The three entered the kitchen, each carrying a wooden bucket. As soon as they stepped inside, they found the kitchen empty.

At the doorway, the old man leaned against the door frame, looking at the three people inside with an impatient expression, urging again, “Be quick about it!”

The three nodded, bending down to empty the garbage left in the kitchen.

As they bent down, they sensed the hidden presence of guards around them. Realizing there were no guards in the kitchen area, the three exchanged glances, then Ding Xian took the lead, sending a gentle palm strike to knock out the old man standing at the doorway.

Before the old man’s body hit the ground, Ding Xian caught him and dragged him behind the kitchen stove to hide him.

“I’ll go out first to scout the situation. You two wait for me here,” Ding Xian said to Mu Yunjin and Qiqi after putting on the old man’s outer garment.

Mu Yunjin and Qiqi nodded, cautioning, “Be careful.”

Ding Xian nodded and walked out.

Mu Yunjin and Qiqi hid by the stove, using it to conceal themselves, deep in thought.

…

…

“Rong Min is skilled in poisons and is ruthless. His residence must be full of traps. We need to be prepared,” Mu Yunjin said to Qiqi.

Hearing this, Qiqi took out a porcelain bottle from her waist. “This is what Huaying gave me before we left. She said it’s a newly developed pill that can neutralize any poison in the world.”

“Master, take two with you, just in case,” Qiqi said, pouring out two pills.

Mu Yunjin reached out to take them.

The two had been waiting in the kitchen for quite some time when the kitchen door opened, and a woman’s voice was heard.

“The Marquis and his guest want a midnight snack. Quickly light the fire and prepare it.”

“Yes.”

After these words, footsteps left the kitchen, while other footsteps approached the stove.

Hearing these footsteps, Mu Yunjin first made a hushing gesture to Qiqi, who nodded in understanding.

Then, as the footsteps neared the stove, silver needles emerged from Mu Yunjin’s fingertips…

…

“Mmm, what fragrant snow fungus soup…” Qiqi, now dressed as a maid of Marquis Han’s residence, carried a tray with a smile, looking at the several bowls of snow fungus soup on it.

Mu Yunjin, also dressed as a maid, carried a tray and walked forward.

Qiqi was skilled in tracking. Though this was her first time in Marquis Han’s residence, she knew the direction to Rong Min’s location with ease.

After reaching the courtyard where Rong Min was staying, they saw Ding Xian guarding the door.

Ding Xian was slightly startled when he saw them, but didn’t speak.

As they approached the door, two senior maids came over and took the trays from their hands. “So slow!”

Mu Yunjin and Qiqi kept their heads lowered, pretending to be frightened.

After the two senior maids took the trays, they entered the room.

Outside the door, sensing the hidden guards around them, Mu Yunjin and Qiqi exchanged glances before kneeling at the doorway, pretending to be punished.

The two senior maids had spoken very softly, and the hidden guards hadn’t heard what they were saying. Seeing the two young maids kneeling at the door, they naturally assumed they were being punished and didn’t become suspicious.

After getting close to the door, Mu Yunjin and Qiqi pressed their lips together, quietly listening to the conversation from within.

…

Inside the room.

Black Robe leaned against his chair with a lazy demeanor, took a sip of tea, and chuckled, “Qiuye is one of the three greatest martial arts masters in the world. This time, even he couldn’t gain an advantage against Chu Li and Mu Yunjin. If we lose him from our camp, I’m afraid no one will be able to contend with that couple.”

“I never imagined that a witch would become so powerful that she’s practically defying heaven!” Rong Min gritted his teeth at the mention of Mu Yunjin.

Earlier, he had exchanged intelligence with Chu Qingchang for many years without incident, but after being discovered by that witch, she burned down his Moon Flower Tower and ultimately caused Chu Qingchang to die at her hands, ruining his many years of careful planning.

This time, Rong Jiu had finally been poisoned, but that witch brought the Snow Toad Pill halfway through. If not for her, it would be he, Rong Min, who would now be sitting on the imperial throne!

And then there was Chu Li. Originally, he had reached an agreement with General Qin to secretly use the Emperor Emeritus’s military force to suppress Rong Jiu. Unexpectedly, Chu Li was even more ruthless, directly employing a counter-strategy to frame him for killing General Qin, causing him to lose the Emperor Emeritus as a powerful ally despite his protests of innocence.

All these things made his hatred burn.

“Mu Yunjin is the Phoenix Woman, naturally not to be underestimated. After Chu Li obtained the ancient divine beast, the Ink Qilin, his power also greatly increased. Combined with the Celestial Decree in their hands, I fear that shortly, no one will be able to move against them,” Black Robe sighed.

Hearing this, Rong Min clenched his fists and revealed a cold smile. “During this time, I’ve been obediently staying in my residence every day, having no contact with anyone in the outside world. Rong Jiu must think I’ve accepted my fate and no longer covet his throne, so he has withdrawn all his spies from my residence.”

“Unfortunately for him, when it comes to scheming, Rong Jiu will never match me,” he concluded, taking out a token from his waist and placing it on the table.

“The Military Command Token?!” Black Robe’s tone was somewhat surprised.

Rong Min nodded with a contemptuous smile. “That’s right. I now control all the military power in Eastern Lin Country!”

At the door, when Mu Yunjin heard the words “Military Command Token,” her body tensed slightly, and she instinctively touched the object in her sleeve.

