“Sigh…” Ji Hong let out a deep breath, glancing at the broken, dejected Bai Qi. “Bai Qi, you’ve been foolish! With your talent and background, our Guiyuan Sect would have spared no effort to cultivate you. I am old; I won’t hold this Commander position for many more years. In a few years, the position will certainly be chosen from the three Deputy Commanders under me. Among them, your strength is only slightly less than the other two, and you are the youngest. The Guiyuan Sect nurtures potential. With your strength, and as a core disciple, becoming Commander wasn't an impossible dream! But now you…”
As Bai Qi listened to Ji Hong’s comforting sighs, sorrow overwhelmed him.
The bright future he once held was now plunged into absolute darkness.
“Grand-Master!” Tears streamed down Bai Qi’s face as he cried out in anguish, “I am not reconciled! Truly, I cannot accept this! Grand-Master, you must avenge your disciple-grandson!”
“Crying, still crying!” Ji Hong snapped.
Bai Qi’s master was one of Ji Hong’s own disciples; naturally, Ji Hong cared deeply for this disciple-grandson.
Bai Qi forced himself to stop weeping, but the bitterness in his heart remained profound.
“What good does more crying do? Who do you have to blame?” Ji Hong was angry at his lack of spirit. “If you hadn't harbored the greedy thought of keeping that Purple Gold for yourself, how…”
“Grand-Master, I, I only intended to seize the Purple Gold back for the Sect,” Bai Qi stammered.
“Still arguing!” Ji Hong’s expression turned icy. “If it were for the Sect, why trail that laborer all the way? Right there on the mountain, when Hu Tong searched that man, you could have simply ordered a search! Why follow him down the mountain before making a move? With one command, five hundred Black Armored Guards! Forget three or four first-rate martial artists—even a hundred of them would scatter before five hundred Black Armored Guards charging!”
Bai Qi’s lips moved, but he fell silent.
Any discerning eye could see that Bai Qi, now disabled, was merely trying to save a shred of his pride.
Seeing Bai Qi’s wretched state, Ji Hong said no more.
“You, Bai Qi, were once a fine warrior of the Black Armored Army. What is losing one leg and one arm?” Ji Hong scolded. “Look at our Guiyuan Sect’s ancestor, ‘Liu Tianxue’! Both his arms were completely crippled. Yet, relying only on his legs, he even created the ‘Spirit Snake Leg Technique,’ earned a place on the Heaven Ranking, and shook the world!”
Bai Qi gritted his teeth, wanting to speak, but held back.
That Ancestor Liu Tianxue at least had two legs; Bai Qi only had one.
“Hmph, stop putting on that face like your parents just died!” Ji Hong’s gaze sharpened. “Even in this current age, tell me, who ranks third on the Earth Ranking?”
Bai Qi flinched.
“Tang, Tang Han!” Bai Qi recalled the man’s exploits.
“This Tang Han was also once praised as highly talented, famous across the land, a young hero once listed on the Hidden Dragon Ranking. At twenty-one, both his feet and hands were crippled by an enemy! This Tang Han, his tendons and sinews were completely severed; he could only sit in a chair, practically powerless to lift a chicken! But he buried himself in texts on hidden weaponry, studying for thirty years! When he finally reappeared, relying on his peerless hidden weapons, he once single-handedly annihilated a hundred first-rate martial artists!” Ji Hong said coldly. “Among Late Heaven experts, who dares say they can surely defeat Tang Han? The mysteries of his hidden weapons are unfathomable. That ‘Fairy Scattering Flowers’ technique makes even Xiantian masters fearful! If not for his mobility being restricted by his injuries, he might well be ranked first on the Earth Ranking!”
The number of Late Heaven Peak experts across the vast Kyushu lands was countless, numbering in the millions.
The Earth Ranking had seventy-two spots, and those with similar ranks were often evenly matched; everything depended on instantaneous battlefield reaction.
Bai Qi lowered his head.
Indeed, Tang Han’s situation was far worse than his own. He still had one leg and one arm capable of exerting force.
“I, too, deeply admire this Tang Han,” Ji Hong sighed. “When he was crippled, what was the very first thing he did?”
“This…” Bai Qi was momentarily stunned, then replied, “Got married!”
“Correct! His first act after losing his limbs was to marry. He has nine wives and eight sons, and six daughters!” Ji Hong stated gravely. “While Tang Han was painstakingly studying the art of hidden weapons, he was teaching his children! Which of his eight sons is not a formidable hidden weapons master? Mention the ‘Eight Heroes of the Tang Clan,’ and everyone gives a thumbs-up! Who in this world dares provoke the Tang family? Tang Han’s painstaking efforts teaching his children were so that even if he couldn't achieve greatness himself, his offspring could support his legacy! Anyone mentioning Tang Han is filled with respect. And you? The moment you are crippled, you collapse into this state of despair!”
Thinking of Tang Han, a fire ignited in Bai Qi’s heart, bringing forth a flurry of thoughts.
But after only a moment, he felt deflated, muttering inwardly, “The art of hidden weapons is vast and endless. Even Mr. Tang, with his genius, spent thirty years. Can I… can I really do it?”
Ji Hong glanced at Bai Qi and shook his head internally. His disciple-grandson had enjoyed smooth sailing since childhood, encountering no major setbacks. While the lands of Kyushu were constantly steeped in slaughter and countless people were crippled, very few managed to forge a fearsome reputation despite their disabilities. Those who succeeded were all individuals of unyielding willpower.
“You haven’t even started, and you lack confidence—how can you succeed?” Ji Hong sighed inwardly.
