“Don’t know?” Wang Daxia pinched one of the needles inserted in Wu Dianyong’s forehead between two fingers and gently twisted it.

Ah! Wu Dianyong felt as if his skull was about to be forcibly peeled away from his head. “Absolutely true! I dare not conceal anything! I truly don’t know, but I do know how the Royal Arsenal firearms ended up in the All-Goods Trading House underground warehouse without anyone discovering it—please, please stop moving the needle! I’ll tell you everything I know!”

Wang Daxia stopped his hand. “Speak quickly!”

Firearms were the nation’s most important weapons, more crucial than capturing cult leader Zhao Quan.

Wu Dianyong was drenched in sweat from pain. “Pull out this needle first.”

Wang Daxia said, “Finish talking first, then I’ll pull it out. If you’re hiding anything, I’ll add another needle.”

Wu Dianyong had no choice but to endure the pain and confess.

The Royal Arsenal was the heart of the Ming Dynasty’s military power, used to counter the northern cavalry and southern Japanese pirates.

Therefore, requisitioning firearms required layer upon layer of approval and inspection before they could be distributed to various garrison posts. The monthly numbers had to match exactly, and superiors would inspect their subordinates’ firearm conditions and quantities monthly. Some strict superiors would even conduct daily spot checks to prevent soldiers from secretly selling firearms to pay debts and having them flow into civilian hands or enemy countries.

Under such strict supervision, with mutual monitoring and checks and balances, it was very difficult for the White Lotus Sect to find an opening.

However, this batch of firearms did indeed come from the Royal Arsenal.

The Royal Arsenal produced new firearms daily, consuming an average of two tons of gunpowder per day. Firearms required precise casting—the slightest error could cause misfires and barrel explosions that would harm Ming Dynasty troops. Since firearms were almost entirely handmade, they were prone to errors, so technicians had to repeatedly measure them before leaving the factory. Any with flaws or defects had to be taken back for repair, while those with major defects were simply scrapped and recast.

Normally produced firearms would be branded with serial numbers and distributed to Ming Dynasty forces. These numbers could be traced back to both the user and the manufacturer for easy supervision. So it was quite difficult, almost impossible, to smuggle large quantities of firearms from the Royal Arsenal.

Although these scrapped firearms were recorded in the ledgers, they were managed very loosely, piled in warehouses to have their parts dismantled and thrown into furnaces for recasting. No one paid attention to them.

The White Lotus Sect targeted these poorly supervised scrapped firearms. They bribed the technicians responsible for inspecting firearms to falsely label them during inspections, secretly removing one or two components and treating perfectly usable firearms as severely defective waste products to be sent to the scrap warehouse.

Through a series of operations including bribes, White Lotus Sect members were hired to do manual labor in the scrap warehouse. The warehouse keeper was a drunkard who wouldn’t notice if “rats” entered the scrap warehouse. After the “scrap” firearms were warehoused, White Lotus Sect laborers would secretly carry them out.

After the firearms were transported out, the technicians would restore the components, turning them into normally functioning firearms that were then transported to the underground warehouse of the All-Goods Trading House.

Since monthly losses followed certain patterns, excessive quantities would arouse suspicion at the Royal Arsenal, so the White Lotus Sect didn’t dare make big moves. They only took a dozen pieces each month like ants moving house, maintaining a steady trickle.

However, little by little added up to a lot. After nearly five years of accumulation, the White Lotus Sect had gradually amassed quite a collection, mixing them in with merchandise to transport out of Beijing.

Wang Daxia noted down the names of the technician and White Lotus Sect laborer and handed them to the Imperial Guards. “Arrest them overnight to prevent delays that might let these people escape.”

Wang Daxia pulled out the needle from Wu Dianyong’s forehead.

Wu Dianyong said in a trembling voice, “Thank you.”

“Next question.” Wang Daxia asked, “How many firearms have flowed out in these two years? Where did they all go? The goods were all in your warehouse, so don’t say you don’t know.”

Wu Dianyong said, “Originally, once firearms left the warehouse, it wasn’t my business. The cult leader gives them to whoever he says, how would I dare to question it? However, cult leader Zhao Quan is a man of great ambition. He always says ‘Are kings, marquises, generals, and ministers born to their stations?’ He’s not satisfied with the White Lotus Sect’s current status of depending on An Da Khan. He constantly stirs up conflicts between An Da Khan and the Ming Dynasty for his own benefit. He hopes that one day the Ming Dynasty and An Da Khan will wage a great war like the Gengwu Incident ten years ago, preferably causing chaos throughout the realm.”

