The system forced me to blow up the female lead's fishpond.

"what?"

Shen Zhizhi's heart skipped a beat, then she frowned as if she were troubled, "When I was a child, I accidentally got this book when I went out and learned a few moves. After I learned them, I don't know where I lost the book."

"I see." Shen Chao nodded, without suspecting anything.

Shen Zhizhi breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, her older brother wouldn't pry.

Shen Chao stared at her, feeling quite bitter.

His younger sister lost her mother at a young age and was not favored, so it's no wonder that she taught herself martial arts. Otherwise, she would have had an even harder time surviving in the Prime Minister's mansion.

He gently stroked her forehead with affection and said in a deep voice, "If anyone in the manor dares to bully you again in the future, just tell your elder brother, and he will seek justice for you."

"Yes! Thank you, brother!"

Shen Chao gazed into the girl's clear eyes, a ripple of emotion stirring within him.

He knew all too well that this grand mansion was rife with power struggles and intrigues, and that the life of a concubine's daughter would certainly not be easy.

But as long as he is there, he will never let her suffer any more harm. In the future, he will find her a good man and help her get rid of this kind of life.

……

As dusk settled and the moon lingered, a young man in a plain robe stood beneath a pear tree in the courtyard.

Because they stood facing the wind, their white robes fluttered like snowflakes, and pear blossoms fell from the sky, as if a magnificent snowfall was about to begin.

"Little Lord."

A dark figure emerged from the shadows and knelt behind him.

Zhang Jiali's gaze narrowed slightly, but he remained motionless, his voice steady: "Hmm?"

"Zhanyue Fortress has been in chaos these past few days. Within two days, they should be sending us silver, begging us to help them take on orders."

When Xue Zhi mentioned this matter, he could not hide his admiration for his young master.

The lord of Zhan Yue Fortress was extremely foolish. Relying on the Seven Stars Society's policy of not taking orders, he was greedy and recklessly took orders, resulting in an uneven distribution of manpower.

With a few clever tricks, he frequently robbed and robbed people on their way to escort goods from Zhan Yue Fort, causing them great suffering.

Even if the Lord of Zhan Yue Fortress knows that it was the Seven Star Society who did it, so what? They would never dare to cause trouble.

If he was truly that foolish, he would make public the fact that Zhan Yue Fort had tried to secure the order but was unable to complete it.

The world of martial arts is inherently complex, with various stories that are difficult to distinguish between truth and falsehood.

Regardless of whether this matter is true or false, if people in the martial arts world knew that Zhan Yue Fortress was not capable enough and was almost robbed during the escort mission, who would still feel comfortable entrusting their orders to them?

"Ah."

Zhang Jiali responded calmly, showing neither surprise nor astonishment, as if he had long anticipated that things would turn out exactly as he had imagined.

"By the way, young master." Blood General reached into his robes and pulled out a sandalwood openwork box. "Divine Physician Yin said that according to the timeline, your poison is about to relapse, so he specially asked me to give you the Qingxin Pill that I have refined."

With a slight movement, the person who had been standing motionless for so long finally turned around. "Master, he's entered the city?"

"Hmm, it seems they're going to find an old friend." Blood bowed respectfully and presented the wooden box with both hands.

Zhang Jiali hesitated for a moment before reaching out to take the wooden box.

The moment he lifted the wooden box lid, a familiar scent wafted out, rushing into his nostrils like a raging flood.

Zhang Jiali frowned sharply, forcefully shook him off, and felt a churning in his stomach. He couldn't help but take a few steps back and bend over to dry heave.

Seeing the wooden box about to hit the ground, Blood Eye quickly got up and leaped nimbly.

So, he rolled on the ground, holding the wooden box, to protect the pills inside.

Xue Zhi glanced down and saw that the pill was undamaged, and breathed a sigh of relief.

