Chapter Forty-Six: A Chance Discovery of a Secret

Jiang You'an tightly clutched her undergarment, glared fiercely as Lu Xuanheng strode out, and then inspected the red mark on her chest before hurriedly sitting down to apply medicine.

Though she cursed Lu Xuanheng countless times in her heart, the next day she still went to Wangxian Bridge as he instructed, since business of importance could not be delayed.

At the exact hour of *Xu*, Lu Xuanheng arrived at Wangxian Bridge and spotted Jiang You'an standing beneath the tree by the riverside in the distance.

He walked briskly toward her, saying, "You're quite punctual."

Just as he finished speaking and reached the tree, he noticed another person standing beside Jiang You'an.

Su Mingxiu offered a polite and gentle smile, cupping his fists in a salute. "First Young Master Lu."

Lu Xuanheng's expression froze, and he cast a resentful glance at Jiang You'an.

Jiang You'an gave a light cough. "Mingxiu was worried about me, so he came along."

Lu Xuanheng gritted his teeth inwardly. Was Su Mingxiu worried about her, or did she simply not trust him, Lu Xuanheng?

Suppressing his displeasure outwardly, he greeted Su Mingxiu. As they set off for Mount Xingshan, taking advantage of the moment Su Mingxiu was boarding the boat, Lu Xuanheng pulled Jiang You'an aside and demanded in a cold voice, "What is the meaning of this? If you don't trust me, you could have chosen not to come with me. Why did you bring him along?"

Jiang You'an indeed did not completely trust Lu Xuanheng, but bringing Su Mingxiu served a crucial purpose. "He is here to help me."

Lu Xuanheng cast a disdainful look. "Look at that frail, willow-in-the-wind constitution of his. What kind of help can he possibly be?"

"He is well-read, knowledgeable in astronomy and geography, and furthermore, his uncle is the Grand Architect. The construction project in the south of the city is overseen by his uncle. He has studied the maps and knows the terrain there intimately—far better than us going in completely blind."

Jiang You'an gave Lu Xuanheng a shove. "Let's get moving."

Unhappy in his heart, Lu Xuanheng had no choice but to board the boat first.

About an hour later, they disembarked at the southern dock of the city.

Lu Xuanheng and Su Mingxiu stepped off the boat first. Remembering that Jiang You'an was still behind them, both of them reached out a hand toward her at the same time.

Jiang You'an hesitated for a moment, glanced at Lu Xuanheng, and then gently placed her hand into Su Mingxiu's palm, letting him steady her as she crossed the gangplank.

Lu Xuanheng withdrew his empty hand, silently clenching it into a fist.

He tossed a black cloak and a veil to Jiang You'an and Su Mingxiu, telling them to put them on.

As Su Mingxiu tied the cloak for Jiang You'an, he said, "We are already very close to Mount Xingshan now. However, the area of Mount Xingshan is vast, containing forests, valleys, and ravines with a complex and intricate terrain. We must catch up with the Earl of Zhongyuan before he enters the mountains."

Lu Xuanheng agreed, instructing Xiuzhu and several other guards to wait here while the three of them proceeded toward Mount Xingshan on foot.

Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, Su Mingxiu surveyed their surroundings and said, "The Earl of Zhongyuan must have come from the east of the city just like us. There is only this single mountain entrance on the eastern side of Mount Xingshan, so we can simply wait here for our prey."

Jiang You'an nodded with a smile. "I'm so glad I brought you along."

She pointed to a nearby thicket of trees. "Let's go lie in wait over there."

Lu Xuanheng said nothing, silently following behind them.

After waiting for a short while, they indeed saw a carriage rolling slowly toward them.

Jiang You'an's eyes lit up. "It's here!"

The three of them immediately swung into action, trailing quietly behind the carriage.

Had they not followed them inside, they would never have known how winding the paths within these mountains were. After following for a long while, they finally saw the carriage halt in front of a mountain cave.

