On the eighth day of the eleventh month in the thirty-second year of Jingtai, in Beijing’s Forbidden City. The eighth day of the eleventh month marked the winter solstice. According to custom, the people of Beijing would drink wine and hold banquets to celebrate the arrival of winter. In the morning hours, auspicious snow fell from heaven—the first good snowfall since winter began, making people feel that the weather was favorable and harmonious. They had long forgotten the strange celestial omens they had witnessed in recent days.

Yet no one knew that tomorrow, the ninth day of the eleventh month, a great event would occur that would change the fate of all the people under heaven. Whether noble ministers or common peddlers, none could escape the tricks of destiny. The Buddhist wheel of reincarnation was manifesting itself…

Seeing that tomorrow would be the ninth day of the eleventh month—the day Liu Jing had agreed to take action—the situation in the capital appeared relaxed on the surface but was tense within. Qin Zhonghai was one of the key figures determining whether the secret plot would succeed or fail. Although Liu Jing valued him highly, the Eastern Depot had still placed countless spies around the Western Corner Pavilion to constantly observe his movements. Qin Zhonghai understood this clearly, knowing that the Eastern Depot officials feared he might leak information. He simply stayed within the pavilion all day without stepping out even once, saving himself from arousing suspicion. Being naturally forthright by nature, he had already warned Yang Suguan of what he could and had done what was possible, so he no longer overthought matters. He simply gambled and drank within the pavilion. Until Liu Jing revealed his final trump card, he would never rashly make any decisions.

By evening, Qin Zhonghai had been drinking all day and was already quite intoxicated, sleeping soundly. A subordinate prepared a late-night meal and shook him awake. Qin Zhonghai rubbed his sleepy eyes, took the steaming hot meal, and began eating. That night, amid the complete silence and boredom, Qin Zhonghai ate his meal while calling his subordinates to sit around and gamble. His subordinates, seeing him actively invite them to play, all gladly agreed. Qin Zhonghai was always generous with money—when he won, he would treat everyone to drinks and food with his own money, and when he lost, he would simply touch his nose and accept defeat. Such a gambling companion was impossible to find even with a lantern. Soon about ten people gathered excitedly to gamble.

At this time, Qin Zhonghai was gambling only to pass time and avoid dwelling on troublesome matters. Who would have thought that without trying, he actually won several dozen taels of silver during the drinking and gambling. Seeing his luck was incredibly good, he couldn’t help but laugh: “Hehe! This old master has encountered the luck of a heavenly king today—my gambling fortune is quite good!” Looking at the dozen or so silver ingots piled in front of him, if he could win just a few more rounds, he could repay the five hundred taels of silver he owed Wei Zizhuang. For a moment, he shouted loudly, preparing to win every hand and slaughter them until blood flowed like a river.

Just as everyone was gambling noisily, they suddenly heard shouting in the distance, as if a large group of people were entering the palace. Qin Zhonghai was startled, thinking of Liu Jing’s affairs, and quickly said: “In the dead of night, how could there be people shouting? You two go quickly and see what’s happening.” Two subordinates answered and immediately ran out. Qin Zhonghai heard the shouting growing louder, as if people were rushing toward the front three palace courtyards. Unable to sit still, he put down his gambling tools and said in a deep voice: “Everyone take your weapons and come with me.”

His subordinates knew that although this superior was usually slack and negligent, when truly encountering major events, he was never careless. He was someone who could distinguish between big and small matters and grasp priorities with extreme precision. Hearing his orders, they all answered in unison and took up their weapons, preparing to head outside.

Without waiting for his subordinates to leave, Qin Zhonghai drew his sword and charged out first. Upon reaching the front palace courtyard, he indeed saw a large group of people had entered the palace—several hundred in number. Qin Zhonghai was greatly shocked, thinking: “This is bad! Could Liu Jing have acted ahead of schedule?”

Just as he was about to charge forward, he suddenly saw that this group was wearing red robes—they were Embroidered Uniform Guards. This group’s duty had always been to guard the crucial points of the Forbidden City, and without the emperor’s orders, they were never permitted to enter the palace at will. Their sudden arrival now surely meant something was happening.

Fearing that Liu Jing’s plot had been exposed, Qin Zhonghai quickly grabbed one of the guards and demanded: “What are you people doing here? Who gave you permission to enter the palace?” The guard, seeing Qin Zhonghai wearing the uniform of a commander, didn’t dare to be insolent and quickly replied: “We are following Lord Jiang’s orders to come to the Forbidden Palace to arrest someone.”

Qin Zhonghai muttered: “You… who are you trying to arrest?” The guard shook his head: “This humble officer is just following his superior here and doesn’t know who we’re supposed to arrest.”

Knowing he couldn’t force more information out of him, Qin Zhonghai released the man and charged forward, shouting: “Where is An’dao Jing? Get out here quickly!”

As he spoke, a stout man walked over—it was indeed An’dao Jing. Qin Zhonghai ran up to him and shouted: “Bold An’dao Jing! The Forbidden City is territory guarded by the Imperial Guards—what are you doing here? Do you want to rebel?” An’dao Jing knew Qin Zhonghai had a violent temperament and didn’t dare provoke him. He quickly waved his hands: “General Qin, please don’t speak wildly. We are following Lord Jiang’s instructions to come to the Forbidden City to arrest criminals—we absolutely have no intention of committing insubordination.” Qin Zhonghai was shocked and thought: “Could Liu Jing’s plot have been discovered by Jiang Chong?” He intentionally probed, immediately sneering: “Arresting criminals? The Forbidden City is full of imperial relatives—who do you want to arrest? The Empress Dowager?”

An’dao Jing heard him randomly implicate even the emperor’s mother, and his face turned pale with fear. He quickly waved his hands: “General Qin, please don’t say such things. We truly have official business—please don’t interfere so much.”

Hearing his tight-lipped response, Qin Zhonghai immediately shouted: “Bullshit! If you want to arrest someone in the palace, that’s the job of us Imperial Guards. When is it your turn to enter the palace and arrest people?” With a sharp sound, he had already drawn his sword, then said coldly: “I give you the time of one incense stick to withdraw from the Forbidden City, or don’t blame Qin for being merciless with his blade.” As he spoke, he stared coldly at An’dao Jing, ready to strike if he showed the slightest disobedience. Relying on his official position, he wasn’t afraid of Jiang Chong settling accounts later.

An’dao Jing knew Qin Zhonghai’s martial arts were formidable. Seeing him holding a sword, he was secretly wary and stepped back: “Don’t be so fierce and domineering. Everyone’s priority is arresting the criminal—we can talk about other matters later!”

Qin Zhonghai sneered: “I just said I’m giving you the time of one incense stick to withdraw from the Forbidden City. Are you deaf?” He then called his subordinates to block the road. An’dao Jing, having important duties, couldn’t show weakness either. He whistled, and the Embroidered Uniform Guards all drew their weapons. For a moment, the situation was tense as drawn bows.

Just then, someone hurried over. Looking at this person’s mighty appearance, it was indeed Gong Zhengyi, the leader of the Imperial Guards. Qin Zhonghai, seeing him arrive with a large group of Imperial Guard subordinates, quickly called out: “Brother Gong, you’ve come at the right time! This fellow surnamed An is recklessly intruding into the Forbidden City. It’s our duty—let’s quickly apprehend these presumptuous people!”

Hearing these words, Gong Zhengyi only showed alarm all over his face, shouting: “Don’t worry about these people! I just received news that Lord Jiang personally entered the Forbidden Palace and has already gone to Renzhi Hall to arrest someone! Let’s quickly go over there!”

Qin Zhonghai jumped up, saying in a trembling voice: “Renzhi Hall? What is he doing at Renzhi Hall?” Gong Zhengyi didn’t answer but quickly departed. Qin Zhonghai’s face turned ashen. Renzhi Hall contained Consort Qiong’s lewd affairs. If Jiang Chong exposed them, Xue Nu’er’s involvement in covering for the consort’s adultery would likely mean death, and Liu Jing would suffer a devastating blow. Qin Zhonghai was secretly alarmed—why wouldn’t Jiang Chong choose any other time to enter the palace and arrest people, but precisely act on the eve of Liu Jing’s uprising? Could he have already learned of the inside information?

Seeing Gong Zhengyi heading toward Renzhi Hall, Qin Zhonghai also used his lightness skill to follow closely. An’dao Jing here also led his large group of subordinates to hurry after them.

When everyone reached the vicinity, they saw Renzhi Hall surrounded by crowds—several hundred soldiers had already encircled it. Those skilled fighters of Jiang’s faction like Luo Moshi and Nine Nether Daoist had also gathered here. Seeing such a formation, Qin Zhonghai felt even more shocked. He quickly rushed toward the hall, but Nine Nether Daoist jumped over and blocked him, shouting: “Without Lord Jiang’s token, no one can enter.”

Just then, they heard a woman’s scolding voice from within the hall: “What are you arresting me for! Aren’t you afraid of committing insubordination?”

Qin Zhonghai recognized this as Consort Qiong’s voice. Not caring about Nine Nether Daoist or any eight-armed turtle, he tapped his feet and flew over everyone’s heads. Nine Nether Daoist angrily shouted: “How dare you!” and tried to reach out to stop him, but seeing Gong Zhengyi, An’dao Jing and others also rushing into the hall one after another with no one paying him any attention, Nine Nether Daoist could only follow in anger and anxiety.

Qin Zhonghai entered the hall and saw Consort Qiong had already been seized by two guards, with a large group of musketeers pointing their weapons at a tall, thin eunuch—it was the “Flower Demon” Xue Nu’er. His face looked extremely unpleasant, as pale as if he had been soaked in ice water, frighteningly white. Qin Zhonghai was secretly alarmed, thinking: “Now everything is ruined. With both Consort Qiong and Xue Nu’er captured together, I’m afraid the Eastern Depot is in trouble.”

Consort Qiong, being in her forties, had seen great occasions. Even though captured by the crowd, her demeanor remained fearless. She said coldly: “How dare you have such audacity to seize and not release the emperor’s sister-in-law! Aren’t you afraid of having your families exterminated?” Her last sentence was spoken very loudly, using all her threatening power. The two guards were startled upon hearing this and quickly released their grip.

Suddenly a sharp shout came from above the hall, saying clearly: “Pure and chaste, maintaining virtuous conduct—even a common village woman would be respected by all under heaven. But if one engages in debauchery in the rear palace with demonic behavior, even imperial relatives would be despised by all. Consort Qiong, you claim to be the emperor’s sister-in-law, but do you have the emperor in your eyes?”

As he spoke, a man wearing a python robe strode forward arrogantly—it was that great treacherous minister Jiang Chong.

Hearing his stern questioning, Consort Qiong’s complexion remained unchanged. She took a deep breath and said: “Grand Tutor Jiang, don’t rely on your high official position and great power to make false accusations. My father is a meritorious minister of this dynasty, holding an iron certificate with vermillion writing. If you dare detain this palace lady, don’t blame the Qiong family for exterminating your clan in the future!” All the guards trembled upon hearing this. Xue Nu’er, standing to one side, chimed in: “Exactly so! Bold Jiang Chong, if you want to live, quickly release us!”

Hearing their threats, Jiang Chong threw back his head and laughed loudly: “Well said! Our two families might as well have a contest. If your Qiong family has the ability to exterminate my Jiang Chong’s clan, I’ll willingly accept my fate!” He then waved his hand and shouted: “Seize them for me!” The two guards had originally released Consort Qiong, but now with Jiang Chong’s backing, their courage grew again. They immediately stepped forward and seized Consort Qiong once more. Jiang Chong looked at Xue and Qiong with a cold smile: “Now let’s see clearly! Let’s see who will have their entire family executed? Who will be punished to the ninth degree of kinship?” He then had them escorted toward the depths of Renzhi Hall.

Qin Zhonghai knew that if Jiang Chong discovered the secrets within Renzhi Hall, both Xue Nu’er and Consort Qiong would surely die. He rushed forward to block the way, saying in a deep voice: “Lord Jiang, this is territory under the Tiger Forest Army’s jurisdiction. What do you intend to do?” Qin Zhonghai had always been at odds with Xue Nu’er, but who would have thought that at this life-and-death moment, Qin Zhonghai would actually stand up for him. Xue Nu’er couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise, his expression showing seven parts amazement and three parts gratitude.

Jiang Chong glanced sideways at Qin Zhonghai and sneered: “You little brat are quite bold. Are you relying on Liu Angtian’s power? Go home and advise your marquis—don’t get involved in this filthy mess for no reason, or he’ll die without a burial place.”

Qin Zhonghai snorted, thinking: “Looking at his manner, it seems he hasn’t caught the adulterer yet. For Liu Zongguan’s sake, I must block him for a while no matter what.” He held his sword across his chest and said in a deep voice: “Although Lord Jiang holds high position and great power, Renzhi Hall is under my Tiger Forest Army’s control. Even if the Crown Prince came here, he still couldn’t enter without invitation. Please leave, all of you, or you’ll be charged with attempting to assassinate the emperor!”

Seeing his resolute expression and refusal to yield, Jiang Chong immediately laughed heartily. He took out an official document from his bosom and threw it at Qin Zhonghai, sternly saying: “Read this document clearly! Then tuck your tail between your legs and scram!”

