185: Upon receiving Kangxi's letter, he reunited with his forces and began to lay the groundwork for the anti-Qing uprising.

The fragrance of dragon saliva incense filled the Imperial Study. The Kangxi Emperor gripped the Brocade Box containing Zheng Keshuang's forty-two chapter sutra so tightly that his knuckles turned white—he stared at Zheng Keshuang, who was bound tightly on the floor, his voice as cold as ice: "What a fine son of Zheng Jing, daring to hide the late emperor's sutras and even attempting to collude with the Divine Dragon Cult. Do you really think there is no one in the Qing Dynasty who can deal with you?"

Zheng Keshuang had just been splashed with cold water and woken up. Seeing the Kangxi Emperor's anger, his legs went weak, and he collapsed onto the floor, kowtowing incessantly: "Your Majesty, spare my life! It was my folly! I found the sutras; I did not hide them on purpose! I beg Your Majesty for mercy, please spare my life!"

Xie Hui stood to the side, still holding his black iron sword. He glanced at Zheng Keshuang, feeling not a shred of sympathy—this guy could even use his own fiancée as a hostage; playing the victim now was pure retribution. He stepped forward and bowed to the Kangxi Emperor: "Your Majesty, Zheng Keshuang not only hid the sutras but also intended to collude with the Divine Dragon Cult to assassinate Your Majesty. According to the laws of the Qing Dynasty, he should be beheaded. However, he is still useful for now. It would be better to imprison him first, and once we have taken down the Main Altar of the Divine Dragon Cult, we can deal with him then, which will also serve to intimidate Zheng Jing in Taiwan."

The Kangxi Emperor nodded, his eyes full of approval: "Xie Qing thinks comprehensively. Guards, take Zheng Keshuang to the dungeon, guard him strictly, and do not allow anyone to visit!"

The guards stepped forward and dragged Zheng Keshuang away, his screams fading into the distance. The Kangxi Emperor turned around and handed Xie Hui a bright yellow scroll: "Xie Qing, you have broken three strongholds of the Divine Dragon Cult in a row and retrieved four volumes of the forty-two chapter sutra; your merits are undeniable. This is the 'General Defending the State' Medallion I am giving you. With this Medallion, you can mobilize fifty thousand Imperial Guards around the capital. From now on, when you handle affairs, no one will dare to stop you."

Xie Hui took the Medallion, which felt heavy in his hand, and felt a surge of joy—with this Medallion, uniting the forces would be much more legitimate. He deliberately feigned being overwhelmed by favor: "Your Majesty trusts this subject so much; I will certainly not fail your expectations! However, there is one more matter that requires Your Majesty's approval."

"Speak," the Kangxi Emperor said, sitting on the dragon throne and taking a sip from his teacup, "As long as it is for the sake of the Qing Dynasty, I will grant it."

"I wish to unite the Heaven and Earth Society, the former members of the Divine Dragon Cult, and the Wu Sanguis Former Troops," Xie Hui said directly. "The leader of the Divine Dragon Cult is cruel, and many members have long wanted to rebel. Miss Long'er is the Saintess of the Divine Dragon Cult and can contact many people. Although the Heaven and Earth Society opposes the Qing Dynasty, Chen Jinan is dead, and Wei Xiaobao is the new Total Leader of Heaven and Earth Society; he is loyal to Your Majesty. The Wu Sanguis Former Troops still have power in Yunnan, and I know several leaders who can be persuaded to submit. Joining forces will not only allow us to take down the Main Altar of the Divine Dragon Cult but also stabilize the border—killing two birds with one stone."

The Kangxi Emperor was stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting Xie Hui to propose uniting with the Heaven and Earth Society—after all, the Heaven and Earth Society was an anti-Qing force. But he thought about it, and since Xie Hui could even subdue the Divine Dragon Cult, perhaps the Heaven and Earth Society could truly be used for his own purposes. Moreover, the Qing Dynasty currently needed stability, so he nodded: "Good! I trust you! Go ahead and do it; if you need provisions and armaments, just ask me!"

