I walk sideways in the game world

As the guard finished speaking, Ren Xiaoyao's heart trembled. Captain Zhao's last words resurfaced in his mind. Could there really be something else behind this? He suppressed his doubts and looked at Xia Lin. They both saw the solemnity in each other's eyes.

"Lead the way," Ren Xiaoyao said to the guard, his tone carrying a subtle sense of authority. The guard didn't dare to neglect him and quickly stood up, leading the two of them towards the palace.

The imperial palace was majestic and magnificent, adorned with golden splendor, showcasing the emperor's majesty. Along the way, Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin were subjected to repeated interrogations and respectful treatment by the palace guards. It was clear that the emperor attached great importance to this summons.

After passing through numerous palace gates, the two finally arrived outside the Golden Throne Hall. Eunuch Zhao had been waiting there for a long time, and upon seeing them arrive, he immediately came forward with a beaming smile.

"Young Master Ren, Miss Xia, we have finally got you here! The emperor has been waiting in the imperial study for a long time. Please follow us." Eunuch Zhao's shrill voice echoed in the empty palace. He bent his body and led the two to the imperial study.

Inside the Imperial Study, the Emperor sat upright on the Dragon Throne, his face dignified and imposing. Seeing Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin enter, he nodded slightly, signaling them to excuse themselves from the formalities.

"Xiaoyao, I summoned you into the palace this time because I have a very important matter to entrust to you." The emperor's voice was low and powerful, with an unquestionable majesty.

Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin did not dare to be negligent and immediately bowed their heads to listen.

"I'm sure you've already heard about the case of General Zhao." The emperor paused, a hint of fatigue in his tone. "I thought it was just an ordinary case of corruption, but I didn't expect that there was actually a huge conspiracy behind it, a conspiracy to overthrow our dynasty!"

The emperor slammed the armrest of the dragon throne, and a sharp light flashed in his eyes.

"I need you to help me investigate this matter and catch these traitors hiding in the dark!"

Eunuch Zhao pulled a gold medal from his sleeve, handed it to Ren Xiaoyao with both hands, and said loudly: "By the will of Heaven, the Emperor decrees, Ren Xiaoyao, accept the order!"

Ren Xiaoyao took the gold medal and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, I accept your order."

"Xiaoyao, this matter is of great importance. I hope you will treat it with caution." The emperor said solemnly, "I believe you will not let me down."

Ren Xiaoyao raised his head, looked at the emperor with a determined gaze, and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, rest assured. I will do my best to complete the task!"

"Good, good!" The emperor nodded with satisfaction. "If you have any other requests, please feel free to ask. I will do my best to satisfy them."

"Your Majesty, I have something to say..."

Ren Xiaoyao took a deep breath, calmed himself, and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that if we want to completely eradicate these forces hiding in the dark, the power of the court alone is far from enough."

The emperor frowned slightly and asked, "What do you mean?"

Ren Xiaoyao explained, "These forces are deeply entrenched and complex, and their actions are secretive and difficult to track. I believe we can leverage the power of the underworld, mobilize the masses, and gather intelligence from the people. This way, we can achieve twice the result with half the effort."

The emperor pondered for a moment and asked, "Do you mean that the imperial court and the martial arts world should join forces?"

"That's right!" Ren Xiaoyao said firmly, "There are many loyal and righteous people in the martial arts world. They hate evil and are brave and chivalrous. If we can get their help, it will be of great benefit to investigating this matter."

The emperor nodded, expressing his appreciation for Ren Xiaoyao's proposal. He had always understood that to govern a country well, relying solely on the power of the imperial court was far from enough; support from the people was also necessary. While the Jianghu forces might seem scattered, they were a force that could not be ignored.

"Xiaoyao, your suggestion makes perfect sense. I approve it!" the emperor said solemnly. "I will issue an edict calling on all martial artists to assist the court in investigating this matter. Anyone who provides useful clues will be handsomely rewarded!"

"Your Majesty is wise!" Ren Xiaoyao said with a bow, "I have another humble request."

"But it doesn't matter."

"I hope the Emperor can grant me certain powers so that I can more easily mobilize resources from all sides when investigating this matter."

The emperor thought for a moment, then nodded and agreed, "I grant you a gold medal. When you see this medal, it will be as if you saw me in person. With this medal, you can mobilize any resources you need."

Ren Xiaoyao took the gold medal and knelt down again to express his gratitude, "I thank you for your grace!"

"Okay, it's getting late. You two should go back and rest early." The emperor waved his hand, signaling the two to leave.

Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin bowed and left the imperial study. Eunuch Zhao followed them with a smile and escorted them out of the palace.

