Mo Li

Cheers erupted from the crowd gathered before a cliffside stone wall. "It's open! We've opened it!"

The people below the cliff rejoiced. Although they had discovered this entrance several days prior, even with the most skilled tomb raiders and architectural experts assembled, it had taken considerable time to safely unlock the entrance to the Imperial Tomb. After all, with no visible clues from the outside, estimating the mechanisms within was impossible. One wrong move could collapse the entire passage, forcing them to excavate not just the entrance but possibly one or even several mountains. Fortunately, someone eventually thought to dig a side tunnel to confirm the layout and position of the traps inside, finally revealing the entrance to the long-hidden Imperial Tomb of the Founding Emperor. This also proved that Tan Jizhi had not deceived them—the treasure map he provided truly led to an Imperial Tomb.

A man emerged from inside, his face alight with excitement. "This is indeed an Imperial Tomb! The Underground Palace is still far from here—this tomb is enormous. Quickly, inform our master!"

Before long, all factions had arrived, none willing to lag behind. Lei Tengfeng frowned at the entrance before him and asked, "This is the entrance to the Imperial Tomb of the founding emperor of the previous dynasty? Isn’t it a bit… underwhelming?"

A man from the crowd stepped forward. "Young Master, you may not know, but this tomb is different from ordinary Imperial Tombs. It was never intended for ancestral worship by descendants, which is why the entrance is hidden in such a remote location—likely as a precaution against tomb raiders. Moreover, this probably isn’t the only entrance. Based on my estimation, we’re still at least ten li away from the center of the Underground Palace."

Lei Tengfeng nodded, then glanced at the others standing nearby—the Seventh Prince of Northern Rong, the Crown Prince of Northern Rong, and Prince Li of Great Chu, Mo Jingli. His brows furrowed.

Originally, he had thought obtaining the treasure map was a secret, but upon arriving, he realized the so-called treasure map was in everyone’s hands. Immediately, Lei Tengfeng understood they had likely been played by Tan Jizhi. Yet the map was clearly genuine, and they had indeed found the site. Could it be… Tan Jizhi wanted them to turn on each other so he could reap the benefits? The thought sent a jolt through Lei Tengfeng, and he decided against rushing into the tomb.

With a faint smile, he turned to the others watching him and raised an eyebrow. "Your Highness the Crown Prince, Prince Li, Seventh Prince… what are your plans?"

The expressions of those present varied, but none were free of wariness and vigilance toward their rivals. As members of royal families, they all knew what awaited them inside the Imperial Tomb. But if someone else got there first… Gold and jewels were secondary. If someone seized the Imperial Jade Seal before them, that would spell real trouble.Yelv Hong chuckled with a cautious and shrewd demeanor unlike the typical northern nomads, smiling as he said, "This prince is merely curious about the tomb of the founding emperor of the previous Central Plains dynasty. Sending someone in to take a look will suffice." With a wave of his hand, a group of men dressed as guards standing behind Yelv Hong stepped forward and entered the passage first. Lei Tengfeng narrowed his eyes slightly, a dark glint flashing in their depths, and nodded with a smile. "Prince Yelv speaks wisely. Though it is an Imperial Tomb, it is ultimately inauspicious. There’s no need for us to risk ourselves. Very well, you may go in as well and report back to my father." A group of men clad in golden brocade robes behind him clasped their fists in salute before rushing in after them. Yelv Hong and the others present were momentarily stunned—those were Zhennan Wang’s Gold-Clad Guards, yet they had followed Lei Tengfeng here.

Lei Tengfeng turned to Mo Jingli with a smile. "Well? Won’t Prince Li take a look inside?"

Mo Jingli snorted lightly. "A nobleman does not stand beneath a crumbling wall. A mere Imperial Tomb is beneath this prince’s notice." With a lift of his hand, the guards behind him also entered. Not to be outdone, Yelv Ye naturally sent his own men into the tomb as well.

From a concealed vantage point far away, Han Mingxi watched the group still lingering at the entrance—neither entering nor leaving—and couldn’t help but grow irritated. "What’s their game? If they’re not going in, they shouldn’t hold others up."

"They won’t enter," Han Mingyue, who had been silent beside him, suddenly spoke up.

Han Mingxi froze, turning to look at his brother. "Why?" Han Mingyue glanced at him and replied coolly, "Who are these people? They’re either crown princes or noble heirs—men of high status and power. They’re not grave robbers. No matter how much they desire what’s inside, they won’t risk their lives. Without life, they have nothing." Han Mingxi lowered his head in thought, forced to admit his elder brother’s reasoning was sound. Yet this only deepened his frustration and anger. "Then what does Mo Xiuyao mean by this? Summoning me here to watch these people stand around? Is he mocking me?" Han Mingyue remained silent. He had no interest in Mo Xiuyao or the men before them now—he only hoped his younger brother wouldn’t foolishly rush to his death.