Qin Zhonghai’s heart sank. He caught the document and opened it. Before reading the text, he saw the jade seal imperial stamp. Qin Zhonghai’s heart turned desolate, knowing that Jiang Chong had come prepared—he was acting under imperial orders. Seeing his distressed expression, Jiang Chong immediately snatched the document back and read it himself: “I have investigated that Xue Nu’er and Qiong Yuying have improper conduct and have stolen and sold palace treasures. I hereby command the Chief Inspector of Eighteen Provinces and Grand Tutor Jiang Chong to act with full discretion to thoroughly investigate all items within Renzhi Hall. All ministers shall follow his commands without violation. By imperial decree.” Qin Zhonghai now understood that the emperor already knew about Consort Qiong’s secret adultery, but because the matter was too scandalous to spread freely, he used “stealing and selling palace treasures” as a cover. Otherwise, if everyone present heard such lewd family affairs, each person’s life would probably be in danger.

With the imperial edict present, the Embroidered Uniform Guards’ morale was greatly boosted, while Xue Nu’er, Qin Zhonghai and others’ faces turned ashen. Jiang Chong strode forward arrogantly, pushed Qin Zhonghai aside, and roared: “Everyone follow me! Anyone who dares to block will be executed without mercy!”

Amid continuous shouting, the large group advanced. The guards half-dragged, half-pulled Consort Qiong, Xue Nu’er and others into the hall. Jiang Chong walked to that painting and stood motionless. Qin Zhonghai’s heart sank, knowing that Jiang Chong already had inside information. Indeed, they heard this treacherous minister laugh: “Eunuch Xue, what secret is hidden here? You’d better confess quickly, or don’t blame me for being merciless.”

Xue Nu’er had been quite frightened earlier, but now that the situation was hopeless, he lost all fear. He raised his voice and resumed his arrogant demeanor, saying coldly: “Jiang Chong, if you want to kill or torture, do as you please. Don’t expect to hear a single word from me.”

Jiang Chong laughed heartily with a confident appearance. He waved his hand and shouted: “Bring him up!” Only the sound of violent shouting came from behind, with confused footsteps as a large group of guards brought up a person. Xue Nu’er saw the man looking dejected and immediately screamed: “Traitor! It’s you! You betrayed us!” He pounced forward, wanting to kill the man on the spot. Qin Zhonghai was startled and turned to look, seeing the man wearing eunuch clothing—it was Hu Zhong.

Xue Nu’er was furious and grabbed Hu Zhong tightly. The guards on both sides came to pull them apart but couldn’t separate the two. Xue Nu’er cursed: “You traitor! You ungrateful wretch who bites the hand that feeds you!” Amid his rapid-fire cursing, Hu Zhong’s crying voice continued: “No, I didn’t… it wasn’t me…” Xue Nu’er was beyond anger, shrilling: “Despicable thing! You dare to act but not admit it, you scoundrel! If not you, who would leak the secret?” Hu Zhong cried: “I don’t know! I was just brought here too!”

Xue Nu’er wouldn’t believe it and continued cursing loudly.

Qin Zhonghai, being naturally shrewd and far superior to Xue Nu’er, immediately became suspicious listening from the side, thinking: “This isn’t right. Wasn’t this Hu Zhong just won over by Liu Jing? Liu Zongguan holds the lives of his relatives in his hands—even if Hu Zhong had ten times the courage, he couldn’t possibly betray the Eastern Depot. The traitor is someone else.”

Just as this thought occurred, he heard Jiang Chong laugh: “Don’t wrongly blame Hu Zhong. The one who leaked information wasn’t him. Someone, bring him up!” Before his words finished, a young eunuch quickly stepped forward, knelt before Jiang Chong and called out: “Little Sixth greets Lord Jiang!” This child was about eleven or thirteen years old—it was indeed that young eunuch called Little Sixth, Hu Zhong’s adopted son. Everyone was stunned to see him arrive. Hu Zhong, seeing his adopted son suddenly appear, immediately cried out in anguish: “Little Sixth, how were you also captured!” Jiang Chong glanced sideways at Hu Zhong and smiled: “What do you mean captured? That sounds so unpleasant. Good child, tell your godfather who revealed the secrets here?”

Little Sixth raised his right arm high and loudly answered: “Me!”

Hu Zhong’s whole body shook violently. After a cry of shock, he collapsed softly to the ground. Xue Nu’er and Qin Zhonghai looked at each other, both their faces turning deathly pale.

Jiang Chong patted the little eunuch’s head and smiled: “Good child, tell your godfather one more thing—when you first entered the palace, who told you to get close to your godfather?” Little Sixth answered without hesitation: “Lord Jiang!”

Jiang Chong stared at Xue Nu’er and sneered: “Your Liu Zongguan was on guard against everything, but never imagined that the real spy I, Jiang Chong, placed in the Eastern Depot was this small child, right?” Seeing Xue Nu’er extremely angry, he immediately laughed heartily: “This child questioned his godfather day and night, and finally got the dirty business of Renzhi Hall out of Hu Zhong’s mouth, passing the information to me long ago. Did you really think I, Jiang Chong, was unaware? Let me tell you—I wouldn’t act until the final critical moment!”

Xue Nu’er now understood that Hu Zhong must have inadvertently let slip information, allowing Little Sixth to discover the secret. He was so angry his whole body trembled, but being held at gunpoint by more than ten firearms, even if he wanted to kill someone, it was utterly impossible. Xue Nu’er hung his head and said no more, but his eyes revealed flame-like hatred that was truly frightening to see.

Qin Zhonghai watched from the side, also dumbfounded, thinking: “What a group of treacherous villains, truly stopping at nothing.”

At that time, when Liu Jing caught Hu Zhong’s weakness, he thought he could use Little Sixth as leverage to force Hu Zhong to act as a double agent. Who knew that the unremarkable adopted son Little Sixth was actually Jiang Chong’s most loyal spy. Liu Jing’s such miscalculation naturally led to complete defeat.

With the Eastern Depot General Manager’s experienced methods and Qin Zhonghai’s sharp eyes, neither had detected that this innocent child harbored ulterior motives. Actually, with such hidden schemes, Jiang Chong truly had put his heart into this. Seeing the situation under his control, Jiang Chong immediately laughed heartily, pointing at the painting on the wall: “Hu Zhong, you needn’t cover for these shameless men and women anymore. Quickly confess the truth and we’ll go catch the thief!”

Qin Zhonghai saw the situation was hopeless and truly could not be stopped, so he could only sigh. At this time, Gong Zhengyi and others had also entered the hall. Seeing Jiang Chong’s tyrannical behavior, how dare they say much? They all stepped aside.

Hu Zhong looked miserable and glanced at Xue Nu’er. Xue Nu’er showed no fear, only saying coldly: “The lives of several hundred people in our Eastern Depot all depend on your single thought.” Hearing these words, Hu Zhong’s body shook. He turned to look at Little Sixth, seeing his adopted son nestled beside Jiang Chong, still wearing that childish smile. But that innocent appearance was the most malicious hypocrisy and pretense in the world. Hu Zhong’s eyes filled with tears as he looked at Little Sixth and murmured: “Back then you were bullied and humiliated by others. Seeing you so lonely and pitiful, father took pity and wanted to protect you… Little Sixth… Little Sixth… tell father that father didn’t love you wrongly in this lifetime.” As he spoke, tears streamed down his face, his gaze fixed only on his adopted son.

Little Sixth, being stared at by him, felt no discomfort. He heard him laugh: “Godfather, Lord Jiang is waiting for you to speak. Don’t just waste time.” Hearing his response, Hu Zhong knew his adopted son’s usual behavior toward him was all fake, without half a bit of true feeling. He smiled miserably, raised his head and crashed it against the wall. With a loud bang, his brain immediately splattered and he died tragically. Qin Zhonghai, Gong Zhengyi and others hadn’t expected him to commit suicide and were all shocked. Xue Nu’er was even more shocked and pained, wanting to cry out to stop him but was already a step too late.

When Hu Zhong crashed against the wall and died, the wall bricks were immediately cracked, vaguely revealing traces of a hidden door. Jiang Chong laughed heartily: “Good, you fool! You couldn’t even pick a good place to commit suicide, but revealed the secret instead.” He kicked away Hu Zhong’s corpse, raised his hand and shouted: “Someone! Smash this wall for me!”

The guards on both sides answered and raised large iron hammers, striking the wall with great force. With a thunderous sound, a hidden door immediately appeared. The guards on left and right were delighted and struck harder. For a moment, dust flew everywhere and the hidden door was smashed open.

Jiang Chong threw back his head and laughed: “Heaven has eyes, finally making you group of thieves have nowhere to hide.”

With the mechanism exposed, Consort Qiong and Xue Nu’er looked at each other, both their faces pale, unable to even speak. The rest of the people, seeing the mechanism, were also horrified. Qin Zhonghai watched with cold sweat streaming down his forehead, thinking: “It’s over. Once they catch the adulterer, Liu Zongguan will surely fall.” He wanted to help but had no plan, and could only observe the situation. Everyone saw the secret passage revealed and immediately swung their hammers continuously. In a moment, they had smashed the wall to pieces, revealing a large hole. Jiang Chong laughed loudly and ordered Luo Moshi to enter first, then said: “Watch carefully! Hidden inside is a filthy thing that has defiled the rear palace beyond measure. Watch me not cut the person inside into ten thousand pieces—I swear I’m not human!” Consort Qiong had originally been quite composed, but hearing these words, she could no longer contain herself. She rushed forward screaming: “You dare! Do you know who he is!”

Jiang Chong made a signal, and An’dao Jing immediately rushed forward to cover Consort Qiong’s mouth, not letting her say another word. Xue Nu’er, seeing this, was furious and wanted to curse but was held at gunpoint, gasping for breath. He could only watch helplessly as Jiang Chong and others ran wild. Qin Zhonghai watched from the side, his heart in chaos. Seeing Luo Moshi and Jiang Chong leading the way into the secret passage, with Xue Nu’er and Consort Qiong also being escorted in by the Embroidered Uniform Guards. Qin Zhonghai was anxious and also wanted to rush into the secret passage. Guards on both sides quickly blocked him, shouting: “Without Lord Jiang’s orders, no one may act rashly!” Qin Zhonghai snorted: “This is a place under my jurisdiction—what right do you have to stop me from entering?”

Jiang Chong had already entered halfway when he heard the conversation outside and suddenly stopped. He pondered briefly and said: “No matter. Let this fellow surnamed Qin come in. Let him see the filthy thing inside, so Liu Angtian can’t say I’m framing political enemies.”

Before he finished speaking, Qin Zhonghai pushed aside the guards and strode toward the secret passage. Gong Zhengyi, seeing Qin Zhonghai enter, wanted to rush forward, but Jiang Chong’s expression changed as he shouted: “Block him! Don’t let this person enter!” Everyone quickly rushed up and separated Gong Zhengyi. Gong Zhengyi looked anxious but couldn’t find a way in. Qin Zhonghai secretly wondered—since Jiang Chong wanted someone to enter as witness, why wouldn’t he let Gong Zhengyi in but specifically wanted himself, a member of Liu’s direct faction, to enter? Unable to figure out the current situation and with the situation being tense, he could only hurry in without further thought.

The tunnel wasn’t very long. After walking for a while, everyone had entered a secret chamber. Jiang Chong turned back and sneered: “Listen well! This kind of lawless, adulterous wretch who defiles palace concubines deserves death above all. Watch me execute him on the spot.” He raised his firearm and shouted: “Everyone step back!” Immediately, Consort Qiong’s screams came from behind: “Jiang Chong! How dare you! Stop immediately!”

Jiang Chong spat and immediately fired wildly into the secret chamber. The musketeers behind also followed suit. With thunderous continuous shots, the room was filled with gun smoke. Amid the gunshots mixed with Consort Qiong’s crying from behind—her voice full of despair and misery, apparently unable to bear her lover’s tragic death and crying out in anguish.

Qin Zhonghai thought: “Acting this way, even if the person inside were an immortal, he’d probably be thoroughly dead. This Jiang Chong doesn’t even want a confession—how will he root out accomplices later? This is truly baffling.”

By this time, Consort Qiong had already fainted from crying. Without waiting for the smoke to dissipate, everyone immediately entered the secret chamber. Jiang Chong looked excited and laughed loudly: “Everyone in the world who opposes me, Jiang Chong, comes to no good end!”

Qin Zhonghai looked carefully around the stone chamber and immediately sneered: “Lord Jiang, who is opposing you? Take a look inside!”

Jiang Chong was startled and quickly looked around. By this time, the smoke had drifted out through the tunnel and the scene inside the room was visible. He saw the room contained a wooden bed and a wooden table, with nothing else and not even half a person visible.

Qin Zhonghai laughed heartily: “Lord Jiang! You entered the palace without reason, detained the Eastern Depot’s Deputy General Manager and the late emperor’s beloved consort—was it to find this rotten bed? Such a strange and bizarre affair, I must tell our family’s marquis about it. He’ll surely find it quite interesting too.”

By this time, Hu Zhong had been driven to death alive. If they couldn’t find the adulterer’s corpse, the matter would be difficult to resolve properly. Jiang Chong, after brief calculation, knew things were going badly. Feeling both anxious and angry, he shouted at Little Sixth: “You… didn’t you say there was someone here?” Little Sixth looked terrified and knelt down: “My lord, please investigate clearly! I heard my godfather say that when he accompanied Consort Qiong here, he truly heard a man’s voice speaking inside!”

Hearing this, Jiang Chong immediately understood. He calmed down and sneered: “Liu Jing! Liu Jing! I must admit you’re formidable—you were still one step ahead of me!” He looked down and examined everywhere, saying in a deep voice: “Everyone search for me! This place definitely has something strange about it!” Everyone immediately began searching carefully inside.

Qin Zhonghai crossed his arms and coldly watched everyone search around, seeing these people ransacking and destroying everything, hoping to find some clues. Qin Zhonghai secretly laughed, thinking: “What a Liu Zongguan! It seems this adulterer was definitely moved away by him. He truly has divine powers—in just an instant, he managed to hide the person without a trace. I wonder how he managed it.”

