Leyu once contemplated the appearance of the Eminences of the Four Radiant Guards: perhaps an old elder, a sullen middle-aged man, a court official who cares for the world, or even an unassuming librarian... They preside over the most shadowy intelligence agency within the Radiant Glory, having participated in countless historical events and knowing many secrets unknown to others. They're practically a mysterious organization that future generations' popular fiction must mention.

If placed in the past, they could probably compete with the 'Skull and Bones', 'Freemasonry', or the 'Rothschild Family'.

He once imagined the scene when meeting the Eminence of the Ritual Guard: a moonless and windy night ideal for murder, the Eminence takes his seat at midnight, urging you to drink another cup with him to dispel eternal sorrows... In summary, it would definitely be a scene of meeting a worthy opponent, a momentous meeting as the wheels of history roll forward.

Leyu believed meeting the Eminence was a matter of time. After all, he had become a sword scabbard, one careless move could make him the new Emperor's confidante or a treacherous minister. Wouldn't such a qualification be worthy of the organization's boss flattering him many times over?

Although the system of the Four Radiant Guards is a one-on-one mentorship, with members unaware of each other's identities, much like playing Werewolf in Yanjing, the Eminences at the top of power must have some contact with their core subordinates, otherwise how would they arrange tasks such as 'Study the Great Nation'?

This world doesn't have WeChat or long-distance voice transmission.

Thus, upon learning about the position of Direct Walker, Leyu thought it was an opportunity to learn the real identity of the Eminence, wondering whether to casually sell this information to White Night—besides wanting to do a good deed, Leyu had to admit that Lian Chanchen was right, one person dies and a position opens up, maybe he could seize the opportunity to become the new Eminence?

By then, he could exceed task expectations, replicate Zhengwei's operations in Xuanzhu County, collaborate internally and externally with the Radiant Guards and White Night, overthrow the Imperial Court within half a year, establish constitutional reforms within three years, and retire five years later to Dongyang to draw Qing Lan's eyebrows... Leaving aside other matters, Leyu felt he had some insight into this rebellion strategy.

He never expected the Four Radiant Guards could surpass the times, creating long-distance communication software.

Though it might only be usable within Yanjing.

Though it might not allow real-time communication.

Though it might only offer one-on-one communication services.

But for an organization like the Four Radiant Guards, the secretive, long-distance, and master-reassignable communication capability of the replica of the Neser Heart likely holds more significance than its special effects.

The timeliness and secrecy of intelligence transmission is of extraordinary significance in any era. For instance, if Leyu and Qing Lan each had a Neser Heart, when Leyu was ambushed by Qin Le Yin, he could call over a hundred strong men to show Qin Le Yin a fight...

When Bai Yu encountered the Bandage Assassin, they probably already notified the Eminence for protection, but the Bandage Assassin was too quick, so the dispatched Statistical Department could only clean up afterward.

It's likely the Neser Heart doesn't inherently have this communication function; the Four Radiant Guards probably added some special effects when crafting the replicas, allowing them to connect, which became a tactic for the Eminence to control subordinates without appearing directly.

Science knows no borders; technology should serve all humanity. Leyu was already planning to find a way to borrow (steal) a few Neser Hearts from the Eminence for research, to plead (coerce) the Eminence to reveal the secret of communication, and build his own telecommunications empire!

No wonder the Four Radiant Guards remain so hidden. Leyu had heard of the Assassin Organization's leader being a beautiful girl, and the White Night leader secretly being a rebellious Prince of Radiant Glory, but he'd never heard information about the Eminence of the Four Radiant Guards—not even the term 'Eminence' was known to outsiders.

The Eminence secretly chats with their subordinates daily using the Neser Heart; how could these subordinates know whether the opposite side is a burly man or a youthful girl!

Moreover, the replica of the Neser Heart can change masters; Leyu felt this wasn't about giving a member a replica, but giving every replica a tool person.

Is it people who are important? No, it's the production assets!

After playing with the Neser Heart replica for a while, Leyu finally took time to look up—at this moment, Lian Chanchen was sitting in a chair with a cat in his arms, glaring at Leyu like a frightened cat, while the fat orange cat adorably exposed its belly, clearly understanding how to please its master.

"Have you calmed down after washing your hands?" Leyu said. "Can we talk about work now? Everyone's time is precious."

Zhaoyebai hurriedly hugged Lian Chanchen's head, while Shihuai Feng sighed, but Lian Chanchen just stared venomously at Leyu: "I've just learned you have a younger brother and sister..."

