Teng Qingshan and the three others entered Bai Qi’s residence. As soon as Teng Qingshan stepped inside, he caught a faint scent of blood mixed with medicinal herbs. Although the doctor had not yet arrived, given the large number of guards and soldiers in the mining area, there were certainly those who knew some rudimentary first aid, and they administered preliminary treatment to Bai Qi.

Fortunately, Bai Qi possessed profound internal energy; he only remained unconscious for two or three hours before regaining consciousness.

“Commander!” Tian Dan said, bowing respectfully. “Old Du has already personally led a contingent toward Jiangning Commandery City to relay this news to the Sect.”

Bai Qi’s already pale face was grim, his eyes venomous, completely devoid of his former dashing demeanor.

“Have you identified the rogue who fought me?” Bai Qi demanded in a cold voice.

“This… no, neither I nor Brother Qingshan recognized those individuals. And no one else saw them either,” Tian Dan replied, still bowing.

“Useless trash!” Bai Qi, seated on the bed, suddenly shot upright and roared in fury. “If the two of you don’t recognize them, can’t you draw sketches? Create portraits and go investigate! Find out the identities of that young lad, the silver-haired man, and that fatty. Go now, find out who they are, and capture them all!”

Bai Qi’s eyes seemed ready to spew fire; the man was nearly driven mad.

Useless trash?

Tian Dan’s expression hardened. He glanced at Bai Qi but suppressed the urge to speak.

Wan Fanxiang and the others also let a flicker of disdain cross their eyes. Bai Qi had never been well-liked, and now that he was crippled, he still dared to put on the airs of a Commander?

Bai Qi swept his gaze over the four men before him, his anger mounting. He seethed internally: These bastards! They all look down on me now that I’m crippled! Despite his hatred, Bai Qi dared not press too hard, for he knew clearly… as a disabled man, he certainly couldn't retain the position of Commander. In the future, he would be utterly alone, and if he deeply offended the four men before him, they could easily torment him later.

“Commander,” Teng Qingshan interjected. “We will certainly investigate the identities of those rogues! However, the pressing issue now is how this Purple Gold was smuggled out! Does the Commander have any information?”

Bai Qi’s eyes lit up, and he immediately shouted sternly: “Go, quickly! Go and grab that Hu Tong! It’s him! He is the internal thief!”

The piercing cry echoed inside the room, making the hearts of Teng Qingshan and the others skip a beat.

“Hu Tong?” Teng Qingshan and the four were stunned. The City Guard Captain of Huafeng City, known for his obsequiousness?

“Let’s go,” Tian Dan was the first to turn and exit the room. Teng Qingshan and the other two followed close behind.

Inside, only Bai Qi remained, along with a black-armored soldier attending to him. Malicious glints flashed in Bai Qi’s eyes. He swept a look at the nearby soldier and barked, “You. Get out!”

The soldier jumped in fright and scurried out.

Bai Qi sat on the bed, pulled down the quilt, and looked at his bandaged, severed limbs. Without a sound, tears streamed down his face: “My… my legs, my hands…” Bai Qi trembled violently. A thousand thoughts flooded his mind. He seemed to glimpse a future of dark, nightmarish days ahead.

“It’s over, I’m finished!”

Bai Qi actually lowered his head and began to sob brokenly. After a long while, he suddenly lifted his head, a look of frantic malice flashing in his eyes.

“That bastard who threw the hidden weapon, I must kill him, absolutely! And that Hu Tong. It was he who let that laborer go!” By this point, Bai Qi had come to hate Hu Tong as well. “Those Centurions, Tian Dan and Teng Qingshan, they all secretly look down on me now!”

He longed for revenge, but he felt utterly incapable of exacting it!

“Aaaaaah!!!” Bai Qi threw his head back and let out a roar of pained fury.

Suddenly, Bai Qi felt a wave of dizziness wash over his head, and he weakly collapsed back onto the bed. After all, he had lost a significant amount of blood, had only just woken up, and now, with such intense emotional fluctuation and raving, his body naturally couldn’t bear it. He lapsed back into a confused, semi-conscious state.

Teng Qingshan and the others were worried about Hu Tong. Disregarding the orders of the black-armored soldiers, the four personally went to Hu Tong’s quarters.

“Sirs, Lord Hu Tong rushed back to Huafeng City early this morning. He said he knows a renowned doctor in Huafeng City and that he intends to invite that famous physician here for the Commander,” a guard stammered fearfully when facing Teng Qingshan and the other three.

Teng Qingshan and the others exchanged a look.

“Let’s go then,” Tian Dan sighed and turned back.

“As expected, that Hu Tong is the internal traitor,” Wan Fanxiang sneered. “But Hu Tong is also clever; seeing that Bai Qi was grievously wounded and crippled, he knew things looked bad and fled.”

“He left this morning; it’s already noon now. How can we possibly catch up?” Liu He sighed.

Teng Qingshan shook his head. “Chasing Hu Tong is impossible now. For now, we should focus on properly investigating how the Purple Gold was lost.”

“Right. First, let’s examine the depths of the Purple Gold mine tunnels to see if any area connects to the Gold Mine District. Investigate thoroughly!”

The laborers in the Purple Gold mining area began to be interrogated, one by one. Anyone who revealed a passage connecting to the Gold Mine District would not only be spared punishment but would also be rewarded with one thousand taels of silver!

However, not a single laborer knew of such a passage.

Since the interrogations yielded no results, the black-armored soldiers began a meticulous search of the Purple Gold mine shafts, while the common guards started exploring the tunnels of the Gold Mine District. All digging operations in the entire mining area were temporarily suspended; the laborers were ordered to rest in their quarters.

