I walk sideways in the game world

Chapter 186: Conspiracy Arrives, Trust is at Risk

Night fell over the Golden Lion Palace, a shroud of silence and a throbbing undercurrent. Ren Xiaoyao sat cross-legged on his bed, trying to calm the surging Qi within him. Outside the window, Xia Lin frowned, gazing at the heavily guarded guards, a wave of unease rising within her.

Suddenly, a series of footsteps were heard. Charlene turned alertly, only to see a guard walk in with tea and snacks. "My two distinguished guests, this is a midnight snack specially prepared for you by the king," the guard said with a humble look, placing the tray on the table.

Charlene glanced calmly at the tray and found that besides several plates of exquisite pastries, there was also a pot of steaming hot fragrant tea. Ren Xiaoyao opened his eyes, stared sharply at the pot of tea, and said coldly, "No need, we're not hungry."

The guard seemed not to hear Ren Xiaoyao's refusal and said to himself: "You two should eat something. The king said that he will summon you early tomorrow morning." After that, he bowed and walked out.

"Brother Xiaoyao, this tea..." Xia Lin lowered her voice, her eyes full of worry.

Ren Xiaoyao waved his hand, signaling her not to worry, and then calmly put a pill into his mouth. He had long been aware that since entering the Golden Lion Palace, they had been secretly monitored. And this guard was clearly one of them.

In the dead of night, the red-robed messenger stealthily came to the guard's room, took out a silver ingot from his pocket, stuffed it into the guard's hand, and said in a low voice, "How is the matter going?"

The guard's face was filled with flattering smiles: "Don't worry, sir, I have placed the item in their room as you instructed."

The red-robed envoy nodded with satisfaction, a sly glint flashing in his cold eyes. "Very good! Tomorrow morning will be the day that brat will be ruined!"

The next morning, the Golden Lion King sat in the great hall, his expression utterly gloomy. Several guards escorted two trembling maids to their knees in the center of the hall. In their hands, they held several glittering golden treasures—the Golden Lion King's most cherished possessions!

"Tell me, who asked you to steal these things?!" the Golden Lion King roared, his voice deafening.

The two maids were already frightened out of their wits. One of them said tremblingly, "Reply...Reply to the king, it was...it was those two distinguished guests...who let us...let us..."

"How dare you!" General Black Tiger slammed the table, his eyes wide with anger. "How dare you steal the treasures from the palace? How audacious!"

The Golden Lion King took a deep breath, trying to suppress the rage within him. He had originally held out a glimmer of hope for Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin, believing they might truly be here solely for the sake of diplomatic relations. However, the evidence was now irrefutable, forcing him to believe it no longer!

He closed his eyes, his voice icy cold: "Come, take those two..." The Golden Lion King closed his eyes, his voice icy cold: "Come, take those two..."

"Father! This must be the work of those two. You must stand up for your daughter!" Before the Golden Lion King could finish, the princess, who had been silent all this time, suddenly burst into tears, pointing at the two maids. "They must be trying to start a war between us and the Sky Star Kingdom! They are worthy of death!"

"Your Highness is absolutely right!" General Black Tiger also stood up and echoed in a gruff voice, "These two men have unknown origins, and now they've committed such a theft. They must be spies sent by the Sky Star Nation!"

"Your Majesty, you must not believe it!" Xia Lin wanted to explain anxiously, but was rudely interrupted by General Black Tiger.

"Shut up! You've caught them red-handed, and you're still trying to argue?" General Black Tiger's eyes widened in anger. "Come here, arrest these two thieves!"

Several guards immediately stepped forward and surrounded Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin. Ren Xiaoyao remained calm, knowing that any resistance would only make matters worse. He gently patted Xia Lin's hand, signaling her to remain calm.

"Your Majesty, we've come here to maintain diplomatic relations between our two countries. We have absolutely no ulterior motives!" Xia Lin continued to explain, "There must be a misunderstanding. Your Majesty, please understand!"

"Misunderstanding? Humph!" The Imperial Master, who had been silent until then, suddenly snorted coldly. "When I look at these two, I find them repulsive and definitely not good people! Now they've been caught red-handed, what else can I say?"

The Golden Lion King frowned. Although he was furious, he was not a fool. He was silent for a moment, then turned his gaze to Ren Xiaoyao, who had remained silent, and asked in a deep voice, "Do you have anything to say?"

Ren Xiaoyao took a deep breath and was about to speak when he saw the red-robed envoy suddenly walk out of the crowd, holding a jade pendant high in his hand, and said loudly: "Your Majesty! I have evidence to prove that these two are spies from the Tianxing Kingdom!"

The Golden Lion King frowned, motioning for him to continue. The red-robed envoy glanced at Ren Xiaoyao with pride and said loudly, "This jade pendant is a treasure passed down from generation to generation in our Golden Lion Kingdom. It's called the 'Golden Lion Token.' Seeing this token is like seeing the king! And this Golden Lion Token is exactly what I found in these two people's rooms!"

After saying this, he presented the jade pendant to the Golden Lion King. The Golden Lion King took the jade pendant and examined it carefully. He found that it was indeed a treasure of the Golden Lion Kingdom. The last trace of doubt in his heart about Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin also disappeared.