Xie Hui breathed a sigh of relief—this step was the right one. The first step to overthrowing the Qing Dynasty was to gain the Kangxi Emperor's trust and have him voluntarily delegate power. He bowed to express his gratitude: "Thank you, Your Majesty! I will definitely not fail my mission!"

After leaving the Imperial Study, Wei Xiaobao leaned in, his eyes fixed on the Medallion in Xie Hui's hand: "Brother Hui! General Defending the State! Can you now mobilize fifty thousand Imperial Guards? Can we walk sideways from now on?"

Xie Hui knocked him on the head: "Walk sideways? Be careful of getting your legs chopped off. Hurry to the Heaven and Earth Society and pass the message that the Emperor has agreed to cooperate. Tell Xu Tianchuan to gather the branch leaders from all over; we need to discuss the anti-Qing... oh no, discuss taking down the Divine Dragon Cult."

Wei Xiaobao slapped his thigh, immediately understanding, and grinned: "Got it! I'm going! I guarantee I'll get everyone together!" He ran a few steps and then turned back: "When the branch leaders arrive, where shall we meet? The Zhuang estate is too small, and the Yihong Courtyard is too noisy..."

"Go to my small universe," Xie Hui lowered his voice, "My small universe is just like the real Earth; it has ready-made big houses and can even pause time, so there's no fear of news leaking."

Wei Xiaobao's eyes lit up: "Brother Hui's treasure is still the most useful! I'm off!" Saying this, he ran off in a flash.

Long'er and AKe followed behind. AKe looked at Xie Hui, her eyes full of curiosity: "What kind of place is the small universe? Can it really hold so many people?"

"I'll take you to see it in a moment, and you'll know," Xie Hui smiled and turned to Long'er: "You should contact the former members of the Divine Dragon Cult now. Tell them I am giving them two choices: either submit and follow me, having food, drink, and martial arts to learn; or continue following the leader, and when we take down the Main Altar, they will all be finished together."

Long'er nodded: "I understand. I will go and contact them with a Secret Letter now. Many brothers in the cult used to have good relationships with me; they will definitely come to submit."

The three of them had just walked to the Imperial Garden when they saw Jianning running over, carrying a food box, with Shuanger following behind—it turned out that Shuanger was worried about Xie Hui and had specially come from the Zhuang estate, happening to meet Jianning in her palace.

"Xie Hui! You finally came out!" Jianning grabbed his arm and pointed at Shuanger: "Miss Shuanger said she brought you a midnight snack, so I came over with her. By the way, this is..." Her gaze fell on AKe, with some curiosity in her eyes.

"This is AKe, she will be with us from now on," Xie Hui introduced quickly, fearing Jianning would throw a tantrum again: "AKe just escaped from Zheng Keshuang's hands; we should take good care of her from now on."

Shuanger was very tactful. She quickly stepped forward, took AKe's hand, and said with a smile: "Miss AKe, don't be formal. If you need any help in the future, just tell me. I brought you lamb buns; they are still hot. Eat some to tide you over."

AKe was a bit embarrassed by Shuanger's enthusiasm and nodded gently: "Thank you, Miss Shuanger."

Seeing that Shuanger had accepted AKe, Jianning didn't ask any more questions, just handed over the sugar-roasted chestnuts from the food box: "Here, the sugar-roasted chestnuts you promised me. I had the small kitchen roast two jin; eat quickly."

Xie Hui took the chestnuts, peeled one, and popped it into his mouth; it was perfectly sweet—this girl, although willful, could always remember what he said. His heart warmed, and he peeled another one and handed it to AKe: "You try it too; the sugar-roasted chestnuts in the capital taste better than those in Taiwan."

