Lin Zhenfan returned to the foot of Wangya Mountain to find the entire mountain had collapsed, and his underground city was no more.
The encirclement and killing array set up by a master had also been broken, and the array eye gems he had placed were stolen. Enraged, he went mad on the spot, veins bulging on his face and hands.
"Ah—"
"How could this happen?"
"What happened to his underground city? His underground city entrance was clearly protected by an encirclement and killing array set up by a master, so how could it be broken so easily?" Lin Zhenfan muttered to himself.
Gone, all gone. The money and weapons he had hidden in the basement of the small courtyard were also gone. The efforts he had planned for over twenty years had all vanished into thin air.
At this moment, a subordinate walked over anxiously from a distance and said to Lin Zhenfan, "Pavilion Master, there is one person still alive here."
Lin Zhenfan's eyes lit up upon hearing this.
"Where is he?" Lin Zhenfan asked urgently.
"Pavilion Master, he's by the mountain cliff ahead. He was hit by rocks on his back and is severely injured, close to death," the subordinate said with a frown.
"Quick, take me to see him!" Lin Zhenfan said, burning with anxiety.
Immediately, the subordinate led Lin Zhenfan to the severely injured person.
The heavily injured person was on the verge of death, with a large rock pressing down on his back.
"Pavilion, Pavilion Master, we... our... underground city, someone... someone broke in and killed... the entire... underground city... collapsed."
The person's voice was weak and intermittent, and Lin Zhenfan couldn't hear him clearly. However, he understood the meaning the person was trying to convey.
His underground city had indeed been infiltrated by outsiders, but he still couldn't figure out how those people had discovered his lair.
After his Dark Night Pavilion broke away from the Remnant Moon Tower, they moved their base here. To prevent discovery, he had even hired a master to set up an array.
If it weren't for the fact that the high-level assassins of Dark Night Pavilion didn't know the location of the array eyes, and they usually entered and exited the underground city using special markings on their bodies, outsiders could never have gotten in. If one insisted on entering the underground city, they could only break the array at the entrance.
Anyone who could decipher such a difficult array was definitely not a simple person.
There were very few people in the world skilled in setting up and breaking arrays, but those people were not in the Tianwu Kingdom. So, who could have the great ability to break his encirclement and killing array?
He was utterly perplexed.
"Strongman, you stay here and have people dig open this mountain, and dig out everything under the small courtyard of the underground city, without missing a single item."
At this moment, a burly man with a raised pigtail tied to the top of his head, his bare upper body displaying thick arms and eight firm abdominal muscles, wearing wide bamboo trousers, strode up to Lin Zhenfan.
This was the same strongman who had rescued Lin Zhenfan from the Ke Qin grasslands back then.
"Yes, Master, your subordinate obeys!" The strongman cupped his hands respectfully.
Then, Lin Zhenfan stayed by the ruins of the underground city for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before leaving and continuing his journey to the capital in his carriage.
—
King Qing's Manor
After the Ghost Valley Master finished acupuncture and the King Qing woke up, he felt much more relaxed, and the tightness in his lower body was gone.
King Qing was extremely excited and couldn't help but exclaim, "The medical skills of this Ghost Valley Master are truly brilliant!"
Only three hours after the Ghost Valley Master finished his acupuncture, his body had regained its vitality, making him trust the Ghost Valley Master's medical skills even more.
"Zuo Qing, where has the Ghost Valley Master gone?" King Qing asked eagerly.
"Reporting to Your Highness, your subordinate has arranged a superior courtyard for him and assigned some servants to attend to him carefully," Zuo Qing replied respectfully.
"Good, you've done well!" King Qing patted Zuo Qing's shoulder in praise.
"Thank you for your praise, Master. This is what your subordinate should do," Zuo Qing replied modestly, not seeking credit.
King Qing cast an appreciative glance at him and nodded. This was also why he had always relied heavily on Zuo Qing.
"Zuo Qing, go find the housekeeper and have him retrieve some valuable items from the main treasury and send them to Consort Leng's room. Liu Ruyi has helped us greatly this time, and we should properly thank her and her daughter."
King Qing was in a particularly good mood now.
"Understood, your subordinate will go and do it now." Zuo Qing responded and immediately left the room to find the housekeeper.
After a while, Zuo Qing had a maid carry two large trays of valuable jewelry and gems to Leng Ruoshuang's room.
"Master, Madam Liu, Guard Zuo Qing is here," Xi'er walked in to report to Leng Ruoshuang and Liu Ruyi.
Upon hearing this, Liu and her daughter exchanged glances. What was Zuo Qing's intention in coming at this time?
"Let him in!" Liu Ruyi said after a few seconds of thought.
Immediately, Xi'er walked to the door and brought Zuo Qing in. Liu and her daughter also saw three young maids following behind him, holding trays covered with red cloth. They had no idea what was on them.
"Madam Liu, because you helped His Highness invite the Ghost Valley Master to help him detoxify, you have made a great contribution. His Highness is pleased and has ordered me to send some jewelry and ornaments as gifts to you and Consort Leng. Please examine the items on these three trays," Zuo Qing said expressionlessly.
As soon as Zuo Qing finished speaking, Leng Ruoshuang's eyes lit up.
"Guard Zuo Qing, please open them and show us," Leng Ruoshuang said impatiently.
Ever since she left the General Leng's manor, she had no precious gold and silver jewelry. Every time she dressed up, she had no beautiful hair ornaments to wear, which had been a headache for her. Now, King Qing's gifts of jewelry were exactly to her liking.
But Zuo Qing felt full of mockery upon hearing Leng Ruoshuang's words. Such a woman deserved her fate.
However, he still helped her uncover the red cloths on the trays one by one, and the gold, silver, and precious jewels carried by the three maids instantly sparkled.
"Mother, there's also a ruby and emerald necklace and a gold and silver peacock feather hairpin, how beautiful!"
Leng Ruoshuang's eyes instantly lit up as she looked at the gold, silver, and precious jewels that Zuo Qing had the maids bring over, her face showing a greedy expression.
"Cough cough..."
Seeing her daughter's embarrassing demeanor, Liu Ruyi coughed lightly to remind her.
With Liu Ruyi's cough, Leng Ruoshuang immediately regained her normal expression.
"Guard Zuo Qing, please place these gold and silver jewelry directly on my table and then withdraw," Leng Ruoshuang said indifferently.
"Yes, Consort Leng!"
Zuo Qing casually responded and withdrew with the maids.
After Zuo Qing left, Leng Ruoshuang immediately got off her bed and went to the table in her room, trying on the jewelry she liked.
Xi'er, standing beside her, frowned and glanced at Leng Ruoshuang, while Fang'er behind her sneered inwardly. Only A'Man, standing behind Liu and her daughter, remained expressionless.
Because she was only focused on figuring out who she was, she didn't direct her gaze at Liu and her daughter.