After searching for a while, everyone found nothing suspicious and reported back: “We’ve searched everywhere and found nothing suspicious.” Jiang Chong’s face turned pale: “Impossible! The man in this stone chamber must still be in the palace. You all work harder and search thoroughly for me!”

Just as everyone was searching, they suddenly heard hurried footsteps in the distance—a large group of people was heading toward the stone chamber. Qin Zhonghai became suspicious, thinking: “Who else could be coming at this moment? Could it be Liu Jing?”

As Qin Zhonghai was speculating, he suddenly heard someone shout: “His Majesty arrives!” Everyone heard that the emperor had come and were all shocked. Jiang Chong, having caused trouble, also looked worried as he quickly rushed toward the door to await the emperor’s arrival.

Qin Zhonghai was secretly delighted, thinking: “Jiang Chong abused his power and recklessly entered the Forbidden Palace to search, but couldn’t find even half a person. Now he’s going to die without a burial place.”

Just as he was thinking this, yellow robes flashed and dragon boots entered the room. The newcomer was a man in his fifties with a handsome appearance—it was indeed Emperor Jingtai who had arrived.

Jiang Chong immediately knelt down and called loudly: “Your servant Jiang Chong respectfully welcomes Your Majesty, long live the emperor, long live!” Seeing Jiang Chong kneel, everyone immediately fell to their knees as well. Qin Zhonghai lay on the ground, stealing glances from the corner of his eye, and saw the emperor’s face was livid with a most unusual expression.

Seeing the emperor’s furious state, Qin Zhonghai felt uneasy. Indeed, he heard the emperor shout: “Where is the person?” Jiang Chong knelt and reported: “Your Majesty, your servant searched repeatedly but found no one.” The emperor suddenly erupted in fury, roaring: “Gone? How could someone just disappear?” He kicked toward Jiang Chong’s head. Jiang Chong took the kick but remained motionless, only lowering his head in endurance.

Everyone was shocked to see the emperor angrily rebuke his minister and even kick him. Qin Zhonghai was also horrified. In the past when he met the emperor, he saw him as fond of literature with excellent cultivation—who knew he could become so enraged? Even if the emperor’s sister-in-law truly committed adultery, he shouldn’t be this angry. Moreover, they hadn’t caught the adulterer or forced a confession, so how could he beat his minister to vent his anger? There was indeed something unreasonable about this. Qin Zhonghai secretly speculated, feeling there were other hidden circumstances—it probably wasn’t as simple as the consort’s adultery.

Jiang Chong prostrated on the ground, gasping: “Your Majesty, this person’s disappearance without a trace must be Liu Zongguan’s doing. Please summon Liu Jing and we can get to the bottom of this.” The emperor’s face turned ashen as he shouted: “Summon Liu Zongguan!” Everyone answered and hurriedly passed down the order to bring Liu Jing. Qin Zhonghai felt desolate, thinking: “It’s over. Liu Zongguan has failed at the crucial moment—he hasn’t even rebelled yet but trouble has already emerged.” He was secretly worried, fearing Liu Jing couldn’t survive today’s ordeal. Dismissal and investigation would be a small matter, but one careless move might lead to the tragic fate of family extermination.

The emperor said nothing, clenching his fists tightly, his expression mixing grief and anger. By this time, Xue Nu’er and Consort Qiong had been escorted into the secret chamber. Both kept their heads down and remained motionless, presumably extremely frightened.

After a while, an attendant rushed over. The emperor shouted: “Where is Liu Zongguan? Bring him to see me!” The attendant knelt and reported: “Your Majesty, just now both the Eastern Depot and Liu Zongguan’s residence suddenly caught fire. All the documents inside were burned, and we don’t know what happened. Liu Zongguan’s whereabouts are also unknown.”

At these words, everyone was shocked, and the emperor stepped back and hit the wall. Qin Zhonghai was shaken, cold sweat streaming down, thinking: “It’s over, the situation is hopeless. Liu Jing saw the situation turning bad and has already abandoned his post and fled.” The situation took a sharp turn for the worse, far more tense than imagined. Qin Zhonghai understood that Liu Jing’s downfall was now certain, and the three-way division in court would finally end. He was secretly worried, fearing he might also be implicated.

Jiang Chong hurried forward and said quietly: “Your Majesty, it seems Liu Zongguan is also involved and has fled in fear of punishment.”

The emperor clenched his fists and shouted: “Liu Zongguan! Where have you gone?” His emotions were extremely agitated. Everyone was greatly shocked and immediately knelt down, saying tremblingly: “Your Majesty, please calm your anger!”

Seeing the emperor’s uncontrollable fury, Jiang Chong quickly said: “Your Majesty, although Liu Zongguan has disappeared, your servant has captured his subordinate Xue Nu’er. Would Your Majesty like to interrogate him?” The emperor shouted loudly: “Bring him over!” Jiang Chong quickly signaled, and guards on both sides brought Xue Nu’er and Consort Qiong before the emperor.

Qin Zhonghai stole a glance and saw Xue Nu’er’s face was ashen with his lips trembling slightly, while Consort Qiong raised her chin with a cold, arrogant demeanor, showing no trace of fear.

The emperor looked at Xue Nu’er sternly: “Deputy Manager Xue, where has your Liu Zongguan gone?” Xue Nu’er knelt: “Your servant doesn’t know.” The emperor said harshly: “You don’t know? Then what were you doing in Renzhi Hall in the middle of the night?” His brow was full of murderous intent. Everyone seeing the emperor’s expression was horrified and fearful, afraid of bringing fatal disaster upon themselves.

With the current Son of Heaven personally threatening him, Xue Nu’er only closed his lips tightly and prostrated on the ground, not answering a single word, as if he hadn’t heard the emperor’s question. Although Qin Zhonghai usually had poor relations with him, he now secretly worried for him.

Seeing his silence, the emperor couldn’t help but fly into a rage, shouting: “Xue Nu’er! You… tell me, how many years have you followed me… us?” In his anger, his voice trembled slightly, and he misspoke, saying “me” instead of “us,” showing his anger had reached its peak. Hearing the emperor stutter, everyone thought: “The emperor is so angry he can’t even speak properly.”

Xue Nu’er sighed softly and said quietly: “Your servant has followed Your Majesty for thirty-two years.”

The emperor shouted: “Good! You still remember clearly! In these thirty-two years, have I ever wronged you in any way?” Xue Nu’er kowtowed: “Your Majesty has treated your servant with both grace and righteousness.”

The emperor’s eyes reddened as he shouted: “You… since you know I have not treated you poorly, why… why do you rebel against me? Do you have the country and state in your heart?” Xue Nu’er said nothing, only silently kowtowing. Qin Zhonghai was greatly shocked, thinking: “Rebel? Why would His Majesty use this word? Could he have already discovered Liu Zongguan’s treasonous plot?”

The emperor’s face turned pale: “Last time you nearly harmed me, do you know why I didn’t punish you? Only because you’ve served me for many years, I didn’t believe you would truly harm me, so I made an exception and spared your life… but you… you repay me like this… how can you face me?” Speaking of his anger, tears actually flowed down. The guards on both sides heard the emperor’s choked voice and didn’t even dare breathe loudly, only bowing their heads deeper, afraid of angering the emperor at this moment.

Xue Nu’er still remained silent, only kowtowing repeatedly.

The emperor ignored him and had Consort Qiong dragged over, shouting: “Qiong Yuying! I respected you as my sister-in-law and never interfered with you, but who knew you would do such treasonous things? Quickly tell me where the person… where did he go?”

Hearing his stammering, Consort Qiong immediately sneered: “Why are you asking this? Do you still have the face to see him?” Everyone heard her speak so boldly, as if she had thrown caution to the wind, and couldn’t help but cry out in horror. Seeing her stern, hateful gaze, the emperor actually stepped back. Jiang Chong rushed forward, pointing and shouting: “Bold woman! How dare you speak wildly and commit insubordination? Don’t you want to live?”

Consort Qiong raised her head to the sky and closed her eyes: “Grand Tutor Jiang, who exactly is committing insubordination—you know in your heart.” Jiang Chong was furious and swung a slap, but his palm had barely reached her powdered cheek when he suddenly remembered this woman’s extraordinary status and had to forcibly restrain himself.

Qin Zhonghai watched with great doubt, thinking: “Who exactly is the person in this secret chamber? Why would Consort Qiong speak like this? And why would it alarm His Majesty to come personally and question them, forcing Liu Jing to abandon his post and flee?” Seeing the situation in extreme chaos, Qin Zhonghai’s mind was in turmoil but he couldn’t make sense of it, so he could only quietly observe how things would develop.

After being glared at by Consort Qiong, the emperor actually showed panic. He gasped for a while, suppressed his anger, and resumed the dignity of the current Son of Heaven, saying in a deep voice: “Consort Qiong, don’t think that being a meritorious minister’s daughter allows you to despise law and order and ignore moral principles. I’m now giving you a chance to reform yourself—honestly tell me where the person in this stone chamber went?”

Consort Qiong said coldly: “I won’t tell you. Kill me!” The emperor made a sound and said deeply: “You are my sister-in-law—how could I kill you?”

Consort Qiong showed disdain and sneered: “Sister-in-law? What does sister-in-law mean? Stop your false righteousness there.” The emperor flew into a rage and shouted: “What did you say?”

Consort Qiong laughed loudly and cursed: “Treacherous ministers and rebels colluding together! The most shameless villain in the world—I’m talking about you! Zhu Jin!” Hearing Consort Qiong directly call the imperial name, the emperor was consumed with fury. He immediately drew a guard’s sword and fiercely slashed at Consort Qiong. Consort Qiong’s expression was cold and stern—she neither avoided nor yielded, actually closing her eyes to await death.

Amid everyone’s cries of alarm, they saw the precious sword enter flesh and blood splash five steps—one person blocked in front of Consort Qiong. This person’s face was painted with thick white powder and his lips were bright red—it was Eastern Depot Deputy Manager Xue Nu’er. At this critical moment, he sacrificed his life to save his master, taking this fatal blow for Consort Qiong.

How could Xue Nu’er withstand the emperor’s sword piercing through his body? He looked at Qin Zhonghai, raised his right hand as if wanting to say something. Qin Zhonghai remembered past events and for a moment felt great sorrow, wanting to rush forward and grasp his hand, but the current situation was extremely tense—if he acted rashly, he would definitely be implicated. So he forcibly turned his head away, unwilling to meet his gaze.

Xue Nu’er’s old tears flowed as he fell to the ground, his life hanging by a thread. Consort Qiong, seeing him dying, immediately reached out to embrace him and cried bitterly. Xue Nu’er gasped continuously, then his head tilted to one side and he died.

The emperor, holding the supreme position, had never personally killed anyone in his life. Seeing Xue Nu’er’s tragic state, he couldn’t help but cry out, finally awakening from his extreme rage. He threw the precious sword to the ground, covered his face and called: “Why? Why do you all act like this? What have I done to wrong you? Why?” Shocked and frightened, he nearly collapsed, and the guards on both sides were alarmed and quickly supported him.

Jiang Chong stepped forward and said quietly: “Your Majesty, arresting people is urgent now. Although Liu Jing has escaped, this woman definitely knows ‘his’ whereabouts. Let your servant force a confession. If this cheap woman remains stubborn, we’ll send her to military camps to serve as a camp prostitute—let’s see if she’ll talk then?” Hearing his slanderous words, the emperor only looked desolate, sitting dully on the wooden bed like a stone statue.

Consort Qiong slowly put down Xue Nu’er’s corpse and glared angrily at the emperor, her gaze cold as if holding infinite deep hatred.

Seeing her still cold and aloof, Jiang Chong immediately stepped forward and sneered: “Surnamed Qiong, don’t think your father being some founding minister or meritorious official can save your life tonight! I advise you to be honest, or I’ll send you to the frontier where you’ll end up being ridden by thousands and pressed by ten thousand—let’s see what you’ll be proud of then?”

Hearing this, Consort Qiong was furious and shrieked: “Bold Jiang Chong, how dare you!” Jiang Chong sneered: “What wouldn’t I dare? If you continue being defiant, I’ll have you stripped naked right now—let’s see what you’ll be arrogant about?” Consort Qiong screamed and crashed toward the wall, intending to commit suicide.

Jiang Chong watched her coldly and smiled evilly: “Want to die? Is it that easy?” He grabbed her and forcefully pushed her to the ground, sneering: “If you want to keep your chastity, obediently confess everything, or I’ll drag you away and send you to military camps tomorrow.” He signaled, and his subordinates answered and reached for Consort Qiong.

Consort Qiong angrily said: “How dare you! Anyone who dares touch me will be cursed by Emperor Taizu’s high temple!” Whenever an emperor was tyrannical and court ministers faced death, they would often curse the emperor in the name of Emperor Taizu’s high temple. Consort Qiong’s words served two purposes: first, to emphasize her identity as a member of the imperial family, and second, to challenge the emperor’s authority. Indeed, hearing these words, the emperor was startled and only stared blankly at Consort Qiong.

The two guards hesitated upon hearing this. Jiang Chong laughed: “What’s the problem? This shameless woman—you can touch her all you want.” He ordered them to lift Consort Qiong and immediately tore her outer garment, exposing her undergarments. Consort Qiong screamed loudly, knowing that if she was unlucky tonight, she would suffer rape, and tears immediately fell. At this time, the emperor stared wide-eyed, muttering to himself, but turned a blind eye to Jiang Chong and others’ evil acts.

Jiang Chong sneered: “You two strip her naked. Tonight let everyone see what kind of slutty appearance Qiong Wuchuan’s daughter has.”

