At the Pacification Office's Thousand-Household Station, Lin Xiao sat quietly, considering his next move.
The first step of his plan had now succeeded.
He had become a Thousand-Household Officer of the Jinyiwei. Though he had merely been assigned to a local post, he still wielded considerable authority.
As for his strength, it was not at the very peak, but as long as no Great Grandmaster Realm or Shattered Realm expert appeared, no one could do anything to him.
Next, he needed to secretly develop his own power.
But to develop a force, he first needed sufficient wealth.
And the Su Family—he had to take them for himself. Later, he would send the Su Family a signal; how they chose would be up to them.
If they could not be used by him, then they could not blame him for being ruthless.
Just as Lin Xiao was pondering his next plan, Chang Le hurried in with cautious steps.
"My lord."
"What is it?"
Lin Xiao asked indifferently.
"Reporting to you, my lord, Xue Shan and I uncovered a tremendous secret in the Imperial Prison just now."
Chang Le lowered his voice.
Lin Xiao gave a slight nod. "Go on. No one is nearby."
With Lin Xiao's confirmation, Chang Le quickly said, "My lord, do you remember the Flower Plucking Thief you captured the day before yesterday?"
"Of course I remember."
"After Xue Shan and I finished dealing with Yue Qi, we happened to pass by his cell. He told me that he could find the place where a Venerable had passed away in meditation."
"A Venerable?"
Lin Xiao raised a brow. He had heard of the term Venerable. In this martial world, only martial artists whose strength surpassed the Shattered Realm could be granted the title of Venerable.
The resting place of a Shattered Realm expert was indeed rather tempting.
Of course, Lin Xiao did not care all that much. The reason people yearned so deeply for Venerables was because their cultivation techniques were exceedingly alluring.
But for him, cultivation techniques were what he needed least.
Every technique he cultivated now was no worse than those cultivated by Shattered Realm martial artists.
He had simply cultivated for too short a time. Given enough time, the Void Shattering Realm would not be some legend.
"Yes, my lord. Venerables are known as the strongest beings in this world."
"The cultivation techniques they practice are priceless treasures. If one could obtain a Venerable's cultivation technique, becoming a Venerable in the future might not be guaranteed, but breaking through to the Great Grandmaster Realm would pose no problem."
"I wonder whether you have such intentions, my lord. If you obtained that Venerable's technique, your strength would surely rise another level. Once you broke through to the Great Grandmaster Realm, you could be made a marquis or appointed a minister within the imperial court."
Lin Xiao waved his hand. "No matter. I do not care for the technique of a mere Shattered Realm martial artist. However, I am somewhat interested in that Venerable's accumulated wealth."
"If I can obtain that Venerable's stores, they will be far more useful to me than any cultivation technique."
"I'll leave this matter to you. Make him reveal the location where that Venerable passed away in meditation. As for that Flower Plucking Thief, there is no need to keep him alive."
"Yes, my lord."
Chang Le was somewhat puzzled. His lord was actually uninterested in a Venerable's cultivation technique. If it were anyone else, they would likely have been beside themselves with excitement long ago.
If this news spread through the martial world, it would likely stir up a storm of blood and carnage. Even Great Grandmaster Realm experts would have to make a move.
But he was a smart man. Even with doubts in his heart, he did not voice them and could only carry out his orders.
Yet when Chang Le arrived at the Imperial Prison, his expression changed drastically.
Every jailer in the entire Imperial Prison had been brutally slain, while the Flower Plucking Bandit had vanished without a trace.
Only Xue Shan still clung to a single breath.
"Xue Shan! Xue Shan!"
Chang Le hurried forward and checked his breathing. Once he confirmed that Xue Shan still had a breath left, he quickly supported him and left.
"My lord, something terrible has happened! A great upheaval has struck the Imperial Prison. Xue Shan has been severely injured, and the Flower Plucking Bandit has vanished into thin air."
Inside the Thousand-Household Station.
Chang Le raced back at full speed, carrying the barely alive Xue Shan on his back.
A cold glint flashed through Lin Xiao's eyes when he saw Xue Shan's condition.
With a movement of his body, he instantly appeared beside Chang Le. The abundant true qi within him flowed into Xue Shan's body, treating his injuries.
After an unknown amount of time had passed, Lin Xiao had expended a third of his true qi before pulling grievously wounded Xue Shan back from death's doorstep.
"My... my lord."
The moment Xue Shan awoke, he weakly tried to speak.
Lin Xiao said calmly, "Don't rush. Speak slowly."
"My lord, I do not know who attacked. I only know that a man in black suddenly appeared in the Imperial Prison. Everyone he encountered was killed. I could not even withstand a single move from him before he sent me flying with one palm strike."
"I do not know what happened after that."
Xue Shan forced himself to finish recounting everything he knew.
Lin Xiao nodded. "No matter. That person was likely after the Flower Plucking Bandit. He must have learned about the place where the Venerable passed away in meditation."
"My lord, who exactly is this person? He was able to infiltrate the Jinyiwei's Imperial Prison without a sound and leave not a single survivor. He is simply outrageously bold."
Chang Le said, drawing in a cold breath.
Lin Xiao gave a cold laugh. "Does that even require guessing?"
"Someone who could plant informants in the Imperial Prison and sneak into it without alerting our Pacification Office must naturally be someone within the Pacification Office."
"As for who exactly this person is, I have a few guesses."
"My lord, could it be..."
Chang Le did not dare continue.
Lin Xiao nodded. "It is more or less those two. But we need not concern ourselves with this matter. Since the Imperial Prison has been bathed in blood, Pei Suifeng will naturally have to explain it to those above. As for the one who abducted the Flower Plucking Bandit, sooner or later, he will show his fox's tail."
"I do not believe the opening of a Venerable's resting place will be so easy that not even a whisper of news leaks out."
"My lord, you truly know how to keep your composure. If I were in your place and saw something that should have been mine snatched away, I definitely would not be this calm."
Chang Le gave a thumbs-up as he praised him.
Hearing Chang Le's words, Xue Shan could not help rolling his eyes despite his severe injuries. "That is why you will never become like my lord."
Chang Le said irritably, "Old Xue, you are in this state and you still want to bicker with me?"
"Do you not know that I deserve half the credit for you getting your life back? Once you recover, you must repay this favor."
Meanwhile.
News of the Imperial Prison's bloody purge had already spread throughout the entire Pacification Office.
When Pacification Envoy Pei Suifeng heard the news, he flew into a towering rage.
"Outrageous! This is simply brazen beyond all bounds! Someone actually dared to bathe the Jinyiwei's Imperial Prison in blood! Investigate it! No matter who it is, once they are discovered, kill them without mercy!"
Elsewhere, Yan Lifeng also received the news, and his brows furrowed tightly.
"Who could be so bold as to slaughter the entire Imperial Prison?"
"Someone, go and investigate the Imperial Prison massacre in detail. Remember, it must be thorough. Do not miss a single detail."
"Yes, my lord."
A Hundred-Household Officer accepted the order and departed.
Naturally, the Jinyiwei Imperial Prison being bathed in blood could not be kept hidden. Before long, the news spread throughout the martial world of Stability Prefecture as well.
Some wandering martial artists could not help clapping and cheering.
They had never expected that place known as hell would one day meet such a fate. It was truly immensely gratifying.
Lately, major events had been occurring one after another in Stability Prefecture's martial world. First, Banner Officer Lin Xiao rose to prominence, suppressing the entire martial world of Stability Prefecture with one man and one blade.
Then the Jinyiwei Imperial Prison was bathed in blood. After all this, Stability Prefecture would likely find it difficult to remain stable.
Before you continue