Chapter 276: 276. Flirting and running away is really thrilling

Fang Zhou flicked two small fragments off the tiles and aimed them at two young palace maids. With two swift swooshes, he knocked them unconscious.

Then, he pulled out a gourd, sucked the two unconscious maids inside, and entered the gourd himself.

He separated the two unconscious maids, donned a comical mask, transforming his expression into that of a fierce devil, then awakened one of them to interrogate her about the poisoning.

When the young maid regained consciousness, she found herself in a mysterious place with a fearsome individual, thinking she had arrived in Hell. Terrified beyond belief, she trembled and answered everything without hesitation or concealment.

Fang Zhou initially wanted to try out Ya Zi’s interrogation technique, but was disappointed to find the maid so cooperative.

Middle officials are the position of inner eunuchs, and only palace maids deeply trusted by the emperor could hold such a role.

Li Shuxian was one such maid deeply trusted by Emperor George, managing all the palace affairs single-handedly.

At the beginning of the year, Li Shuxian offered Emperor George elixirs acquired from a major sect, claiming they could extend his life.

Emperor George trusted Li Shuxian deeply and took the elixirs without verification, but shortly after consumption, he became critically ill and fell into a coma.

Li Shuxian immediately bore the suspicion of poisoning. It was said that upon knowing this, Di Ao was furious and sent people throughout the empire to capture Li Shuxian. However, she had already vanished from the palace and went missing.

The case is shrouded in mystery; Li Shuxian was known to be on good terms with Di Ao, and many knew she had long been bought over by him.

Di Ao’s actions seemed more like the thief crying to catch a thief; he had Li Shuxian poison Emperor George but then planned to kill her to silence her. She was frightened and went into hiding.

Some say she has committed suicide by jumping into a well, while others claim she has secretly been caught and silenced by Di Ao.

Of course, these are merely palace rumors, the truth unknown, but Li Shuxian’s disappearance after Emperor George fell critically ill and Di Ao strengthening palace security are facts.

Fang Zhou awakened the other maid and reconfirmed the details, finding that the accounts were consistent.

Rumors must have a cause, and these tales circulated widely in the palace, perhaps intentionally spread by someone.

Qiao Sen deduced Di Ao had ambitions of usurping the throne through her behavior and actions but was unaware of the palace rumors.

As the imperial daughter, she was indeed unqualified, feeling akin to an amateur facing a canyon king in battle.

This missing Li Shuxian might be a breakthrough point. When Qiao Sen returns, they might be reminded to search for her.

Di Ao strengthening the palace guards is likely in search of Li Shuxian, as it continues without interruption, indicating she hasn’t been found yet.

Fang Zhou emerged from the gourd, released the two maids back, covered the tiles, and prepared to leave.

Just as he turned, a sudden gust of foul wind assaulted him.

Fang Zhou quickly dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding a spinning golden ring that skimmed past him with terrifying power, nearly tearing his clothes from a mere palm’s length away.

The golden ring completed a circle in the air and fell into a slender hand.

Fang Zhou turned to see the Royal Chief Sacrificial Officer standing on the other side of the rooftop, only a dozen meters away, seemingly having arrived unknown to him.

According to the information provided by Qiao Sen, the Royal Chief Sacrificial Officer was named Du Ruxue, the Sect Master of a small, remote sect, skilled enough to touch the threshold of the Innate Realm, quite formidable.

It is said Du Ruxue owed Emperor George a personal debt in her early years, leading her to abandon her sect master position and become the Royal Chief Sacrificial Officer.

Because of this reason, Du Ruxue hadn’t joined Di Ao’s faction but seemed to regard Qiao Sen unfavorably.

After Emperor George’s demise, she should resign from her position as Chief Sacrificial Officer.

Fang Zhou had sneakily infiltrated the grand formation earlier, and Du Ruxue must have noticed, yet pretended to patrol around, lulling Fang Zhou into complacency before quietly sneaking over.

If it weren’t for Fang Zhou’s swift reactions, he would have likely been smashed into a coma by her golden ring.

Du Ruxue gazed coldly at Fang Zhou and snapped, “I warned you people not to reach into the Imperial Palace. Seems like you treat my warnings as mere frivolities.”

Fang Zhou was ready to counterattack but halted at Du Ruxue’s remark.

Did she mistake his identity?

Fang Zhou lowered his voice, “I was just taking a leisurely walk after dinner to aid digestion. I’ll leave now.”

Upon hearing Fang Zhou’s voice, Du Ruxue hesitated and shot the golden ring at him again, “Playing tricks? I don’t care who you are; why are you spying on the Imperial Palace? Stay here.”

Fang Zhou saw the golden ring approaching and had no choice but to summon the Xuanyuan Sword to cut it down.

“Clang–”

An ear-piercing metallic clash, the Xuanyuan Sword was actually repelled.

Fang Zhou was startled, turned heel, and fled.

The golden ring chased closely, and Fang Zhou activated the Ripple Divine Skill, spun around, and struck it with a palm.

His palm collided with the golden ring, and ripple waves surged from his palm, forming a massive impact and shaking the tiles underfoot into fragments.

The golden ring vibrated furiously, and with a bang, it was repelled.

Fang Zhou felt an immense force from the golden ring, numbing his arms.

He leveraged this to leap backward, instantly fleeing further away, jumped off the rooftop, and laughed out loud, “If your bust were larger, I’d stay.”

Du Ruxue caught the golden ring and was about to chase before the Xuanyuan Sword transformed into four swords, three shooting towards Du Ruxue.

“Sword Control?”

Du Ruxue was taken aback, her golden ring swept out hundreds of phantom golden rings that deflected the three Xuanyuan Swords with clanks.

Fang Zhou, jumping off the rooftop, seized the moment and stepped on another Xuanyuan Sword, flying rapidly towards the palace’s exit, vanished in a swoosh.

Du Ruxue stood still, watching the direction Fang Zhou disappeared, pondered for a few seconds, then leapt towards the depths of the palace.

…

Fang Zhou flew back to Di Ao’s General Mansion along the way, quietly returned to his room, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

This Du Ruxue supposedly touched the threshold of the Innate Realm, truly formidable, not comparable to any ordinary riffraff.

The encounter with Du Ruxue was exhilarating, and fortunately, she didn’t pursue him.

In an actual fight, Fang Zhou probably wouldn’t lose, but there’s no need for a life-and-death struggle with Du Ruxue, for she’s currently a neutral NPC.

Du Ruxue initially seemed to mistake Fang Zhou’s identity, and he intended to go along with it, yet she quickly saw through it.

Fang Zhou thought meticulously and realized she initially likely mistook him for someone from the True Mother God Sect.

But once Fang Zhou spoke, he sounded like a man, whereas the True Mother God Sect had no male members.

From this perspective, Du Ruxue should have long been aware of the True Mother God Sect’s activities in the capital, and even warned them not to reach into the Imperial Palace.