The two guards saw that although Consort Qiong was past her prime, she was still quite attractive. Seeing her white, tender flesh and hearing Jiang Chong’s orders, they immediately approached lecherously, wanting to strip off her clothes. Qin Zhonghai watched and couldn’t bear it, but if he spoke even one word of advice now, he would be charged with conspiracy. He sighed softly and stepped backward, wanting to leave the stone chamber early and not watch anymore.

Just at this critical moment, two screams were heard as the two guards flew backward and crashed into the wall. Then a flying shadow leaped up, pouncing directly at the emperor. This person’s movement was extraordinarily fast—it was the critically wounded Xue Nu’er.

Qin Zhonghai was greatly shocked: “Good for you, Xue Nu’er—you actually feigned death!” Everyone saw Xue Nu’er suddenly come back to life and were all greatly horrified. The emperor was so frightened his whole body went limp, covering his face and crying out. Seeing Xue Nu’er pouncing directly at the emperor, Jiang Chong was both shocked and anxious, saying tremblingly: “Quick! Quickly protect His Majesty!”

This Xue Nu’er’s martial arts were superb, only slightly inferior to Zhuo Lingzhao. Every gesture and movement could break wood and split stone, kill tigers and slay dragons. If he wanted to kill the emperor with his bare hands, it would be no difficult matter. The guards hadn’t expected Xue Nu’er could still violently attack and were unprepared. They hurriedly removed firearms from their backs to defend, but his hands and feet were too fast—he was already within three feet of the emperor, and their response was inadequate.

Luo Moshi and Nine Nether Daoist on the side saw the situation was bad and quickly blocked in front of the emperor. Xue Nu’er screamed and struck out with both palms. Nine Nether Daoist and Luo Moshi each put out a palm to resist. With four palms opposing, Xue Nu’er’s palm force was superior—Nine Nether Daoist immediately spat fresh blood and fell to the ground. Luo Moshi’s skill was deeper than Nine Nether Daoist’s, but after receiving this palm, his face also turned ashen and he stepped back three paces.

Seeing no one blocking him, Xue Nu’er roared wildly and pounced toward the emperor. Jiang Chong was terrified and took out his gun to shoot at Xue Nu’er. With a thunderous sound, the gun only hit the wall but didn’t strike a vital point.

Qin Zhonghai was greatly alarmed and quickly pressed his sword hilt, but didn’t know which side to help.

At this time, Xue Nu’er was covered in blood, with wounds continuously spurting blood, but using his remaining strength, he had already pressed down the emperor, his fingers gripping the throat, shrieking: “Your Majesty! Do you know… she is your sister-in-law! No matter what, you… you cannot treat her like this. How could you be so heartless!” The emperor looked terrified, but with his throat gripped, he couldn’t speak. Xue Nu’er screamed and squeezed down forcefully. With a crack, the emperor’s throat cartilage was about to shatter. He couldn’t breathe, his tongue protruded, and his face turned blue-purple.

With His Majesty’s life hanging by a thread, Jiang Chong couldn’t care about his own safety. He rushed forward and desperately grabbed Xue Nu’er’s hands, pulling outward with all his might, trying to get his fingers away from the emperor’s throat. But Jiang Chong’s martial arts were weak—how could he pull them away? Both shocked and frightened, he screamed: “Help! Someone come help!”

Although the guards had raised their guns, firing now would kill Xue Nu’er but would also shoot the emperor dead—no one dared fire.

Seeing the emperor about to die, Luo Moshi couldn’t regulate his breathing and immediately jumped up, pushed Jiang Chong aside, and used his “Nether Mysterious Finger” to fiercely strike Xue Nu’er’s back. Xue Nu’er felt pain in his back but his five fingers gripped even harder. The emperor’s limbs convulsed—he was about to die. Qin Zhonghai was shaken, thinking: “If I strike with this sword, I can definitely save the emperor’s life. Should I save him or not?”

Luo Moshi was greatly alarmed and increased his finger strikes. Nine Nether Daoist also came up to pull and strike. An’dao Jing was most clever and suddenly had an idea. Using “Nine Turn Blade,” he slashed down and suddenly chopped off both of Xue Nu’er’s hands. With his hands severed from his body, his body fell to the ground.

Jiang Chong was extremely panicked. Seeing Xue Nu’er fall to the ground, he immediately shouted: “Everyone fire quickly!” Everyone saw the situation and fired dozens of shots with thunderous sounds, riddling Xue Nu’er like a honeycomb. Jiang Chong was both shocked and angry, kicking the corpse randomly, then shouting: “Take Qiong Yuying to the military camp!”

Everyone roared and was about to step forward when they heard the emperor say: “Wait!” Everyone quickly knelt down, awaiting the emperor’s judgment.

Jiang Chong was pleased: “Your Majesty, are you going to kill her?” The emperor sighed: “Xue Nu’er was right—she is my sister-in-law after all. We absolutely cannot humiliate her. Take her down and hand her over to the Empress Dowager.” Jiang Chong urgently said: “Your Majesty, this woman committed insubordination and rebellion. This… how can this be…”

The emperor looked desolate and waved his hand: “Don’t say so much. Just follow orders.” Jiang Chong reluctantly said: “Your servant receives the decree.” He signaled, and his subordinates seized Qiong Yuying and dragged her away. Soon she was sent to Jingfu Palace to be dealt with by the Empress Dowager. Qin Zhonghai breathed a sigh of relief—the Empress Dowager was far more reasonable than the emperor. Although she wouldn’t spare Consort Qiong, at least she wouldn’t humiliate her. Her chastity could be preserved.

As Consort Qiong was dragged away, she continued screaming loudly, calling the emperor’s personal name. The emperor covered his face with his hand, gasping hoarsely: “Why? Why? He… he’s been dead for thirty years, so why are there still people willing to die for him? Am I… am I really so unpopular?” Qin Zhonghai was secretly puzzled, wondering: “What about being dead for thirty years? Who died thirty years ago?”

Hearing the emperor’s inappropriate words, Jiang Chong quickly stepped forward and quietly reported: “Your Majesty, with so many people around, please be very careful with your words.”

The emperor sat there dully without speaking. Suddenly tears fell, and he heavily swung out a fist, punching the wall. With a bang, his fist was covered in blood—he was injured.

Everyone was alarmed and quickly stepped forward to check. Jiang Chong bandaged his wound and quietly advised: “Your Majesty, please take care of your dragon body and don’t be so angry.” The emperor raised his face, his expression both painful and sorrowful, as if his heart had died. Qin Zhonghai watched with amazement, knowing tonight’s events had other major inside information that would surely implicate countless people in the future. He needed to be careful.

Luo Moshi on the side saw that after the emperor’s punch, the wall showed slight loosening, knowing something was amiss. He quickly approached and quietly said to Jiang Chong: “Lord Jiang, there’s something wrong with this wall—it’s probably hollow inside.”

Having failed tonight and unable to catch his lifelong enemy Liu Jing, Jiang Chong was delighted to hear this and quickly said: “Master, if you have any ideas, please try.” Luo Moshi nodded and channeled his “Nether Mysterious Finger,” striking the wall with one finger. This “Nether Mysterious Finger” specialized in internal destruction. Although the bricks were solid, they were ordinary blue bricks—how could they withstand a martial arts master’s strike? The wall surface shook, the bricks crumbled to powder, and a hollow space was revealed.

Jiang Chong was delighted and quickly cleared away the mud and dust, looking inside and shouting: “Someone! Smash this wall for me!” Everyone raised iron hammers and struck the wall surface. With a thunderous sound amid scattered dust, another long tunnel was revealed.

Seeing this tunnel, the emperor was greatly shocked and said tremblingly: “How can there be this secret passage? What… what is it for?”

Jiang Chong threw back his head and laughed, shouting: “Someone go in and search for me! Liu Jing must be inside!” Musketeers rushed up to lead the way, and An’dao Jing, Luo Moshi, Jiang Chong and others also filed in. Qin Zhonghai was amazed and followed behind. This tunnel was quite long, extending for over a li. Qin Zhonghai looked around carefully—this tunnel was recently dug. He was secretly shocked, knowing it must have been secretly excavated by Liu Jing. It seemed his conspiracy to rebel had been prepared for years, definitely not a temporary idea.

Walking far, the air gradually became cooler. Everyone walked out of the tunnel, pushed open a hidden door, and had already entered a room.

Qin Zhonghai turned to look around, and his heart immediately sank. This place was none other than the monastery’s single hall where he had secretly met with Liu Jing that day. The Maitreya Buddha statue still hung on the wall with a smiling face, just as it had been that day.

Qin Zhonghai’s face turned ashen, thinking: “What a Liu Zongguan—he had this trick up his sleeve. No wonder he could get the adulterer out of the palace.” It seemed Liu Jing had received news and, while Xue Nu’er, Qin Zhonghai and others delayed for time, he took the opportunity to take the person away. Seeing this place empty of people, Liu Jing had already fled far away.

Large groups of Embroidered Uniform Guards looked around, but in the huge monastery, not a single person remained—Liu Jing had already escaped. Qin Zhonghai followed everyone and looked around. He saw several halls filled with swords, spears and weapons, enough to supply a thousand men. Qin Zhonghai understood—these weapons were meant for tomorrow’s uprising, but who knew Liu Jing would fail at the crucial moment and stumble here.

Qin Zhonghai looked back at the secret passage, thinking: “This tunnel’s location is hidden. If used to attack the imperial palace, it could easily send in a hundred martial arts masters. If someone else attacked Chengtian Gate to divert the main force of the Forbidden Army’s attention, using this diversionary tactic, the emperor’s life would be in their grasp.” He admired this in his heart and was even more amazed by Liu Jing’s strategy.

By now the emperor had also arrived. Seeing so many weapons and the newly dug secret passage, he knew Liu Jing had ulterior motives and was actually plotting treason. Thinking of Liu Jing’s usual respectful appearance, the emperor’s face turned pale and he cried: “Liu Zongguan! Liu Zongguan! I trusted you completely in vain… you… how could you be so heartless…” His feet went weak and he nearly fell. Jiang Chong quickly stepped forward to support him and advised: “Your Majesty, please don’t be sad. Let your servant investigate the matter clearly. You should return to the palace to rest.”

The emperor collapsed in Jiang Chong’s arms, murmuring: “Minister Jiang, in all heaven and earth, only you are truly loyal to me…”

Jiang Chong nodded and had his subordinates support the emperor, then raised his voice and shouted: “Eastern Depot General Manager Liu Jing intended to rebel and assassinate His Majesty. After investigation, this is confirmed. Immediately issue a nationwide manhunt to capture Liu Jing and his treasonous party!” The Embroidered Uniform Guards answered and each left the monastery to pursue.

The Eastern Depot General Manager’s conspiracy for a coup was a major matter. By early morning the next day, martial law had been declared in the palace, with large groups of troops leaving the city to pursue Liu Jing. The emperor ordered the Embroidered Uniform Guards to directly control the Forbidden Palace and had the Imperial Guards leave the Forbidden City. Everyone knew the emperor no longer trusted the palace troops—it seemed the time of Jiang Chong’s dominance had arrived.

Qiong Wuchuan had learned of his beloved daughter’s arrest that very night and went to Jingfu Palace to see the Empress Dowager, hoping to save his daughter’s life. But with Consort Qiong having committed such rebellious crimes, no one was optimistic about her escaping disaster.

Once the martial law news spread, countless Eastern Depot eunuchs were captured. The eunuch Da Bao, being Xue Nu’er’s adopted son, bore the brunt and was arrested that very night. The martial arts masters Liu Jing had carefully recruited either died or fled, dissolving into smoke in the blink of an eye. Large groups of Embroidered Uniform Guards wielded swords throughout the capital arresting criminals, and the entire capital was in chaos. Only Liu Jing himself seemed to have vanished into thin air—no one could trace his whereabouts or find any clues. Jiang Chong understood Liu Jing’s deep potential and feared he had other plots, so he strictly ordered his subordinates to intensify the search for this person. If he didn’t die, Jiang Chong couldn’t rest easy for a single day.

Within ten days, the capital had completely changed face, transforming from an originally lively and festive great city into a ghostly domain filled with murderous atmosphere.

With the situation so tense, Qin Zhonghai, holding a position in the Tiger Forest Army, was also ordered to leave the city to search and capture. At this point, with Liu Jing’s downfall, Jiang Chong was as stable as Mount Tai. Of the three court factions, one leg of the tripod was gone and the situation had become like passing clouds. The next person to face misfortune would probably be Liu Angtian.

The great army reached the city outskirts, and the guards searched along the mountains. Whenever they encountered suspicious people, they would stop and question them. Qin Zhonghai sat to one side, repeatedly calculating the situation, thinking: “I wonder if the marquis and the others have received news? They mustn’t get entangled in this affair.” He understood that he had been quite close to the Eastern Depot and was now in a position of suspicion, so he must be careful with his words and actions and absolutely not get implicated. For this reason, he also couldn’t contact Liu’s faction anymore, lest they bring disaster upon themselves.

Just as he was thinking, snow suddenly began falling from the sky. Qin Zhonghai looked up at the falling snowflakes. Early winter auspicious snow was normally a good omen, but with the court situation so critical, everyone was panicked and had no heart to observe.

As Qin Zhonghai sat to one side, he suddenly heard loud questioning in the distance and got up to look. He saw dozens of men, women, old and young arranged in a line, each receiving questioning from his subordinates. These common people were mostly villagers living nearby who usually carried vegetables and fruits into the city to sell for a living. Because of the martial law in the city, idlers hadn’t been allowed in or out for several days. Now that the troops had finally opened the city gates, they were probably hurrying home. But Liu Jing was most likely still in the city—if he wanted to leave Beijing, he would definitely disguise himself as a peddler or commoner. The Tiger Forest Army members didn’t dare be negligent in their duties and were sure to intensify their questioning.

