The bound lackey, just following orders, and having been beaten severely the night before, confessed everything: “Last night, Brother Wu heard that the eastern stronghold was unloading a cargo ship, so he instructed a few of us to drug the guards from the eastern stronghold who were watching the dam cave, allowing the river bandits to enter the Two Dam Mountain water area.”

The expression on the second master’s face immediately turned ugly.

Wang Biao viciously kicked the lackey in the belly again, causing him to curl up and wriggle like a worm in pain. “I remember at noon when my brother was injured, you and a few others were watching the dam cave with the brothers from the eastern stronghold.

In broad daylight, more than a dozen boats of river bandits approached the Two Dam Mountain. Wasn’t that your doing too?”

The second master’s eyes shifted uncomfortably upon hearing this.

He ordered, “Enough, bring Wu Xia to me!”

But Wang Biao ignored him, grabbed the lackey by the collar, and roared, “I’m asking you a question!”

He was like a tiger about to devour someone.

The lackey, who usually followed Wu Xia, was now trembling with fear, almost wetting himself.

He quickly begged for mercy, “Leader Wang, spare me! It was all Wu Xia’s orders. I was also forced by him…”

Although there had been such suspicions before, hearing it confirmed, and knowing that yesterday’s ambush was orchestrated by the western stronghold in collusion with the river bandits, Wang Biao couldn’t contain his anger.

He raised his iron fist and pounded down on the lackey’s head.

The lackey was directly hit so hard that his eyes rolled back, and he fell to the ground, apparently lifeless.

The men from the western stronghold were shocked, and the second master’s face turned extremely ugly.

He said in a low voice, “Wang Xiaozhi, I’ve sent someone to call Wu Xia over. If there’s any issue, let’s confront him face-to-face. Why harm the lives of my people?”

Wang Biao’s neck veins bulged, his anger uncontrollable. “This brat has confessed everything, yet you still talk about confronting him! My brother was injured trying to save your beloved daughter, and now he’s bedridden.

But you’re defending Wu Xia, that bastard! Indeed, father and son share a deep bond!”

He had just insulted Wu Xia as a bastard, and now he was insinuating that the second master was defending Wu Xia by talking about their deep bond, which was essentially an indirect insult to the second master.

The second master slammed his hand heavily on the sturdy wooden fence at the gate, cracking it.

He said with a dark expression, “If this matter is indeed his doing, I will personally cut off his head and present it to the stronghold leader as an apology!”

Just then, the lackey sent to find Wu Xia returned. “Second master, bad news. Wu Xia has escaped!”

The second master’s eyes narrowed. “Escaped?”

The lackey gasped for breath. “I went to Wu Xia’s place, and the people there said they hadn’t seen Wu Xia since early this morning. They don’t know where he went!”

Wang Biao sneered, “Alright, so the reason the second master is stalling us here is to give that bastard Wu Xia time to escape, huh?”

“Spread my order, mobilize all the forces of the western stronghold to capture the traitor Wu Xia, dead or alive!” The second master, with a cold expression, issued the command.

He nodded to Wang Biao, “It seems I misjudged the situation and fell into the trap of that ungrateful wretch. I will definitely give the eastern stronghold an explanation for this!”

Wang Biao chuckled, “Second master, if Wu Xia has already fled, and if your western stronghold can’t catch him for the rest of your lives, wouldn’t that mean you’ll never be able to explain this matter?”

“Within fifteen days, I will personally present Wu Xia’s head to the stronghold leader to apologize!” The second master’s voice was resolute.

“Jing’er was also at the foot of the cliff yesterday. If I had known earlier about Wu Xia’s treachery, I would have killed him long ago.

How could I have let Jing’er face such danger?

Jing’er owes the stronghold leader her life, and I will personally avenge this debt on behalf of the Eastern stronghold leader!”

Wang Biao was furious, feeling itchy with hatred.

The second master was a cunning fox, shifting all the blame onto Wu Xia and clearing himself of any involvement.

He glanced at the prince and saw that the prince nodded subtly without showing much emotion, so he reluctantly suppressed his anger and gritted his teeth, “Then I’ll wait for good news from the second master’s side!”

He left the bound lackeys from the western stronghold at the western stronghold gate and departed with the brothers from the eastern stronghold.

As he watched their backs, the second master asked the middle-aged man standing beside him in a low voice, “What do you think about today’s events, sir?”

This man was the military advisor of the western stronghold, thin and wiry with shrewd eyes, and a set of yellowed protruding teeth beneath his sparse mustache.

He shook his feather fan and said, “The second master has already made a decision. There’s no need to ask me again. Wu Xia dared to collude with the river bandits last night. This ungrateful wretch has forgotten all loyalty for personal gain. It’s a good opportunity to get rid of him. However…”

He paused, his fan pointing vaguely towards the crown prince who was returning with the men from the eastern stronghold. “This man cannot be spared.”

The lackey had already been dismissed, so the second master didn’t mind speaking openly to him, “I’ve heard from the brothers who returned from the dam cave yesterday.

