In the thirty-second year of Jingtai, on the Ji Si day of the tenth month, the Junior Supervisor of the Imperial Observatory memorialized the Emperor: “A comet has appeared in the northwest, like fire turning to white light. Its brilliance stretches six to seven chi long, visible even in broad daylight. Its tongue coils into the Purple Forbidden Enclosure, moving eastward across the sky, sparing nothing in its path, and will disappear after ten days.”

In deep autumn, stellar phenomena changed as a guest star suddenly appeared. Seeing the comet sweep across the sky and enter directly into the Purple Forbidden Imperial Palace, with the imperial constellation violated, the common people witnessed this spectacle and were greatly shaken. From palace nobles and high officials down to humble alley commoners, millions looked up in amazement. Some called it an ominous star, others a auspicious star, each discussing it differently.

“Master! Master! Something terrible has happened!”

That night at the third watch, several disciples of Iron Casting Manor were guarding the Heavenly Furnace when suddenly, for no apparent reason, they saw the furnace burst into flames. Seeing this strange occurrence, the fire burned ever more fiercely. They hurried back to the manor to report, waking the sleeping Ouyang Nan.

Ouyang Nan slowly rose, had his wife put on outer garments, and pushed open the door. Seeing disciples kneeling at the entrance, he asked in a deep voice, “What has happened? Why such panic?” One disciple, with fear on his face, said tremblingly, “Just now the Heavenly Furnace somehow ignited on its own, with flames reaching to the sky. We fear it might spread to the city.”

Ouyang Nan was startled and quickly said, “Master will go there immediately. You also notify the senior disciple and ask him to bring people over.” The disciple replied, “Senior disciple already knows—fearing the fire might get out of control, he’s already led people to fight the flames.” Hearing the situation was serious, Ouyang Nan said no more and hastily mounted his horse, galloping toward the outskirts.

Reaching the outskirts, still a li away from the Heavenly Furnace, he could already see fierce flames reaching skyward, with oppressive heat. Ouyang Nan spurred his horse forward and saw large numbers of disciples forming water brigades. Gong Zhi was commanding the scene as bucket after bucket of cold water was poured on the Heavenly Furnace in full rescue efforts. But the fire continued to spread in all directions—trees within a hundred chi radius had already been burned to ash. Seeing water buckets were ineffective, the disciples brought water pumps from the manor, planning to pump well water directly to douse the flames.

Ouyang Nan approached Gong Zhi and asked in a deep voice, “How did this great fire start? Did someone carelessly cause this disaster?”

Gong Zhi wiped the flying ash from his face and gasped, “Disciple doesn’t know either. The Heavenly Furnace was damaged these past days, and the brothers have been working hard to repair it. We finally made some progress last night, but at the zi hour, this Heavenly Furnace inexplicably began burning and hasn’t stopped since.”

Ouyang Nan’s face was pale as he asked, “Is there anything in the furnace?”

Gong Zhi shook his head, “Apart from iron essence residue, the furnace is empty. By all logic, it shouldn’t be able to ignite. I truly don’t know why flames would burst forth.”

Ouyang Nan sighed deeply and shook his head, “Wrong, wrong—we got it all wrong. Those base materials aren’t residue but iron essence bone, rare throughout the ages. We nearly wasted precious treasures—what a sin, what a sin!” Gong Zhi asked strangely, “What iron essence bone? Master’s words are hard to understand.”

Ouyang Nan ignored him and called out loudly, “Someone! Go fetch the Lei Ze Xing Tian Hammer!” Hearing their master wanted the divine hammer, the disciples knew he intended to forge a sword. Everyone responded and hurried back to the manor. Gong Zhi was surprised and quickly asked, “Master, what exactly is happening? Could you explain clearly?”

Ouyang Nan’s expression was grave as he said, “All things in heaven and earth have positive and negative, yin and yang. The iron essence Zhuo Lingzhao brought had all its yin and soft essence absorbed by the ‘Divine Sword Dragon Capture.’ The remaining material must be the supremely hard and fierce bone residue, which we treated as waste. The Heavenly Furnace’s spiritual nature is undimmed—unwilling to let good material and fine talent be wasted within, it ignited this great fire to refine itself.” Gong Zhi listened in stunned amazement, saying in shock, “So powerful? What kind of weapon will it forge?”

Ouyang Nan pondered for a long while, “My Ouyang family’s ancestral lore says this feng shui treasure site, if spiritual objects are refined here, will create a peerless divine weapon. The one called ‘Dragon Capture’ indeed dominated the world upon its birth, with none able to stop it. But all things follow the principles of yin-yang and five elements—they all mutually generate and restrain each other. Once something invincible under heaven is born, creation will find another path to provide balance.” He gazed at the Heavenly Furnace and sighed, “From this perspective, perhaps the Heavenly Furnace has forged another weapon to counter the Dragon Capture Sword.”

Gong Zhi was startled. The “Divine Sword Dragon Capture” was already a mysteriously strange demonic object—if another infinitely powerful exotic weapon was born, wouldn’t the world fall into chaos? He wanted to ask more but didn’t know where to begin, standing there dumbfounded.

Before long, the divine hammer was brought. Ouyang Nan walked toward the Heavenly Furnace and called out, “Everyone take a water pump and occupy the corners—use water columns to clear a path for me. I’m going into the furnace!” Hearing this, the disciples were greatly alarmed, and Gong Zhi urgently tried to dissuade him. But Ouyang Nan was extremely determined, and everyone had no choice but to obey. Instantly, six water pumps simultaneously sprayed water, clearing a path for Ouyang Nan. Gong Zhi personally operated one pump close beside Ouyang Nan, the water column spraying directly on him, fearing his master’s advanced age might fail and he’d be swallowed by the fierce flames.

Great fires leaped as the Hong Wu Heavenly Furnace looked like a demonic dragon beast, roaring and spouting fire as if wanting to burn all things in the world. Ouyang Nan approached the furnace mouth as Gong Zhi’s water column turned into pervasive steam. Suddenly hearing Ouyang Nan scream in agony, his whole body was on fire. Gong Zhi urgently called, “Quick, spray water!” Six water columns simultaneously sprayed toward Ouyang Nan, extinguishing the fire on his body. Fearing his master was injured, Gong Zhi disregarded his master’s potential blame and dragged the water pump toward the furnace mouth.

Great water rushed down, fierce flames rolled out. In the battle between water and fire, steam was everywhere, but was immediately dispersed by the heat. Ouyang Nan roared toward heaven, embraced the divine hammer, and disregarding the intense heat and flames, plunged fiercely toward the fire.

Gong Zhi, fearing something might happen to him, dragged a water pump close to the furnace mouth and forcefully poured the water column inside. Hot flames burned toward him, even igniting the corners of his clothes.

The disciples saw their master charging in regardless of his life, and the senior disciple also facing mortal danger. Their hearts were all shocked and excited. Everyone disregarded their own safety and approached the furnace mouth. For a moment, united in purpose, six water pumps crowded around the furnace mouth, spraying water with mist flying everywhere. Through their combined efforts, the fire was actually suppressed. In the pervasive steam, they saw a person rolling out—this person was completely charred black, his clothes burned away completely, even his eyebrows and hair couldn’t be spared. This person’s appearance was wretched, yet he was the generation’s sword-forging grandmaster Ouyang Nan, still tightly embracing the Xing Tian Hammer in his bosom.

