200: Secret messages sent from within the palace to locate remnants of the Dragon Cult and pinpoint the location of their headquarters.

The sun in the Zhuang family courtyard was warm. Xu Tianchuan sat on a stone bench, his arm wrapped in fresh bandages by Shuanger. He was still arguing with Wei Xiaobao about the losses of the Jiangnan Branch: "Head Altar Master Wei! That Elder Bai destroyed three wagons of our provisions and smashed the pharmacy. This debt must be settled with the Divine Dragon Cult! Next time I see their people, I'll definitely skin them alive!"

Wei Xiaobao had some silver scraps he'd just pocketed from the branch, weighing them to see if they were enough for two jars of good wine. Hearing this, he quickly waved his hand: "No, no, no! Brother Xu, you've just been injured, so rest up first! Brother Hui will take care of the revenge. He can cut through a Poison Smoke Cylinder with one sword strike. Dealing with a few lackeys will be a piece of cake for him!"

Xie Hui had just come out of the inner room, holding the Divine Dragon Cult register organized by Longer. Hearing this, he couldn't help but smile: "Don't talk me up too much. The Divine Dragon Cult still has many die-hard loyalists; we must handle them carefully. By the way, Longer, have you contacted the people from the Yunnan Branch? Is there any movement from the Dragon Cult remnants over there?"

Longer sat nearby, her fingertip tracing the names on the register. Her cold and elegant face grew a bit more solemn: "I have. They said about a dozen Dragon Cult members have recently sneaked into the capital. They seem to be asking about the routes to the Imperial Palace, though I don't know what they're planning."

Just as she finished speaking, a young eunuch suddenly ran in from outside the courtyard, sweating profusely and clutching a sealed envelope: "Regent Prince! The Empress Dowager sent me to deliver a letter. She said something urgent has happened in the palace and asks you to look at it immediately!"

Xie Hui took the envelope, which was stamped with the Fake Empress Dowager's private seal. Upon opening it, the handwriting inside was rushed and messy: "Dragon Cult remnants have infiltrated the palace. Their target seems to be the secret cabinet in the Imperial Study, which contains clues to the Dragon Cult's Main Altar. Come quickly!"

"This is bad!" Xie Hui's heart tightened. The secret cabinet in the Imperial Study might contain something related to the forty-two chapter sutra. If the Divine Dragon Cult took it, all their previous efforts would be in vain. He grabbed his black iron sword and headed out: "Longer, come with me to the palace; you're familiar with the Dragon Cult's ways. AKe, you come too; there are bound to be traps in the palace, and you can help find the master switch. Wei Xiaobao, take Brother Xu and guard the Zhuang family home; don't let the Dragon Cult launch a sneak attack. Shuanger, put the gas masks and medicine into the small universe; I'll bring the spare key."

"I'm going too!" Jianning ran out of the room, still clutching a cloth doll. "I won't cause trouble in the small universe. I'll just watch you catch the bad guys and can even bring you water!"

Xie Hui nodded helplessly and handed her the spare key to the small universe: "Once inside, don't touch the armaments. There's improved gunpowder in there; it'll be trouble if it explodes."

The four of them rode fast horses toward the Imperial Palace. After about half an incense stick's time on the road, they could see from afar that there were twice as many guards at the palace gates as usual, each with a hand on their sword hilt and a nervous expression. The Guard Captain at the gate saw it was Xie Hui and rushed to meet him: "Regent Prince! The Empress Dowager is waiting in the Imperial Study. She said the Dragon Cult people have already broken in and asks you to hurry!"

Once inside the palace, the Fake Empress Dowager was already waiting outside the Imperial Study, dressed in dark palace robes, her face much gloomier than usual: "Little Brother Xie, you've finally arrived! The Dragon Cult people have infiltrated the Imperial Study and are prying open the secret cabinet. I had the guards stop them, but they have soul-confusing smoke and have already injured several brothers!"

Xie Hui didn't ask further and pushed the door open to charge inside—sure enough, the Imperial Study was in chaos. Three men in guard uniforms were surrounding a red sandalwood secret cabinet with crowbars in hand, while two unconscious guards lay on the floor. One of them heard the commotion and looked back; it was the Purple Altar Master of the Divine Dragon Cult, who had previously been in league with Elder Bai. He was still clutching a Poison Smoke Cylinder: "Xie Hui! It's you again! I must get the things in the secret cabinet today!"