He knelt on one knee, his eyes filled with sorrow:

"Young Master! This is a pill that Physician Yin has been refining day and night. He has put in a lot of effort. Please don't throw it away. What will happen if you fall ill in the future?"

The boy leaned down from under the pear tree, his pale face as white as jade, and as the moonlight fell, it added a touch of sickly beauty.

After the medicinal smell faded from his nose, Zhang Jiali slowly stood up, his dark pupils seemingly shrouded in gloom.

"I will suppress the poison myself and tell my master later that there is no need to send this item again."

"Young Master, if the toxins in your body are not suppressed with this, it will cause you—" Xue Zhi pursed his lips, but he couldn't finish his sentence no matter what.

Zhang Jiali remained silent for a moment before taking out a gold lock from his bosom. He gently stroked the lock, his eyes filled with shattered light.

The melodious sound of the bell rang softly in the night sky, only stopping after its owner let out a sigh.

Bloodlust wanted to continue persuading, but the person in front of him stopped him in a slow, deliberate tone.

"No need for further explanation, I know what I'm doing."

"Yes." After much hesitation, Xue Zhi had no choice but to give up.

Zhang Jiali put away the golden lock, pondered for a moment, and then, as if he had thought of something, asked, "Where is Xue Liao?"

......

The Red King's Palace.

The courtyard was extremely quiet, filled with the aroma of tea.

Only the man sitting at the desk tapped his index finger lightly, his eyes cold as he stared at the six secret guards in the courtyard who had been selected through rigorous screening.

"Your Highness, these are the six most outstanding secret guards sent by the Dark Guard Pavilion," Xiao Ling said respectfully, stepping forward.

Upon hearing this, Chu Chouchi stopped tapping his index finger on the table, raised an eyebrow with a smile, and said, "Then let this prince see just what abilities you have."

As soon as he finished speaking, the red-clad youth standing in the middle stepped forward, his tone quite arrogant, "Your Highness can have them all come at once."

"How dare you! The Second Prince hasn't even spoken yet, how can you be so rude?"

Xiao Ling stepped forward angrily, drawing his sharp blade.

"Xiao Ling, step back."

Chu Chouchi waved his hand lazily, but his gaze remained fixed on the red-clad youth, a hint of interest playing on his lips. "What's your name?"

Xue Liao raised his eyes, his gaze pure and clear, with only confidence shining in them. "Your Highness, just call me Xue Liao."

"Heh, quite the boast, but I wonder if your strength matches it?" Chu Chouchi raised an eyebrow, a flash of ferocity crossing his gaze.

Xue Liao was not intimidated; a smile appeared on his lips. "This humble servant will certainly not disappoint Your Highness."

Having said that, he lightly stepped back, his tone provocative, "Everyone, come at me all at once and finish this quickly. His Highness is very busy; don't let him get tired."

The group of people who were standing still were already furious with Xue Liao's arrogant attitude. Now that he was provoking them again, their eyes flashed with murderous intent, and they pounced on him.

Xue Liao moved with agility, seemingly dodging, but would always turn his body unexpectedly, sweeping his long legs to knock the person closest to him to the ground.

Its speed was both fast and accurate, its clothes fluttering in the wind.

Chu Chouchi stared at his moves, his hand that was pouring tea suddenly stopped, and a low laugh came from his throat, tinged with a hint of appreciation.

He is both brave and resourceful; he is indeed a talented person.

"Have you investigated his background?" he asked, turning his head as if he had thought of something.

Xiao Ling turned her gaze away from Xue Liao and lowered her voice, "Yes, I checked. He used to be a bodyguard."

"A bodyguard?" Chu Chouchi's eyes narrowed slightly, the black mole on the side of his nose appearing even more clearly visible in the bright sunlight. "Why did you stop doing it later?"

"Forehead......"

Mentioning this, Xiao Ling couldn't help but chuckle, "According to him, it's because the food there is too awful, so he doesn't plan to quit."

Chu Chouchi: ? ? ?