Gong Zhi, staying by the furnace, was also affected by the catastrophe, his body and hands covered with blisters. Seeing his master fallen on the ground with unknown life or death, disregarding his own pain, he quickly went forward to help him up, calling, “Master! What’s wrong with you!”

He called for a while, but Ouyang Nan remained completely unconscious, motionless as if dead.

Gong Zhi knew delay was dangerous. He immediately cut open his master’s clothes, fetched clear water to wash him from head to toe, then urgently ordered someone to bring wound medicine to carefully apply it. Iron Casting Manor worked with fire daily—their skill in treating burns was unparalleled in the world. Since burn victims usually died from various infections, with the miraculous effect of their wound medicine in preventing pus and decay, as long as Ouyang Nan wasn’t burned to charcoal, in their eyes he could be saved. Indeed, the wound medicine applied to Ouyang Nan’s body was like ice treatment, and the red swelling and festering of his wounds visibly diminished.

After this treatment, Ouyang Nan slowly regained consciousness. As soon as he recovered his senses, he immediately pointed toward the furnace mouth and wailed, “A divine sword born into the world, a demon blade follows… Everyone flee quickly! All living beings will suffer!” With that, his hands waved repeatedly as if he’d lost his mind.

Gong Zhi and others were greatly alarmed and quickly looked inside, but saw only charred blackness in the furnace. Apart from iron slag covering the ground, they really couldn’t see anything strange.

Gong Zhi coughed and quietly instructed everyone, “First take master down to rest. When the fire subsides, we’ll enter the furnace to search.”

Ouyang Nan was carried by disciples, his eyes still filled with infinite terror as he murmured, “Divine Sword Dragon Capture, Karma Fire Demon Blade… the thing inside is a demonic object… we absolutely cannot let it manifest in the world, or there will be military disasters…” His lips moved slightly, wanting to speak but stopping, then suddenly his whole body went limp and he fainted.

Gong Zhi looked at the dark furnace mouth, thinking the thing inside was mysteriously extraordinary, certainly no less than the divine sword. His heart was filled with dread. He summoned his disciples and quietly instructed, “Everyone heard master’s words just now—absolutely cannot let this leak out. Otherwise, if the major sects come to seize the divine weapon, our Iron Casting Manor will surely face destruction.” The disciples agreed with a sound, their hearts all uneasy, not knowing what the thing in the furnace was.

Fire dragons reached skyward. Ouyang Nan, severely injured, had been carried from the fire scene. The others still fought the fire with all their might. Gong Zhi looked up at the sky and saw the comet streaking across. At this strange phenomenon, Gong Zhi thought of his master’s words about the “Karma Fire Demon Blade,” his heart filled with worry. For a long, long time, he still couldn’t speak.

Let’s speak of Qin Zhonghai. After viewing the western ghost house, his heart felt extremely troubled, knowing Liu Jing must have some conspiracy, probably aimed at himself. Qin Zhonghai was naturally alert and vigilant—encountering such matters, he naturally wanted to flee. These past days he’d been specifically avoiding Liu Jing, only drinking at the West Corner Tower, never leaving his quarters, not even returning home. Hearing his subordinates report that a comet had descended, quite beautiful, wanting him to go outside to enjoy the view, Qin Zhonghai treated it like fart—listening but not caring at all.

After hiding for over twenty days, this night the palace was quiet. The Tiger Forest Army men, being filial and knowing their chief had been extremely bored lately, stole good wine and meat from the imperial kitchen and brought gambling equipment and silver, wanting to let Qin Zhonghai enjoy himself. Seeing everyone’s kind intentions, how could Qin Zhonghai refuse? He immediately took the lead in carousing, leading his subordinates to bare their chests and expose their bellies, gambling and drinking together. They treated the tower’s depths as fairyland and the Tiger Forest Army as paradise—even the Heavenly King couldn’t exchange it.

Everyone sat around three or five tables—you drink wine, I eat meat. Everyone looked tense as dice rolled randomly and silver moved about. It was truly “vast seas and mulberry fields, losing one’s pants, tearful eyes still wet when money returns”—the gambling situation was full of ups and downs, making people shout with joy.

Just as they were in the thick of battle, knocking sounds came from the door. At this late hour with deep night quiet, there were still several subordinates patrolling in the palace—probably returning to rest. One subordinate laughed heartily, “His damn mother, middle of the night—probably brothers coming back to take a shit.” With that, he went forward to answer the door.

As soon as the door opened, that person received a crisp slap and rolled backward. Everyone was startled and all drew steel blades, standing up. Instantly, a eunuch stepped through the door, proudly looking at everyone—it was Xue Nu’er who had arrived.

In the middle of the night, Xue Nu’er, with his status as Deputy Director of the Eastern Depot, actually condescended to visit personally? Qin Zhonghai never expected this and couldn’t hide in time, his heart crying out in anguish. Xue Nu’er saw his twisted mouth and slanted eyes, figuring he must be cursing himself, and became quite annoyed, scolding, “What are you making that strange face for? Cursing me in your heart?”

Qin Zhonghai felt troubled inside but his tone seemed like nothing was wrong. He laughed twice, “Nothing—I saw Deputy Director has recovered well and can get out of bed and walk. My heart rejoices for you, so my expression might have been excessive. Please don’t take offense.”

Xue Nu’er had been involved in trouble some days ago and actually received a hundred heavy rod beatings from the Emperor. Seeing his martial arts now fully restored, his injuries must have healed. Xue Nu’er remembered how Qin Zhonghai had played tricks on him that day and said hatefully, “Dead thing, last time you peeked at my… that… be careful!”

Hearing him stammer, Qin Zhonghai immediately laughed, “What ‘that this’—isn’t it just a butt? Your butt has a black mole on the left and black hair on the right, looking quite dignified, almost like a face. I, Qin, was truly blessed with good eyesight.” He smiled again and asked, “Did Your Lordship come to West Corner Tower in the middle of the night specifically to discuss this ‘Butt Scripture’?”

Qin Zhonghai’s words were absurdly inappropriate, and the many Tiger Forest Army subordinates naturally covered their mouths and laughed secretly. Xue Nu’er was furious beyond measure. He struggled to control himself, gasping for a long while before spitting and saying shrilly, “Bastard! If it weren’t for Director Liu having business with you, do you think I’d be bored enough to willingly come to your dog den? If you keep talking nonsense, don’t blame me for giving you a couple of slaps!”

Hearing him mention Liu Jing, Qin Zhonghai’s heart trembled. He coughed twice and made excuses, “So Director Liu summoned me—his lordship is usually very busy with official business. When would be convenient to see me?”

Xue Nu’er said coldly, “What convenient or inconvenient? He wants to see you now! Come obediently with me and don’t play tricks!”

Qin Zhonghai was startled, not expecting Liu Jing to summon him in the middle of the night, giving him no chance to make excuses. This summons being so discreet surely meant something big had happened. Xue Nu’er saw him hesitating to move and sneered, “How about it? Do you dare come or not?”