The subordinates questioned each villager one by one about their names and origins. When they found nothing suspicious, they let them pass. If they encountered men over forty years old, they had to take them aside to strip and examine them. The villagers were all horrified seeing the formation the court had set up. After being questioned, everyone fled hurriedly.

Just as the questioning was going on, an old woman walked over from the opposite direction—she was actually heading into the city. A guard saw her white hair, carrying a bamboo basket, with a very kind expression. He couldn’t help but wonder and asked: “Old woman, the capital is in complete chaos—why are you still rushing to go in?” The old woman replied: “This old woman’s maiden name is Chen. I married into the Qin family in my youth. My late father-in-law is buried south of the city. Today is his death anniversary, and remembering the Qin family’s kindness, I want to enter the city to sweep his grave.” Her voice was aged but her choice of words was quite refined, suggesting she was someone who had seen the world. The woman claimed to have married someone surnamed Qin. Qin Zhonghai heard this and paid attention. The guard didn’t notice anything unusual. Seeing this old woman’s kind appearance, just like his own grandmother, he suddenly felt affection and said: “Alright, it’s none of your business. You can enter the city.”

The old woman smiled slightly and asked: “Officer, is it alright to go like this?” At this time, those waiting to leave the city formed a line stretching for several li—who knew when the questioning would end. Another guard, being a crude type, heard the old woman’s wordiness and became impatient, roaring: “I’m letting you go—why are you making so much fuss? Scram!” He waved his hand and pushed the old woman aside. Being pushed like this, the old woman accidentally dropped her bamboo basket, and incense, candles, and spirit money scattered all over the ground.

The old woman sighed and bent down to pick things up, muttering: “People’s hearts are not what they used to be! Just entering the city to sweep a grave causes such chaos. Sigh… People nowadays don’t know about honoring ancestors and remembering the past—they’ve even forgotten their ancestors’ names. They’ve truly forgotten the eight virtues!”

Qin Zhonghai heard deep meaning in her words and immediately became alert. He looked carefully and saw the old woman looked increasingly familiar. When their eyes met, the old woman winked at him, her gaze revealing a hint of cunning. Qin Zhonghai suddenly jumped up—in an instant, he had recognized this old woman’s identity.

“She” was Liu Jing!

The whole world was hunting this person, yet he was leisurely wandering around here?

The old woman picked up the incense and candles, muttering to herself: “Forgetting one’s origins, recognizing thieves as fathers—this old woman has lived so long and has truly seen it all.” She sighed for a long time, then turned and walked toward the city.

Qin Zhonghai was secretly amazed, thinking: “Has this Liu Jing gone mad? Now the whole city is hunting him, yet he’s swaggering back to Beijing—isn’t he afraid of death?” Although he recognized Liu Jing, he had no intention of arresting him and actually hoped he could successfully escape Jiang Chong’s pursuit. Seeing Liu Jing slowly leaving, he called his subordinates and instructed: “Watch carefully and see if there are any suspicious people. I’ll go check elsewhere.” His subordinates didn’t suspect anything and answered in unison, each going about their business. Qin Zhonghai felt relieved and immediately carried his steel sword, slowly following behind Liu Jing.

He saw Liu Jing walking unsteadily, pretending to be an ordinary old woman, moving slowly all the way. With difficulty, he reached a mountain hollow where there were no people around. Just as Qin Zhonghai was about to step forward to greet him, he suddenly saw something flash before his eyes—an object was shooting toward his face. Qin Zhonghai was startled and hurriedly dodged to the side. The object hit the ground with a loud bang, sending up countless sparks. Qin Zhonghai looked down and saw it was a candlestick.

Qin Zhonghai exclaimed: “Liu Zongguan, what are you doing?” Liu Jing sneered, suddenly turned and pounced, his palm wind already sweeping over. Qin Zhonghai hurriedly retreated and shouted: “Liu Zongguan, don’t misunderstand—I have no intention of arresting you!”

Liu Jing spat and removed his disguise, sternly saying: “Qin Zhonghai! Do you still have the face to talk to me?” His hands danced continuously, every move aimed at Qin Zhonghai’s throat. Once Liu Jing made a move, it was like thunder and lightning. This person’s internal power was not as good as Zhuo Lingzhao’s and lacked overwhelming dominance, and his techniques weren’t as urgent and pressing as Xue Nu’er’s, but the combination of each move was quite clever. Like the man himself, his martial arts were full of surprises everywhere, making it impossible to guard against.

Qin Zhonghai was attacked by him and couldn’t draw his steel sword in time, only able to dodge left and right, continuously avoiding deadly moves. He knew Liu Jing suspected him of betrayal and could only cry out in distress while dodging and urgently shouting: “Liu Zongguan, don’t wrongly accuse me! Your plot was exposed entirely because of Hu Zhong’s adopted son Little Sixth. I, Qin Zhonghai, absolutely did not betray you anywhere.” He heard Liu Jing sneer: “Qin Zhonghai, oh Qin Zhonghai, you’re so naive—how will you mix in the court in the future? Why wouldn’t Jiang Chong act at any other time, but specifically choose the day before my uprising to arrest people? Don’t you think that’s too coincidental?” Qin Zhonghai laughed: “Liu Zongguan, you were lax in controlling your subordinates and had a traitor—do you want to blame me for that?”

Liu Jing was furious and shouted: “Nonsense!” Instantly his legs kicked repeatedly, stirring up countless white snow to block Qin Zhonghai’s vision.

Seeing his exquisite footwork, Qin Zhonghai knew he couldn’t defend against an enemy empty-handed. He quickly rolled to the ground, then drew his sword from its sheath, making three or four empty cuts to force Liu Jing back a step, then flipped and jumped up, saying in a deep voice: “I have no guilt toward the Zongguan. If you don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do.”

Qin Zhonghai’s words were indeed true—he hadn’t revealed Liu Jing’s rebellion to anyone, only vaguely telling Yang Suguan that there would be great disaster in three days and Liu Angtian should leave the city to avoid it. He neither mentioned who would act nor revealed the rebellion, just vaguely said a few words. If such words could ruin the great plan, he found it hard to believe.

Liu Jing spat and instantly kicked. Qin Zhonghai’s steel sword slashed out with “Greedy Fire Surging,” a fire dragon flashing, sweeping toward the three feet in front of him. Liu Jing knew this move was powerful and didn’t dare resist head-on, slightly dodging to the side to avoid the blade.

Qin Zhonghai had no intention of fighting him to the death. Seeing him retreat, he wanted to stop fighting, but Liu Jing didn’t relax at all and instantly moved in again. He saw his foot sweep down, kicking directly at Qin Zhonghai’s shin bone. Qin Zhonghai quickly said: “Liu Zongguan, things have come to this—your anger is useless. I advise you to leave the capital quickly!” Liu Jing shouted: “Ignorant fool, shut up!”

Liu Jing’s martial arts were all in his legs, with ever-changing foot techniques. Qin Zhonghai dodged the kick aimed at his shin and was about to retreat when he suddenly saw Liu Jing’s toe lift up, already kicking toward his throat—deadly moves with continuous attacks. Qin Zhonghai hadn’t expected him to change moves so quickly and hurriedly dodged sideways, avoiding the fatal strike. Liu Jing had already calculated his dodging pattern and now sneered coldly. Originally standing on one leg like a golden rooster, his left foot raised, he suddenly exerted force with his right foot, his body bouncing high. Before his left foot could be lowered, his right foot was already kicking sideways toward Qin Zhonghai’s neck. Qin Zhonghai dropped his sword to the ground and swung out his left fist to block Liu Jing’s right foot. The two internal forces clashed, and both men’s bodies swayed slightly.

Liu Jing’s body came down, and he raised his palm and waved, his five fingers firmly gripping Qin Zhonghai’s left fist, channeling his full internal power to attack. Qin Zhonghai grunted, wanting to persuade him to stop, but the opponent’s internal force was coming and he had no energy left to speak, so he quickly channeled his power to resist.

With their powers clashing, Qin Zhonghai felt that although the opponent’s internal power wasn’t fierce, it was long-lasting and delicate, running continuously when channeled. Qin Zhonghai tried several times to shake off his palm but couldn’t manage it. After the time of one incense stick, Qin Zhonghai already knew the opponent’s power was superior to his own, thinking: “This time I was too careless. If I had known he misunderstood me and intended to harm me, I shouldn’t have rashly pursued him.”

After the two had been deadlocked for a while, Qin Zhonghai knew that if time dragged on, he would surely die by this person’s hand. He roared violently, summoned all his life’s power, pushed out forcefully with his left fist to shake off Liu Jing’s right hand, then raised his sword and slashed fiercely. Using the eighth level of Fire Greed power, he executed “Dragon Fire Devours Heaven,” slashing toward Liu Jing’s face. This move was the unique skill of the “Nine Provinces Sword King.” Back then, when Qin Zhonghai fought against Sha Jin and Yan Er’niang countless times, he relied on this move to save his life. Indeed, when the ultimate move was executed, a fire dragon flew forth with pressing flames. Even with Liu Zongguan’s excellent martial arts, he was forced back a step by this fierce ultimate move.

Liu Jing couldn’t gain the upper hand for a moment and only snorted, looking coldly at Qin Zhonghai.

Qin Zhonghai had consecutively used killing moves—first using fist power to shake off Liu Jing, then using an ultimate move to force him back. After these two moves, his internal power was nearly exhausted. He gasped continuously, leaning on his sword and panting: “Liu Zongguan, touch your conscience and ask—if Qin truly intended to harm you, why wouldn’t I bring subordinates to arrest you? And why follow you to this desolate place? You… you mustn’t kill the wrong person!”

Liu Jing said coldly: “I didn’t kill Boren, but Boren died because of me. Even if you didn’t intend harm, your wavering resolve this time caused everyone’s death—you should bear this responsibility.”

Hearing his accusation, Qin Zhonghai immediately became alert. He thought through the whole sequence of events and shook his head: “Liu Zongguan, I’ll be frank with you—I did vaguely inform a brother from Liu’s faction about your uprising, saying there would be great disaster in three days and our marquis should be prepared. If this could ruin things, I truly don’t believe it.” He paused and continued: “If you really want to kill someone to vent your anger, go find that Little Sixth. That child betrayed his adoptive father so heartlessly—he’s definitely a disaster.”

Liu Jing spat, his face gloomy, and smiled evilly: “Qin Zhonghai, oh Qin Zhonghai, you really don’t understand. Do you really think Jiang Chong could bring down me, Liu, with just a useless little brat? I thought so highly of you—if you think like this, I’m truly disappointed.”

Qin Zhonghai shook his head: “I saw Little Sixth betray his adoptive father with my own eyes. If Liu Zongguan won’t admit defeat, there’s nothing I can do.”

Liu Jing said sternly: “You keep saying Little Sixth ruined things—do you know what was hidden in Renzhi Hall? Hu Zhong, Little Sixth and the like are lowly in status—what could they know? Is it really about a consort’s adultery and palace debauchery? Jiang Chong handles ten thousand affairs daily—what business wouldn’t he manage, but specifically goes poking around under consorts’ skirts? Qin Zhonghai, oh Qin Zhonghai, you see things too superficially. Jiang Chong chose this timing—without absolute certainty, he wouldn’t dare act!”

Hearing these words, Qin Zhonghai’s mind was in complete chaos. He said tremblingly: “Could it be… could it be that Liu’s faction has another traitor?”

Liu Jing snorted: “For this uprising, to deceive Jiang Chong, I even deliberately made false connections, specifically contacting Li Baozheng of Xiongfei Camp. I went to such great lengths to make Jiang Chong misjudge the situation, thinking the coup originated from outside and thus neglect the palace interior. Hehe, but my careful planning was easily seen through by him. Tell me, without other channels leaking secrets, how could things develop to this point?” By the end, his tone was extremely stern, ready to turn hostile at any moment. That Li Baozheng held the position of Xiongfei Camp’s General and was to be transferred to the capital within the month. Liu Jing’s prior contact with him was already known to Liu’s faction. Qin Zhonghai’s mind raced, knowing there were indeed other suspicious circumstances. But now the situation was dire, the Eastern Depot had vanished like smoke—even finding the cause and effect would be useless. He sighed: “Liu Zongguan, even if someone really leaked secrets, with Jiang Chong now controlling the overall situation, we should prioritize saving our lives. What are your plans, Liu Zongguan?”

Liu Jing laughed heartily: “Control the overall situation? That bastard Jiang Chong thinks he can defeat me so easily? Qin Zhonghai, oh Qin Zhonghai, you underestimate me too much!” Qin Zhonghai heard his very confident tone, as if he still had trump cards unrevealed, and couldn’t help but be startled: “Does the Eunuch still want to make a comeback?”

Liu Jing looked down arrogantly and smiled: “Fool, as long as you and I aren’t dead, this game isn’t over.” Qin Zhonghai heard him involve himself and was even more amazed. After all, he was just a minor official—why was he so important in Liu Jing’s eyes? He saw Liu Jing’s solemn expression as he slowly approached. Qin Zhonghai’s heart sank, fearing he would again intend murder, so he quickly raised his sword to protect his vital points. Liu Jing snorted: “What are you nervous about? Do you think I risked mortal danger entering the city just to kill you, you little bastard? Do you think you’re worth that much? Put down your sword—I won’t harm you.” Qin Zhonghai thought this made sense—Liu Jing was too busy escaping for his life to bother with him. So he sheathed his sword: “Since the Eunuch says so, I’ll trust you once.”