This man is highly skilled in martial arts, far superior to Wang Biao.

If it weren’t for him yesterday, that Lin kid might not have returned to the eastern stronghold by now.”

But the man with the fan shook his head. “I instructed the second master to get rid of this man, not because I fear his martial arts.

I observe his facial features, noble beyond description.

Now is the time of his great calamity. Once this period passes, it will be difficult to eliminate him in the future!”

The second leader’s expression instantly turned serious.

---

On the way back, Wang Biao was seething with frustration.

He glanced at the crown prince beside him and suggested, “How about we have a little sparring match?”

The crown prince only gave him a glance and continued walking without acknowledging him.

Having witnessed the prince’s martial arts skills at the foot of the cliff yesterday, Wang Biao knew he was no match.

He was just venting his frustration and wanting to get beaten up to relieve his pent-up anger.

Thinking about the events of the past few days, Wang Biao was trembling with rage. “You’re clever. Tell me, does He Laozai really not know about Wu Xia colluding with the river bandits, or is he just pretending not to know?”

The prince recalled the moment when the second leader dodged the question while Wang Biao was interrogating the skinny monkey.

He spoke slowly, “He probably didn’t know about it last night, but he must have been aware of the assassination yesterday afternoon.”

The second master had only one goal, and that was power.

He wanted Lin Yao dead so that he could take over.

Wu Xia was insatiable, desiring both money and power.

Wang Biao was puzzled, “But why didn’t He Laozai know about last night’s events?”

The prince glanced at the darkening sky and said, “If the second master had known about the collusion with the river bandits last night, then Wu Xia wouldn’t have been able to escape.

He would have either come to the eastern stronghold for help last night, or we would have found his corpse when we went to question him today.”

Wang Biao’s mind was buzzing, still unable to grasp the key point. “Strategist Cheng, can you explain it in simpler terms?”

The crown prince hesitated for a moment.

Suddenly, he felt it would be more efficient to talk to Qin Zheng; smart people usually understand with just a hint.

“Last night, when the western stronghold men who set off the smoke bombs at the dam cave were caught by us,

if the collusion with the water bandits was the second master’s idea and they didn’t return, then he would have known that things had gone wrong.

The captured men from the western stronghold would have implicated Wu Xia, and Wu Xia would have implicated him, the mastermind.

The safest option for the second master would be to kill Wu Xia, make him take all the blame, provide an explanation to the eastern stronghold, and clear himself of any involvement.”

Wang Biao carefully digested the prince’s words, then spat on the roadside, cursing, “That old fox has more tricks up his sleeve than a hornet’s nest!”

The prince said, “I thought last night was also the second master’s plan. Wu Xia, in order to save himself, would definitely turn against the second master, and if necessary, seek help from the eastern stronghold.

At that time, the eastern stronghold would have reaped the benefits. But last night’s incident was solely Wu Xia’s idea.

It makes sense for him to escape when things go south, but does the stronghold have any other paths down the mountain?”

Wang Biao, puzzled, said, “Brothers only use the path through the dam cave to go up and down the mountain.”

The prince said, “Although the terrain of Liangyan Mountain is treacherous, the first group of people who went up the mountain did so before the dam cave was dug.

How did they get up? Yesterday, when you were interrogating those people from the western stronghold, I had someone watching the dam cave.

Wu Xia didn’t show up there. If he wasn’t in the stronghold, he must have gone down the mountain through another path.”

After a moment of contemplation, Wang Biao slapped his head fiercely. “Damn it, there is indeed a path, but it’s extremely treacherous. No one has used it in over a decade!”

---

Panlong Gou, the water bandits’ lair within Qingzhou’s territory.

A canopy-less boat appeared in the waters of Panlong Gou and was immediately surrounded by the water bandits’ boats.

“You’ve got some nerve, daring to come to Panlong Gou?” laughed the water bandits on the boats.

The person on the boat was none other than Wu Xia, who was currently in a rather sorry state.

Yesterday, when he learned that the eastern stronghold was going to unload cargo ships at midnight, he secretly informed the water bandits and sent his trusted subordinate to the dam cave to sabotage the guards of the eastern stronghold and let the water bandits’ ships enter the Liangyan Mountain water area.

Unexpectedly, the person he sent never returned, and Wu Xia immediately suspected that something had gone wrong.

At noon, during the collusion with the water bandits, it was the second leader’s idea.

He wanted Lin Yao to die at the hands of the water bandits without costing a single soldier from the western stronghold.

However, the plan failed because He Yunqing went to the cliff to deliver food to Lin Yao and almost lost her life there.

Later, he was punished by the second master in anger.

Wu Xia had long harbored treacherous intentions, which is why he didn’t let go of the opportunity at night.

He had hoped to make a big profit but realized the situation was about to be exposed, so he fled from Liangyan Mountain overnight.

The dam cave was guarded by people from the eastern stronghold, so there was no way out from there.

