Imperial henchmen? My divine skills are all hacked versions.

"My distant cousin."

Xu Xian said expressionlessly, "You've come to stay with relatives, so you'll be locked up behind iron gates for a while."

Zhao Bao's eyes darted between Hua Xi's and Xu Xian's faces, then he pulled a sesame seed cake from his pocket.

"Little sister, what's your name? How old are you? What's your relationship with Brother Xu?"

Hua Xi took the sesame seed cake and smiled sweetly. "My name is Hua Xi, I'm sixteen years old, and this is my brother."

Zhao Bao was stunned by the laugh. He clutched his chest, stood up, and looked at Xu Xian with an expression that said, "I don't understand, but I'm deeply shocked."

"Brother Xu, when did you get such a beautiful distant cousin? You've lived behind bars for so many years and never mentioned her..."

"Just now."

"You just recognized a distant cousin?!"

"The distant relative is someone we just recently recognized."

Xu Xian remained expressionless. "Her family has encountered some trouble, so she came to rely on me. From now on, she'll be with me, so please take good care of her."

By this time, Hua Xi had already eaten half of the sesame seed cake. She tore the remaining half into small pieces and placed them in front of the tortoise. The tortoise slowly picked up a piece and chewed it slowly.

Zhao Bao then noticed that she was also holding a turtle in her arms. "What's this?"

"Prince Xiang".

Hua Xi spoke earnestly, "My friend."

Zhao Bao reached out to touch the turtle's head, but the turtle retracted its head into its shell, leaving only its two beady green eyes peeking out at him.

Zhao Bao inexplicably felt that the tortoise was scrutinizing him, and he awkwardly withdrew his hand.

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When Cao Zhengde came out of the main hall and saw Hua Xi, he was also stunned.

"Where did you get your sister from?"

Xu Xian repeated the phrase "a distant cousin has come to visit relatives," and Hua Xi gave him a sweet smile, which made Old Cao's face wrinkle with laughter.

Xu Xian kicked the sack beside his feet. "Sir, someone came to kill me last night."

"Kill you?"

Zhao Bao's eyes widened suddenly, and Cao Zhengde also frowned as he looked at him, his face full of shock.

Xu Xian nodded slightly, "I managed to turn the tables on him..."

Just as I was about to say something, I heard footsteps behind me.

Eunuch Gao led four guards from the side hall, his steps neither fast nor slow. His gaze swept over Xu Xian and Hua Xi, lingering on Hua Xi's face for less than half a second.

"Mr. Xu..."

Eunuch Gao spoke up, "How far has the investigation into the mission case progressed? His Majesty doesn't have much time left."

Xu Xian turned to face Eunuch Gao, a smile playing on his lips. "You've come at the perfect time, sir. I was just about to tell you something..."

He threw the burlap sack he was carrying on the ground, the opening of the sack came undone, revealing a pale, dead face.

Grandpa Gao's pupils contracted sharply, but returned to normal after a moment.

"Last night..."

Xu Xian dusted off his hands. "Someone broke into my house to assassinate me, but I killed him with a single palm strike. Eunuch Gao, you are very knowledgeable; could you help me identify this person?"

Grandpa Gao bent down and looked at the corpse's face.

"How would I know? I work for the Imperial Household Department, not the Ministry of Justice."

He paused, then continued, "But Xu Xian, you're only at the second level of Body Tempering, how could you kill a Meridian Opening Realm cultivator with a single palm strike?"

Xu Xian slowly turned his head, meeting Gao Gonggong's gaze with great surprise.

"How did you know this person was at the Meridian Opening Realm, Your Excellency? I only said he was an assassin, not his martial arts cultivation. You recognized him at a glance, without even needing an autopsy."

Cao Zhengde looked over and narrowed his eyes slightly.

Grandpa Gao's eyelid twitched.

"I've seen a lot in the palace, and I can tell a lot just by looking at his complexion. This man is pale and has sunken temples; he must be someone with profound inner strength."

"I see."

Xu Xian nodded, his tone sincere, "Your Excellency has a keen eye. Could you also help me determine which household this person comes from?"

