201: The remaining forces launched a surprise attack, demonstrating their preparedness and meticulous planning to defeat the enemy at the main camp.

The morning mist in the Zhuang Manor had not yet dispersed, and Shuanger was already squatting on the stone steps counting supplies. The gas masks in the bamboo basket were neatly arranged, each with a small note attached, reading "Against Confusing Smoke" and "Against Corroding Bone Smoke." Next to them was a cloth bag containing wound medicine from Peach Blossom Island, with the dosage and usage also labeled on the bottles. "Brother Hui, there are two hundred gas masks in total, enough for us and the brothers from the Yunnan Branch. I've also prepared three times the amount of wound medicine, for fear it won't be enough when we take the Main Altar."

Xie Hui had just finished practicing the palm techniques of the Nine Yin Manual, his hands still damp with sweat. He took the ledger Shuanger handed him and flipped through a few pages: "Prepare fifty more as spares. The Divine Dragon Cult has many types of poison smoke; it's better to bring more. Where is AKe? How is the map study going?"

"She's in the room," Shuanger pointed towards the main house, "with Miss Long'er. They said there are hidden arrows behind the third stone gate of the Main Altar, and they need to find the mechanism switch in advance to pass. Your Majesty Wei Xiaobao came by just now to make a fuss, saying he wanted to bring the gold ingots seized from Songgotu's mansion, claiming he could make another fortune after taking the Main Altar."

Xie Hui couldn't help but laugh. Just as he was about to speak, he heard a "clatter" from outside the courtyard gate, sounding like a wooden stick hitting the door. Xu Tianchuan ran over with his blade drawn, his face tense: "Brother Hui! This is bad! About a dozen remnants of the Divine Dragon Cult are attacking! They have Confusing Smoke Cylinders in their hands and have already surrounded the back gate!"

"They've come at the perfect time!" Xie Hui drew his black iron sword, his gaze sharpening. "Long'er, take ten of the old subordinates to guard the front gate; don't let them escape. AKe, come with me to the back gate and watch out for their poison smoke. Shuanger, put Jianning into the small universe and don't let her out. Wei Xiaobao, you and Brother Xu guard the supplies; don't let them steal the armaments!"

Everyone acted immediately. Just as Xie Hui and AKe rounded the corner to the back gate, they saw a dozen Men in Black rushing forward with blades raised. Leading them was the Azure Altar Master of the Divine Dragon Cult, whose Poison Smoke Cylinder was spraying a pale green mist toward them. "Xie Hui! Give us your life! Avenge Elder Bai and the Purple Altar Master!"

Xie Hui was well-prepared. He pulled out a gas mask and put it on, sidestepping the smoke. With a swing of his black iron sword, he cut through a cultist's blade and kicked him flying. AKe wasn't idle either; she had already studied the properties of the dragon cult's Confusing Smoke. She took a cloth bag from her bosom, which contained the detoxification herbs prepared by Shuanger, and scattered them into the air. The scent of the herbs neutralized the poison smoke, leaving the cultists coughing uncontrollably.

"Now!" Xie Hui leaped forward, his black iron sword pointing directly at the Azure Altar Master. The Azure Altar Master quickly raised his blade to block, but his wrist went numb from the shock of Xie Hui's Internal Energy, and the blade fell to the ground with a "clang." AKe took the opportunity to circle behind the Azure Altar Master, picked up a wooden stick from the ground, and struck the back of his knees. The Azure Altar Master fell to his knees with a "thud" and was tied up by Xie Hui.

Seeing their leader captured, the remaining cultists tried to flee in terror, only to be blocked by Long'er and her subordinates. Long'er's swordplay was as fast as the wind, subduing the cultists in less than two moves. She said coldly, "To dare a sneak attack, you certainly have some nerve!"

Wei Xiaobao ran out carrying a gold ingot, approached the Azure Altar Master, and tapped his head with the ingot: "Still want revenge? With only this much skill? Speak up! Besides the five hundred people in your Main Altar, what other treasures are there? Is there a forty-two chapter sutra?"

