I am destroying the protagonist in the fantasy world!

"You..." The information in Dongfang Liuli's hand slipped and scattered all over the floor. She stared at Lei Yi, her eyes full of shock and disbelief.

"Liuli, what's wrong with you?" Lei Yi was startled by Dongfang Liuli's sudden reaction. He reached out to help her, but she suddenly dodged him.

"It's okay..." Dongfang Liuli took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. She bent down to pick up the information on the ground and her tone returned to her usual calmness. "I just... suddenly thought of something."

"whats the matter?"

Dongfang Liuli didn't answer. She just gave him a deep look and changed the subject: "You said before that you suspected that Young Master Murong was related to that mysterious force?"

Lei Yi nodded and recounted the details of his previous encounters with Master Murong. Although he appeared to be clueless, he was actually quite perceptive. Master Murong seemed warm and friendly, but in reality, he was a man with a sharp edge. He deftly deflected several of his attempts.

"If there really is something wrong with Young Master Murong, then the people around him might reveal their true colors." Dongfang Liuli pondered for a moment and said, "I remember he has a counselor named Gongsun Ce. He's resourceful and deeply trusted by Young Master Murong. Perhaps we can find a breakthrough through him."

Lei Yi's eyes lit up; Dongfang Liuli's proposal was exactly what he wanted. So, after some discussion, the two decided that Lei Yi would find an opportunity to approach Gongsun Ce and test his strength.

A few days later, Lei Yi visited Gongsun Ce with some calligraphy and paintings, under the pretext of asking for advice on calligraphy.

Gongsun Ce was about fifty years old, with three long strands of beard and a long green robe, giving him a certain air of immortality. When he saw Lei Yi coming to visit, he put on a polite smile and welcomed Lei Yi into his study.

While Lei Yi was discussing calligraphy with Gongsun Ce, he quietly observed his expression, trying to find flaws in his words and behavior.

Gongsun Ce is worthy of being the counselor of Master Murong. He is extremely cunning. Facing Lei Yi's temptation, he always responds with ease, without any leakage, and without revealing any flaws.

Seeing that he couldn't get anything out of Gongsun Ce, Lei Yi stopped talking and after a few pleasantries, he stood up and said goodbye.

After seeing Lei Yi off, Gongsun Ce returned to his study. The smile on his face gradually disappeared, replaced by a solemn look.

"Young Master, I'm afraid Lei Yi came here today not just to ask for advice on calligraphy." Gongsun Ce said in a low voice.

A deep voice came from behind the screen in the study: "Oh? Why do you say that, sir?"

Gongsun Ce described Lei Yi's words and actions today in detail, and finally said, "Lei Yi is definitely not as simple as he appears. He came here today, I'm afraid he has noticed something..."

The voice behind the screen was silent for a moment before slowly saying, "It seems that our Young Master Lei is smarter than I thought..." "What do you mean, sir?" Young Master Murong gently shook his folding fan, his tone unable to tell whether he was happy or angry.

"Sir, don't take it lightly," Gongsun Ce twirled his beard and pondered. "Although Lei Yi had acted foolish and reckless before, he is, after all, from..."

Gongsun Ce deliberately lowered his voice, but Master Murong understood what he meant. Lei Yi's true identity had always been a thorn in their hearts. Although they pretended to be indifferent on the surface, they had been secretly investigating his background.

"Don't worry, sir," said Master Murong, a cold light flashing in his eyes. "Even if he's a dragon crossing the river, he has to stay in my territory!"

Over the next few days, Lei Yi clearly felt a shift in the atmosphere around him. Those who had previously treated him with respect now avoided him, with some even secretly following and monitoring him.

Lei Yi knew that Master Murong had started to attack him.

One day, Lei Yi received an anonymous letter saying that an abandoned temple outside the city held clues to a mysterious force. Lei Yi knew this was most likely a trap set by Murong Gongzi, but he was skilled and daring, so he decided to take advantage of it.

At nightfall, Lei Yi and Dongfang Liuli disguised themselves and quietly sneaked into the abandoned temple. The temple was desolate, with broken walls everywhere. Moonlight filtered through the broken roof, casting mottled shadows on the ground.

"Be careful, there might be a trap here." Lei Yi warned in a low voice.

Dongfang Liuli nodded, and the two of them walked forward cautiously. At this moment, a sound of breaking air was heard, and several black shadows rushed out from the darkness and surrounded them.

"Mr. Lei, how are you?" the leading man in black said with a grim smile.

Lei Yi recognized at a glance that these men in black were all masters from Master Murong's residence. It seemed that Master Murong wanted to kill him this time.

"Who are you? Why are you stopping us?" Lei Yi asked calmly.

"I'm going to kill you!" The man in black stopped talking nonsense and attacked Lei Yi and Dongfang Liuli, waving the sword in his hand.

Lei Yi and Dongfang Liuli stood back to back, engaging in a fierce battle with the men in black. Although Lei Yi's martial arts skills had been completely lost, his agile reflexes allowed him to dodge the men's attacks at the critical moment. Dongfang Liuli, wielding a longsword, delivered a gleaming, deadly blow. After a few rounds, he had knocked several men to the ground.

However, the number of men in black was large, and each of them had great martial arts skills. Lei Yi and Dongfang Liuli gradually felt exhausted.

"Mr. Lei, you'd better surrender, lest we take action and damage the relationship." The leader of the men in black sneered.

"It's not that easy to catch me!" Lei Yi's eyes turned cold. He took out a flare from his arms and pulled the fuse hard.