"With just you?" Xie Hui unsheathed his black iron sword and charged forward in a flash. The Purple Altar Master quickly raised the Poison Smoke Cylinder to spray it in his face. Just as the pale green smoke dispersed, Xie Hui had already circled behind him, his black iron sword resting against the man's neck: "Don't move! Move again, and I'll take your head!"

Seeing their leader captured, the other two Dragon Cult members tried to escape through the window. Longer was already guarding it, and with a sweep of her longsword, she blocked their path: "Trying to run? Not that easy!" Her swordsmanship was already sharp, and having practiced the Lightness Skill from the Nine Yin Manual with Xie Hui recently, her movements were so fast they were a blur. Within two moves, she had knocked both cult members to the ground.

AKe didn't join the fight but instead crouched by the secret cabinet, her fingertips lightly tracing the patterns on its surface. She had learned mechanics from Zheng Keshuang before and saw at a glance that there was a hidden compartment on the side of the cabinet containing the master switch. She pulled out a small copper key she carried and gave it a gentle turn in the compartment. With a "click," the lock of the secret cabinet opened, and inside was indeed a kraft paper bundle labeled "Divine Dragon Cult Main Altar Location."

"Brother Hui! I found it!" AKe picked up the paper bundle and handed it to Xie Hui, her eyes full of excitement. This was the first time she had been of such great help in the palace, and she was even happier than when she had cracked traps in Yunnan.

Xie Hui took the paper bundle and opened it to find a hand-drawn map. It marked the Divine Dragon Cult's Main Altar deep within Black Wind Mountain and noted that the Main Altar had three mechanical doors that required Dragon Cult Medallions to open. He was delighted and cupped his hands toward the Fake Empress Dowager: "Thank you, Empress Dowager, for the tip. Otherwise, this clue would have been taken by the Dragon Cult."

The Fake Empress Dowager breathed a sigh of relief, a slight smile appearing on her face: "We are in a cooperative relationship; if something happens in the palace, I must tell you. By the way, I've already had that Purple Altar Master locked up. Do you want to interrogate him further to see if there are any other plots?"

"Interrogate him! Of course, we must interrogate him!" Wei Xiaobao's voice suddenly came from outside the door. He had actually followed them with Xu Tianchuan, an abacus tucked in his arms. "I'll do it! I'm the best at interrogating prisoners; I guarantee he'll spit out everything he knows!"

Xie Hui didn't stop him. Although Wei Xiaobao's interrogation methods lacked order, he always managed to stumble upon useful information. Sure enough, a moment later, Wei Xiaobao's shouts could be heard from the side hall: "Talk! How many people are left at your Main Altar? Is there any gold or silver hidden there? If you don't talk, I'll throw you into the small universe and let Miss Jianning's cloth dolls pelt you!"

Hearing this in the small universe, Jianning quickly shouted into the walkie-talkie: "Wei Xiaobao! My dolls don't pelt bad people! I'm going to have them watch the bad guys so they can't escape!"

Everyone was amused, and the tense atmosphere instantly softened. A short while later, Wei Xiaobao dragged the Purple Altar Master out, holding a slip of paper: "Brother Hui! I found out! There are over five hundred people at their Main Altar, plus ten Poison Smoke Cannons. They're going to hold a 'Heaven-Worshipping Ceremony' at the Main Altar on the fifteenth of next month, hoping to take the opportunity to recruit more men and strike back at the capital!"

Xie Hui took the paper and compared it with the information on the map; they matched perfectly. He put both the map and the slip of paper into the small universe and said to everyone: "On the fifteenth of next month, we'll go and wipe out the Divine Dragon Cult's Main Altar! Longer, contact the Yunnan Branch and have them send two hundred elites. AKe, study the mechanisms on the map with me to see how to crack them. Empress Dowager Fake Empress Dowager, please keep an eye on the palace to ensure the Dragon Cult remnants don't cause more trouble. Wei Xiaobao, you and Brother Xu prepare the provisions and armaments, especially the gas masks—bring plenty."

Everyone agreed. The Fake Empress Dowager looked at Xie Hui with more trust in her eyes: "Don't worry, Little Brother Xie. With me watching the palace, nothing will go wrong. By the way, there's some gold and silver left by the late emperor in the Imperial Study's secret cabinet. I'll have someone deliver it to the Zhuang family home as a subsidy for your provisions."

