I became a prince in a martial arts world.

Shi Yinyu could see clearly that under the bright moonlight, Wang Yu stood tall and proud, while Han Dingyuan, who was frozen behind him, fell headfirst off the broken wall.

Shi Yinyu's pupils shrank suddenly. Without the slightest hesitation, he leaped off the ruins in an instant, waving his hand to release a cloud of white smoke that enveloped the surroundings. He then disappeared into the night in a flash.

Ma Bojun brandished his spear and exclaimed, "Yulang! Excellent swordsmanship!"

"With Han Dingyuan gone, more than half of the trouble is gone," Wang Yu said with a smile.

This was a plan they had already finalized.

The four bandits of Qishan are no ordinary people; each of them is a first-rate expert and not easy to kill. If they rashly block the road, Shi Yinyu will use poison and Han Dingyuan will use arrows, and perhaps none of them can be saved.

Therefore, they decided to concentrate their efforts on eliminating one of them. Since Shi Yinyu's poison skills were unknown, their target was Han Dingyuan, who was skilled in long-range attacks and could easily cause them serious harm.

Don't be fooled by how easily Ma Bojun blocked Han Dingyuan's Yin-Yang Arrows last night. In fact, Han Dingyuan's archery skills are extremely high, and his martial arts are also very strong.

Zhao Shan and Zhao He were the top guards of the Prince of Zhenxi's mansion, but they were almost powerless against Han Dingyuan.

Zhao Shan's three throwing knives were as swift as lightning, but Han Dingyuan blocked them all with a single long arrow, demonstrating the skill and dexterity of Han Dingyuan. Zhao He dared not even try to catch the two short arrows Han Dingyuan threw, showing the strength of Han Dingyuan's internal energy.

However, Han Dingyuan's foundation was ultimately insufficient, and he was no match for Ma Bojun.

So after Ma Bojun used all his strength to strike first and then Zhao Shan and Zhao He exhausted his strength, leaving him without arrows, Wang Yu finally appeared and sent him to his death with a single sword strike.

Of course, all of this is on the premise that Wang Yu is also strong enough!

"Your Highness, the Shuntian Army has discovered a treasure in the Northwest Palace, and the Qishan bandits have already gone there." A man in black suddenly appeared; he was one of the guards from the royal palace who had come to the Northwest with Wang Yu.

Another man in black scaled the wall and entered, providing new information: "The prince previously warned that the treasure in the Northwest Palace might be fake. We investigated in the opposite direction and found the Shuntian Army's troops near the ruins of the market by the East Gate, along with nearly a hundred large carts."

"As expected, it's at the East Gate." Li Yunxiu emerged from behind the wall. "Going out from the East Gate, there are several oases nearby where we can hide. It's also not far from the Western Regions trade route, so it's easy to blend in. With some disguise, entering the pass won't be difficult."

Qianqian emerged from the darkness, lightly jumped, and sat on a half-person-high section of the crumbling wall, leisurely swinging her legs. "Shall we go to the east gate to ambush them?"

"Of course not." Li Yunxiu smiled slightly and gave the order, "Have the Iron Eagle Cavalry split off twenty riders, tie tree branches to their horses' tails, and make it look like the main force is gathering outside the west gate to lure the enemy at the east gate away from the city."

The remaining cavalry gathered in the oasis further away from the East Gate, waiting for the Shuntian Army to leave the ancient city and lose their advantageous terrain before launching a surprise attack. Their aim was not to kill or wound the enemy, but simply to drive them away.

As long as we don't enter the west gate, the Qishan bandits will eventually discover that the treasure in the Northwest Palace is fake, and they will inevitably fight against the Shuntian Army left behind in the palace and ambushed at the west gate.

"Let's see what happens. If the Qishan bandits are too stupid to discover the truth about the Loulan Palace, we can help them and prevent them from being deceived."

