Chapter 26

The wind from the Qiantang River's estuary, carrying a mixture of salt and rust, lashed the massive stone walls of the "Cingzi Warehouse" like the murky breath of a giant beast. This was no ordinary salt warehouse. It was built on a remote, steep cliff face, surrounded on three sides by water, connected to the mainland only by a narrow, craggy plank road. The warehouse itself lay deep within the cliff face, its massive iron gates tightly shut. The doorknockers, resembling the mouths of two ferocious dragons, shone with a cold metallic sheen in the dim light. The surging river waves crashed against the cliff face, creating a dull, thunderous rumble that drowned out any subtle movement.

At the entrance to the plank road, several bodies, dressed in the attire of the Tongyuan Canal Gang, lay sprawled. Rainwater washed their blood into a pale red stream, merging into the murky river. Mo Ya's only remaining right arm rested on a stolen ghost-head knife, the blade still dripping with sticky blood. His face was as pale as paper. The splint on his left arm had long since shattered in the sudden melee, the wound ruptured, soaking most of his shoulder with blood. Every breath ripped through his internal organs and broken bones, and cold sweat streamed down his forehead. He leaned against a slippery rock, his fixed gaze fixed on the massive, closed gate before him, his eyes sharp as a wounded lone wolf.

Gu Linzhi's dark figure stood alone at the head of the plank road, barely twenty steps from the massive iron gate. The river breeze rippled his robe sleeves, rustling them. He clutched the icy "Zhen Hai Ao" token in his hand, his gaze serenely scanning the inconspicuous square holes in the cliffs on either side of the massive gate, half-hidden by moss and vines. The holes were deep, dark, and radiated a chilling chill.

"Crossbow." Gu Linzhi's voice was deep, piercing the whistling river wind. "Three-bow crossbow. Hidden in the mountain, its range covers the entire plank road."

"Your Excellency, please understand." Pan Qi, leaning on a wooden stick, limped to Gu Linzhi's side, staring at the iron gate with his one eye, a glint of greed, hatred, and a subtle fear. "This 'Cing Warehouse' is a tortoise shell created by that old dog Zhou Shihong and the Ao Gang! It contains not only salt and iron, but also deadly weapons! This iron gate is made of fine iron, half a foot thick! Without the key to the gate, even a god would find it difficult to open it! Breaking in by force? The crossbows in that doorway can string people together like candied haws!"

Before he finished speaking, as if to confirm his words, the huge iron gate suddenly made a dull "clicking" sound as its mechanism turned! Then, in the center of the iron gate, a small square door, only wide enough for one person to pass through, slowly slid upwards, revealing a deep darkness behind the door.

"Lord Prime Minister Gu, thank you for your visit! We apologize for not welcoming you!" A dry, hoarse voice, like sandpaper rubbing against each other, came from the darkness behind the door, with a hint of teasing and heavy sarcasm. "My humble place is simple and cannot compare to the palace in Shengjing. If you don't mind, Lord Prime Minister, please condescend to come in through this small door. Oh, right, only Lord Prime Minister is allowed. Your wolf-like subordinates, just stay outside to enjoy the river breeze and hold the door for you! Hahahahaha!"

The shrill laughter echoed across the empty river cliffs, full of malice and provocation.

"Bullshit!" Pan Qi's one eye glared open, and he cursed, "Zhou Shihong! You old coward! Get out here if you have the guts! I'm going to chop you up with my own hands and avenge Pan Laoguai!"

The laughter behind the door abruptly stopped, replaced by a cold and sinister tone: "Pan Qi? You, a stray dog, are still alive? That's good, it saves me from having to look for you again. Lord Gu, what do you think? Do you want to go in, or not? My patience is limited. If you don't want to see the contents of this 'C-warehouse', just burn it and it will be clean!"

This was a naked threat! It was an open conspiracy! Forcing Gu Linzhi to take the risk alone!

Everyone's eyes instantly focused on Gu Linzhi. Mo Ya tried to move forward, but was stopped by Gu Linzhi's gaze.

