It was at the midnight.

A black figure entered the Eastern Depot to the front hall and pulled down the black cloth covering his face. He bowed on one knee.

"Shi Lei, your subordinate, returns from Nanyuan to reply to the Master."

Leng Qingtang turned around with his hands crossed and his figure was reversed in the candlelight. His phoenix eyes fell darkly on the newly appointed seventh captain's young handsome face, converging his brilliance.

"Did you see that?"

Shi Lei nodded solemnly and said with a certain tone, "I have seen it. I am fortunate to live up to your mission and the condiments have been mixed."

Leng Qingtang nodded with satisfaction, "Thanks for your hard work, Seven. You can leave now."

"Yes."

The black image reflected in the lingering pupils gradually faded out and Leng Qingtang retracted his gaze with cold in his thoughtful eyes.

After a while, Qinger rushed in, with tears all over her round face. She held a jade flute in her hand, "Master... Master, something has happened. The lady leaves the Eastern Depot..."

A gleam of light swayed through Leng Qingtang's clear eyes. He fixedly looked at the flashing piccolo and held Qinger calmly. He said with a steady expression, "When did it happen? Don't worry. Tell me about it clearly."

"I was worried that her wound would hurt and she could not sleep well. And so I just went to her room to send some supper. However, she was not there and the bedding was cold. It should have been a long time. This is what she put on the bedside. I think she leaves it to you."

Qinger handed the flute to Leng Qingtang. Leng Qingtang walked under the candlelight and examined it repeatedly. Finally, he found that the object that made him see through her identity at that night was a rare hidden weapon.

Quickly back to his room in the small yard, he found the goatskin fruit that he deliberately left on the table disappeared. Leng Qingtang knew that the overall situation had been basically controlled in their own hands, and then he said to Qinger,

"Don't worry. Yunxi has to leave temporarily. I know where she is, and I can pick her up again if I miss her. Don't cry. Xiaoshen may be worried. Ask the first captain to come and follow me back to the palace."

Qinger dried her tears. She promised, leaving the Master's house.

…

Gu Yunxi leaped and lifted her body all the way by the faint moonlight. She jumped over the high eaves of the buildings, gradually away from the Eastern Depot.

She talked with Leng Qingtang before and heard that the Kunhuang Island map was in the Eastern Depot. She immediately thought that this map would bring him endless trouble.

While Leng Qingtang was going to the front hall, Gu Yunxi sneaked into his room to steal the treasure map and then quietly escaped from the Eastern Depot.

She didn't intend to betray the Master again. Just because the masked man was a secretive martial artist, she didn't want Leng Qingtang to get into trouble because of her and the ominous island map.

What was more, looking for the map was the original task of the masked man who sent it to her. Now that the map was there, she was determined to fight her death and go back to end the relationship with the cruel person.

Halfway towards Mount Yin, she was stopped by a group of people again. The masked woman shouted loudly, "Tu Muxue, give me the Kunhuang Island map!"

"It's you?"

Gu Yunxi's eyes were gloomy when she heard the woman's voice. She took a step back and responded, "Don't think about it! Except for His Highness, no one can snatch the treasure map from me!"

The woman drew her eyes and said in a deep voice, "No way. His Highness doesn't want to see you again, and so he ordered me to kill you!"

She raised her wrist to make a gesture, and her followers rushed forward and fought fiercely with Gu Yunxi.

Gu Yunxi had no weapons. Even if she had an injury on her shoulder, she was blessed by internal strength and it would not be a disadvantage to fight with the opponent in a short time.

But gradually, she felt that her heart became more and more empty and her limbs were weak. She fell to the ground, shaking uncontrollably.

"Hehe, she has a drug addiction."

The masked woman chuckled and tapped her toes as she approached Gu Yunxi. She raised her leg and kicked her over, staring at Gu Yunxi's mouth and nose drooling. Gu Yunxi's hand twitched and stretched towards the lap of her clothes, trying to get out the Hanfu Powder that she was carrying with her.

The masked woman squinted resentfully and slammed on Gu Yunxi's injured shoulder with the soles of her boots. It caused Gu Yunxi's facial features to change suddenly and she groaned for a long time.

When she was about to squat down, there were loud voices and horseshoes. And then hundreds of white-clothed guards came out and trapped the black-clothed people.

"It's the Western Depot!"

Someone unknown yelled and people in black in the encirclement were all in a hurry. They leaned against each other in a group and clung to the swords. Their faces were in panic under the coverings.

Ming Lan puckered his mouth on the horse. He seemed to be proud after he snorted and coldly ordered, "Catch them all alive."

The guards rushed forward and the fight resumed.

The men in black were outnumbered despite excellent martial arts. The leading masked woman avoided the attack and took out a hidden weapon to attack Gu Yunxi who was suffering from drug addiction and was rolling on the spot. An Hong brandished a silver hammer to block the hidden weapon.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the woman sighed with resentment. She whistled sharply to ask her accomplices to flee the scene.

Ming Lan sent a small group of guards to chase after them by horse, but he dismounted. Under An Hong's protection, he approached the dying person on the ground.