Qin Zhonghai calculated in his heart—since trouble had come calling and couldn’t be pushed away, there was no need to continue hiding. He might as well explore the situation. He immediately stood up, “Since that’s the case, I’ll trouble Deputy Director Xue to lead the way.”

Hearing these words, the Tiger Forest Army men all worried for Qin Zhonghai. Xue Nu’er was usually vicious and cruel by nature—if he intended to harm Qin Zhonghai, trouble was inevitable. Qin Zhonghai saw his subordinates showing much anxiety and secretly gestured for them to be at ease. Last time Liu Jing claimed to be recommending him for promotion—he wouldn’t harm him for no reason. But Liu Jing wanting him to go to the western ghost house and claiming to know his master surely had preparations. Thinking that unexpected major events would surely occur soon, he couldn’t help but feel apprehensive.

The two departed one after the other, Qin Zhonghai following Xue Nu’er.

In the deep night, the two walked through the palace. Since one was an Eastern Depot key figure and the other a Forbidden Army commander, no one dared bother them. Xue Nu’er walked rapidly, heading outside the palace. Qin Zhonghai was slightly surprised, calling, “Isn’t Director Liu in the palace?” Xue Nu’er ignored him and said coldly, “Just follow behind—why ask so much?”

Seeing his mysterious behavior, Qin Zhonghai became even more suspicious. Though he knew Eastern Depot people wouldn’t harm him, Liu Jing’s arrangements were so strange that he couldn’t help but be doubly cautious and vigilant.

Reaching Chengtian Gate, they were about to exit the palace. The guards at the gate, seeing the Deputy Director approaching, naturally hurried to make way, not daring to ask even one question. Qin Zhonghai watched and secretly shook his head. The imperial court was greatly corrupted—eunuchs coming and going from the palace gates at will had become commonplace, no longer surprising anyone. But continuing like this, moral principles and legal discipline would inevitably become disordered, and factional politics would arise from this.

Xue Nu’er went out, then it was Qin Zhonghai’s turn. Though he knew the guards, he obediently took out his token for inspection. The guard examined the token and asked quietly, “Is the General also going out?” Qin Zhonghai coughed, “I have some urgent business at home—going and returning quickly. Please trouble brother to open the gate.” Though he was usually absurd and inappropriate, when encountering serious matters he remained methodical and rigorous, not allowing any carelessness. Otherwise, how could he lead battle-tested elite troops?

The guard knew Xue Nu’er and Qin Zhonghai usually didn’t get along—how strange that they would exit the palace together. Though he found it odd, he didn’t dare ask more and quickly opened the palace gate for them to leave.

Xue Nu’er saw Qin Zhonghai slowly emerge and immediately sneered continuously, “Just exiting a palace yet you still need to inspect tokens—shows your Liu faction lacks popular support. How laughable.” Qin Zhonghai said coldly, “Deputy Director Xue has such high popular support—why not swagger over to Grand Tutor Jiang’s mansion? Daily scolding subordinates and showing off only on your own territory—this kind of glorious reputation, I, Qin Zhonghai, dare not want.”

Xue Nu’er’s face turned pale with anger but couldn’t answer back, only shrieking, “Enough nonsense! Follow me!” He activated his lightness skill, turning left and right toward the outskirts.

Qin Zhonghai saw his body technique was extremely fast and also gathered his qi to pursue closely behind.

Xue Nu’er had just been mocked by him and felt angry, wanting to regain some face. He sneered, “Good, you Qin Zhonghai! We’ve never fought—this is perfect to compare leg strength and see who’s truly first in the palace!” His foot touched down and he shot forward like an arrow. Qin Zhonghai snorted and also pursued urgently.

Qin Zhonghai was twenty years younger than Xue Nu’er with robust stamina. Initially for several li he didn’t fall behind at all, but as the distance lengthened, he couldn’t manage without internal energy support. Though Qin Zhonghai had guidance from masters like the Nine Provinces Sword King in martial arts, his internal cultivation was still not as deep as Xue Nu’er’s. Indeed, after traveling over ten li, he was clearly at a disadvantage.

Xue Nu’er saw Qin Zhonghai falling behind and felt even more delighted. He deliberately toyed with him, constantly jumping left and right, flying up and down, making Qin Zhonghai chase until he was red-faced and thick-necked. Qin Zhonghai ran until he was gasping for breath. Knowing he couldn’t win, he suddenly stopped and cursed, “Screw your grandmother! Xue! If you dare mock me again, go see Director Liu yourself!” Xue Nu’er had a violent temperament—hearing him refuse to continue, he immediately took out his Celestial Golden Wheel and shrieked, “Scumbag! Your lightness skill is inferior to mine—you should obediently admit defeat and kowtow to this lord for instruction. Now you’re being a scoundrel? If you won’t go with me, don’t blame this lord for showing you some color!”

Qin Zhonghai cursed twice, turned around and walked away, not bothering to respond with even one more word. Xue Nu’er saw him completely ignoring him and couldn’t help but panic, quickly saying, “Hey! Qin! Don’t be angry—come back!”

Qin Zhonghai spat, stopped, and spat a gob of phlegm on the ground, saying viciously, “Too late! Even if you bring an eight-person sedan chair now, I’m too lazy to bother with you. Go die yourself.”

Xue Nu’er’s face turned green and red, not knowing what to do. Having him lower his head to beg Qin Zhonghai was worse than jumping off a cliff and committing suicide, but watching Qin Zhonghai leave helplessly meant he couldn’t report back to his superiors. He kept rubbing his hands, completely at a loss.

Qin Zhonghai felt extremely pleased, swaggering boldly as he left. As he walked, he suddenly saw an old man sitting by the roadside. This person wore a bamboo hat and had his feet blocking the path—to pass directly, one would have to step over this person’s legs. Qin Zhonghai didn’t want to cause trouble and sidestepped around him, but that old man suddenly raised his feet, his toes pointing toward Qin Zhonghai’s knees. Qin Zhonghai saw this old man had calculated his evasive path in advance and felt slightly alarmed. He raised his right foot to kick at the old man’s toes. The old man neither dodged nor avoided—when his foot kicked solidly, the man’s foot turned sideways, aligning his heel with Qin Zhonghai’s sole. If Qin Zhonghai continued his kick, his foot would inevitably be injured.

Qin Zhonghai saw this person’s martial arts had no domineering aura but his techniques were exquisite and steady. He snorted and jumped back two steps, grasping his blade handle and sneering, “The saying goes ‘good dogs don’t block roads’—with your lordship’s such vicious behavior, which butcher shop did you escape from?”

Even if the old man were ten times stupider, he’d know Qin Zhonghai was calling him a dog. After hearing this, he didn’t get angry but just laughed heartily, “General Qin’s words are truly unpleasant. Seeing you walking so urgently, I was momentarily anxious and detained you, but meant no harm.” With that, he removed his bamboo hat. Qin Zhonghai looked intently—this person was about seventy years old with not half a whisker on his face. It was Eastern Depot Director Liu Jing.