AKe took the chestnut, her cheeks slightly flushed, and whispered "Thank you." Long'er stood by, watching, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly—since following Xie Hui, it seemed to be the first time she had felt this kind of lively, mundane atmosphere; it was much more comfortable than the cold, icy Main Altar of the Divine Dragon Cult.

The group found a stone table and sat down. They had just eaten two buns when they saw Hai Dafu rushing over, leaning on a cane, his face a bit panicked: "Young Brother Xie! It's bad! The remnants of Zheng Keshuang's party are causing trouble outside the dungeon and have even set a fire, saying they want to rescue Zheng Keshuang!"

Xie Hui frowned, put down his bun, and stood up: "A bunch of things that don't know life from death! Long'er, come with me to the dungeon! Shuanger, take Jianning and AKe back to the palace, don't run around!"

Shuanger nodded quickly: "Be careful, remember to use the soft armor I sewed for you, don't get hurt." As she spoke, she took out a neatly folded soft armor from her bosom—it was made of silk mixed with black iron thread, lightweight and bulletproof, and had been kept in the small universe.

Xie Hui took the soft armor and put it on under his clothes, feeling completely reassured: "Don't worry, I'll be back soon."

He and Long'er rushed toward the dungeon, not forgetting to use the walkie-talkie to call Wei Xiaobao on the way: "Xiaobao! Don't go to the Heaven and Earth Society, come to the dungeon to help first. Zheng Keshuang's remnants are causing trouble; bring some Heaven and Earth Society brothers over!"

Wei Xiaobao's voice came through the walkie-talkie: "Received! I will bring the brothers over right now; I guarantee I'll beat those scumbags to the ground!"

Outside the dungeon, it was already in chaos. A dozen masked men were slashing at the guards with swords, and the wooden door of the dungeon was scorched black, on the verge of being hacked through. Xie Hui didn't wait for them to react, directly drawing his black iron sword and charging up—the Lightness Skill of the Nine Yin Manual made his movements as fast as the wind; with one sword strike, he cut a masked man's blade in two, and then followed up with a kick that sent the man flying.

"Whoever dares to take another step forward, dies!" Xie Hui's voice was not loud, but it carried an intimidating Aura. The masked men were so frightened that they stopped, staring at the black iron sword in his hand, their eyes full of dread.

Long'er also rushed up, her sword pointing at the leader of the masked men: "Are you the remnants of Zheng Keshuang's party? I advise you to surrender immediately, otherwise don't blame us for being impolite!"

The leader of the masked men was a Bearded Man, holding his sword and shouting: "We are here to save Young Master Zheng! If you dare to stop us, we will fight you to the death!"

"Fight? Are you worthy?" Xie Hui sneered and took a step forward, the black iron sword flashing with cold light in the moonlight. "Zheng Keshuang could even use his own fiancée as a hostage; do you think he is worth you risking your lives for? If you surrender today, I can spare your lives; if you don't surrender, next year's anniversary of your death will be today!"

The masked men looked at each other, clearly wavering—they followed Zheng Keshuang originally just for money. Now, hearing what Xie Hui said and seeing the sword in his hand, how could they still dare to risk their lives? One masked man was the first to drop his sword and kneel on the ground: "I surrender! I will never follow Zheng Keshuang again!"

Seeing this, the others also threw down their swords and surrendered one after another. Xie Hui had the guards tie everyone up, and he breathed a sigh of relief—this group of people was just a rabble and fundamentally vulnerable.

At this moment, Wei Xiaobao ran over with a dozen Heaven and Earth Society brothers, holding sticks in their hands: "Brother Hui! I'm here! Where are those scumbags? Have you already taken care of them?"

"They just surrendered," Xie Hui patted his shoulder, "You came just in time. Take these people back to the Heaven and Earth Society, interrogate them well, and see if there are any other remnants; don't leave any future trouble."

