Chapter 36: Heavy Fog

At the stroke of midnight, the world was plunged into a profound and absolute silence. In the town of Yongle, aside from a few places of song and dance, most residents had already drifted into slumber.

At this hour, six figures emerged from the small town, racing toward a mountain peak in the southeast.

These six possessed exceptional lightness skills, traversing steep slopes as if they were level ground, leaping through the air like flying creatures. By the time they reached the heart of the mountain, barely half an hour had passed.

The leader, dressed in green with a long sword at his side and a handsome countenance, was none other than Chen Zhuoan.

He suddenly halted his pace and made a hand signal with his right hand; seeing this, the group behind him immediately stopped as well. Chen Zhuoan said in a low, heavy voice, "We have arrived. According to the map, the entrance to the stronghold is right here."

The group looked around, seeing only an empty clearing in the mountain's belly. It was desolate and vacant, showing no sign of a stronghold entrance whatsoever.

Xu Fangke let out a cough and said, "It is not my intention to be disrespectful to Shiniang, but this place is completely empty and exposed. Where is the entrance? Could there be an error in the map?"

Chen Zhuoan did not answer. Instead, he frowned, searching back and forth in the vicinity. Suddenly, Liang Yan chuckled and said, "If my guess is correct, the entrance to the stronghold is right there," as he pointed toward a specific spot with his right hand.

Hearing that he had found the entrance, the group followed his finger, only to freeze in bewilderment the next moment. For the spot he pointed to was, in fact, a grave mound.

Chen Zhuoan and three others looked on in disbelief. Chu Laosan remarked, "How could the entrance to a stronghold be under someone's grave? Little brother, are you sure you haven't made a mistake?"

Liang Yan gave a confident smile and nodded. "There is no mistake."

Chen Zhuoan knew well that this man did not speak lightly; every word and action he took held purpose. While the idea of a stronghold entrance being beneath a grave sounded like a tall tale, upon closer reflection, it wasn't entirely impossible. He took a deep breath and said, "Whether it is true or false, we shall know once we try. Which of you will go up and dig it out?"

Hearing this, the group exchanged uncertain glances. Although they were men who had weathered many storms in the martial arts world, the act of grave robbing was a serious blow to one's moral character, and none had ever done such a thing before.

Seeing their hesitation, Chen Zhuoan said awkwardly, "The greater cause comes first; we cannot worry about such trivialities now. Everyone, work together to speed things up."

Hearing him say this, Chu Laosan and Xu Fangke could only step forward helplessly. The six of them worked together, and in an instant, they had unearthed the grave mound. Much to Liang Yan's expectation, there was indeed an empty grave inside.

Their spirits lifted. After digging for a while longer, a pit was revealed beneath the earth. Below the pit lay a stone staircase that extended downward into the darkness.

"Haha, Brother Liang, you did not deceive me!" Chen Zhuoan gave a light laugh and led the way, leaping into the pit. Min Rou followed him without hesitation. The rest of the group exchanged glances and entered one after another.

Chu Laosan lit a fire starter, allowing them to see their surroundings slightly. The pit led to a narrow passage, barely wide enough for one person to pass. The six of them formed a single file and descended.

After walking for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the space suddenly opened up, and they entered a wide hall. The hall was square, roughly five zhang in length and width, furnished with many seats, and the walls were hung with blades, swords, and crossbows.

"It seems this is a temporary meeting hall," Chen Zhuoan remarked. He also lit a fire starter, and as the light grew stronger, the group gradually saw that there was actually a stone door on the opposite wall.

"Let's go, let's check it out." Chen Zhuoan walked toward the stone door without hesitation, and the others followed close behind.

With a *creak*, the stone door pushed open, revealing a small stone chamber that, at first glance, resembled a study.

The walls were lined with wooden partitions holding many scrolls, though they appeared to be decayed. In the center sat a desk, upon which lay an inkstone, brushes, and some antiques that were clearly of great value. However, these did not catch anyone's attention, for lying quietly on the right side of the desk was a single yellow scroll.

"A fake imperial decree!"

Chen Zhuoan cried out, his breathing becoming heavy. For nearly two years, he had obsessed over this plan, losing soldiers and officers, and sacrificing countless brothers, all for this single yellow scroll!

Now that the fake decree was right before his eyes, the downfall of Li Hong was within reach, and the restoration of the State of Zhao seemed possible. It all felt worth it.

Chen Zhuoan took a deep breath and prepared to step forward to take the decree. Suddenly, his vision blurred as a figure flashed in front of him, reaching out to block his path.

"Wait!"

Chen Zhuoan's expression changed slightly, and he frowned. "What is the meaning of this, Brother Liang?"

Liang Yan did not answer. Instead, he leaned down, picked up a random pebble from the ground, and flicked it toward the decree on the desk.

With a *bang*, the decree was knocked out of place, and a faint, transparent thin line became visible beneath it.

A sudden, thunderous rumbling erupted, and a flurry of cold, sharp arrowheads burst from the walls of the stone chamber. They shot out in rapid succession, turning the entire room into a rain of arrows.

The group stood stunned, instinctively taking a step back. The rain of arrows continued for several breaths before gradually subsiding. Chen Zhuoan and Min Rou exchanged a look, both seeing a trace of lingering fear in each other's eyes.

"It is fortunate that Brother Liang was vigilant, otherwise, no amount of lives would have been enough to satisfy our deaths," Chen Zhuoan said, offering his sincere thanks to Liang Yan.

Liang Yan gave a faint, noncommittal smile. "Brother Chen, your obsession is too deep; it easily clouds the mind. It is better to resolve the current problem first."

