Distress

Seeing the miserable state of Wu Yizhao and his companions, the swordsmen dared not fight back and tentatively retreated, abandoning their weapons and fleeing.

Gu Jinning asked, "Should we pursue her?"

To be honest, she was a little tired.

Xiao Heng'an discarded his sword and said, "There's no need to chase after them."

Gu Jinning was still worried that if they weren't eliminated completely, they might inform the King of Qin, when she saw a large group of people walking towards them, led by Yang Yu.

The fleeing swordsmen were all brought back.

Yang Yu dismounted and first bowed to Gu Jinning, then turned to Xiao Heng'an and said, "Your Highness, the people have been arrested. They were sent by the Prince of Qin. What should we do with them?"

Xiao Heng'an ultimately did not kill him, but only ordered him to be imprisoned.

He asked, "Has the King of Qin made any move?"

Yang Yu replied: "King Qin is aware that the forces in Yangcheng have been wiped out, and he intends to take advantage of your absence to consolidate the remaining forces. He may be planning a major operation soon."

Xiao Liao couldn't wait any longer.

Xiao Heng'an pondered for a moment and said, "You should go back to the capital first and meet with General Li."

Yang Yu asked in confusion, "Shouldn't we move?"

Xiao Heng'an shook his head, "This amount of evidence is not enough to bring him down; we are still missing one crucial piece of evidence."

As expected, someone has already retrieved that piece of evidence.

Yang Yu understood and dealt with the swordsmen as instructed before returning to the capital immediately.

Gu Jinning asked Xiao Heng'an, "Where are we going?"

Given the current situation, it seems like we can't go anywhere.

"It seems our plans to roam the world will have to be postponed. Let's go and get down to business."

Gu Jinning mounted her horse and extended her hand to Xiao Heng'an, saying, "I know where you want to go."

The horses neighed as they galloped across the vast and majestic landscape, disappearing at the horizon where the mountains meet the sky.

Five days later, Gu Jinning and her companion arrived in Huacheng, a two-day journey from the capital, where the Hua family's main residence was located.

The Hua family's iron mine and sword-making workshop were located five miles south of Huacheng.

Upon checking into the inn, the two learned that the current emperor, due to excessive grief over the Empress Dowager, had suddenly fallen ill and was bedridden, unable to attend to state affairs. The affairs of state were temporarily being managed jointly by Crown Prince Xiao Yi and Prince Xiao Liao of Qin.

Gu Jinning chuckled. Xiao Juebai was cold-blooded and heartless; how could he possibly be seriously ill due to the loss of his mother? However, with the month-long deadline approaching, and the Crown Prince and the Prince of Qin acting as regents, would that mean the Crown Prince wouldn't be deposed? Or was it simply paving the way for the Prince of Qin?

So, faking illness is also possible. He's been watching the fight from the sidelines for a long time; maybe he's up to some dirty tricks again.

"Xiao Wangshu, your uncle was in good health, why is he suddenly unwell? Could it be a trap?"

Xiao Hengan, while serving the dishes, said, "It's not impossible, but the chances are very small. His true intention is to favor the Prince of Qin. If he is feigning illness to allow the Prince of Qin to take power and offset his mistakes with merits, keeping him in the capital would prevent the Crown Prince from jointly governing the country."

Gu Jinning nodded, "That's true. My cousin, the Crown Prince, handled the prison break case but achieved nothing. My uncle could have easily used that as an excuse to sideline him and depose him as soon as the time came. The fact that he's being brought back at this critical juncture suggests that my uncle has discovered that the Prince of Qin's ambitions are out of control and is intentionally using my cousin, the Crown Prince, to keep him in check."

Moreover, given His Majesty's illness, it would be reasonable to summon his younger brother, who is guarding the imperial mausoleum, back to the capital. Xiao Juebai, however, remained silent on the matter. Did he know they weren't at the mausoleum, or was he intentionally refusing to use Xiao Heng'an?

Gu Jinning couldn't fathom the thoughts of those in power, so she stopped thinking about it. Ultimately, once the evidence was complete, everything would be over.

