375: Imperial Guard Armory

On the ice table in the Hanyue Valley Underground Palace lay a spread-out map of the Imperial City. The location of the Imperial Guard armory was marked with black iron powder, surrounded by densely noted patrol routes.

"Shift change at 1:45 AM," "Three hidden sentries at the southeast corner," "The entrance mechanism requires both the Tiger Tally and the password to open." Jun Xiaoyao tapped his fingertip on the words "Tiger Tally," and the water mirror immediately reflected the study of the Imperial Guard commander.

In a secret compartment of the study, a gilded Tiger Tally lay quietly. The words "Protect the Imperial City" were engraved on the tally, and the notches on its edge perfectly matched the grooves of the armory gate. Commander Zhao Kang was wiping the Tiger Tally; behind the screen, a dark shadow lurked quietly—it was "Shadow Seven," an assassin from The Net's "Xuan" unit.

"Zhao Gao, have you found Zhao Kang's weakness?" Jun Xiaoyao's voice came through the ice mist. The secret report on the table recorded Zhao Kang's life: his ten-year-old only son suffered from "Soul Separation Syndrome," becoming delirious every fifteenth of the month and requiring Tianshan snow lotus for medicine.

Zhao Gao stepped out from the shadows, holding a jade box in his hands: "Young Lord, The Net found three five-hundred-year-old snow lotuses in the Western Regions and has already had 'Shadow Seven' arrange for them to be delivered to Zhao Kang's residence. Additionally, the armory password is 'Nine-Nine Returns to One,' which corresponds to the nine-grid mechanism on the gate."

In the water mirror, Shadow Seven had already placed the snow lotus on Zhao Kang's desk, leaving a note: "Borrowing the Tiger Tally for use; it will be returned in three days. This ensures your son's medicine remains uninterrupted." Seeing the snow lotus, Zhao Kang's expression changed abruptly, his clenched fists bulging with veins—he knew the other party had grasped his fatal weakness.

"He will compromise." Jun Xiaoyao lifted his eyes to look at the summoning array. The spiritual energy at the array's core had risen to 90% due to the impending infiltration of the Imperial City. As the runes flowed, a nimble figure emerged.

[System Prompt: Complex mechanism array detected, triggering "Array-Breaking" type summoning.]

[Summonable Character: Shi Qian]

[Origin: "water margin" world]

[Realm: Grandmaster Peak]

[Martial Skill: Eaves-Walking (Transcendent), Chicken-Crowing and Dog-Stealing (Skilled in cracking mechanisms and locks)]

[Specialty: Reaching into a Bag to Take an Object (Can steal any item within ten steps), Mechanism Art (Can dismantle 90% of the world's lock arrays)]

[Summoning Cost: 88% Spiritual Energy]

Jun Xiaoyao's fingertip descended, and the summoning array suddenly erupted with gray light. The runes flowed like fine sand as Shi Qian's figure coalesced within the light. He was dressed in night-traveling clothes with a string of copper keys tucked at his waist. As he bowed to Jun Xiaoyao, his face wore a hint of craftiness: "Flea on a Drum, Shi Qian, greets the Young Lord."

[Character Panel: Shi Qian]

[Status: Standby]

[Special Ability: Bone-Shrinking Technique (Can crawl into narrow spaces), Night Vision (Seeing in the dark as if it were daylight)]

[Loyalty: 83%]

[Current Thought: A nine-grid mechanism? Much simpler than the Pan-Tuo Road of the Zhu Family Manor.]

"The nine-grid mechanism of the armory—are you confident in cracking it?" Jun Xiaoyao pointed to the pattern of the gate in the water mirror. Each grid of the nine-grid array was engraved with different beast patterns, and rotating them would trigger a crossbow trap.

Shi Qian pulled a small copper nine-grid disk from his bosom, his fingers moving rapidly: "Rest assured, Young Lord. The pivot of this mechanism is the Black Tortoise pattern in the bottom right corner. As long as you turn it in the order of 'Qian, Kun, Kan, Li,' the crossbows will not be triggered." He handed the copper disk to Jun Xiaoyao, "Following this method, it will take half a cup of tea to open the gate."

In the water mirror, Zhao Kang had already placed the Tiger Tally on the windowsill. While Shadow Seven took the Tiger Tally, he left behind the second snow lotus. Zhao Kang gazed at the night sky outside the window and slammed his fist against the wall—he knew he was now tied to Beyond Heaven. If the matter failed, it would mean the confiscation of his family assets and extermination of his clan.

"At 11:45 PM, take action." Jun Xiaoyao nodded at Zhao Gao, "Have Wei Yixiao cooperate with Shi Qian to clear the outer hidden sentries. Have the Marshal of the Unruly take the 'Kill' unit to provide backup outside the Imperial City in case of any changes."

[Character Panel: Wei Yixiao]

[Status: Stealth]

[Current Mission: Clear hidden sentries around the armory]

[Special Mark: Has evaded the perception of three Land Immortal Realm retainers]

In the water mirror, the sound of the midnight watchman's clapper had just faded when Wei Yixiao's figure swept over the palace wall like a phantom. His Cold Ice Cotton Palm carried a bone-chilling cold; every strike landed precisely on the back of a sentry's neck. The sentries couldn't even manage a groan before collapsing silently, to be dragged into the shadows by the Luowang Assassins who followed.

