Lu Qiange awakened from his deep sleep, stood up, and stared blankly at the flickering candlelight.

Fu Danqing was holding up the porcelain bowl containing the soup. She turned her head when hearing the sound and hurriedly walked to the bed. She looked at Lu Qiange's pale face and said with worry,

"Your Highness, you wake up. Lie down quickly. Your internal injury has not healed. I serve you to take the medicine first."

"Internal injury?"

Lu Qiange frowned with his purple eyes flashing to look at the very familiar furnishings in the room. He recalled what happened before, muttering to himself,

"How do I have an internal injury?"

Fu Danqing sat on the corner stool, took a spoonful of concoction, and blew it. While feeding the medicine to Lu Qiange, she explained in a polite manner, "You led people to stop Priest Wu on the way and Senior Wenren was worried when hearing the news. When they reached Yuyan Ridge, they found that you and Batu were unconscious."

"When I diagnosed and treated you, I found that you were suffering from miasma and had obvious internal injuries. As a last resort, we brought you two back to the secluded valley where Senior Wenren recuperates."

In addition to being proficient in calligraphy and writing, Fu Danqing also knew the art of medicine. Her external identity was the top courtesan of Wanhua Tower, but she was actually the elite spy of Udan in Da Yi.

On the surface, she and her Wanhua Tower ran the business of prostitution. In fact, she obtained information through contact with officials from Da Yi and then continuously spread useful information to the western tribes.

Lu Qiange's eyes widened when he heard the Swift Tower. He gripped the quilt fiercely with his iron claws. When he was emotionally out of control, he made a hole in the soft quilt.

"Leng Qingtang’s sneak attack on me is all to blame for it."

Lu Qiange was irritated by the cotton wool in front of him and sneezed twice before saying,

"At the critical moment, he stunned me with a palm and he must have snatched the treasure map. By the way, Tu Muxue was also in the battle with me. Where is she now?"

Fu Danqing was puzzled. She narrowed her eyes, tilted her head, and wondered,

"Is the Eastern Depot involved in this affair? But why was the Western Depot that took the lead in beheading her? Is there a fraud..."

"Behead? Who was beheaded?"

Lu Qiange asked eagerly and unconsciously startled.

Fu Danqing had to nod and answered,

"Your Highness, forgive me. Three days ago, when you were in a coma because of the miasma, Senior Wenren went to the capital to inquire about the news and learned that Tu Muxue was caught by Ming Lan of the Western Depot. Posts were everywhere in the downtown area, saying that the Western Depot would kill Tu Muxue at Yangfangkou at noon."

"Ah?!"

Lu Qiange's expression suddenly turned cold. He tried to get out of bed but was held down by Fu Danqing.

"Your Highness, Your Highness, listen to me. Just now I heard you talk about the past, only to feel that there is something hidden in this matter..."

The door moved and a burly figure stepped into the room, throwing away the hat on his head.

"Master!"

Lu Qiange was surprised and delighted when he saw Master coming back, "Where have you been?"

Wenren Junzheng shook his sturdy one-arm and quickly walked to the bed. He carefully looked at Lu Qiange for a moment and his eyes were kind,

"You're awake. You scared me."

Lu Qiange grabbed Wenren's big hand and said impatiently,

"Master, quickly bring me and the followers to the capital. I want to save Tu Muxue."

Wenren Junzheng showed a touch of surprise in his eyes and said casually,

"It's too late. It's already night, and the woman was rescued on the execution ground. That the Eastern and Western Depots jointly handle the case is really a strange thing."

Fu Danqing was calm.

"That's the case. I also feel that there are a lot of clues of this execution."

Wenren Junzheng walked to the basin stand, wiped his face, and then wiped it dry with a kerchief,

"There are curfews in the city now. Danqing, you can live here tonight. You must go back to Wanhua Tower tomorrow. There is no further delay."

"Yes."

Fu Danqing glanced at Lu Qiange silently and nodded obediently immediately.

In Mount Yin, it was night and the cold wind was howling.

Hidden in the ridge, the masked man stared at the densely packed lantern torches in the direction of the imperial mausoleum. Seeing the Honour Guards and guards of the Eastern Depot rushing, he became sinister and were biting his teeth coldly.

"There are no eggs under the nest. That girl... is really committed to him!"

