Jiaohua

They stared at each other, neither of them wearing "proper" clothes.

They remained silent.

Liu Renshu knew in his heart that something was wrong.

Tian Wu also sensed something was wrong.

Liu Renshu's gaze fell on the assassin on the ground.

He didn't know who this person was, but if this person was a prisoner captured by Tian Wu, then what if this person knew the inside story and betrayed him?

After all, he provided the map of the funeral palace, the time for the officials to evacuate, and the troops he specially transferred. He decided the entire funeral scale.

Tian Wu had absolutely no idea how much Liu Renshu had overheard—

He was careless!

Why didn't he expect there would be survivors here? In his shock and anger, he grabbed the assassin and threw him over, berating him all the way.

This assassin refused to say a word, letting Tian Wu push him around.

The air seemed to freeze as Liu Renshu and Tian Wu frantically plotted in their hearts.

Liu Renshu, being both mature and thick-skinned, spoke first: "Lord Tian, ​​what is this...?"

Tian Wu remained expressionless, but quietly made a gesture to his subordinates behind him.

Two armed men strode toward Liu Renshu, their menacing aura palpable, as they drew their weapons.

Liu Renshu was shocked: "Tian Wu, what are you doing!"

His attendants rushed forward, but they were no match for Tian Wu's two bodyguards.

The small-scale battle ended in the blink of an eye.

Liu Renshu was pierced through the abdomen by a martial arts follower's longsword and shoved against the wall.

Liu Renshu's intestines were spilling out; he convulsed in pain and glared at Tian Wu.

Tian Wu didn't even glance at him and strode away.

The bloody and horrific scene at the funeral palace was only brought to light by farmers from nearby villages who ran to the city gates and shouted.

The city gatekeeper was greatly alarmed, but dared not rashly lead his troops there. He first sent people to the capital region government and the capital prefecture.

While they were reporting up the chain of command, a force of more than twenty soldiers was rushing from Fenghe County to the south, heading straight for the funeral palace.

Xia Zhaoyi estimated that Shen Lie would arrive in the capital in the next few days, so she arranged for people to meet him in Fenghe County yesterday.

Unexpectedly, Shen Lie arrived in Beijing today.

It was only after arriving that Shen Lie learned that Yan Qinglin had died, that the funeral was being held today, and that Xia Zhaoyi had made arrangements at the funeral palace.

Xia Zhaoyi did not give specific instructions, nor could she. The situation was constantly changing, and if it differed from what she had given, it could easily lead to misunderstandings.

Shen Lie led his men on horseback and saw that almost all the villagers had come out of their homes, pointing and discussing the funeral palace from afar.

Upon seeing them, several nearby villagers mistook them for imperial soldiers and immediately greeted them, "Sir!"

Then, pointing to the funeral palace in the distance, a group of people chattered amongst themselves.

Shen Lie tried his best to pick out the key points from the listening.

He didn't linger and left with his men.

Due to the time difference, Liao Yi and Ling'er had already arrived at Wanchun Cliff, northwest of Yong'an.

Upon hearing that they had brought the entire coffin, Nangong Qiuming laughed in anger. He quickly led his men out, and Liao Yi was ordering the coffin to be unloaded from the cart.

"Nonsense!" Nangong Qiuming walked over and scolded in a low voice, "Why did you bring it back?!"

Liao Yi said, "We couldn't pry it open with nails, and time was of the essence, so we decided to bring it back."

Ling'er said, "Sir, I tested it on the way. This nail has a hidden mechanism; there's a long needle in the middle. After driving it in, twisting the needle will extend a barb from the other end, hooking onto the inner panel. Besides, the coffin's lacquer is excellent, making it difficult to penetrate with knives or fire." Liao Yi immediately added, "Did you hear that, Nangong Qiuming? You sit here, just talking and sending us to our deaths! More than thirty of us have died on this trip!"

Nangong Qiuming examined the coffin, then looked back at the path they had come from.

The coffin was heavy, and there were probably many traces left on the road.

He quickly thought for a moment, then looked around and said, "Go find a boulder immediately, the bigger the better, hoist it up, and then we'll smash this coffin!"

The subordinate behind him said, "Old sir, there might be some funerary objects in the coffin. If you don't control your strength properly, you might smash them..."

Nangong Qiuming frowned: "Go find it first! Go now!"

There are many rocks at the foot of Wanchun Cliff, but finding one that can smash this coffin covered in agarwood and lacquered with gold is no easy task.

The lacquer on the outer layer of Yan Qinglin's coffin was a mixture of cinnabar and gold powder, known as Eight Treasures Raw Lacquer, which was dried layer by layer in the shade and became as hard as iron armor.

The holes where the nails were driven in were pre-drilled before the paint was applied.

While instructing his men to arrange the large stones, Nangong Qiuming, as a precaution, also ordered two teams of men to push two carts loaded with heavy objects in two other directions, deliberately leaving more traces along the way.

Jiangmei, cradling her large belly, looked out the window at the people making the lifting equipment, her gaze repeatedly drifting to the coffin.

She knew nothing about it, and Nangong Qiuming and his men wouldn't tell her any of this.

At this moment, Jiang Mei's gaze stopped not far behind Nangong Qiuming.

There stood a "man" there, and this "man" was bending down and tying a rope.

The more Jiang Mei looked at the person, the stranger their figure and posture seemed...like a woman.

She had a sharp eye, not only because she grew up in Yanchunlou, but also because she had repeatedly trafficked women.

Although the "man" seemed carefree, the more Jiang Mei looked at him, the more she felt that he was actually a woman.

If she is a woman, why does she dress up as a man?
"Something's strange!" Jiang Mei looked at a woman standing beside her. "That man... he's acting weird!"

The woman looked in that direction but couldn't see anything wrong.

"He's not a man, she's a woman!" Jiangmei exclaimed. "That person is a woman!"

The woman glanced at him again and said coldly, "Don't try anything funny."

Jiangmei insisted: "It's better to believe it's true than not to believe it's not. It's never wrong to be cautious! We are on the same side. If you are safe, I am safe too."

Another woman thought this made sense, and after looking the "man" over and over again, she said to her companion, "I'll go find the old man."

The woman came out of the house and quickly went to Nangong Qiuming's side to whisper.

Nangong Qiuming frowned and turned to look at the "man" behind him.

Noticing the gaze behind him, the man's back stiffened slightly, and his movements slowed.

Nangong Qiuming looked him over and said in a deep voice, "Turn around."

The "man" did not react and continued working.

Ling'er walked over and looked at Nangong Qiuming: "Sir, what happened?"

Not far away, Xia Zhaoyi, who was being bound by ropes, stopped what she was doing and looked at them.

Nangong Qiuming gestured with his chin toward the "man," indicating that Ling'er should come over.

Ling'er responded and quickly walked over, grabbing the "man's" shoulder and forcibly turning him around.

The "man" gritted his teeth, turned around, and suddenly attacked Ling'er.

Ling'er, with her exceptional skills, swiftly parried the attack, simultaneously forming claws with her fingers and stabbing towards his eyes.

Before her fingers even reached ten inches from his eyes, a whip cracked, wrapping around her wrist and flinging her away. (End of Chapter)