By this time Xue Nu’er had also caught up. He came over and whispered to Liu Jing, “Director, this Qin fellow has too bad a temper and his mouth is too vile—he needs a lesson. Let me beat him up.” Qin Zhonghai picked his ear and said coldly, “Don’t speak so quietly. Eunuch Xue, if you want to fight, I’ll immediately oblige.” Surrounded by the Eastern Depot’s two masters, not only did he not yield but actively challenged them—clearly he had a strong character and couldn’t bear losses. He drew his blade from its sheath, truly ready to fight.

Hearing his vicious tone, Xue Nu’er immediately became furious. His character was tough—in the Wang Mansion Alley he fought Kunlun’s second and third seats, and at the Western Region inn he faced the combined attack of the three great Jiang faction generals, handling everything calmly without falling into disadvantage. His martial arts were naturally extremely high. Now with Qin Zhonghai’s arrogant challenge, how could he be afraid? He immediately shrieked and was about to take out his golden wheel to kill.

Liu Jing watched and quickly stepped between them, smiling, “What’s this? We’re all family—what’s there to fight about?” With that, his left palm lightly pushed Xue Nu’er away while his right hand moved toward Qin Zhonghai’s shoulder. Qin Zhonghai saw his intimate manner and said awkwardly, “Director Liu, enough of this act. I followed your lordship’s instructions and viewed the ghost house. What exactly do you want to tell me? Please speak quickly!”

Liu Jing smiled slightly, “You went to the ghost house—did you see any ghosts?” Qin Zhonghai spat and said nothing, but thought to himself, “I’ve seen a living ghost—seeing you, this dickless rotten ghost.” Liu Jing saw his face full of resentment and patted his shoulder, smiling, “Alright, regardless of whether you encountered any ghosts, I’ll now take you to open your eyes and see real lonely ghosts who died unjustly.”

Qin Zhonghai made a questioning sound and was about to ask when Liu Jing had already pulled him, leaping toward a small western path. Qin Zhonghai wanted to see the matter clearly and let him lead, no longer asking questions. Xue Nu’er, however, remained vigilant, constantly looking around and occasionally leaping onto treetops to gaze into the distance, as if fearing someone was following.

The three traveled to a place where dawn was breaking. Qin Zhonghai borrowed the morning light to look—before him was a fine stretch of lake water. The lake surface was like a mirror, and in the deep autumn dawn the lake was shrouded in thin mist. On the shore stood several ancestral halls and temples with earthen walls and red bricks, looking quite poetic.

Several men by the lake had been fishing, appearing to be fishermen. Upon seeing Liu Jing approach, they immediately put down their fishing rods and came to welcome him, leading Liu Jing’s group toward the lakeside buildings. Qin Zhonghai followed behind, noticing these fishermen had solid stances and were actually quite skilled in martial arts, secretly becoming alert.

The three proceeded deeper and saw a small Buddhist hall. Outside the door sat two people—both were bald with shaved heads. One held a bamboo basket while the other carried a fish basket, washing it. Qin Zhonghai saw these two kept their heads down silently with expressionless faces, but their temples bulged high and their eyes held brilliant light—their martial arts were clearly not ordinary. Qin Zhonghai was startled, thinking, “Good, you Liu something-or-other—when did you recruit so many masters? What exactly does this old fellow want to do?”

While speculating, Liu Jing had already entered the Buddhist hall and beckoned Qin Zhonghai inside. Qin Zhonghai stepped in but saw Xue Nu’er guarding outside, not entering. Qin Zhonghai hesitated momentarily, fearing some trap inside. Just as he was about to ask, he heard Liu Jing laugh, “Don’t mind others—just come in.” Qin Zhonghai laughed dryly twice and had to bow and enter.

Crossing the threshold, he saw the Buddhist hall contained a tea table and two bamboo stools. Behind the hall hung a picture of a smiling Maitreya Buddha—quite simple, truly like the dwelling of an impoverished cultivator.

Liu Jing invited Qin Zhonghai to sit and personally poured tea for him. Qin Zhonghai saw Liu Jing’s mysterious silence all along and wanted to deflate his imposing aura. He immediately reached for the tea bowl, took a big gulp, then gargled and spat the entire bowl onto the ground with a “ptui,” making the Buddhist hall extremely filthy.

Qin Zhonghai squinted lazily, “Director Liu dragged old Qin to this Buddhist hall in the middle of the night to worship—are you trying to persuade me to become a monk?” With that, he coughed up more phlegm and spat it harshly on the ground. Liu Jing saw his crude behavior but still smiled, “General Qin jests—you’re a contemporary tiger general who should eat meat heartily and drink wine in large gulps. You’re good material for great deeds—who would dare ask you to keep company with Buddhist lamps for life?”

Qin Zhonghai put his feet up high and laughed heartily, “Well said, well said. Director Liu, I’m a straightforward person who dislikes beating around the bush. A few days ago the Director covered up the ugly affair at Wenyuan Pavilion for me—I’m extremely grateful. If you have any instructions today, just speak directly instead of playing deceptive games that annoy people.”

Liu Jing smiled slightly and said nothing, quietly pouring him more tea. Qin Zhonghai saw him still being evasive and immediately grabbed the teacup and threw it out of the Buddhist hall, saying awkwardly, “Stop pouring that bird tea! Last night’s drinking was enjoyable, but you interrupted the fun—grandpa hasn’t drunk enough yet. If you have wine, bring it out!”

The teacup flew out the door and immediately they heard Xue Nu’er’s curses. Qin Zhonghai laughed heartily, “His damn mother—did it hit that old thief’s forehead?” Liu Jing heard his foul language and saw his vicious appearance, couldn’t help but glance at him and shake his head, “General Qin, being so crude and uncultured—could it be you lost your mother’s guidance when young and grew wild this way?”

To ordinary ears, Liu Jing was mocking Qin Zhonghai’s vulgar behavior and lack of proper upbringing—Qin Zhonghai should have retorted sharply. But ever since being disturbed in the ghost house, Qin Zhonghai’s spirit had remained unsettled. Now hearing Liu Jing mention his mother, inexplicably his body trembled. But at this moment, sitting across from a powerful minister, he absolutely couldn’t show weakness. This shocked expression flashed by and he immediately laughed heartily, “To be honest with the Director, I, Qin, am an orphan—always without father or mother, jumped out of a rock. Without women coming over to nag and control me, I’m exactly crude, happy, comfortable, and free.”

Hearing these words, Liu Jing sighed softly, “Country folk often say ‘children with mothers are like treasures, children without mothers are like grass.’ Pitiful that you lacked a mother’s warm love since childhood, drifting through wind and rain, living alone… After all these years, you’ve truly suffered.”

Qin Zhonghai was shrewd and experienced—he could usually guess eight or nine out of ten what others were thinking or hoping for after just a moment’s observation. Yet since meeting Liu Jing, he had consistently been at a disadvantage, never able to guess half of this old eunuch’s thoughts. Hearing Liu Jing’s words come completely out of nowhere, utterly inexplicable, he immediately shouted, “What exactly are you trying to say?”

Liu Jing sipped his tea and said flatly, “General Qin, don’t be angry—just casual conversation.” The knots in Qin Zhonghai’s heart were repeatedly stirred up by him, causing considerable displeasure. He said coldly, “If you keep rambling, don’t blame me for turning around and leaving.”

