Wanyan Su watched his arms fall in front of him. Yasu was so anxious that she wanted to rush forward several times but was still frightened by the bloody scene. Qin Yunuan tried hard to calm herself down. After carefully analyzing the surrounding terrain, she calculated the correct position of the magnet according to the method in the untitled book.
“It’s there.” Qin Yunuan suddenly pointed to a place less than a dozen steps away from Leng Changxi. Qin Yunuan looked back at the catapult developed by the tribe itself. It was a very simple machine and was made up with limited resources, for example, thick wooden sticks. Only a few simple cowhide tendons were twisted and used to fix the sling port. Although the tendons were full of elasticity, the machine had never been tested. Its effect remained unknown. There was no guarantee that Leng Changxi wouldn’t be hurt shooting from so far away.
“It’s there,” Qin Yunuan repeated, “throw a stone towards it. As long as you destroy the magnet inside, these bronze sculptures would be gone.”
The “King” glanced at Qin Yunuan coldly, “Your husband is still there. Are you making fun of your husband’s life?”
“No,” Qin Yunuan said categorically, “he will be fine unless you deliberately procrastinate and do not save him.”
Qin Yunuan’s words broke the calculation in the heart of the “King”. He had been observing the skills of Leng Changxi and Wanyan Su just now. The energy inside this seemingly cold man was really scary. Leng Changxi was like an invincible killing machine. Compared to those bronze sculptures, he was more unaware of tiredness. If the “King” couldn’t completely control his wife by then, Leng Changxi would only become a greater enemy.
Yes, Chen Jingrui couldn’t help but save him now. He had to use Leng Changxi to open the Duanlong gate.
“Throw stones in that direction.” Chen Jingrui ordered Mengman.
After several puffs, the millstone-sized stones were quickly thrown out. To avoid hitting Leng Changxi, Mengman asked the slaves deliberately to move the position farther. The stones were limited in the jungle. This group of people didn’t bring much when they came. The large stones hit a few bronze statues only, and several of them fell to the ground.
“No,” Qin Yunuan commanded Mengman, “We should hit the weak spot. Have you seen the place where the density of the bronze statues was relatively sparse? That’s where the magnet is, hit that place.”
“But that place is too close to your man.” Mengman began to worry. He still remembered how Leng Changxi saved his life, although it did not prevent them from becoming enemies.
Qin Yunuan could not hesitate at this time. She knew Leng Changxi’s strength. Although he could still stand up for a while, Leng Changxi was not the opponent of this group of killing machines. She nodded, and Mengman dared to give the order, and there were a few more puffs. They hit the spot!
Suddenly, the seemingly thick land collapsed, and a large pit about ten feet square was exposed. There was a device similar to a combination of gears in the pit. These gears, together with the iron rods, drive the activities of each bronze statue. The bottom layer was a huge magnet. According to Qin Yunuan’s estimation, this magnet should be at least the size of a courtyard to control so many bronze soldiers.
Because the main control center was affected, the bronze soldiers who had besieged Leng Changxi suddenly stopped. The broadswords and spears in their hands were still hanging high, but the movement of the joints was no longer so sensitive.
“Changxi, destroy the gears there.” Qin Yunuan shouted at Leng Changxi’s back. As long as the center was destroyed, these bronze soldiers would be a pile of scrap iron.
Leng Changxi’s eyes flashed, and a determination suddenly appeared. At this moment, a bronze soldier, who had resumed action, waved his sword towards the skull of Leng Changxi. He dodged quickly, escaping the attack narrowly. Turning over, he stepped on the broad knife in the bronze soldier’s hand and ran towards the center.
The situation was a desperate bet, and even Chen Jingrui was sweating in his heart for him.
Leng Changxi leaped, waving the spear. The silver spear stabbed into the biggest gear, and Leng Changxi stepped on the head of a bronze horse. All the bronze soldiers were still waving their weapons in front of Leng Changxi’s face. The next moment they became motionless as if being hit at certain acupoints.
Qin Yunuan knew that Leng Changxi succeeded.
Leng Changxi stood on the horse alone, the corners of his clothes turned up slightly, making him very handsome.
Just when everyone was about to breathe a sigh of relief, there was a slight creak from the dull underground. Qin Yunuan frowned at the ominous signs. Leng Changxi turned his head to look at the spear stuck in the middle of the gear. It seemed that the spear could no longer withstand the huge magnetic power. In the friction, the gear seemed to have begun to move slowly. The black iron head was also creaking along with the movement of the gear.
While everyone was worried, Chen Jingrui suddenly issued an order, “Throw stones.”