That night, the two reverted to their unassuming boyish appearances, followed the patrol team, kidnapped the people, changed into patrol uniforms, and infiltrated the Hua family's mine.

When Xiao Heng'an was drawing the map, he noticed a dark spot on the mine map. Although he had not marked it intentionally, he was very sensitive to the expenditure on weapons based on his years of experience in battle. He could tell at a glance that the output of weapons was not equal to the mining capacity.

The King of Qin's confidence stemmed partly from the power of his maternal clan and partly from his ample military strength.

Stepping into the mine, one is immediately hit by towering heat, turning this giant oval-shaped mine into a furnace. Hundreds of craftsmen, bare-chested, are hammering iron, forging swords, spears, and halberds for military use.

Beyond the sword-making site lies a towering, sprawling mine. Five holes have been hammered into the mountainside, leading to its interior.

Gu Jinning and her companion followed the patrol team into the first opening on the left, and crawled into the low, deep ore transport tunnel. The tunnels crisscrossed, converging into hollow areas, and further ahead was another large mine tunnel.

The miners broke open the mine tunnels, took out truckloads of ore, and transported them to the hollow area. The porters then transported them to the sword foundry for extraction and forging.

The patrol circled the transit point once and returned, not venturing any further in.

Gu Jinning and her companion slowed their pace, and once the group entered the cave entrance, they staggered their steps and turned into another cave.

Xiao Heng'an moved to the front and led Gu Jinning through the winding passages until they arrived at a dead end.

"There's no road."

Xiao Heng'an touched the stone wall, tapped it, and said, "It's hollow."

Gu Jinning joined hands, and the two of them pushed the stone wall together. A gap appeared on the left side of the stone wall, and it slowly turned open.

Xiao Heng'an lit a tinderbox, and in the dim light, long wooden boxes, stacked and rowed, filled most of the stone chamber, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Gu Jinning pried open a box, which was filled with swords and knives.

Xiao Heng'an examined the blades and hilts of the swords and confirmed, "These have no serial numbers and are not confiscated items."

Gu Jinning muttered under her breath, "I didn't expect that Hua Lingteng, who is such a coward, would actually dare to commit a crime with Xiao Liao."

Xiao Heng said, "Power is often a game for the bold. If the Hua family wants to rise to a high position in a short period of time, they will inevitably take risks and go all out."

Joining the King of Qin was arguably the Hua family's only chance for advancement.

After Xiao Heng'an finished counting the items and listing them, he left the stone chamber, marked the spot, and returned with Gu Jinning by the same route.

As they approached the entrance to the sword-making workshop, they bumped into a patrol team heading in.

"Stop." The team leader called out to the two, looking them over. "Which team are you from?"

Gu Jinning glanced at the man's waist tag and saw that it read "Three," so she replied in a rough voice, "Second Team."

The man scolded, "The second team has already changed shifts, what are you two dawdling for? Get out of here!"

Gu Jinning readily agreed and sped away.

Just as he took two steps, a sword suddenly thrust at his back, accompanied by a shout, "Capture them!"

Gu Jinning turned around and kicked the sword, sending the man flying. The surrounding guards drew their swords and rushed forward.

Xiao Heng'an drew his sword, knocking Gu Jinning around, and grabbed her arm. "Let's go!"

The two leaped away, but then a rain of arrows came whistling through the air. They landed behind a stone pillar to take cover.

Suddenly, a palm strike ripped through the air and approached, splitting the stone pillar in an instant. The two of them retreated several steps to dodge. At that moment, a long sword slashed horizontally from behind, and wherever the sword energy reached, rocks crumbled.

Xiao Heng'an pulled Gu Jinning up the pile of stones, only to find that the attackers were all elderly men with gray hair.

The older man with the longer beard withdrew his hand and shouted, "You petty thieves, trespassing into the Hua Family Sword Arena! I'll make sure you don't leave alive!"

The old man with the short beard pointed his sword at the two men and said, "The patriarch has ordered that anyone who comes here, no matter who they are, be killed without mercy."

As soon as he finished speaking, two elderly men leaped forward, and the guards rushed forward as well.