If what Rong Min had was the Military Command Token, then what was the one she had?

Didn’t Rong Jiu also give her a Military Command Token?

Could there be two tokens?

That didn’t seem right…

…

“Marquis Han, you truly cannot be underestimated. Rong Jiu thinks he has secured his throne, not knowing it’s about to collapse beneath him,” Black Robe said with a hint of laughter.

Rong Min chuckled, put away the token, and looked at Black Robe. “So what’s our next step?”

“Find the Snow Soul Pill and rescue Qiuye,” Black Robe replied.

“The Snow Soul Pill? South Court Country’s secret medicine?” Rong Min was surprised.

Black Robe nodded.

“Yes, the Snow Soul Pill is in Yun Guangyao’s possession. We need to make a trip to South Court Country. I’ve learned that Kong Shi will be in Western Yuan Country these days, so our chances of success are high,” Black Robe said softly to Rong Min.

Rong Min understood.

“After rescuing Qiuye, Marquis Han can use his control of the military to depose Rong Jiu. Then, with Eastern Lin Country’s forces combined with half of Chu Qing’s forces, we can directly destroy Western Yuan Country.”

“We also have our people in Northern Ming Country. After Marquis Han swallows Western Yuan Country, we can seize Northern Ming Country as well. With the power of three countries, what is there to fear from a small country like South Court?” Black Robe’s lips curled into a mocking smile.

Listening to Black Robe’s words, Rong Min felt a surge of excitement, as if Black Robe was describing something extremely simple.

After a long while, Rong Min looked at Black Robe and posed a question. “Elder, as a jianghu figure, why are you so particularly interested in the matter of conquering kingdoms?”

“It’s not about interest, but rather that once I’m involved in certain matters, I don’t like to give up easily. What does one live for in this world? Living a life that shakes heaven and earth is still just one life; living in confusion is also just one life. For me, I prefer to live a life that shakes heaven and earth,” Black Robe concluded, his eyes concealing deeper meaning.

Once, he had been expelled from his master Feng Cang’s teachings for secretly studying shamanic arts. Now, he simply wanted to prove that in this world, evil could triumph over righteousness!

Listening to Black Robe’s words and observing his expression, Rong Min felt somewhat alarmed and instinctively changed the subject.

“By the way, that man you brought today, isn’t he Chu Li’s subordinate? What use do you have for bringing him here?” Rong Min mentioned Huang Yan.

At this moment, Mu Yunjin and Qiqi at the door finally heard something important. The two held their breath, preparing to hear what would follow, when the two senior maids from earlier walked out.

Seeing the two still kneeling at the door, the senior maids were startled and immediately scolded them. “What are you doing kneeling here? Have the clothes in the back courtyard been washed? Has the kitchen been cleaned?”

The two were startled and were about to stand up when Qiqi felt someone kick her calf. Then they heard the senior maid speak again, “Since you like kneeling so much, just continue kneeling. Insolent creatures!”

After speaking, the two senior maids left.

Mu Yunjin looked up and gave Ding Xian a meaningful glance.

Noticing her gaze, Ding Xian nodded, and as the two senior maids walked out the door, he lightly kicked two small stones, hitting their ankles.

The two lost their balance and fell flat on their faces.

After struggling to get up, they were about to turn back to confront Mu Yunjin and Qiqi when they saw the steward leaning against the door, dozing with his head lowered. Fearing they would be punished for waking the steward, the two had no choice but to give up and leave sullenly.

After they left, Ding Xian, disguised as the steward, raised his head and smiled secretly.

Having been interrupted by the two senior maids, Mu Yunjin and Qiqi had to resume listening to the conversation inside, but it seemed the topic had already changed—

“Isn’t the Dark Spirit Energy something not everyone possesses?” Rong Min’s voice came through.

“Yes, it’s rare in this world,” Black Robe replied carelessly.

After a pause, Rong Min seemed to smile, then looked at the time. “It’s getting late today. Elder, please go back and rest well. Tomorrow we’ll set out for South Court Country to seize the Snow Soul Pill, taking this opportunity to unify our great cause!”

“Good!”

Seeing that Black Robe was about to leave, Mu Yunjin and Qiqi stood up and walked away with their heads lowered respectfully.

As they walked out, they secretly pulled Ding Xian along.

The three left one after another.

…

Back in the kitchen, the steward and the two young maids who had been knocked out earlier were still unconscious.

Mu Yunjin crossed her arms, thinking about the conversation she had just heard. “They’re also setting out for South Court Country tomorrow to find the Snow Soul Pill.”

“Black Robe brought Huang Yan here. It seems we need to seize the opportunity in the latter half of the night to rescue Huang Yan,” Qiqi said.

“This residence is full of traps. Rescuing Huang Yan won’t be easy. You must be extra careful,” Ding Xian cautioned.

Mu Yunjin pressed her lips together and looked at Qiqi. “Can you track where Huang Yan is now?”

“In the direction of Rong Min’s courtyard we just came from, but we’ll need to search for the exact location ourselves,” Qiqi answered Mu Yunjin.

Mu Yunjin frowned slightly and nodded gently. “It seems the three of us will also need to split up. Otherwise, staying together would be too conspicuous.”

Ding Xian and Qiqi showed hesitation in their eyes. “But that would be too dangerous.”

“Then, is there a better way?”