"Master Han." A deep male voice suddenly sounded from behind them, not far away. Han Mingxi startled, leaping to his feet and warily facing the man who had appeared out of nowhere. Dressed in dark green clothing with his face smeared in green dye, even after standing so close, Han Mingxi couldn’t quite discern what the man might look like with a clean face. Frowning, he relaxed slightly upon sensing no hostility and asked, "What the hell are you?" The man replied solemnly, "Recruit of the Twelfth Squad, Qilin Training Camp. By orders of the captain, I relay this message: Qilin is executing a mission. Master Han is requested to withdraw."

"A mission?" Han Mingxi puzzled over this briefly before understanding dawned. He pointed toward the distant group still in a standoff. "Them?"The man stood solemnly, eyes fixed straight ahead as if he hadn’t heard Han Mingxi’s question. Han Mingxi narrowed his eyes and glared at him irritably. “And what if this young master refuses to step aside?” The man didn’t mince words either, raising his hand to snap his fingers behind him. “Seize them!” Even experts like Han Mingxi and Han Mingyue couldn’t react in time as over a dozen agile figures pounced, swiftly acupoint-sealing, binding, and gagging Han Mingxi’s group before hauling them away. In all his life, even when hunted by martial sects in his youth, Han Mingxi had never suffered such humiliation. His face flushed crimson with rage, and despite being tightly bound, he thrashed about furiously. A man walked up from behind and patted his shoulder, whispering, “Brother Han, you brought this on yourself by refusing to cooperate. We’ve got no choice. Don’t worry—you’ll be freed in two hours at most. We’re just following Wang Fei’s orders, so don’t hold it against us.” Han Mingxi turned his head indignantly. He’d only been speaking offhandedly—who knew these bastards would take it so seriously?

As he turned, the ghostly-painted face before him looked oddly familiar. “Mmph mmph!” Xu Qingfeng!

Xu Qingfeng flashed him a toothy grin. “Brother Han, my apologies. Once the mission’s done, I’ll treat you to drinks to make amends.”

“Mmph mmph!” Like hell you will! Every last one of your Xu Family is rotten to the core! Pretending not to see the fury in his eyes, Xu Qingfeng waved for his subordinates to hide the captives properly so they wouldn’t interfere with the mission. And so, the ever-graceful, lifelong romantic known as the Wind and Moon noble met his first true karmic retribution. Since Han Mingxi’s group was still part of the mission, there were no spare hands to escort them away. They were simply dumped in a secluded hollow, hastily camouflaged with branches and dry grass before the captors departed, leaving Han Mingxi lying in the bushes, eyes wide as he cursed inwardly.

With Han Mingxi dealt with, Xu Qingfeng lay contentedly on the hillside, observing the movements of the group at the Imperial Tomb entrance across the way. It wasn’t that he wanted to antagonize Han Mingxi—it was just that the guy had picked the perfect spot, coincidentally occupying the very ground Xu Qingfeng needed. Staring at the so-called crown princes, wang yes, and heirs across the way, Xu Qingfeng’s eyes brimmed with excitement. This kind of life was infinitely more thrilling than scholarly pursuits or officialdom. “Captain, the perimeter’s cleared except for that group. Should we move in now?” A young soldier crept up beside him and whispered. Xu Qingfeng shook his head. “Every one of them is high-status and paranoid—they’ve got at least several hundred guards nearby. Not to mention Lei Tengfeng, Yelv Hong, Yelv Ye, and Mo Jingli are all formidable. If even one escapes, all our efforts go to waste. We’ll act once the others arrive.”

“But we got here first—” The brash young soldier couldn’t hide his frustration. If they captured these targets alone, their squad would undeniably claim top honors. Xu Qingfeng smacked the back of his head. “There’s only a dozen of us. Taking on so many head-on won’t be easy. What if one slips away? Remember Wang Fei and Commander Qin’s orders.” Total capture or elimination—a single escapee meant failure. Rubbing his head, the soldier obediently settled back down.Before long, something glinted on the opposite hillside. Xu Qingfeng's eyes lit up as he grinned around the grass stem in his teeth. "Look, which teams have arrived?" The soldier scrambled up to survey their surroundings. They'd chosen an excellent vantage point—not only could they clearly see their targets across the way, but also the cliffs and slopes on all sides. The soldier chuckled and reported, "Teams one through sixteen are all in position. The seventh and fifteenth teams have blocked the river upstream and downstream respectively. The rest are dispersed around the perimeter."