Liu Jing smiled slightly, “If General Qin doesn’t like talking about family matters, then let’s discuss state affairs.” He gazed at Qin Zhonghai and smiled, “General Qin, may I boldly ask—are you loyal to His Majesty?”

Hearing this question come from nowhere, Qin Zhonghai couldn’t help but frown, not knowing why this old eunuch would ask such a thing—could he be trying to probe him? He quickly composed himself and sneered, “I, Qin, follow the law and am conscientious—I don’t believe I’ve done anything to wrong the court. Why must Your Lordship test me?”

Liu Jing smiled as he looked at the Maitreya painting and nodded, “You and Liu Angtian are like father and son—he’s loyal to the country, so you, Qin Zhonghai, naturally follow in loyalty as well. I certainly know this. But I ask you today—if His Majesty granted you death, what would you do?”

If Lu Yun were sitting here hearing Liu Jing speak this way, he would surely tremble all over. The so-called “when the ruler wants his subject to die, the subject cannot refuse to die”—Lu Yun, being a scholar, was naturally deeply influenced by such teachings. If the Emperor ordered his death, despite all grief and resentment, he would still stretch out his neck for execution. Even Wu Dingyuan, hearing these words, would feel sharp pain in his heart, thinking of the heroic spirit of dying generously.

But Qin Zhonghai was naturally bandit material—hearing these words, he merely spat on the ground with a “tch,” then sneered twice, looking sideways with disdain, not answering at all.

Liu Jing glanced at him, “It seems General Qin is somewhat lacking in the matter of loyalty to the ruler.”

Qin Zhonghai snorted twice. He had never been any model of loyal minister or filial son—if the Emperor wanted to grant him death, regardless of the grand reasons, old Qin would naturally grease his left foot with cow fat and his right foot with pig fat, immediately making his escape. But since this was Liu Jing’s questioning, it wouldn’t be good to say this openly. He could only chuckle dryly, “What about Your Lordship? If His Majesty wanted you to die, would you die?”

Liu Jing looked up to heaven with dignity, “A scholar dies for one who understands him—though I’m a person with physical defects, I still have this much integrity.”

Qin Zhonghai chuckled and pretended to be impressed, “Remarkable! What fine words—’a scholar dies for one who understands him!’ But I wonder when the Deputy Director almost cut His Majesty in half that day, what kind of understanding was that?” With that, he laughed heartily.

Several months ago, when the Emperor was hunting and suddenly encountered two tigers attacking, Xue Nu’er had used his golden wheel to rescue the Emperor but nearly injured him. Qin Zhonghai had always suspected this incident was fake, so he brought it up now to see how Liu Jing would handle it.

Liu Jing’s demeanor remained unchanged upon hearing the question. He glanced at Qin Zhonghai and said flatly, “That was purely accidental—General should not mock.” Qin Zhonghai immediately scoffed and sneered, “Old Liu, you might fool those idiots on Jinyi Street, but you can’t fool old Qin’s eyes. With Deputy Director Xue’s martial arts, killing a tiger is nothing—how could he make a mistake? Let’s speak plainly—you people… heh heh… did you want to… want to… eh… ah?” Qin Zhonghai wanted to say “murder His Majesty” but didn’t dare speak it aloud, only making “eh ah” sounds to cover it up. After all, this matter implicated too much to be spoken of casually, so he didn’t say it clearly.

Facing this stern questioning, Liu Jing’s attitude remained calm and collected. He smiled lightly, “General Qin, it’s rare to have this chance for heart-to-heart talk—don’t speak of such annoying matters. Please calm your mind and let me tell you a story first, alright?” Qin Zhonghai heard him show no joy or anger, just lightly and skillfully changing the subject, and secretly admired him: “This old eunuch acts steadily and rarely reveals his true nature. Though Jiang Chong is formidable, compared to this old thief, his experience probably falls short.”

Liu Jing saw his piercing gaze and smiled, “How about it? Will the General listen to this story or not?” Qin Zhonghai raised both eyebrows and said coldly, “Your Lordship manages countless affairs daily yet has such fine mood today. If you want to tell a story, I naturally listen respectfully.”

Liu Jing smiled slightly, “Good that you’re willing to listen. But this story isn’t anything remarkable—you might have heard it already. Thirty-two years ago, the court had an imperial expedition. Do you know about this?”

Hearing him mention this matter, Qin Zhonghai couldn’t help but feel alarmed and nodded, “I heard Marquis Liu mention this. I heard the late Emperor Wu Ying was defeated on the western frontier, suffered betrayal by his ministers, and finally died in a foreign land.”

Liu Jing smiled, “Your Marquis spoke correctly, but that’s only Jiang Chong’s version.”

Qin Zhonghai chuckled, “Hearing Your Excellency say this, could there be other palace secrets and unofficial histories passed down?”

Liu Jing looked at him and nodded, “The disaster of that imperial expedition affected the world’s fortune for nearly thirty years. Its aftereffects not only created Nucang Mountain but also harmed the lives and property of countless heroes. Speaking of it, not only Qin Baxian, but even Jiang Chong, your Marquis, and I, Liu, were all greatly affected. Even some martial arts figures like Shaolin’s Master Tianjue, Mount Hua’s Ning Bufan, and the ‘Nine Provinces Sword King’ Fang Zijing were all deeply implicated.”

Hearing so many figures involved in the great disaster of the imperial expedition, Qin Zhonghai was startled but kept his expression unchanged, only gazing at Liu Jing, knowing that what he would say next must relate to Xue Nu’er’s assassination attempt on the Emperor, Consort Qiong’s adultery, and other matters. He immediately sat up straight, no longer daring to show any contempt.

Liu Jing glanced at him, their eyes meeting. Liu Jing suddenly sighed, “The scope of this matter’s implication and the tragedy of deaths and injuries were truly beyond what ordinary people could witness. General Qin, back then you were just a small child, yet your entire life was changed because of it—do you know this?”

Hearing this statement suddenly, Qin Zhonghai couldn’t help but snort. A few days ago, that old man had mistaken him for the second young master of the Qin family, which had already greatly displeased him. Now Liu Jing was again hinting that he was related to the Qin family, making his heart both hateful and annoyed. Qin Zhonghai slapped his hand on the table and angrily said, “Director Liu! You’ve hinted at my background three or four times—what exactly are you trying to say? I just happen to be surnamed Qin—have I violated some heavenly law?”

Liu Jing heard his angry shout but only smiled slightly, “When you have time, go see Master Fang—he’ll explain everything clearly.”

Hearing him mention Fang Zijing, Qin Zhonghai became even more furious. He pressed his hand on his blade handle, stood up with a “huo” sound, and shouted, “Liu Jing! Let me tell you clearly! Don’t think that because my master has a rebellious background, you can coerce me—your wishful thinking is wrong!”

Liu Jing glanced at him and continued drinking his tea, “You’re too suspicious. If I, Liu Jing, wanted to coerce you, I have countless methods—would I really use such a clumsy approach?” With that, he smiled coldly, his eyes full of cunning.

Cold sweat poured down Qin Zhonghai’s entire body as he immediately remembered Liu Jing’s many formidable methods. If this person wanted to deal with him, he indeed had countless ways and really didn’t need to make an issue of his master’s background. He released his blade handle, sat down, and snorted, “I’ll say the ugly words first—if you intend to deal with me, you’ve found the wrong person. If I, Qin, am pushed to desperation, I’ll kill and commit arson without restraint. If you force me, you’re seeking your own death.”

