Chapter 160: Changes at the Stone Tower

Chapter 160: Trouble at the Stone Tower

The stone cave ahead was partially concealed by dense forest and overgrown grass. Several dilapidated snake cages lay scattered at the entrance, their once-crimson sand bricks now bleached to a weathered gray-white. The mountain woods were deathly still, broken only by the occasional gust of wind stirring the leaves.

"We're here!" Zhang Fei looked back at the others and asked, "Are you all going in? I don't know how many snakes are inside either—could be dozens, could be hundreds."

The snake den was no ordinary danger. If it weren't for needing to earn extra money to treat his old father's illness, Zhang Fei would never have risked his life coming here.

"I'm going in."

Unexpectedly, the first to volunteer was Shen Fuqing. His eyes were cold and sharp, carrying a stubbornness Qin Jiao couldn't read.

"I'll go too." Xiao Baiyu was next.

Then came Xie Nai, leaving Luo Bei and Luo Yue to guard Qin Jiao and He Zhao. Seeing this, Zhang Fei nodded, then fished a few packets out of his pack and handed them over.

"Once we're in the den, we can't use realgar or lime powder. Rub this on yourselves—it's my family's heirloom 'Snake Sleep Powder.' Once applied, it hides your human scent and soothes and disorients snakes."

Zhang Fei stressed as he smeared it on, "But the Snake Sleep Powder only works for half an hour, and once it's on, no sudden running or jumping—move slow. Most importantly, make sure you're out of there within half an hour."

"Sixth Brother, be careful."

Qin Jiao's heart was uneasy, his gaze at Xie Nai full of worry. But he also knew Xie Nai had no choice but to go.

For years, Xie Shu's death had sat on his heart like a boulder. Even with others' help, in the end, only he could move that boulder himself.

"Don't worry." Xie Nai tousled Qin Jiao's hair. "Wait for us outside."

"Mm."

Qin Jiao nodded, told Xiao Baiyu and Shen Fuqing to stay safe, then watched them go.

"Quit worrying, it'll be fine." He Zhao came over and clapped Qin Jiao on the shoulder. "Zhang Fei is pretty reliable, and my senior brother's got a ton of poison on him. If they get into trouble, one toss of poison powder and they can still get away."

"Yeah, young master, don't worry so much. This isn't the Prince's first time in a snake den. Jing Pass is damp, with deep woods and thick undergrowth—when the Prince marched with his troops, he ran into snake dens often and knows them well." Luo Yue also tried to reassure Qin Jiao.

"That's good to hear."

Qin Jiao breathed a small sigh of relief, but couldn't help marveling that Xie Nai was truly one of a kind—brilliant beyond compare.

He could hold his own in the grand court, survive the carnage of the battlefield, and was just as used to sleeping under the stars. Just when Qin Jiao thought going into the snake den was risking his life, his men just said it was a bit more dangerous than at Jing Pass—nothing out of the ordinary.

Qin Jiao's feelings right now were complicated.

With grand designs in his chest and strategies to steady the realm... Xie Nai—the Prince of Lingnan, his Sixth Brother—how was he so damn impressive?

Just as Qin Jiao was marveling in silence, Xie Nai and the others had already gone deep into the snake den. An eerie quiet hung inside the den. The deeper Zhang Fei led them in, the deeper his frown grew...

In the end, they combed the whole den and didn't find a single sharp-crested snake. The den had two entrances—one in front, one in back. The opening they'd come in through was the front entrance, and now Zhang Fei stared at the clear serpentine drag marks at the back entrance, his face going pale:

"Oh no! The snakes all took off on their own—there's nothing here!"

"The snakes didn't run off on their own." Shen Fuqing stepped up and brushed aside a clump of grass, revealing a hidden path underneath. The muddy ground was littered with messy footprints.

What's more, the path was strewn with raw rat meat, as if someone had laid it out to lure the snakes somewhere.

"Looks like someone beat us here." Xiao Baiyu furrowed his brow, his expression serious.

"Huh? Then what about the snakes in the den?" Zhang Fei's expression turned panicked. "Were they all caught? Or lured off and hidden all over the mountain?"

"I don't know."

Shen Fuqing's answer made Zhang Fei somewhat distraught. "Good heavens! This is a disaster! If the sharp-crested snakes escape this mountain, Xiaoxiang Prefecture is in danger!" He grew more agitated as he spoke. "Who the hell got here before us? What the hell are they trying to do!"

Shen Fuqing and Xie Nai exchanged a glance. It seemed their trip to Xiaoxiang Prefecture had already drawn someone's attention. Now that the sharp-crested snake population had vanished, it only further proved their investigation was on the right track.

"Let's head down the mountain." Xie Nai spoke.

The disappearance of the sharp-crested snakes was, at the very least, related to the progress of the Late Crown Prince's poisoning case, and at worst, concerned the safety of all the people in Xiaoxiang Prefecture. They couldn't afford to delay—they needed to descend immediately and mobilize people to find the snakes.

"Manpower in Xiaoxiang Prefecture probably won't be enough." Shen Fuqing said as he walked forward. "You'll need to summon the Lingnan Army."

"Mm."

Zhang Fei followed them, listening with some confusion. Lingnan Army? What was that? He didn't understand.

Meanwhile, outside the den, Qin Jiao had been pacing anxiously in circles until Xie Nai and the others appeared at the entrance. Only then did the weight in his heart finally lift.

"Sixth Brother!" Qin Jiao hurried forward. "How was it inside?"

"Not good."

Xie Nai's brows were slightly furrowed. Seeing this, He Zhao probed, "What, were there tens of thousands of snakes inside?"

"No." This time it was Shen Fuqing who answered. "Someone got here before us. The snakes in the den are gone."

"Gone?" Qin Jiao was puzzled. "What do you mean gone? Did the snakes die, or did they run away?"

Based on the information they had so far, Qin Jiao's question couldn't be answered right away. Xiao Baiyu glanced at the darkening sky and suggested, "Time is short. Let's talk as we walk."

"Alright!"

So Qin Jiao and the others hurriedly set off back down the mountain. Along the way, Xiao Baiyu briefly explained the situation in the den, and the group listened with growing unease.

Going downhill was less strenuous than climbing up. Finally, by the afternoon of the following day, they arrived at the outskirts of Xiaoxiang Prefecture.

"Luo Yue, go to Xiaoxiang Prefecture and mobilize people." As soon as they descended, Xie Nai ordered Luo Yue, then said to Luo Bei, "Luo Bei, take my command token to the garrison and relay the order."

"Yes!"

Luo Bei and Luo Yue departed immediately after receiving their orders. Qin Jiao looked at Xie Nai. "Where do we go next?"

"We go to..."

Just as Xie Nai was speaking, a woman's anguished cries suddenly came from ahead of them.

"Please, don't throw away my Ni'er..."

"Shut up, you wretched woman!"

Qin Jiao found the woman's cries vaguely familiar. He Zhao had already run toward the source of the sound. "Hu Yuyun? What are you doing here!" His voice was loud, filled with undisguised surprise.

"And what are you two doing?"

He Zhao looked at the scene before him in bewilderment.

Before them stood a stone tower about seven or eight zhang tall, cylindrical in shape, with a long staircase leading to its summit. Because of its age, a thick locust tree had grown atop the tower, surrounded by various tangled weeds. There was also a window at the front of the tower—climb the stairs, and one could toss objects inside.

And at this moment, Hu Yuyun's husband, Wang Ge, was grabbing hold of a child, preparing to throw them into the tower. He Zhao's eyes widened in disbelief:

"Are you insane? You're going to throw a child in there and kill them?"

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