Wang Anfeng silently raised his head. Not far ahead was a large building surrounded by a fence, and thirty miles behind was the gate of Xiong City. Three days had already passed. Tomorrow was the day the martial arts gathering was to commence. He had rushed about for three days but still found nothing, unable to trace the actions of the White Tiger Hall's subordinates. Such an outcome was within his expectations. This was his first time in this northwest city, a city as grand in scale and complexity as the Great Qin's Fufeng, with an even more complex mix of people and relationships due to its proximity to the Northern Frontier. Since White Tiger Hall dared to strike here, they must have been fully prepared, knowing the news would leak, making them even more cautious. If he had found them within such a short time, how could the White Tiger Hall have rampaged through the Great Qin's Jianghu for decades without being eradicated? If that were the case, the heroes of the Great Qin would be undeserving of the title of a Jianghu golden age. During these few days, he mainly accomplished one task, which was familiarizing himself with the general layout and main roads of Xiong City, just in case. This way, even if White Tiger Hall had a backup plan, he could quickly intercept them without wandering aimlessly like a headless fly or having to force a local bully to guide him, as he did in Liangzhou City. Over three days, from west to east. Here, it was the last road. Wang Anfeng stopped, looking at the grand building ahead, listening to the marveling voices of people around him, feeling a slight regret in his heart— Ultimately, he could not prevent it. That building was the venue for this decade's martial arts gathering. The relationship between the Ministry of Punishment and the four noble clans wasn't bad, and the news should have been informed to the Huangfu Family, but from his observations over the past three days, the preparations for the decade's martial arts gathering hadn't slowed down at all. The number of Jianghu people in the city increased day by day, nearly everywhere he could see martial artists with swords, some of them renowned, and even ordinary citizens, not skilled in martial arts, often mentioned terms like "Huangfu Family," "martial gathering," and "blade technique." The intensity was apparent. It's understandable; this grand event was awaited by the Huangfu Family for a full decade. The younger disciples had grown up, each mastering martial arts, and it was time to declare to the Jianghu, to prove, that the Huangfu Family still possessed the martial prowess to suppress all forces in the northwest of the Great Qin. For any Jianghu force, passing down torches is a major event. If they hesitated because of the White Tiger Hall, the Huangfu Family could no longer dream of great fame in the Jianghu. Wang Anfeng couldn't help but rub his brow. Though regrettable, he could precisely understand the Huangfu Family's decision, and because he understood, he felt even more regret. Whether it was the Huangfu Family knowingly facing danger yet insisting on hosting the decade's martial arts gathering, or the White Tiger Hall, despite knowing their plans had leaked and might face peril, still cautiously lurking... if you set aside friend and foe, at their core, they were the same. Wang Anfeng whispered softly, lifting his gaze to scrutinize the locale where conflicts would inevitably unfold in the coming days. According to nearby citizens, this martial arena began construction six months ago and was only now barely completed. The square platform built of bluestone, large enough for martial artists to fully test their skills, was surrounded by red pavilions. By then, the martial artists would spar on the platform below, while observers from various clans would watch from above in the pavilions. On one side was a smooth stone wall, dozens of zhang high, almost a cliff, with the words "Jianghu" boldly carved by skilled craftsmen. Above this stone cliff was the thirteen-layer cloud pavilion, where one could almost reach the sky by raising their hand, overlooking all with nothing in the way. Naturally, this was meant for the disciples of the four noble clans and prominent sects. Tomorrow was when the martial gathering would officially start; many craftsmen were still working on final touches. Thirty paces outside the martial platform stood Huangfu Family martial artists, all holding swords, their expressions cold and sharp. Wang Anfeng glanced at the inscription on the cliff, murmuring to himself: His heart was uncertain whether it was sentiment or regret, turning away to push through the other martial artists enjoying the spectacle, leaving as the sky began to darken. Wang Anfeng oriented himself and headed toward his temporary residence. Not long after, he saw a familiar face at a nearby stall. That person was savoring a bowl of noodles; upon lifting his head, he recognized Wang Anfeng, his face lighting up with joy. He quickly gobbled up his noodles, tossed six Copper Coins onto the table, rose, and rushed out to catch up with the unabated stride of Wang Anfeng. He wiped his mouth, lowered his voice, and