"Young Master Ren, Miss Xia, I'll take you here." Eunuch Zhao stopped and said with a smile, "The Emperor has high hopes for you two. You must not let him down."

"Don't worry, Eunuch Zhao, we will do our best to live up to the emperor's grace!" Ren Xiaoyao said with a bow.

After bidding farewell to Eunuch Zhao, Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin walked side by side on the way back to the inn. Neither of them spoke, each thinking about their own thoughts.

"Xiaoyao," Xia Lin suddenly spoke, breaking the silence. "Do you think we can truly complete the mission assigned by the Emperor?"

Ren Xiaoyao turned to look at Xia Lin, his eyes gleaming with determination. "No matter how many difficulties and obstacles lie ahead, we must complete the mission, because..."

He paused, looked towards the direction of the palace, and said in a firm tone, "Because this is the mission we shoulder!"

Xia Lin was about to say something else when she was interrupted by the sound of footsteps. She turned and saw several men in official uniforms approaching them. The leader had a stern face and a righteous look in his eyes.

He walked up to Ren Xiaoyao, bowed, and said in a deep voice: "I am Lord Wang, the Minister of Justice. I have come here by the order of the Emperor..."

"I am Lord Wang, the Minister of Justice. I have come here on the orders of the Emperor to assist Young Master Ren." Lord Wang spoke sincerely, his eyes full of admiration.

Ren Xiaoyao was slightly startled, then reacted and quickly bowed in return: "Your Excellency, Lord Wang, you are too polite. The Emperor trusts me so much, I will do my best!"

"Mr. Ren, who is this?" Lord Wang noticed Xia Lin standing beside him and asked curiously.

"My name is Xia Lin, and I'm Ren Xiaoyao's assistant." Xia Lin smiled slightly and answered gracefully.

"So it's Miss Xia. Nice to meet you," Lord Wang said with a bow. "The Emperor has already instructed me that if Young Master Ren and Miss Xia need anything regarding the investigation, please feel free to ask."

"Thank you very much, Lord Wang," Ren Xiaoyao said gratefully. He knew that with the assistance of the Ministry of Justice, their investigation would go much more smoothly.

Lord Wang then detailed the court's current situation to Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin, and provided some clues about the mysterious organization. Ren Xiaoyao listened and analyzed the information carefully, gradually sketching out a vast and complex network in his mind.

"It seems that this force is more deeply rooted than we imagined." Ren Xiaoyao frowned and said in a deep voice.

Xia Lin also nodded in agreement: "Yes, and they are hiding very deeply. It will probably not be easy to completely eradicate them."

"Without further delay, let's head to the Ministry of Justice and study these clues carefully," Lord Wang suggested.

The three of them left the imperial study and walked through the long palace corridors towards the Ministry of Justice. Along the way, Ren Xiaoyao noticed that some palace maids and eunuchs were whispering to each other, their eyes filled with fear and uneasiness.

"It seems that the shadow of this mysterious force has shrouded the entire palace." Ren Xiaoyao said in his heart, and became more determined to bring them to justice.

After arriving at the Ministry of Justice, Lord Wang ordered all the files and evidence related to the mysterious organization to be brought to Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin for review. Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin carefully read through the files, not missing any details.

Suddenly, Ren Xiaoyao found a strange seal in a file. He had never seen the pattern of this seal before, but it gave him a sense of déjà vu.

"This seal..." Ren Xiaoyao pointed at the seal pattern, frowning, "I think I've seen it somewhere."

Charlene also came over to observe carefully, but she couldn't figure out what was going on.

"Lord Wang, do you know the origin of this seal?" Ren Xiaoyao asked.

Lord Wang shook his head, indicating that he didn't know either.

Ren Xiaoyao's mind stirred. He suddenly remembered that he had seen a similar pattern in the game world before. It was in a mysterious ancient tomb, and that tomb was said to be related to an ancient evil organization...

"Could it be..." Ren Xiaoyao's heart trembled, realizing that things might be more complicated than he imagined. This mysterious force might not be just a simple underworld organization. There might be a bigger conspiracy hidden behind them!

After bidding farewell to Lord Wang, Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin left the palace. The setting sun stretched their shadows out. They didn't speak, but each could sense the heaviness in the other's heart.

"Let's go," Ren Xiaoyao finally broke the silence. He looked up into the distance with a determined look in his eyes. "For the sake of the country's peace and the peace of the martial arts world, we must find out the truth!"

Two horses galloped out, stirring up a cloud of dust, and disappeared in the afterglow of the setting sun... What will be waiting for them ahead?