Xu Qingfeng nodded in satisfaction. "Tell the men to prepare. Follow the original plan to encircle these targets with the other teams, advancing inward like a carpet sweep—not a single one escapes. After all teams converge, deputy commanders will take charge while I join other captains to capture those key figures."

"Yes, sir!"

While Lei Tengfeng's group remained cautiously vigilant at the cliff base, unaware that a force had silently eliminated their thousand-strong perimeter guard and was closing in, Lei Tengfeng leaned against a tree trunk, his gaze intermittently assessing Yelv Ye's faction. He calculated whether his contingent could reclaim the Imperial Jade Seal if another party retrieved it first—or how they might escape this multi-sided encirclement if his own men succeeded. His contemplations mirrored the others' strategic musings, so when he looked up, he met Mo Jingli's wary glare. Lei Tengfeng offered a cordial smile, only to be met with stony indifference. Unfazed, he recalled his father's assessment: Mo Jingli lacked the caliber to pose any real threat.

Finally, sounds emerged from the tomb passage. Everyone sprang to their feet, tense eyes fixed on the exit. The first to stumble out bore clear marks of the tomb's lethal trials. Mo Jingli seized his subordinate's arm and demanded, "Did you find the Imperial Jade Seal?!"

"My Prince... Tan Jizhi deceived us. There... there was no seal!" The guard winced at Mo Jingli's grip but delivered his report.

The crowd's expressions darkened. More emerged with similar accounts. Yelv Hong's men even produced the counterfeit seal—its glaring "REPLICA" engraving mocking them all.

"Tan Jizhi!" Mo Jingli ground his teeth. Others shared his fury, especially upon learning the tomb's treasures, though valuable, were mostly immovable artifacts. Lei Tengfeng, pragmatic as ever, prepared to return to Li Cheng immediately. "We're leaving!" he announced—but his concealed guards remained silent. His face darkened at this anomaly. Others noticed too. "Guards!" Mo Jingli barked. Only echoes answered; none of their hundred hidden reinforcements stirred.Until a clear, deep laughter sounded not far away, "On the lands of the northwest, to dig up graves without the owner's permission—what boldness you all possess. Surrender yourselves at once and await judgment from His Highness and Her Highness."

Mo Jingli sneered, "Does this tomb belong to Mo Xiuyao?" The other party returned an equally cold laugh, "Though the tomb does not belong to His Highness, it stands on his land. Moreover... you are all nobles and royalty from various nations, yet you stoop to such despicable acts as grave robbery. Truly admirable. But even if you enjoy such deeds, you should not commit them in the northwest. Did you truly think our prince no longer exists? I'll count to three. Come forward and surrender yourselves, or don’t blame us for being impolite."

Lei Tengfeng smiled and said, "May I ask which general you serve under? Could it be... the Qilin under Princess Ding’s command? If so, this prince would like to test your skills."

Yelv Ye stepped forward with a laugh, "As Zhennan Wang Shizi said, I too would like to experience the Qilin’s prowess." Yelv Hong and Mo Jingli exchanged glances and similarly prepared for battle. The Qilin under Ye Li’s command had appeared too swiftly and mysteriously. If they could take this opportunity to gauge their strength, it would be advantageous.

"Then we must offend!" As soon as the words fell, over a dozen figures suddenly leaped out, charging toward them. Unlike the chaotic melee of ordinary fighters, they moved as if prearranged, with several surrounding each target. The other guards were swiftly dispatched by the Qilin who casually engaged them. Once the surrounding guards were dealt with, the remaining Qilin did not join the fight but instead formed an orderly circle around the battlefield, observing the battle while preventing any escape.

Lei Tengfeng swung his sword against the several opponents encircling him, keenly aware of their seamless coordination and ever-shifting formations. Whenever one group showed slight weakness, another would immediately send reinforcements. Individually, none were his match, yet they were far from mediocre. Even fighting four at once left him inwardly struggling.

The battle concluded within the time it took to drink a cup of tea, ending with all four men captured without suspense. One of the Qilin made a gesture to the onlookers, who promptly cheered and dispersed into the surrounding mountains, vanishing swiftly. Lei Tengfeng lowered his gaze to the dagger at his throat and the person efficiently binding his hands behind his back, sighing in reluctant admiration, "The Qilin truly live up to their reputation." The one tying him up, his face smeared with green ink, grinned, "Thank you for the praise, Shizi. But we are not yet official Qilin." Lei Tengfeng smiled faintly but felt a chill in his heart. Such combat prowess would make them elite among any nation’s forces, yet they were not even full-fledged Qilin. How formidable, then, must the true Qilin be? Staring at these masked faces, an icy dread crept into his heart.