Liu Jing nodded slightly: “Quick to act and decisive—that’s admirable. Qin Zhonghai, I haven’t misjudged you. You’re indeed material for great things.” Even with his life in danger, he still spoke with complete confidence and composure. Qin Zhonghai was amazed to hear it.

Just as he was thinking, he suddenly heard Liu Jing say: “General Qin, I have an important matter to entrust to you. Can you help me?”

Qin Zhonghai was greatly puzzled, thinking: “His conspiracy has failed and he can barely save his own life—what else does he want to do? Buy a coffin? This Liu Jing is full of schemes and definitely not easy to deal with. If he has something to entrust now, it must be an enormous difficulty.” Qin Zhonghai was a sensible person—how would he willingly bring trouble upon himself? So he deflected: “Eunuch, your escape is urgent—don’t worry about these external matters anymore.”

Liu Jing could tell from his tone that Qin Zhonghai was completely unwilling to help him do anything. Liu Jing smiled faintly: “I haven’t even finished speaking—don’t rush to refuse. First look at something, then decide.” He took out an oil-wrapped package from his bosom and threw it to Qin Zhonghai.

Qin Zhonghai caught it and felt the oil package was quite light—he didn’t know what was inside. Liu Jing looked at him: “I said before that on the night of the coup, I would bring something to Chengtian Gate. After you see it, you’ll have no second thoughts.” He smiled self-mockingly: “Now the situation is ruined and we naturally can’t go to Chengtian Gate, but that doesn’t matter—we can look here. The meaning is the same.”

Qin Zhonghai heard this oil package was so important but was still skeptical. Seeing him doubt there was trickery, Liu Jing said: “Don’t overthink—just open the package and everything will become clear.”

Qin Zhonghai saw his insistence and could only say: “Liu Zongguan, after I look at this thing, you must quickly leave the capital. Every moment you stay here is dangerous. Agreed?” He had made up his mind that no matter what was in the package, after looking he would escort Liu Jing away from Beijing. After all, he didn’t ask for much—he just hoped Liu Jing wouldn’t die in front of him. As for whether this old man would retreat to the mountains or continue plotting rebellion, he was too lazy to care.

Hearing him say this, Liu Jing replied: “My future actions are my own concern—you needn’t worry. Just open the package.” Qin Zhonghai sighed and said no more, unwrapping the oil package. Instantly, a tanned leather appeared, colored like human skin and rolled into a scroll—he didn’t know what strange thing it was. Qin Zhonghai was quite surprised and asked: “What is this thing?”

Liu Jing said sternly: “This is human skin.”

Qin Zhonghai’s expression changed. Though he had killed like hemp on battlefields, he had never seen human skin. Seeing it suddenly now, he was also horrified. He swallowed and laughed dryly: “Liu Zongguan, what are you giving me this bizarre thing for?”

Liu Jing said coldly: “Don’t ask too much—just spread the human skin on the ground and you’ll understand.” Qin Zhonghai was completely puzzled, but hearing Liu Jing’s urgent urging, he could only comply and crouch down to spread open the human skin to see clearly what it was.

As Qin Zhonghai crouched on the ground about to spread the human skin, he suddenly saw a black shadow flash across the skin like a ghostly shadow. Qin Zhonghai felt strange and didn’t dare unfold it. Behind him, Liu Jing said in a deep voice: “Don’t delay—quickly spread open the human skin.”

Just then, the black shadow on the human skin shook rapidly as if something was haunting it. Qin Zhonghai broke out in goosebumps all over his body. He swallowed and thought: “Damn, ghosts in broad daylight.” He looked up at the sunlight and suddenly saw a figure emerge from the bushes, charging straight at Liu Jing’s back—it was a masked assassin!

Qin Zhonghai was greatly shocked. He and Liu Jing were both first-class martial artists with keen hearing and exceptional alertness, yet there was an assassin lying in ambush here who could evade both of them! Seeing this person’s strange, silent body technique as he attacked Liu Jing from behind, Liu Jing didn’t know the strange guest had reached his back and was still staring at Qin Zhonghai, seemingly not understanding why he was shocked.

Qin Zhonghai knew the assassin must have been sent by Jiang Chong. In his rush, he couldn’t shout in time. Seeing the long sword flash as it stabbed toward Liu Jing, Qin Zhonghai immediately roared and hurled his steel sword toward Liu Jing’s back. Liu Jing was startled and quickly turned to look, seeing a figure attacking from mid-air. The shadow dodged Qin Zhonghai’s steel sword and still pounced toward him.

Just as Qin Zhonghai was about to cry out, Liu Jing already sneered: “Want to assassinate me? Hehe, that’s like a bandit meeting his grandfather thief.” He gathered his energy and leaped up, doing a somersault in mid-air, then suddenly turned and was already behind the assassin—reversing the situation in one move.

Seeing Liu Jing’s excellent martial arts, the person feared his back vital points would be controlled and quickly rolled to the side, then jumped high, instantly leaping to the treetop. Liu Jing whistled, his body came down, and his feet touched the ground briefly before bouncing high up, relying on this leap to actually go higher than the treetop. Qin Zhonghai watched with delight and secretly praised: “Liu Zongguan’s martial arts are truly unfathomable, even half a level higher than Xue Nu’er’s. Speaking of who is the Eastern Depot’s number one master, this old man deserves it without question.” Thinking this, he suddenly remembered Xue Nu’er had died tragically and couldn’t help feeling sad, sighing softly.

At this time, Liu Jing and the assassin were fighting fiercely on the treetops. Liu Jing, relying on his light body technique and exquisite footwork, had gained the upper hand. The assassin tried several times to hide behind tree trunks but was forced out by Liu Jing’s rapid attacks from left and right. Although the assassin had a weapon, every time he got within three feet of Liu Jing, Liu Jing would leap over his head, putting him in a desperate situation. It looked like the assassin would be defeated within ten moves.

Suddenly there was a sharp shout. Liu Jing grabbed tree branches with both hands and kicked sideways with his left foot directly at the assassin’s cheek. This kick was solid—if hit, it would surely break the neck and kill. The assassin knew the danger and quickly jumped to the right branch. Liu Jing, being so astute, had already calculated his dodging path. Instantly his right foot arrived first at the chest. The assassin couldn’t dodge in time and was caught off guard, getting kicked. After a muffled grunt, his body flew out and fell under the tree.

Seeing victory was decided, Liu Jing also flew down from the tree and walked to the assassin. He looked carefully and saw the assassin wore a face mask so his face couldn’t be seen—only a pair of pupils were visible. That gaze was cold as autumn frost, just staring at him without any fear.

Liu Jing said coldly: “Since you work for Jiang Chong, you must be a court official—why hide your head and cover your tail, concealing your face? Who exactly are you?” He walked forward and reached toward the assassin’s face to remove the mask.

Qin Zhonghai had already picked up his steel sword and was watching with a smile from the side. Just as Liu Jing was about to reveal the person’s face, for some unknown reason, Qin Zhonghai suddenly had an ominous premonition and quickly called: “Liu Zongguan, be careful!” Before his words finished, there was a sharp sound as cold light flashed—the assassin had already drawn his sword from its sheath. The sword tip flickered, covering countless vital points on Liu Jing’s upper body—the swordsmanship was incredibly exquisite.

Liu Jing was greatly shocked. He had thought this person was already subdued, never expecting his mind to be so deep, first feigning defeat and falling to the ground, then using an ultimate move for a surprise attack. At this time, Liu Jing was extremely close to him. Seeing the sword tip floating like snowflakes, both urgent and tight, Liu Jing knew that with one mistake he would have his throat cut and die on the spot. His figure flickered continuously, relying on his agile footwork to dodge three throat-aimed swords in an instant, but the opponent’s offensive was endless and unrelenting. Liu Jing steeled his heart, crouched down, and charged toward the assassin’s embrace. This move of seeking life in the face of death was called “Reciprocal Courtesy,” specially used when fighting long weapons barehanded—first, it could dodge the enemy’s killing moves, and second, it allowed close combat. Indeed, Liu Jing’s small figure passed through countless sword flowers and pressed close to the assassin’s front. Instantly his left palm struck the chest, and with a soft sound, he had knocked the assassin flying.

This assassin’s mind was deep and methods extremely sinister. If not for Liu Jing’s excellent martial arts and rich combat experience, he would have already been killed. Qin Zhonghai was both shocked and admiring. He quickly ran over to protect Liu Jing and asked: “How are you? Did the thief injure the Zongguan?”

Liu Jing shook his head and was about to answer when he suddenly felt some pain in his shoulder. Looking down, he saw a bloody scratch on his right shoulder—he had been cut by the assassin. Earlier, with the sword’s cold stars continuous and unending, Liu Jing had only been scratched on the skin—his high martial arts skill was evident. Qin Zhonghai saw the assassin sitting cross-legged on the ground, unable to move, and immediately laughed: “One sword for one palm—Zongguan, this deal was definitely profitable.” Liu Jing showed no joy, frowning: “I’ve roamed the martial world for decades without losing a single hair, never expecting to be cut by this person.” He took a deep breath, stared at the masked man sternly: “If you want to suffer less before death, remove your mask and let me see who you are.”

The assassin had taken a palm strike and was now sitting cross-legged on the ground, channeling energy to heal his wounds. Hearing Liu Jing’s question, he had no intention of answering. Seeing him ignore the question, Liu Jing immediately snorted: “You took my Piercing Heart Palm—your internal injuries are severe. Do you still want to get up and fight again? I advise you to obediently…” He said “obediently” twice but couldn’t continue. Qin Zhonghai was slightly puzzled and was about to look at Liu Jing when he suddenly heard Liu Jing make a retching sound and actually clutch his chest and fall to the ground. Qin Zhonghai was greatly shocked and shouted: “Liu Zongguan! What’s wrong with you?”

Liu Jing had been perfectly fine, neither hit by hidden weapons nor gone mad with qi deviation—who knew he would suddenly fall? Just then, they suddenly heard the assassin whistle and actually flip up and jump, stabbing a sword directly at Liu Jing. The assassin who had taken Liu Jing’s heavy blow still had the strength to fight again—Qin Zhonghai was dumbfounded and quickly raised his steel sword to take over the battle.

In the flying snow, Qin Zhonghai closely guarded Liu Jing’s vicinity. Whenever the assassin approached, Qin Zhonghai would attack with full force, driving the assassin back. For a time, fighting speed with speed, they exchanged over ten moves. The assassin’s body technique was extremely fast and his moves strange—sometimes like orthodox martial arts, sometimes like a madman who had never learned swordsmanship. Even his martial arts style was unprecedented.

The two continued fighting, with Qin Zhonghai wielding his steel sword so tightly not even water could penetrate. In his busy schedule, he glanced at Liu Jing and saw black qi appearing on his face as if he were poisoned. Qin Zhonghai was shocked and suddenly understood: “So that’s it! This bastard’s sword is coated with deadly poison!” If not for this, how could Liu Jing fall from one sword strike? The poison on the sword must be extremely potent. At this time, the snow was falling heavier, and a thin layer had already accumulated on the ground. After a few moves, Qin Zhonghai’s steps were heavy, trampling the snowy mud and leaving footprints everywhere. That person’s steps were very light, not leaving the slightest trace. Qin Zhonghai was amazed and wondered: “Who is this person? There are very few in the martial world with such skills—could he be Zhuo Lingzhao? But why would he cover his face?” Thinking of Zhuo Lingzhao’s intention to reconcile with Liu Angtian, he was even more confused.

With a light “clang,” sword and blade met. The sword scraped along the blade edge and instantly tore Qin Zhonghai’s shoulder clothing. Qin Zhonghai was even more alarmed—this person not only had superb swordsmanship but also used poisoned weapons. If he got even slightly scratched, he would immediately be defeated, so he guarded his vital points even more carefully, not daring to be careless.

In his panic, Qin Zhonghai didn’t dare use ultimate moves to fight desperately, and for a time was in constant danger, nearly getting stabbed several times. Fortunately, this assassin had taken Liu Jing’s palm strike and his body technique wasn’t as fast as before, so the two barely fought to a draw. During the fierce battle, Qin Zhonghai tried hard to identify this person. He saw the assassin wore night clothes with black cloth covering his face—except for a pair of brilliantly shining eyes, all other features were concealed, making it impossible to recognize his identity.

It had now been the time of one incense stick. Qin Zhonghai knew that in a little while, Liu Jing would die from poison. If he couldn’t attack with full force to seize the antidote, everything would be lost. He decided to fight to the death, no longer caring about his own safety. He gathered his true qi, leaped up, and executed “Fire Cloud Eight Directions,” slashing toward all around the person.

This “Fire Cloud Eight Directions” was the fifth level power of Fire Greed Blade. The blade force was extremely wide, spreading in all eight directions around the body—it could be said to have offense within defense and defense within offense. He expected that after this move, taking advantage of the enemy’s panicked dodging, he could follow up with “Greedy Fire Surging”—the blade edge combined with flame-like internal power should be able to kill the enemy with one strike. Then searching out the antidote could save Liu Jing’s life. When the ultimate move was executed, that person neither dodged nor avoided, seemingly confident. Qin Zhonghai frowned, not knowing what he was planning. Just as he was wondering, there was a whistling sound—the long sword, like a ghost or demon, actually penetrated the fire cloud-like blade net and struck right on Qin Zhonghai’s wrist.

This injury location seemed familiar. Qin Zhonghai immediately realized and for a moment was both shocked and angry, shouting loudly: “Damn! It’s you again, you thief!”