Gu Yunxi lay on her back on the ground. Her face controlled by drug addiction was sallow and her body was sweating profusely. There were noisy and chaotic sounds in her ears, like the tide gurgling. Then, in the blurred vision, she saw a fuzzy face with glamorous makeup.

"Hey, who is it? It's Madam Mu from Chuxiu Palace. I didn't expect you and the traitor to be a gang! Come on. Take her away."

Gu Yunxi's heart was cold, and it was already clear that the person speaking in front of her was Commander-in-chief of the Western Depot. Helplessly, she had a drug addiction now and could not take medicine in time. No matter how great her martial arts was, it was now a waste.

Ming Lan thought she was struggling because of her pain, and so he asked An Hong to attack her sleeping point and took her to the Western Depot.

…

The sky was faintly bright and Ming Lan couldn’t help feeling overjoyed. He stayed up all night but was anxious to dress up and change court clothes, preparing to enter the palace before Emperor Jingxiao went to court. He wanted to bring the news to the emperor that the Western Depot had caught the traitor Tu Muxue the night before.

Only when the gate of the Western Depot was opened a man with handsome eyes wearing a green shirt and a flowered cloak stood under the lintel.

"You? Humph, the news spreads fast enough. I just caught Tu Muxue, and you are here."

Ming Lan was surrounded by the guards. He raised his eyebrows and looked directly at Leng Qingtang who was calm. And then he turned his eyes to look at several guards in casual clothes who followed him, with an extraordinary expression of triumph.

He had heard some rumors from the palace before that because of that maid, the leader of the Imperial Ceremony Office confronted the Noble Concubine Wan, causing them to suddenly turn hostile in court.

Now it was him again. He came to the Western Depot early in the morning to block the door, so it could be seen that it was still for her.

Leng Qingtang looked up to Ming Lan's bright peach blossom eyes and curled his lips leisurely with a dazzling tone.

"Master Ming, are you going to enter the palace early in the morning?"

"Is it your business? It looks like you don't intend to go to court."

Ming Lan said casually, looking up and down with his peach blossom eyes and carefully examining Leng Qingtang's clothes.

Leng Qingtang still smiled.

"I just came out of the palace. I hope that you can let me in and speak to you."

Leng Qingtang raised his hand to shove Ming Lan, moved his cloak, and swaggered into the threshold.

The guards of the Western Depot prepared to fight. Leng Qingtang took out a roll of yellow silk from his sleeve and raised it high into the sky calmly.

"Hey, Leng Qingtang, what... what is it?"

Ming Lan was shocked suddenly and he was able to guess that what it was. For a moment, his chest suddenly rose and fell, and he waved hurriedly to remind his subordinates to get out of the way.

With a sly smile, Leng Qingtang walked quickly into the main hall of the Western Depot and stood upright,

"Commander-in-chief of the Western Depot, Ming Lan, answer the imperial edict."

"…"

Ming Lan tried his best to endure his inner discomfort, kneeling with his subordinates and keeping his eyebrows down.

Leng Qingtang read out the imperial edict.

"According to the will of God, I, as the emperor, issue the following order. Rebels have rioted the capital, entered the palace at night, and stolen the golden crown of the dragon robe. They have blasphemed the spirit of the deceased emperor and disturbed the surroundings. Hereby, I entrust Commander-in-chief of the Eastern Depot with the important post to investigate the mannequin case and catch the gangsters. He can behead someone first and then make all known to the Emperor. The Western Depot should make every effort to assist the Eastern Depot to arrest the culprit as soon as possible to comfort me."

After the announcement was over for a moment, Ming Lan came back faintly. He raised his head angrily and his bright eyes were reflected on the beautiful jade face of Leng Qingtang's pale and faint smile.

"Master Ming, do you refuse to accept the edict?"

Leng Qingtang tilted his head with a smile and handed the closed yellow silk to Ming Lan.

Ming Lan pressed down the corner of his mouth and his facial features twitched faintly. He reluctantly raised his arms to take the imperial edict and replied stiffly, "Ming Lan accepts the edict."

Getting up, Ming Lan was grim and said reluctantly, "Unexpectedly, Master Leng is so brazen. You actually enter the palace to ask for an edict and ask my Western Depot to assist your Eastern Depot in the investigation!"

Leng Qingtang smiled lightly and arched his hands, "No, no. Even though His Majesty wants you to help me, personally I always regard Master Ming as an equal and cooperative partner. This time the Eastern and Western depots are jointly investigating the case. Naturally, I need to rely more on Master Ming."

Ming Lan gave a flick of his sleeve and sneered, "The weasel pays respect to the hen without the best of intentions. Don’t you want me to die back then?"

Leng Qingtang smirked and his voice was filled with coldness, "What does Master Ming say and how do I want you to die? You should know that if I want you to die, you will never live today."

"You..."

Ming Lan was choked to death on the spot. His fists clenched and trembled, and his face was sullen,

"What on earth do you want to do?!"

Leng Qingtang's gaze crossed Ming Lan and looked far away, aimlessly looking somewhere behind him. Leng Qingtang said with confidence, "Trust me. The cooperation between us will be profitable and harmless to everyone. In this way, the first step of cooperation is to let me see Tu Muxue."