Liu Jing heard his fierce words and knew he was secretly afraid, instead smiling, “Don’t be angry—I just want you to hear a story, nothing more.” Qin Zhonghai snorted. He restrained his temper and waved his hand, “Your Lordship, if you have something to say, speak it; if you need to fart, do it quickly. I need to return to the palace soon.”

Liu Jing sipped his tea, “In the fifteenth year of Wu Ying’s reign, in the twelfth month, the imperial expedition suffered a crushing defeat. Carrier pigeons flew back with military intelligence to the capital. The letter clearly stated that Marquis Wu De had murdered the late Emperor, personally killing His Majesty. When this news spread, the situation changed dramatically, ministers were in uproar, and the capital was immediately placed under martial law.” Qin Zhonghai was familiar with this matter and nodded.

Liu Jing continued, “Hearing that the Emperor had been murdered, all civil and military officials were horrified. Qin Baxian had always been loyal to His Majesty—how could he rebel without cause? Though the military intelligence said so, no one believed it. The Grand Secretary immediately assembled the Six Ministries to send people to investigate, thinking perhaps the Emperor was still perfectly fine on the western frontier, and someone with ulterior motives was stirring up trouble.” Qin Zhonghai sneered, “This person with ulterior motives was surnamed Jiang, right!”

Liu Jing laughed heartily with great pleasure, “General Qin speaks directly—truly hit the nail on the head.” He deliberately eased the atmosphere to let Qin Zhonghai relax slightly, then took a new teacup to pour him hot tea, also adding water to his own bowl. “At that time, the court acted decisively—on one hand sending people to rush to Yumen Pass to investigate the matter thoroughly, on the other hand having old ministers Xu Zhongjin and the Emperor’s father-in-law Qiong Wuchuan lead a petition to have the Empress Dowager govern from behind a screen to get through this great crisis of war and chaos.”

Qin Zhonghai raised his teacup to drink. Hearing that Court of Judicial Review Minister Xu Zhongjin and the Emperor’s father-in-law Qiong Wuchuan—these veteran officials—had stepped forward, he immediately felt reassured. He drank some clear tea to cool his temper and nodded, “Several old ministers were indeed wise—this was exactly how it should be handled at that moment.”

Liu Jing said, “But things went very poorly. The court’s men hadn’t even left Beijing when a tremendous disaster occurred.” Qin Zhonghai was startled and spat out his tea violently. He wiped with his sleeve in shock, “What disaster?”

Liu Jing picked up his tea and sipped lightly, “Yexian Khan’s troops approached the city and began attacking Beijing.”

Qin Zhonghai opened his mouth in bewilderment. At that time, Liu Angtian had mentioned the matter of Marquis Wu De killing the Emperor but hadn’t elaborated, nor was there any mention of attacking Beijing. Now hearing Liu Jing bring this up, Qin Zhonghai was hearing it for the first time.

Liu Jing said, “Yexian’s great army killed toward the sacred capital. The court, high and low, was terrified—the country had entered a desperate situation. At that time, armies from all over rushed to the rescue. Your Marquis led one hundred thousand troops to battle fiercely with Yexian in the suburbs. Both sides fought until blood flowed like rivers. If this battle were lost, the capital would fall into barbarian hands, and I fear all the people of China would become slaves to foreign tribes. But our dynasty’s seventeen routes of loyalist armies couldn’t be without a commander. Several ministers strongly argued that the country couldn’t be without a ruler and must enthrone someone to assume the position and protect the state. This matter was sent to Jingfu Palace, and the Empress Dowager urgently issued an edict establishing Prince Min as heir apparent, temporarily having the imperial brother serve as regent.”

Prince Min was the current Emperor Jingtai, who assumed the throne during turbulent times—all under heaven praised this matter, and Qin Zhonghai naturally knew of it.

Liu Jing continued, “After the heir apparent ascended, he was wholeheartedly determined to avenge his brother and immediately ordered the execution of Qin Baxian’s entire family. At that time, I, together with Liu Angtian, Qiong Wuchuan, and other old ministers, urgently petitioned, saying the case was still unclear and requesting His Majesty to rescind the order. But His Majesty, seeing his brother’s tragic death, viewed Marquis Wu De as the prime suspect—how could he swallow this resentment? He summoned armies from four directions into the city, sealed off all roads in and out of the capital, and immediately executed the entire Qin family, not allowing a single person to escape.” Hearing these words, Qin Zhonghai immediately thought of the old man in the western ghost house. His body trembled, and several knots formed in his heart, making him feel quite uncomfortable.

Liu Jing said, “At that time, with great disaster looming, everyone in the capital worried for the entire Qin family. Qin Baxian’s wife, Lady Yan, heard that the great army was entering the city to confiscate their property. She alone stood at the door, holding the death-exemption golden tablet granted by the late Emperor, hoping to use the tablet in her hand to save lives and let the entire family escape this calamity.”

Qin Zhonghai was extremely concerned and asked in a trembling voice, “What happened then?”

Liu Jing said, “For a woman to have such courage was already remarkable. But the military officers who broke into the Qin mansion were mostly fierce and violent types—they didn’t even look at the golden tablet in her hand and cut off her head with one stroke.” Qin Zhonghai cried out “Ah!” and said sadly, “She… she died…”

Liu Jing said softly, “How can a person live without a head? Lady Yan was virtuous, beautiful, intelligent, and learned—everyone greatly envied Qin Baxian. Who knew that such a delicate woman would end up as a headless ghost under the blade? Pitifully, her two children were just young and became orphans.” With that, he looked at Qin Zhonghai again, his gaze full of pity and sympathy.

Qin Zhonghai met his gaze and immediately felt sourness in his heart, tears almost falling. He was carefree by nature and had rarely cried since childhood, but now his eyes brimmed with tears, and even he didn’t understand why he felt such sorrow. He quickly covered his face with his sleeve, fearing Liu Jing would see and mock him.

Liu Jing had no intention of mocking. He sighed and changed the subject, “While the army in the city killed the entire family, the great army outside the city was about to be slaughtered by others. At that time, Yexian had reached within a hundred li of the city walls—the situation was critical. Emperor Jingtai personally led troops to engage in battle. Both sides fought fiercely, and though victory and defeat were hard to determine, at the crucial moment, a person appeared before the battle lines. This person was truly remarkable—he turned weapons into jade and silk, actually persuading Yexian Khan to withdraw his troops voluntarily without waiting for the outcome.”

Qin Zhonghai wiped away his tears, his expression now calm. He knew that during the great battle that year, Jiang Chong had appeared before the battle lines. He cleared his throat, “This matter is somewhat suspicious. According to the Marquis, Jiang Chong was captured by Yexian Khan at Tianshan and escorted back to the country all the way.” Liu Jing chuckled, “This was discovered by Wang Ning, Liang Zhiyi, and that bunch of scholars, right?”

