With Black Ox leading the way, Magistrate Hong finally managed to storm the mountain stronghold and capture the bandits. After a round of interrogation, they learned something strange was happening on the mountain.

He immediately realized this was a major case.

After making preparations and blocking all possible escape routes for the cultists, he led his men in for the attack.

But despite all his careful planning, the real culprit still managed to escape.

Hearing this, Gu Qingyan frowned. He had shown his face this time, and the Left Protector bore deep malice toward him. Now that he had escaped, there was no telling when he might strike again.

It was like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows—just the thought sent a chill down Gu Qingyan’s spine.

But now that the man had escaped, blaming Magistrate Hong would do no good.

“That man has exceptional martial skill. He must have prepared an escape route long ago. My lord, it would be better to interrogate those we’ve captured. If we can uncover any clues, we might be able to trace them back and root the whole thing out.”

Magistrate Hong saw that Gu Qingyan was still pale and advised, “Young Master Gu, you should rest for now. Leave the rest to me.”

He then turned to Cao Baozhu. “There are many hidden tunnels in this mountain. It’s possible your father and brother are still alive.”

Cao Baozhu nodded repeatedly, barely sparing a glance at Gu Qingyan as she followed the constables into the tunnels to search.

Lu Yanchi shuffled over and plopped down beside Gu Qingyan, whispering with a smile, “Gu bro, we actually survived.”

Gu Qingyan also smiled.

Thankfully, the system had pulled through. It had been too risky this time—he’d nearly died on that sacrificial altar.

Magistrate Hong quickly ordered the aftermath to be handled. As he did, he sensed something off and frowned deeply.

He gestured for his subordinates to carry the survivors out of the cave first.

Gu Qingyan was among those being carried out. He struggled to speak up, “Lord Hong, there’s a camp with several tents down the road on the opposite side. The women there should have also been abducted.”

“I already sent people to search it,” Magistrate Hong explained, “but no survivors or bodies were found.”

“Perhaps they escaped during the chaos. I will send more men to continue the search.”

Gu Qingyan furrowed his brows.

The woman who had helped wash him up wasn’t in the tents—where could she have gone?

---

In a secret tunnel deep in the mountains, the tattooed bald man dragged the woman along at breakneck speed.

Suddenly, the woman stumbled and fell, unable to utter anything more than broken, garbled sounds.

“Keep moving! If we don’t run now, we won’t get another chance!” the bald man urged.

“Ah ah ah—” The woman pushed at him, signaling for him to go on alone.

The man gritted his teeth, then ignored her protest and hoisted her onto his back.

“I promised you I’d treat you well for the rest of my life. If we run, we run together. If we die, we die together.”

The woman clung to his back, unable to speak, tears falling one by one onto his collar.

“Heh… such deep love between husband and wife.”

A cold, mocking laugh echoed through the tunnel.

The bald man froze, his whole body trembling. It was the kind of terror that stripped away all thoughts of resistance.

“Ah!” A sharp pain bloomed in his stomach, and he collapsed to the ground.

When he looked up, his wife was already in the enemy’s hands—gripped by the neck like a chicken.

“She can’t speak anymore. She can’t tell you anything. Please… just let her go,” the bald man begged.

A figure emerged from the shadows—it was the Left Protector.

“She can’t speak, but you can.”

The bald man kowtowed in desperation. “No, no! I can’t… I don’t know anything, I swear! I’m just a bandit. If I get caught, I’m dead anyway. I’d never dare leak a word!”

The Left Protector sneered. “Who was that boy?”

The bald man’s eyes darted about. Realizing something, he began calculating how to survive.

“You’d better not play any tricks,” the guard warned, tightening his grip as the woman struggled to breathe.

“I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything!”

Terrified, the bald man confessed, “His name is Gu Qingyan. He used to be the young master of the Li family in Qingzhou Prefecture. A few months ago, the Lis claimed he was the wrong child—said there had been a mix-up when he was a baby. They kicked him out to bring back the real son.”

“Madam Li is a relative of Magistrate Bai’s wife. To help her vent her anger, Magistrate Bai sent word for us to ambush and kill him.”

“But the kid got lucky. Someone escorted him on the way, and the brothers we sent were all taken out.”

“Later, he complained that Lingchuan County was too poor and wanted to return to Qingzhou. So Magistrate Bai sent another message, saying we had to kill him this time—no exceptions. That’s why I personally led the ambush.”

