— Meanwhile - Study Room —

In the study, Ximen Ren sat behind the desk, all of his smiles gone and replaced by a solemn, stern expression. His eyes looked at Official Ke as if he were looking at a worm or a maggot.

All of his benevolent air was nowhere to be found, replaced by a cold and arrogant look in his eyes.

"Give me a good reason why your plan didn’t work out," Ximen Ren demanded.

"It’s... it’s like this... my lo... grrhhh!"

Boom!

Before Official Ke could say anything, a powerful oppressive force pushed him to the ground. Official Ke tried his best to get up and kneel, but the force continued to increase.

"What’s wrong? You don’t have a good reason?" Ximen Ren asked as the pressure intensified.

It was spiritual qi pressure, the thing higher-cultivation cultivators loved to use on those beneath them. Official Ke was not a mortal without cultivation, but his cultivation was only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment.

"My lord... cough!"

He spat out blood. As the pressure increased, his ribs cracked and his internal organs began to bleed.

He thought this would be the last day of his miserable life, but suddenly, the pressure receded.

"Clean it up," Ximen Ren ordered sternly.

Then his benevolent demeanor returned, his face showing concern. He slowly stood up while Official Ke used his sleeve to wipe the bloodstains from the floor until it was clean.

Then Ximen Ren spoke a little louder, as if wanting someone to overhear.

"You don’t need to apologize. It’s normal that a person of such high status as Young Master Wei would be busy. Don’t blame yourself for this, Official Ke. I don’t mind. If fate allows, he will surely come visit us."

"Yes! Official Ke, if fate allows, a benevolent man such as Young Master Wei will surely come to meet our lord!" a voice sounded from outside the study. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

It was Bodyguard Zhao, who had come to protect Lord Ximen Ren according to Young Lady Song’s instructions. Then he continued.

"As the saying goes, kindred spirits will eventually share the same path. I believe Young Master Wei will eventually come to meet you, my lord!" Bodyguard Zhao said, hope shining in his eyes.

"What Bodyguard Zhao said is correct! Official Ke, you don’t need to blame yourself anymore!" said Ximen Ren.

"Cough! Ahem... thank... thank you, my lord." Official Ke tried his best to hide his injuries and slowly stood up.

Sniff... sniff...

Bodyguard Zhao sniffed the air before looking at Official Ke.

"Official Ke, there seems to be blood on your sleeve. Are you injured?" he asked worriedly.

Official Ke was startled, a shiver running down his spine. He could sense a deathly glare from Ximen Ren staring at him.

"No! Of course not. It’s just... cough! In my recklessness, I tried to break through in cultivation, but it backfired." Official Ke said with a rueful smile.

"This is bad! You should go to the clan medical hall as soon as possible," Bodyguard Zhao said worriedly.

"There’s... there’s no need. It’s just a minor hiccup in my cultivation." Official Ke quickly denied it. If he went there, his injuries would be exposed, and someone might grow suspicious of Lord Ximen Ren.

"Then at least let me check you." Bodyguard Zhao said worriedly as he reached for Official Ke’s arm, intending to check his pulse.

"No!" Official Ke shouted.

He quickly pulled his arm back and retreated, but the sudden movement worsened his injuries. Even so, Official Ke endured it.

Seeing such a strong reaction, Bodyguard Zhao was confused.

"It’s... it’s really nothing... I’ll take my leave first then." Official Ke cupped his fist before excusing himself and walking out of the study.

Watching Official Ke hastily retreat, Bodyguard Zhao became even more confused. The man was usually amicable toward everyone. Why did he seem so afraid to let him check his pulse, even going so far as to shout at him?

Seeing Bodyguard Zhao’s confusion, Ximen Ren shook his head with a sigh.

"It is because of my incompetence. It seems Official Ke is in a hurry to attend to his next official duty and help me navigate this crisis."

Hearing this, Bodyguard Zhao shook his head.

"There is no need to blame yourself, my lord. Helping one’s lord is the duty of servants and officials!" Bodyguard Zhao said righteously.