“Then he would lead the White Lotus Sect to deceive desperate ignorant common people, capture several cities, establish himself as king, and even unify the realm to ascend the throne as emperor. So given his ambitions, I believe these firearms were basically given to the death warriors raised and trained by Iron Bull, one of the Four Great Propagators. The cult leader has ambitions to become king and hegemon—he relies on An Da Khan but also guards against him, so he definitely wouldn’t present these excellent firearms to An Da Khan.”

“Therefore, I believe the firearms must still be in the hands of the White Lotus Sect.”

Wu Dianyong begged Wang Daxia, “Please, please pull out the needles. I’m about to go mad from pain, and a madman is useless to the Imperial Guards. As long as you spare my life and give me food to eat, I’m willing to serve the court loyally and cooperate with the Imperial Guards to find Iron Bull, recover all the firearms that flowed out, and eradicate the White Lotus Sect.”

This “Ming traitor” Wu Dianyong truly was one who would serve whoever fed him. The transformation from “Ming traitor” to “White Lotus traitor” was just a matter of moving his lips.

Even though Wang Daxia hated Wu Dianyong to the bone, he now understood Wu Dianyong’s importance to the Imperial Guards’ efforts to eradicate the White Lotus Sect and recover the lost firearms.

However, Wang Daxia didn’t dare fully trust Wu Dianyong’s words. This fellow was two-faced and seemed far too eager to surrender.

Outside the cart, Ding Wu secretly calculated the numbers. Taking fifteen firearms per month as an example, twelve months a year would be 180 pieces, and five years would be at least 900 pieces!

The Imperial Guards’ armory didn’t even have 900 firearms. With such a massive quantity, if things really went as Wu Dianyong said and the Ming Dynasty and An Da Khan waged another major war causing chaos throughout the realm, the White Lotus Sect could indeed use these 900 firearms to capture cities and establish their own territory.

Cult leader Zhao Quan’s plans weren’t fantasies—such things could really happen.

Ding Wu hurriedly wrote a note for the Imperial Guards to give to Wang Daxia.

Wang Daxia read it and pulled out the fine needles from Wu Dianyong’s acupoints, saying, “As long as you sincerely cooperate with the Imperial Guards, we’ll let bygones be bygones. But if there’s even one lie, these needles will return to their original positions, guaranteed to hit every target.”

Ding Wu’s note told Wang Daxia to pull out the needles and not to drive Wu Dianyong insane or disable him, as he would still be of great use in the future.

As soon as the fine needles left his head, the pain immediately stopped. Wu Dianyong felt his scattered seven souls and six spirits return to his body, his hands and feet stopped convulsing—it felt so comfortable.

His vision went black, and he fell back into unconsciousness.

“Hey!” Wang Daxia slapped Wu Dianyong’s face. “Is he dead?”

Ding Wu approached the cart and checked Wu Dianyong’s breathing. “Not dead. Just now Banxia used silver needles dipped in medicinal water to pierce his acupoints and forcibly wake him. He’s reached his limit. Since the effects of Lanke’s Dream haven’t worn off, he naturally fell asleep again.”

Fortunately, they had already obtained important intelligence.

Wang Daxia handed the transcript to the Imperial Guards to deliver to Lu Bing overnight.

Lu Bing was awakened by his guards in the middle of the night. Learning that at least 900 firearms had flowed out from the Royal Arsenal, he immediately felt unwell!

This was more terrifying than learning that Boss Wang was White Lotus Sect leader Zhao Quan!

Nine hundred firearms—thousands upon thousands of people would die because of this. In comparison, cult leader Zhao Quan’s escape through the secret passage and becoming a fish that slipped through the net with unknown whereabouts wasn’t a big deal at all.

People who had suffered repeated strokes were most afraid of staying up late and being shocked, and Lu Bing had experienced both this time. He stiffened on his bed as his guards skillfully brought out medicinal pills to clear his passages, dissolving them and feeding them to Lu Bing.

Lu Bing recovered somewhat and said, “Commander Lu is in the northern district, while the Royal Arsenal is in the southwest corner. The distance is great—we mustn’t delay the opportunity. I’ll personally lead men to arrest the technician at the Royal Arsenal and the White Lotus Sect member doing odd jobs in the scrap warehouse.”