The Left Protector narrowed his eyes. “If you were to kill him, why bring him back?”

The bald man didn’t dare lie. “He said he’d saved up a lot of silver at the Li household—ten thousand taels. He wanted to buy his life.”

“And?” the Left Protector pressed.

The bald man wailed, “That’s all I know! Please spare me, my lord! I swear I didn’t know he was a government spy!”

The Left Protector gave a faint, cold laugh and turned to leave.

The bald man thought he’d been spared. But with a sharp crack, the woman’s neck was snapped and her body tossed aside. He roared in fury, but was silenced with a single blade to the heart.

The couple died together, their blood mingling on the ground.

The guard followed and saw the Left Protector’s expression, unreadable and dark.

“My lord,” the guard reported, “the Li family in Qingzhou Prefecture he spoke of is likely the household of Assistant Minister of Revenue, Li Changde. His official wife is from the Wang family. The woman who lives long-term in Qingzhou is his concubine, Madam Xu.”

The Left Protector let out a cold snort. “That Li family? What a joke—switched at birth, really?”

“Should we capture that Gu Qingyan?”

The Left Guardian pondered for a moment, then shook his head.
“No need. I’ve left him a big gift.”

He turned to look toward the mountain tomb. It was a pity they hadn’t gotten the Prince Huai’s Imperial Seal.

“Achoo!” Gu Qingyan let out a huge sneeze.

Liu Yanchi immediately asked with concern,
“Brother Gu, are you cold? Here, take my coat.”

Gu Qingyan was deeply moved—but still declined.
“Not cold. You wear it yourself, don’t catch a chill.”

Mainly because this guy’s coat was stained with blood, snot, and tears… it was too filthy.

Liu Yanchi didn’t notice he was being rejected. He sniffled, deeply moved.
“Brother Gu, you care so much about me. Once we’re out of here, I’ll definitely repay you properly.”

Just as Gu Qingyan was about to say something, a sudden, violent contraction gripped his heart.

“Brother Gu!” Liu Yanchi cried out.

Gu Qingyan collapsed with a thud. His already pale face was now utterly drained of color, as if all the blood had been sucked out in an instant.

Liu Yanchi was so frightened he burst into tears. He reached out to check for breath—barely there.

“Somebody! Brother Gu has fainted! He must be poisoned too! Somebody, help!”

A flurry of panic followed.

County Magistrate Hong said urgently,
“This won’t do. You few—escort the injured back to town for treatment. The rest will stay with me to clean things up.”

Gu Qingyan was carried onto a cart. Black Ox lowered his head and began pulling the cart on his own.

Liu Yanchi followed, sobbing and sniffling.

When Gu Qingyan lost consciousness, he immediately realized he had been poisoned.

The cult’s methods truly were impossible to guard against. When had he been poisoned?

He hadn’t eaten anything. Could it have been the bathwater? The white robe? That strange altar in the cave? Or maybe he was already poisoned the moment he entered the mountain stronghold?

His heart throbbed with such intense pain that he almost wished to completely pass out. Unfortunately, his mind remained painfully alert.

Damn cultists—what kind of poison did they use? It felt like insects were crawling through his body, gnawing at his heart.

One word—pain!

The people carrying him were clumsy; his forehead got banged several times, and Liu Yanchi cried even louder. How could he cry so much?

Gu Qingyan quickly opened his system backpack, hoping to find something useful.

Suddenly, he spotted the Chi Tiger Imperial Seal.

The jade seal, originally made of pristine white jade, was now faintly glowing with golden light, trembling ever so slightly.

When had this change occurred?

Gu Qingyan suddenly recalled—it might have been at the ancestral tomb of the Gu family, when all that black smoke disappeared and the seal had started vibrating.

At the time, he hadn’t noticed any other change in the seal and didn’t think much of it.

Then, once inside the cave, the Chi Tiger Seal had vibrated again—just like at the Gu family tomb.

Could this jade seal, which he had picked up from a random grave mound, really have such a special effect?

Science couldn’t explain it.

No—maybe it could.

This wasn’t an ordinary jade seal. It was medicinal jade! That would explain its detoxifying effect.

No wonder the seal didn’t have a name inscribed—just said it belonged to a traveling healer. And aren’t traveling healers basically doctors?

With a thought, the Chi Tiger Seal appeared in Gu Qingyan’s palm.