Gu Linzhi's face remained calm, as if the threat behind the door was but a gentle breeze. He casually tossed the icy "Zhen Hai Ao" token to Pan Qi behind him. Pan Qi instinctively caught it, feeling it cold and heavy in his hand, a flicker of surprise in his single eye.

"Pan Qi." Gu Linzhi's voice was calm. "You have led the way for great service. This Ao Gang token is a reward for you. Take it and go to the entrance of the plank road to...block the wind for me."

Pan Qi was stunned for a moment, then understood Gu Linzhi's intention—making him retreat to the relatively safe entrance of the plank road. This was both to fulfill his previous promise of "not sending him to his death" and to make him hold this hot token, making him a target for potential fire! A fierce gleam flashed in his single eye, and he licked his chapped lips. Without hesitation, he leaned on his stick and limped quickly back toward the entrance of the plank road.

Gu Linzhi no longer looked at anyone, his gaze returning to the deep, small door. He straightened his clothes, ruffled by the river breeze. His dark figure stood tall and straight like a solitary peak. He took steady steps, one after another, towards the dark entrance that exuded an ominous aura. His steps were calm, as if he were not stepping into a dangerous place, but rather accepting an ordinary invitation.

Mo Ya stared at Gu Linzhi's back, his stern face twitching violently. The excruciating pain in his left arm and the burning anxiety in his heart threatened to tear him apart, but he gripped the ghost-headed knife tightly, like a rock nailed to a reef, motionless. He knew that any unnecessary movement at this moment might become a burden to the Prime Minister.

Gu Linzhi's figure finally disappeared into the darkness behind the door.

The small door didn't close immediately. Inside was a narrow, downward-sloping corridor barely wide enough for one person. The stone walls were slippery, cold, and dripping with water. The air was thick with a suffocating mixture of odors—the salty smell of sea salt, the metallic tang of rust, the pungent tang of saltpeter, and... a faint, all-too-familiar, sweet yet sour aroma of "Soul-Separation"!

At the end of the corridor, a dim flickering firelight could be seen.

Gu Linzhi's footsteps were silent, like a ghost. His senses were heightened to the extreme, and his ears caught every subtle sound coming from the depths of the tunnel - suppressed breathing, the sound of metal rubbing against metal, and... an extremely faint "hissing" sound like a venomous snake's tongue!

The end of the corridor suddenly opens up.

A terrifyingly vast mountainside cave appeared before my eyes! The ceiling was rocky and jagged, with countless hideous stalagmites dangling from it. In the center, piles of sacks covered in oilskin piled up like silent graves. The air was thick with a mixture of strong smells that seemed to solidify.

Deep within the cave, near the inner wall of the cliff, stood a crude wooden platform. Atop it, a gaunt, goateed old man in a regal brocade robe stood with his back to the entrance, his hands clasped behind his back. Before him, several massive iron barrels rested on a blazing fire. Inside, a thick, viscous liquid seethed and boiled violently, emitting a pungent, sickening, sweet, rancid, and sour odor! It was the liquid used to refine the "Soul-Separating Powder" (a traditional Chinese medicine).

Beside the old man stood seven or eight burly men with dull, expressionless eyes. Their bare chests revealed their muscular build, but their eyes were hollow, like puppets, clutching sharp axes or iron spears. Even more disturbing, coiled in the shadows at the edge of the wooden platform were several colorful, wrist-thick venomous snakes! Their tongues hissed, their cold, vertical pupils fixed fixedly on the entrance!

"Prime Minister Gu, how are you?" The gaunt old man slowly turned, revealing a well-maintained face, yet one shone with a sinister and cunning look. It was none other than the head of the Jiangnan Salt Merchants Association, the true mastermind behind the Yunze Society—"Third Master" Zhou Shihong! He wore a false smile, but his eyes were like poisonous hooks. "Prime Minister, do you find this 'Cing Zi Cang'... pleasing to the eye?"

