Chapter 57: It’s a Blessing in Disguise

After instructing his eunuchs to close the Hidden Sword Pavilion, Li Tianyi immediately rushed to the Hall of Mental Cultivation where the emperor was resting.

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After rushing to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, he saw Lin Ran standing outside the door with the palace guards. His hand was on the hilt of his sword, and his expression was cold. He looked majestic.

Seeing this, Li Tian was puzzled. He thought that Lin Ran was here to complain to the emperor. Why was he standing at the door?

At this moment, Lin Ran also saw Li Tianyi. He chuckled and went forward to ask, “Eunuch Li, you’re so fast! Has the Hidden Sword Pavilion been closed?”

Seeing Lin Ran’s calm attitude, Li Tianyi couldn’t help but be vigilant. He nodded and replied, “Thank you for asking, Commander Lin. What are you doing here?”

Lin Ran smiled and returned to his post silently.

The ominous feeling in Li Tianyi’s heart intensified. Just as he was thinking about how to find out, he heard the empress’s voice coming from inside. “Someone! Prepare the carriage. I’m going to the imperial study!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

Li Tianyi replied loudly. Then, he hurriedly entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation to help the empress out.

Seeing the empress come out, the palace guards hurriedly knelt down and greeted. Only one person remained standing. It was the commander of the imperial guards, Lin Ran.

The empress had just taken a nap and was still a little sleepy. For a moment, she did not recognize Lin Ran. When she saw that someone was not kneeling, she immediately looked displeased. “How dare you! Why aren’t you kneeling when you see me?!”

Lin Ran calmly took off the sword belt and held it in his hand. “Your Majesty! My sword has been in poor condition for a long time. Just now, the sword belt suddenly fell off. I was in panic and forgot to kneel. Please forgive me, Your Majesty!”

Only then did the empress recognize Lin Ran. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “So it’s Lord Lin… This morning, I gave the order for every palace guard to upgrade their sword. Why haven’t you got your new sword yet?”

“Your Majesty! I went late due to some official affairs. The Hidden Sword Pavilion has already closed. The same goes for the hundred or so guards!”

Hearing this, Li Tianyi’s expression changed. He thought to himself, “You little bastard, so this is what you are trying to do.”

As expected, the empress’s expression instantly darkened. She pondered for a moment and shouted, “Guards! Summon the deputy commander of the palace arsenal!”

Soon, Liu Tao was brought over from the Hidden Sword Pavilion. He was so frightened that he knelt on the ground and did not dare to move.

The empress frowned slightly and asked in a low voice, “Lord Liu, changing swords is a huge matter. Even if some guards are late, they should still be allowed to upgrade their swords. How can you make the decision on your own to close the Hidden Sword Pavilion?”

“Your Majesty! I’m innocent! I…”

“Your Majesty! I want to say something!”

Liu Tao’s eyes turned red and he was about to defend himself when Li Tianyi suddenly interrupted. Li Tianyi knew that he couldn’t afford to let Lin Ran be a few moves ahead of him anymore.

Without waiting for Liu Tao to continue, Li Tianyi told the empress what had happened “truthfully” and repeatedly emphasized that Lin Ran and the others had missed the time and that he was just following orders.

Lin Ran listened silently and did not interrupt. When Li Tianyi finished speaking, Lin Ran took a step forward and said, “Your Majesty, may I ask when assassins usually assassinate?”

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of everyone present changed drastically.

Li Tianyi took a few steps forward and pointed at Lin Ran. “How dare you bring up this question! Are you colluding with those assassins?”

Lin Ran only looked at the empress without saying anything.

A moment later, the empress suddenly chuckled. “Lord Lin is right. The assassins will try to carry out their mission whenever possible. Naturally, the palace guards can’t relax for a moment. It’s understandable that they are late.”

Hearing that, Li Tianyi’s expression turned ugly.

The empress ignored that. After thinking for a moment, she ordered, “Eunuch Li, you’re just following orders. There’s naturally nothing wrong with that. However, you have to follow Lord Liu to the Hidden Sword Pavilion again and change the swords for the remaining guards.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty!”

Lin Ran and Liu Tao bowed in unison, and Li Tianyi also did so reluctantly.

After settling this conflict, the empress went straight to the imperial study. Lin Ran and the others went to the Hidden Sword Pavilion again. They walked side by side and looked harmonious, but what was on their minds was very different.

Anyone could tell that the empress was biased towards Lin Ran this time. Li Tianyi, as an eunuch who had served three previous emperors, was very sensitive to this subtle change of attitude in the emperors.

Lin Ran was thinking about how to steal the key to the Hidden Sword Pavilion at night. Liu Tao turned to look at him every few steps, clearly very curious about this new guard commander.

Li Tianyi, on the other hand, gritted his teeth. He couldn’t remember how many times he had been made a fool by Lin Ran. From this moment on, he finally decided to take the initiative to strike back!

“Just you wait. You’re not the first person to talk back to me in the palace, but you’ll definitely be the most miserable one!”

Li Tianyi looked at Lin Ran coldly and thought to himself.

At this moment, he did not realize how much danger this decision would bring him. In the end, he became Lin Ran’s stepping stone in the palace.

After the three of them returned to the Hidden Sword Pavilion, Li Tianyi opened the bronze lock and asked Liu Tao to change the swords for the remaining guards.

Lin Ran also took the opportunity to see the appearance of the key and secretly attached a wisp of sword energy to it. If not for this, he wouldn’t have bothered to go to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

When the Hidden Sword Pavilion closed again, all the guards had gotten their new swords.

Li Tianyi said a few sarcastic words and left in a hurry with the eunuchs. Lin Ran also returned to Mingzhao Hall and waited quietly for the night to make a move.

Seeing that there was still some time before the sky turned dark, Lin Ran took out the new Qimen Sword Technique.

This sword technique was difficult to understand at first glance, but with Lin Ran’s Half-Saint comprehension of the martial Dao, it only took him an hour to master the essence.

With a thought, the Yin Yang Sword appeared in his hand.

Lin Ran turned his wrist and shot out a sword light. In the next second, he appeared outside the door.

Sword light flashed again, and Lin Ran appeared in the corner of the courtyard. He did not leave any trace at all, as if he had been standing there since the beginning.

“It’s a blessing in disguise… I’ve picked up a treasure this time!”

Lin Ran couldn’t help but feel excited. With the Qimen Sword Technique and Graceful Sword Moves, he could tour the palace without alerting anyone. It was simply tailor-made for his actions tonight!