### Chapter 7: The Incident at Flowerless Palace (9)
The panic on Fatty’s face was impossible to describe in words, especially since he had no idea who was pulling the strings behind the scenes.
In a split-second reaction, he screamed in shock, desperately trying to hold onto the coffin to regain his balance. But all his efforts were in vain; it was as if an invisible hand were forcefully pushing him into the coffin, leaving him with no chance to resist.
It wasn’t until his back hit the hard bottom of the coffin that the sudden sharp pain jolted him back to reality.
Ah…
There was no corpse of the Great Palace Master in the coffin!
It was empty all along?
Of course, there was now an out-of-breath, heart-pounding Fatty crammed inside.
At this moment, the coffin lid had already shut tight.
Inside was pitch black, and he couldn’t see a thing.
Desperate, Fatty began banging on the coffin, shouting, “Second Palace Master, Your Highness! Help me, help me!”
Wasn’t White Peach supposed to be nearby?
Why was she just standing by watching as he got into trouble?
The only possible explanation was that while he was being attacked, the Second Palace Master was also entangled with a formidable enemy, leaving her no time to consider anything else.
But with the coffin space so cramped, if he couldn’t get out soon, he might just suffocate in there.
Sure enough, after several frantic calls, the thinning oxygen made him short of breath, and he dared not shout anymore for fear of running out of air.
Who knew if his cries had made it outside, but at least the sound echoed inside the coffin, ringing in his ears.
He pushed on the heavy coffin lid again, using every ounce of strength, but it wouldn’t budge an inch.
Huff…
Fatty was sinking into despair.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind. What if White Peach had betrayed him and pushed him in here while he wasn’t looking?
No way, that couldn’t be it!
White Peach was not the type to stab someone in the back. If she wanted to harm them, she could have struck during Luo Ying’s visit to the Flowerless Palace—why wait until now?
Besides, Fatty wasn’t some crucial figure; there was no need for such a convoluted scheme against him.
He forcefully shook off the thought that had just surfaced.
There had to be a way! Yes, he needed to contact Luo Ying and Lin Nan and let them know where he was stuck.
As long as they got here quickly, maybe both he and White Peach, who was currently in danger, would still have a chance to escape.
But to his shock, the system interface was gray, and none of his commands were responsive.
What the heck is going on?!
The system is down? Is there a bug?
Back at the Heavenly Sword Sect, it had only been the live feature that was temporarily disabled.
But now, at this crucial moment, the entire system interface was locked down, leaving him completely unable to do anything.
Fatty’s heart sank lower as he tried to figure out what was happening.
“Bang, bang, bang…”
As he temporarily gave up on struggling, the only sound left was his heartbeat, and everything else was eerily quiet.
Then, to his astonishment, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps near the coffin.
His spirits lifted—someone was outside!
If he yelled a little louder, maybe they would notice him!
But… what kind of situation was White Peach in, and were those visitors in the underground palace friends or foes? What if he accidentally made things worse for her?
After much deliberation, Fatty decided to hold his breath and observe what was going on outside before making a decision.
“Second Palace Master, what brings you to the underground palace at this late hour?” a harsh voice echoed through the palace.
Fatty jumped—he recognized that voice!
Wait a minute, wasn’t it that lean woman who was responsible for interrogating him in the dungeon?
“Simply came to pay respects to the Great Palace Master, who is forever missed,” White Peach replied.
“Ha, is that so, Second Palace Master? But someone clearly saw you order your subordinates to pry open the coffin. Are you trying to desecrate the Great Palace Master’s remains in the dead of night when no one is around?”
“Ren Dan, mind your tone! The person standing opposite you is the Sect Leader of the Flowerless Palace. As an ordinary disciple, what right do you have to accuse her without evidence?”
“Your Highness, if you think you can change the topic, you might be disappointed. Behind me stand all the Flowerless Palace disciples, and they want to see firsthand the atrocious deeds you’ve committed.”
Ren Dan, the Chief Disciple of the Great Palace Master, a remarkably thin woman, glared at White Peach, unable to hide the fury in her eyes.
“Indeed, Second Palace Master, the Great Palace Master has passed. Why can’t we let her rest in peace and not disturb her any further?”
In their eyes, they had already submitted to the Second Palace Master, acknowledging her as the new leader of the Flowerless Palace. They felt they had made significant sacrifices for the peace of the palace.
Otherwise, considering the Great Palace Master’s years of commanding the Flowerless Palace, any dissenters among them could muster at least forty percent of the total disciples.
Who could have imagined that the Second Palace Master would not be satisfied?
With the Great Palace Master’s corpse still warm, she was already itching to desecrate the remains of the former leader; such blatant disrespect was something they could never swallow.
The few remaining followers of the Second Palace Master immediately drew weapons and surrounded White Peach, eyes blazing with anger.
“Don’t push it! Have you forgotten that the Second Palace Master is now the new leader of the Flowerless Palace? If you continue to defy her, you will violate sect rules and face expulsion from the Immortal Gate!”
Ren Dan and her group fell silent, yet they remained steadfast, showing no intention of backing down.
After a pause, Ren Dan smirked and said, “Second Palace Master, you may use your eloquence to intimidate us, but we all saw what you commanded just now. Sisters, the Great Palace Master just passed away, and she’s already eager to open the coffin for some personal revenge.
With such a vile character, how can she lead the Flowerless Palace?
It’s fortunate she showed her true colors early; otherwise, our Flowerless Palace, steeped in tradition for thousands of years, might just fall into her hands.”
The crowd following Ren Dan began to murmur, casting suspicious glances at White Peach.
At that moment, a maid standing next to White Peach suddenly shouted, “I confess! The Second Palace Master sent someone to k*ll the Great Palace Master! After scheming for power, she doesn’t even want to leave the Great Palace Master’s corpse alone, attempting to erase all evidence! The evil in her heart is beyond our imagination!”
White Peach looked at her in shock.
She had always regarded this maid as a trusted ally, yet here she was, suddenly throwing accusations at her.
Immediately, two people stepped forward to silence her.
But she struggled and screamed, “I swear on my life, the Second Palace Master has hated the Great Palace Master for a long time and has been plotting this m*rder for ages!”
“What! Really?!”
“Oh my god, I can’t believe the Second Palace Master is this kind of person!”
“This is terrifying! The Great Palace Master suffered such a great injustice!”
The crowd was in an uproar, and more and more people lined up behind Ren Dan.
……
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