189: Breaking the mechanism, capturing the Dragon Cult Master, obtaining the scriptures, and initiating a rebellion—the Refreshing Chapter.

The wooden door of the headquarters' sleeping quarters emitted a decaying, musty smell. Xie Hui pressed against the door panel and listened for a moment. He could clearly hear the leader's pacing inside, along with the crisp clinking of metal—evidently, he was tinkering with the trap levers. He turned back and gave everyone a "stop" gesture, then pulled out the trap diagram drawn by Longer from his inner universe. Using the faint light from the cave entrance, he pointed it out to AKe and Xu Tianchuan: "The floor of this sleeping quarters has flip-plates; if you step wrong, you'll fall into a poison pit. There are crossbow bolts hidden in the ceiling beams that will fire as soon as the door opens. We have to shut off the main control first."

"Where is the main control?" AKe leaned in, her finger lightly touching a red dot on the map. "Is it this 'Dragon-shaped Stone Carving'? I think I saw a similar stone carving in the Secret Passage earlier, right at the base of the wall on the left side of the sleeping quarters."

Xie Hui's eyes lit up. Just then, Longer returned from the depths of the Secret Passage with two members of the Wu Sanguis Former Troops, clutching a rusted iron hook in her hand: "This is the key to the main control, used in the past when the cult maintained the traps. It can hook onto the gears inside the stone carving to disable both the crossbows and the flip-plates."

Wei Xiaobao had long been unable to restrain himself, raising his dagger to charge: "Stop dawdling! That old thing, the Cult Leader, might be hiding the sutras. Let's rush in, grab them, and go!"

"What's the rush?" Xie Hui pulled him back. "Wait for Longer to shut off the main control. You and Tiger Wang's men guard the door; don't let the cult members come in as reinforcements. Brother Xu, take the brothers to clear out the small fry around here. AKe, come inside with me. Keep an eye on the sutras and don't let the Cult Leader destroy them."

Longer nodded, crouching as she crept to the left side of the sleeping quarters. She inserted the iron hook into the gap of the stone carving and pulled hard. A crisp "click" was heard, followed by a creaking sound as the crossbow mechanism in the beams jammed, and the loose feeling of the floor vanished. "It's done! The traps are off!"

Xie Hui kicked open the wooden door, his black iron sword leading the way. Inside, the Cult Leader was sitting on a tiger-skin chair, clutching two yellow-covered sutras—exactly the remaining forty-two chapter sutras! Seeing the door kicked open, he quickly stuffed the sutras into his robes, grabbed the dragon-head staff from the table, and swung it over: "Xie Hui! You destroyed my headquarters; today I'll fight you to the death!"

The staff was made of refined iron, and the dragon head at the top could spray poisonous mist. Xie Hui was well-prepared; as he dodged to the side, he threw a handful of lime powder—given to him by Wei Xiaobao—right into the Cult Leader's face. The Cult Leader let out a howl, unable to open his eyes, and his staff swung wide.

"Now!" Xie Hui leaped forward, his black iron sword resting against the Cult Leader's neck. "Hand over the sutras, and I'll spare your life!"

The Cult Leader still wanted to struggle, but Longer had already rushed in with the Wu Sanguis Former Troops, her sword pressed against his chest: "Cult Leader, you harmed the cult members and colluded with outsiders; you've long been unfit to be the leader! Resist any further, and don't blame us for being merciless!"

AKe quickly ran over, fished the two forty-two chapter sutras out from the Cult Leader's robes, carefully wiped the dust off them, and handed them to Xie Hui: "Brother Hui, the sutras aren't damaged. Put them away quickly."

Xie Hui had just taken the sutras when he heard Wei Xiaobao shouting from the doorway: "Brother Hui! Come quick! There's a chest under this old thing's bed, full of gold, silver, and jewels! There's also a letter, it looks like it was written to Songgotu!"

Everyone gathered around. Wei Xiaobao opened the chest, and the glittering gold ingots and jewels were dazzling. He reached out to grab some but was slapped on the hand by Xie Hui: "Read the letter first!"

The letter was written by Songgotu to the Cult Leader. It said, 'Once the Divine Dragon Cult destroys the Heaven and Earth Society, the imperial court will send troops to help the Cult Leader unify the Jianghu, on the condition that all forty-two chapter sutras are presented.' After reading it, Xie Hui gave a cold laugh: "So Songgotu had long been colluding with the Divine Dragon Cult, wanting to use the Cult Leader's hand to destroy us and then reap the benefits!"

