Exiled!? Ha! I have An Infinite Space

Chapter 208: Chapter

Bao Zhao stared at me. The golden thread on his black robes caught the sunlight, but his eyes were wide and completely frozen.

Thanks to the system’s massive boost, my voice felt like a heavy stone dropping into a quiet pond, making every single guard hold their breath.

"The ledger," Bao Zhao repeated slowly. His voice was stiff, his throat moving as he fought the overwhelming psychological pressure to just stand there and listen to me. "What do you know about my brother’s ledger?"

I took another step forward, keeping my face completely calm. I needed to use my Mind Reading skill right now to find his weakness.

System, use Mind Reading on Bao Zhao.

[Mind Reading activated. Amplification applied. Scanning target’s immediate thoughts...]

A rush of whispered thoughts filled my mind. It wasn’t the thoughts of a loyal older brother. It was a flood of deep, bitter resentment.

...Why does Bao Li get everything? I have to clean up his messes while he sits at a grand wedding banquet... I am smarter, older, more capable... yet everyone bows to him...

A cold smile tugged at the corner of my lips. I had him.

"I know everything about it," I said, my voice dropping to a smooth, confidential tone that carried perfectly across the silent clearing. "I know it holds the names, the bribes, the smuggler routes, and every single coin Tiger Alley makes. And I know that as long as Bao Li holds that ledger, he holds all the power in the Barren Lands."

Bao Zhao’s fingers twitched behind his back. He wanted to look away, but the 1,000% Leadership Aura locked his eyes directly onto mine.

"You think you came here today to do your brother a favor," I continued, pacing slowly in front of the line of frozen guards. "You think you’re just doing the ’unpleasant work’ while he enjoys his grand wedding. But let me ask you something, Bao Zhao. Why are you always the one standing in the dust while he sits on a golden chair?"

A vein pulsed on Bao Zhao’s forehead. My words were hitting the exact spot where his secret hatred lived.

"Bao Li thinks he is the master of Tiger Alley," I said, my eyes locking onto his. "But from what I see, you are the one with the discipline. You are the one who leads the men. You are the one who actually handles the threats. So why do you let a younger brother order you around?"

"Silence..." Bao Zhao managed to choke out the word, his hands trembling as his mind warred with the absolute compliance field. "I am loyal to my family."

"Are you?" I challenged, taking a bold step closer to him. "Or are you just used to hiding in his shadow? The firearms and gunpowder from the western country... if those weapons belong to Bao Li, you will always be his servant. But if that ledger disappears, and if those weapons belong to you... Tiger Alley wouldn’t belong to Bao Li anymore. It would belong to the man who actually has the power to lead."

I checked the countdown flickering in the corner of my eyes.

[Remaining time: 01:15... 01:14...]

Time was running out fast. I had to close the deal before the three minutes ended, or his hostility would shoot up by 200% and we would be slaughtered.

"Think about it," I whispered, pitching my voice so only he could truly feel the weight of it. "We can help you get that ledger. We can make sure Bao Li falls today at his own banquet. When he falls, who do you think Tiger Alley will turn to? They will look for the strongest man left standing. They will look to you."

Bao Zhao’s breathing grew heavy. The compliance field was keeping him from attacking, but my words were completely reshaping his thoughts. The bitter jealousy in his mind was turning into a dark, burning ambition.

...She’s right... I could rule Tiger Alley... I could be more powerful than Bao Li ever was...

"What do you want?" Bao Zhao finally asked, his voice low and strained as he forced the words out through his teeth.

"Your men stay here," I demanded instantly. "You let us walk away right now. In return, we take down Bao Li for you, and the Barren Lands will have a new master. A better, more powerful master."

[Remaining time: 00:10... 00:09... 00:08...]

I held my breath, my hand resting near my side, waiting for his final answer as the seconds ticked away to zero.

Bao Zhao stood frozen for a long, agonizing moment. His chest heaved as he drew in a deep breath, his sharp eyes darting across my face. The confusion in his expression slowly hardened into something entirely different—not the mindless anger of his guards, but a cold, calculating ambition.

He looked down at his own hands, then turned his head slightly to look back at the trail leading toward the main estate where his brother was celebrating.

...Bao Li is weak... The thought echoed clearly in my mind as my Mind Reading skill caught the fading remnants of his focus. ...He relies on fear, but I rely on strategy. If these rats can actually destroy him... why should I stop them?

"Commander?" the guard closest to him whispered, his voice laced with the sudden, unnatural hostility caused by the system’s backlash. "Should we kill them now? Just give the word!"

Dozens of swords shifted, catching the morning sun. Behind me, I heard the villagers break into a cold sweat, their breath catching in their throats. Han Fuji didn’t move a muscle, but I could feel the intense focus radiating off him, his hand ready to slip back to his hidden blade the second things went south.

Bao Zhao slowly raised his hand.

The guards instantly held their positions, though their eyes remained fixed on us like starving wolves.

"Lower your weapons," Bao Zhao commanded smoothly.

"But Master Zhao—" the guard started to protest.

"I said, lower them," Bao Zhao repeated, his voice dropping into a dangerous register that brooked no argument.

Slowly, reluctantly, the forty-eight men lowered their spears and sheathed their swords, though the heavy tension in the clearing didn’t fade.

Bao Zhao stepped closer to me, his black robes rustling against the dirt. He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping so low that only I and Han Fuji could hear him.

"You are a very dangerous woman, Su Long," he murmured, a genuine, dark smile appearing on his lips. "And an incredibly good negotiator. You’re right. My brother has been sitting on a throne he doesn’t deserve for far too long."

I kept my breathing steady. "Then we have a deal?"

"We do," Bao Zhao whispered. "My men and I will stay here to ’secure the weapons’ and clean up this empty warehouse. We won’t return to the estate until the banquet is over. That gives you exactly until the end of the wedding to make sure my brother never stands up from his golden chair again."

He straightened up and turned his back to us, folding his hands behind him once more.

"Leave," Bao Zhao said out loud, commanding his men to make a path. "They are no longer our concern today."

The guards looked bewildered, but they didn’t dare question him. They parted without a word, opening a narrow walkway through the sea of armor.

I didn’t waste a single heartbeat. "Let’s go," I whispered to the group.

Han Fuji fell into step right beside me, a look of pure, unadulterated amusement dancing in his eyes. As we quickly walked past the rows of armed men and slipped into the cover of the dying trees, he leaned toward my ear.

"I don’t know what kind of magic you just pulled back there, Miss Su," Han Fuji murmured under his breath, his smile widening. "But reminding a second-born brother that he hates his boss? Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant."

"Save the compliments for later," I muttered back, keeping my eyes on the road ahead as the warehouse finally vanished behind us. "We still have a wedding banquet to crash."

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