Meanwhile, the Tenth Prince and the Fourteenth Prince were locked in combat with the four assassins. The Tenth Prince and the Fourteenth Prince had each sustained minor injuries, and two more assassins had fallen.

The Fourth Prince and Emperor Kangxi quietly slipped back inside, hiding behind a protruding rock and watching from afar as the Tenth Prince and the Fourteenth Prince fought the two assassins. Gradually, the Tenth Prince seemed to reach his physical limit, and his swordsmanship began to falter.

"Father, I must go help the Tenth Prince. I think he's about to give up." The Fourth Prince said hastily upon seeing the situation.

Kangxi nodded and told him to be careful. The Fourth Prince quietly crept over and stabbed the assassin who was fighting with the Tenth Prince from behind.

When Tenth Master saw Fourth Master return, a look of joy appeared on his face, but then he asked, "Where is the old master?"

The Fourth Prince fought the assassin for half a day, and finally, together with the Tenth Prince, they subdued him. The assassin who was fighting the Fourteenth Prince also died by his sword.

"Tear off his mask. See who they are!" Kangxi and Liang Jiugong said hastily when they saw that the Fourth Prince and his men had already captured the assassin.

After the Tenth Master removed the assassin's mask, he asked, "Who are you people?"

"Pry open his mouth, don't let him swallow the poison." Fourth Master immediately stepped forward and grabbed his jawbone.

Sure enough, just as the man was about to bite the poison, Fourth Master grabbed his jawbone, preventing him from clenching his teeth.

"Bastard!" Fourteen stepped forward and unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks, knocking the man to the ground.

"Fourteenth Master, what's the use of kicking him to death! Tell me, are you from the White Lotus Sect?" Fourth Master said.

"Yes, we are here on the orders of our leader to kill you Manchu dogs! The Ming Dynasty will surely rise, overthrow the Qing and restore the Ming, and drive out the Tartars!" the man suddenly shouted excitedly.

Fourteen couldn't help but deliver another beating, leaving him with blood in his mouth, lying on the ground groaning.

"How did these bandits find out about our whereabouts?" Kangxi asked.

"Yes, we deliberately sent Liao Yanzhi and the others ahead to draw attention, but how come they seem to know our whereabouts perfectly well?" Tenth Master asked.

"Tell me, how did you know our whereabouts?" Fourteen pulled the man's arm off the ground, raised both hands behind his back, causing him to howl in pain.

Just then, a series of rather chaotic footsteps suddenly came from afar.

"Are those bandits here again?" Liang Jiugong quickly stepped in front of Kangxi and asked.

"No, it looks like Qin Gang!" Tenth Master saw someone coming this way, and when he got closer, it was indeed Qin Gang.

"Your Majesty, are you alright?" Qin Gang rushed over with two men, Cui Da and Cui Er.

"We're alright, but where are the others?" Kangxi asked hastily when he saw that only they had arrived.

"Only we are left. Your Majesty, we cannot stay here any longer. We must leave this place as soon as possible," Qin Gang said.

When Fourth Master saw that Cui Da and Cui Er were able to come back with him, he felt even more convinced of their abilities.

"Where's Xi Niu?" Fourteen asked suddenly, as if he had just remembered something.

"I don't know, I haven't seen her at all," Qin Gang said.

“Yes, I didn’t see her either. Fourteenth Master, wasn’t she keeping watch with you last night?” Cui Dadao said.

Fourteen looked at them blankly, then pondered for a moment before saying, "It seems that when those assassins came, I didn't see her. She's usually by my side."

Only then did Fourth Master say, "I suspect that Xi Niu is actually a member of the White Lotus Cult. She's the one who led those people here."

"That's impossible! How could a young girl like her be a member of the White Lotus Sect? Besides, Fourth Brother, didn't you investigate her background? Wasn't everything clear?" Fourteenth Brother said in disbelief.

“Family background can be faked. Perhaps Xi Niu has a special identity. If it’s not her, how do you explain why they arrived so punctually?” Fourth Master recalled the guy he caught in front of the abbot, his eerie smile and those words, and he increasingly felt that Xi Niu was the last of the twenty-five assassins.

Kangxi nodded and said, "Sometimes the impossible is the truth. Xi Niu is the most suspicious person in our group in public."

Fourteen still seemed incredulous, but the facts forced him to accept it.

"Now that we've lost our horses, how are we going to get out of this mountainous area?" Qin Gang asked Fourth Master.

"Only after we get out of this mountainous area and reach the market will we find horses for sale. Father Emperor, we're afraid we'll have to trouble you to walk with us," the Fourth Prince said to Emperor Kangxi.

"I've been there before, so let's not delay and get going," Kangxi said.

"What should we do with this person?" Fourteen asked.

"Tie him up here. If he has any companions, they will come to his rescue. If not, let Heaven punish him!" Kangxi said coldly.

"Kill me so I can reunite with my son and wife, you dog emperor!" The man seemed to have gone mad, showing no gratitude whatsoever for Kangxi's decision not to kill him.

"Kill him, Father Emperor! You all go first, I'll kill him. Keeping someone like that around is just asking for trouble!" the Fourteenth Prince said angrily.

“Your Majesty is kind, but this kind of person will not repent even if he is kept alive,” the Fourth Prince said.

Kangxi nodded, and after the Fourth Prince gave the Fourteenth Prince a few more instructions, they all helped Kangxi leave together.

"Tell me, is Xiniu one of yours?" Fourteen tied the man to the tree trunk with the rope, then pointed his sword at him.

“I don’t know, I only know that I’m here to kill you tonight,” the man said. His face was filled with resentment, as if he had lost his mind.

"If you don't talk, I'll cut your heart open bit by bit and see if you're really black-hearted!" Fourteen thrust forward, the sword already piercing the man's flesh. He groaned in pain a few times, but refused to say anything.

"Just kill me! I really don't know anything!" the man howled, like a wild beast.

Just as Fourteen hesitated for a moment and was about to thrust his sword down, he heard a faint voice behind him call out, "Fourteen!"

It's Xi Niu!

Fourteen sheathed his sword, turned around and looked at the person who had come, and sure enough, it was Xi Niu.

"Where did you go?" Fourteen asked instinctively. In fact, while fighting with those bandits, he had been worried about her safety.

"I... I was terrified when so many people suddenly appeared, so I hid. I'm sorry, I didn't fight alongside you because I don't know martial arts," Xi Niu said pitifully, tears welling in her eyes.

Fourteenth Prince stared intently at Xiniu, unable to discern anything amiss from her. However, Fourth Prince's words still made him wary.

"Fourteen, I'm so scared, can you hug me?" Xiniu said.