A middle-aged man alighted from the carriage. The three of them strained their eyes to look—it was indeed the Earl of Zhongyuan.

Hiding in a patch of bushes in front of the cave, they secretly observed the Earl's movements.

They heard him instruct the coachman, "Keep a good watch at the entrance," before striding into the cave.

Su Mingxiu murmured in a low voice, "Previously, the Earl of Zhongyuan took advantage of the chaos to smuggle a batch of goods into the city. This must be the place where he hoards them, though I wonder what kind of goods are hidden here."

Lu Xuanheng, who had remained silent all this time, lowered his gaze to the ground beneath his feet, pinched a bit of soil between his fingers, and brought it to his nose to sniff. "There is a scent of iron rust in this soil. They might be smelting iron inside."

Jiang You'an frowned. "Could it be weapons?"

Gazing into the dark, gloomy depths of the cave with a calm expression, Lu Xuanheng said, "If they truly are weapons, this is a matter of utmost gravity. We must go inside and take a look. Wait for me here."

Seeing him stand up, Jiang You'an suddenly felt a surge of unease and subconsciously grabbed his wrist. "I'm going with you."

Lu Xuanheng looked at her, though unfortunately, her face was covered with a black veil, making it impossible to read her expression.

Jiang You'an met his gaze, then awkwardly withdrew her hand.

Su Mingxiu spoke up, "First Young Master Lu, it is indeed too dangerous for you to go alone. The two of us will accompany you."

Thus, all three of them stood up, crouching low and stealthily approaching the cave entrance.

Lu Xuanheng slipped around to the front of the carriage and delivered a swift, practiced chop to the back of the coachman's neck.

Before the coachman could even catch a glimpse of a shadow, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed unconscious.

Lu Xuanheng took the lead, stepping into the cave with Jiang You'an and Su Mingxiu following closely behind.

The interior of the cave was pitch black. A heavy scent of iron rust permeated the long, narrow tunnel, while torches mounted on the stone walls cast a faint, flickering glow.

Moving in a single file line with light footsteps, the three of them crept deeper into the cave. Soon, they began to faintly hear the sounds of hammering, which grew clearer the further inward they went.

Sandwiched between Lu Xuanheng and Su Mingxiu, Jiang You'an trod cautiously, nervously clutching the edge of Lu Xuanheng's sleeve.

Noticing her tension, Lu Xuanheng did not turn his head, but taking advantage of the dim light, he gently squeezed Jiang You'an's hand.

Continuing onward, they rounded a bend and caught sight of firelight deep within the cave.

Beside a massive smelting furnace, several bare-chested men were hammering chunks of iron, and piled high behind them were countless swords and sabers!

Who could be so audacious as to secretly manufacture weapons? Could this be an act of treason?

Shielded by the shadows, the three bodies remained hidden as they watched the scene unfold. They saw the Earl of Zhongyuan conversing with a figure dressed in black.

The Earl's expression was deeply respectful. "The workers are toiling through the night. Combined with the weapons smuggled into the city days ago, we are almost finished."

"My master will be entering the capital very soon. You must handle these matters flawlessly. I cannot visit often, so you must pay close attention here."

The figure in black stood with their back turned, concealing their face from view. However, to the great astonishment of all three onlookers, the voice belonged to a woman.

A smile crossed the Earl's face as he cupped his fists toward the woman. "With me here, Milady may rest easy about everything."

"Be cautious in these coming days. To my knowledge, that Shen Heeping has already been targeted by Lu Xuanheng."

The Earl replied, "There is no need for concern. Shen Heeping is merely a pawn on the surface, discardable at any moment. Furthermore, he knows nothing of what goes on in here; I will not allow him to disrupt the master's plans."

"That is good."

Having spoken, the figure in black turned to leave, but the Earl caught sight of the dark shadow lurking in the concealment of the tunnel. His face drained of color, and he barked a harsh shout: "Who is there!"