The Prefect's Truths and Lies, the Heavenly Assassin's Approach

The Old Daoist Tiansheng was taken aback upon hearing this, and then asked in confusion:

"If this is true, then why are you telling me these things?"

"You could have easily found another opportunity to fake your death and escape."

"There's only one truth. You're just trying to save face. Hmm, that's a phrase players often say."

"It really fits here perfectly."

Gao Linzhi was speechless.

This cultural invasion is ahead of the gaming invasion.

"Hmph, the only reason I'm telling you these things is because I don't want to be looked down upon by your court." Prefect Liu was taken aback, then became somewhat exasperated.

"Hehe," the Old Daoist Tiansheng shook his head, "You're not young anymore, why are you still so competitive?"

"Why did you rebel? Can't you just obediently follow the court's orders, enjoy wealth and luxury, and have everything you need?"

"Hahaha, do you think I'm a fool? A player once told me that if you're born in a feudal dynasty, you should rebel when there are difficulties, and you should create difficulties to rebel even if there aren't any. Oh, I misspoke, it's not difficulties, it's conditions," Prefect Liu said disdainfully.

"Why?"

"Because the feudal court is a zero-sum game, only the highest can be exempt from all dangers and enjoy the most and best resources. This is a transcendent place, and the Longevity Water is proof of that. If I were the emperor, I would definitely be the first to enjoy it," Prefect Liu said bitterly.

The Old Daoist Tiansheng understood.

Ultimately, it's all about greater interests.

This prefect was no ordinary person. Ordinary people would be content with a little wealth and honor, and would be content until they die of old age.

This prefect had been accustomed to a life of luxury since childhood, and only greater pursuits could satisfy him.

For example, Immortality, emperors...

Even after becoming a prefect of a region, he could not control his desires.

On the contrary, after becoming the governor, he only thought about things more.

However, he believed that the other party was more than just that cunning.

How can I tell if someone is telling the truth or lying?

He was inclined to believe that what the other person was saying was false.

Because the governor faked his death to escape, this tactic caused him great harm.

Because he was the ruler of a region.

I've never heard of a leader faking his own death.

If he pretends to be dead, his influence will dissipate quickly.

By then, feigned death will have become real death.

Therefore, sometimes, killing a body double in public can directly mean that the person in the body is dead.

Of course, if one possesses great power, there is no need to fear this.

However, if the person lacks great power and has ambitious people around, then the death of the substitute often means the death of the person as well.

Because ambitious people will turn a fake death into a real one.

No powerful figure or high-ranking official would easily resort to faking their death.

It's too easy to fake death and end up actually dead.

The Heavenly Assassin was right; not a single word spoken by anyone in the imperial court is true.

If you believe everything you hear, sooner or later they'll deceive you and wipe out your family line.

This is not an exaggeration at all.

Those families that manage to survive are often those with their own ideas and shrewdness; when war breaks out, they know to flee to the mountains rather than surrender their food and manpower.

And at this time...

Prefect Liu suddenly realized, "Oh right, I almost forgot, old Daoist priest, what brings you here?"

"Hehe, as you all know, the Imperial Observatory and the imperial court are not entirely of one mind," the Old Daoist Tiansheng said nonchalantly.

"I know that. Who would truly be of one mind with the emperor?" Prefect Liu didn't take the other person's words to heart.

There are plenty of people who criticize the emperor in private, but no one dares to do so to his face.

Of course, there's no need to report it; after all, we're all in the same boat.

"Therefore, the Imperial Observatory will not interfere in your affairs."

"Our focus is on the supernatural and the Descenders; who becomes emperor is not important to us," the Old Daoist Tiansheng continued.

"Okay, you still haven't said why you're here."

"Actually, my purpose is very simple. I came here just to ask to borrow a place from you."

"We will be stationed here long-term."

"A long-term presence? That's impossible. What exactly is your purpose? Have you discovered something strange?" Prefect Liu was still quite perceptive.

"Alright, this can't be kept from you any longer. It's in the Eye of the Storm near your Prefectural Island, not too far from your Wolf Snake Island, only about a thousand miles away." The Old Daoist Tiansheng finally revealed his purpose.

Gao Linzhi wasn't surprised to hear this, as it was within his expectations.