said: His face appeared friendly, marred only by a knife scar on his cheek, adding a hint of ferocity. He was the investigator from the Ministry of Punishment whom Wang Anfeng had saved from the tuberculosis-stricken King Yan couple some time ago. On that day, he learned about White Tiger Hall from the latter's mouth, placed secret spies near the Ministry of Punishment's posts, and then immediately rushed to the caravan. Afterwards, there was an incident at the Great Wilderness Stronghold. Thus, counting from their first meeting, about six or seven days had passed, and he didn't expect to meet here. Wang Anfeng walked three steps ahead, his expression still indifferent, and transmitted his voice: "Xu Guangmao? Why are you here?" Xu Guangmao looked respectful, and also transmitted his voice using the Dharma method: "Reporting, my lord, after recovering from my injury, I received secret orders from Lords Luan and Ying, asking me to go to Xiong City to follow the Ministry of Punishment's arrangements..." To follow the Ministry of Punishment's arrangements? Wang Anfeng's heart stirred slightly, purposefully remained silent for a moment, then said: "I didn't expect even an injured person like you to be called in." Xu Guangmao suppressed the urge to bitterly smile, maintained his usual demeanor, but his tone was somewhat helpless, saying: "According to what I know, this time, among the spies in the northwest, apart from those necessary for duty, thirty percent have been all transferred to Xiong City to guard against potential problems and conflicts. As for myself, I'm in a better position, only tasked with surveillance, not needing to confront anyone directly." This text is hosted at novel⚑fire.net Wang Anfeng squinted his eyes, breaking down this sentence in his mind, instantly grasping its deeper meaning— Even injured personnel need to be mobilized, which shows that the secret spy leaders Luan and Ying are somewhat stretched thin. However, Xiong City is one of the northwest pillars of the Great Qin, the Ministry of Punishment's forces are undoubtedly abundant, but the situation indicates they haven't been able to leverage the Ministry's power in these two cities. In other words, a disagreement occurred between the Ministry of Punishment and the spies. Wang Anfeng remained silent for a moment, and coldly said: "If only the Ministry of Punishment's leadership in the northwest weren't so foolish." This remark startled Xu Guangmao, who looked around, then remembered they were both using the voice transmission method, sound unshared with others, and slightly relaxed, advising: "Sir, it's best not to speak this way..." Wang Anfeng knew he had guessed correctly, his voice intentionally cold, said: "If not for this, there would likely be more people present." Upon hearing this, Xu Guangmao sighed and said: "Ah, there's no way, the Chief Arrestor's term in Tian Kui City has ended..." "During his youth, that lord's family was wiped out by Jianghu noble clans, and though he still sought revenge, he held no fondness for Jianghu. With the current issue of White Tiger Hall, the Chief Arrestor plans to use this opportunity for dual gains, indirectly weakening the Huangfu Family's reputation in Jianghu, inciting conflicts to cause an internal power drain among the northwest Jianghu forces, thus strengthening control." Wang Anfeng was astonished. He had considered many reasons, but didn't expect this. For the great Ministry of Punishment, weaker Jianghu powers were better, yet White Tiger Hall was fierce and daring. Without sufficient means, such actions were akin to seeking skin from the tiger. One misstep could reap self-destructive backlash, and once White Tiger Hall gained power, Jianghu might be in turmoil but not necessarily in internal depletion, potentially leading the northwest Jianghu to increasingly conflict with the Great Qin imperial court. Originally, Wang Anfeng thought he could rely on the Ministry of Punishment's forces; unexpectedly, this time the northwest Ministry planned to watch idly. If not for deceiving Xu Guangmao with the identity of Ministry-caught spies, they would have been none the wiser. By the time they realized the Ministry couldn't be counted on for enforcement, they'd be left with no recourse. Xu Guangmao too felt somewhat dispirited, yet after a while, forced a smile, saying: "However, although the matter is dangerous, with you here, my lord, we're naturally unharmed. Moreover, Lords Luan and Ying are here too, so there's nothing to fear." "Oh, my lord, Lords Luan and Ying are just ahead..." Wang Anfeng paused his step slightly, his voice steady and powerful, asking: Xu Guangmao responded by raising his hand and pointing several hundred meters ahead. The crowd thinned, with a scholar dressed in a blue robe walking alongside, carrying twin guns on his back. At such a perilous place, upon seeing his superiors, Xu Guangmao's eyes showed a hint of joy and instinctively took a few steps forward, only realizing his status, turning back to talk to Wang Anfeng with slight astonishment: The place was already empty. PS: Here's the second update for today... Well, it's about 2,800 words...