Inside the treasure cave, Gao Qiu lay on his side on the ground, feeling severe pain in his buttocks and groaning in pain from time to time.

When I first entered the cave, I could vaguely hear the howling outside, but now, I can't hear any sound at all.

This made everyone feel very uneasy.

Gao Qiu regretted it very much. If he had known it was so dangerous, he would not have come in.

It’s all my fault for being too greedy. When I heard the words “treasure cave”, I rushed in without hesitation.

But it's too late to regret now.

The thieves in Wuyou Cave were more cunning and vicious than he had expected.

Despite the all-out crackdown by the government troops, they still had the strength to launch a desperate counterattack, and they grasped the timing extremely accurately. They launched a sneak attack while the government troops were transporting gold, silver and treasures. This attack was unexpected, causing heavy casualties to the government troops and forcing themselves into a desperate situation.

There was no precedent of the death of the commander-in-chief of the palace guards in the Huizong Dynasty.

Of course Gao Qiu didn't want to be the first.

Now, he placed all his hopes on Zhang Shixun, hoping that he could stop the thieves outside.

Thinking of Zhang Shixun, Gao Qiu felt a little relieved.

He witnessed Zhang Shixun's heroic performance with his own eyes.

On that day, when the emperor was assassinated, Zhang Shixun fought the two thieves with unstoppable bravery. He was truly a rare warrior.

There has been no movement outside for a long time.

Gao Qiu pricked up his ears and listened for a while. Finally, he couldn't help his temper and ordered, "Jiang Xuan, go outside and investigate."

Jiang Xuan was guarding the cave entrance with a soldier. Upon hearing Gao Qiu's order, he did not hesitate, "I obey your command!"

He stood up reluctantly and was about to walk outside when he heard footsteps not far away.

"Someone is coming." Jiang Xuan whispered.

"Guard the cave entrance, and when he comes closer, ask him who he is." Gao Qiu also became nervous.

I hope the person coming is Zhang Shixun.

"General, are you all okay?" someone asked from outside.

Sure enough, it was Zhang Shixun's voice.

Gao Qiu was overjoyed and quickly replied, "Shixun, I'm fine."

"I'm glad you're okay." Zhang Shixun stepped in holding a torch.

"Where is the thief?" Gao Qiu asked anxiously.

"Escaped." Zhang Shixun said as he looked at Gao Qiu.

Gao Qiu was lying on the ground with his butt raised high, with an arrowhead stuck in the middle of it, looking extremely ridiculous.

"General, is your injury serious?" Zhang Shixun seemed concerned.

"Your life should be safe."

Zhang Shixun walked closer and looked down at his wound.

This was a big deal, he almost laughed out loud.

There's no other reason. The angle at which the arrowhead was inserted was too weird. It was slanted upwards and just below the coccyx.

This position is a bit awkward, it's clearly the anus.

Two-thirds of the arrow shaft remains outside, that is, one-third of the arrow shaft is inserted into the valley.

Normally, this kind of tricky angle would never happen.

It was impossible for the thief to lie on the ground and shoot arrows at him.

The only possibility is that when the old man was shot by the arrow, he was not in a standing position, but was lying on the ground, crawling with his butt sticking up.

Only this posture could produce such strange results.

Gao Qiu looked at Hei Wuchang and asked, "Who is he?"

"He is my missing servant. He was separated by the gate and hid in a dark cave."

"Oh! I'm glad you found it." Gao Qiu heard it was his servant, so he stopped paying attention to him and asked Zhang Shixun, "What's going on outside? Tell me in detail."

Zhang Shixun told him the whole situation outside.

After hearing this, Gao Qiu's face was filled with dismay: "So, all the gold, silver and treasures were taken away by Huang San?"

As for the dead soldiers, he didn't even mention them.

From this we can see that the lives of soldiers are not worth mentioning in his eyes.

"All the officers and soldiers outside were killed, and the bags of gold, silver and jewelry were looted." Zhang Shixun pulled a silver ingot from his sleeve. "I only found a piece of silver that the thieves left behind."

Gao Qiu waved his hands and said with a sad face, "We are just being disappointed. It's all for nothing."

"Captain, although we didn't get any gold or silver, we still managed to capture quite a few thieves. Oh, and I've captured the few thieves Huang San left behind to cover our retreat. They're tied up outside."

"We must interrogate him strictly and make sure to catch Huang San." Gao Qiu said gritting his teeth.

He now hated Huang San to the core. If it weren't for this thief, he would have returned with a full load by now.

Zhang Shixun said, "General, this is not the place to talk. Let's discuss this matter after we get out."

"I can't go out in this state... Jiang Xuan, go find me a stretcher."

"Your Majesty!" Jiang Xuan agreed readily this time. Now that the thieves had run away, his timidity was gone.

After Jiang Xuan left, Gao Qiu asked again, "Shixun, is there any news about the vegetable-eating demon?"

Zhang Shixun shook his head and said, "General, I have been busy chasing the thieves and then dealing with the treasure cave. I haven't received any news about these people."

"After Fang La was imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison, the remnants of the Vegetable-Eating Demon infiltrated the capital. They first plotted to assassinate the emperor, then colluded with the Worry-Free Cave to flee. Their actions clearly indicate they came to rescue Fang La... Shixun, the imperial court's crackdown on the Worry-Free Cave is primarily aimed at the Vegetable-Eating Demon. This is of great importance. Report any news about them to me as soon as possible."

"General, I have no position or authority." Zhang Shixun reminded him.

As the saying goes, one should not meddle in matters that are not within one's jurisdiction. He has no obligation to work for the court.

What's more, Fang La's rebellion was caused by the tyranny of Song Huizong Zhao Ji. Even if Zhang Shixun knew about the remnants of Fang La, he would choose to turn a blind eye and not help the tyrant.

We must stand firm on major issues of right and wrong.

Jiang Xuan left quickly and came back quickly. He brought half a door panel with him, and was accompanied by many officers and soldiers from the Palace Front Department.

When everyone carried Gao Qiu out of Guifan Tower, the many officers and soldiers present, as well as the yamen runners and constables of Kaifeng Prefecture, all looked at Gao Qiu.

That arrowhead stuck in the butt is so cool.

Gao Qiu ordered the soldiers to carry him out. He didn't want to stay here any longer.

It's so fucking embarrassing.

After Gao Qiu left, Wang Meng ordered his men to count the spoils, cut off the heads of the dead bandits, and escort the living ones out of Wuyou Cave.

Li Kui yelled at Zhang Shixun, "Sir, help me!"

Zhang Shixun had almost forgotten about this guy. When he heard his cry for help, he pulled Wang Meng aside and whispered, "Old Wang, although this cleanup operation has yielded fruitful results, there are still many fish that have slipped through the net. Given time, these remnants will return here and revive."

"Do I even need to be told that?" Wang Meng sighed. "Ever since the time of Taizu, the imperial court has repeatedly raided Wuyou Cave, but each time, it's quickly replaced by fugitives. This is a chronic problem."

"I have an idea, would you like to hear it?"

"you say."