180: The dragon's heart gradually softens as the dragon is slain in the dilapidated temple.

The wind at the city gate carried dust, blowing Wei Xiaobao's eunuch cap askew.

He stared at Long'er, who was following Xie Hui, his eyes darting around. He leaned close to Xie Hui's ear and whispered, "Brother Hui, this girl looks like trouble. If you let her follow us to the Ruined Temple, what if she's a spy for the Divine Dragon Cult and stabs us in the back?"

Before Xie Hui could speak, Long'er cast a cold glance at Wei Xiaobao, "If I wanted to stab you, you'd already be lying on the ground."

Wei Xiaobao shrank his neck in fear and quickly hid behind Xie Hui, "See, see? She's threatening people already! Brother Hui, you have to protect me!"

"Alright, stop messing around," Xie Hui patted the back of Wei Xiaobao's head. "Long'er is on our side now; she won't pull any tricks. Besides, with me here, even if she wanted to make a move, she'd have to think twice."

As they were talking, Hai Dafu strolled over, leaning on his cane. His complexion was slightly better than yesterday, and he was clutching a medicine bottle. "Is everyone here? Then let's go quickly. The Emperor is pressing us hard. If we're late and let the Divine Dragon Cult members escape, none of us will have a good ending."

The four of them hired two carriages and headed toward the Ruined Temple outside the city.

On the way, Long'er sat next to Xie Hui. After hesitating for a long time, she spoke up, "The leader in the Ruined Temple is called Qing Zhu Weng. He is a Protector of the Divine Dragon Cult. His martial arts are very high, and he is skilled at using poison needles. You all must be careful."

Xie Hui nodded, "Does his poison needle have any weaknesses? Like its range or the time it takes to take effect?"

"The poison needle's range is not far, at most three zhang. The onset time is very fast. If you are hit by the needle and don't have the antidote, you will die within half an hour," Long'er said, pulling a small porcelain bottle from her bosom and handing it to Xie Hui. "This contains the antidote. Take it, just in case."

Xie Hui took the porcelain bottle and tucked it into his bosom, "Thanks. If we can successfully deal with them this time, I will teach you the introductory Mind-Cultivation Technique of the Nine Yin Manual."

Long'er's eyes brightened. She didn't speak, but the curve of her lips softened quietly—she had been practicing Divine Dragon Cult martial arts for ten years and had long wanted to achieve a Breakthrough regarding her Bottleneck. For her, the Nine Yin Manual was too great a temptation.

Wei Xiaobao sat in the other carriage, clinging to the window and shouting to Xie Hui, "Brother Hui! If we wipe out the Divine Dragon Cult's stronghold, will the Emperor reward us with gold? I heard there are many gold bricks in the Imperial palace. If I could be rewarded with a few, I'd be rich!"

Xie Hui laughed and scolded, "All you think about is money. Once we finish our business, there will be no shortage of rewards for you."

About an hour later, the carriages stopped in front of a desolate slope. In the distance, the Ruined Temple stood alone on the slope. Half of the roof had collapsed, and the entrance was overgrown with weeds, looking as if it had been abandoned for several years.

Hai Dafu jumped off the carriage, squinting his eyes to observe, "Something is wrong. This Ruined Temple looks too quiet; there might be an ambush hidden inside."

Xie Hui nodded and activated the Lightness Skill from the Nine Yin Manual. His footsteps lightly touched the ground as he crept silently toward the Ruined Temple.

When he reached the temple entrance, he tilted his head to listen. Men's voices came from inside, mixed with the crisp sound of weapons clashing.

"...The Cult Leader said that in three days, Kangxi Emperor will go to the Temple of Heaven to offer sacrifices. We will ambush him on the way and kill him with poison arrows! By then, the Qing Dynasty will be in chaos, and our Divine Dragon Cult can take the capital!" A hoarse voice rang out; it must have been Qing Zhu Weng.

"Then should we notify the Fake Empress Dowager? Let her coordinate with us from inside the palace?" another voice asked.

"No need. That woman is close to Xie Hui now; she might have already defected. After we kill Kangxi Emperor, it won't be too late to deal with her!"

Xie Hui's heart skipped a beat—so the Divine Dragon Cult planned to assassinate Kangxi Emperor during the sacrificial ceremony! He quickly retreated and told Hai Dafu and the others about the situation inside.

"Then we must quickly find a way; we cannot let them spread the news!" Hai Dafu was anxious, "If anything happens to Kangxi Emperor, we will all lose our heads!"

