A cheer erupted from in front of a cliff face, “It’s open! It’s opened!”

The people gathered at the foot of the mountain rejoiced. Although they had found this entrance several days ago, even with the world’s most skilled tomb raiders and architectural experts working together, it had taken considerable time to open the imperial tomb’s entrance without damaging it. After all, they couldn’t see anything from the outside and had no way to estimate what mechanisms lay within. One wrong move could have caused the entire tomb passage to collapse. Then they would have had to dig through not just the entrance but one or several mountains. Fortunately, someone eventually thought to dig a tunnel from the side to confirm the internal mechanisms’ condition and location, finally opening this imperial tomb entrance that had been hidden for hundreds of years. This also proved that Tan Jizhi hadn’t deceived them – the treasure map was indeed for an imperial tomb.

The person who emerged from inside said excitedly, “This is an imperial tomb. The underground palace is still far from here – this tomb is enormous. Quick, report to the masters!”

Soon after, forces from all sides had gathered, with no one falling behind the others. Lei Tengfeng frowned at the entrance before him and asked, “This is the entrance to the founding emperor’s tomb? Isn’t it a bit too modest?” Someone from the crowd stepped forward and said, “Young Master may not know, but this tomb is different from ordinary imperial tombs. It wasn’t planned for descendants to make offerings from the beginning, which is why the entrance is in such a remote location – likely designed to prevent tomb robbery. Moreover, this probably isn’t the only entrance. By my estimation, we’re at least ten li from the underground palace’s center.” Lei Tengfeng nodded at this, glancing at the Northern Rong’s Seventh Prince, the Northern Rong Crown Prince, and Great Chu’s Prince Li Mo Jingli, who was also standing to the side, his brows furrowing deeply.

He had originally thought obtaining the treasure map was a secret, but after finding the location, he discovered that everyone had a copy. Lei Tengfeng immediately knew they had probably been played by Tan Jizhi, but the map was genuine, and they had found the location. Could it be… Tan Jizhi wanted them to kill each other so he could reap the benefits. Thinking of this, Lei Tengfeng’s heart skipped a beat, and he was no longer in a hurry to enter the tomb. He smiled at the others who were also watching him and raised an eyebrow, saying, “Your Highness Crown Prince, Prince Li, Seventh Prince, what are your plans?”

The gathered crowd showed various expressions, but all maintained their wariness and vigilance toward their opponents. Being of royal blood, they naturally knew what they would encounter inside an imperial tomb. But if they let others get ahead… gold, silver, and jewels were secondary concerns – if someone got the Imperial Seal first, that would be truly troublesome.

Yelü Hong chuckled, showing a cautiousness and shrewdness unusual for northern nomads, saying, “This prince is merely curious about the Central Plains’ founding emperor’s tomb. I’ll just send someone in to have a look.” With a wave of his hand, a group of men dressed as guards behind Yelü Hong entered the entrance first. Lei Tengfeng’s eyes narrowed slightly, a dark gleam flashing across them as he nodded and smiled, “Crown Prince Yelü makes sense. Though an imperial tomb is inauspicious, people of our station need not explore it personally. Well then, you all go in and take a look too – it will be something to report to Father King.” A group of people wearing golden brocade robes behind him bowed to Lei Tengfeng before following inside. The others present, including Yelü Hong, were startled – those were the Southern King’s Golden Guards, and they had come with Lei Tengfeng.

Lei Tengfeng smiled at Mo Jingli and said, “How about it? Doesn’t Prince Li want to take a look?”

Mo Jingli snorted lightly and said, “A gentleman doesn’t stand beneath a dangerous wall. This prince doesn’t care about some mere imperial tomb.” With a wave of his hand, the guards behind him also went in. Beside them, Yelü Ye naturally didn’t want to fall behind and sent his men into the tomb.

From a hidden spot far away, Han Mingxi watched the group still lingering at the entrance, showing no intention of either entering or leaving and couldn’t help but feel annoyed, “What are these people doing? If they’re not going in, they shouldn’t hold others up.”