"Gentlemen, what of the men we brought?" Yelv Hong asked.One of them let out an exclamation, scratching his head as he thought, "The orders only specified that the important figures must remain unharmed. The rest can be dealt with as we please. Those who comply are tied up; those who resist are killed." Yelv Hong's expression also shifted slightly. The Bei Rong people were renowned throughout the world for their ferocity, and it was hard to believe that so many Bei Rong experts had been subdued so silently. As for Lei Tengfeng, he had already grasped the situation and wasn’t particularly agitated, merely calculating in his heart what price he would have to pay now that he had fallen into the hands of Prince Ding and Princess Ding.

"Greetings, Wang Fei! Greetings, Commander!" In a flat stretch of woodland, Ye Li stood gracefully in a plain white silk dress, her face free of makeup. Half a step behind her stood Qin Feng, Zhuo Jing, and Lin Han, all clad in black. Not far away were Han Mingxi, who had just been dragged out of a grassy thicket with a resentful expression, and Han Mingyue, whose complex expression betrayed unreadable thoughts.

Ye Li looked at the soldiers before her, who remained spirited despite a full day and night of marching and combat, and nodded in satisfaction. "At ease. Commander Qin, the three instructors, and I have observed your performance throughout the day. We’ll address the shortcomings later, but overall, we are very pleased." Everyone exhaled in relief and chorused, "Thank you, Wang Fei! Thank you for your guidance, Commander!" They hadn’t realized that Wang Fei, the commander, and their instructors had been watching them during their march and battles, but receiving Wang Fei’s approval filled them with joy.

With a faint smile, Ye Li observed the young men whose excitement was written all over their faces. "Now, I hereby declare that you have officially graduated from the training camp and are now members of the Qilin."

Another wave of cheers erupted from the ranks. Qin Feng stepped forward from behind Ye Li, eyeing his newly promoted subordinates with mischief. "Don’t celebrate too soon. Becoming a true member of the Qilin only means your future days will be even more grueling than before."

"Reporting to the Commander, we are not afraid!" one soldier declared firmly, stepping forward.

"Not afraid, eh?" Qin Feng gave him a rare smile, sending a chill down the man’s spine. Qin Feng continued, "Then, to welcome and celebrate your official induction into the Qilin, my gift to you all is—a month of wilderness survival. Location: the Lingyun Mountain Range, three hundred li northeast of here. Rules: no acquiring supplies from civilians by any means, no alerting local garrisons. As for those who fail…" Watching their excited expressions instantly twist into dismay, Qin Feng grinned unrepentantly. "Failures will wash the entire Qilin’s laundry for the next three months!" Inwardly, everyone cursed. The Qilin’s relentless daily training left their clothes so filthy they didn’t even want to touch them. With nearly eight hundred members in the Qilin, washing that much laundry was worse than death.

Qin Feng, oblivious to his subordinates’ misery and resentment, nodded approvingly at their oil-smeared faces, which couldn’t hide their despair but clearly radiated resentment. With a wave of his hand, he barked, "Now, everyone—move out northeast!"

"Yes!"

"Team Twelve’s leader, stay behind," Ye Li called out.Xu Qingfeng, who had originally intended to follow and flee, paused in surprise but ultimately stayed where he was.

"Wang Fei?" Xu Qingfeng asked, puzzled.

"Third Brother, your training is over," Ye Li said with a smile. Xu Qingfeng knew that when Ye Li addressed him as "Third Brother," it indicated their private relationship. However, he didn’t want to treat this matter as a personal one. After a moment of silence, Xu Qingfeng said, "I beg to report, Wang Fei, I wish to stay with them."

Ye Li frowned. "That wasn’t our original agreement." Xu Qingfeng had joined midway. Although his training results were no worse than anyone else’s, no one had ever intended to keep him in Qilin permanently—not even Xu Qingfeng himself. What he had originally yearned for was the vast battlefield, not a small-scale unit like this. Qilin was destined never to engage in direct frontal combat. Moreover, due to Qilin’s secrecy, if Xu Qingfeng truly joined, it would mean that for at least several years, he could neither marry nor have children, nor could he spend extended time with his family. This was likely not something his uncle and aunt would wish to see.

Xu Qingfeng said solemnly, "I have made up my mind. I believe I am no less capable than anyone else. Please give me a chance to prove myself, Wang Fei."

Ye Li frowned slightly and turned to Qin Feng, asking, "Qin Feng, what do you think?"

Qin Feng raised an eyebrow and replied, "Third Young Master Xu's abilities are beyond doubt. In fact, Wang Fei could wait until his return before deciding his future. There would also be time to discuss with Elder Xu and the two masters."

After a moment of thought, Ye Li nodded and said, "Very well. Third Brother, you may go ahead."

Hearing this, Xu Qingfeng's face lit up with joy. He bowed to Ye Li and Qin Feng before turning to catch up with his team.