When they left the Imperial Palace, the setting sun was already low in the west. Jianning came out of the small universe, holding an apple, which she handed to Xie Hui: "Xie Hui! You were so amazing in that fight just now! The Purple Altar Master's legs went soft from fear! I even counted your sword moves in the small universe—you only struck eight times before subduing him!"

Xie Hui took the apple and took a bite, the sweet flavor spreading in his mouth: "You were watching quite closely. By the way, you didn't mess with the armaments inside, did you?"

"I didn't!" Jianning quickly shook her head. "I just sat on the pile of provisions and watched Sister Longer's sword; I didn't touch anything else. Sister Shuanger even heated up some mutton soup for you in the small universe, saying you could drink it when you got back."

When returning to the dealer，Shuang'er had indeed already served the mutton soup.，I also cooked a few side dishes.，These are all foods that Xie Hui and Long'er like to eat..Xu Tianchuan sat at the table，I was talking to Shuang'er about the Jiangnan branch.，Seeing them return，Get up quickly："Hui Ge！You're finally back!！I told Shuang'er.，I'll go to Jiangnan again next time.，I absolutely have to bring that brat Elder Bai back.，Make him compensate us for our grain.！"

Xie Hui sat down and took a sip of the mutton soup, feeling warm and comfortable all over. He said to everyone: "Don't think about revenge just yet. We'll settle the final score with them after we wipe out the Main Altar on the fifteenth of next month. AKe, take out the map; let's study the mechanisms now so we don't suffer later."

AKe quickly pulled the map from her bosom and spread it on the table, her finger pointing at the three mechanical doors on it: "The first is a Gear Door, which requires a Medallion to turn the gears to open. The second is a Poison Arrow Door; the arrows are poisoned, so we must find the master switch first. The third is a Stone Door, which requires three people to push together to open. I've studied similar mechanisms before; we can forge a Medallion for the Gear Door, and the master switch for the Poison Arrow Door should be in a hidden compartment on the left side of the door."

Longer leaned in, pointing to the center of the Main Altar on the map: "This is the Cult Leader's bedroom. The remaining forty-two chapter sutras must be hidden inside, along with the Dragon Cult's secret martial arts manuals. I've been to the Main Altar once before and know there's a Secret Passage behind the bedroom. If we can't break in from the front, we can take the Secret Passage."

Xie Hui nodded, a plan already forming in his mind: "When the time comes, we'll split into three groups. I'll lead one group through the front gate to crack the mechanisms. Longer, you lead another group through the Secret Passage to strike directly at the bedroom. AKe, stay by my side to help find the master switches. Wei Xiaobao and Brother Xu, lead a group to guard the outside of the Main Altar to ensure no one from the Dragon Cult escapes."

Wei Xiaobao's mouth was full of mutton as he responded indistinctly: "Don't worry! I'll definitely guard it so tightly that not even a fly can get out! By the way, can we split half of the gold and silver from the Main Altar? I want to buy a gold bracelet for Miss Xiao Hong at the Yihong Courtyard."

Everyone was amused. Shuanger smiled and handed him a bun: "Eat your bun first and don't choke. We'll talk about the gold and silver later; the important thing is to wipe out the Main Altar first."

Late at night, everyone had returned to their rooms to rest. Xie Hui was still looking at the map when Shuanger walked over and draped a coat over his shoulders: "Don't stay up too late. You still have to contact the people from the Yunnan Branch tomorrow; don't overwork yourself."

Xie Hui took her hand, his heart full of peace: "It's fine, I'll look at it a bit Longer. With all of you here, I feel confident. Next month, we will definitely wipe out the Main Altar and get the remaining forty-two chapter sutras."

Shuanger nodded and sat beside him. The moonlight filtered through the window onto the map, illuminating the location of the Main Altar and the two hands holding each other. Xie Hui knew that next month's journey to the Main Altar would be a pivotal battle in the world of the deer and the cauldron. As long as they won, they would not only get the sutras but also completely resolve the Divine Dragon Cult, clearing the obstacles for overthrowing the Qing Dynasty in the future. The companionship of those around him was his greatest strength; no matter how many mechanisms or enemies they faced, he was confident they would win in the end.