“They won’t go in,” Han Mingyue, who had been silent beside him, suddenly spoke.

Han Mingxi was startled and turned to look at Han Mingyue, asking, “Why not?” Han Mingyue glanced at him and said flatly, “Who are these people? They’re either crown princes or princes and young masters – people of high position and authority. They’re not tomb raiders. No matter how much they want what’s inside, they won’t risk their lives personally. Once life is lost, everything is lost.” Han Mingxi thought about it and had to admit his brother made sense, which only made him more dejected and angry, “Then what’s Mo Xiuyao’s game? Having me come here just to watch these people? Is he toying with me?” Han Mingyue remained silent, having no interest now in either Mo Xiuyao or the people before them. He only hoped his brother wouldn’t go in and throw his life away.

“Master Han.” A deep male voice suddenly appeared behind them in an unexpected position. Han Mingxi was startled and leaped up, warily facing the suddenly appeared man who wore dark green clothes with green dye on his face. Even standing there for so long, Han Mingxi could barely tell what the man might look like with a clean face. Frowning, and seeing the other party had no hostility, Han Mingxi asked, “What kind of ghost are you?” The man said solemnly, “Qilin Training Camp, Twelfth Squad recruit. By order of the squad leader, I inform Master Han that the Qilin is executing a mission. Please withdraw, Master Han.”

“Mission?” Han Mingxi was confused for a moment before suddenly understanding, pointing at the group still in standoff in the distance, asking, “Them?”

The man stood at attention, eyes fixed straight ahead as if he hadn’t heard Han Mingxi’s question. Han Mingxi narrowed his eyes, looking at him displeasedly, and asked, “What if this young master refuses to withdraw?” The man was equally direct, raising his hand to snap his fingers behind him, “Capture them!” Even experts like Han Mingxi and Han Mingyue couldn’t react in time as more than ten incredibly agile figures pounced on them, striking their pressure points, binding them, gagging them, and carrying them away along with the people Han Mingxi had brought. In his entire life, even when being hunted by various martial arts sects in his youth, Han Mingxi had never received such treatment. His face immediately turned red with anger, and even though he was bound, he wouldn’t stay still and kept struggling. A man walked up behind him, patted his shoulder, and said softly, “Brother Han, this is because you wouldn’t cooperate. We had no choice, brother. Don’t worry, we’ll release you in two hours at most. Brothers are just executing the Princess Consort’s orders, don’t blame us.” Han Mingxi turned back in grief and indignation – he had just said that casually, who knew these bastards would use force?

When he turned around, he found the person painted like a ghost before him particularly familiar. “Mmmmph…” Xu Qingfeng!

Xu Qingfeng showed him a toothy smile, “Brother Han, my apologies. After completing the mission, I’ll treat you to drinks to make amends.”

“Mmmmph!” To hell with you! No one in your entire Xu family has any consideration for others! Xu Qingfeng pretended not to see the fury in his eyes, waving his hand to have his subordinates take the captives away and hide them well so as not to affect the mission. And so, the elegant and romantic Young Master of Wind and Moon suffered his first true retribution in life. Since Han Mingxi and the others were still within the mission area, naturally they couldn’t spare people to escort them away, so they simply found a hidden mountain hollow, dropped them there, cut some tree branches and dry grass for camouflage, and then left, leaving Han Mingxi lying in the bushes glaring and cursing in his heart.

Having dealt with Han Mingxi, Xu Qingfeng contentedly lay on the hillside observing the movement of people at the tomb entrance opposite. It wasn’t that he wanted to oppose Han Mingxi, but that little Han had chosen too good a spot, exactly where he needed to be. Looking at the so-called crown princes, princes, and young masters opposite, Xu Qingfeng’s eyes were full of excitement and anticipation. This kind of life was far more interesting than studying at home or being an official. “Squad Leader, the area has been cleared of outsiders, only those remain. Should we go over now?” A team member quietly crawled up beside Xu Qingfeng and whispered. Xu Qingfeng shook his head and said quietly, “Those people are all of noble status and fear death. There are at least several hundred guards around. And those… Lei Tengfeng, Yelü Hong, Yelü Ye, and Mo Jingli are all skilled fighters. If even one escapes, all our work will be wasted. Wait for the others to arrive before we act together.”