"Don't panic," Xie Hui pondered for a moment. "There are about fifteen people inside. Qing Zhu Weng is the most dangerous, and the others are just small fry. We'll split into two groups. Long'er and I will charge in from the front door to entangle Qing Zhu Weng; Eunuch Hai and Wei Xiaobao will go around to the back door to block their retreat. Don't let them escape."

When Wei Xiaobao heard they had to go around to the back door, his face turned pale, "Brother Hui, what if there's an ambush at the back door? I can't beat those people!"

"Take this," Xie Hui pulled a smoke bomb from his inner universe and handed it to Wei Xiaobao. "If you encounter danger, throw this out. The smoke will block their vision, and you can take the chance to run. Besides, Eunuch Hai will protect you, what are you afraid of?"

Wei Xiaobao took the smoke bomb and finally felt a little relieved, "Alright, then I'll go to the back door with Eunuch Hai."

The four acted according to the plan. Xie Hui and Long'er walked to the front door of the Ruined Temple. Xie Hui kicked open the ajar temple door and shouted, "People of the Divine Dragon Cult, all of you come out and die!"

The people in the temple were startled. Over a dozen Men in Black instantly surrounded them. The leader was an old man with a goatee, holding a bamboo tube containing poison needles; it was Qing Zhu Weng. He saw Long'er, and his face darkened, "Long'er! You actually colluded with the imperial court's people and betrayed the Divine Dragon Cult. Are you not afraid that the Cult Leader will peel your skin off?"

"The Cult Leader only treats me as a tool, why can't I rebel?" Long'er drew the sword from her waist and pointed it at Qing Zhu Weng, "Today, I will act on behalf of heaven to clean up scum like you!"

Qing Zhu Weng sneered in anger, "Good! A good traitorous thing! Today I will kill you first, then kill these two dogs of the imperial court!" As he spoke, he raised the bamboo tube and shot a poison needle at Long'er.

Xie Hui was quick-eyed and fast-handed; he pulled Long'er over and simultaneously flicked a pebble, which hit Qing Zhu Weng's wrist perfectly. Qing Zhu Weng cried out in pain, and the bamboo tube fell to the ground with a "clatter," scattering poison needles everywhere.

"Daring to make a move on me? You're still too green!" Xie Hui leaped and charged toward Qing Zhu Weng. He didn't hold a blade, using only his fists—the Nine Yin Manual's Heart-Destroying Palm was too powerful, and he was afraid of accidentally killing Qing Zhu Weng, as he still needed to keep him alive to ask for information on other strongholds.

Qing Zhu Weng didn't hesitate either; he pulled a Short Blade from his bosom and stabbed at Xie Hui. The two fought, fists and blade shadows flying, and the tables and chairs in the temple were knocked over. Long'er fought the other Men in Black; her sword technique was fast and ruthless, and in no time, she had taken down three. The remaining Men in Black saw how powerful she was and didn't dare to step forward, only daring to circle around her.

Over at the back door, Wei Xiaobao and Hai Dafu had just gone around and saw two Men in Black guarding the entrance. Hai Dafu swung his cane, and a small blade popped out from the tip, stabbing toward one of the Men in Black. The Men in Black was caught off guard, stabbed in the chest, and fell to the ground on the spot.

The other Men in Black charged over with a blade, and Wei Xiaobao was so scared he quickly threw the smoke bomb. White smoke instantly filled the air. The Men in Black couldn't see anything and swung his blade wildly, shouting, "Where are you? Stop hiding!"

Wei Xiaobao took the opportunity to pick up a stone from the ground and smashed it against the back of the Men in Black's head. The Men in Black fell to the ground with a "thud" and passed out.

"Done!" Wei Xiaobao proudly clapped his hands. Just as he was about to go in, he heard Xie Hui's shout from inside the temple, "Xiaobao! Hurry in and help, Qing Zhu Weng is using poison needles to sneak attack!"

Wei Xiaobao and Hai Dafu rushed into the temple and saw Xie Hui clutching his arm, his face a bit pale. Qing Zhu Weng was holding another tube of poison needles and was preparing to shoot again.

"Stop!" Wei Xiaobao shouted, grabbing lime powder from the ground and throwing it at Qing Zhu Weng's face. Qing Zhu Weng was caught off guard, his eyes blinded by the lime powder, and he screamed in pain, "My eyes!"

Xie Hui took the opportunity to rush up and struck Qing Zhu Weng's chest with a palm. Qing Zhu Weng spat out a mouthful of blood with a "wah" and fell to the ground, unable to get up again.

Long'er quickly ran over, pulled the antidote from her bosom, and handed it to Xie Hui, "Quickly take the antidote. You've been hit by the poison needle; if it's too late, it will be too late."

Xie Hui took the antidote and was just about to swallow it when he heard Qing Zhu Weng sneer, "It's useless! My poison needles are specially made; the antidote you have is completely ineffective! You are all going to die!"