This time, the jade wasn’t cold—it had a faint warmth.

That warmth spread from his palm, soothing his discomfort. When it reached his heart, the intense contraction and pain vanished.

It worked!

Gu Qingyan exhaled and slowly woke up.

“Brother Gu, you’re finally awake! I thought the poison was too severe and you were going to die—I was scared out of my mind!”

Gu Qingyan looked up and saw Liu Yanchi’s big face looming.

“Where am I? What happened to me?” he asked.

Liu Yanchi sniffled.
“Lots of people were poisoned. Magistrate Hong was worried for our safety, so he had us sent back early. We’re in the clinic in Lingchuan County.”

Then he lowered his voice,
“The doctor here’s no good—he couldn’t find anything wrong and said you fainted from fright. But Brother Gu, you’ve got the guts of a bear and the heart of a leopard—how could you faint from fear?”

He started crying again.
“This is bad, really bad… if he can’t diagnose it, the poison must be rare and deadly. Who knows how long we’ve got left to live…”

Gu Qingyan’s heart no longer hurt—now his head did, from all the crying.

“I don’t know how long everyone else will live,” he said, “but you’re definitely going to live a long time.”

Liu Yanchi asked with surprise, “Why? I didn’t get poisoned?”

“Because someone who’s about to die doesn’t have the strength to say so many words in one breath,” Gu Qingyan replied.

Liu Yanchi sniffled, “Brother Gu, you’re still teasing me. Hmph, and here I was worried about you, worried to death.”

The two of them exchanged a glance, both feeling a sense of having survived a disaster, and couldn’t help but laugh.

Liu Yanchi was about to say more when suddenly three people rushed in from outside, pushing him aside.

“Brother Yan, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere? Is your body feeling uncomfortable?” Liu’s mother asked anxiously.

Behind her were his two sisters.

Gu Wangqing’s eyes were full of worry, but unlike Liu’s mother, she couldn’t bring herself to speak; her fingers were clenched white.

Gu Shuyan’s eyes were red and swollen, silently staring at him without saying a word.

Gu Qingyan inwardly felt something was wrong.

He had thought he could keep it perfectly hidden, but it was already exposed: “Mother, second sister, third sister, why have you come?”

“If it wasn’t for your uncle telling us, we wouldn’t even know you dared to do such a thing. Those are mountain bandits, killing without blinking — how could you risk your life like that?”

It turned out Gu Dashan had gotten the news from the magistrate’s office and informed their uncle, who came to ask, and only then did they find out.

Liu’s mother held him tightly: “Brother Yan, if anything happened to you, I wouldn’t want to live anymore.”

Gu Qingyan hurriedly reassured her, “Mother, I’m fine, see?”

He stood up and jumped a couple of times, showing that he was alright: “Look, I’m fine, haven’t even lost a single hair.”

Little did they know that he had just been brought back wearing white clothes stained with blood, a blood mark on his neck, and his collar splattered with fresh blood.

If he hadn’t stood up, he could have hidden it; once standing, it almost scared the three of them.

“This is still ‘fine’? If the knife had gone any deeper, you wouldn’t be alive.”

Liu’s mother was both heartbroken and angry at his recklessness, risking his life behind their backs: “Brother Yan, before you did this, did you think of your mother? Did you think of your two sisters? If something happened to you, what would we do?”

Seeing the three crying with red, swollen eyes, Gu Qingyan felt a pang of guilt.

But if he had to do it again, he definitely would.

As long as Bai the scribe and the bandits weren’t dealt with, Lingchuan County would remain a toxic cancer, and his own safety wouldn’t be guaranteed.

He clearly realized the Li family wouldn’t accept him.

He didn’t tell Liu’s mother but just reached out to hug her: “Mother, I know I was wrong. I won’t dare do it again.”

“You only know how to say sweet words to comfort me. Wherever you go, I’ll follow. I won’t dare to let you go out alone again.”

The two sisters strongly agreed, each saying, “If big brother wants to stay in the county town, the three of us will take turns following you and cooking for you.”

Gu Qingyan’s scalp tingled; he knew he wouldn’t be able to ease their worries anytime soon.

He quickly signaled Liu Yanchi to say something, to stop them from crying more.

Liu Yanchi took the cue and cleared his throat: “Madam Gu, two Miss Gu’s, although it was dangerous this time, thanks to Brother Gu we were able to rescue so many people. He’s our lifesaver.”

