Infinite Mask Game.

"This move was indeed brilliant. Even if the mastermind doesn't take the bait, it will stabilize the situation in the capital."

In the afternoon, at the Imperial Observatory, in the study of the Director, Gu Fuhui and Wei Miao sat facing each other across a rosewood desk and had a detailed conversation.

Gu Fuhui's study was decorated mainly in red and black. A painting hung on the wall, depicting the scene of the Imperial Observatory's guards accompanying Lu Shaoqing when he ascended the throne.

The incense burner, adorned with purple gold, emits a refreshing pine scent, calming the mind and soothing the spirit.

Wei Miao smiled calmly and said, "The supervisor seems a bit lacking in confidence. I think this is a good opportunity to meet the person behind the scenes."

"The fact that the mastermind behind the scenes could create momentum with prophetic poems and disturb the capital with the plague shows how deep their intentions are. They couldn't possibly not see that this was an obvious conspiracy."

Gu Fuhui's opinions always differed from hers.

He is a practical, rigorous, and conservative person who does not agree with things that he believes are not absolutely certain.

For him, action must yield results.

“That’s right. We were clearly prepared, and this wasn’t a good time to confront us directly,” Wei Miao explained. “However, he was trapped by his own prophetic poem.”

"If the first two lines are resolved so easily, the entire poem will become a laughing stock, and the momentum built up in the early stages will be destroyed. Instead, it will boost the prestige of the court, which is not what the mastermind behind the scenes expected."

"Therefore, the plague must continue, and the court must appear powerless in order to manipulate public opinion and shake the foundation of the regime."

"Then he must assassinate Lin Ming. The situation is such that otherwise, how could it be called an open conspiracy?"

A hint of appreciation flashed across Gu Fuhui's face: "It seems that the Chief Supervisor had already made arrangements."

Wei Miao: "I'm not entirely confident either; let's see how they respond."

Gu Fuhui suddenly said, "Recently, many martial artists have taken advantage of the chaos to enter the city, and the Jingwei (the city's security forces) may not be able to investigate everyone."

Wei Miao joked, "Has it reached the point where top-tier classes are everywhere and first-tier classes are worse than dogs?"

"Not really," Gu Fuhui chuckled, "but there are a few people worth noting."

"There are several members of the Seven Sects in both the martial arts world and the imperial court. Apart from a few in the palace, the rest of the members of the imperial court's Seven Sects are currently guarding the borders. Several members of the martial arts world's Seven Sects have already arrived in the capital."

The seven major sects of the martial arts world are key targets for surveillance by the Imperial Observatory. While the Imperial Observatory has experts who have mastered special tracking techniques, obtaining information about their whereabouts requires some effort, but it is indeed possible.

"Fu Zhouwen, the sect leader of the Cloud Peak Sword Sect, Xie Rentao, the alliance leader of the Righteous Heaven Alliance, and Ji Ming, the sect leader of the Jiewu Sect, are the seven sects that have been identified. Sui Qingmeng, the pavilion master of the Flowing Pill Pavilion, also seems to be interested in setting off."

Wei Miao was no stranger to these people. The martial artists of the Seven Sects all had illustrious reputations. After embarking on the path of cultivation, unless they were completely isolated from the world, all martial artists had heard of their names.

All four are leaders of prestigious sects in the martial arts world. From the perspective of traditional righteousness and evil, the Cloud Peak Sword Sect, the Righteous Heaven Alliance, and the Flowing Pill Pavilion are considered righteous, while the Enlightenment Sect is considered demonic.

The guardian deity of the Cloud Peak Sword Sect is the Dongxuan Sword Ancestor. The worship ceremony is a trial in an illusion. The worshipper must sever their desires and be willing to spend their life with the sword, and is commonly known as a "sword person".

Major martial arts sects possess multiple statues of deities. In addition to the sect's main deity, they also have lower-level statues for disciples of mediocre talent to contemplate.

The Cloud Peak Sword Sect is renowned in the martial arts world for its swordsmanship. Its representative sword technique is "The True Path of the Ming Dynasty." Its disciples are fond of swords, aloof, and ruthless.

Fu Zhouwen was born into nobility and was known in the martial arts world as the "Sword Immortal," whose swordsmanship was elegant and otherworldly.

His most celebrated battle in the martial arts world was the struggle for sect leadership with his fellow disciple Chu Xin. At that time, he was only a top-tier disciple, and he defeated Chu Xin with a move called "Red Dust Absolute".