Gu Jinning didn't have time to discuss an escape plan with Xiao Heng'an before they were forced apart by the long-bearded old man.

He squinted and smiled, "Little brat, surrender now, and I'll spare your life."

Gu Jinning shot an arrow to create distance between them and shouted, "Dream on, old man, you're bullying the weak."

The old man chuckled and said, "Don't try to reason with me, you little thief."

With that, he flicked an iron whip from his sleeve, which exploded in the air with a crisp cracking sound as it lashed out at Gu Jinning.

The whip was covered in barbs; a single touch could tear the skin, so Gu Jinning had no choice but to retreat repeatedly, trying her best to avoid it.

The old man, however, was as agile as a monkey, leaping and bounding forward, easily disarming Gu Jinning and taking her sword from her hand, rendering her unable to retaliate. From behind, the guards seized the opportunity to launch a coordinated attack.

Gu Jinning had nowhere to hide.

Seeing this, Xiao Heng'an swung his sword to break the short-bearded old man's sword moves, flew over, and with one sword he drove back everyone, protecting Gu Jinning in front of him, his long sword blocking the iron whip.

The whip wrapped around the sword, and with a flick of the wrist, the sword flew away.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Xiao Heng'an flew away from the encirclement with Gu Jinning, followed by the short-bearded old man's sword.

"Running away before the fight is even over? What kind of behavior is that!"

Gu Jinning pulled out the sword from the ground and threw it to Xiao Heng'an, who caught it and turned to fight back.

The old man with the short beard suddenly withdrew his sword and dodged, revealing four guards behind him, each wielding an iron chain with hooks.

Xiao Heng'an knew he was in trouble and was about to retreat when he saw long chains of iron claws behind him and on both sides.

With a whooshing sound of chains, more than a dozen iron chain claws came lashing out like a pack of ferocious beasts.

Xiao Heng'an grabbed Gu Jinning's hand and flung her away, while he used the sword to prop himself up in mid-air.

The claws grabbed the blade and ripped it apart, shattering the sword into pieces.

Xiao Heng'an stepped onto the iron chain, used the momentum to fly away, and met the old man with the long beard's iron whip.

The chains behind him reached for him again.

Gu Jinning landed in the weapon slot, drew her spear, and tossed it over. "Xiao Wangshu, catch!"

Xiao Heng'an dodged and caught the iron spear, then wrapped it around the old man's iron whip. Using the momentum, he forcefully pulled the whip away and kicked the old man away. Then, he raised his spear horizontally, entangled the flying claws, and twisted his wrist.

The chain-slingers couldn't control the pull, and they all slipped out of their hands, falling to the ground in a chorus of cries of pain.

The old man with the short beard said urgently, "What are you waiting for? Go!"

He took the long chain and swung it out, and the other guards followed suit.

Xiao Heng'an swung his spear, and the iron chain on the spear spun up, entangling the opponent's chain. Just as he was grappling with the crowd, the old man with the long beard raised his hand and threw a hidden weapon.

"Watch out for hidden weapons!"

Gu Jinning quickly threw a hidden arrow to intercept it, but it missed her and flew straight toward Xiao Heng'an's nape.

Gu Jinning lunged forward, but it was too late.

She fell heavily to the ground, watching helplessly as Xiao Heng'an turned around and a hidden weapon pierced his neck... but veered off to the side.

With a "thud," the plum blossom-shaped hidden weapon fell to the ground, and two tea leaves drifted down beside it.

Gu Jinning was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed, "Missed it, missed it."

"You old bastard!" she glared angrily at the bearded old man, and drew her sword. "I'll cut you down."

"All's fair in war."

The old man chuckled, then suddenly exerted force with his hands supporting him on the ground, lifting himself into the air, past Gu Jinning, and charging towards Xiao Heng'an once again.

"I'll deal with him first, then I'll play with you."

He conjured a long whip from nowhere and, taking advantage of Xiao Heng'an's entanglement with the chains and claws, unleashed the whip once again.

Gu Jinning flicked her sleeve and launched a dart.