A sharp whistling sound pierced the night sky, and a red flare shot up into the sky, exploding a dazzling spark in the air.

The leader of the men in black's face changed, and he roared, "No, stop him!"

However, it was too late. The light of the flare had alarmed the people nearby, and hurried footsteps were heard in the distance.

Seeing this, the leader of the men in black knew that his plan was exposed, so he dared not fight any longer and had to flee in panic with the remaining men in black.

Lei Yi and Dongfang Liuli looked in the direction where the man in black disappeared and both breathed a sigh of relief.

"Let's go too," Lei Yi said. However, the moment he turned around, he found Dongfang Liuli, his face pale, clutching his arm, blood oozing from between his fingers...

"Liu Li!"

"Liuli!" Lei Yi's heart tightened, and he quickly supported Dongfang Liuli's shaky body. Under the moonlight, Dongfang Liuli's face was as pale as paper, and the wound on his arm was shocking, and blood stained his sleeves red.

"It's okay, it's just a minor injury." Dongfang Liuli endured the pain, held Lei Yi's hand with her backhand, and signaled him not to worry.

Lei Yi felt a wave of guilt and self-blame. He knew that if Dongfang Liuli hadn't been protecting him, she wouldn't have been so easily injured. "It's all my fault. If it weren't for me..."

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Dongfang Liuli shook her head, interrupting Lei Yi's self-blame. "We are partners, aren't we? Besides, this little injury won't bother me."

Although Dongfang Liuli feigned composure, Lei Yi could clearly see the beads of sweat on her forehead. Without a word, he tore off his robe and bandaged her wound. Under the cold moonlight, his eyes were determined, and he vowed to himself: I must uncover the truth and ensure that Dongfang Liuli's injuries were not in vain!

Back at his residence, Lei Yi immediately summoned the best doctor to treat Dongfang Liuli. Fortunately, the wound wasn't deep, but the doctor repeatedly advised that she needed to rest for several days. After settling Dongfang Liuli down, Lei Yi began his investigation.

On the surface, Master Murong is a well-known and elegant young man in the city, but behind the scenes he runs various businesses. Lei Yi tries to find evidence of Master Murong's collusion with a mysterious force by asking shop assistants and merchants for help.

However, Master Murong was extremely cautious, and everyone who did business with him was very secretive about him. Lei Yi visited for several days but found nothing.

"Am I wrong?" Lei Yi couldn't help but doubt his own judgment. But his intuition told him that things were not as simple as they seemed.

Just when Lei Yi was in a deadlock, he accidentally learned from a tavern owner that Master Murong had recently been entertaining guests in a manor outside the city, and the manor was heavily guarded, and it seemed that he was conducting some secret transaction.

"It seems that my chance has come." A gleam of light flashed in Lei Yi's eyes, and he decided to visit the manor at night to find out what was going on.

However, when he sneaked into the manor, he found that all the account books and letters had been burned, leaving only a burnt smell and a mess on the ground.

"Damn it, I'm a step too late!" Lei Yi cursed inwardly. He knew that someone must have tipped off the matter in advance and destroyed all the evidence.

Who leaked the wind?

Lei Yi looked around, and faces flashed through his mind one after another.

At this moment, in Dongfang Liuli's room, the candlelight flickered, and a dark shadow quietly sneaked in...

The shadowy figure blew out the candle in Dongfang Liuli's room, plunging the room into darkness. Despite being wounded, Dongfang Liuli remained alert. She suddenly jumped up, a dagger already in her hand, pressing against the man's throat.

"It's me." Mr. Gongsun's low voice came from the darkness.

Dongfang Liuli paused and retracted the dagger. "What are you doing here?"

"Of course, I'm here to congratulate Young Master Murong on getting what he wanted." Mr. Gongsun's sinister voice echoed in the darkness. "By tomorrow morning, the news that Young Master Lei stole Young Master Murong's treasure will spread throughout the city. By then, we'll see if he still has the nerve to continue investigating."

After Mr. Gongsun left, Dongfang Liuli immediately realized the seriousness of the matter. Master Murong was taking this opportunity to destroy Lei Yi's reputation, making it impossible for him to gain a foothold, let alone investigate the truth.

The next day, rumors spread throughout the city that Lei Yi had committed theft for money. Walking down the street, Lei Yi was met with gossip and jeers.

"I didn't expect him to be this kind of person. You can only judge a person by his appearance but not by his heart!"

"What a disgrace! Don't let me see him again!"

Lei Yi knew this was a frame-up by Master Murong, but he had no evidence and could not defend himself. He clenched his fists, trying to control his anger. He knew that at this moment, he needed to remain calm and not lose his composure.

Returning to his residence, Lei Yi locked himself in his room, analyzing the current situation over and over again. Master Murong's move was truly ruthless. Not only did it cut off his investigation, it also made him infamous in the city, making it difficult for him to move forward.

"What are you going to do?" Dongfang Liuli pushed the door open and broke the silence in the room.

Lei Yi smiled bitterly and shook his head, "I can't wash myself clean even if I jump into the Yellow River."

"No, there's another way." Dongfang Liuli's eyes flashed with a gleam of light, "A way to prove your innocence and leave Master Murong with nowhere to hide..."

Lei Yi raised his head suddenly, a glimmer of hope in his eyes, "What's the solution?"

Dongfang Liuli walked to the window, looked at the towering Qingyun Peak in the distance, and said slowly: "We need to improve our strength..."