Seeing the dense and numerous deadly hidden weapons scattered on the ground, Lin Yi felt a chill down his spine, remembering how Ying Qi had been injured in the same way.

To facilitate the retrieval of documents, Judge Zhong had unlocked all the hidden weapon mechanisms in the entire bookshelf.

"Clang, clang, clang."

A whole pile of hidden weapons appeared before his eyes, putting Lin Yi under immense pressure.

It was evident that Gongsun Mo, in his quest for revenge, had never ceased to make efforts over the past decade.

However, the question arose, who supplied the raw materials to make these weapons?

During the day's toasts and exchanges, Lin Yi confirmed that once Gongsun Mo entered Qiankun Palace, he never left again.

"Right! The basement!"

Lin Yi suddenly realized, there must indeed be a basement in the vast Qiankun Palace.

Just as Lin Yi was preparing to knock and tap around, the entire Qiankun Palace suddenly trembled slightly.

Upon closer inspection, the largest column supporting Qiankun Palace had split in two from top to bottom.

That was the main pillar of Qiankun Palace! Lin Yi, terrified, flew over to stop it, but felt a cold wind approaching from behind.

Without guessing, he knew it was Gongsun Mo's Black Sand Palm attacking him. Lin Yi dodged beautifully, concentrating all his strength in his legs, and delivered a sweeping kick, hitting hard on the palm of Gongsun Mo.

However, no match for Gongsun Mo, Lin Yi recoiled in pain, landing steadily back on the ground, and said unhappily,

"Gongsun Senior, why do this? Judge Zhong has already clarified the truth for you, you should seek vengeance against your treacherous fellow eunuch."

"How can you break the bridge after crossing the river, tearing down the beams of Qiankun Palace? Do you want us to perish together? I won't comply."

Lin Yi was filled with rage, deeming the old man's temper too bizarre; nothing was acceptable. Staying any longer with him, Lin Yi felt he might go mad.

Gongsun Mo ignored Lin Yi's incessant complaints, instead nodding in satisfaction, "Your boy's inner strength is not bad, almost on the same level as that beast of a disciple of mine."

What?

This response infuriated Lin Yi.

"Gongsun Senior, could you not speak so heartbreakingly? I, Lin Yi, how can I be compared to a despicable castrated man!"

'Oh, I almost forgot, in your eyes, I am a castrated man.'

'Fine, castrated man it is, I'm not afraid of your words with my true abilities.'

After Lin Yi calmed down, Gongsun Mo slowly said,

"Young man, you need to keep your composure; this column wasn't supporting the entire Qiankun Palace."

"If you had rushed over quickly, my hidden weapons, which are blind, might have shot you dead, and then no one could release me for my revenge."

Upon hearing Gongsun Mo's words, Lin Yi sharply turned around, only to see that the gate of Qiankun Palace was already riddled with thousands of arrows.

Gongsun Mo's mechanisms were indeed relentless.

Thinking he was safe, he had even taken off his bullet-proof suit; how careless.

"Thank you, Senior Gongsun, for saving my life." Lin Yi wisely returned to the Political Discussion Room; it was indeed Gongsun Mo who had saved him.

Having promised the young Emperor to settle this matter before returning to the Imperial Study Room, Lin Yi decided not to act recklessly anymore.

Finally hearing Lin Yi sincerely thank him, Gongsun Mo felt gratified and finally opened his heart, sharing all his thoughts.

Now that it was clear that the old eunuch had plotted against Gongsun Mo's family, Gongsun Mo was naturally unwilling to let him go.

"Little brother, although we haven't known each other for long, I can tell that you are a rare talent, a great boon for the nation."

"I need your help to leave this Qiankun Palace."

Gongsun Mo's attitude was sincere, and Lin Yi let go of his reservations.

The two didn't quite get along initially, battling multiple times within the confines of the grand Qiankun Palace, each time nearly leading to death, but every clash ended in resolution.

This time, they finally stood on the same side, their target— the old eunuch.

Despite this, Lin Yi remained somewhat uneasy.

"Senior Gongsun, I repeat: my loyalty is to the current Emperor for this lifetime. If, after eliminating the old eunuch, we turn against the Emperor, I will have no choice but to use the laser cutting gun on you."

Firm determination etched Lin Yi's face.

'There are no permanent friends, only permanent interests. I'm not foolish, anyone who dares to oppose my dear wife will find my laser cutting gun aimed at them.'

Faced with such straightforwardness from Lin Yi, Gongsun Mo burst into hearty laughter.

"Haha, little brother, rest assured on this matter, for I was the main perpetrator in the past mass execution case, set up by that beast of a junior brother, and it escalated by the time it reached the late Emperor, turning into a grave charge of rebellion."

"These were all thanks to that beastly junior brother. Faced with immense pressure, the late Emperor had no choice but to conform to the consensus and execute my whole family."

"I served the late Emperor for over a decade and knew his temper well. The glory of the Gongsun family back then was all by the grace of the Emperor. Had he not executed my family, we would have certainly devoted ourselves to serving the Imperial Family."

"However, things did not go as desired. Seeing me favored by the Emperor for so long, that junior brother of mine set a trap for me, making me deeply experience what it means to 'serve the Emperor as if serving a tiger.'"

"There was a time when I was obsessed with the idea of reparation, wishing for the current Emperor's child to pay with his life as compensation to the Gongsun family."

Uttering such treasonous words, Gongsun Mo fell silent for a moment. He had a premonition that his life was near its end.

"Though imprisoned within the Qiankun Palace, I am aware that the state is currently well-governed and the nation is peaceful. The Fourth Prince and Sixth Prince have also restrained themselves quite a bit, only the Eighth Prince at Yumen Pass is restless."

"All of this could not have been achieved without your contributions, young man. Rest assured, I am old but not senile. The case back then would have led to the execution of the entire family under any king's rule."

"I will not trouble the Emperor. The late Emperor's actions were out of helplessness. Perhaps it's all fated, but I must personally execute that beastly junior brother."

After listening to Gongsun Mo's heartfelt words, Lin Yi finally relaxed. He believed in Gongsun Mo.

"Come, Senior Gongsun, let's have a drink!"

Lin Yi raised his cup, and they shook hands in agreement. At this moment, they were truly in the same boat.

Then, they discussed how to deal with the old eunuch, with Lin Yi pledging his full cooperation to Gongsun Mo.

The two had been adversaries for decades, naturally understanding each other's habits by now.

"Stop with the formalities, let's become sworn brothers. You wouldn't mind swearing brotherhood with a dying man, would you?" Gongsun Mo raised his cup, expressing his innermost thoughts.

Over the years, Lin Yi was the most forthright young man he had encountered, and unexpectedly, in his twilight years, he had found a kindred spirit.

"Alright then, Brother Gongsun, accept this bow from your junior." Lin Yi was straightforward, his instincts telling him that Gongsun Mo was trustworthy.

Otherwise, even with advanced technology in the Qiankun Palace, he couldn't avoid getting hurt.

And so, the two became brothers readily.

They enjoyed their drinks merrily, but poor Judge Zhong was still tirelessly poring over 'Zhuangzi', searching for clues.

In their lively conversation, Lin Yi noticed the golden snake jade pendant tightly held in Gongsun Mo's hand, feeling a sudden sense of déjà vu. It seemed familiar.

"Brother Gongsun, may I take a look at the jade pendant in your hand?"

…End of chapter…

Ps: Extra update today! Third update coming soon!

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