Gu Linzhi's gaze swept calmly over the piles of sacks, the boiling barrels of poison, the burly men with empty eyes and the entangled poisonous snakes, and finally fell on Zhou Shihong's hypocritical face.

"Zhou Shihong." Gu Linzhi's voice was deep and echoed in the huge cave, carrying an invisible pressure. "Your 'Yunze Society' has a big appetite. The government-run salt and iron, Beidi military supplies, Ao Gang sea routes, Snow Spider poison... You're almost sucking the blood of Jiangnan dry."

"Hahaha!" Zhou Shihong let out a shrill, dry laugh, his goatee twitching. "Prime Minister, you're too serious! It's just business! The world is bustling with people, all for profit! Your Majesty, you manipulate the court so drastically, isn't it all for profit? It's just... Your Majesty wants power and authority, while all I want is wealth and a carefree life!" He suddenly changed the subject, his eyes turning cold and resentful. "But, Prime Minister, why do you have to cut off my financial resources? Kill Xie Yong! Slaughter the Jiangnan officialdom! Now, you're even going to kill me in this last refuge?!"

Gu Linzhi's deep eyes gleamed with cold light. "You colluded with the Northern Di, aided the enemy and betrayed your country, smuggled refined iron and gunpowder, poisoned the people, and refined such an inhumane poison as 'Soul Separation Powder'... Which of these isn't a capital crime? Which of these doesn't warrant the extermination of your entire clan?!"

"Death penalty? Nine clans?" The smile on Zhou Shihong's face completely disappeared, replaced by a twisted madness. "Gu Linzhi! Stop your hypocritical behavior! The Great Yong Empire has long been rotten to the core! The emperor is foolish and suspicious, and the entire court is corrupt and incompetent! Without us 'worms' working together and smoothing the way, how could the salt and iron from Jiangnan be transported out? How could the north be stable for so many years? Do you think you can clean up the world by killing Xie Yong?! Dream on!"

He pointed suddenly at the burly men with hollow eyes and the boiling iron barrels: "Look! Look at these 'medicine men'! Look at this 'Soul-Separating Powder'! Without it, would those pirates, salt rats, and desperate gang members be able to obey and transport goods for us? Would they be able to bravely scuttle your official ships without fear of death?! Without it, how can this huge business be leak-proof?! Gu Linzhi! Do you think you are doing justice for the heavens? You are destroying countless people's jobs! You are destroying countless people's livelihoods! You are the biggest scourge in Jiangnan!"

Zhou Shihong's roar echoed wildly in the cave, with a kind of hysterical despair and madness. He waved his hand violently!

“Hiss—!”

The venomous snakes coiled around the edge of the wooden platform, as if receiving a command, suddenly raised their triangular heads, arched their bodies, and shot towards Gu Linzhi like an arrow from a bow! Their speed was as fast as lightning! Their angles were extremely tricky! A fishy wind blew in his face!

At the same time, the hollow-eyed "medicine men" let out a beastly roar from their throats, their eyes instantly blazing with a frenzied, bloodthirsty red light! They raised their hatchets and iron spears, like painless puppets, and with a furious, destructive aura, they pounced down from both sides of the wooden platform, their target aimed directly at Gu Linzhi!

A venomous snake bites the neck! The medicine man surrounds and kills! Attack from above and below! A decisive game!

Zhou Shihong stood on the wooden platform with a ferocious and satisfied smile on his face, as if he had already seen the tragic scene of Gu Linzhi being bitten through the throat by a poisonous snake and being torn into pieces by an axe!

Facing this sudden and fatal attack, Gu Linzhi's eyes did not waver at all! At the moment when the venomous snake was about to bite his neck! At the moment when the axe of the medicine man was about to fall on him!

He moved!

The dark figure melted into the shadows like a ghost, leaving a blurry afterimage! His body twisted and slid with incredible flexibility, like a willow in the wind! He narrowly avoided the deadly bites of three venomous snakes! At the same time, he swept his right hand across his waist! A flash of cold light suddenly burst out!

“Clang!”

The long sword was unsheathed! The blade was long and narrow, with a graceful arc. Under the dim firelight, the edge of the blade shone with a cold light like autumn water!