All the black-armored soldiers were kept busy, and Teng Qingshan and the others were utterly exhausted.

Soon, night fell.

“Sir, the doctor is here, the doctor is here!” A guard rushed over to report. Teng Qingshan instantly recognized this guard as one of the two he had dispatched to fetch a doctor. He immediately demanded, “Where is the Commander’s physician?”

“He’s gone to the Commander’s quarters,” the guard replied.

“Let’s go see,” Wan Fanxiang stood up, and Teng Qingshan and the other three headed toward Bai Qi’s residence.

Just as they reached the doorway, they heard angry shouts coming from inside.

“Get out, get out!” A white-haired elder soon stumbled out in disarray. Upon seeing Teng Qingshan and the four others, the elder immediately bowed. “Four esteemed sirs.”

“How is he?” Teng Qingshan inquired.

The doctor immediately replied respectfully, “The gentleman inside has a strong constitution. Despite such a severe injury, he has held on. Now, he merely requires careful recuperation and then proper nourishment.” Facing a crippled man, even the finest doctor could only manage to stabilize his health. How could severed limbs regenerate?

If this were Teng Qingshan’s previous life society, the severed limbs could be purged of toxins and reattached.

However, this was ancient times, not the technological society of his past life.

“Tian Dan! Liu He! Are you two outside or not! Come in here!” Bai Qi’s roar echoed from within. “I told you to arrest Hu Tong! Where is he? Ah! You four, get in here!”

“That Hu Tong fled long ago, Commander. We could do nothing. Commander, you are gravely injured and need peace and quiet for recuperation; stirring up emotions is ill-advised. We shall not disturb you further,” Tian Dan announced loudly. Then, exchanging a look with the others, they quickly moved far away.

The current Bai Qi was a madman; going to him now would only bring trouble.

“You bastards!” Bai Qi’s furious curses drifted out.

Teng Qingshan and the four exchanged glances but said nothing.

In this world, countless people died daily amidst slaughter. Some died for their kin or clan, perhaps worthy of a few sighs and admiration. Someone like Bai Qi, who suffered misfortune due to greed, deserved no sympathy.

The night was profoundly quiet atop Iron Chain Mountain.

In Teng Qingshan’s spacious stone room, he sat cross-legged on his bed, the flow of his vital energy slow, his metabolism reduced, and his heartbeat lowered to an extremely sluggish pace.

Suddenly, the sound of rapid footsteps broke the silence.

“Hmm?” Teng Qingshan’s eyes snapped open abruptly.

“Sir, Sir,” a black-armored soldier suddenly burst in, shouting urgently. “The Commander has arrived!”

“The Commander?” Teng Qingshan was startled.

It was the middle of the night. Du Hong, the Centurion, had rushed to Jiangning Commandery that morning; even traveling swiftly, he shouldn't have reached Jiangning until the afternoon. He hadn't expected the Commander to arrive so late at night.

Whoosh!

Teng Qingshan rushed out immediately. From afar, he saw silhouettes moving, and he sped toward them.

“Brother Qingshan, the Commander has already gone to Bai Qi’s residence,” Wan Fanxiang also said, having just dressed, running alongside Teng Qingshan. Teng Qingshan murmured, “The Commander rushed here so quickly, traveling through the night! The Sect must be taking this matter extremely seriously.”

“Indeed,” Wan Fanxiang nodded. “Qingshan, don’t take all the blame onto yourself later. Better to have one less issue than one more.”

“I understand,” Teng Qingshan replied.

When Teng Qingshan and Wan Fanxiang reached Bai Qi’s residence, the area outside was brightly lit by torches. At that moment, Tian Dan and Liu He also ran over from a distance, side by side. The four Centurions exchanged glances and then entered Bai Qi’s room together.

“Commander.” Teng Qingshan and the other three bowed.

“Hmm, you’ve arrived,” the silver-haired, black-robed elder stood by the bedside, with Centurion Du Hong following at his side. This black-robed, silver-haired elder turned and coldly swept his gaze over the four men. “Such a thing has happened in barely over a month! And who was responsible for guarding the Purple Gold Mining Area!”

“That would be this subordinate,” Teng Qingshan stepped forward and bowed.

The black-robed, silver-haired elder narrowed his eyes: “Teng Qingshan!”

Teng Qingshan had heard of this Commander before. Among the Four Great Commanders, the First Commander, ‘Ji Hong,’ was the oldest, said to be over a hundred years old, possessing immense seniority. Even the Sect Master, ‘Zhuge Yuanhong,’ referred to him as ‘Second Martial Uncle.’ As the First Commander, he was naturally the foremost expert among the Four Great Commanders.

It could be said that Ji Hong was the foremost figure in the entire Black Armored Army—the stabilizing pillar of the Black Armored Army!

“I will question you about your affairs later!” Ji Hong cast a cold glance at Teng Qingshan, then swept his gaze over the other four, barking, “The five of you, go outside first. Do not re-enter without my command. Remember, close the door!”

“Yes, Commander,” the five Centurions bowed and left the room, closing the door behind them.

Outside.

“Brother Qingshan, you’re in for trouble this time. Our Commander is known to be extremely ruthless,” Tian Dan said in a low voice. The other three Centurions also looked at Teng Qingshan. They were all secretly relieved that they had not been assigned to guard the Purple Gold Mining Area.

If the guard duty went well with no incidents, it was merely their duty, with no reward.

But if something went wrong, trouble was guaranteed.