“We arrived first, why…” The young, impetuous recruit was unwilling. They had arrived first – if they captured these people by themselves, their squad would undoubtedly be ranked first. Xu Qingfeng raised his hand and smacked the recruit’s forehead, saying, “We’re only a dozen or so people. It wouldn’t be easy to deal with so many people face to face. What if one escapes? Don’t forget the Princess Consort and Commander Qin’s requirements.” Capture or kill all – letting even one escape would mean failure. The young recruit rubbed his forehead and obediently lay down.

Soon after, something flashed on the opposite ridge. Xu Qingfeng’s eyes lit up, and chewing on a grass root, he smiled and said, “See who’s arrived?” The recruit got up to carefully observe the surroundings. Their position was good, not only giving them a clear view of their target opposite but also of the hillsides and cliffs on both sides. The recruit chuckled and reported to Xu Qingfeng, “Squads One through Sixteen have arrived. Squads Seven and Fifteen are blocking the upstream and downstream of the Great River. Others are scattered around the perimeter.”

Xu Qingfeng nodded with satisfaction and said, “Tell the brothers to prepare. According to the original plan, work with the brothers from other squads to surround these people, advance toward the center like a carpet, and don’t let anyone escape. After all squads meet up, the vice squad leader will command, while this squad leader will work with other squad leaders to capture those fellows.”

“Yes!”

While Lei Tengfeng and the others at the cliff base were still carefully probing and guarding against their opponents, they didn’t know that a force had already silently dealt with their thousand-strong forces stationed nearby and was slowly approaching them. Lei Tengfeng sat leaning against a large tree, his gaze occasionally passing over Yelü Ye and the others. In his heart, he was calculating whether, if the Imperial Seal wasn’t retrieved by his men, the forces he had brought would be enough to seize it back. And if his people did get the Imperial Seal, how they would escape from the encirclement of these several forces? While he was thinking about these things, the others naturally weren’t idle either, so when he looked up this time, he met Mo Jingli’s vigilant and guarded gaze. Lei Tengfeng gave Mo Jingli a friendly smile, only to receive the other’s silent disregard in return. Lei Tengfeng wasn’t bothered by this. He and his father had long analyzed Mo Jingli’s character, and they agreed that this person would never achieve greatness and wasn’t worth worrying about.

Finally, sounds came from the tomb passage, and everyone immediately stood up, anxiously staring at the exit. Soon people came running out, their disheveled appearance indicating that the dangers they had encountered in the imperial tomb were no ordinary matter. Mo Jingli stepped forward and grabbed one of his men, demanding harshly, “Did you find the Imperial Seal?!”

“Your Highness… we were deceived by Tan Jizhi. Inside… there’s no Imperial Seal at all!” the guard reported, despite the painful grip.

Everyone’s expression changed, and soon more people emerged from inside, all bringing similar news. Yelü Hong’s men even brought back a replica of the seal, but the clear word “replica” carved in its corner seemed to mock them, stinging their eyes.

“Tan Jizhi!” Mo Jingli gnashed his teeth. The others’ expressions were equally grim, especially when they heard that while the burial goods inside were precious, most were too large to move easily. Lei Tengfeng was decisive – since they hadn’t found anything, he would return to Li City to report to his father. He snorted and called out loudly, “Let’s go! Back to the city!” However, the guards hidden nearby gave no response. Lei Tengfeng immediately sensed something was wrong, his expression darkening further. The others naturally noticed too, and Mo Jingli shouted, “Guards!” Only his echo answered from the cliff wall – the hundreds of guards hidden in the shadows showed no movement.