Long'er's expression changed, "Impossible! I made this antidote myself, how can it not work?"

"The antidote you made has long been replaced by me," Qingzhu Weng laughed wildly. "Did you think I would be so foolish as to let you carry the real antidote to cooperate with the imperial court's people? In half an hour, you will all die from the poison, hahaha!"

Wei Xiaobao was so scared his legs went weak: "Brother Hui, what should we do? Are we really going to die here? I haven't even taken a wife yet, I don't want to die!"

Xie Hui did not panic. He remembered that in his inner universe, there were peach blossom island elixirs—Huang Rong had previously said that peach blossom island elixirs could cure a hundred poisons.

He quickly opened his small universe, took out a Medicinal Pill, and stuffed it into his mouth.

The Medicinal Pill melted the moment it entered his mouth, and a warm current instantly flowed through his whole body; the pain in his arm quickly disappeared.

"Don't panic, I have the antidote," Xie Hui said, taking out two more Medicinal Pills and handing them to Hai Dafu and Long'er. "You eat these too, they can cure a hundred poisons."

Hai Dafu and Long'er quickly took the Medicinal Pills and ate them. Before long, the paleness on Hai Dafu's face also faded away.

Qingzhu Weng widened his eyes, unable to believe it: "Impossible! How could your antidote be effective? This is impossible!"

"Nothing is impossible," Xie Hui walked up to Qingzhu Weng and stepped on his chest. "Speak, does the Divine Dragon Cult have any other strongholds? Where are they?"

Qingzhu Weng gritted his teeth, refusing to speak. Xie Hui applied a little force, and Qingzhu Weng screamed in pain: "I'll talk, I'll talk! There are three more strongholds in the capital, located at the blacksmith shop in the west of the city, the Inn in the south, and the Granary in the north! The leaders are all Protectors, and their martial arts are similar to mine!"

Xie Hui nodded and said to Hai Dafu: "Tie him up and take him back to the capital to hand him over to the Kangxi Emperor, let the Emperor send people to take out the other strongholds."

Hai Dafu quickly asked Wei Xiaobao to find a rope and tied Qingzhu Weng up tightly.

Wei Xiaobao cursed while tying him up: "Making you use a poison needle to ambush Brother Hui, making you switch the antidote, do you know fear now? When we return to the capital, I'll have the Emperor throw you into the dungeon and feed you rancid food every day!"

After dealing with Qingzhu Weng, Xie Hui searched the Ruined Temple and found quite a few good things—over a dozen Divine Dragon Cult Secret Manuals, a box of gold and silver jewelry, which should be the Divine Dragon Cult's operating funds, and also a map marking the locations of the other strongholds.

"We're rich, we're rich!" Wei Xiaobao hugged the gold and silver jewelry, his eyes glazed over. "Brother Hui, can we split this money? I want to take these gold bricks home and let my mother enjoy some comfort too!"

"What are you thinking?" Xie Hui tapped his head. "This money must be handed over to the Emperor, it counts as confiscated illicit funds. But the Emperor will surely reward us, and there will be no shortage of benefits for you then."

Although Wei Xiaobao was a bit unhappy, he knew that resistance was futile, so he could only reluctantly put the gold and silver jewelry back.

Long'er looked at the Divine Dragon Cult Secret Manuals in Xie Hui's hands and spoke after hesitating: "Some of these manuals are the core martial arts of the Divine Dragon Cult. Although they are not as good as the Nine Yin Manual, they have their merits. You can keep them to read."

Xie Hui smiled: "Alright, if there are parts I don't understand, I'll have to ask you to help explain them."

Long'er nodded without speaking, but her ears quietly turned red—she did not expect Xie Hui to trust her so much, willing to let her see these Secret Manuals.

The four of them escorted Qingzhu Weng and took a carriage to rush back to the capital.

On the way, Hai Dafu leaned against the carriage wall, his eyes full of admiration as he looked at Xie Hui: "Little Brother Xie, this time it's all thanks to you. If it weren't for you, not only would we not have caught Qingzhu Weng, but we would have also been hit by his poison needle. From now on, I will listen to you regarding matters in the palace."

Xie Hui smiled: "It's all for the Emperor, no need to be so polite. Once we take out all the Divine Dragon Cult strongholds in the capital, we can focus on finding the remaining forty-two chapter sutra."

Wei Xiaobao suddenly remembered something and slapped his thigh: "That's right! Brother Hui, we haven't found all the forty-two chapter sutra yet! We already have the one from the Empress Dowager, and it seems the Emperor has one too. We must find a way to get our hands on it!"

