Before long, Mu Lige and Hua Qingcheng arrived at the barren mountain. Xiaobai stopped, raised his head, and let out a low "Awooo" cry, as if to tell them that they had reached their destination.

Hua Qingcheng and Mu Lige dismounted and looked around. They saw a dilapidated, crumbling mountain temple, surrounded by a strange and mysterious atmosphere.

Mu Lige and Hua Qingcheng approached the mountain temple side by side. Gently pushing open the door, a stale, decaying smell filled their nostrils. It was pitch black inside, pitch dark. At that moment, a flash of cold light flashed across, striking Mu Lige's throat.

Mu Lige reacted extremely quickly, dodging the fatal blow with a quick sidestep. He then unsheathed his Soul-Chasing Sword and struck back at the mysterious man. In an instant, the flashes of swords and sabers intertwined, and the sounds of fierce fighting rang out through the night, echoing across the entire desolate mountain.

Hua Qingcheng gripped her pistol tightly, watching the battle with a serious expression. She was completely focused, always ready. If Mu Lige were in danger, she would shoot without hesitation, killing the dark figure.

After several thrilling rounds, Mu Lige subdued his opponent with his superb martial arts and agility.

With the faint moonlight outside the window, Hua Qingcheng finally saw the other person's face clearly and was shocked - it was a man with a feminine face!

"Tell me! Who are you? What are you doing here in the middle of the night? Why are you attacking us?" Mu Lige tightly grasped the Soul-Chasing Sword in his hand, with the tip of the sword against the man's throat. His eyes were as sharp as a knife, staring at the other person closely.

The man swallowed slightly, not daring to look up at Mu Lige's eyes. His eyes flickered, and he was obviously trying to find an excuse to get away with it. "I'm just... I'm just a passerby. Why are you so fierce? You're almost scaring me to death!"

The man's voice was unusually feminine, sounding just like his appearance, making it difficult to tell whether he was a man or a woman.

Hua Qingcheng suddenly felt a strange feeling in her heart, and a word suddenly emerged in her mind - eunuch! That's right, it was the kind of man who had been castrated!

"Haha, it looks like you won't tell the truth unless I teach you a lesson!"

A sneer played on Hua Qingcheng's lips, and without hesitation, she raised her foot and fiercely kicked the man. The man was caught off guard and fell to the ground. Then, Hua Qingcheng struck quickly, accurately, and fiercely, carefully selecting acupuncture points on the man's body.

In an instant, the feminine man let out a heart-wrenching wail, tears streaming down his face. He rolled on the ground, in great pain, and kept begging for mercy.

"Two...two, spare my life!"

Unable to withstand Hua Qingcheng's beating, the feminine man trembled and said timidly, "I'm just a small fry who looks after the place. I'm usually responsible for keeping watch. If there's any unusual movement, I'll report it to the people at the mine in a timely manner... It's really none of my business!"

"Place? What place? And what is the mine you are talking about?" Hua Qingcheng's voice was extremely cold, as if it could freeze the air. Her tone was full of doubt, but at the same time it also contained an aura and majesty that could not be questioned.

"In reply...in reply to the two nobles, this place is called Wuji Mountain. It is steep and rugged, with dense forests and few people. However, deep in the mountains, there is a little-known iron mine. The mine is brightly lit, and workers are mining and smelting the ore day and night. My duty is to keep watch."

The feminine man's eyes revealed a hint of helplessness and fear, as if he was uneasy about what he was involved in.

Upon hearing this, Hua Qingcheng's expression darkened. She shouted, "How ridiculous! The mineral deposits belong to the imperial court. Unauthorized mining is punishable by death, including confiscation of property and extermination of the entire clan. Tell me, who is your audacious master?"

Every word Hua Qingcheng spoke was crystal clear, like ice cubes colliding in the cold wind, producing a crisp and sharp sound. The powerful pressure emanated from her continuously, like a mountain pressing down on the feminine man's heart, causing him to tremble all over and feel endless fear and awe.

The feminine man, unable to bear the pressure, turned pale instantly and trembled uncontrollably. His legs softened and he knelt down in front of Hua Qingcheng with a thud, begging for mercy with his kowtow. "Please spare my life, my two nobles! I'm just a small, insignificant guard. How could I possibly know who's in charge? It's just..."

Having said that, the feminine man paused slightly, as if trying to recall some important information.

After a moment, he spoke again, "However, I did overhear the mine manager mention this during a casual conversation. It seems...it seems that this mine is indeed owned by a nobleman in the palace, whose surname seems to be An. And I heard that this nobleman has a very prominent background!"

"Your last name is An?" Upon hearing this, Hua Qingcheng couldn't help but rub her chin slightly and muttered to herself thoughtfully.

Suddenly, her beautiful eyes became extremely sharp, like two sharp knives. She stared straight at the feminine-looking man and asked coldly, "Could it be that the noble man surnamed An you mentioned... is the son of the Minister of Rites An Zhiwei - An Muyu, who is now An Rongjun?"

Faced with Hua Qingcheng's sharp questioning, the feminine man shook his head, a bewildered expression on his face, and stammered, "I am of low status and truly unworthy and unqualified to know your true name!"

Seeing that the man did not seem to be lying and that he would not ask any more questions, Mu Lige knocked him out with a knife, then found some ropes, tied him up, and stuffed rags in his mouth to prevent him from shouting and attracting his accomplices.

Hua Qingcheng turned her head to look at Mu Lige beside her and said, "Brother Li, what do you think about this? Could it be that An Muyu is the mastermind behind this illegal iron ore mining?"

Mu Lige lowered her eyes slightly, and after a moment's thought, she replied, "Qingqing, An Muyu is indeed a major suspect. But he is, after all, just a bastard son of An Zhiwei. Given An Muyu's age and background, he shouldn't have such skills, nor could he have such a powerful force behind him."

"Could it be... the deceased An Zihao?" Hua Qingcheng muttered to herself, then shook her head. An Zihao had died months ago, but it was clear that someone was still secretly manipulating everything here.

Mu Lige, who was standing nearby, said seriously, "Qingqing, what if An Zihao had already transferred the iron mine before he died?"