Shi Qian, meanwhile, utilized the cover of night to climb the armory wall like a gecko. Avoiding the patrolling Imperial Guards, he landed in front of the main gate with a thin iron wire already in his hand. The moment the wire was inserted into the keyhole, a soft "click" sounded, and the first lock opened in response.

"The nine-grid array is turning!" Shi Qian gave a low shout, pressing his fingers on the Black Tortoise pattern and rotating it in the order of "Qian, Kun, Kan, Li." The nine-grid array emitted a faint sound of gears. As the beast patterns rotated, the crossbow bolts that should have been fired became stuck in their slots—just as he had said, the trap was successfully cracked.

The gate slowly opened, revealing a mountain of black iron piled inside. On the deepest iron rack, thirty black iron heavy swords were neatly stacked. The cold light on the blades made Shi Qian's face shine: "Good heavens, if this were taken to the black market, it could be traded for an entire city!"

Just as he was about to start moving them, he suddenly frowned and made a gesture toward the darkness. Wei Yixiao immediately hid in the shadows. The side door of the armory was pushed open, and three heavily armored Imperial Guards walked in. The torches in their hands illuminated the tiger-head markings on their chests—it was the Emperor's personal guard, the "Huben Battalion"!

"Something's not right. The Huben Battalion is never responsible for guarding the armory." Wei Yixiao's voice came through the message talisman, filled with vigilance, "They seem to be looking for something."

In front of the water mirror, Jun Xiaoyao looked at the blueprint in the hands of the Huben Battalion soldiers. The drawing depicted the distribution map of the black iron mother lode. His gaze darkened: "It seems the Emperor is also eyeing the mother lode. Tell Shi Qian not to act yet; let's see what they are planning to do."

The Huben Battalion captain gestured at the blueprint: "His Majesty has said that this batch of black iron is to be transported to the Northern Desert overnight and handed over to the 'Ghost-Faced General' to forge weapons. Anyone who leaks the news will be executed without mercy!"

The soldiers began to move the black iron. Shi Qian seized the opportunity to hide in the shadows behind the iron racks and gestured to Wei Yixiao: "They are going to take half away; the rest will be hidden in a secret passage."

Wei Yixiao nodded, concentrating cold Qi at his fingertips, preparing to act after they finished moving the goods. Just then, a rapid bell sound came from afar—it was the Imperial City's alarm!

"Bad news, we've been discovered!" The captain's expression changed drastically, and he drew the sword at his waist, "Quick, activate the self-destruct mechanism!"

A soldier lunged toward the lever in the corner. Wei Yixiao's Cold Ice Cotton Palm struck out in time, the palm wind freezing the soldier in place. Shi Qian darted out like a civet cat, the iron wire in his hand wrapping around the captain's wrist. He seized the sword and held it to the captain's neck: "Try moving and see what happens."

The alarm bells grew louder. Jun Xiaoyao gave a low command to Zhao Gao: "Have the Marshal of the Unruly bring men to rush in. Take as much black iron as possible, and as for the rest... blow it up!"

The Marshal of the Unruly's figure immediately appeared outside the armory. He activated the Tiangang Art to summon flames, blocking the arriving Imperial Guards outside the door. The Luowang Assassins shouldered the black iron and retreated into the secret passage with Shi Qian and Wei Yixiao. Before leaving, Shi Qian tied a burning fuse to a gunpowder barrel.

"Boom—"

The explosion shook the Imperial City, and the fire from the armory illuminated half the sky. In the water mirror, the Marshal of the Unruly charged out of the Imperial City with carts fully loaded with black iron. Wei Yixiao and Shi Qian covered the retreat, their Cold Ice Cotton Palm and throwing darts working in tandem to slaughter the pursuers, leaving none alive.

Zhao Kang stood at his study window, watching the fire at the armory, and collapsed into his chair—he knew he could never turn back now.

Deep in the underground palace, Jun Xiaoyao looked at the black iron heavy sword on the table; the luster of the blade reflected his calm face. Zhao Gao handed over the latest secret report: "Young Lord, this time we transported back twelve carts of black iron, enough to forge three hundred heavy swords. The Huben Battalion captain confessed that the Ghost-Faced General in the Northern Desert is the Emperor's illegitimate son and is secretly building a private army."

Jun Xiaoyao picked up the heavy sword, the blade scraping against the ice table with a harsh sound: "Ghost-Faced General... Northern Desert..." He looked at the summoning array. The spiritual energy at the array's core had risen to 95% due to obtaining a large amount of black iron. As the runes flickered, a figure clad in heavy armor emerged.

"It seems it is time to take a trip to the Northern Desert."

The wind and snow of Hanyue Valley fell once again, covering all traces. But the fire in the Imperial City was like a beacon, illuminating the irreconcilable rift between Beyond Heaven and the Imperial Dynasty.

The struggle for resources belonging to Jun Xiaoyao had moved from the shadows to the light, and a greater storm was brewing on the grasslands of the Northern Desert.