"A thousand miles or so isn't far. It seems this strange creature is of a very high level," Prefect Liu guessed.

"Hehe, it's alright. Anyway, do you agree or not?"

Prefect Liu was about to refuse when he suddenly remembered the Heavenly Assassin, so he could only nod and say:

"Now that things have come to this, I have no choice but to agree..."

"Etc..."

He looked at the Old Daoist Tiansheng, and suddenly there was something he didn't say.

He understood.

NN's.

He fell for it.

Why did the Heavenly Assassin, neither earlier nor later?

Also, are the Heavenly Assassin really that powerful? Why have they been able to exist indefinitely?

Clearly, these are the black gloves of the Imperial Observatory.

Just like those landlords and wealthy landowners, they often colluded with bandits.

Those local tyrants often harbor bandits to maintain their own power; it's the same principle.

Gao Linzhi had clearly thought of this as well.

Otherwise, it would all be too much of a coincidence.

He just happened to be assassinated, he just happened to have a curse to break his substitute body, and just happened to be rescued...

Too many coincidences must be suspicious.

A famous fishing detective had this intuition: if too many coincidences happen about someone, they are almost certainly the murderer.

That's how it is now.

The Imperial Observatory used both intrigue and overt strategies.

Prefect Liu had to agree, no matter what.

If Prefect Liu doesn't allow the enemy to stay here, will he have any chance of survival if the Heavenly Assassin come again?

As for why the people from the Imperial Observatory didn't directly threaten Prefect Liu with violence.

It can only be said that, after all, it is still within the imperial system, and basic face must still be given.

Those who readily disregard face and social norms are prone to falling from grace, because their actions breed resentment and discontent.

After watching a good show, Gao Linzhi learned about the intricate relationships between the Imperial Observatory, the Heavenly Assassin, the Imperial Court, and the Prefectural Governor's Office.

It's similar to the real world.

Let's all refrain from criticizing each other.

He then went to the largest restaurant in the Prefectural City — Sea Sky Tower.

Of course, we still sneaked in.

He naturally went to inquire about the situation and, incidentally, check out the conditions on Sea Sky Island.

Most importantly, he saw where the assassin had gone: the largest restaurant in the city.

The area around Sea Sky Tower is very clean, with easy access in all directions, and you can't see a single beggar.

Within a five-mile radius of the street, everything is exquisite and clean; the houses, streets, and greenery are all perfectly arranged, without anything superfluous that could spoil the mood, enough to make diners feel refreshed and relaxed.

This is a nine-story pavilion, entirely made of white jade, with expensive runes engraved on it, clearly a place for entertaining Noble Personage.

Only they have such stringent requirements for safety.

Gao Linzhi stealthily entered the Sea Sky Tower.

Despite their stringent requirements, their security measures were clearly not as stringent as those of the prefectural governor's office.

Or, to put it another way, as a commercial venue, the security level cannot be too high.

Many guests come with secrets, so the security measures at the entrance can't be too stringent.

Gao Linzhi went straight into Sea Sky Tower and found the hall bustling with noise.

It's a large area, filled with tables.

A group of people dressed in fine clothes sat there eating and drinking.

At the top of the stairs leading to the second floor, there was a sign that read:

"Only those with a strength of level 45 or above are allowed to enter the second floor."

"Level 55, proceed to the 3rd floor."

"Level 65, proceed to the 4th floor."

Upon seeing this, Gao Linzhi silently calculated in his mind: level 75 corresponds to the 5th floor, level 85 corresponds to the 6th floor, and so on. To enter the 9th floor, one would need to be level 115!

This was the first time Gao Linzhi had ever heard of such a high level.

Gao Linzhi then stealthily entered the second floor.

The second floor was much quieter, with only about a third of the seats occupied.

And there sat the gifted one, leisurely eating roast meat, stir-fried vegetables, and noodles by a window...

He has revealed his true form. He is naturally different from Gao Linzhi's puppet double. It seems that he still needs to eat, drink, and relieve himself.

Of course, eating and drinking may also be a hobby for him to regulate his mood.

After all, doing this kind of assassin work may seem cool, but it actually puts a lot of psychological pressure on you.

Because every mission has the potential to encounter unexpected problems and fail.

If their vehicle overturns, they will almost certainly die; no one will let them return alive.