"The current problem?"

Confused, Chen Zhuoan asked tentatively, "Do you mean there are more traps in here?"

Before Liang Yan could answer, a burst of loud laughter erupted from across the hall

"Hahaha, Chen Zhuoan! Thank you for leading the way for us. Rest assured, with so many people accompanying you, your journey to the underworld will surely not be lonely!"

As soon as the words fell, a group of assassins in black rushed in from the passage. Each was well-trained; upon entering the hall, they quickly dispersed to occupy advantageous positions.

Following them were two more people. One was a one-eyed blind man clutching a long saber, silent and brooding—the same man Liang Yan had seen at the inn. The other was a man in white with a square face and a fierce, commanding gaze.

"Xiang Anran!" Chen Zhuoan's pupils contracted.

The man in white, Xiang Anran, laughed. "I didn't expect Tang Tiannan to be a fortune teller. He predicted you would perish here tonight, so he built the stronghold beneath this grave to prevent your corpses from being left out in the wild."

Chen Zhuoan snorted coldly. "The lackeys you brought to Yongle Town are only a few. It remains to be seen who will prevail. Xiang, aren't you being a bit too arrogant?"

Just as he finished speaking, a muffled grunt was heard. Xu Fangke, who had been following closely behind Chu Laosan, suddenly struck, landing a palm against the center of Chu Laosan's back.

Caught off guard, Chu Laosan spat out a mouthful of blood, his vitality rapidly ebbing away.

After delivering the blow, Xu Fangke retreated swiftly, covering the distance to the stone chamber in a few leaps. He snatched the fake decree and tucked it into his robes.

"Xu Fangke!"

Chen Zhuoan roared in fury, "I never imagined you would become one of Li Hong's lackeys!"

"Li Hong?" Xu Fangke shook his head and smiled. "He is merely a powerful official; he is not worthy of my service."

"Then what is the meaning of this?"

Xu Fangke replied indifferently, "Chen Zhuoan, I did once respect you. But in the end, you are merely a mortal man with narrow vision. What use is there in saying more to you?"

Chen Zhuoan sneered, "Hmph! You have taken the decree, but do you think you can walk out of here today? Furthermore—"

Before he could say more, a strange wind suddenly rose from the floor of the hall.

The wind arrived eerily. Before anyone could react, a thick white mist began to surge through the hall. The mist grew denser and denser until, in the blink of an eye, the entire hall was shrouded in white, reducing visibility to a mere foot in front of one's eyes.

Chen Zhuoan had never encountered anything so bizarre and was struck with alarm. Suddenly, he heard Min Rou's voice calling from within the mist: "Zhuoan, I am here..."

Though her voice was calm, Chen Zhuoan could detect a hint of panic within it. He steadied himself and said in the most soothing voice possible, "Min Rou, stay where you are. Do not move."

"Alright, Zhuoan. I will listen to you."

Chen Zhuoan knew that in such a moment, he could not afford to lose his composure. He took a deep breath to steady his mind and slowly groped his way toward the direction of her voice. They were not far apart, and it did not take long for him to find her.

Seeing that although Min Rou appeared calm, her forehead was beaded with fine sweat, Chen Zhuoan knew she was terrified. After all, seeing mist rise from underground was a first, especially with great enemies present.

Feeling a pang of heartache, he could not help but take her soft hand in his.

Min Rou was the daughter of a high official who had abandoned her illustrious family to enter the martial world just to support him. How could he not know her devotion? Yet, the death of his true love had made him unable to accept a new romance; he had been avoiding her, feeling a deep sense of guilt.

As they held hands, he felt the coldness of her palm, and Chen Zhuoan couldn't help but secretly blame himself for his own uselessness.

However, with great enemies at hand, as a leader, he could not allow himself to be swayed by personal sentiment. He forced himself to stay sharp and whispered comfortingly, "Do not be afraid. It seems Xiang Anran is also unaware of this; it doesn't look like their doing. Let us regroup with the others first, then we will decide our next move."

Being held by him helped steady Min Rou's heart. She nodded. "Let us first check on Chu Laosan's injuries."

The two groped through the mist for a while and soon found Chu Laosan. He had taken a palm strike from Xu Fangke, but fortunately, his external martial arts were formidable, so his injuries were not too severe. He was currently sitting cross-legged on the ground, circulating his internal energy to heal.

*It is a pity we didn't find Miss Tang and Brother Liang,* Chen Zhuoan thought to himself. *But Miss Tang's martial arts are high and far surpass mine, and Brother Liang is resourceful; they are likely fine. For now, we must stabilize our own position.*

With this thought, Chen Zhuoan spoke: "In this heavy mist, it will be difficult for anyone to act. Although Xiang Anran has more men, he is more likely to fall into chaos. Let us guard Chu Laosan first. Once his injuries have recovered somewhat, we will find an opportunity to break out together."

Chu Laosan and Min Rou naturally had no objections. The three sat back-to-back, waiting for Chu Laosan to heal.

After an unknown amount of time, the mist finally began to dissipate. It had arrived suddenly and vanished just as quickly, clearing away in the blink of an eye.

The three immediately stood up, looking warily toward the opposite side. They saw Xiang Anran and his men divided into two rows, guarding the exit of the hall, looking back at them with equal vigilance.

"Huh? Where is that traitor Xu Fangke?" Chu Laosan suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

Hearing this, Chen Zhuoan scanned the surroundings. A moment later, his expression darkened. Not only was Xu Fangke missing, but even Tang Diexian and Liang Yan had vanished...