The Azure Altar Master stiffened his neck and refused to speak, but Jianning poked her head out from the small universe and shouted into the walkie-talkie: "Wei Xiaobao! Don't hit him with the ingot! You'll knock him stupid! I found some itching powder in the small universe. Sprinkle it on him and see if he talks!"

Everyone was amused, but the Azure Altar Master's face turned pale—he had long heard of Princess Jianning's capriciousness and hadn't expected her to even have itching powder. Before Jianning could sprinkle the powder, he quickly shouted: "I'll talk! I'll talk! There is one forty-two chapter sutra in the Main Altar, hidden under the Cult Leader's bed. There are also ten 'Heaven-Shaking Thunders,' which are ten times more powerful than the Poison Smoke Cannon. The Cult Leader said he would use them against you!"

Xie Hui's eyes lit up; the forty-two chapter sutra had finally been located! He had the Azure Altar Master taken away and said to everyone: "It seems the Main Altar will be harder to deal with than we thought. We need to refine our plan further. Long'er, contact the people from the Yunnan Branch and tell them to bring more shields to defend against the 'Heaven-Shaking Thunders.' AKe, study the map again to see if there's a route to avoid the 'Heaven-Shaking Thunders.' Shuanger, pack more detoxification pills from Peach Blossom Island; the 'Heaven-Shaking Thunders' might be poisonous. Wei Xiaobao, you and Brother Xu check the provisions again; we can't have our supplies cut off then."

Everyone agreed. AKe ran over with the map, pointing to a thin line on it: "Brother Hui, I found a secret ditch behind the Main Altar that leads into the mountains. It might bypass the range of the 'Heaven-Shaking Thunders.' I asked Miss Long'er, and she said this secret ditch was used by the dragon cult to transport grain in the past. Only the old cultists know about it. We can send a team through the secret ditch to strike directly at the Cult Leader's bedchamber and take the forty-two chapter sutra."

Long'er nodded and added: "I know a few old cultists who have now surrendered to us. They say there are many rats and stagnant water in the secret ditch, so we must bring torches and wooden planks, otherwise it will be difficult to traverse."

"No problem," Xie Hui took the map and drew a circle at the location of the secret ditch. "It's settled then. We will attack from three directions: I will lead twenty people through the secret ditch to get the forty-two chapter sutra; Long'er will lead fifty people through the front gate to draw the fire of the 'Heaven-Shaking Thunders'; AKe will lead thirty people through the side gate to crack the mechanism gate and support the brothers at the front gate; Wei Xiaobao and Brother Xu will lead a hundred people to guard the outside of the mountain to prevent the Cult Leader from escaping; Shuanger will prepare wound medicine in the small universe to support the injured brothers at any time."

Hearing this in the small universe, Jianning quickly shouted: "I want to help too! I'll keep watch for you from the small universe. If I see the Cult Leader running, I'll call you on the walkie-talkie! I can also help Sister Shuanger hand out wound medicine!"

Xie Hui agreed with a smile: "Alright, then you stay with Shuanger. Don't mess with the modified gunpowder inside. Do you remember how you almost lit the fuse last time?"

Jianning's face flushed, and she whispered: "I know, I definitely won't touch it this time!"

At noon, two hundred elites from the Yunnan Branch arrived. Their leader was a man named Ma Wu, who was burly and carried a large blade. Upon seeing Xie Hui, he cupped his fists and said: "Regent Prince! The brothers have all arrived, bringing shields and crossbow bolt. We are just waiting for your command to take down the Divine Dragon Cult's Main Altar!"

Xie Hui patted his shoulder: "Good work, brothers. Rest for a while. We'll refine our tactics after lunch. Shuanger, bring out the prepared steamed buns and dried meat for the brothers to eat."

Shuanger nodded quickly and called over several brothers from the Heaven and Earth Society to carry out bamboo baskets. The steamed buns inside were still steaming, and the dried meat was marinated with spices, smelling so good that Wei Xiaobao couldn't help but swallow his saliva. He reached out to grab some but was slapped on the hand by Shuanger: "Distribute it to the brothers first; you can eat later!"

Wei Xiaobao rubbed his hand and chuckled: "I know, I know. For the brothers first, I'm not in a hurry!"

