My family has been wielding knives for generations, but now it's my turn to wield a pen!

Half an hour later.

Led by the eldest princess, Jiang Xiaobai arrived at a place in front of a mountain.

The road here is very narrow, and there are some trees growing all around.

It's no exaggeration to say that if the princess hadn't led the way, Jiang Xiaobai would have had a hard time discovering this place even if he had just passed by.

Upon reaching the end, Jiang Xiaobai clearly saw a heavy stone gate.

This stone gate is almost completely embedded in the mountain and is several meters high.

A lifelike dragon pattern is carved on it, with the dragon's head in the center and its body coiled on both sides of the stone gate.

This place, despite having weathered countless storms, still exudes an indescribable sense of majesty.

"Huh, is no one guarding this place?"

Jiang Xiaobai looked around, his expression surprised.

The surroundings were quiet, and looking around, not a single disciple of the Hidden Edge Sect could be seen.

"Yes, this Xuanlong Gate is incredibly sturdy; even without anyone guarding it, no one else can open it!"

As the princess spoke, she led Jiang Xiaobai to the stone gate: "This is the Xuanlong Gate!"

The princess paused, then added solemnly, "Furthermore, I've tried it!"

"But unfortunately... it couldn't be opened!!"

"Oh?"

Jiang Xiaobai listened with a look of surprise, then looked up again to examine the dragon patterns on the stone gate carefully, and asked curiously, "What exactly is the origin of this Xuanlong Gate?"

"This Xuanlong Gate belongs to me..."

The eldest princess paused halfway through her sentence, then continued, "It was crafted by the late emperor!"

"There are many things in here, but the most important one must be that imperial edict!"

After speaking, the eldest princess looked at the Xuanlong Gate with a solemn expression.

"edict……"

Jiang Xiaobai's gaze flickered.

That's right, he had heard the Fourth Prince mention the imperial edict when he was in the royal garden.

If an official neglects his duty, he may be executed; if a ruler loses his virtue, he may be deposed!

To put it bluntly, this content is a knife aimed at the Hidden Edge Sect.

Moreover, this knife was aimed at the royal family!

This is no ordinary wise ruler; he would never do such a thing!

Perhaps... that's why.

Even if the current emperor has some interest in Chu Qingci, he wouldn't dare to issue a decree to take her as a concubine!

With this in mind, Jiang Xiaobai arrived at the stone gate and began to examine it carefully.

Then, Jiang Xiaobai reached out and touched the dragon's head.

That's right, he tried pressing every place he could reach.

Unfortunately, there's nowhere to press.

With a furrowed brow, Jiang Xiaobai searched around along the crack in the door, only to find that the entire stone door was perfectly sealed.

Forget about any mechanisms, I couldn't even find a single vent!

"Hey, I've examined it; there's no mechanism visible in this stone door!"

The eldest princess, standing to the side, spoke up: "Right now... only my senior sister knows the method to activate it!"

"But I've asked her many times, and she's never told me!"

"Is only Sect Leader Chu aware of this?"

Jiang Xiaobai was surprised, but he did not give up. He knocked on the door a few times, but only a dull sound came out.

One can imagine how heavy and thick this stone gate must be.

Immediately afterwards, Jiang Xiaobai placed both hands on the door and pushed it forcefully.

No matter how hard he tried, the stone gate in front of him remained completely still.

Not even a tiny speck of stone fell.

"That's really heavy!!"

Jiang Xiaobai withdrew his hands, took two steps back, and glanced around.

Surely there must be a solution to this problem!

After pondering for a moment, Jiang Xiaobai suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Could it be that this door... opens from the inside?"

That's right, since it can't be found outside, there's no way to open it.

It seems that this is the only possibility left.

"Impossible, unless someone's inside!"

The eldest princess shook her head and said, "But the Xuanlong Gate has been closed for many years. Even if there are people inside, they can't possibly go without food or water for several years, or even more than ten years, can they?"

"Yeah, that's true!"

Jiang Xiaobai sighed.

If someone had been locked up here for so many years, they would probably be nothing but bones by now.

Where can I open the door for them?

Jiang Xiaobai immediately took a few steps back, preparing to look around the area near Xuanlong Gate.

According to his speculation, there might be a secret passage that allows one to go around to the inside.

"Don't waste your energy!"

The eldest princess saw through Jiang Xiaobai's thoughts and said, "I have already checked the front of the Xuanlong Gate, including both sides, and there are no hidden passages!"

"Besides, there's a cliff behind this mountain; the secret passage couldn't possibly be located there!!"

"Then this Xuanlong Gate is sealed off really tightly!"

Jiang Xiaobai frowned, paused, and said, "Can I use a cannon to blast it open?"

"No!"

The eldest princess glared at Jiang Xiaobai and said, "Your cannon is incredibly powerful!"

"It wouldn't be good if we accidentally broke any of the valuables inside!"

"..."

Jiang Xiaobai gave a wry smile and said, "Sigh, even if you give me a chance to try opening it, I'm afraid I still won't be able to!"

He was quite confident when he arrived.

But when he actually faced the stone gate, he felt powerless!

"I think since your senior sister is letting you try without the assessment, she should tell you how!"

The eldest princess paused slightly before saying, "So, when we get back, let's ask my senior sister!"

"Well, for now... that's the only way!"

Jiang Xiaobai sighed deeply.

That's right, without any clues, it's really hard to figure anything out just by standing here and studying it.

But Jiang Xiaobai still had the same idea.

It's actually simpler to open the Xuanlong Gate from the inside.

only……

How to get inside is the problem!

"Let's go back first!"

Jiang Xiaobai glanced at Xuanlong Gate again, then led the princess outside.

But just as the two had walked a short distance, a cold laugh suddenly rang out from the side.

"Hmph, Jiang Xiaobai, today this Xuanlong Gate will be your burial ground!"

"Be careful!"

The princess noticed something, her expression changed, and she immediately raised her hand and pushed Jiang Xiaobai away.

Jiang Xiaobai staggered a few steps to the side, and after regaining his balance, he saw a dagger stuck in the spot where he had been standing.

Ok?

Jiang Xiaobai turned his head and saw four figures suddenly rush out from among the trees.

The leader was none other than Fu Yuanzong of the Western Desert.

Following behind Fu Yuanzong were his three henchmen.

Upon seeing the four people clearly, Jiang Xiaobai couldn't help but look somewhat surprised.

These four guys didn't come down the mountain; they actually waited here beforehand?

It seems he underestimated Fu Yuanzong and the others.

Fu Yuanzong is quite bold, daring to remain inside the Cangfeng Sect and ambush outside the Xuanlong Gate.

Moreover, the four of them did not rush to show themselves when they arrived.

Perhaps... he also wanted to see if he could open the Xuanlong Gate first.

If it were opened, the four of them could reap the benefits without lifting a finger.

Seeing that he couldn't open it, he jumped out...