At the end of the pitch-black tunnel, the secret passage was deep and mysterious.
The air inside the passage was heavy and ominous, as if it were a gateway to an unknown world.
The surrounding stone walls were damp, and the feel of moss gliding across my fingertips added an eerie touch to the darkness.
The basement was spacious, with a worn wooden table in the center, covered with various envelopes. A dim light shone on it, creating a mysterious atmosphere.
When Qi Guze and Xu Yuehuai's footsteps broke the silence in the room, the man in black suddenly turned around, his deep eyes flashing with a fierce light in the darkness.
The dagger in his hand was incredibly sharp; the blade reflected a cold light under the lamplight, like the fangs of a wild beast.
Faced with the man in black's sudden attack, Qi Guze reacted quickly, dodging the sharp blade with a sidestep.
Xu Yuehuai stood firmly in place, her eyes fixed intently on the man in black.
Seeing this, the man in black brandished his dagger and launched another attack.
This time, he changed his strategy and tried to attack the two from both sides.
However, Qi Guze and Xu Yuehuai cooperated well and quickly moved to different positions, once again dodging the attack from the men in black.
After several rounds of fighting, Qi Guze seized the opportunity and pounced on the man in black.
The man in black reacted quickly, dodging to the side, but Qi Guze was even faster. He grabbed the man in black by the collar, and the two instantly engaged in a fierce struggle.
"Hmph, you think you can catch me?" the man in black said coldly.
"Stop talking nonsense, you're no match for me," Qi Guze replied coldly.
The man in black was not to be outdone. He forcefully broke free from Qi Guze's restraints and punched him in the chest.
Qi Guze was prepared. He quickly dodged the attack by turning to the side, and then delivered a heavy punch to the man in black's abdomen.
The man in black immediately doubled over in pain, but he quickly adjusted his posture, preparing to fight back.
At this moment, Xu Yuehuai also joined the battle.
She leaped into the air and kicked the man in black in the head.
The man in black had no choice but to release Qi Guze and turn to face Xu Yuehuai's attack. He reached out and grabbed Xu Yuehuai's ankle, but Xu Yuehuai reacted quickly and sent him flying with a side kick.
Qi Guze seized the opportunity to attack the man in black, and the two fought fiercely once again.
Their movements became faster and faster, with punches and kicks flying back and forth, dazzling the eye.
Suddenly, Qi Guze delivered a powerful punch to the black-clad man's nose, causing blood to splatter everywhere.
The man in black groaned in pain, but he only retaliated with even greater ferocity.
Xu Yuehuai suddenly kicked the man in black in the waist from the side.
The man in black was kicked and bent over, but his hand was still tightly gripping Qi Guze's collar.
Qi Guze struggled violently, trying to break free from the man in black's grasp.
After some effort, he finally broke free from the man in black's grasp, and a heavy punch landed on his head again.
The man in black finally collapsed to the ground, unable to hold on any longer.
He clutched his head in agony, his hands stained with blood.
"You two are ruthless," he said breathlessly. "I give up."
The dagger in his hand fell to the ground with a crisp sound. At that moment, the atmosphere in the basement instantly became tense.
Qi Guze and Xu Yuehuai exchanged a glance and both revealed victorious smiles.
After a fierce fight, they finally subdued the man in black.
Qi Guze and Xu Yuehuai stared intently at the man in black, while the man in black stared back at them with a look of resentment.
The air seemed to freeze, with only their breathing echoing in the stone chamber.
Qi Guze took a deep breath. "Speak! Who are you? Are you Lord Zhang's man?" Qi Guze asked sternly.
The man in black remained silent, clearly intending to resist to the end.
A cold glint flashed in Qi Guze's eyes. "Do you think you can hide the truth by not speaking? Let me tell you, your accomplices have already confessed. You'd better confess honestly too."
The man in black's expression changed, clearly unsure whether Qi Guze was telling the truth.
Qi Guze seized the opportunity to press him, "Did you poison the Crown Prince? Tell me the truth now!"
The man in black hesitated for a moment, but finally spoke, "Alright! I admit, we poisoned the Crown Prince."
He believed that his crimes had been exposed and that there was no point in continuing to hide them.
Qi Guze pressed further, "Why did you poison the eldest prince?"
The man in black remained silent for a moment, seemingly unwilling to speak.
But Qi Guze's eyes made him realize what a terrible fate awaited him if he didn't tell the truth.
“Alright! I’ll tell you.” The man in black took a deep breath. “We’re acting on orders. Someone gave us a large sum of money to poison the Crown Prince.”
"Who instructed you to do this?" Xu Yuehuai asked.
The man in black shook his head. "I don't know. All we know is that they gave us money to complete the mission."
Qi Guze and Xu Yuehuai exchanged a glance, already understanding the gist of the matter. They knew that a huge conspiracy must be hidden behind this.
"Take him back and interrogate him thoroughly!" Qi Guze ordered.
They took the man in black back to the Ministry of Justice prison and began to torture him severely.
However, the man in black refused to reveal who was behind it all, seemingly under some kind of threat or bribe.
After discussing it, Qi Guze and Xu Yuehuai decided to use a bait strategy, deliberately releasing the man in black to make him think that he had successfully escaped.
However, they were secretly following him, hoping to find traces of the mastermind behind it all.
However, the man in black seemed to have sensed something, and he carefully observed his surroundings along the way to make sure he wasn't being followed.
Seeing this, Qi Guze and Xu Yuehuai couldn't help but feel worried, fearing that their plan had been exposed.
But they were unwilling to give up and decided to continue their investigation.
The man in black arrived at a dilapidated temple outside the city, pushed open the door, and went inside.
Qi Guze and Xu Yuehuai followed cautiously behind and entered the temple.
The temple was deserted, except for a statue of a deity enshrined in the center, with a few broken incense sticks stuck in the incense burner in front of the statue.
A damp smell filled the air, as if no one had been here for a long time.
Qi Guze and Xu Yuehuai looked around, trying to find traces of the man in black.
Suddenly, they heard a low voice, seemingly coming from behind the statue.
They secretly approached and discovered that it was none other than Lord Zhang!
What is Lord Zhang doing here?
Wasn't he captured by the First Prince's men before?
Could it be that the Crown Prince's men conspired with him to kill the Crown Prince?
Xu Yuehuai and Qi Guze had countless questions in their minds and had no idea what was going on.
Lord Zhang had been carefully observing the surroundings and noticed that Qi Guze and Xu Yuehuai had secretly followed them.
Instead of showing surprise, he revealed a cold smile.
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