Ma Bojun laughed heartily and nodded repeatedly, "Exactly, exactly. If the Qishan bandits and the Shuntian army can fight like dogs, it will actually make things easier for us."

Wang Yu sheathed his sword. "Let's go!"

……

Northwest of the ancient city, the Loulan Royal Palace.

Under the moonlight, the torches burned brightly, their flames spreading everywhere, but they couldn't suppress the blood-red hue in many people's eyes.

"Get out of the way!" a burly man, half-naked and carrying a ghost-head knife, snarled, while also clutching a string of gold beads in his left hand.

"Chief Xu, our two families have already agreed that we will defeat the Prince of Zhenxi's Mansion together and then divide the treasure." A minor leader of the Shuntian Army blocked the palace gate. "Our army is already in ambush at the west gate. Are you going to break your oath?"

"Who told you we'd defeat the Prince of Zhenxi's mansion before dividing the treasure? That's two completely different things!" Chief Xu roared. "Defeating the mansion is one thing, dividing the treasure is another! We'll divide the treasure first, and that won't stop us from killing those imperial lackeys!"

The leader was somewhat intimidated by the menacing group of bandits before him, but he really couldn't let them in, because they would discover the truth once inside.

"The treasure is right here, there's no way to escape it, Chief Xu, why are you in such a hurry?" the junior leader continued to persuade. "Our top priority is to destroy the Zhenxi Prince's Mansion, otherwise we will all be hunted down by the Iron Eagle Cavalry."

"Who the hell is going to reason with you? Do we know the Zhenxi Prince's Mansion better, or do you know it better?" Chief Xu clutched the golden pearl, baring his fangs. "Let me see the treasure, or we'll have a fight first!"

In order to lure the Qishan bandits and the Iron Eagle Cavalry to the Northwest Palace, the Shuntian Army scattered a great deal of gold and silver treasures around the area, including pearls, agate, jade, and cat's-eye stones...

But they didn't expect that the Qishan bandits were even more impatient than they had imagined. When they saw these treasures that the Loulan Kingdom had carefully collected over hundreds of years, their eyes turned red.

Those who got the jewels were fine, but the bandits who didn't have any were now only thinking about storming the palace and looting the treasure. They had no intention of fighting first.

Just then, Niu Zilian and his party arrived at the royal palace.

The plan at the East Gate went smoothly. The key point was to lure the Iron Eagle Cavalry into the city at the West Gate and engage in a fierce battle with the Qishan bandits.

As the key figure in this plan, Niu Zilian must appear, otherwise it will arouse the suspicion of the Qishan bandits. Moreover, Niu Zilian is confident that he can escape unscathed.

"Where are Mr. Li and Mr. Feng?" Niu Zilian asked.

"Has Ma Bojun arrived?"

A hoarse voice came from a withered tree not far away. Niu Zilian looked up and saw an old man with white hair and a strange, weathered face sitting on a branch, as if he had become one with the dry poplar tree.

Niu Zilian cupped his hands in greeting, "The Iron Eagle Cavalry is currently patrolling outside the West Gate. Ma Bojun and the others should arrive soon."

"Didn't Brother Han and Fairy Shi come with you?"

Another voice rang out from the wall beside them. A middle-aged man in a blue robe stood on the wall. He was handsome, with a sword on his back and gently stroking the three long strands of beard under his chin. Standing on the moonlit wall, he looked like a sword immortal descending to earth.

These two were the last two of the five bandits of Qishan: Black Wind Old Monster Feng Li and Impermanent Sword Li Wuchang.

One was a swordsman from the Northwest, whose swordsmanship was fast, ruthless, and cunning, honed in the wind and sand of the Northwest. His killings instilled fear in the hearts of the people, and he was the most senior member of the Qishan bandits.

One of them was a swordsman from the Central Plains, born into the Taihua Sect. He violated the sect's rules and fled to Qishan to become a bandit. Over the past ten years, he has integrated Northwest martial arts and developed a sword technique that combines orthodox and unorthodox methods, making it both strange and unpredictable. He has earned the name "Wuchang Sword".