Gao Linzhi naturally didn't care about any of that.

He has no psychological problems.

They wouldn't reveal their true nature just because of their appetite.

And at this time...

Gao Linzhi then noticed that some highly skilled individuals were whispering among themselves on the second floor.

"Hey, have you guys heard? Those players have started a massive attack."

"They've come in several thousand people, right outside the city on the beach," a middle-aged man boasted to his friend while drinking.

"What's a mere few thousand people?"

"Those players are all weak; they're just a bunch of good-for-nothings with no real skills."

"That's right, no matter how many they come, they'll all die. I can kill them all myself. And once they're dead, they're dead, they won't come back to life."

"That's true. I've met a few myself, and their current strength is still relatively low. Although they have great potential, it will take at least ten years for that potential to materialize."

"Heh, right now they're just cannon fodder."

Several powerful figures were eating and talking there.

The gifted one sat at the table by the window, ignoring everyone else.

He simply ate and drank slowly, occasionally calling the waiter to bring up more dishes.

Gao Linzhi knew these guys could eat as much as they wanted without gaining weight.

This is much better than those wealthy heiresses offline.

In order to enjoy the delicious food as much as possible, they would eat without swallowing and then simply give up.

In short, it was rather disgusting.

Meanwhile, the Heavenly Assassin were thoroughly enjoying all sorts of delicious food.

Even Gao Linzhi was getting a little hungry looking at it.

But he didn't care.

At this point, someone mentioned him again.

"Hey, have you heard? Our Prefect Liu, Liu Qingtian, was assassinated by Heavenly Assassin. I heard it was the Imperial Observatory who rescued him."

"How could this be? Who would dare to assassinate the governor?"

"Yes, the governor has a large number of men protecting him, how could he possibly assassinate him?"

"You don't understand. Someone once said that there is no protection in front of the Heavenly Assassin," another person said, shaking his head.

"Actually, in my opinion, the existence of the Heavenly Assassin is quite good. At least it keeps the emperor and his ministers from being too presumptuous."

"That's right."

"I've only heard that the Heavenly Assassin only target those who harm the common people and disrupt the workings of Heavenly Dao. Although Prefect Liu isn't exactly a good person, at least he's ambitious and knows how to put on an act, rather than directly preying on the people."

"Yes, if it were a governor in another place, they would definitely force us to perform various services and pay levies."

"That's right, we didn't do anything. The governors and magistrates are just looking for faults. Why are they trying to harm us?"

"Hmph, that's a tactic they use to get us to work for free."

"By finding our faults and punishing us, we are forced to work diligently in order to atone for our sins."

"In that case, the existence of the Heavenly Assassin prevents the imperial court and governors from going too far."

"That's for sure. Look at those offline worlds where there are no Heavenly Assassin, where those players live. They say some big companies can kill or shut down players whenever they want."

"That's terrible, it's much better here."

"I also think the Heavenly Assassin is pretty good."

"But many people are still dissatisfied, feeling that they only know how to kill to save people, and only save them temporarily, never knowing whether they can save them forever."

"It can only be said that human greed is insatiable," someone said fairly. "At least the Heavenly Assassin wouldn't kill innocent people indiscriminately."

"Forget it, let's just eat our food. Anyway, there are other people guarding the Prefectural City."

"Those players are quite skilled, though."

"They have all sorts of methods and all sorts of strange and wonderful ideas; they're very quick-witted."

"For example, if they want to besiege a city, the first thing they need to do is prepare the siege equipment."

"They are building catapults, and they are still using a type of kerosene."

"Many soldiers did not die on the battlefield, but in the hospital."

Gao Linzhi thought for a moment. He decided to make contact with this Heavenly Assassin and test the other party's strength.

So he revealed his true form and went to the other person's table.

Would you mind sharing a table for meals?

Gao Linzhi was just forcing a conversation; he had appeared out of nowhere.

The Heavenly Assassin laughed.

"Very good, it seems you want to join us. It looks like our organization has a successor."

Gao Linzhi was speechless. "I just came here for a meal, how did that become joining you guys?"

"Anyone who doesn't want to join us will stay far away from us, and you are one of the few who are not afraid of us."

"Heh, what's there to be afraid of? You won't indiscriminately kill innocent people."