"It's clear to see, you're a ruthless orphan, so you dare blatantly use my blood relatives to threaten me, after all, you've never been loved," Leyu commented indifferently. "Besides promising to lock you in a basement playing with siblings until death, what other threats can I make against you? I can't."

"Although their positions in my heart aren't that high, it's clear you'll believe I'm just covering it up; I could also say I could notify the Eminence at any time to punish you, but if you make a move, clearly I wouldn't catch you; More importantly, I typically eradicate those who've seriously offended me, but you clearly have the confidence to show off in front of me..."

"At the end of the day, they're too weak, and I'm not strong enough to protect them at all times. You know this well, so are you anticipating my futile rage? Or trying to plant a seed of unease in my heart? That might disappoint you."

"Feel free to try, let me see your methods, Raccoon Slave, see if you can handle my retribution. But the three Qin siblings aren't just ordinary people; you might even get a surprise."

Lian Chanchen wanted to say more, but at this moment Zhaoyebai tightly grasped his shoulder.

"Manager Xie is watching you," she said word by word. "You've crossed the line."

Framing the Four Guards is already a mistake, let alone threatening family members. Lian Chanchen is an indispensable member of the Righteous Guard, but that doesn't mean he can act recklessly.

Lian Chanchen sneered, "Cross then. I haven't done anything yet. Would the Manager even—"

At that moment, both Leyu and Lian Chanchen shivered, Leyu smiled, while Lian Chanchen looked furious.

"Is this your suggestion!?"

"Well, I didn't know the Eminence would really accept my suggestion, the Eminence is just too great, never regret being one of the Four Guards in this life, willing to be born in Radiant Glory in the next..."

"Qin! Le! Yin!"

"Quickly come here; in terms of punishment, my demand is really too lenient."

Leyu patted his thigh, signaling Lian Chanchen over, who trembled with anger, hands and feet cold, unable to stand. Shihuai Feng and Zhaoyebai looked at them confusedly, not knowing what was going on.

However, if they saw the communication record of Leyu's Neser Heart, they'd understand the reason for this peculiar scene:

"Hongle: Righteous Guard's Lian Chanchen threatened me... As apology, I hope he comes to let me pat his head."

"Eminence: Approved."

Heavens know why the Eminences of both the Righteous Guard and Ritual Guard could agree so quickly, or perhaps the punishment was too trivial, so they agreed casually. Anyway, in the end, Lian Chanchen reluctantly made his way step by step to stand before Leyu, unwilling and full of grievances, looking like a child called to the principal's office.

Leyu laughed, "Good raccoon slave, take off your hat, the feel won't be as good otherwise."

Lian Chanchen's face flushed like a small apple from anger, but in the end, he removed his hat, revealing his fluffy little head.

"Little raccoon slave, white so white, ears standing upright," Leyu said as he rubbed his head and pinched his cheek, humming a tune:

"Slit the arteries, then the veins, so motionless and truly... cute."

Lian Chanchen shivered.

His delicate neck was tightly grasped by five long fingers.

"I just need to give a gentle squeeze, and you're dead," Le Yu whispered in his ear with his head lowered, "Neither Director Xie nor the chief can save you."

Xian Chanchen widened his eyes and was about to speak when Le Yu suddenly gripped his neck, cutting off his breath and swallowing all his words back into his stomach.

Le Yu's wine-red long hair fell, shrouding the outside world and creating a secret environment where only the two of them could see each other.

Xian Chanchen saw a pair of eyes that showed no sadness, no joy, no anger, no hate, like a frozen lake that never melts.

"I don't care about the thoughts simmering under your cute child's skin, nor am I interested in how much suffering you've endured. Those things have nothing to do with me," Le Yu said softly. "As I said earlier, I generally annihilate my enemies, so I never have enemies."

"If I must have one, I hope it's a clever, informed, and tactful adversary with some challenge value. At the very least, they should know the meaning of 'fear.'"

"Your first mistake was thinking I'd let you make a second one."

"This time, I tattled to the chief, earning myself an opportunity to grip your neck. As for whether I'll need another chance, that depends on whether the first word you say matches my aesthetics."

"If possible, I hope your last words won't be something dull and stupid like 'if you kill me, you'll die too.'

Le Yu slightly loosened his grip on Xian Chanchen's neck, allowing him to catch his breath and speak.

Raccoon Slave panted a few breaths, stared tightly at Le Yu, and said:

"You are my tribulation."

Le Yu raised an eyebrow slightly, "It's not the first time I've heard that."