After the meal, Xie Hui led everyone in practicing tactics in the courtyard, teaching them to use the "Wedge Formation" against the cultists. He also demonstrated the use of modified gunpowder—packing it into ceramic jars so that throwing them would blow a large hole without harming their own people. Ma Wu watched and clapped his hands: "The Regent Prince's method is too powerful! It's ten times stronger than the crude cannons we used before!"

Halfway through the drill, Shuanger suddenly ran over with a cloth bag: "Brother Hui! I found the soft armor seized from Oboi's mansion in the small universe. I've brought one for each of you. It's resistant to blades and spears, yet lightweight and won't affect your fighting." As she spoke, she handed one to Xie Hui, Long'er, and AKe each. The soft armor was made of silk and sewn with black iron thread, feeling both soft and sturdy to the touch.

Xie Hui took the soft armor and put it on; it fit perfectly. "You're still the most thoughtful. Otherwise, the brothers might easily get hurt when taking the Main Altar."

As the sun set, the preparations were finally almost complete. Gas masks, wound medicine, provisions, and armaments filled the courtyard. The brothers from the Yunnan Branch and the Heaven and Earth Society were all rubbing their hands in anticipation, waiting for the fifteenth to attack the Main Altar. The Azure Altar Master was brought out, and seeing the array in the courtyard, his legs went weak with fear: "You... you are going to level the Main Altar? The Cult Leader will definitely not be able to defeat you!"

Xie Hui looked at him and said calmly: "It's good that you know. If you're honest, we'll let you go after we take the Main Altar; if you dare to play tricks, we'll throw you into the small universe and let Miss Jianning's dolls 'watch' you."

The Azure Altar Master nodded quickly: "I'll be honest! I'll definitely be honest! I can even lead the way for you; I know all the mechanisms in the Main Altar!"

Jianning heard this in the small universe and shouted into the walkie-talkie: "My dolls don't watch bad people! I'll have them guard the provisions so the rats don't steal them!"

Everyone was amused, and the originally tense atmosphere completely relaxed. Looking at the people before him, Xie Hui felt full of confidence—with so many reliable brothers, the meticulous Shuanger, the capable Long'er, the clever AKe, the lively Jianning, and the money-grubbing but dependable Wei Xiaobao, even if the Divine Dragon Cult's Main Altar had "Heaven-Shaking Thunders," he was confident he could take it down in one fell swoop.

When night fell, Xie Hui sat alone in the courtyard studying the map, his fingertip tracing the location of the Main Altar, silently calculating in his mind: "Heaven-Shaking Thunders" at the front gate, mechanisms at the side gate, a secret ditch leading to the bedchamber, the forty-two chapter sutra under the Cult Leader's bed, five hundred cultists... He went over every detail in his head to ensure nothing was missed.

Long'er walked over, holding a cup of hot tea: "Still thinking about the plan? Don't overwork yourself. The brothers are all ready; nothing will go wrong."

"Thinking more always makes things more thorough," Xie Hui took the hot tea. "I just learned from the Azure Altar Master that the Cult Leader has a secret weapon called 'Mountain-Burning Fire Oil,' which can burn across half a mountain. We need to find its storage location in advance, or it will be trouble during the attack."

Long'er's gaze sharpened: "I know that stuff. I saw it before in the Divine Dragon Cult. It's extremely flammable. I'll ask the old cultists about the storage location tomorrow; I'm sure I can find it."

AKe also walked over, holding a drawn map of the mechanisms: "Brother Hui, I've drawn all the mechanisms in the secret ditch. There are rat traps and stagnant water pits; we can pass with wooden planks and torches. I've also marked the location of the Cult Leader's bedchamber on the map. It's just twenty steps from the exit of the secret ditch, very convenient."

Xie Hui took the mechanism map, and his mind was completely at ease—all preparations were in place, just waiting for the fifteenth to arrive. He looked up at the night sky; the moon was exceptionally bright, as if blessing the upcoming battle. He knew that by taking the Divine Dragon Cult's Main Altar and obtaining the final forty-two chapter sutra, he would be one step closer to overthrowing the Qing Dynasty and establishing the New Dynasty, and the companionship of those around him was his greatest source of confidence.