This assassin’s strange and unpredictable swordsmanship was exactly the same as the strange guest encountered in Wenyuan Pavilion that day—even the location of the wrist injury was identical. At that time, Qin Zhonghai was guarding Wenyuan Pavilion and was consecutively wounded in two places by that strange guest—it was a rare great defeat in his life. He remembered that person’s martial arts moves very clearly. Seeing this person’s swordsmanship exactly the same as that strange guest’s, he recognized him. The strange guest looked coldly at Qin Zhonghai but didn’t advance to attack, apparently expecting that with Qin Zhonghai’s wrist struck by the sword, he would soon be poisoned. The strange guest wasn’t in a hurry to attack, just waiting for his enemy to die on his own.

Although Qin Zhonghai was injured, he showed no fear. He roared to the heavens, raised his sword and chopped straight down at the man’s head with undiminished force, as if he wanted to split him in half to satisfy his heart. The man sneered and turned to avoid him. Qin Zhonghai wouldn’t relax—fire light flashed as he swept horizontally from left to right with tremendous momentum. The assassin was startled and quickly raised his sword to block the blade. When sword and blade met, Qin Zhonghai’s internal power was fierce and profound, immediately forcing the assassin back a step. Qin Zhonghai took advantage and charged forward, his left fist swinging heavily and instantly striking the assassin’s chest.

The assassin cried out in pain and retreated. Seeing that Qin Zhonghai showed no signs of poisoning, he was extremely puzzled. Qin Zhonghai laughed heartily, rolled up his sleeves to reveal the steel wrist guards he wore, and shouted: “This master fell for your dirty trick a few days ago—how could I let your dog tricks succeed again? Die!” For a moment he roared continuously, raising his sword in wild slashes—it was the fighting style of one ready to die.

The assassin had first been struck by Liu Jing’s palm, then hit by Qin Zhonghai’s fist. With consecutive injuries, his body technique wasn’t as fast. Qin Zhonghai attacked continuously, and in a flash they had exchanged dozens of moves. But as the man regulated his breathing, he slowly recovered his strength. The sword he wielded became increasingly strange, with dense sword flowers pressing in, forcing Qin Zhonghai to jump around everywhere, and he regained a balanced situation.

Qin Zhonghai glanced sideways and saw Liu Jing had already fallen to the ground from poison, on the verge of death at any moment. Qin Zhonghai gritted his teeth and thought: “Forget it, forget it! This master owes Liu Jing considerable favors—today I’ll gamble my life for him once!”

He roared to the sky and executed “Dragon Fire Devours Heaven,” his body spinning like a top as he flew up and pounced at the man. This move “Dragon Fire Devours Heaven” had reached the eighth level of Fire Greed Blade—it was Qin Zhonghai’s killing ultimate move. But the opponent’s swordsmanship was exquisite and seemed to have untapped potential. Using such a wide-open move at this time might not gain the upper hand. If the opponent had other clever ways to break it, one move could take Qin Zhonghai’s life. But at this moment, with Liu Jing’s life in critical danger, if he still held back when attacking, and Liu Jing died from poison later, he would only have regrets when looking back. For this reason, Qin Zhonghai only wanted to fight desperately for him, leaving no escape route for himself.

When “Dragon Fire Devours Heaven” was executed, he indeed saw that person remain calm and unhurried, seemingly having a way to break it. Qin Zhonghai was horrified, only now knowing it was bad. When he wanted to withdraw the move, his momentum was already insufficient. In his panic, that person had already thrust straight at his center, and instantly the sword light penetrated from outside the fire circle, stabbing fiercely toward his face. It seemed he too would follow Liu Jing’s footsteps and die together in the underworld.

Seeing the crisis, Qin Zhonghai cried out strangely: “F*ck your ancestors!” He threw his steel sword at the man’s face. This wild throwing of his weapon was purely Qin Zhonghai’s stubborn character of never taking a loss, not the martial arts passed down by Fang Zijing. With a sharp sound, the blade scraped past the assassin’s cheek, and the wind even scraped off the black cloth covering his face. The man was startled and quickly withdrew his sword to save himself.

Qin Zhonghai landed and rolled, shouting: “Lowly dog thief! Today let this master see your filthy face clearly!” He spoke while trying to grab the man’s legs. The man was shocked, covered his face with both hands, and quickly leaped backward to escape. Qin Zhonghai picked up his steel sword and urgently pursued, shouting: “You bastard, don’t run! Quickly hand over the antidote!” Amid his loud shouting, he ran at full speed in pursuit.

After running only a few zhang, he heard a low sigh behind him: “Don’t chase—you can’t beat him.” Qin Zhonghai was stunned and turned back to look. The speaker was Liu Jing, whose face had turned deep purple and whose life was probably in danger. Qin Zhonghai was at a loss. At this moment, the assassin had already fled far away, and there was no antidote nearby to save a life. Despite his extensive knowledge, he could only rub his hands continuously, completely out of ideas.

Seeing his alarmed expression, Liu Jing only smiled slightly, looked at Qin Zhonghai, and said slowly: “Help me sit up—I want to channel my energy to expel the poison.” Qin Zhonghai was overjoyed, knowing Liu Jing still had a way to save himself, and immediately helped him sit upright as requested. Liu Jing sat cross-legged on the ground, his left hand pointing to heaven and right hand pointing to earth, beginning to regulate his breathing and channel energy. Before long, wisps of white vapor rose from his head, his face alternately flushing red and turning black, seemingly struggling with all his might against the poison.

Qin Zhonghai came from a military background and had no old connections with Liu Jing. Truly speaking, whether Liu Jing lived or died had no great bearing on him. But since entering the palace, after several encounters with Liu Jing, he had grown to love this man’s bearing and demeanor. Seeing him on the edge of life and death, his heart only hoped he wouldn’t die. Although Qin Zhonghai didn’t believe in ghosts and gods, in his helplessness, he could only secretly pray, hoping heaven would spare him and not take his life.

After a moment, he suddenly heard Liu Jing cry out: “Heaven destroys me!” With these four words, the black qi actually spread across his face again. Qin Zhonghai was greatly alarmed and didn’t know what to do. Suddenly he saw Liu Jing spit fresh blood and slowly fall to one side. Qin Zhonghai held him and gritted his teeth, calling: “Liu Zongguan, hold on!”

Liu Jing collapsed in his arms, gasping: “This is the strange poison of the Tianzhu sea snake—all who are struck by it die without exception. I… I can’t expel the poison… it seems I’m finished…” Qin Zhonghai was unwilling to give up and immediately grasped Liu Jing’s hand, channeling his internal power to him, exerting all his strength in the hope of helping him expel the poison and save his life. Liu Jing’s face was pale as paper as he sighed: “It’s useless—save your strength!”

Qin Zhonghai was both shocked and anxious, shouting: “Stop your nonsense! With Qin Zhonghai here, I absolutely cannot watch you die with my own eyes!” He picked him up and said loudly: “Liu Zongguan! Let’s hurry back to the capital to find a doctor to treat your injury!”

Liu Jing stared at him blankly and shook his head: “Put me down—there isn’t much time left. Listen carefully to my instructions… otherwise… otherwise I won’t be able to close my eyes in peace…” Hearing him mention “death,” Qin Zhonghai’s whole body trembled as he thought: “He… he’s really going to die!” He crouched beside Liu Jing’s feet, wanting to say something, but his throat seemed choked and he couldn’t make a sound.

Liu Jing gasped: “Take out that oil package from before.” Qin Zhonghai quickly retrieved it and again saw that flesh-colored tanned skin.

Liu Jing whispered instructions: “You… spread the tanned skin on the ground… quickly…” Seeing his life hanging by a thread, Qin Zhonghai nodded and didn’t dare disobey, quickly spreading the skin on the snowy ground.

Liu Jing sighed: “What do you see?”

Qin Zhonghai’s whole body shook violently as he said tremblingly: “This… this is the tattoo on my back…”

On the skin was tattooed a picture—a fierce winged tiger with a ferocious expression, soaring upward into the sky. Beside it were two lines of blood characters: “If one day I achieve my soaring ambitions, I dare laugh that Huang Chao was no real man.” That unyielding, defiant spirit proudly emanated from the image.

This tattoo was exactly identical to the one on Qin Zhonghai’s back.

Liu Jing smiled slightly: “You… you’ve seen this tattoo before, haven’t you?” Qin Zhonghai gasped continuously and nodded: “This tattoo has been on my back since childhood—how could I not recognize it? Liu Zongguan, where did this tattoo come from?” Years ago, when fighting Sha Jin to the death, this tattoo had even saved his life. Qin Zhonghai knew this tattoo must be greatly connected to his origins and urgently asked about it.

Liu Jing sighed: “This skin is the relic of Qin Baxian, the leader of Nu Cang Mountain.”

Qin Zhonghai said tremblingly: “This belonged to Qin Baxian?” Liu Jing’s eyes showed pity as he nodded: “Exactly.”

In that instant, Qin Zhonghai collapsed to his knees in dejection, no longer having any doubt in his heart—he was Qin Baxian’s son.

He looked up at the sky and murmured: “Am I… am I truly the last orphan of the Qin family?” Liu Jing sighed: “When Qin Baxian died tragically at Shenguiting, his corpse fell into the court’s hands. The Ministry of Justice officials then flayed and dismembered him, cutting his body into ten thousand pieces, which is how this skin ended up in the Ministry’s prison. With great difficulty, a Mongol fugitive was imprisoned there two days ago, and while the guards were distracted, I was able to have someone steal out this human skin. Hehe, I originally intended to give it to you at Chengtian Gate… never expected… never expected…” Speaking of his hatred, he was already gasping for breath.

Qin Zhonghai’s tiger eyes filled with tears as he gently stroked the human skin and choked: “Liu Zongguan, was my father truly loyal or treacherous? Was he really a great traitor as the outside world says?” Thinking that his biological father Qin Baxian was a court rebel and the chief culprit who killed the previous emperor, his mind was in chaos, hoping Liu Jing could say “no.”

Liu Jing stared at him, then heavily sighed and shook his head: “Qin Zhonghai, oh Qin Zhonghai, how can you think so narrowly? What loyalty, treachery, good, or evil—those are all matters in others’ eyes. Even if Qin Baxian were an unforgivably wicked rebel, he’s still your father!”

Qin Zhonghai suddenly understood—regardless of whether Qin Baxian was good or evil, loyal or treacherous, he was still the biological father of his flesh and blood. Qin Zhonghai tightly embraced his father’s relic and cried loudly: “Father!” His voice was full of sorrow and pain, carrying far into the distance.

Liu Jing gasped: “Your father died miserably—it’s a great injustice under heaven… When this matter is settled, you must find Fang Zijing and get the truth from him… I don’t understand why he concealed your identity… maybe he has other difficulties…”

Qin Zhonghai wiped away his tears and choked: “Liu Zongguan, if I… if I had seen this tattoo earlier, perhaps… perhaps I wouldn’t have revealed the secret…” He had originally thought Little Sixth was the key to the problem, but after hearing Liu Jing’s words, he knew there were other variables. Although he didn’t know if it was related to Liu’s faction, he still felt uncomfortable in his heart.

Liu Jing sighed: “You’re wrong. Even if I had taken out this tattoo that day, you still would have revealed the secret to Liu Angtian.” Qin Zhonghai was stunned for a long time: “Why?”

Liu Jing stared at him and said word by word: “Because you are a man of blood and passion.”

Qin Zhonghai cried out loudly, weeping bitterly: “Liu Zongguan! I was the one who harmed you!”

Liu Jing smiled slightly: “Qin Zhonghai, you needn’t blame yourself. Actually, this time I fought desperately was only doing my utmost as a human being.” As he spoke, he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, staining the white snow red all around. Qin Zhonghai knew he was dying before his eyes and quickly grasped his hands, urgently saying: “Liu Zongguan, you… you absolutely mustn’t die!”

Liu Jing gasped: “Qin Zhonghai, for your honored father’s sake, help me one last time… I risked danger entering the city for this very matter… you… you must accomplish it for me…” Qin Zhonghai nodded desperately and said loudly: “Eunuch, just give your orders! As long as I have breath left, I will accomplish the task for you!” At this moment, he was full of guilt—no matter how difficult the task Liu Jing mentioned, he would do his utmost to complete it.

Liu Jing smiled miserably: “Take ‘him’ away.”

Qin Zhonghai exclaimed: “‘Him’? Who is ‘he’?” Liu Jing’s mouth bled as he shook his head: “For your own good, you… you needn’t worry about who he is. I… I’ve hidden him in the secret chamber of the Qin family mansion. You just need to bring this person out and send him to the countryside to live out his remaining years peacefully… I… I, Liu Jing, would be eternally grateful…” Qin Zhonghai saw his breathing was more out than in and he would die at any moment. His heart was both shocked and anxious as he shouted: “Liu Zongguan! Don’t die!”

Liu Jing tightly grasped Qin Zhonghai’s large hand and gasped: “If my guess is correct, besides Jiang Chong, there’s another group looking for ‘him,’ but we don’t know about it… Qin Zhonghai… the situation is dangerous. You’ve been close to me, so you must be extremely careful. Safely bring ‘him’ out of the capital and absolutely cannot trust anyone… otherwise… otherwise even you will be in trouble…” Qin Zhonghai urgently said: “Liu Zongguan, who exactly is he? Tell me!”

Liu Jing didn’t answer him. His life was hanging by a moment, and his whole body’s strength was gradually weakening. He slowly struggled to sit up and bowed toward the capital, his face immediately showing sorrow as he cried loudly: “Your Majesty! This old minister did his best!” With that, his body stiffened and no longer moved.

Heavy snow fell, slowly covering both men. Qin Zhonghai stared blankly at Liu Jing. In less than a month, the court’s three-legged situation had vanished like smoke, and the Eastern Depot’s skilled fighters had died or been wounded. Liu Jing’s eyes hadn’t closed, and his face still bore two lines of clear tears, as if his heart was filled with extreme sorrow.

