He Jiaqing continued, "Xiao Lan, since the day I met you, you’ve never been able to hide your thoughts from me. You proactively approached me during college, and then on the train, you tried to scheme against me. When you lie, you seem as naive as a child to me."
"First, hand over the Long Spear to me. That’s the real Zhao Xiaowan, and you know it better than anyone."
"Give me the Long Spear. I haven’t forgotten our marriage agreement. Since you’ve been in my life, I haven’t touched another woman. Once this is all over, we’ll still be a proper couple."
Lu Xiaolan’s hand trembled, her eyes gradually moistening.
He considered launching a sneak attack on He Jiaqing, but then he heard He Jiaqing shout, "Spider Detective, don’t be impulsive. You get paid to do a job; I understand your principles. You should also understand the situation here. How much is your life worth?"
Da Boyins didn’t wait for He Jiaqing to say more. He knew he was far inferior to He Jiaqing in strength. If He Jiaqing swayed his thinking, he might surrender.
In such a scenario, if he gave up resistance, Da Boyins knew from his years of hard-won experience that he would undoubtedly die.
A direct confrontation was out of the question; their combat power wasn’t on the same level. A sneak attack was also futile, as He Jiaqing had already detected him. The only chance left was Zhao Xiaowan.
Da Boyins had kept his silk threads attached to the Long Spear all along. Given the current situation, He Jiaqing was only engaging with Lu Xiaolan because he feared the Long Spear.
Da Boyins’s body trembled, and the Long Spear in Lu Xiaolan’s hand quivered in response, its power surging instantaneously.
He Jiaqing was visibly shocked. "Xiao Lan, calm down!"
Da Boyins had guessed correctly. He Jiaqing wasn’t afraid of Lu Xiaolan, but he truly feared Zhao Xiaowan. If Zhao Xiaowan made a move, He Jiaqing’s head could roll at any moment.
Under this imposing threat, Lu Xiaolan seemed to regain some clarity. Holding the Long Spear, she pointed it at He Jiaqing and asked, "Are you scared?"
He Jiaqing gestured downwards with his hand. "Xiao Lan, put her down first, and we can talk things over slowly."
"Put her down? In your dreams!" Lu Xiaolan retorted, retreating slowly.
He Jiaqing followed, step by step.
Lu Xiaolan retreated into the secret chamber. Da Boyins manipulated the mechanism, and the chamber door closed.
Just a door—it wouldn’t be enough to stop He Jiaqing.
He ran his hand along the edge of the door and quickly located the mechanism within the seam. He Jiaqing plucked a strand of his hair and inserted it into the seam. The hair slithered through like a thin snake. In no time, the mechanism was bypassed, the Stone Gate loosened, and with a gentle push, the door opened.
The chamber wasn’t large and appeared empty, with no one in sight.
Lu Xiaolan and Da Boyins had left the secret chamber.
He Jiaqing scanned the room. His gaze was drawn to a particular rock on the ceiling; the gaps around it looked different from the others.
He Jiaqing gently pressed the rock upward with one hand, carefully controlling his strength. He pushed it just over an inch. The mechanism disengaged, but no exit appeared.
He Jiaqing plucked another hair, wincing internally at the loss; his hair had thinned considerably recently. The hair probed the crevice for a while before returning to his palm.
After several attempts, He Jiaqing discovered a serious problem: the ceiling’s mechanism seemed to have lost its central component, severing its connection to the exit.
Realizing something was terribly wrong, He Jiaqing hurried back to the entrance. He ascended the stone steps and found the Stone Gate shut tight. He fumbled in the door seam, trying to bypass the mechanism.
Just as in the secret chamber, the mechanism was quickly bypassed, but the Stone Gate wouldn’t budge.
He Jiaqing applied more force, attempting to destroy the Stone Gate, but he failed.
He Jiaqing transformed into liquid, attempting to slip through the door seam. Acrid smoke billowed from the seam, instantly vaporizing the liquid into Steam. The Steam coalesced back into He Jiaqing, his body charred. He stared in horror at the Stone Gate before him.
He Jiaqing’s head buzzed. He realized he might not be able to get out.
Gloves, holding a pair of Stone Cones, said with glee, "Master, if we gift these to the Old Man, we’ll surely gain plenty of leverage in the future."
Li Qi chuckled. "Keep them safe. Let’s send the Jiang Xiang Gang on their way first."
In the main hall of the main building, He Yuxiu had captured Hall Master Yao Zhiyi. She broke his limbs, chained him up, and tossed him aside.
Several Jiang Xiang Gang disciples tried to rescue their Hall Master, but Lu Yuanxin released a swarm of insects that devoured them, leaving only skeletons in moments.
Chu Er grabbed a Jiang Xiang Gang disciple and plunged his head into a boiling hot pot. Then, while the flesh was still hot, he peeled off the man’s face.