Chapter 220: Master Xu (Please subscribe, please tip)

Tianming, the sharpest of the group, noticed the two whispering and hurried over. "Hey! What are you two murmuring about? Who is this 'Little Gao' anyway? And why can't he meet Uncle Nie?"

Seeing Tianming suddenly appear, Old Ban and Robber Zhi exchanged glances, at a loss for words.

"Little Gao?" Ge Nie repeated, lost in thought after hearing Tianming's question.

*Gao Jianli and Xue Nu,* Xiao Xie thought to himself.

Before long, the group reached the highest point via the cloud-skiff. They disembarked one by one and followed Master Ban to the entrance of a cave. Looking into the depths, the cavern appeared eerie; faint torches flickered along the walls, while the darkness ahead was punctuated by the rhythmic grinding of massive gears. Upon entering, they found a path paved with stone slabs, uniquely marked with alternating patterns of the sun and the moon.

"Since this is your first time here, I will explain how to navigate this passage. Listen carefully, or you may risk your life!" Master Ban, leading the way, turned to warn the group.

"Risk my life? It's that scary? Does this path eat people?" Tianming asked, waving his hands in disbelief.

"Eat people! A tiger might spit out your bones after eating you, but if you take one wrong step here, not even your ashes will be found," Old Ban retorted fiercely, seeing Tianming's skepticism.

"Please proceed, Master," Ge Nie said, sensing the gravity in Old Ban’s tone.

"Notice the ground is composed of individual squares. Of two adjacent tiles, one is safe to step on, while the other triggers a trap," Old Ban explained.

Listening to this, Tianming pretended to observe the floor closely, then immediately asked, "What kind of trap?"

Old Ban didn't answer right away. He looked around, picked up a piece of rotting wood, and tossed it onto the path. As the wood struck a square, the tile flipped open, and a mechanism snapped shut, gripping the wood tightly.

Suddenly, with a *swish*, several arrows shot out and struck the wood, which immediately ignited. Watching the wood burn, Tianming gasped in shock, "No way!"

"The arrows are coated with tree resin; they ignite upon impact, and the fire burns ten times hotter than normal. You must only step on the tiles marked with the sun; never touch the ones with the moon," Old Ban explained slowly.

"Old man, do you really need so many terrifying traps in your own home?" Tianming asked.

"Mohist disciples undergo rigorous training and know the terrain well enough not to err. These traps are for uninvited guests."

"Uninvited guests? Like who?"

Xiao Xie spoke up: "Like Ying Zheng or Wei Zhuang!"

"Ying Zheng? Wei Zhuang?"

"Enough, Master Ban, let's keep moving!" Xiao Xie said, ignoring Tianming’s confusion.

"Let's go then!" Old Ban nodded and led the way onto the stone slabs.

"Tianming, be careful," Yue-er said, looking worried.

"Follow my footsteps, and don't make a mistake," Ge Nie added sternly.

"Don't worry, Uncle!"

Tianming followed closely behind Ge Nie, stepping cautiously onto the path, while Xiao Xie and the others followed behind Old Ban. Soon, Ge Nie and the rest had crossed. Tianming reached the final square but suddenly hesitated, noticing that the tiles to his left and right were both marked with moon patterns.

"Uh? What's going on? These two patterns are the same," Tianming said.

"Hehe, come on over, Tianming!" Yue-er laughed.

Seeing everyone watching him, Tianming said foolishly, "We're out, aren't we?"

"There are no more traps here. You can walk safely," Ge Nie assured him.

"Aren't you a hero? You look like a coward now," Old Ban teased.

"I've been walking through this gloomy cave for so long, I'm just stretching my muscles! Who said I was scared?" Tianming began to move about, waving his arms and legs, bending and reaching.

"Ah..."

Tianming’s movements grew exaggerated until he lost his balance and fell backward, his hands instinctively reaching out to brace himself.

Seeing his hands heading toward a moon-patterned tile, Yue-er cried out, "Tianming! No!"

"Don't touch it!" Master Ban also shouted.

Xiao Xie’s gaze sharpened. His right hand curled into a claw, and he exerted a force that pulled the falling Tianming toward him. He looked at the stunned boy and said sternly, "Tianming, stop doing things that worry people, especially those who care about you."

Xiao Xie could tell the boy had faked the fall; he hadn't been in actual danger of touching the trap. He was just playing a prank.

"Brother Xiao, I'm sorry. I was wrong." Seeing Xiao Xie’s serious expression, Tianming realized his trick had been seen through and apologized obediently.

"Tianming, are you okay?" Yue-er asked, worried.

"I'm fine, Yue-er," Tianming replied with a grin.

Relieved to see Tianming unharmed, Ge Nie and the others let out a breath, though Ge Nie was struck by the display of power, thinking to himself, *What profound internal energy!*

...

Outside the Mechanized City, on a distant cliff, Wei Zhuang and Chi Lian stood side by side, looking toward the city.

"Lord Wei Zhuang," a masked figure said respectfully from behind.

"What does Li Si want?"

"The Prime Minister conveys that the Gongshu family has mobilized. Please be prepared."

"Understood."

"Who shall we send this time?" Chi Lian asked.

"Send Hidden Bat and Lin'er."

"Both of them?"

"The net has been spread for a long time; it is finally time to draw it in," Wei Zhuang said, a cold smirk playing on his lips.

...

Xiao Xie and the others followed Master Ban around a corner until they reached a precipice. Across the chasm, a drawbridge slowly lowered. The source of the noise was a massive waterfall, where, beneath the water, colossal gears were in constant motion.

Xiao Xie’s gaze locked onto the pool beneath the waterfall, as if peering through the depths. After a moment, he withdrew his gaze and muttered to himself, "The Black Tortoise? Interesting."

Guided by Old Ban, they crossed to the other side, where an old man with a white beard stood waiting. He wore gray robes with white trim, and a seal-script character for "Xu" was printed on his back.

"Brother Xu, how does a busy man like you have time to welcome us?" Old Ban laughed.

The old man ignored him, his eyes fixed intently on Ge Nie—or rather, on the sword, Yuanhong, in Ge Nie's hand.

"It’s not you this old fossil is interested in, Master Xu!" Robber Zhi said, tapping Old Ban on the shoulder with a smirk.

"Don't tell me you think this old man is like you, waiting to greet a beauty?" Old Ban retorted.

"Of course not! Even with your toes, you should know what old Xu is obsessed with!"

As Robber Zhi spoke, Master Xu reached out his hands toward Yuanhong. The sword unsheathed itself and flew into his grasp.

*So this is the Mohist master blacksmith, Master Xu? I should find a way to recruit him to the Heaven-Ascending Tower,* Xiao Xie thought, already scheming to poach talent from the Mohists.

*The Mechanized City will be breached soon anyway; there's no future with the Mohists. He’d be better off joining my tower,* Xiao Xie thought, feeling no guilt.