Chu Xin is the current Secretary Lu Ci.

After her defeat, she felt she had no face to return to her sect, and because of the rules of the martial arts world, she could not join other sects, otherwise she would be considered a traitor. So she changed her name to Lu Ci and joined the imperial court, relying on her talent to climb to her current position.

That battle became an insurmountable mental obstacle for her. She had already accumulated enough experience, but if she could not resolve the inner conflict of losing to Fu Zhouwen and losing her position as sect leader, she would face certain death in her battle against her inner demons.

The Righteous Alliance was originally a legitimate leader of the righteous path with a huge influence in the martial arts world. Its guardian deity was the Vajra Wrathful Arhat, whose characteristics were anger, stubbornness, and arrogance. Its martial arts techniques were more inclined towards offensive and defensive types, and its headquarters were located in the south.

The leader of the alliance, Xie Rentao, was a close friend of Lu Kaiyi. During the uprising, some members of the Yitian Alliance joined Lu Kaiyi's army. Although the Yitian Alliance later claimed that their individual actions were unrelated to their sect's stance, it was clear to everyone that they were acting on Xie Rentao's orders.

Therefore, the Righteous Heaven Alliance was suppressed by the imperial court both openly and covertly, and fell from its position as the leading righteous sect, while the Changxin Sect showed a tendency to rise to prominence.

Xie Rentao is a man of strong character and integrity, but he harbors considerable resentment towards the current court. His presence here today makes his stance truly unclear.

The Jiewu Sect is probably here to fish in troubled waters, and there will definitely be a lot of disciples there. They have always been good at profiting from chaos.

The guardian deity of the sect is a protector of enlightenment, but is characterized by negativity, depression, and selfishness that harms others.

Ji Ming is incredibly audacious; there's nothing he wouldn't dare to do if it were profitable. He's been wanted by the Imperial Observatory for years, but because of his exceptional abilities, he can't be stopped unless Gu Fuhui personally intervenes.

Liudan Pavilion leans more towards neutrality. It is said that its name is derived from "Feige Liudan". It is a sect that specializes in recruiting refined people from the martial arts world and has some dealings with certain civil officials in the imperial court.

The guardian deity is Wenquxing, whose characteristics are refined, humble, and fond of speaking.

Whether one is exceptionally talented in literature or merely a pretentious person, anyone who joins the Liudan Pavilion will be regarded as a "gentleman" and praised by those in the martial arts world who appreciate romance and beauty.

The current Pavilion Master, Sui Qingmeng, was the daughter of a powerful nobleman in the capital. She was renowned for her talent from a young age, possessed extraordinary talent in martial arts, and was also exceptionally beautiful, making her the dream lover of countless martial arts practitioners.

After chatting about matters of the martial world, they calculated the time, changed into casual clothes, put on bamboo hats, covered their faces with black veils, and left the Imperial Observatory through the back door, without anyone else with them.

If they weren't dressed like this, the Seven Sects warriors would be too charming, so much so that any knowledgeable warrior would know they were extraordinary.

They went there to observe the situation, not to be watched by others.

Although Beijing is one of the most prosperous capital cities in the country, there are still slums within the city.

The southwest corner of the capital was a gathering place for the poor. Most of the artisans, peddlers, and vagrants lived there.

The city was divided into administrative districts based on neighborhoods, with the powerful and wealthy living in the east and west of the city, while ordinary people lived in the south and north.

The southwest corner of the capital city's population includes Ciningfang, Langmoufang, and Quzhaofang.

Dirty, chaotic, and poor, this place has always been disliked by officials. The Clerk of Ceremonies is mainly responsible for matters of the court and has nothing to do with the southwest corner, so Pei Wenwei rarely comes here either.

The two walked together into Ciningfang in the southwest corner, where a dirt road extended inward.

The thatched huts and mud houses along the street were dilapidated, with some wooden doors teetering on the verge of collapse and paper windows yellowed and incomplete.

Garbage and debris were piled up haphazardly by the roadside, and a faint stench of decay permeated the air.

Because of government control, there were very few people on the streets. The poor stayed indoors, and when someone did come out, they looked pale and hurried, looking for help from the government.

Normally, no one cares whether people live or die here, but after the plague broke out, they were forbidden to die.

Unable to go out to work, they relied entirely on government relief.

Some civilian organizations, including martial artists, sometimes extend their generous donations here, contributing food and other necessities. (End of Chapter)