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All these thoughts flashed through Pei Xuanjing’s mind in an instant, as he continued to listen attentively to Lin Qingyi’s account.

Lin Qingyi uttered with a grave expression, “Even… if I hadn’t actively investigated, nobody would know about this at all. Do you know what this means, Brother Pei?”

This implied that the Mire Sect had penetrated even the Brocade Guards and that whoever was in contact with the Mire Sect held a high position. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to suppress this matter so easily.

Pei Xuanjing knew what Lin Qingyi intended to say but hadn’t expressed.

He shook his head and cautioned, “Brother Lin, it’s better not to mention things without concrete evidence.”

Pei Xuanjing stopped him from stating anything further.

The other party had risked disclosing such confidential information to Pei Xuanjing, which showed goodwill. Thus, until they did something against him, Pei Xuanjing would treat them as a friend.

This was Pei Xuanjing’s principle when dealing with others.

And since they were friends, he couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

He was unclear about the powerful figures supporting Lin Qingyi, but even if there were such figures, it wasn’t an affair that a newly appointed deputy commandant of the Brocade Guards like him could comment on negligently.

To be in contact with the Mire Sect and suppress the incident in Northwest Dao, even containing the news within the officials and the guards of the Northwest Dao, demonstrated their might.

Those within the Brocade Guards with such power could be counted on one hand, yet none of them was someone Lin Qingyi could afford to offend.

Indeed, even Pei Xuanjing, a third-grade martial arts master, might not necessarily be able to withdraw freely.

Because although such a person might not possess imposing individual strength, the power represented by their identity and position was not something that Pei Xuanjing, a Ione man, could contend with.

Lin Qingyi nodded, understanding the logic. He was just momentarily uncontrollable earlier.

His family were hereditary members of the Brocade Guards. They highly identified with their status as the emperor’s confidants, holding supreme honor.

Yet now, someone was betraying the emperor. It was something he couldn’t accept.

“Do you think the Two Factories know about this?” Pei Xuanjing sought to deviate the topic.

Hearing about the two biggest rivals of the Brocade Guards, Lin Qingyi was taken aback, then quickly comprehended.

The power of the Two Factories rivals that of the Brocade Guards, or even surpasses it.

But there hasn’t been any news from them, which makes the situation even more terrifying.

Having reminded Lin Qingyi, Pei Xuanjing chose to remain silent and lifted his tea cup.

Lin Qingyi understood Pei Xuanjing’s meaning and nodded.

He pulled out an invitation from his bosom and handed it to Pei Xuanjing with both hands, “Brother Pei, the Commanding Officer invites you to a banquet three days from now.”

“Hmm?” Pei Xuanjing, holding the tea cup, waited for further explanation.

Among the Brocade Guards, there was only one commander. Below him, there were two commanders of equal rank. Regarding the Commanding Officer mentioned by the other party, there were three. He was unsure if this person was the one he was thinking of.

“It is Mr. Jiang who invites Brother Pei for a visit.” Lin Qingyi stated.

The Mr. Jiang he was referring to was one of the three Commanding Officers, Jiang Bin. Though he held only a fourth-grade official position, he was regarded by the emperor as a confidant. He was the emperor’s favorite, his power second only to Commander Qian Ning.

Pei Xuanjing did not take the invitation immediately, but asked tentatively, “May I know what this is all about?”

He couldn’t see why this Commanding Officer, with whom he had no special relationship, would suddenly invite him to a banquet.

Lin Qingyi explained, “I would not dare to speculate on the Commanding Officer’s motives. But when I went to meet the Commanding Officer yesterday, your name, Brother Pei, came up in conversation. The Commanding Officer was very interested in you. He mentioned hosting a banquet to thank you for your previous assistance.”

Naturally, Pei Xuanjing didn’t believe this explanation.

Even if it was to thank him for his earlier assistance, there wouldn’t have been such a long delay.

However, he did not reject the invitation. Pei Xuanjing accepted it, “Thank you for making the trip, Brother Lin.”

Seeing that Pei Xuanjing had accepted the invitation, Lin Qingyi felt relieved.

Had Pei Xuanjing refused, he would not have known what to do. Even the Commanding Officer wouldn’t rashly offend a third-grade martial arts master.

As Lin Qingyi was about to leave, Pei Xuanjing took out several silver banknotes from his pocket and handed them over.

“It has been tiring for you, Brother Lin. Please take these back and invite your brothers for a few drinks.”

The information that Lin Qingyi brought him today was significant, and some of it was classified.

The fact that he risked leakage of such information showed his goodwill, and naturally, Pei Xuanjing had to reciprocate. The silver banknotes amounted to a few thousand taels.

Seeing Pei Xuanjing’s generous offer, a satisfied smile appeared on Lin Qingyi’s face as he contemplated how much he could keep after submitting a portion of it.

On this winter night, a few sparse stars hung from the sky.

A carriage rolled out of the alley from the residence of Gu Ji, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, onto a deserted street. It meandered slowly towards the Martial Academy.

Pang Hong had gained some weight since he started receiving instruction from Pei Xuanjing. Although he hadn’t progressed to a higher rank in the past half year, he had gradually grown stronger.

He handled the whip in his hands somewhat clumsily, steering the carriage carefully as if fearing to disturb Pei Xuanjing immersed in thought inside.

Pei Xuanjing within the carriage, eyes lightly closed, was still contemplating the conversation earlier with Gu Ji.

“At this stage, the court seems tranquil on the surface, yet stormy undercurrents brew beneath. Be careful not to fall victim to any provocations,” Gu Ji had advised Pei Xuanjing.

According to Gu Ji, some people could no longer sit idle. They didn’t want to watch the Martial Academy continue its steady progress.

Those people were bound to act, and it was highly probable that they would target Pei Xuanjing and the other editors without any significant connections.

After all, compared to others, targeting Pei Xuanjing and the other editors was low-risk for those people.

Even though Pei Xuanjing had reached the third-grade martial artist level.

Being a third-grade martial artist was impressive, no doubt.

But in some people’s opinion, using a third-grade martial artist to set an example would be even more deterrent.

“Well then, let’s see who the slaughtered ‘chicken’ is, and who the warning ‘monkey’ is.” A cold smile appeared on Pei Xuanjing’s face.

Maybe his restraint all this way had led many to think of him as an easy target.

Looking at the three figures dressed in black about dozens of yards away, Pang Hong’s face displayed tension, and thinking of Pei Xuanjing behind him, it was then replaced with confidence. “Hmm…” Pang Hong reined in the horses to a stop and called out to the figures in the distance.

“Who are you, and what do you want?”