Tiger Wang leaned in, so angry he slapped the table: "That dog official! Back then, Wu Sangui was deceived by people like this! We have to find a chance to deal with him!"

Seeing the letter discovered, the Cult Leader's face turned pale, and he slumped to the floor: "I... I was also forced! Songgotu used my family to threaten me. I had no choice but to cooperate with him..."

"It's too late for that now," Xie Hui put the letter into his inner universe. "Tie him up and take him back to the capital to hand over to the Kangxi Emperor. Let the Emperor see what kind of person his trusted minister really is!"

Everyone scrambled to tie up the Cult Leader. Wei Xiaobao held the chest full of gold and silver, smiling so wide his mouth wouldn't close: "Brother Hui! This time we didn't just get two sutras, we also hauled in so much money. Our Heaven and Earth Society won't have to worry about provisions ever again!"

"Don't just think about the money," Xie Hui patted his head. "Quickly clear out the headquarters, see if there are any cult members who escaped, and while you're at it, search for all the martial arts Secret Manuals. Our brothers can all learn them later."

Longer took the Wu Sanguis Former Troops to clear the headquarters, AKe helped organize the searched-out Secret Manuals, and Xu Tianchuan and Tiger Wang's men escorted the captives toward the ship. Xie Hui held the two forty-two chapter sutras he had just obtained and did a mental count—adding the ones previously taken from the Fake Empress Dowager, the Kangxi Emperor, and Zheng Keshuang, he now had six. Only two more were needed to complete the set, bringing him one step closer to finding the Treasure Trove.

Just as they reached the entrance of the headquarters, the horn of a warship sounded in the distance—the navy ships were urging them to return. Xie Hui shouted to everyone: "Everyone, speed up! We need to leave Black Wind Island before dark. Don't linger here!"

Wei Xiaobao, holding the chest, ran faster than anyone: "Wait for me! This chest is heavy; someone give me a hand!"

AKe wanted to go help, but Xie Hui pulled her back: "Ignore him, let him run by himself. Who told him to be so greedy?" Despite saying that, he still had two brothers from the Heaven and Earth Society go over to help.

Back on the warship, the setting sun had dyed the sea surface a burnt orange. AKe leaned against the side of the ship, looking at a copy of the Divine Dragon Cult Mind-Cultivation Technique in her hand, and asked Xie Hui in a low voice: "Brother Hui, is this Mind-Cultivation Technique useful? The Moves written inside seem more powerful than what I learned before."

"It's useful, but not as good as the Nine Yin Manual," Xie Hui took the manual and flipped through a few pages. "When we get back, I'll teach you the advanced Mind-Cultivation Technique of the Nine Yin Manual. It's much more powerful than this."

AKe's eyes lit up, and she nodded vigorously: "Okay! I will definitely study hard so I can help you fight more bad guys in the future."

Longer walked over, holding a small porcelain bottle: "This is a detoxification pill searched from the Cult Leader's room; it can neutralize a hundred poisons. Keep it; it will come in handy later. The cult members in the headquarters have been cleared out, and the captives are on the ship. We can set sail."

Xie Hui took the porcelain bottle and put it into his inner universe: "Thank you for your hard work. You deserve a lot of credit for successfully taking the headquarters this time. When I get back, I'll talk to the Kangxi Emperor and have him grant you an official title so no one will ever dare arrest you as a member of the Divine Dragon Cult again."

Longer's cheeks flushed slightly, and she shook her head: "I don't want a title. As long as I can follow you and learn martial arts, that's enough."

Xie Hui smiled and didn't say much, but he kept it in mind—he needed to give Longer a stable identity, fulfilling the condition of 'promising to protect her life and status' to win her over as per the outline.

As the warship returned, Wei Xiaobao was constantly counting the gold and silver in the chest, muttering to himself: "There's at least fifty thousand taels here! Enough to build ten Zhuang Manors! Brother Hui, when we get back, let's tear down the manor and rebuild it. We'll dig a pond to grow lotuses to make Miss Shuanger happy!"

Xie Hui didn't object; Shuanger indeed deserved a better place to live, fitting the subsequent plan of 'settling the female lead properly.' He pulled out the walkie-talkie and pressed the talk button: "Shuanger, Jianning, we've taken the Divine Dragon Cult headquarters. We got two forty-two chapter sutras and hauled in quite a bit of gold and silver. We'll be back tonight."