Wei Xiaobao nodded, directing his brothers to take the prisoners: "Don't worry, Brother Hui! I guarantee I'll interrogate them clearly! By the way, Xu Tianchuan has already contacted three branch leaders; they said they will come to the capital tomorrow. Where shall we meet?"

"Go to my small universe," Xie Hui said, "You take the people back first, and meet at the Zhuang estate tomorrow at noon; I will take you in."

Wei Xiaobao replied "Good" and left with the people. Long'er looked at Xie Hui, her eyes full of admiration: "What you said just now was more effective than beating them up."

"To deal with such people, one must use both kindness and severity," Xie Hui sheathed his black iron sword, "Let's go, let's return to the palace, don't let Shuanger and the others worry."

Returning to Jianning's palace, Shuanger, Jianning, and AKe were still waiting. Seeing them return, they hurried up to meet them. Shuanger took Xie Hui's hand and looked him up and down: "You aren't hurt, are you? I heard movement outside just now and was scared to death."

"It's nothing, just a few small fry," Xie Hui said with a smile, "It's already resolved; they won't come to cause trouble again."

Jianning handed over a cup of hot tea: "Drink some to warm yourself up. Just now Eunuch Hai said the dungeon burned quite badly, and I thought you were going to be fighting for a long time."

AKe also added: "You were very impressive just now; those people were afraid of you at first glance."

Xie Hui took a sip of hot tea, his heart full of warmth—with such a group of people waiting for him, even if he had to do something as big as overthrowing the Qing Dynasty, he felt confident. He looked at everyone and said seriously: "Tomorrow we are going to meet with the branch leaders of the Heaven and Earth Society to discuss uniting the Divine Dragon Cult and the Wu Sanguis Former Troops. There may be danger in the future, but I guarantee that I will protect the safety of each and every one of you."

"I'm not afraid," Jianning said first, "With you here, I'm not afraid of anything!"

Shuanger also nodded: "I'll be with you, no matter where you go, I'll follow."

Long'er and AKe looked at each other and also said in unison: "We will also be with you."

Xie Hui smiled, and the burden in his heart was completely lifted—with the female protagonists all of one mind, the matter of uniting the forces was already half successful. He took out the projection ring for the inner universe and handed it to Shuanger, Jianning, and AKe: "This is the small universe projection ring. Wearing it allows you to enter and exit the small universe at any time. It is very safe inside, so if you encounter any danger in the future, you should hide in there first."

The three of them took the rings and carefully put them on their hands. Jianning even looked at the ring, finding it very novel: "Can this ring really enter the small universe? I must try it tomorrow!"

The night was deep. Jianning and AKe went back to their rooms to sleep, while Shuanger was still mending the clothes Xie Hui had torn during the day. Xie Hui sat beside her, watching her serious profile, and pondered the arrangements for tomorrow—first take everyone into the small universe to meet with the Heaven and Earth Society branch leaders, then have Long'er contact the former members of the Divine Dragon Cult. As for the Wu Sanguis Former Troops, he would have to go to Yunnan in person, but for now, the most important thing was to lay the foundation in the capital.

He took out the General Defending the State Medallion given by the Kangxi Emperor and weighed it in his hand—with this Medallion, mobilizing the Imperial Guards would be much more convenient. When overthrowing the Qing Dynasty later, the Imperial Guards might become a key force. He also thought of the four volumes of the forty-two chapter sutra in his inner universe, as well as the gold, silver, and Secret Manuals, and felt more and more confident—this anti-Qing scheme, he had it in the bag.

Shuanger finished the last stitch and handed the clothes over: "Don't think too much; there is still a hard battle to fight tomorrow, so get some rest early."

Xie Hui took the clothes and nodded—he knew that tomorrow would be an important step on the road to overthrowing the Qing Dynasty, and he was already prepared. The moonlight outside the window spilled in, falling upon the two of them, quiet and solid, as if even the dragon saliva incense of the Imperial Study was not this reassuring.