His guard said, “But your health… and it’s still pouring rain outside.”

“Bring my regular medicine and summon Imperial Physician Song,” Lu Bing got up. “Quickly.”

According to Wu Dianyong’s confession, the technician and laborer both lived in Shuanghe Temple Alley near the Royal Arsenal, with only five households between them. The residents of Shuanghe Temple Alley basically all had hereditary crafts, with several generations working at the Royal Arsenal, inheriting their fathers’ trades.

The technician’s family had worked at the Royal Arsenal for five generations. His ancestors never expected the fifth generation would produce such a traitorous unfilial descendant who betrayed the Royal Arsenal.

The laborer was an outsider. Five years ago when the Royal Arsenal was hiring odd-job workers, the laborer bribed the hiring officer and infiltrated the Royal Arsenal’s scrap warehouse.

These two conspired together—the technician would falsely label good products as defective ones, and after they were warehoused, the laborer would secretly take them home. Then the technician would visit the laborer’s house under the pretext of socializing, repair the “defective” goods, and have All-Goods Trading House personnel take them to the underground warehouse under the guise of making deliveries.

Two people, four hands, five years, over 900 standard-issue firearms—they had smuggled them out of the Royal Arsenal like ants moving house, threatening the Ming Dynasty’s security.

Lu Bing wanted to devour these two alive.

Lu Bing got into his cart and directed the arrests. First, he ordered men to set up roadblocks at both ends of Shuanghe Temple Alley, completely sealing it off. Then he divided forces into two groups to separately arrest the laborer and technician.

The laborer claimed to be from Baoding, Hebei—a widower who had lost his wife, with no ties or attachments. When people tried to arrange marriages for him, he refused them all, claiming he still mourned his deceased wife and lived alone year-round.

But the technician was a Beijing local with wife, children, and elderly parents all depending on him—he was the family’s pillar of support.

Lu Bing pointed to the technician’s name and said, “Focus only on arresting him alone. Don’t try to threaten him using his family. People who collude with the White Lotus Sect have already lost all morality and humanity. He doesn’t care about his family’s lives at all.”

His subordinates received their orders and departed.

Since the two houses were close together, to avoid alerting their targets, the arrests of the laborer and technician were conducted simultaneously.

In the torrential rain, the operation began. Imperial Guards climbed over walls and broke through doors and windows, heading straight for the beds. They pulled the soundly sleeping laborer and technician from their beds, stuffed hemp seeds in their mouths, and bound their hands and feet.

The technician’s family members woke from their sleep in shock and confusion.

Lu Bing entered the laborer’s house. Imperial Guards dragged out a chest from under the bed, which clearly contained five firearms—and they were the latest Royal Arsenal copies of Western Frankish flintlock rifles.

Previous firearms were basically matchlock guns that required first lighting a fuse with flint, then aiming at the enemy, with the gun firing only when the fuse burned to its end.

The newest flintlock rifles had no fuses—one only needed to pull the trigger, and flint fragments in the gun chamber would automatically create sparks to fire bullets.

Flintlock production was limited. Due to Lu Bing’s relationship with Emperor Jiajing, currently only the Imperial Guards had been fully equipped with flintlocks, showing their value.

Caught red-handed with the evidence, it seemed Wu Dianyong hadn’t lied and had confessed everything completely.

The laborer’s mouth was gagged and his knees forced to the ground, but his face bore a smile, his eyes full of mockery, showing no fear of Lu Bing.

Lu Bing pulled the hemp seeds from the laborer’s mouth and said coldly, “Go ahead and laugh. Soon you won’t be able to laugh anymore. Take him to the Imperial Guards’ prison and let him see our ‘good things.’ You’re one of Intelligence Hall’s people and must know Intelligence Hall’s whereabouts. Find Intelligence Hall and we’ll find cult leader Zhao Quan.”

The laborer spat and said, “You court lackeys and running dogs, don’t think you can dig any information out of me.”

Lu Bing said, “Really? I look forward to it.”

Half an hour later, the Imperial Guards’ most experienced jailer said, “He’s confessed.”

Author’s Note: The slap in the face came too quickly. Regarding Miss Yingying’s identity, everyone’s guesses are in the right direction, but you’ve all guessed the wrong result. The result isn’t that simple. She’s a very complex character whose fate is even more legendary than Li Jiubao’s.