"If you lose in the Sword-Seeking Contest, the day you leave the academy will be your death date; if you die in the contest, I'll exume your grave and scatter your ashes; if you win, then I'll disappear."

"A wise decision."

"You're truly not grieving Bai Yu's death, and you truly don't value your younger siblings. Rather than wanting to protect them, you simply want to use me to vent — you're just looking for a legitimate excuse to unleash your madness. You're just like me, merely wearing a fine disguise."

Le Yu smiled, "Is that so? But am I not threatening you precisely for them?"

"Finding reasons to oppress others, I've done far more than you," Xian Chanchen said coldly, "When others laugh at me, am I truly angry? If I were angry at even this, I would've lived in rage and crossed the Seven Emotions Tribulation long ago. Joy comes from using glorious-sounding excuses to oppress others rather than anger."

"You too, Qin Le Yin. You're just looking for an opportunity to display your unyieldingness, your hatred for evil, your integrity, your pride... those who bully you get ten times returned; those who threaten you, you strike first."

"But you're not really protecting family. I don't doubt for a moment that you'd twist my neck, even if it means the Righteous Guard would hunt you and your siblings to the ends of the earth... In this world, where everyone must endure grievances, you alone live with a straight back, do you enjoy that sense of superiority?"

Le Yu raised an eyebrow slightly.

The Ice Blood Physique had several side effects, like not knowing if he was angry, like not being able to deceive his heart.

He had to admit that while oppressing Xian Chanchen, he indeed felt a sense of pleasure.

He was indeed not angered by Xian Chanchen's threats. Such negative emotions as anger were directly purged from his system. Like playing a game, he felt his rage meter was full, so he unleashed a big move to give Xian Chanchen a taste.

If genuinely protecting the Qin siblings, the proper method was to stabilize Xian Chanchen, then find an opportunity to have him assassinated, that would have been a once-and-for-all approach.

But Xian Chanchen didn't know that his "substitute" was sufficient to ensure that after committing a murder, as long as he sacrificed himself for a Righteous Guard, he could protect Qin Yueyang and Qin Yueshi.

So Le Yu didn't make the wrong choice; rather, no matter how he chose, it was the right choice.

He simply picked the most enjoyable one for himself.

Enduring makes you angrier, taking a step back makes you feel more at a loss.

"Substitute" isn't a tool to play dumb, but a foundation to hit back!

Or perhaps it was Qin Le Yin's devilish charm that ensnared him; dyeing one's hair red comes at a price.

"Finished speaking? Ready to turn in?" Le Yu said softly, "Then I'm going to grade you."

Raccoon Slave chuckled coldly, "Aren't you afraid I'll go after your family? Well, your sister's entering the Royal Academy, even if I'm bold, I wouldn't go after a shining sage student; after you enter the Sword-Seeking Contest, besides Shi Huaifeng, your brother can also be involved in the list management."

"I have a Righteous Guard apprentice spot, and I can directly recommend your brother. Becoming a peer's apprentice, coupled with managing the list, I absolutely can't touch him. Let's see if you've got the guts."

"Sounds good." Le Yu laughed, "If Qin Yueyang can immediately obtain a new Nesser Heart, that adds plenty of points~"

Xian Chanchen closed his eyes and thought for more than ten seconds, then said, "Within a month."

"Not bad, really not bad, I didn't expect you to have such resources at your disposal," Le Yu laughed, "Anything else you want to say?"

"From the moment my tribulation began, there was no chance of reconciliation between us. Either you die in Yanjing, or I leave Yanjing," Raccoon Slave stated calmly, "I only promise not to harm your family, but have you considered your own end if you fail in the Sword-Seeking Contest?"

"I assure you, the end I've envisaged is far more thrilling than you can imagine," Le Yu pinched Raccoon Slave's smiling face, and he didn't resist, seemingly intending to settle scores in the future.

"Moreover, I think there's a third option, like you being confined in my basement..."

"Feel free to try."

"I will."

Le Yu looked up, glanced at the other two tense apprentices, and smiled, "I was just chatting about life with Inspector Xian Chanchen, and we're now back to being as cordial as ever."

As ever?

How could there be anything "as ever" between you?

The two apprentices complained inwardly, while Le Yu lowered his head, extended his hand to Xian Chanchen, and said, "Congratulations Raccoon Slave, you've passed. Come, let's shake hands in celebration."

Xian Chanchen turned his head away, "I never shake hands with mad dogs."

Le Yu directly grabbed his hand and shook it, "I'm the complete opposite."