"Good! I shall trust you then!"
Xu Jiawei slammed the table lightly, smiling broadly at Cheng Gang.
"If everyone in our Star Luo Empire were as loyal and capable as you, how could our nation not prosper?"
Hearing that, Cheng Gang could barely keep a straight face. Inside, he was sweating and thinking wryly:
If everyone were like me, you wouldn't even have an empire left. You'd be the only one left—an undercover emperor inside your own palace.
Xu Jiawei raised his teacup, took a small sip, and said calmly:
"If you encounter any problems during your investigation, you may come to me directly for help."
"Understood, Your Majesty."
Cheng Gang nodded heavily, putting on the look of a man determined to crush the "Pangolin" intelligence organization once and for all. Then he asked respectfully:
"Is there anything else Your Majesty requires of me? If not, I shall take my leave so as not to disturb your rest—it's getting rather late."
"Very well," Xu Jiawei said with a slight nod, rising from his seat. "Return and rest early as well. I look forward to seeing your results."
Cheng Gang met the emperor's gaze—so full of trust—and managed to nod again, forcing down the grin tugging at his lips.
Investigate myself? And you expect me to catch the 'mole'? Impossible. Absolutely impossible!
Then a new thought flickered in his mind.
Still… maybe I could twist this to my advantage. Let Xu Jiawei start doubting his own loyalists. That would be a fine bit of internal chaos.
Smiling inwardly, Cheng Gang gave a final bow and turned to leave.
Outside the palace, the night was cool and quiet. The moon hung bright and cold overhead.
"Young master," he murmured softly toward the distant horizon, "I'll complete the task you entrusted to me. I'll await your return—patiently and faithfully."
His eyes lingered on the palace behind him, a glint of resolve in their depths.
"I've lived my whole life walking on thin ice… so I'll make sure I reach the other side."
He pulled his black cloak tighter and stepped into the shadows, vanishing into the night.
Next up, he thought with a smirk, I'll spread a story about 'evil soul masters' inside Shrek Academy. I'm sure plenty of people will love to hear that…
Back inside the palace.
As soon as Cheng Gang left, the warm smile vanished from Xu Jiawei's face. His expression went cold, eyes glinting as he asked the empty room softly:
"Senior Crushing Star, what do you think?"
Buzz, buzz, buzz—
The air in one corner rippled, and a purple figure stepped out of the distorted space—Crushing Star Douluo.
Because his martial soul was space-attribute, even though he hadn't reached the Extreme Douluo rank, he could still briefly enter spatial rifts.
"I don't think Cheng Gang is the problem," Crushing Star said after a moment of thought, stepping to where Cheng Gang had just sat. "He's Star Luo born and raised, with no recorded contact with the Sun and Moon Empire. There's no sign of betrayal. And he was telling the truth—since the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament ended, he's been in seclusion cultivating at home."
Xu Jiawei frowned slightly.
"But the mission to help the Body Sect take Jiang Jue away—only you and Cheng Gang knew of that. I can't ignore that coincidence."
Crushing Star was silent for a moment before Xu Jiawei sighed and shook his head.
Indeed, Cheng Gang's instinct had been right—Xu Jiawei had been testing him the whole time.
"By the way, Senior Crushing Star," Xu Jiawei asked suddenly, "do you know why Cheng Gang has been so obsessed with training lately?"
Crushing Star chuckled, as if recalling something amusing.
"According to Man Yi, she saw Cheng Gang beaten black and blue not long ago. My guess? He wants to train hard enough to get revenge."
Xu Jiawei blinked, then laughed lightly.
"So that's it. Then his timeline and situation don't match the traitor's movements at all. His suspicion level just dropped to almost nothing."
"That actually works out well. Sending him to investigate the Pangolin organization is the best possible arrangement."
"You've worked hard, Senior," Xu Jiawei added respectfully.
Crushing Star Douluo was one of Star Luo Empire's few Super Douluo—second only to Wang Qiu'er in sheer power.
He had served the empire for nearly a century, becoming one of its deepest foundations. Xu Jiawei naturally treated him with the utmost respect.
"Mm. Then I'll take my leave."
Crushing Star nodded once, his body flashing—and vanished back into space.
Xu Jiawei exhaled deeply, rubbing his temples.
"Haa… troubles upon troubles."
Then his eyes darkened, and a faint smile curled his lips.
"Still… my plan for one arrow and… two birds remains intact. It won't be long before the Body Sect and Mingde Hall are at each other's throats."
"Hmph! Does he think he can just take my hundred-thousand-year soul beast embryo so easily?"
The golden light of the palace flickered off his face, casting sharp shadows.
At that moment, Xu Jiawei looked less like an emperor—and more like a patient predator, waiting for his prey to step into the trap.
But whether the prey might be holding a gun of its own… he hadn't considered.
Body Sect, the next morning.
The sun rose over misty mountains, light spilling gently through drifting clouds.
After a night of cultivation, Jiang Jue pushed open his door, his mood bright and serene.
To him, nothing was more beautiful than feeling his strength grow.
"I mustn't neglect my Thunder Body Tempering. I'll reach the Golden Body realm soon."
He stretched, bones crackling like thunder, blood surging in his veins like galloping horses.
He had already memorized the route to Lei Ming Yan Yu Teng's place, and was preparing to go for another round of tempering when—
"Jiang Jue! Wait a moment!"
A gentle voice called out, and a graceful figure in white ran up to him—Vina.
She stopped in front of him, smiling sweetly.
"Where are you off to so early?"
Jiang Jue's eyes flickered slightly. He'd noticed for a while that the princess from the Heavenly Soul Empire seemed particularly interested in him—even after learning about his mutated martial soul.
"Vina, did you need something from me?" he asked calmly.
Her expression turned serious after a moment's hesitation.
"Jiang Jue… I'm not only a disciple of the Body Sect. I'm also the princess of the Heavenly Soul Empire. I'd like to speak with you—on behalf of my country."
Her eyes were steady, but beneath them was a flicker of nervousness.
Jiang Jue smiled lightly.
"So you're a princess. My apologies for not knowing sooner. What is it you'd like to discuss?"
He already had a rough guess. Likely something similar to what Xu Jiujiu of Star Luo had wanted—talk of alliances or cooperation.
But the Heavenly Soul Empire was far weaker than Star Luo—and besides, he was already setting the stage for the future unification of the continent. The three empires would inevitably fall under his plan.
"Can we go somewhere quiet to talk? I mean it sincerely," Vina asked, eyes hopeful.
"Where to? I have things to do later," Jiang Jue replied evenly.
"We could go to my cabin—or yours," she said softly, cheeks turning pink.
"No! Absolutely not!"
A furious shout cut her off.
A figure stormed toward them from not far away—Long Aotian.
His face was flushed red, his expression livid—practically radiating jealousy.
It was obvious—he was already overheated.
(End of Chapter)