a few suspicions taking shape in his mind.

It was not until dusk that the Prince's Manor gates finally opened and the steward came out.

He was a middle-aged man in a green robe. When he emerged, the manor guards treated him with utmost respect.

"Greetings, Steward."

Wu Zhengfeng nodded slightly. "I have matters to attend to outside. The Prince's Manor has been plagued by troubles lately, so you must not let down your guard."

"Yes, Steward."

After giving his instructions, Wu Zhengfeng strode away.

"Let's go."

The moment Lin Xiao spotted the target, he took Little Fatty and followed a hundred meters behind him.

"Br-brother, you don't suspect him, do you?"

"He's Prince Qing's trusted confidant. Anyone else might betray Prince Qing, but he never would."

Little Fatty said in disbelief.

Lin Xiao said flatly, "Haven't you heard the saying? You can know a man's face, but never his heart."

"I just don't know his purpose. Why would a Prince's Manor steward harm his own master? If his master lost power, he would gain nothing either. Could it really be for the little bit of money the Night-Shining Pearl was worth? That would be far too shortsighted."

In truth, Lin Xiao was already one hundred percent certain that this steward was the inside traitor.

From what he had learned, on the night the Imperial Night-Luminescent Pearl disappeared, this steward had been in charge from beginning to end.

And for such a heavily guarded Prince's Manor treasury to be robbed, the method itself had been very simple.

The crucial point was that they needed someone inside to provide cover.

First, they had someone hide inside one of the boxes being delivered to the treasury.

Then that person emerged from the box, stole the Night-Shining Pearl, and hid it atop a treasury beam.

Then the insider would seemingly discover by chance that the Night-Shining Pearl had been stolen.

Amid the confusion, he would send all the guards away or reduce the manpower guarding the treasury.

Then he would let the person who stole the Night-Shining Pearl leave amid the chaos.

That would directly create an unsolved locked-room theft of the Night-Shining Pearl.

Of course, it would have been difficult for anyone else to pull this off.

But with the Prince's Manor steward cooperating, it became as easy as turning one's hand over.

The reason Lin Xiao was following the steward was to find out where the Night-Shining Pearl had gone and who his accomplice was.

Only by catching the thief with the stolen goods, catching him red-handed at the scene, could he convince everyone completely.

Otherwise, he was only a lowly Jinyiwei and had no authority to convict a Prince's Manor steward.

And it was also for the sake of his system mission. After all, the reward was a pill that could increase his cultivation—an extremely tempting prize.

Before they knew it, the three of them, one ahead and two behind, arrived at the most chaotic street in the capital.

Countless evils festered here.

Gambling dens, brothels, gangs, opium pipes, and more.

It was also known as Black Street.

Three underground gangs were the strongest here.

The Venomous Snake Gang, the Black Tiger Society, and Azure Dragon Hall.

Though this was the capital, groups like these could never be completely eradicated.

So long as they did not disrupt the lives of the important people, no one would bother with them.

On both sides of the narrow street stood fierce-looking men everywhere.

Now and then, screams and angry curses could be heard.

Outside a gambling den, a gambler was thrown out and savagely beaten with fists and kicks by the thugs.

After learning that this was Black Street, Lin Xiao signaled Little Fatty to take off his Jinyiwei uniforms and wear them inside out, lest someone recognize their identities and alert the enemy.

Everywhere they passed, those men watched them with vicious glints in their eyes.

The sight made Little Fatty tremble with fear.

After all, if their identities were exposed, it could easily bring trouble upon them. No one knew how deeply these people hated the Jinyiwei.

Every year, the Jinyiwei prison seized countless people like them, and not a single one ever walked back out. There were even many innocents among them, dragged in to take the blame for others' crimes.

When they passed an alley, Wu Zhengfeng stepped inside.

Gang members stood guard on both sides of the alley.

Lin Xiao did not rush forward. Instead, he looked at the tattoos on their arms and recognized them as members of the Venomous Snake Gang.

The Venomous Snake Gang's leader, the Snake King, was said to be a ruthless man with many skilled fighters under his command. Forcing their way in was certainly not an option; they could only think of another method.