Qin Zhonghai cried out loud. He embraced the corpse of this generation’s hero and sobbed: “Liu Zongguan, regardless of who this person is, I, Qin Zhonghai, will never betray your trust and will definitely complete your dying wish!”

Full of excitement, Qin Zhonghai picked up Liu Jing’s corpse and slowly walked forward. The snow was falling heavier, already covering the road ahead knee-deep. Qin Zhonghai’s mind was in chaos as he thought: “Was Liu Zongguan’s failed coup really my fault? Was that secret really leaked by Yang Langzhong? And who is the person Liu Jing entrusted me to take away? Why is he hidden in the Qin family mansion?”

In his absent-minded state, he had already walked over a li and unconsciously headed toward Beijing. Qin Zhonghai looked down at Liu Jing in his arms and thought: “If I bring him back to the capital, I’m afraid he’ll suffer the torture of being torn apart by five horses. I’d better bury him here!” He walked into the woods and saw a great tree reaching toward the sky with magnificent presence. He sighed and thought: “This ancient tree is truly majestic—only such grandeur is worthy of this contemporary hero.” He took out his steel sword, dug a hole, and then buried Liu Jing in the earth.

Qin Zhonghai knelt before Liu Jing’s grave, his mind in chaos: “I am Qin Baxian’s son—there’s no doubt about this. Once this great matter is settled, I must quickly find my master and get to the bottom of it. Sigh… Ten years in the official sea was just a dream. I, Qin Zhonghai, worked so hard to reach fourth rank with a sword, only to discover I’m the son of a rebel. It seems I can’t continue being an official…”

His past loyal service and battles for the court had now become an illusory dream. Qin Zhonghai’s mood was troubled. Thinking of his family’s tragic death, he couldn’t help but roar in sorrow and carved seven characters on the tree bark: “Loyal Minister’s Vain Devotion.” Then he picked up his sword, turned around, and walked back to the capital through the snow.

Qin Zhonghai returned to his defensive position to meet with his subordinates and then went to the capital. He saw their faces were dejected and their spirits low—apparently everyone had labored for several days but still found nothing, inevitably feeling restless. Qin Zhonghai looked at his brothers and suddenly felt a tremor in his heart. He was the son of a great enemy of the court—once his identity was revealed, these subordinates, bound by imperial orders, would definitely become his enemies. Qin Zhonghai sighed and shook his head, thinking: “Even if such a day truly comes, I won’t kill these subordinates.”

Thinking of Lu Yun and Liu Angtian’s friendship with him, he felt even more troubled. In his daze, a subordinate whispered in his ear: “Boss, the Embroidered Uniform Guards are here.” Qin Zhonghai was startled and looked up ahead, only then realizing he had returned to the capital. The consecutive days of great events had made his mind so chaotic.

In the distance, someone shouted: “You Tiger Forest Army dogs! All of you get lost!” The speaker wore factory guard clothing—he was an Embroidered Uniform Guard lieutenant. This man led a large group of troops, searching everywhere and beating people whenever they met. Seeing his fierce behavior, the common people naturally avoided him. How dare a mere low-ranking lieutenant be so arrogant? The Tiger Forest Army guards were naturally furious and wanted to act. Qin Zhonghai snorted and quietly instructed: “Everyone don’t act—just avoid them.”

At this time, with Liu Jing’s downfall, no one in the world could stop Jiang Chong. Even if the Embroidered Uniform Guards were ten times more arrogant, he couldn’t provoke them. So he had to lead his subordinates to step aside by the road. The guards, seeing the Embroidered Uniform Guards so rampant and thinking that these evil thieves would definitely ride over their heads in the future, all gnashed their teeth and cursed secretly.

Reaching the palace gate, Qin Zhonghai called everyone over and instructed: “The city is too chaotic—I need to go to the marquis’s mansion to gather intelligence. You all return to the palace first.” Everyone heard he was going to Liu’s mansion and were all greatly excited. Qin Zhonghai was a general of Liu’s faction. With Liu Jing dead, Liu Angtian had become the court’s only hope. Whether they could have peaceful days in the future depended entirely on this Grand Commander of Northern Expedition’s actions. The subordinates quickly agreed and each returned to the palace.

Qin Zhonghai was in a position of suspicion—how could he have the heart to look for Liu Angtian? Seeing his subordinates leave, he began calculating in his mind: “Liu Jing’s dying trust was for me to settle that person. Regardless of who this fellow is, for old Liu’s sake, I should quickly go to the Qin family mansion and get the person out of the capital.” Thinking that this departure from the capital might be indefinite and he couldn’t travel without silver, he turned around and headed to his own home. Since the incident, Qin Zhonghai hadn’t returned home for over ten days. The steward saw him return and quickly ran up to report: “Master! Marquis Liu sent people several times saying there were important matters to discuss and asking you to go meet him immediately upon returning home.” Qin Zhonghai nodded, thinking Liu Angtian must also be panicked upon learning of the great disaster in the palace. But now that he knew his true identity and was in a position of suspicion, before everything became clear, it was better not to contact Liu Angtian to avoid bringing deadly disaster to everyone.

The steward saw his furrowed brow and was somewhat afraid, asking quietly: “What exactly happened in the capital? It’s quite frightening…” Qin Zhonghai took out two hundred-tael bank notes from his bosom and stuffed them into the steward’s hands, saying: “Lock the main gate properly and return to your hometown for now.” The steward looked at the bank notes and stammered: “Master, what are you doing?”

Qin Zhonghai didn’t answer, only patted his shoulder to comfort him. He changed into casual clothes, hid his steel sword in a bundle, carried several hundred taels in bank notes, instructed the steward a few more times, then headed to the Qin family mansion. Once he found the person in the mansion, he would take him away from the capital to avoid the storm first.

Walking onto the street, it was just the time when lanterns were first lit. Snow had accumulated thinly on the ground, quite cold. Qin Zhonghai looked around the street and mused: “Time passes so quickly—it’s been over half a year since I returned to the capital. Hehe, the impermanence of human affairs truly cannot be described fully!” When he first returned to the capital, he was just a carefree guerrilla general, mixing among the court’s three major factions, living leisurely and freely with no one to control him. Who knew that in less than half a year, things would change completely, and he would become the orphan of a court rebel, struggling within the mystery of his origins. Thinking of this, Qin Zhonghai felt quite emotional.

Arriving at the Qin family mansion, the main gate was deeply desolate, just as it had been when he came last time. The begging old man was also nowhere to be seen. Seeing no one around, Qin Zhonghai immediately flashed and hid in the courtyard. He walked inside the house, circling through the main residence, thinking: “Liu Jing mentioned before his death that he hid that person in a secret chamber—I must search carefully.”

He looked around and saw the great hall was covered with mud and ash, apparently not cleaned for who knows how long. Looking at the rooms, each was dilapidated and run-down. Many rats and spiders scurried about frantically when they saw someone approaching. Qin Zhonghai searched for half an hour but really couldn’t find any trace of that person, feeling only frustration.

Qin Zhonghai went to the back courtyard and crouched by the wall in a daze. This place had collapsed ruins covered with moss, with several broken bamboo baskets on the ground, making it appear even more ancient and desolate. Qin Zhonghai sighed and wondered: “What background does this person Liu Jing entrusted me to take away have? When the incident at Renzhi Hall occurred, Liu Jing disregarded Consort Qiong and Xue Nu’er’s lives and fled alone, yet for this person he risked danger returning to the capital. Who exactly is this person? How could he make Liu Jing value him so highly?”

He pondered for a long time but couldn’t figure out the cause and effect. In his lonely mood, he waved his hand and seemed to knock over something. Qin Zhonghai looked down and saw several bamboo cages had been overturned on the ground. He shook his head and picked up the bamboo cages, suddenly seeing a cave opening under the cage—he didn’t know where it led to. Qin Zhonghai was overjoyed and thought: “Great! This might be where the mechanism is.” He immediately stuck his head in to examine it carefully.

The cave was very narrow. Despite Qin Zhonghai’s tall stature, he still found it difficult to crawl sideways through it. He crawled forward several chi, his cheek touching moss, then squeezed forward a few more chi. Suddenly he saw two trouser legs standing right in front of his eyes. It turned out this cave was a dog hole that led all the way to the busy street outside—there was no secret mechanism at all.

Qin Zhonghai pulled his head back, and being careless, his head hit the dog hole and he felt considerable pain. Qin Zhonghai spat and returned to the courtyard. He rubbed his head and muttered a few curses, then kicked the wall. With a crack, moss and mud fell down, suddenly revealing a mark that looked like a drawing.

Qin Zhonghai was overjoyed and thought: “Liu Zongguan is indeed formidable—even in death, he can leave clues for me.”

He quickly crouched down to examine it and saw some cats and dogs drawn in charcoal at the corner of the wall. This writing was childish and clumsy—it wasn’t a trace left by Liu Jing but children’s scribbling. Qin Zhonghai cursed again and thought: “Damn, where did these cats and dogs come from? Don’t know which mischievous little devil did this—should give grandpa a good beating.”

His hands were covered with moss. He reached up to wipe his nose when suddenly a smell entered his nostrils—it seemed familiar. Qin Zhonghai exclaimed and picked up the moss from his hands to smell it forcefully, his heart shaking: “That’s right, it’s this smell, that’s right… I remember this smell…”

Instantly, lightning flashed through his brain—he knew for certain he was Qin Baxian’s son. Before age two, he had definitely lived in this place, without any doubt.

He stared blankly at the scribbles on the wall corner, knowing they were done by his own family members. The corners of his mouth suddenly turned up in a smile as he thought: “Looking at these cats and dogs, they’re so spirited—could they be this master’s masterpiece? Or was it the good work of my little devil brother? Hehe… we were so mischievous, mother must have been angry.”

Qin Zhonghai had never experienced a mother’s love since childhood. In this situation, he couldn’t help imagining his mother’s appearance: “Liu Zongguan said my mother’s surname was Yan and she was a great beauty famous among ministers—I wonder what kind of beauty she was? If she saw my rogue appearance, would she be so frightened she’d scream?” He laughed heartily and stood up, looking at the broken walls and ruins before him. He saw several snails crawling on the wall, eating grass or something. He put his hands on his hips and stared blankly, when suddenly it seemed a gentle voice whispered softly in his ear: “Snails come to see the snail race…”

A scene appeared before his eyes—a young woman with two small children, all three looking up at the snails on the wall, playing and pointing in amusement.

Qin Zhonghai’s throat choked, tears immediately filling his eyes as he knelt to the ground. His hands trembled as he gently stroked those cats and dogs, thinking that none of these relatives were alive anymore—in this vast world, only he remained alone. In his unbearable grief, he couldn’t help but weep like rain.

He suppressed his voice and secretly cried for a while. With the current situation being tense, he couldn’t be too out of control, so he thought: “Damn, everyone’s dead, what’s the point of me crying? I’ve cried several times these past few days—it’s really too embarrassing. I can’t do this anymore.”

Qin Zhonghai wiped away his tears, jumped up, and headed straight for the main house. This time he showed no mercy—whenever he saw any furniture, he immediately drew his sword and chopped it to pieces, checking for suspicious mechanisms. He demolished walls and split boards all the way until he reached the kitchen and saw a water jar. After so many years, he never expected the jar still contained water. Qin Zhonghai looked for a while, then had a thought and reached out to move the jar. With his tremendous strength, he unexpectedly couldn’t move it—it seemed as if the jar’s bottom was stuck to the ground. Qin Zhonghai channeled his internal energy and pulled up and down, twisting for a while, when he suddenly felt the water jar could rotate left and right. He forcefully turned it one full circle and suddenly heard several creaking sounds from the cabinet. Qin Zhonghai was overjoyed, knowing he had found the secret chamber Liu Jing mentioned. He quickly raised his steel sword and walked toward the cabinet’s secret door.

Entering the door, he saw the secret chamber was built deep underground—it must have been a place for the entire Qin family to hide from disasters. Qin Zhonghai knew the mysterious figure was about to appear and was anxious, unconsciously quickening his pace as he thought: “This fellow first ran to Renzhi Hall to mess around with the consort, then was hidden by Liu Jing. Who exactly is this person? Could he also be surnamed Qin?” Thinking there might be relatives alive made him even more joyful and uncertain.

Walking down the stairs, he faced another iron door covered with rust but without visible locks or chains. Qin Zhonghai took a deep breath and thought: “As long as I push open this iron door, I can see that person.” He swallowed, his heart pounding as if he were a youth experiencing first love about to meet his dream lover. Qin Zhonghai spat twice, cursing himself for being worthless. Suddenly his crude nature arose, and he raised his foot to kick the iron door open.

With a crash, the iron door hit the wall, but the secret chamber was empty of people—only a cotton quilt and a few bowls remained.

Qin Zhonghai was shocked and thought: “Someone beat me to it and took the person away!” His mind raced but he couldn’t figure out what was happening. From this situation, he could only return to the palace first and then decide what to do.

Qin Zhonghai closed the iron door and walked up the stairs. Passing through the secret door, he locked the mechanism and then turned to leave.

In that instant, his mouth opened wide, completely unable to believe the scene before his eyes!

The treacherous minister Jiang Chong was looking at him coldly, with about a hundred musketeers standing beside him—all the skilled fighters of the capital had gathered.

Qin Zhonghai knew his plot was exposed. He roared like a tiger and drew his sword, wanting to kill this treacherous minister. But as soon as his steel sword was raised, dozens of swords and spears pointed at his vital points all over his body, then great force pressed down from behind, pinning him to the ground. His steel sword had already been seized.

Qin Zhonghai knew he had no hope of survival and slowly closed his eyes.