Until a clear, deep laugh came from nearby, “Opening graves and robbing tombs on Western Northwestern territory without the owner’s permission. How bold you all are. Surrender immediately and await the Prince and Princess Consort’s judgment.”

Mo Jingli laughed coldly, “Is this tomb Mo Xiuyao’s property?” The other party returned an equally cold laugh, “Though this tomb isn’t the Prince’s, it’s on his land. Moreover… you’re all nobles and royal descendants from various countries, yet you can stoop to grave robbing – truly admirable. However, if you enjoy such activities, you shouldn’t do them in the Northwest. Did you think our Prince no longer exists? I’ll count to three. Come forward and surrender yourselves, or don’t blame us for being impolite.”

Lei Tengfeng smiled and said, “May I ask which general’s command you’re under? Could it be… the Princess Consort’s Qilin? In that case, this prince would like to experience their skills firsthand.”

Yelü Ye stepped forward smiling, “The Southern King’s Young Master speaks truly. I too would like to experience the Qilin’s abilities.” Yelü Hong and Mo Jingli exchanged glances, also taking combat stances. The Qilin under Ye Li had appeared too quickly and mysteriously. If they could use this chance to probe their capabilities, that would be good.

“Then excuse our rudeness!” As soon as the words fell, more than ten figures suddenly leaped into the air, pouncing toward the group. They didn’t rush in chaotically as most would, but as if pre-arranged, several people surrounded each target to engage them. As for the other guards, they were quickly dispatched by the Qilin who pounced on them. After dealing with the interfering guards around the perimeter, the other Qilin didn’t join the battle but very orderly surrounded the dozen or so people fighting, both observing the battle and preventing escape.

Lei Tengfeng wielded his long sword against those surrounding him, while keenly noticing these people coordinated extremely well and constantly adjusted their formation. Whenever one group showed any weakness, the other two groups would send people to join in. Though none of these people could match him one-on-one, they were no ordinary soldiers. Let alone fighting ten alone, even facing four together made him inwardly groan.

The battle ended after the time it took to drink a cup of tea, with all four being captured without suspense. One of them made a gesture to the observing Qilin, who immediately cheered and scattered in all directions, quickly disappearing into the forest. Lei Tengfeng looked down at the short blade at his neck and the person quietly and efficiently binding his hands behind his back, sighing in admiration, “The Qilin truly live up to their reputation.” The person binding him, face covered in green paint, showed his teeth in a smile and said, “Thank you for the praise, Young Master, but we’re not yet official Qilin.” Lei Tengfeng smiled silently, but his heart sank. Such combat ability would be elite among elites in any country’s army, yet these people weren’t even official Qilin – how formidable was the real Qilin? Looking at these faces whose true appearances he couldn’t make out, Lei Tengfeng felt a chill rise in his heart.

“Everyone, what happened to the people we brought?” Yelü Hong asked.

One of them made an “ah” sound, scratched his head, and thought for a moment before saying, “The orders only specified that the important figures should be unharmed, the others were up to us. Those who cooperated were bound, those who didn’t were killed.” Yelü Hong’s expression changed – Northern Rong’s reputation for fierceness was known throughout the world, yet he couldn’t believe so many Northern Rong experts had been dealt with so silently. Regarding this, Lei Tengfeng had already figured things out and wasn’t so agitated any more, only calculating in his heart what price they would have to pay this time for falling into Prince Ding and Princess Consort’s hands.

“Greetings, Princess Consort! Greetings, Commander!” In a flat wooded area, Ye Li stood gracefully in white silk robes, wearing no makeup. Half a step behind her stood Qin Feng, Zhuo Jing, and Lin Han in black clothes. Not far away was Han Mingxi, just pulled from his grass nest and looking furious, and Han Mingyue with a complicated expression, lost in thought.