Qin Zhonghai nodded, “Your Lordship is correct—this was indeed discovered by Magistrate Liang and Censor Wang. But shortly after they learned this news, both died.” Liu Jing shook his head and sighed, “Good people don’t live long, stupid people compete to be reborn. Those who are both good and stupid are naturally born to be targets… Sigh… These scholars only knew moral integrity and righteousness but had no methods whatsoever. Not being drawn and quartered or subjected to lingering death was already good fortune…” His implications naturally expressed sympathy for the fate of loyal ministers like Wang Ning and Liang Zhiyi.

Qin Zhonghai chuckled, “Good people don’t live long, stupid people end up miserably—what about those who are both bad and clever?”

Liu Jing laughed heartily in self-mockery, “That would be people like old me and Jiang Chong. Look at Jiang Chong—over fifty, and I’m over seventy. For decades we’ve eaten good fish and meat, living quite happily. General, isn’t this an obvious question?”

Qin Zhonghai laughed loudly, “It’s rare for someone to admit to being wicked—truly not easy at all!”

Liu Jing heard the mockery but didn’t get angry, only smiling lightly, “Let’s focus on serious matters—stop mocking this old man.” He smiled bitterly for a while, then said, “But though those scholars like Wang Ning were stupid, they didn’t die in vain. Their investigation was correct—as soon as Jiang Chong returned to the capital, Yexian Khan withdrew his troops. There must have been deception, but at that time the court had just escaped great disaster, and everyone was celebrating their survival—who had the energy to investigate the inside story? At that time, the late Emperor’s whereabouts were unknown, and Prince Min and the Empress Dowager were worried, so they sent ministers to search everywhere, but they never found him. After a while, seeing that the late Emperor had truly vanished without a trace, Prince Min, in his capacity as regent and heir apparent, formally ascended the throne and assumed the imperial position.” Qin Zhonghai snorted, “You ministers just handled it so perfunctorily—truly the coldness of human nature.”

Liu Jing said, “A country cannot be without a ruler for a single day. That Prince Min delayed for a while before ascending was already not easy. But speaking of the ascension, your Marquis also contributed greatly. Remembering his merit in supporting the throne, the court later gained a three-way balance.”

Qin Zhonghai pondered for a moment, “What about Qin Baxian? What was he doing at that time? Why didn’t he return to court to defend himself?”

Liu Jing shook his head, “It’s said that when Yexian besieged the city, he intended to fight his way back to the capital to relieve the country. But later, hearing that his entire family had been massacred, he turned toward the interior and raised troops in rebellion.”

Qin Zhonghai, hearing the inside story, frowned and asked, “What exactly was this Qin Baxian’s background?” He had heard Wei Zizhuang say this person came from Wudang, but apart from that, he knew nothing else. Now he inquired to learn more about his deeds.

A flash of sadness passed through Liu Jing’s eyes, “Qin Baxian’s original name was Qin Ce, officially titled Grand Metropolitan Commander of the West with the noble rank of Marquis Wu De. ‘Baxian’ was his courtesy name. Back then, he and your Marquis were called the Twin Heroes—’Northern Angtian, Western Baxian’—the two great pillars of Wu Ying’s court.”

Hearing Liu Angtian mentioned alongside the world’s greatest rebel, Qin Zhonghai felt a mixture of emotions and didn’t know what to say.

Liu Jing sighed and continued, “When the entire Qin family was executed, no one in the world could save them. Qin Baxian was naturally furious. He led troops to break through Wumen Pass and fought his way toward the interior. Both sides battled hundreds of times, the court retreated step by step until they reached Hulao Pass. This pass commanded natural defenses, and its defending general was no ordinary person. Though Qin Baxian was brave and martial, he couldn’t break through for the time being. Seeing it was a stalemate, Qin Baxian simply established himself at Nucang, recruiting brave warriors from across the world. From then on, both sides began over ten years of confrontation—sometimes fighting, sometimes talking, talking then fighting again. Every time the Emperor sent envoys to pacify him, Qin Baxian would beat them back with clubs, always maintaining the deadlock.”

When Qin Zhonghai saw this person’s name in Wenyuan Pavilion, he had hated being born too late to compete with him. But after these series of events, he felt both sympathy and fear for this person. He grabbed his teacup and drained it completely.

Liu Jing poured him more tea and continued, “Qin Baxian’s rebellion was equivalent to admitting he had murdered the Emperor. When he raised troops in rebellion that year, all under heaven said he deserved death—I was among them. But though the court had many famous generals, none could surpass him. Your Marquis, on one hand, needed to defend the northern frontier, and on the other hand, the court knew they had old ties and feared they might join forces in rebellion, so they never dared recall Liu Angtian. Not until the fourteenth year of Jingtai…”

Qin Zhonghai jumped up in shock, “The fourteenth year of Jingtai?” Liu Jing asked strangely, “What’s wrong?” Then he understood, “The memorial documents missing from Wenyuan Pavilion were all from this year, weren’t they?” Qin Zhonghai nodded, “Exactly so.”

Liu Jing suddenly laughed heartily, “Good fellow, even you regret it now? Ha ha! Ha ha!” By this time, dawn had long broken. Liu Jing turned to look at the morning light outside the window—the warm light fell on his old face, making his deep wrinkles more apparent and showing his wisdom. Qin Zhonghai didn’t know what Liu Jing was talking about and naturally didn’t dare respond, only quietly listening to him speak.

Liu Jing gazed at the misty morning lake and said leisurely, “In the fourteenth year of Jingtai, that group at Nucang Mountain launched a full counterattack, captured Bazhou, and struck directly at the capital, forcing the Emperor to recall Liu Angtian and issue edicts for all armies under heaven to come to the king’s aid. Both sides were locked in prolonged warfare, and finally Qin Baxian died tragically at Shenggui Pavilion—everything happened in the fourteenth year of Jingtai. This affair was full of strange twists and turns, surpassing even the most exciting episodes in Romance of the Three Kingdoms…” Qin Zhonghai suddenly understood—so Nucang Mountain’s destruction all occurred in this year. He pondered for a moment and asked, “What exactly were the hidden secrets in all this? Why would someone steal the memorials to cover it up?”

Liu Jing smiled coldly and suddenly said, “Qin Zhonghai, if you want to know the inside story, you must answer one thing for me. Otherwise, ‘distant relations shouldn’t interfere with close ones’—I, Liu, will never tell you clearly before I have evidence, lest I alert the enemy and make things worse.”

Qin Zhonghai saw his grave expression, completely unlike his usual smiling appearance. His heart trembled as he bowed and said, “Please instruct me, Your Lordship—Zhonghai will certainly answer carefully.”

Liu Jing heard his direct response but found it difficult to speak. He lowered his head and turned the teacup in his hands, as if pondering how to broach the subject. Qin Zhonghai didn’t dare disturb him and waited quietly.

After a long while, Liu Jing said slowly, “Those who give you life are your parents, those who make you are the court. If these two conflict and harm each other, what would you do?”

From the western ghost house onward, Liu Jing had constantly circled around Qin Zhonghai’s background. Now hearing him mention it again, his feelings of fear hadn’t diminished at all. Qin Zhonghai’s heart shook greatly, but at this moment he couldn’t show alarm lest he fall into disadvantage. He pretended to be relaxed and shook his head, “Director Liu asks unnecessarily—my parents died long ago, so I don’t need to worry about this question.”