"After all, experts at the Meridian Opening Realm are not as common as cabbages; there are only a handful in the entire Iron Gate Pass. The sudden appearance of an assassination investigation officer makes me think this matter needs to be investigated."

Grandpa Gao's eye twitched again. "We don't know. You'll have to look it up yourself."

"Alright..."

Xu Xian put the body back into the burlap sack, tied it up, and handed it to Zhang Hu to take to the mortuary, saying fiercely,

"I wonder which spineless bastard is pulling these dirty tricks behind the scenes, hiding their true colors and offering themselves up with such a lack of sincerity!"

As he spoke, he suddenly turned his head and said, "Father-in-law, please don't misunderstand. I didn't mean you don't have testicles. I just said it without thinking. Please don't take offense."

The old man's face turned from white to green, then from green to blue. He squeezed the bamboo handle of his whisk until it cracked, but he gritted his teeth and didn't lash out.

The four guards behind him all lowered their heads, not daring to look up. Cao Zhengde turned his head to look at the sky, while Zhao Bao looked down at the ground.

"Investigate your case quickly, His Majesty doesn't have much time left!"

Eunuch Gao snorted coldly and left with his men.

...

Only Xu Xian, Cao Zhengde, and Hua Xi remained in the courtyard.

Cao Zhengde looked at Xu Xian, "You were just testing him. Do you suspect this eunuch has a problem?"

"It's not a test."

Xu Xian took out the oil paper package from his pocket and handed Hua Xi a steamed bun.

"It's confirmed. Last night, the person who tried to assassinate me specifically named an eunuch who thought I was too clever!"

Cao Zhengde was startled and squatted down to look at him. "You can't say things like that carelessly; you'll be held responsible!"

"I knew, so I didn't say anything..."

Xu Xian ate his steamed bun. "There's no way to prove it now that the dead are dead. I can't prove that Eunuch Gao is guilty. Saying it would only cause me trouble. Do you believe me, sir?"

Cao Zhengde frowned deeply, stood up and paced back and forth, "The Marquis said that Eunuch Gao is the Crown Prince's man, you..."

"Xu Xian, you really know how to cause me trouble!"

Xu Xian's mind went blank for a moment, and he abruptly turned his head to look at Cao Zhengde, "So it's said that the Crown Prince wants to sabotage..."

"Ancestors!"

Cao Zhengde suddenly covered his mouth, gritting his teeth, "You dare say I don't dare listen! You're a bachelor, fearless of death, but I have elderly parents and young children to support, and I want to live a couple more years!"

Xu Xian understood and nodded.

If that's the case, then the matter is beyond his control.

Cao Zhengde was silent for a few moments, then sighed, "The higher-ups have their reasons. We little people still have to do what we're supposed to do. Eunuch Gao is watching, and so is the Marquis. What are your plans for the investigation next?"

"A little..."

Xu Xian stood up and thought for a moment, "Tuoba Yue said that when Black Wind Gorge was attacked, the deputy captain of the guard team, Wu Cheng, suddenly betrayed them, assassinated Captain Fang Lie from behind, and then led three people to attack from inside the formation..."

"Wu Cheng is now missing—neither alive nor dead. Fang Lie's body is not in the morgue either. His disappearance is the biggest mystery in the entire guard team."

"Finding Wu Cheng or his family might reveal who he contacted before he set off, and who instructed him. If we can find any clues with Wu Cheng's family, there might be more to the story..."

"Wu Cheng has been in the guard team for six years and has reached the third level of body tempering."

Cao Zhengde put down the official document. "He's one of the few martial arts experts in the yamen. I never imagined he would become a traitor."

Old Cao shoved a warrant into Xu Xian's arms. "Take ten men with you. Zhang Hu knows where he lives."

Xu Xian stood up, took the warrant, and told Hua Xi to wait at the Inspection Department.

Hua Xi, holding the tortoise, sat on the chair, swinging her short legs, and looked up at him, "Brother, where are you going?"

Xu Xian pinched her cheek. "Go catch the bad guys."

The little girl was so cute that he always forgot that this was a big shot who could easily defeat him with his toes.