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Liu’s mother’s face turned awkward.

Gu Qingyan coughed softly: “This is my godmother, surname Liu.”

“Godmother Liu,” Liu Yanchi corrected himself awkwardly and quickly changed his words.

He had a round face that the older generation adored—his eyes, nose, and mouth all looked round, which the elders liked.

This interruption stopped Liu’s mother from crying anymore, and she began talking to him.

Gu Qingyan looked at his two sisters and beckoned them over: “Sorry, big brother made you worry.”

Gu Wangqing’s eyes reddened and tears started falling: “Brother, don’t do this again.”

“Big brother, if you want to take risks next time, take me with you. I’m strong, I can help fight the bad guys,” Gu Shuyan said.

Gu Qingyan was amused by this: “Alright, when there’s time, big brother will see just how strong you really are.”

Liu’s mother heard this and glared at him sharply.

Meanwhile, Liu Yanchi was talking about what happened in the cave, making them all jump in shock.

Liu’s mother was even more frightened, exclaiming repeatedly, then confused: “But Brother Yan has been weak since childhood, and he never learned martial arts.”

Liu Yanchi smiled: “Godmother, don’t be modest. If Brother Gu can’t be counted as having learned martial arts, then no one in the world can.”

Liu’s mother was about to ask more but was interrupted by Gu Qingyan.

“Mother, don’t listen to his nonsense; he exaggerates too much.”

He changed the subject: “How long have I been asleep? What’s the situation outside? Has Scribe Bai been punished?”

He really couldn’t explain why he had instantly become a martial arts expert and then returned to normal. If he went out to fight now, even Liu Yanchi probably couldn’t win.

“You were unconscious for three hours; it’s already the next day.”

Liu Yanchi wasn’t too sure either and hesitated: “I don’t know much else, just that a scribe named Bai was captured. The people know he colluded with the bandits and caused so many deaths. They threw rotten vegetables at him. I even went to take a look.”

Gu Wangqing said, “Brother Dashan got the news from the magistrate’s office, so our village found out. I never expected the county official to do such a thing for money.”

“Luckily, the magistrate was wise and uncovered their plot,” Liu’s mother added.

Gu Shuyan also said, “Brother Dashan said that Bai is definitely finished; the magistrate won’t let him off.”

Gu Qingyan felt relieved hearing that Bai the scribe had been captured, but none of the others knew the full situation.

At that moment, noises came from outside.

Gu Qingyan looked up and saw Cao Baozhu approaching with four men.

The four men all looked alike, each carrying bundles filled to the brim.

“Father, eldest brother, second brother, third brother, this is Young Master Gu. Thanks to his risking his life, we were able to find the place and rescue you.”

“Young Master Gu, words cannot express our gratitude. Please accept a bow from me, Cao.”

The Cao father and sons were straightforward and sincere; they knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly.

It was clear they had suffered greatly during this time — weathered and thin — but fortunately, after being rescued, their spirits seemed pretty good.

Gu Qingyan quickly stopped them, “Uncle Cao, brothers Cao, there’s no need for such formality.”

“Young Master, if not for you, our family would have surely died in the mountains. You saved our lives. From now on, no matter what happens, just call on us. We would gladly risk death for you,” the Cao father insisted.

The three sons even patted their chests: “Young Master Gu risked his life to save us. If we don’t repay his kindness, we would be heartless and ungrateful.”

“Just give us orders anytime.”

“In Lingchuan County, the Cao family still has some influence.”

It was evident the Cao family had endured great hardships but retained a straightforward and loyal character.

Gu Qingyan shook his head, “There’s no need to thank me. If anyone deserves thanks, it’s Miss Cao. If she hadn’t believed you were really in danger and insisted on filing a complaint and asking the county magistrate for help, what could I have done alone?”

“Uncle Cao, brothers Cao, Miss Cao’s courage is admirable, and her filial piety is exemplary — truly rare qualities.”

Cao father laughed heartily, looking at his daughter with a tender gaze: “Baozhu’s sincere filial heart, I will always remember, but we also can never forget Young Master’s life-saving kindness.”

Recalling the dark days locked in the cave, the Cao family’s gratitude toward their sister and Gu Qingyan reached its peak.

Gu Qingyan asked again, “Uncle, where exactly were you taken after being captured?”

