The first soldier arrived at a gallop, his horse skidding to a halt as he shouted, "No one take that money! It belongs to City Lord Bai Xi!"


    Everyone there knew the name. Bai Xi-the city judge, the magistrate—was infamous.


    Corrupt to the bone. He was the younger brother of Bai Xu, thete City Lord, and the uncle of Bai Xiaochun.


    Zhuge Liang and the other citizens reacted instantly the moment the soldier barked hismand.


    They snatched up the gold ingots and scattered in all directions, disappearing into alleys and side streets.


    The soldiers charged after them, shouting, trying to seize the gold by force-but the crowd moved too fast. Only a handful of unlucky people were caught.


    When everything finally settled, the twenty soldiers had recovered only fifteen gold ingots. Around ten citizens were seized and dragged away in chains.


    "You," one of the head soldiers barked, pointing straight at Alex. "How dare you give gold to the people?"


    The man''s eyes were full of contempt.


    Just pure disdain—as if Alex were nothing more than street trash.


    Alex stayed silent.


    He still didn''t understand the full situation yet. Instead of reacting, he discreetly slid


    a transparent strip from his storage ring.


    Gaia''s nano-device.


    He pressed it gently against the back of his neck.


    Information flooded his mind-it was Bai Xiaochun''s memories, everything the nanobots had managed to extract from the dead man''s brain.


    "You bastard!" the head soldier shouted again. "I''m talking to you! Are you mute?" Alex frowned as Bai Xiaochun''s memories slowly poured in.


    Even if Bai Xiaochun was aplete jerk—an absolute disaster of a person-from everything Alex knew, he was still the City Lord''s legitimate son.


    And in Xia, power like this was inherited.


    Bai Xiaochun was, in name andw, the next City Lord the moment his father died.


    So how dare this lowly head soldier mock him to his face?


    If he still had his former power, he would have smashed the man''s skull with a single strike and sent him crawling straight to hell. But now-right now-his body was no stronger than that of a ten-year-old child in Xia.


    Alex stepped back at once.


    "Hold it right there," a fat man on horseback said as he rode forward. "How can you treat Young Master Bai with such disrespect?"


    The head soldier stiffened and bowed deeply. "City Lord Bai, this young man is causing danger to the vigers."


    "Head soldier,” Bai Xi said calmly, lifting a hand. "I am not the City Lord. I am merely acting in the role. Do not speak incorrectly."


    "Sir," the head soldier said, bowing even lower, "all citizens already wish for you to be the City Lord. You are the only one fit for the position."


    "Enough."


    Bai Xi dismounted and walked toward Alex, his expression gentle, almost kind.


    "My nephew," he said warmly, "please forgive this head soldier. He only wishes to ensure your safety. Tell me—what happened here? Did someone rob you? And where did this moneye from?"


    Alex watched him closely.


    ssic.


    Good cop. Bad cop.


    At that exact moment, the flood of Bai Xiaochun''s memories pouring into Alex''s mind from Gaia''s nanobots finallypleted their transfer.


    In an instant, Alex understood the full picture.


    After Bai Xu''s death, Bai Xiaochun was the rightful City Lord. Byw. By blood.


    But his uncle had coveted the position for a long time. Bai Xi manipted merchants, elders, ns, and disciples-buying loyalty with money, favors, and exclusive privileges, bending thew whenever it suited him.


    For years, he convinced everyone that Bai Xiaochun was unworthy.


    Then, after the City Lord''s death, the show began. Merchants, elders, and influential citizens stepped forward, publicly pleading for Bai Xi to take temporary control of the city as the acting City Lord.


    They imed Bai Xiaochun was unfit to rule.


    That was how Bai Xi became the so-called "acting" City Lord-supposedly for the protection of the people.


    And it didn''t stop there.


    He had tried to kill Bai Xiaochun more than once.


    Then the final memory surfaced.


    Alex felt cold sweat soak his back.


    Bai Xiaochun had not died because of the V?XEN incident.


    He had already been poisoned.


    Slowly.


    Deliberately.


    The wine Bai Xi had given Bai Xiaochun was never meant to kill quickly. Taken over


    the course of months, it would slowly rot him from the inside.


    By the time the V?XEN crashed into him, Bai Xiaochun had already been half-dead.


    Now his uncle had arrived with twenty soldiers in tow.


    They weren''t here to protect him.


    They were here to finish the job.