He had heard the old folks in the stronghold talk about another dangerous path on the back mountain, but it had claimed many lives, and gradually, no one dared to use that path anymore.

Forced by circumstances, Wu Xia had no choice but to take the path from the back mountain.

In the dead of night, he dared not light a torch and instead relied on the moonlight to sneak out.

He stumbled through the woods, bruising himself in several places and bleeding from his head, but fortunately, he managed to escape.

Now, facing the dozen or so water bandits, Wu Xia felt relieved.

He said, “I’m Wu Xia from Liangyan Mountain. I seek an audience with your leader. The two ships of silk you seized last night were reported by me.”

The water bandits exchanged strange glances, and one of them said, “Wait here. I’ll report to our leader.”

In a short while, several boats approached from afar, and the leader of the water bandits stood at the bow of one of the boats.

He had a crew cut with a tuft of long hair tied into a braid behind his head, and a large scar ran from his brow across his nose, giving him a ferocious look.

He sneered, “So it’s Leader Wu who has graced us with his presence.”

Although Wu Xia sensed the hostility in his tone, he still respectfully said, “I dare not, I dare not. I, Wu Xia, have come to surrender. One-third of the cargo is enough for Leader Wu, and the remaining two-thirds are for you to distribute among your brothers.”

The leader of the water bandits chuckled coldly, and the water bandits behind him also laughed mockingly.

Wu Xia, now a dog without a family, had no choice but to seek refuge with the water bandits.

If he didn’t, how would he evade the pursuit of Qi Yun Stronghold? Hearing the malicious laughter, he didn’t know where he had gone wrong.

He quickly said, “I don’t want anything. I just ask for Leader’s shelter.”

The leader of the water bandits spat at him, “You dare to play tricks on me, and you come here alone to negotiate with me?”

“Leader, you’re wronged. When have I ever played tricks on you?” Wu Xia cursed inwardly but maintained his composure outwardly. “As soon as I received the news last night, I informed Leader and sent someone to raid the cargo. Consider those two ships of silk as my pledge. I alerted Qi Yun Stronghold by reporting to Leader. Now, with no other options, I came to Panlong Gou to seek Leader’s refuge!”

The leader of the water bandits sneered, “Silk? Nonsense! There are only a few boxes of silk piled outside. Inside the boxes are all stones!”

Wu Xia’s face turned pale. “I had no idea about this. Leader, I was also deceived by the people from the eastern stronghold!”

The leader of the water bandits used his knife to lift Wu Xia’s broad chin.

“Yesterday at noon, you reported to me and said you could kill Lin Yao.

But instead, you caused the death of one of my brothers.

Who knows if this time, it’s another scheme by you and Qi Yun Stronghold?”

With the knife tip against his chin, Wu Xia dared not even breathe heavily.

He repeatedly expressed his loyalty, “It’s true that Lin Yao was almost killed yesterday at noon! If it wasn’t for the bad deeds of a man surnamed Cheng in the stronghold, Lin Yao would have been dead by now.

That Cheng was the one who killed most of your brothers at the Yuanjiang Estuary!”

Seeing the leader of the water bandits getting angry, Wu Xia knew his chance had come.

He said, “I know of an old path that leads to Liangyan Mountain. There’s no one guarding there!”

Upon hearing this, the water bandit leader withdrew his knife and ordered his men, “Take him back.”

Wu Xia finally breathed a sigh of relief, his back soaked with cold sweat.

When he followed the water bandits back to their lair, he found two wanted posters posted at the entrance, with sketches of people’s faces.

Wu Xia had seen these two wanted posters before when he went down the mountain to the city gate.

Now, looking at the woman’s face on one of the wanted posters, he suddenly realized it matched Qin Zheng’s appearance from the stronghold.

He remembered that he had vaguely felt Qin Zheng looked familiar before.

It turned out he had seen her on the wanted poster!

Although the depiction on the wanted poster didn’t exactly match Qin Zheng’s appearance, the facial features and contours were somewhat similar.

He had paid a little more attention because the wanted poster depicted a beauty.

After all, as a bandit himself, he usually avoided the authorities and didn’t care much about who they were looking for.

As Wu Xia carefully examined the other wanted poster, he realized it was the man surnamed Cheng!

His heart shook.

Both the husband and wife were wanted felons by the court!

One of the water bandits noticed him staring at the wanted posters and urged, “What are you looking at? Let’s go!”

Wu Xia, who couldn’t read, put on a smiling face and asked, “Little brother, what’s written on these wanted posters and why are they posted here?”

The water bandit said, “The court is searching the waters around the Yuanjiang area for these two people on the wanted posters.

It’s said that if someone finds their bodies, they’ll be rewarded with one hundred taels of silver. If they’re captured alive…”

He chuckled, “They’ll be rewarded with one hundred taels of gold! The leader put up the wanted posters to motivate the brothers to keep their eyes peeled.”

Wu Xia suddenly felt his blood boiling again, and his palms started to sweat.

One hundred taels of gold! Damn it, he had never seen so much money in his life!