“What are you doing?” Qin Yunuan rushed up immediately, trying to regain the rope in the slave’s hands, which was used to control the sling. Unfortunately, the slave had let go, and the stones had quickly flown away. Fortunately, Leng Changxi responded quickly. He dodged in time and landed on another bronze statue nearby.
“You want to kill him?” Qin Yunuan shouted at Chen Jingrui hysterically, “Don’t forget it, if you kill him, who will open the Dragon Gate for you?”
Chen Jingrui sneered disdainfully, “There are so many ways to open the Duanlong gate. I don’t have to ask him. Now that the warrior-horse array can be destroyed, I have ways to slowly open the gate as long as I get rid of these remaining bronze soldiers.”
“That’s merely your vain hope.” Qin Yunuan said viciously at Chen Jingrui, “You don’t get to open it for your entire life, even if you can, you wouldn’t walk in alive.”
“Madam, you are too young and look too down upon me.” Chen Jingrui hinted in his eyes, the slave immediately shot two more big rocks, but Leng Changxi still managed to avoid them.
“You too, are underestimating my ability,” Qin Yunuan narrowed her eyes and suddenly said as she looked at Chen Jingrui, “Don’t you want to confirm the writer of the book I read? I’ll tell you. It’s Chen Wan, the goddess in your mind.”
Chen Jingrui didn’t seem surprised at the answer. He even seemed to have expected it from a long time ago.
“Sure enough, it was her.” Chen Jingrui murmured.
“If you want to know what else is in that book, just let my husband go.” Qin Yunuan said, half threateningly, “You know that I have the ability to remember everything that I have read. The content of that book has been deeply imprinted in my mind. I remember every word, every sentence, and every detail. But if you hurt a hair of my husband,” Taking advantage of Mengman not paying attention, she took out the short dagger at Mengman’s waist, pointed the sharp tip of the knife at her pale neck and said, “You will never know what else is written in that book, you know which is more important.”
Chen Jingrui’s expression became a little nervous. Then he asked the people under him to stop. He raised his proud head to look at Qin Yunuan and said, “You’d better not play tricks on me.”
Stopping the attack, Leng Changxi rushed over from a distance. He glanced at Chen Jingrui vigilantly and then held the brave Qin Yunuan in his arms. Chen Jingrui glanced at them expressionlessly, “The Duanlong gate is just ahead. It all depends on your performance.”
The team continued to move forward, and Mengman worked hard to organize the slave to remove the remaining bronze statues. The real-life-sized statues that were the most powerful guards of the weapon factory became a pile of broken copper and iron. Several slaves encountered the bronze soldiers who hadn’t been broken. Their heads were chopped off at once, but Chen Jingrui would not slow down because of these unimportant people.
He didn’t even pay too much attention to Wanyan Su, who lost his right hand. Only Yasu kept crying beside him. After simply wrapping the wound with gauze, Wanyan Su insisted on advancing with the team, but his face was already pale with excessive blood loss.
“If you can’t keep up, just stay. Life is always more important than treasure.” Qin Yunuan looked straight ahead, but her words of comfort were addressed to Wanyan Su.
“With treasure, I have status, and with status, I have all the capital and power. These things are more important than my life.”
Qin Yunuan replied mockingly, “I didn’t see it in the past. It turns out that Fourth Prince is so fond of power.”
The team stopped slowly, and in front of them was a cliff ten feet high, covered with dense vines, covering the original mountain tightly.
Chen Jingrui gave a hint in his eyes. Mengman immediately ordered the two slaves around him who seemed to be bowing all the time to climb up the steep mountain. The two men were like natural mountain climbers, and they were as sensitive as monkeys. As soon as they threw the vine to the side, Qin Yunuan discovered that the vine was artificially woven as a barrier to the broken dragon gate.
The green vines fell to the ground in an uproar, and a huge stone gate appeared in front of everyone. This stone gate was almost as high as the cliff. People would have to hold their heads up to see the tip of the gate. The stone gate was full of dust, adding to its weight and history.
Not to mention that such a heavy stone bridge couldn’t be possibly blown open with sulfur and saltpeter, Chen Jingrui wanted to open it with Leng Changxi’s Qigong.
“This stone gate is the back door of the weapon factory and is used to escape. The locks are inside, and it can only be opened from the outside by brute force.” Chen Jingrui explained.
“What about the main entrance?” Qin Yunuan asked.
“It had been sealed by molten iron. Ever since the war between Qi and North Di twenty years ago, Qi had blocked the main entrance with molten iron and rocks to prevent the weapons factory in the Savage Valley from falling into North Di’s hands. You’ll have to dig, and you won’t be able to dig it out in eight lifetimes.” Chen Jingrui glanced at Leng Changxi and said, “Come on, guests from afar. It’s time to prove your ability.”