"We haven't seen General Han and Fairy Shi since this morning," Niu Zilian replied, his expression normal. "Shouldn't they have returned to see you both much earlier?"

Feng Li and Li Wuchang exchanged a glance.

Han Dingyuan and Shi Yinyu did meet with them this morning, but after discussing the cooperation with the Shuntian Army, they returned to Loulan City to continue monitoring the Shuntian Army and the Zhenxi Prince's Mansion.

Logically, now that the three parties have come together, they should be the ones to show up.

Just then, a fast horse galloped towards them. "Dust is still flying outside the west gate; the Iron Eagle Cavalry hasn't entered the city yet!"

"Why haven't they come in yet?" Niu Zilian frowned upon hearing this. "Their reaction is too slow!"

According to the recent explorations by the Shuntian Army, in addition to themselves and the Qishan bandits, there are also spies from the Loulan Kingdom, scattered martial artists from the Western Regions martial arts world, and a group of mysterious men in black in the ancient city.

Niu Zilian had no doubt that this group of mysterious men in black were the imperial guards of the Prince of Zhenxi's mansion.

The Iron Eagle Cavalry had long been stationed around the area. They couldn't possibly leave such a large target as the ancient city of Loulan unexplored. But once they came in to investigate, they couldn't possibly be unaware of the treasure's appearance in the Loulan Royal Palace.

If they don't rush in and seize the treasure as soon as possible, they'll end up with nothing once the treasure is scattered and taken away by the Shuntian Army and the Qishan bandits!

Feng Li licked his lips, which were chapped from the northwest wind, and looked at Niu Zilian. "Since the Iron Eagle Cavalry hasn't arrived yet, Strategist Niu, may I take a look at the famous Loulan Treasure?"

To be honest, I've lived this long and heard countless stories about treasure maps, but this is the first time I've experienced one firsthand. It's broadened my horizons and will give me something to brag about to my ancestors when I'm gone.

A glint flashed in Li Wuchang's eyes. "Since it's a cooperation, Strategist Niu needs to show a cooperative attitude and protect the treasure tightly. Not even letting us see it is not a cooperative attitude."

Niu Zilian glanced at the already brightening sky and cursed the Zhenxi Prince's Mansion in his heart for being utterly useless.

He calculated the timing with extreme precision: the treasure clues were exposed, the Qishan bandits and the Shuntian army gathered just as the sun was about to rise. This would avoid the Iron Eagle Cavalry's reluctance to fight at night and allow them to charge the city with peace of mind.

As a result, the Qishan bandits and the Shuntian army were almost fighting in the palace, but the Iron Eagle Cavalry was still lingering outside.

Niu Zilian waved his hand behind him, and several people carried two large boxes out of the palace and placed the boxes behind Niu Zilian.

The next moment, the box was opened, and under the clear sky, everyone could see that it was full of gold and silver coins, as well as various utensils made of gold and silver.

Niu Zilian cupped his hands and said to Feng Li and Li Wuchang, "Actually, we just discovered the treasure. The King of Loulan buried the treasure under the palace. My men are still digging. These two boxes were just dug out. I don't know how much more is underground."

If we both excavate together, it's more likely to cause conflict. How about we wait until we destroy the Zhenxi Prince's Mansion, then excavate together, splitting it in half?"

Feng Li and Li Wuchang fell into deep thought. Clearly, they also knew the true nature of the Qishan bandits. Moreover, the Qishan bandits were a coalition of multiple strongholds. They were only the leaders of two large strongholds and could not fully represent the Qishan bandits.

"In that case, then we shall..."

Before Feng Li could finish speaking, a man in black emerged from behind the palace, shouting hoarsely, "The Shuntian Army has cheated! They took the treasure long ago; the remaining chests in the palace are full of stones!"