The woman in black was beside him and her face was pale and solemn, "The rest of your subordinates are still in Mount Baixiang at the moment. Your Highness, do you want to make a careful plan for a counterattack?"

The masked man put his hands on his ribs. His hatred was heavy and his eyebrows twitched.

"Sooner or later, they will go to Kunhuang Island and try to leave Jing City, and then we can settle the issues there!"

The woman smiled coldly, "Well, I have one solution..."

She drew out a golden waist card from her waist with her slender hand and gently handed it to the masked man.

"I got it when I was fighting against the Eastern Depot. Now that the incident has happened, the imperial court will inevitably set up checkpoints on Da Yi's main roads. Your Highness, if you want to get out of Jing City successfully, it is better to take risks and make good use of your face."

The deep pupils of the masked man reflected his beautiful face and he chuckled softly.

"It's a good idea. It's okay to swap the identity. It is time for you to show up. Go, and you are her from this moment. Your name is Gu Yunxi!"

In the scarlet eyes, the girl's delicate pink lips were beautiful and clear.

…

The night was dark and the palace lanterns were hung high, which outlined the undulating lines of these splendid buildings and the magnificence unique to the royal family.

Leng Qingtang led a guard and rushed into the Palace straight to the room where the eunuchs of the West Sixth Bureau rested.

After entering the yard, Leng Qingtang stepped forward alone and pushed the door lightly. He saw Lord Hu taking off his robe and crown in front of the elegantly carved square table. He sat with an awe-inspiring expression and raised his sharp eyes slightly to welcome the handsome man.

Not knowing how to speak, the moment he met Lord Hu, Leng Qingtang felt that his heart had been lost in vain.

When he came, he walked eagerly to find out the truth. Now the truth was right in front of him, but he was overwhelmed by the fear in his heart.

In the palace, he heard that the execution ground of Yangfang was robbed and hundreds of insurgents were beaten by the two Depots. The Eastern Depot followed up the success, going straight to Mount Yin. Lord Hu knew that Leng Qingtang would find him sooner or later.

In terms of the Eastern Depot's tactics, extracting useful information from the captured people was completely a piece of cake.

Leng Qingtang spoke blankly and took the lead in breaking the silence.

"I think about it for a long time but fail to figure out that you are the spy of that man in the palace. You secretly hide beside Huanan Ze. It seems that you serve me, but in fact, you are that person's spy..."

Lord Hu smiled and shook his head with an indifferent expression.

Leng Qingtang's facial features suddenly changed in the slow laughter.

"Do Lord Protector Zheng and Master Bian know his existence?"

Lord Hu shook his head mechanically.

"The only people who know the truth about this matter are Princess Anhe and me. In the early years, I own her my life and I was willing to help her conceal this secret. Now, I will also serve the deceased emperor in that life."

After speaking, Lord Hu turned his eyes to look at the carp-patterned wine cup on the table. The smooth white porcelain rim diffused the lingering light in the swaying firelight.

Before Leng Qingtang arrived, he had swallowed a glass of poisoned wine.

Leng Qingtang's body was faltering in an instant and he closed his eyes in pain and fatigue.

"It turns out that I have always been a tool of revenge. I should hide in the dark forever like a shadow. In order to protect a shadow that can't see the light, Master Bian and the Zheng family all died."

Lord Hu sighed sadly.

"In terms of the so-called peace and destiny, no one can escape from fate. Just like the Master, you were born to be revenged on the deceased Emperor. The sacrifice they made was to assist you in fulfilling your mission. As for him, I believe you are also embarrassed at this moment, right? Even if you arrested him, I am afraid that your identity would be exposed in the end."

Leng Qingtang tried his best to restrain the complex emotions that flooded in his heart. His nose fluttered quickly and water and light faintly fluctuated in his deep eyes.

"I will do everything to protect him."

"That's good..."

Lord Hu's face suddenly stretched and his eyes widened. His eyes were full of thick bloodshot.

He clenched two fists and the pale old face showed a smile of relief. It looked extremely weird and crippled against the numerous stiff wrinkles running through the facial features.

When his lips squirmed, a mouthful of black blood came out of his mouth. Lord Hu said softly and intermittently, "Both born of the same root, why they torment each other so cruelly..."

His exhausted body slumped on the table and he died.