Chapter 123: Weapons

"Huff, I'm exhausted!" Chu Bing leaned forward with her hands on her knees, panting heavily.

She had sprinted quite a distance with Li Mohan in tow, and now she had no idea where they were.

Li Mohan stood beside her, reaching out to pat her back to help her catch her breath.

Chu Bing froze for a moment, suddenly realizing there was a man standing next to her, and she hurriedly stood up. When she saw the scene before her, she was stunned. "Where is this?"

They were at the base of a towering cliff. Embedded in the cliff face were two torches and a bronze lion.

"This is the back mountain, where my father stores his weapons," Li Mohan explained calmly.

"Weapons?" Chu Bing's eyes lit up. She rubbed her chin with a mischievous grin and said, "Since we're already here, we can't leave empty-handed, right? Why don't we go in and take a look?"

She had been worrying about not having a weapon that suited her. While her pear-blossom needles were effective, they were essentially hidden weapons meant for catching opponents off guard. She felt she lacked a proper, reliable weapon for open combat.

Seeing the sparkle in Chu Bing's eyes, Li Mohan swallowed the refusal that had been on the tip of his tongue. He stepped forward to the bronze lion and pressed down firmly on it.

"Boom."

The entire cliff face seemed to crack open, and a shower of debris rained down from above.

Chu Bing instinctively pulled Li Mohan back, but he reached out and firmly grasped her hand. "Don't be afraid, it will be over in a moment."

Chu Bing's tension gradually dissipated, and she gazed curiously at the cliff. A cave entrance had revealed itself, and torches were lit along the inner walls.

"Shall we go in and see?" Chu Bing darted inside, brimming with excitement. Li Mohan followed behind her, shaking his head with a helpless smile.

The cave was filled with a musty, decayed scent, as if no one had entered in a very long time. Chu Bing covered her nose in disgust. "Where does your father keep the weapons? Let's grab something and leave quickly."

Li Mohan looked at her, noting her disdain with a sense of resignation. She was truly still just a child at heart. He led her expertly toward a secret chamber.

"My father brought me here when I was a child," Li Mohan said, his voice tinged with nostalgia.

Chu Bing paused, glancing at him cautiously. "Did you choose a weapon for yourself back then?"

"I did. It was a long sword," Li Mohan replied, his expression indifferent, revealing nothing of his emotions. "Later, it snapped during a battle."

Chu Bing could imagine the danger of that moment. Li Mohan... he must have cared deeply about that sword. She bit her lip, suddenly making a resolution. "How about... in the future, I forge a fine sword for you?"

Afraid he might not believe her, she tapped her chest and added, "Even though my craftsmanship isn't great right now, trust me, I will definitely forge a weapon that suits you perfectly."

Li Mohan stared at the girl in silence, his eyes flickering with a surge of deep, complex emotions, but whatever he was thinking, it soon faded, leaving only his usual cold detachment.

"Let's go in," he said, turning away as if he hadn't heard her, offering no response.

Chu Bing blinked, caught off guard, and hurried to follow him into the chamber.

The room was piled with countless weapons, chests, and even a few scrolls of martial arts techniques. She took a cursory look; these items would be highly sought-after treasures in the outside world, yet here they were, left to gather dust.

"Your father collected all of this?" Chu Bing gasped in astonishment. Prime Minister Li was truly incredible! This level of accumulation must have taken decades!

Li Mohan swept a glance over the weapons, his expression unchanged, as if they were beneath his notice. "These are not true treasures. What you are actually looking for is not here."

What was she looking for? Chu Bing looked at him, confused. She didn't even know what she wanted, yet Li Mohan seemed to know?

He took her hand and led her to the very back of the chamber.

"My father was skilled in concealment—not just himself, but his habits as well. He always hid the best things in the deepest places, where no one would ever find them," Li Mohan said, his voice carrying a hint of mockery.

Chu Bing looked up at him, startled. Li Mohan had already composed himself; he pressed both hands against the wall, his inner energy shimmering, and with another loud rumble, the wall opened once more.

It was a mystery within a mystery! Prime Minister Li was not to be underestimated! If she had come here alone, she never would have guessed there was a mechanism hidden within a mechanism.

Li Mohan reached into the wall, groped for a moment, and pulled out a long, rectangular box. He touched it with a look of longing and handed it to Chu Bing. "This thing... it used to belong to my mother."

Chu Bing's hands stiffened as she held the box. "Your... your mother?"

"My mother was once a wandering martial artist, living a life of freedom and ease. Later, she died to save my father," Li Mohan said, his voice filled with sorrow. Chu Bing wanted to offer comfort but didn't know how. She didn't even dare to ask if the "father" he spoke of was his biological father or Prime Minister Li.

"Open it," Li Mohan said, bowing his head to hide his emotions. His face was once again unreadable.

Chu Bing hesitated before carefully opening the box. Inside lay a red silk whip. The handle was somewhat worn, but Chu Bing fell in love with it at first sight. It was lightweight, sharp, and bold—the kind of weapon many girls would cherish.

"It suits you," Li Mohan said softly.

Chu Bing looked up sharply. "You mean... you're giving it to me?" This was his mother's keepsake!

"It would only gather dust here. Better that you take it, and let it see the world as it is now through your eyes," Li Mohan said. He glanced at the whip, and as if unable to bear looking at it any longer, he turned away. "Let's go. Staying here too long makes it easier to be discovered."

Chu Bing looked down at the whip in her hands, a flicker of hesitation in her eyes. She touched the cold surface of the weapon. *Fine!* she thought. *At the very least, I will keep a closer eye on Li Haoran for him. If Li Haoran has any malicious intent, I will warn Li Mohan! That should repay the favor of this whip.*

She picked up the whip, her eyes firm. "Let's go."

Li Mohan glanced at her from the corner of his eye, a trace of a smile appearing on his face. He looked back toward the wall, his gaze warm. *Mother, I have finally found someone worth trusting.*