The flash of the knife suddenly appeared, like a fleeting shadow!

"Puff! Puff! Puff!"

Three subtle yet heart-wrenching tearing sounds echoed almost simultaneously! The three venomous snakes that had pounced from the air were instantly chopped into several pieces! The stinking blood and body parts of the snakes rained down like raindrops!

The sword flashes without ceasing! Like flowing clouds and water! Sweeping across with the momentum!

"Ding! Ding! Ding! Crack!"

The sound of metal clashing and bones snapping resounded! The two medicine men, charging in front, had their hatchets and iron spears severed by the unparalleled blade light! The blades continued to move forward, slicing fiercely into their chests! The violent force sent the two men flying like sacks, crashing heavily into the pile of salt bags with a dull thud! Blood spurted out!

Gu Linzhi's figure didn't pause for a moment! Like a butterfly flitting through flowers, or a ghost shifting around! He weaved in and out of the gaps between the violent yet somewhat rigid attacks of the remaining medicine men! The long sword in his hand transformed into a series of deadly cold lights!

“Swish!”

A medicine man's arm was broken at the shoulder!

"puff!"

The throat of another medicine man was pierced precisely!

“Crack!”

Another medicine man's knee was smashed by the back of the knife!

Wherever the sword flashed, blood rained down! Broken limbs and debris flew everywhere! Those medicine men, driven to ferocity by the "Soul-Separating Powder" and possessing immense strength yet losing their sense of pain and reason, were like clumsy wooden stakes before Gu Linzhi's exquisite, ghostly-fast swordsmanship, their lives easily harvested!

In just a few breaths!

The seven or eight strong men who had thrown themselves off the wooden platform were now lying in a pool of blood! Their bodies were broken and their deaths were horrible! The strong smell of blood instantly overwhelmed the sweet, sour smell of "Soul-Separating Powder" and filled the entire cave!

Gu Linzhi stood, his sword sheathed. A few spots of crimson stained his dark robe, like plum blossoms in the snow. He panted slightly, but his posture remained as straight as a pine tree. His long sword pointed diagonally at the ground, blood dripping from the blade. He raised his head, his deep eyes like cold stars, piercing the pervasive blood mist and fixing their cold gaze on the face on the wooden platform, twisted and distorted by extreme fear.

"Zhou Shihong," Gu Linzhi's voice was low, with a slight breath after the battle, but it was like the sentence of the god of death, "Your medicine man... is not enough to kill."

The grim smile on Zhou Shihong's face had long since died, replaced by utter fear and disbelief! His carefully prepared ultimate move, the venomous snakes and medicine men he relied on, were so vulnerable in front of Gu Linzhi! He looked at the dark figure standing in a pool of blood like a demon in the audience, looking into those icy, emotionless eyes, and a chill instantly froze his bones!

"You...you..." Zhou Shihong's teeth chattered as he stumbled backward uncontrollably, knocking over a scalding iron barrel behind him! The thick, scalding, and highly toxic "Soul-Separating Powder" liquid splattered across his brocade robe, making a hissing sound and emitting pungent white smoke!

“Ah—!” Zhou Shihong screamed like a pig being slaughtered! The excruciating pain instantly made him lose his mind! He suddenly pulled out a dagger inlaid with gems from his waist, waving it like crazy, screaming: “Stop him! Stop him! Brothers of the Ao Gang! Kill him! Kill him—!!!”

As he screamed hysterically, dozens of dark figures suddenly rose from behind the mountain of salt bags deep in the cave! They were dressed in tight-fitting water jackets, armed with water-dividing spears, harpoons, machetes, and other water weapons. Their eyes were fierce and their auras were fierce! They were the elite members of the Ao Gang, who had been lurking for a long time! Like sharks smelling blood, they silently and swiftly surrounded Gu Linzhi! Murderous aura instantly filled the air!

The real bloody battle has just begun! Gu Linzhi is alone, trapped in a siege! Under the salt sea, thunder roars again!