....

Outside, Official Ke gritted his teeth in agony. This was not the first time he had been punished like this. He desperately wanted to escape this hellhole, but he had no choice except to continue serving that hypocritical, two-faced bastard named Ximen Ren!

If not for his own naivety and hubris back when he was still serving Ximen Hao, thinking that Ximen Hao was unworthy of his intelligence and service, and that only the righteous and humble Ximen Ren deserved his loyalty, he would never have had to endure his current misery.

He quit serving Ximen Hao despite the fact that Lord Ximen Hong had tried to persuade him to remain in service to his son, Ximen Hao, who had been born to his main wife and most beloved spouse.

At the time, he believed that with Ximen Hao’s arrogance and tendency to cause trouble, he was unworthy. So he ignored Lord Ximen Hong’s advice.

He thought that if the eldest son was so useless, then he should not be the one ruling over the people. Let change come. Let the younger son become the heir so that the people could flourish and prosper.

That... had been his ideal.

Thinking back on it now...

What an utter fool he had been.

Of course, when he first entered Ximen Ren’s service, the act was still there. Just like Bodyguard Zhao now, who never questioned Ximen Ren.

But as a strategist, his powers of observation were sharper. He could glean far more information than ordinary servants.

It did not take long before he discovered Ximen Ren’s true face.

A devil.

A sly, hypocritical devil who disregarded everyone and viewed himself as the only person worthy of anything. He would go to any length to achieve his goal of becoming the heir.

By the time Official Ke realized the truth, it was already too late.

His family...

They had been relocated a day before he attempted to resign.

He could not contact them directly. The only proof that they were still alive came through occasional letters and voice transmissions sent through a transmission jade that the bastard deliberately provided him.

With his family in that bastard’s hands, he had no choice but to continue serving him.

And since he was one of the few people who knew Ximen Ren’s true face, Ximen Ren treated him like a confidant.

Using his own intelligence, he helped Ximen Ren secure numerous allies and even establish a deep connection with Lady Song Wan, the former fiancée of Ximen Hao.

Song Wan was a woman who loved martial arts and the way of Jianghu. She respected righteousness, which played perfectly into that bastard’s carefully crafted image.

Before long, Ximen Hao’s engagement was broken off, and a new engagement was being arranged between the Song Clan and Ximen Ren.

The Song Clan was the clan that had taken over military responsibilities after the downfall of the Murong Clan when they attempted to invade the Primordial Secret Realm back then.

Despite the fact that many flying ark battleships of the Vermilion Bird Dynasty had been destroyed during that conflict, the overbearing Emperor of the Vermilion Bird Dynasty, Zhu Liehuang, had not even uttered a complaint and had remained silent.

That was because the one responsible for destroying them was the young master of the Hidden Ancient Clan, the renowned Underworld Palace.

Thus...

Securing the friendship of Young Master Wei had become the next objective that bastard desperately wanted to obtain.

Curse you, Ximen Ren! You won’t escape karma! Official Ke thought indignantly.

He could only hope that he would find where that bastard hid his family soon. Otherwise, he would eventually become a scapegoat for that bastard’s botched plans!

— A Few Days Later —

Wei Chen’s Flying Ark had finally arrived at its destination, Bob’s master’s abode.

The flying ark slowly came to a stop and anchored as Wei Chen and the team descended from it and used the Portable Treasure House Camp to establish a campsite near Bob’s master’s residence.

The team responsible for maintaining the artifact quickly reassembled the portable teleportation array on the ground after the camp had been established.

At this time, a muscular old man with a build not inferior to Bob’s walked out of the forest behind the campsite.

"Who are you people? What do you need?" the old man asked good-naturedly as he looked around the campsite.

"Master!" Bob called out as he walked up to the old man with a smile.

"Huh? That voice?" The old man turned toward Bob.

"Oh! Hahaha! It’s Cotton! How are you!? Still alive, I see!" The old man laughed as he walked toward Bob and slapped his muscular arm like an elder greeting a junior he had not seen in a long time.