"What audacious lunatics! How dare you steal the Golden Lion Nation's most precious treasure! Come! Capture these two! Torture them severely!" Ren Xiaoyao's heart sank, as if he were falling into an icy abyss. The jade pendant in the red-robed envoy's hand was familiar to him. It was the "Golden Lion Token" he had seen in the secret room that day and then put back. He had never imagined that this jade pendant would become the sharp blade that pushed him into the abyss in this way.

He tried to explain, but the looks from those around him were filled with anger, disdain, and contempt, but not trust. Even the Golden Lion King's eyes were filled with disappointment and rage. He knew that any excuses at this moment would be futile and would only make the situation worse.

"Your Majesty! Absolutely not! There must be a misunderstanding!" Xia Lin shouted anxiously. She wanted to rush to the Golden Lion King to explain, but was stopped by General Black Tiger.

"Hmph, what else do you have to say now?" The Imperial Master looked at them coldly, a sinister glint in his eyes. "Come here, take these two thieves to the Sky Prison. I will investigate the truth and then make a decision!"

The Golden Lion King closed his eyes, as if trying his best to suppress the anger in his heart. Finally, he waved his hand and said in a deep voice, "Take them away and keep them under strict supervision!"

Two guards stepped forward and roughly escorted Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin away. Ren Xiaoyao didn't resist. He looked deeply at the red-robed envoy. The cold smile on his face made him feel even colder.

The red-robed messenger watched the two being escorted away, feeling extremely proud. He had meticulously planned this conspiracy, from sowing discord to framing others, every step was calculated with impeccable precision. Now that Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin were imprisoned, the Golden Lion King had complete faith in him, and his goal was about to be achieved.

Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin were imprisoned in a dark, damp prison cell, where sunlight never reached them year-round, and the air was filled with the stench of decay and mildew. The cell door slammed shut with a clang, completely isolating them from the outside world.

"Brother Xiaoyao, what should we do? What should we do now?" Xia Lin grabbed Ren Xiaoyao's sleeve tightly, her eyes full of anxiety and fear.

Ren Xiaoyao gently patted the back of her hand, motioning her to rest assured, but his tone was unusually heavy: "Don't worry, I will find a way." He knew that now was not the time to despair. They must find a way to crack the conspiracy as soon as possible, otherwise not only would there be no hope of forming an alliance, but even their lives might be in danger.

He began to carefully observe the cell, hoping to find some clues. Suddenly, his eyes focused and he noticed something strange in the corner of the wall...

"Xia Lin, look over there!" Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin were isolated by iron bars in a cold, damp cell. Dim light filtered through the air vents, casting a gray patch on the ground. Ren Xiaoyao knew they had to find a way to debunk the conspiracy quickly, or else not only would their alliance be hopeless, but their lives would be in jeopardy.

Charlene followed his gaze and saw that the stone in the corner of the wall was slightly darker in color and had a rougher surface, which was out of tune with the surrounding stones.

"This stone..." Xia Lin squatted down and observed it carefully, "It looks like someone has tampered with it."

Ren Xiaoyao also walked forward and knocked on the stone with his hand, making a dull sound. He tried to push it hard, but the stone didn't budge at all. But at this moment, he felt a faint air flow seeping out from the cracks in the stone.

"There's a secret passage!" Ren Xiaoyao whispered, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "This stone should be a mechanism, but I don't know how to open it."

They began to feel around the corners, hoping to find clues to open the mechanism. Time passed by minute by minute, and the occasional sound of patrolling guards outside the cell increased the pressure in their hearts.

"Brother Xiaoyao, look at this!" Xia Lin pointed to a groove under the stone, where there seemed to be some pattern engraved.

Ren Xiaoyao carefully examined it in the dim light and discovered that it was a strangely shaped golden lotus, with layers of petals meticulously carved. He was struck by the thought: he seemed to have seen this golden lotus pattern somewhere before...

"I remember now!" Ren Xiaoyao suddenly raised his head, "Golden Lion Order! There is also this golden lotus on the Golden Lion Order!"

He quickly pulled out the jade pendant he had obtained from the secret room. Carved on the jade pendant was the same lifelike golden lotus. He aligned the jade pendant with the groove on the stone and gently pressed it down.

There was a soft "click" sound, and the stone dented slightly inward. Then, the entire wall began to slowly move, revealing a pitch-black passage...

Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin exchanged a glance, each seeing hope and determination in the other's eyes. Without hesitation, they entered the passageway, the stone door behind them slowly closing, isolating them from the cell.

The passage was pitch black, with only the faint sound of air flowing echoing in his ears. Ren Xiaoyao pulled out a night-shining pearl from his bosom, and its soft light instantly illuminated the surrounding environment.

The passage was long and narrow, its walls engraved with ancient runes that emitted a faint glow. They walked forward cautiously, unsure where this secret passage led, or what awaited them beyond...

Suddenly, Ren Xiaoyao stopped walking, sensing something strange on the ground. He squatted down and gently brushed away the dust, revealing a stone slab underneath.

"Brother Xiaoyao, what's wrong?" Xia Lin asked.

Ren Xiaoyao didn't answer. He stared at the pattern on the slate, his expression growing serious. It was a lifelike red scorpion, its tail raised high, as if ready to strike a fatal blow at any moment.

"Be careful!" Ren Xiaoyao grabbed Xia Lin and protected her behind him.

At this moment, the stone slab suddenly sank, and a cold light shot out from below...