Cao father sighed, “It was my arrogance — we thought that just because we were strong and skilled, we didn’t need to fear the mountain bandits. But as soon as we stepped out the door, someone leaked the news.”

“That damned Bai Yu — he deserves a thousand cuts. Because of some money, he caused so many deaths.”

“Fortunately, County Magistrate Hong was wise. Otherwise, who knows how many more would have died.”

Cao father explained, “The bandits saw that we were strong and sold us to a cult, forcing us into the mountains to dig graves.”

“We don’t know whose graves exactly. We dug for over ten days — only tunnels, not a single burial item found.”

“That cult was inhuman, forcing us to work day and night. We only ate thin soup. Many collapsed and never got back up.”

“They threw the dead into mountain hollows without even burying them.”

The cruelty in his words silenced everyone present.

Cao Baozhu, worried about her father and brothers’ grief, spoke softly: “Luckily, now that we’ve been found, Magistrate Hong will find their families and let them rest in peace.”

“At first, we thought about fighting back. All the men in the cave thought, with so many of us and hoes in hand, we might escape if we rebelled.”

“But — the cult used sorcery. Anyone who dared resist was discovered before acting and would die bleeding from all seven orifices.”

Gu Qingyan’s heart jumped, recalling the scene at the sacrificial altar.

Liu Yanchi quickly added, “At first, I also thought they had sorcery, but Gu brother told me they didn’t. They just used poison — those people were poisoned to death.”

“We didn’t know at the time and really believed in their sorcery, so we dared not resist,” Cao father did not refute.

“But that tomb site was strange.”

Mentioning this, fear briefly flickered on the Cao family’s faces.

Gu Qingyan frowned, “What was wrong with the tomb site?”

Cao father whispered, “The tomb seemed to move.”

Everyone present was startled but showed disbelief.

Cao eldest brother quickly said, “Don’t disbelieve us, it’s true.”

“Once we were sure we had reached the tomb chamber — just a little more — and in a blink, it was gone.”

“We overheard the cult also talking about it, saying they needed to sacrifice virgin boys and girls to exchange for something.”

Gu Qingyan instinctively gripped his jade seal.

He didn’t believe the tomb site could actually move and guessed maybe the thin air underground caused hallucinations for the four men.

The Cao family seemed to recall something terrifying, their faces turning grim: “What exactly do they want?”

“We don’t know. The cult never spoke to us and never discussed important matters in front of us,” Cao father shook his head.

“Young Master, don’t ask any more about this. The mountains are strange. From now on, we will avoid them. Never go there again,” Cao father warned repeatedly.

Gu Qingyan’s eyes flickered. He really wanted to go back and see for himself.

He wanted to see exactly what was in the Prince Huai’s tomb, and what those cultists were really after.

Mother Liu noticed his thoughts and quickly said, “Brother Yan, did you hear that? You’re not allowed to go again.”

Before Gu Qingyan could explain, Mother Liu sat beside him, wiping her tears. “It’s all my fault for being useless. I’m not even your real mother. Now you don’t even want to listen to me. If that’s the case, maybe I should just go back to Qingzhou Prefecture—so I’m not in your way.”

Even knowing Mother Liu was only saying this on purpose, Gu Qingyan couldn’t bear it.

“Mom, how can you say that?”

He had to give in. “Fine, I won’t go, alright? I promise, I definitely won’t go again.”

“Well, you better keep your word, or else…” Mother Liu tried to sound serious but didn’t dare finish the sentence, afraid it might actually happen.

Gu Shuyan suddenly said, “Or else you’ll turn into a puppy.”

Mother Liu burst out laughing, “Shuyan’s right, or you’ll turn into a puppy.”

What else could Gu Qingyan do but obediently agree?

After visiting, the Cao family insisted on leaving gifts. The four of them were so strong that Mother Liu simply couldn’t push them away.

Gu Qingyan felt he had fully recovered and was ready to go home immediately.

But Mother Liu was still uneasy. Meiling Village didn’t even have a doctor. If something went wrong, they wouldn’t even have time to cry.

After much persuasion, they decided to stay in town for two days to observe and only return home once everything was confirmed safe.

When Liu Yanchi heard this, he stubbornly followed along.

None of the four men would let Gu Qingyan carry anything. Each of them carried big bundles, while Gu Qingyan’s hands were empty, making him feel awkward.

Gu Qingyan wandered about, unaware that things were already in chaos back at Magistrate Hong’s office.