The Royal Archives.

Liang Jing had indeed become a frequent visitor. On one hand, he sought to understand this world's texts and integrate faster. On the other, he was probing for secrets behind this crumbling empire's rapid decline—secrets beyond mere disaster and strife. Secrets concerning fate itself, and cultivation. A nagging suspicion told him something more sinister was accelerating the Great Xia's collapse.

Today, as he perused a miscellany from a previous dynasty, a subtle shift in the air made him look up.

Deep within the stacks, a slender figure stood on her toes, straining to reach a book on a high shelf. She wore a faded, old palace dress, her frame so slight it seemed a strong gust could carry her away. Struggling, she lost her balance with a small gasp, falling backward.

In a blur of motion, Liang Jing appeared behind her, his hand steadying her fall.

His touch found a waist slender enough to seemingly encircle with one hand. Even through the thin fabric, he could feel a surprising softness and... a coldness, a lack of vital warmth.

The young woman, startled, turned her head.

Their eyes met.

Liang Jing paused for a fraction of a second.

She possessed an ethereal, delicate beauty—features like a painting, skin pale as snow, yet too pale, lacking healthy color. Her eyes, wide like those of a startled fawn, held a timid innocence and panic, and in their depths, he saw his own flawlessly handsome face reflected.

She seemed to recognize him. A tremble ran through her, and she instantly pulled away from his support, dropping to her knees and pressing her forehead to the floor. Her voice was a whisper. "I... I pay my respects, Commander... This lowly maid has offended you... I deserve ten thousand deaths!"

Fragments of memory merged, identifying her.

Xia Yunshang. The Seventh Princess of the Great Xia Dynasty. Her mother was of lowly birth and died early. She had no backing in the palace, her status lower than some favored maids, perpetually confined to a neglected side palace, almost forgotten.

Liang Jing felt little stir in his heart seeing her kneel, her thin shoulders trembling slightly. The palace was full of such pitiable souls, casualties of its endless intrigues.

"Rise," he said tonelessly. "Next time, summon a eunuch to retrieve your books."

"Th-thank you, Commander." Xia Yunshang rose timidly, head bowed, not daring to look at him.

Dismissing her, Liang Jing returned to his reading. Yet, his sharp senses detected it—that timid gaze, after he turned, lingered on his back, secretive and prolonged.

He paid it no mind. Just an insignificant princess.

However, as he prepared to leave the archives, disaster struck.

Above him, a massive bookshelf laden with old scrolls let out a groan of protest. Then, without warning, it tipped forward, crashing down towards him! The heavy wooden frame and its mountainous load weighed far more than a thousand pounds. Being caught under it would mean certain death, even with his newly awakened cultivation.

"Commander, look out!" A cry, laced with tears, pierced the air.

It was the Seventh Princess, Xia Yunshang, who should have been long gone!

Somehow she had returned. Witnessing the danger, without a second thought, she threw her frail body forward, trying to shove him out of the way!

A cold light flashed in Liang Jing's eyes!

He was no ordinary man anymore. His spiritual awareness far surpassed a mortal's. The moment the shelf creaked abnormally, he knew something was wrong.

He didn't need her push. With an elusive step, his body slid aside like a gliding fish. Simultaneously, his arm swept back, pulling the lunging Xia Yunshang effortlessly into the safety of his embrace, clear of the collapse's epicenter.

CRASH!!!

The enormous shelf smashed onto the floor, sending a cloud of dust and a cascade of scrolls into the air.

The thunderous noise brought guards and eunuchs rushing in, cries of alarm on their lips.

Holding the trembling, deathly pale princess in his arms, Liang Jing's icy gaze scanned the broken edge of the fallen shelf.

There were clear marks. Saw marks. Made by a sharp tool.

This was no accident. It was murder. Meticulously planned murder, targeting him.

Who? Lin Wenzheng? Other court enemies? Or... someone within the palace itself?

Killing intent surged within him.

He looked down at the girl in his arms, still terrified, yet instinctively clutching the front of his robes.

She... had tried to save him?

A foolish move, but the instinct behind it...

[Ding! Detected that potential key figure 'Xia Yunshang' has developed strong feelings of gratitude and dependence towards the host. A preliminary bond has been established.]

The system's prompt chimed aptly.

Liang Jing's gaze shifted minutely.

"It's over," he said, releasing Xia Yunshang. His voice was still flat, but held slightly less frost than before.

Xia Yunshang, realizing the boldness of her actions, hastily let go and stepped back, two spots of color blooming on her cheeks. "I... I thank the Commander for saving my life..."

"You tried to save this Commander first," Liang Jing stated, watching her. "Unnecessary, but the sentiment is noted."

He paused, turning to the Eastern Depot section chief who had arrived on the scene. His voice turned frigid. "Investigate. Turn this archive inside out. Question everyone who has been here. I want to know... who dares? "

"Yes, Commander!" The chief's eyes gleamed with ferocious intent.

Liang Jing then looked at the anxious, uneasy Xia Yunshang, considering for a moment.

This forgotten princess, through a twist of fate, was now connected to him. Leaving her in that vipers' nest of a side palace would likely lead to no good end.

"Seventh Princess," he announced. "Henceforth, you will move from the side palace to the 'Moonview Pavilion,' near the Imperial Secretariat. Your allowances will be doubled, in accordance with your royal status. This Commander will assign guards for your protection."

Xia Yunshang's head jerked up, her beautiful eyes wide with disbelief and joy—and a hint of something deeper, more complex, carefully hidden. She knelt again, her voice choked this time. "Yunshang... thanks the Commander for his grace!"

[Ding! Host has altered the fate of key figure 'Xia Yunshang,' rescuing her from plight and gaining her deep gratitude and loyalty. Righteous Points +100!]

[Great Xia Imperial Mandate slightly increased by +1. Current Mandate: 76 / 10000.]

Liang Jing gave a slight nod, said no more, and turned to leave.

Behind him, Eastern Depot agents began their swift, ruthless search, and the little princess he had plucked from the dust watched his retreating form with a complex, unwavering focus.

A small incident, but it revealed to Liang Jing that the undercurrents within the deep palace ran even swifter and more dangerous than he had imagined.

Yet, he felt no fear.

"Assassination attempts?" Liang Jing mused, walking back to his chambers, feeling the slowly growing energy of the Imperial Zenith Revelation Manual within him. A cold, wild smile touched his lips.

"Perfect. This Commander is still short on Righteous Points."

"Come. Let the storm rage harder."

"Let us see who falls first—this Commander, gnawed down by rats in the gutter, or you lot, uprooted completely, filling this Commander's coffers to the brim!"

His gaze seemed to pierce through the layers of palace walls, looking towards an unknown future, brimming with challenge and opportunity.

The path to the Celestial Emperor, the title of the Supreme Paragon—it all began here, with this Great Xia Empire he would overturn with sheer wealth and power.