Shuanger's gentle voice came through the walkie-talkie, mixed with Jianning's cheers: "Brother Hui, that's wonderful! I've stewed some mutton soup for you and put it in the insulated box in the small universe; you can drink it as soon as you get back. Miss Jianning just picked a lot of fruit in the orchard and said she'd save the biggest one for you."

"Understood, we'll be there soon," Xie Hui hung up the walkie-talkie, his heart full of peace. No matter how hard the fight was outside, there was always someone in the back preparing hot soup. This feeling was even better than getting gold and silver.

By evening, the warship finally docked. Shuanger and Jianning were already waiting at the port. Seeing Xie Hui, Jianning ran over like a little bird, holding up a bright red fruit: "Xie Hui! You're finally back! This fruit is so sweet; I saved it specifically for you!"

Xie Hui took the fruit and took a bite; the sweet juice ran down the corner of his mouth. Jianning quickly wiped it for him with a handkerchief, her eyes full of joy. Shuanger walked over to AKe and handed her a cup of hot soup: "Miss AKe, you've worked hard. Have some soup to warm up."

AKe took the soup and whispered a "thank you." Looking at Shuanger's gentle manner, her heart also felt warm. In the past, when she was with Zheng Keshuang, no one had ever cared for her like this. Now, following Xie Hui, she not only felt secure but also had so many people looking after her.

Everyone escorted the captives and the gold and silver back to the Zhuang Manor. The people sent by the Kangxi Emperor were already waiting. Xie Hui handed over the Cult Leader and Songgotu's secret letter to the messengers to be taken back to the palace. Wei Xiaobao pulled Xu Tianchuan aside and began planning how to build the new manor. The two were noisy and argumentative, one moment saying they'd build a two-story building, the next saying they'd dig a pond, making everyone burst into laughter.

Xie Hui sat in the courtyard, holding the six forty-two chapter sutras, lining them up. He pondered—two more to go. According to the Cult Leader, of the remaining two, one was with the Wu Sanguis Former Troops, and the other was in a Lama Temple in Tibet. Next, he had to deal with Songgotu first, then go to Yunnan to find the Wu Sanguis Former Troops. Taking it step by step, he would eventually collect them all.

Longer walked over and sat beside him, holding a cup of hot tea: "What are you thinking about? Are you thinking about the remaining sutras?"

"Yes," Xie Hui took the hot tea. "The remaining two won't be easy to find; it'll take some effort. But it's okay. We now have the Heaven and Earth Society, the former members of the Divine Dragon Cult, and the Wu Sanguis Former Troops. There's strength in numbers; we'll find them."

"I'll go with you," Longer looked at him, her eyes firm. "I've been to Yunnan and know a few leaders of the Wu Sanguis Former Troops; I can help."

Xie Hui nodded, knowing very well that with Longer's help, finding the sutras would be much smoother. Moreover, this was an opportunity to deepen her affection, fitting the plot line of 'Longer being won over by wisdom and martial arts' in the outline.

Jianning and AKe also walked over. Jianning hugged Xie Hui's arm: "I want to go too! I'll tell my Imperial Brother to send the Imperial Guard for you. We'll go to Yunnan in grand style, and we'll fight whoever dares to stop us!"

AKe also said softly: "I'll go too. I can help you with the routes and take care of your meals."

Xie Hui smiled and nodded, reaching out to pat Jianning's head and then AKe's shoulder: "Good! We'll all go together! But Jianning, you have to be obedient and not run around wildly, or I won't take you."

Jianning nodded quickly: " I'll be obedient! I definitely won't run around!"

Shuanger came over with some snacks and placed the plate on the table: "Don't just talk; have some snacks first. Brother Hui, I've already drawn the blueprints for the new manor. Tomorrow, I'll have Brother Xu's men start construction. I guarantee you'll be able to Move in as soon as you return from Yunnan."

Xie Hui picked up a snack and put it in his mouth. The sweet taste spread through his mouth—with such a group of people accompanying him, no matter how many difficulties lay ahead, he was confident he could handle them. He looked at the people before him, and the forty-two chapter sutras in his hand seemed to have warmth. He thought silently: Songgotu, Wu Sanguis Former Troops, the Tibetan Lama Temple... we'll take them one by one. Once the sutras are gathered and the treasure is found, it will be time to overthrow the Qing Dynasty and establish a New Dynasty!

As the night deepened, the lights were still on in the courtyard of the manor. Everyone sat together, eating snacks and chatting about the upcoming plans. The laughter and conversation drifted far away, and even the moon in the sky seemed brighter than usual.