“Grand-Master, you say I…” Bai Qi began to speak, but Ji Hong cut him off with a reprimand: “If you wish to achieve greatness as a disabled man, you must strive relentlessly. Think about the rest yourself; no one can help you!” With that, Ji Hong strode out the door, leaving Bai Qi staring blankly where he sat.
Teng Qingshan and the four others gathered outside Bai Qi’s door. Though it was late at night, numerous torches made the surroundings brightly lit.
“Creak!”
The door opened, and Ji Hong stepped out with a stern face.
“Follow me.” Ji Hong swept his gaze over the five men and started walking ahead. Teng Qingshan and the four exchanged glances before silently following behind him.
After walking about sixty paces, they reached a place where the torchlight was dim. Ji Hong stopped.
“Teng Qingshan!” Ji Hong commanded.
“Commander Sir,” Teng Qingshan replied with a slight bow.
Ji Hong spun around abruptly to face him. “I ask you, it’s been a full day since the Purple Gold was stolen—have you yet determined how it was smuggled out?”
“Not yet,” Teng Qingshan answered succinctly, offering no excuses for himself.
Ji Hong looked at Teng Qingshan and nodded inwardly. He detested those who deflected responsibility when problems arose. Involuntarily, Ji Hong compared Teng Qingshan with his disciple-grandson, Bai Qi, and shook his head internally before saying coldly, “The Purple Gold mining zone is of paramount importance! Our Sect Master and Elders place great value on it. You were negligent in your watch, so for now, I will not punish you. I give you ten days to find out how the Purple Gold was stolen! The other four Centurions will assist Teng Qingshan!”
“Yes!” Teng Qingshan saluted.
“Yes!” The other four Centurions bowed as well.
“If you find the reason, this matter will be dropped. But if you still haven't found it within ten days…” Ji Hong’s face darkened.
“Rest assured, Commander Sir, I will certainly find the reason the Purple Gold was stolen within ten days,” Teng Qingshan declared with firm conviction.
Smuggling it out could only happen in a few ways. Whether it was an inside thief or a secret tunnel underground, one thing was certain: a laborer in the Purple Gold mine must have collected the stolen Purple Gold. Therefore, the interrogations conducted by the Black Armored Army soldiers earlier must have involved lies from some laborers. Ordinary soldiers wouldn't know how to test if someone was lying, but Teng Qingshan, using interrogation methods from his previous life as an assassin, knew this was not difficult to discover.
With Teng Qingshan’s skills, dealing with these common laborers—observing their eyes and expressions—it wouldn't take more than a few days to find the truth.
“Good!” Ji Hong sneered. “I hope you aren't just boasting!”
“One more thing.” Ji Hong swept his gaze over the five men. “That Hu Tong, the captain of the Huafeng City Guard—he colluded with outside thieves! Have you captured him?”
“Commander Sir, Hu Tong quietly left the morning the incident occurred,” Tian Dan reported.
“Commander Sir, what should we do regarding Hu Tong?” Wan Fanxiang also inquired.
Ji Hong said coldly, “The regulations concerning garrison duty at the mining area are strictly enforced by the Sect! This Hu Tong colluded with outside thieves; it doesn't matter if he is the Captain of the City Guard. Issue an order: issue a warrant for Hu Tong’s arrest throughout Jiangning Prefecture! Whoever captures Hu Tong alive or kills him on the spot will be rewarded with one thousand silver taels and a Human-grade secret manual from our Guiyuan Sect!”
Kill Hu Tong?
Teng Qingshan sighed inwardly. Hu Tong, who was once the City Guard Captain, wouldn't even get a chance to defend himself before being sentenced to death because of this matter!
After all…
The Purple Gold deposit was something the Guiyuan Sect held in extreme regard. Moreover, this incident had crippled a Deputy Commander. The Guiyuan Sect would show no mercy. Better to kill the wrong person than let the right one go. That was the rule!
...
When dawn broke the next day, Teng Qingshan immediately ordered the Black Armored Army soldiers to meticulously search the Purple Gold mining area. The other four Centurions also assisted Teng Qingshan by directing their subordinates to help.
Instantly, the entire mining area was steeped in tension and fear!
They searched the Purple Gold mine thoroughly for three full days, finding no secret tunnels, and the inside thief remained elusive. Teng Qingshan then began questioning the miners who extracted the Purple Gold. It was impossible for one person to accumulate ten jin of Purple Gold alone. Therefore, Teng Qingshan’s first step was—
To identify who among the laborers was helping to collect the Purple Gold from others and hand it over to the Black Armored Army soldiers.
Upon investigation, fifteen men were identified as recognized leaders among the laborers; they would frequently pool the Purple Gold together for unified submission.
From these fifteen individuals, Teng Qingshan spent only half a day confirming that three of them were highly suspect!
After that…
It became simple!
The Black Armored Army soldiers, using methods designed for interrogating criminals—intimidation, threats involving torture implements, and so on—the moment the soldiers displayed their formation, one of the men immediately broke down and confessed. Within half an hour of starting the interrogation, the other two were also terrified into revealing everything.
After all, these three were ordinary civilians who had undergone no special training; how could they withstand specialized interrogation techniques?
It turned out that there was more than one method used to smuggle the Purple Gold out, and the method for carrying those ten jin out was also discovered. There was indeed a secret passage, but it was very small, usually hidden by ore and debris, and the location was deep and inconspicuous. Coupled with the numerous tunnels deep within the mine, this is why the Black Armored Army soldiers spent three days searching without finding that hidden spot.