    All Bai Xi needed was for Bai Xiaochun to die quietly, before he could ever reim the City Lord''s position.


    Alex understood this instantly.


    "Uncle Bai!” Alex rushed forward and grabbed Bai Xi''s sleeve, his hands trembling. "Thank the heavens you finally came. I was terrified they were about to kill me!”


    "My good nephew,” Bai Xi said gently, looking down at him. “Tell me what happened here."


    "Those ungrateful bastards,” Alex sobbed loudly, his voice breaking. "They smashed my wooden gate, used me of raping a woman, and said they wanted my head!"


    As he cried, he silently ordered the nanobots to assist. His breathing shook. His eyes reddened.


    Tears streamed down his face so convincingly that everyone watching believed him without question.


    "But I saw you handing out gold ingots," Bai Xi said calmly, his eyes sharp. He was certain he had already stripped this nephew of everyst coin. "Where did the moneye from?"


    “Uncle,” Alex said desperately, "yesterday I found myte father''s hidden stash. Two hundred gold ingots. I thought I could use it to survive."


    His voice cracked.


    “But when those people came to kill me, I had no choice. I had to bribe them to save my life."


    He wiped his face, looking utterly broken.


    "Thanks to you, my life is saved... but all my money is gone."


    Bai Xi studied him closely. "Are you certain your father left no other funds behind?"


    "Yes, Uncle,” Alex replied immediately. "You can search my entire house. You won''t find a single coin."


    Bai Xi nced sideways.


    A silent signal.


    The head soldier stepped forward at


    once and cupped his fists. "City Lord, thete City Lord''s funds were meant for the people, not for


    personal


    use What this bastard did


    ispletely uneptable.


    He turned toward Alex, his eyes full of cruelty.


    "The money belongs to the citizens. I demand we search this house thoroughly—


    and that he be imprisoned for misusing public funds."


    The trap closed in.


    Alex stared at the head soldier and felt a violent urge to smash the man''s skull.


    But he couldn''t.


    He was weak. And Bai Xi could twist any excuse into a charge that would throw him into prison or worse.


    "He makes a solid argument," Bai Xi said calmly. "As the acting City Lord, I must proceed ording to thew for the citizen."


    He turned to Alex, his face filled with false regret. “Nephew, I''m sorry. But I have to take you to court for proper judgment.”


    "Wait, Uncle," Alex said quickly. "If that money belongs to the City Lord for the people''s prosperity-didn''t you just see me give it to the people?"


    Silence fell.


    "And since I gave that money to the people," Alex continued, his voice firm, "you have no right to put them in chains. Thew protects them. You should free them." The citizens who had been caught spoke up at once.


    "Yes! Young Master Bai gave it to us," one of them said desperately. "You have no right to arrest us. We did nothing wrong."


    "That''s right!” another chained citizen shouted in agreement.


    Bai Xi didn''t respond.


    The head soldier nced at him, waiting for instruction.


    Bai Xi gave a subtle signal.


    The next instant, the head soldier pped Alex hard across the face. "Who do you


    think you are, making your own interpretations?" he snarled.


    "You''re not the city magistrate. I use you of stealing City Lord funds and


    distributing them without authorization."


    "Yes," Bai Xi added lightly. "You were not permitted to use that money."


    Alex looked at both of them and understood.


    They weren''t arguingw.


    They were asserting power.


    "Byw," Alex said coldly, forcing himself upright, "I am the City Lord. You, Uncle, are only acting in my


    ce. And use City Lord funds for the people.


    .bam allowed to


    That is my own money."


    "Yes!" one of the citizens added


    quickly. "Bai Xiaochun is the only City Lord we ept. You''re just the acting City Lord. You have no fight to arrest us when our City Lod chose to give us money."


    "He''s right!" another citizen shouted. “Bai Xiaochun is the City Lord!"


    Voices rose from farther back in the crowd.


    “Bai Xiaochun is our City Lord!"


    “Bai Xi, you pig who stole the throne-return the City Lord''s seat!"


    Bai Xi looked around. His face darkened, flushing red with rage. He gave a sharp signal to the head soldier.


    The head soldier kicked Alex with full force.


    Alex''s body flew backward more than ten meters and mmed into the ground. A


    sharp crack rang out as ribs shattered.


    Pain tore through his chest and abdomen. Blood surged up his throat and spilled


    from his mouth.


    The head soldier drew his sword, eyes burning with intent.


    "You should just die here."