"No rush," Xie Hui touched the Brocade Box containing the forty-two chapter sutra in his chest pocket. "After we resolve the Divine Dragon Cult matter, we will find an opportunity to ask the Emperor. The most important thing now is to ensure the Emperor's safety and not let the Divine Dragon Cult people find an opportunity to exploit."

Returning to the capital, the four of them went straight to the imperial palace.

The Kangxi Emperor was waiting in the Imperial Study. Hearing that they had taken out the Ruined Temple stronghold and captured Qingzhu Weng, he happily slapped the table: "Good! You have done well! Hai Dafu, you must quickly send people to take out the other three strongholds; we cannot let the Divine Dragon Cult people cause trouble again! Xie Hui, Long'er, you two have made a great contribution. If you want any rewards, just tell me!"

Xie Hui bowed and said: "Your Majesty, I do not want any reward. I only ask that Your Majesty allow Long'er to stay by my side to help me deal with the Divine Dragon Cult affairs. In addition, I have heard that Your Majesty has a forty-two chapter sutra, and I would like to borrow it to study the secrets within; perhaps I might find the Divine Dragon Cult's lair."

The Kangxi Emperor hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Very well, Long'er will stay by your side, and I will have a eunuch send you the forty-two chapter sutra tomorrow. But remember, you must return it to me after reading it; that is a treasure left by the late Emperor."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Xie Hui quickly expressed his gratitude, blooming with joy inside—he hadn't expected it to be so easy to get the forty-two chapter sutra from the Kangxi Emperor; he was one step closer to finding all eight volumes.

Long'er also bowed to thank him, and there was a bit more gratitude in her eyes as she looked at Xie Hui—she had originally thought the Kangxi Emperor would suspect her identity, but she hadn't expected Xie Hui to resolve it with just one sentence, and even allow her to legitimately stay by Xie Hui's side.

Coming out of the Imperial Study, Wei Xiaobao leaned over to Xie Hui and said with a wink: "Brother Hui, you are truly amazing; the Emperor obeys everything you say! If you ever want to be Emperor in the future, I will definitely be the first to support you!"

Xie Hui scolded with a smile: "Don't talk nonsense, be careful you don't get your head chopped off if someone hears you. Let's first hand Qingzhu Weng over to the Ministry of Justice, then go back to rest for a while; we still have to take out the other strongholds tomorrow."

Long'er followed by Xie Hui's side, watching his back, and suddenly felt in her heart—following Xie Hui seemed much more comfortable than being in the Divine Dragon Cult. Not only was his martial arts high, he also understood strategy, and more importantly, he wouldn't use her like the Cult Leader did, but instead would sincerely help her. Perhaps, following him was truly a good choice.

Returning to Jianning's palace, Jianning had long been waiting. Seeing Xie Hui, she ran over, grabbed his hands, and looked him up and down: "Xie Hui! Are you alright? I heard you were hit by a poison needle, you scared me to death!"

"I'm fine, I have the antidote," Xie Hui smiled and comforted her, taking a Fruit Candy out of his chest pocket and handing it to her. "I brought you some candy, strawberry flavored, have a taste."

Jianning happily took the candy, peeled off the paper, put it in her mouth, and leaned against Xie Hui: "I knew you would be fine! By the way, that Miss Long'er, did the Emperor really let her stay by your side?"

"Yes," Xie Hui nodded. "She can help us deal with the Divine Dragon Cult affairs. With her here, we can save a lot of effort."

Although Jianning was a little unhappy, she didn't say much—she knew Xie Hui had serious work to do and couldn't always revolve around her.

At night, Xie Hui put the Divine Dragon Cult Secret Manuals and the forty-two chapter sutra into his inner universe, and reported his safety to Shuanger using the walkie-talkie. Shuanger urged him to pay attention to safety on the walkie-talkie, and also said she had made him new cotton clothes, waiting for him to have time to go back to the Zhuang family to pick them up.

Hanging up the walkie-talkie, Xie Hui lay on the bed, pondering tomorrow's plan in his heart—first go to take out the blacksmith shop stronghold in the west of the city, then study the Divine Dragon Cult Secret Manuals with Long'er, and by the way, teach her the introductory Mind-Cultivation Technique of the Nine Yin Manual. Once all the Divine Dragon Cult strongholds were resolved, he would find an opportunity to subdue AKe, and then find a way to overthrow the Qing Dynasty and establish a New Dynasty.

Thinking and thinking, Xie Hui fell asleep. He dreamed that he had collected all the forty-two chapter sutra, subdued all the female protagonists, brought them back to the small universe, and ate with Huang Rong, Su Mingyu, and the others; the scene was very lively.