Liu Jing sighed deeply, “Qin Zhonghai, ah, Qin Zhonghai—since you’ve seen the old man in the ghost house, you should have some idea in your heart. Why pretend to be foolish? Let me ask you—if your parents died at the court’s hands, would you avenge them? If you stand on the court’s side, you’ll inevitably become an unfilial descendant.” He paused, “Qin Zhonghai, loyalty and filial piety cannot coexist—do you still want to evade this?”

Qin Zhonghai’s heart shook tremendously, surprise and anger mixing as he shouted, “Screw your mother’s dog fart! Let me tell you clearly—I’ve been fatherless and motherless since childhood, an orphan! When did all these dogshit worthless matters arise!”

Liu Jing said coldly, “There was a woman whose head was severed and whose corpse was displayed publicly in shameful disgrace. There was a man who was cruelly flayed and dismembered, buried under a foreign tree, never to return to his homeland. Do you consider all this as fart?” The more Qin Zhonghai heard, the more shocked and angry he became. Suddenly filled with rage, he roared, “What nonsense are you spouting? Screw your grandmother!” He stood up and turned to leave.

Liu Jing said, “Without loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, or righteousness—that would make one a shameless wretch that heaven and earth cannot tolerate.”

Qin Zhonghai roared violently, his blade flashed from its sheath, and he turned to strike. With a loud crash, the tea table was split in half by his blow.

Liu Jing’s expression didn’t change as he lifted his teacup and took a light sip, “Did Fang Zijing teach you martial arts to curry favor with the powerful?” Qin Zhonghai’s heart was filled with terror. He suppressed his anger and thought, “This old man learned my master’s identity from somewhere and wants to threaten me. If I can’t kill him today, I’ll probably be controlled by this person for life.” He gripped his blade handle and said in a deep voice, “Director Liu, what exactly do you want by bringing me here today? Could it be you want to threaten me and make Qin Zhonghai obey you for life?” If Liu Jing gave the wrong answer, Qin Zhonghai would use his ultimate technique “Dragon Fire Devouring Heaven” to strike him dead, regardless of how to deal with Xue Nu’er and others outside.

Liu Jing said, “You’re too suspicious. I brought you here today simply to tell you this story. If you don’t want to listen to me, that’s fine too. Just turn around and leave—no one will bother you.” Qin Zhonghai didn’t believe these words and said coldly, “Stop talking nonsense. You, Liu Jing, are full of conspiracies and schemes—why pretend to be kind and deceive me? Do you take me for a three-year-old child?”

Liu Jing laughed heartily, “I always keep my word—what are you afraid of?” Qin Zhonghai shouted loudly, “Those are your words—I’m leaving right now!” With that, he turned and walked out.

Just as he was about to step out of the Buddhist hall, he suddenly heard Liu Jing sigh softly and say in a low voice, “If you want to clear your family’s grievances, in three days at the hai hour, open Chengtian Gate—we’ll plot great deeds together.”

Qin Zhonghai felt as if struck by thunder, cold sweat pouring down his entire body. The shock and terror in his heart were indescribable as he immediately thought, “So that’s it—he… he wants to rebel!” Earlier, Liu Jing had asked him about state and family matters and repeatedly hinted that his background was related to Qin Baxian—it was all to win him over to rebel together.

Liu Jing said softly, “Two hundred martial arts masters and one thousand imperial guards should be sufficient, right?” Qin Zhonghai’s face was ashen as he didn’t even want to answer and hurriedly departed.

Leaving the small room, it was already afternoon. The two martial arts masters still sat on the ground, still staring blankly at the sky, not even glancing at him from the corners of their eyes. Qin Zhonghai took a deep breath and thought, “So this temple is Liu Jing’s base for rebellion, and these masters are all recruited by him. I can’t get mixed up with them.” He hurried toward the temple gate, his pace gradually quickening. Suddenly he heard someone ahead shriek, “Why are you walking so fast?” That voice was sharp and unpleasant—it was Xue Nu’er.

Qin Zhonghai saw Xue Nu’er blocking his path and immediately became highly alert, knowing he now faced mortal danger.

Xue Nu’er sneered, “What are you afraid of? Why are you covered in cold sweat?” Qin Zhonghai spat and shouted, “Who’s sweating? Go home and ask your sister!” Xue Nu’er’s long eyebrows rose, and with two whistling sounds, Qin Zhonghai detected two streams of energy behind him. He glanced sideways and saw the two bald masters approaching stealthily, clearly intending to attack.

Seeing these two masters occupying left and right positions, forming a tripod formation with Xue Nu’er to surround him, Qin Zhonghai knew that if they fought, he would find it extremely difficult to leave this place. Xue Nu’er took out his golden wheel and shrieked, “Surnamed Qin, I always knew you were a troublemaker! Our Director happens to like you, but now seeing your shifty-eyed, rat-like ghostly appearance, he probably can’t tolerate you anymore.”

Though Qin Zhonghai faced adversity, such fierce killing and combat was his specialty—he wasn’t as shocked as when facing Liu Jing in conversation. He steadied himself, gripped his blade handle, and sneered, “With just you three trying to stop me, I’m afraid you’re still lacking!”

The four people tested each other, each concentrating their power. Qin Zhonghai saw that the two masters breathed slowly and deeply—their internal energy probably wasn’t inferior to Xue Nu’er’s. He calculated in his mind, planning to use his ultimate technique “Greedy Fire Rushing” to escape quickly while they were blocking and parrying.

Xue Nu’er roared, “Kill!” Qin Zhonghai also roared wildly as his blade flashed from its sheath, his internal energy reaching its peak, about to strike.

Just as everyone was about to begin a great slaughter, they heard someone shout, “Stop!” The four looked up quickly and saw Liu Jing approaching.

Liu Jing flew into the crowd and reached out to protect Qin Zhonghai. Xue Nu’er was stunned, “Director, what are you doing?”

Liu Jing looked at everyone and shook his head, “Don’t make things difficult for him—let him go.” Xue Nu’er said angrily, “This person is full of fear and will surely leak the secrets here. How can we spare his life?”

Liu Jing looked at Qin Zhonghai, “If he’s a person of loyalty and righteousness, he’ll keep silent as the grave. If he wants to curry favor with enemies and become a shameless traitor, I have nothing to say either.” Xue Nu’er shouted, “Director, you can’t trust him…”

Liu Jing’s face darkened as he flicked his sleeves, shaking everyone back several steps, “Qin Zhonghai, you may go. Three days from now, on the ninth day of the eleventh month, when you’re on duty at Chengtian Gate—our success or failure depends on you.” Qin Zhonghai’s whole body trembled, knowing Liu Jing wanted him to act as an inside agent, and when the rebellion began, he was to open the imperial city gates to welcome them. In his panic, his palms were covered with cold sweat.

Liu Jing saw his pale face and leaned over to whisper in his ear, “These three days, stay quiet and don’t panic. Before we act, I’ll prepare something for you to see—I guarantee that after you see it, you’ll have no more doubts in your heart.”

Qin Zhonghai didn’t want to say more. He took a deep breath, bowed slightly, and left the temple. Behind him, Xue Nu’er continued muttering complaints about Liu Jing’s inappropriate actions.