My Kingdom Is Full of Spies-Why Are There So Many Around Me?

Just then, Wu Yi had finished killing the remaining bandits and was heading toward the carriage.

As soon as he approached, he said gravely, "Your Highness, these men weren't ordinary bandits."

Zhu Youning nodded. "Of course they weren't. What ordinary bandits would dare ambush an army? They were soldiers too."

"Your Highness is right."

Liu Xun came over from the front as well and said, "This subordinate has dealt with them before. They should be bandits made up of soldiers under Zhou Zunye, a subordinate general of Liu Rengong, the Lulong Jiedushi. They disguised themselves as bandits."

At this, Liu Xun paused before continuing, "Someone must have leaked Your Highness's whereabouts."

Zhu Youning casually glanced at Zhong Xiaokui. He was increasingly convinced that she might have staged the whole thing herself, creating a danger and then resolving it to win his trust and get close to him.

But Zhong Xiaokui's scheme was a little clumsy!

Of course, that was only because he was looking at things from an all-knowing perspective. As a transmigrator, he knew Zhong Xiaokui's identity, motives, and personality. Someone else might not have guessed.

"You're Zhong Xiaokui, right?"

"Yes."

"You came to pledge yourself to me?"

"Your Highness sees through everything!"

Wu Yi gently reminded him, "Your Highness, her origins are unknown." He meant that keeping this girl, whose background they knew nothing about, posed a security risk.

Although the red-clad girl claimed to belong to the Xuanming Cult, they still didn't know her well. It was best to be cautious.

But Zhu Youning smiled dismissively and said nothing more. He waved them away. "Go search the battlefield. See if you can find anything useful."

"Understood."

After Wu Yi and Liu Xun left together, Zhu Youning looked back at Zhong Xiaokui.

At this moment, Zhu Youning really did want to bring Zhong Xiaokui into his service.

As Zhong Kui of the Xuanming Cult, Zhong Xiaokui was undoubtedly a talented person. If Zhu Youning could recruit her, she would be more than capable of handling assassinations, protection, and other such tasks.

However, Zhu Youning didn't reveal what he was thinking just yet. He knew that Zhong Xiaokui secretly served the Ghost King, Zhu Youwen. Besides, she was a woman, and money or official rank wouldn't be enough to win her over easily.

So how could he make a master like Zhong Xiaokui betray Zhu Youwen and follow him wholeheartedly?

Zhu Youning thought it over, then decided to take things one step at a time. When the boat reached the bridge, it would pass beneath it.

So he said to Zhong Xiaokui, "Come aboard too, Zhong Xiaokui. It can't be comfortable talking to me while craning your neck like that."

Zhong Xiaokui froze for a moment and looked down. She didn't move, but cupped her fists and said, "There are distinctions of rank and status. This subordinate wouldn't dare share a carriage with Your Highness."

"This is an order."

"Yes."

Helpless, Zhong Xiaokui climbed into the carriage.

But once she was inside, she discovered that there were already two women in the carriage.

And something about the two women seemed off!

Zhong Xiaokui made her judgment in an instant. She had reached the Mid-Heaven Realm, and her martial arts far surpassed those of Miaocheng Tian and Xuanjing Tian, the Nine Heavens Holy Concubines of the Huan Yin Workshop. With a single glance, she could tell that the two women were no ordinary fighters.

Miaocheng Tian and Xuanjing Tian naturally sensed a threat too.

Zhong Xiaokui was short and petite, yet she gave them an unfathomable feeling.

Besides, while they had been in the carriage, they had vaguely heard words like "Zhong Kui."

Could this petite girl be Zhong Kui of the Xuanming Cult?

The Xuanming Cult was a notorious assassin organization, with a strict hierarchy.

At the very top stood the Underworld Emperor and the Ghost King. Below them were Meng Po, the Water and Fire Judges, and Zhong Kui. Below them came the Five Great Yama Kings and Black and White Impermanence. Of course, beyond all these were the Four Ancestral Corpses, who had long since left the Xuanming Cult.

In short, Zhong Kui of the Xuanming Cult was a heavyweight. If this girl really was Zhong Kui, she was not to be underestimated!

"Your Highness, who is this young lady?"

Miaocheng Tian leaned gently against Zhu Youning's chest and asked in a low voice as she watched Zhong Xiaokui.

With a beauty offering herself to him, Zhu Youning of course didn't refuse. Instead, he pulled her into his arms and said, "She's the bodyguard I just recruited. Her job is to protect me. You'll be seeing each other often, so introduce yourselves."

"This servant is Miao'er. This servant is Xuan'er."

"Zhong Xiaokui greets Miss Miao'er and Miss Xuan'er."

As she spoke, Zhong Xiaokui looked toward Zhu Youning, as though filtering out every possible threat around him. Her gaze was icy, oblivious to everyone else, like a lifeless porcelain doll.

Zhu Youning was fairly satisfied with Zhong Xiaokui's reaction. Now that was what a competent bodyguard looked like.

"Since you've decided to follow me, you must be devoted to me wholeheartedly. As long as you consider yourself one of my people, I'll never mistreat you."

Zhong Xiaokui immediately cupped her fists. "Yes."

"I'll call you Xiaokui from now on. From this day forward, you'll serve as my personal bodyguard and protect me."

"This subordinate swears to protect Your Highness with her life!"

The carriage rattled along, and every so often they could hear one of the horses up front give a nasal "pff," like a sneeze.

Zhu Youning yawned too. Drowsiness crept over him as he sat in the carriage, so he rested his head on Xuanjing Tian's soft thigh and dozed. A helpless thought crossed his mind.

Why were there so many spies around me?

Meanwhile, the Underworld Emperor, Zhu Yougui, had secretly arrived in Bianzhou and found Black and White Impermanence.

In a gloomy room, Zhu Yougui looked at the two figures kneeling before him and smiled strangely.

"There's something I'd like to trouble you two with."

Facing the Underworld Emperor, whose power was unfathomable, Chang Haoling and Chang Xuanling both felt a chill in their hearts. They hurriedly bowed and said, "Please speak, Underworld Emperor. Whatever you command, my sibling and I will do, even at the cost of our lives!"

"Mm." Zhu Yougui made a sound, then paused before saying, "I haven't seen my second brother in a long time, and I miss him terribly. Could you tell me where he is?"

"This..."

At those words, Black and White Impermanence were at a loss for words. For a moment, they didn't know how to answer.

"What, you're unwilling?"

Seeing Black and White Impermanence fall silent, Zhu Yougui abruptly changed his tone. His words brimmed with killing intent.

"No, no..."

Chang Xuanling hurriedly shook her head, but before she could finish speaking, Zhu Yougui was already beside her, moving so fast that the eye couldn't follow him.

Black and White Impermanence could clearly feel an oppressive force bearing down on them. The pressure was so intense they hardly dared to breathe.

They both knew all too well that the Underworld Emperor could take their lives with nothing more than a casual crook of his finger!

The situation had grown perilous. Chang Haoling quickly lowered himself, knowing that if he didn't show some sense, he might not make it out alive.

"We're willing, we're willing! My sibling and I are willing to serve the Underworld Emperor!"