Ye Li looked at the warriors before her who remained spirited even after a day and night of marching and fighting, nodding with satisfaction, “At ease. Your performance over this day has been observed by myself, Commander Qin, and the three instructors. We’ll discuss the shortcomings later, but overall, we’re very satisfied.” Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and said in unison, “Thank you, Princess Consort! Thank you, Commander, for your guidance.” They hadn’t realized that during their march and battle, the Princess Consort, Commander, and several instructors who often trained them had been watching, but receiving the Princess Consort’s satisfactory evaluation still made them very happy.

Ye Li smiled at the young people before her whose excitement was evident, saying gently, “Now then, I hereby announce that you officially graduate from the training camp and become Qilin members.”

Another cheer rose from the ranks. Qin Feng, standing behind Ye Li, stepped forward and stared at these excited new subordinates with ill intent, saying, “Don’t celebrate too early. Truly becoming a member of the Qilin only means your future days will be even more arduous than before.”

“Report to Commander, we’re not afraid!” a soldier stepped forward from the ranks and said firmly.

“Not afraid?” Qin Feng rarely smiled at him, making the soldier feel a chill run through his bones. Then they heard Qin Feng continue, “Then, to welcome and celebrate everyone officially becoming Qilin members, this Commander has prepared a gift for you all – one month of wilderness survival. Location: three hundred li northeast of here in the Lingyun Mountains. Requirements: no acquiring resources from civilians by any means, no alerting any local garrisons. As for those who fail…” Seeing their excited expressions immediately turn to despair, Qin Feng continued with an unchanged expression, “Those who fail will wash all the Qilin’s clothes for the next three months!” Everyone immediately cursed inwardly – with the Qilin’s endless daily training, their clothes were so dirty they didn’t even want to touch them themselves. The entire Qilin force had if not a thousand then seven or eight hundred people – having to wash so many clothes, they might as well die.

Qin Feng obviously couldn’t sympathize with his subordinates’ painful resentment. Satisfied with looking at the warriors whose complexions couldn’t be seen through the face paint but whose resentment was clear, he waved his hand and said, “Now, everyone. Head northeast!”

“Yes!”

“Twelfth Squad leader, stay behind,” Ye Li said.

Xu Qingfeng, who had been planning to run off with the others, hesitated but remained in place.

“Princess Consort?” Xu Qingfeng asked, puzzled.

“Third Brother, your training is over,” Ye Li said with a smile. Xu Qingfeng knew that when Ye Li called him Third Brother, it meant they were speaking as family, but he didn’t want to treat this as a personal matter. After a moment of silence, Xu Qingfeng said, “Report to Princess Consort, I wish to stay with them.” Ye Li frowned and said, “That wasn’t our original agreement.” Xu Qingfeng had joined halfway through, and although his training results weren’t inferior to others, from the beginning no one had planned to keep him in the Qilin permanently. Even Xu Qingfeng himself probably hadn’t planned on it. Originally, what he yearned for was to sweep across battlefields, not such a small-scale force. The Qilin were destined never to face the front lines directly. Moreover, due to the Qilin’s secrecy, if Xu Qingfeng truly joined the Qilin, it meant he couldn’t marry or have children for at least several years, nor could he spend long periods with his family. This probably wasn’t what his uncle and aunt would want to see.

Xu Qingfeng said seriously, “I’ve made up my mind. I believe I’m not inferior to anyone – please give me a chance to prove it, Princess Consort.”

Ye Li frowned slightly and looked at Qin Feng, asking, “Qin Feng, what do you think?”

Qin Feng raised an eyebrow and said, “Third Young Master Xu’s abilities are beyond doubt. Princess Consort could wait until after he returns from this mission to decide whether he stays or goes, and there would also be time to discuss it with Old Master Xu and the two lords.”

Ye Li thought for a moment, then nodded and said, “Very well then, Third Brother, you may go first.”

Hearing this, Xu Qingfeng’s face lit up with joy. He bowed to Ye Li and Qin Feng, then turned to catch up with his squad.