These words immediately created a tense atmosphere among the crowd.

Before undertaking this mission, they were prepared to die on the battlefield; no mission has ever been without casualties.

It was already a stroke of luck that everyone returned safely when they rescued Prince Jing last time; it's no small feat that they've survived until now this time.

They all wanted to live, but the mission was not yet complete, and their lives were of no use. Only by sending the message out could the mission be considered complete, and for that, it was worth sacrificing their lives.

"What nonsense are you all talking about! We all came together, so we should all go back together! Don't do anything foolish, listen to me!"

Qin Jian's eyes stung a little, and he quickly turned away so that no one could see the change in his emotions.

"It's getting late. Let's find a safe place to rest and regain our strength so we can have a chance to get back alive together!"

He gave the order and walked ahead.

The group exchanged glances, said nothing, and cautiously followed Qin Jian, keeping a close eye on their surroundings.

Meanwhile, He Jiuniang and Lu Baichuan also went up the mountain.

They saw Prince Jing and his men shouting at the foot of the mountain, but they took a detour from the back and did not encounter them.

With He Jiuniang around, there was naturally no need to worry about running out of medicine; she could use it in large quantities as if it were free.

The miners had never encountered anyone so incredibly wealthy and inhumane. They barely made contact before they were completely wiped out.

Many people on the mountain were only forced to do things for the king. These were the main force in the future battle against the Eastern Court. He Jiuniang would not use any harsh methods. She only used a strong sleeping potion to make people unconscious before continuing forward.

"The Fire Cloud Division members were nowhere to be seen in the crowd. They must have gone up the mountain first, which is Fire Cloud Division's usual way of doing things."

As Lu Baichuan walked, he shared his guesses with He Jiuniang, growing increasingly anxious.

The lack of news for so long suggests they may have encountered danger.

"Don't worry, let's walk around and find someone in charge to ask about the situation."

He Jiuniang was also worried, but they were all Lu Baichuan's brothers, so he was more anxious.

"Um."

Just then, a group of people came from the front. The leader looked to be in his thirties or forties and was cursing people in a bad mood.

"Just a few people, and so many days have passed without a single word. What have you all been doing? If word gets out, I'll be laughed out of the house!"

"I'm just unlucky. If I hadn't lost the rock-paper-scissors game, I wouldn't have had to stay here with you bunch of good-for-nothings. I would have gone to the capital with the young master to handle important matters long ago!"

"Those guys have been wandering around the mountain for so many days, they probably can't hold on much longer. I'm going to catch them today!"

...

Upon hearing this, the couple exchanged a glance and saw a look of relief in each other's eyes.

It's like a pillow being delivered to someone who's sleepy; without even having to do anything, the general situation is already clear.

In other words, Qin Jian and his group may be in a bit of a mess right now, but at least they are safe.

That way they can focus on their business.

This time, He Jiuniang did not take the medicine, but planned to follow them for a while to hear if there was any useful information.

It was obvious that this junior manager was a chatterbox. He kept talking non-stop during the patrol, babbling on and on about everything that could and couldn't be said.

For example, where is the armory, how much stock is left? Besides swords and the like, they even have a lot of firearms, so they can find an opportunity to blast those imperial troops to death.

For example, how many people are still on the mountain, where are they located, and how are they defending against the imperial army below?

For example, now only he and one other person are in charge, and everyone else has gone to the capital with the young master to handle important matters. He is very unhappy about this and is determined to make a contribution in this matter so that he can become the founding marshal.

...

Although what he said was somewhat delusional, He Jiuniang and Lu Baichuan still learned a lot of useful information.

To save time, He Jiuniang was too lazy to even lift a finger; she simply sprinkled some medicine powder over them, and a group of people collapsed to the ground in a row.

Lu Baichuan emerged from the shadows, dragged out the gossipy leader, and pinned him to a tree trunk as a signal to the others that this man was a leader and that they could extract a lot of information from him if they took him back.

After doing all that, the couple continued on their way, heading straight for the armory.

They've been guarding this mountain for so many years, all for those weapons. That was also the main purpose of Prince Jing and his men's attack on the mountain.

They came secretly, so they can't do too much openly; they can just help out discreetly.

The couple made their way to the armory, drugged the man, and acted as if they were in an empty place. They brazenly used their key to unlock the large iron gate and then strolled around the warehouse as if it were their own home.

"Wow, so many!"

To put it bluntly, this warehouse is a giant man-made cave, just like a postmodern tunnel, and it's hard to imagine how much manpower was used.

Lu Baichuan remained expressionless throughout, showing no sign of joy.

The warehouse was huge, and He Jiuniang was too lazy to even look around. With a thought, she stored all the weapons into her own space, then smiled and said to Lu Baichuan, "Husband, let's go, let's go to the next one. I heard there's money in the northwest one, let's take it!"

There were four warehouses in total. Three of them contained weapons and gunpowder, while the other contained gold and silver jewelry in addition to weapons. It was said to be common property used in the mines.

Yes, that's a lot of money.

Lu Baichuan felt much more relaxed and took her hand as they walked towards other warehouses.

The two worked quickly and didn't waste any time. They finished collecting all the warehouses before dawn.

They weren't idle either; they began to place a large number of weapons all over the mountain, with the most being placed around the foot of the mountain.

The purpose of this was to make Prince Jing and his men discover the situation, and at the same time to disrupt the morale of the troops on the mountain, making it easier to break through.

There were so many weapons that even after they were scattered all over the mountains and fields, there were still many left over. Lu Baichuan said, "We can take some back and put them in the armory of the national treasury. The soldiers in the capital can also exchange them for a new batch of weapons."

He Jiuniang nodded without hesitation, then realized what she meant and asked, "What excuse should we use to cover up this lie?"

"Just say that you intercepted the group on their way to the capital while you were sightseeing and snatched it from them."

Since no one can provide evidence, it doesn't matter whether they believe it or not.

"Yeah, yeah! Even when we two go out for a trip, we're contributing to the country. How selfless and admirable!"

Lu Baichuan: ...

You're good-looking, so whatever you say is right!

Coincidentally, the two found the place where Qin Jian and the others were hiding, but they did not approach it. Instead, they looked at it from a distance with binoculars.

"That's terrible. I should have given them more medicine."

He Jiuniang was very sad and wished she could go over there now and give them some food and medicine.

I've written 10,000 words today! More tomorrow!