Suddenly, a name popped into Qin Jian's mind: Armory.

Although I can't be sure, judging from the heavy guard around this place, it's definitely not an ordinary place.

In short, this is either an armory or the entrance to a mining site.

It certainly won't be the earthen dungeon where Prince Jing was imprisoned.

By the way, he hadn't seen any miners since he came in. Could it be that the mine isn't here?

Hopefully, the other brothers can find it.

Since the main mission was to rescue Prince Jing, Qin Jian had no intention of finding out anything, no matter how curious he was. Once Prince Jing was rescued, everything would be fine.

As he turned to leave, he saw someone coming to relieve him. They casually remarked, "Have you heard? It seems that Old Geng, who guards the south gate, took some men down the mountain and hasn't returned yet. We don't know what happened, but the adults seem unwilling to get involved and are just pretending it never happened."

"Don't care? Old Geng has been a long-time servant of the lord, and you're just going to abandon him like that?"

"Who knows? Old Geng is usually trusted by the lord. Although his position is not high, the lord treats him very well. It is possible that the officials have long disliked him and took this opportunity to get rid of him."

"That's true. With our lord gone, Old Geng is nothing."

...

After talking for a while, they changed shifts and left.

Qin Jian listened, and his brows suddenly relaxed. If nothing was amiss, the Old Geng they were talking about was the ringleader of the trouble last night.

Is he the gatekeeper of the south gate?

Prince Jing should be in the earthen dungeon near the South Gate.

Thinking this, Qin Jian decided to retreat and head south to take a look. He was currently in the northwest, and it would be quite a long way to go around there.

He moved swiftly and didn't disturb the people, leaving smoothly.

The road was still not safe; if I hadn't been agile enough, I probably would have been discovered.

He couldn't help but feel somewhat fortunate that the brothers he brought this time were all very skilled, and he hoped they would all be safe.

"Intruder! Get out of here!"

Suddenly, a sound came from not far away, and then a large group of people headed north.

Qin Jian's heart tightened; he guessed that his brothers heading south had been discovered.

He wanted to help, but then he thought that this was a good time for him to go find Prince Jing, so he gritted his teeth and sped up to the South Gate.

Upon discovering the intrusion, chaos erupted on the mountain, and the search became even more thorough, with no survivors to be left alive.

On the road, Qin Jian encountered Ning Yan, a brother from the Fire Cloud Division. At first, he thought Ning Yan was an enemy and almost got into a fight. But after realizing that Ning Yan was one of his own, Qin Jian hurriedly said, "Prince Jing should be in the south, but the brothers in the north have probably been discovered. Go and provide support. If you encounter any of our own people, take them with you and try to make things as chaotic as possible over there. I'm going to the south to find Prince Jing!"

"Sir, isn't it too dangerous for you to be alone?"

Ning Yan was a little worried, but Qin Jian insisted, "I'm fine. Go and scout the south first. You can go to the west or north and set a fire to divert their attention."

Now that we've been discovered, a fierce battle is inevitable. At least we have the powder; we can maximize its effectiveness by gathering the enemy forces together before using it.

"yes!"

Ning Yan had also considered this, and told Qin Jian to be careful before disappearing into the woods.

Sure enough, everyone was drawn away, and Qin Jian walked unimpeded. The few people he occasionally encountered were all in a hurry and didn't pay any attention to him before quickly leaving.

When Qin Jian arrived at the South Gate, he found that there were still quite a few people, but perhaps because they were far away and unaware of what was happening in the north, they were not as vigilant.

Qin Jian hid in the shadows, took care of two patrolmen, and stripped one of them of his clothes and put them on.

As he put it on, his face was full of disgust, and he muttered, "How many years has it been since I've had a bath? It stinks!"

However, he didn't make a big fuss, afraid that people would recognize him, so he even grabbed a handful of dirt and smeared it on his face a few times.

After hiding the two bodies and making sure he looked unrecognizable, he ran towards a crowded area.

"Someone has gone up the mountain and set fires to the north and west. We're probably going to be in trouble here too. Everyone be careful!"

His identity was that of a lowly patrolman, and his return to report news would not arouse suspicion.

These people are so bored they're just looking forward to the day when they can have a good fight and try out their new weapons.

Upon hearing Qin Jian's words, he immediately asked, "You're not kidding us, are you? When have any outsiders ever come to this mountain?"

Qin Jian shook his head repeatedly: "I dare not speak recklessly. The fire in the north is very big, and the south wind is blowing right now. If we don't hurry to put out the fire, it may spread to our side!"

This mountain range is very large. Qin Jian was exhausted from using his light-footed skills all the way here, but the wildfire would only spread faster. With the wind also helping, if the fire wasn't extinguished in time, it could easily lead to a disaster.

This is a mine. It's one thing if the trees are burned, but the important thing is that the people in this mountain can't be harmed.

Furthermore, they have relied on these trees for cover all these years. If they are burned down, they will lose their natural advantage and be at a disadvantage.

Especially now that the lord has not yet made a clear decision, we cannot afford any mishaps.

"Good heavens, finally someone's come to die! Let's go, let's go see!"

With someone taking the lead, everyone's enthusiasm soared, and they all went back to get their weapons and prepared to go north to provide support.

Qin Jian also seemed very excited and wanted to join in the fun, shouting that he would make sure those people never returned.

"Go away, what are you doing causing trouble? Stay here and keep watch, don't let the thieves take advantage of the situation!"

Someone gave Qin Jian a push, clearly not wanting to include him.

"My lord, this is a rare opportunity to prove myself, please let me go. I promise I can catch a few thieves and I will not let you down!"

He tried his best to say nice things, but the man just wouldn't include him. Instead, he took his own trusted subordinates with him.

If there's an opportunity to claim credit, it's definitely to bring along your own people!

Especially since Lao Geng and his men have gone down the mountain and haven't returned yet, they've clearly been abandoned. If they go back to their lord, they'll be punished. If I make a contribution now, the lord's anger won't reach me.

Feeling neglected, Qin Jian watched them walk away and sighed with regret.

"Forget it, since we can't make a name for ourselves here, let's just stay here and guard this place properly."

He spoke dejectedly to the remaining people who couldn't go either, and the others shared his sentiments and were all in low spirits.

Qin Jian sat down on a large rock, waved to the group of people around him, and said, "I got a good thing a couple of days ago. It's said to be worth a thousand gold pieces. When I get a chance to go to the capital, I'll find a pawnshop to pawn it and get the money. Do you guys want to come and take a look?"

His words successfully piqued the curiosity of the crowd, who gathered around to join in the fun.

He deliberately called over a few who were unmoved, saying, "We're all brothers here, everyone gets a share. Once I've exchanged the money, all the brothers here will get a share!"

Upon hearing this, everyone came over, crowding together to see what treasures he had.

He mysteriously reached into his pocket, pulled out a small porcelain bottle, opened the cap, and poured it over the gathered crowd.