Crown Prince of the Empire, I quit!

Chapter 1239 The answer

This is very much Hua Yunhong's style. A delicate, yet shrouded in mystery, ending.

Qin Ming was silent for a moment, held the token in his palm, and looked at the deep cave entrance again.

"Dig." His order remained concise. "Keep digging until every body is identified."

"Here!"

"Also," Qin Ming turned and looked at Meng Zhi, "Send a message back home, and announce to all quarters: Shenmu King Hua Yunhong, trapped in his isolated lair, has died due to the backlash of the trap. The Shenmu Royal Court no longer exists."

Regardless of whether Hua Yunhong is really dead or faking his death, the fate of Shenmu Kingdom has been determined at this moment.

"I obey your command!" Meng Zhi clasped his fists heavily.

Qin Ming took one last look at the dark entrance to the secret cave, as if he wanted to imprint the final mystery into his eyes. Then he turned around, and his black cloak drew a decisive arc in the firelight as he walked out of the valley.

The wind in Snow God Valley was still cold, but it seemed to have blown away a long-simmering haze. A war that had lasted for months and ravaged the northern border seemed to finally come to an end with the roar and silence from the depths of the secret cave.

All that remains are endless legends and a mystery that may never be completely solved.

The chill wind seemed tireless, whipping up shards of ice and the lingering scent of gunpowder, whipping the body hanging high at the valley's entrance. Helian Tieshu's heavy breathing condensed into white mist in the bitter cold, and every breath brought the excruciating pain and frostbite from his bindings. However, his hazy consciousness was kept aloft by the constant movement within the valley. Through his blurred vision, he could see the black-armored soldiers still at work, and in the firelight, the figures gathered at the secret cave entrance never dispersed.

Is your majesty still inside? Or... has he already...

Just as Helian Tieshu's consciousness was about to fade again, a dull and continuous roar, different from the previous digging and knocking, faintly came from the direction of the secret cave! Then, there was a brief silence, and then several suppressed explosions!

The noise made him shudder and he struggled to lift his heavy eyelids.

He saw the Emperor still standing by the dark river, his dark cloak motionless in the wind. Then, he saw Ying Qi emerge from the gap in the blasted stone gate, seemingly holding something in his hand, and report to the Emperor.

The distance was too far, so he couldn't hear what was said. He could only see His Majesty taking a dark object that looked like clothing, and... a very faint dark golden reflection under the torch.

That's... the King's token?!

Helian Tieshu's heart suddenly tightened! An indescribable chill instantly spread throughout his body, even overwhelming the physical pain! The king... is dead?! No! Impossible! The king would never give up so easily...

His thoughts were interrupted by a commotion at the valley entrance. A group of black-armored cavalrymen were escorting dozens of dejected, ragged Shenmu captives toward a makeshift prison camp outside the valley. These were the last remnants of the troops to be cleared out.

Just as the team was passing through the narrow passage under the Helian Iron Tree, one of the captives, a thin figure with his head down and wearing the uniform of an ordinary Shenmu soldier, seemed to be tripped by the frozen stones on the ground. He staggered and almost fell, and subconsciously reached out to hold the cold rock wall next to him.

It was this extremely brief movement that briefly exposed the man's wrist, which was originally tucked into the tattered cuffs!

Helian Tieshu's pupils suddenly contracted!

Though it was only a glimpse, and though the wrist was covered in dirt and frostbite, he could not be mistaken—on the inside of the man's thin wrist, there was an extremely hidden, dark red scar, like a centipede! It was a unique mark left by the king's internal energy backlash while practicing a vicious palm technique many years ago! Except for a very few personal shadow guards, no one knew about it!

Your Majesty? ! !

Helian Tieshu almost cried out in shock! But he immediately clenched his teeth tightly, and the rusty smell of blood instantly filled his mouth! He used all his strength to suppress the trembling of his body, suppressing all the shock, ecstasy, and fear in his heart. His head drooped weakly, as if he had fainted again.

The corner of his eye, like the most loyal hound, was fixed on the thin figure staggering forward, watching him mix in with the group of captives, step by step walking out of the valley, towards the prison camp where the security was not extremely strict.

……

A few hours later, deep in the Snow God Valley.

Qin Ming stood in front of the stone door with a gap in it, listening to Ying Qi's final report.

"...a total of nine bodies were cleared, all unrecognizable, their limbs mutilated. Upon careful examination, one was wearing the coiled dragon robe Your Majesty had discovered. Its build was similar to Hua Yunhong's, but the skeleton of its left hand showed that it had frequently used some kind of heavy weapon. Its finger bones were thick and deformed, inconsistent with Hua Yunhong's usual sword and palm techniques. The remaining bodies were all dressed as guards." Ying Qi's voice was calm, yet he stated a startling fact: "No complete body matching Hua Yunhong's physical characteristics and wearing the emperor's seal was found at the scene."

Qin Ming listened quietly, his face devoid of any surprise. He simply gently stroked the dark golden sacred wood token in his hand. The token was cold, its lines clear and ancient.

"Under the collapsed rubble, we found a narrow, completely blocked gap. It seems to be an unrecorded ventilation or drainage passage with an extremely hidden entrance. We judge that... there is a very small possibility that it leads to the outside world." Ying Qi added.

"In other words," Qin Ming finally spoke, his voice eerily steady, "Hua Yunhong may have been completely destroyed, or he may have... escaped."

"Yes." Ying Qi lowered his head. "I failed in my duty and failed to confirm it."

"It's okay." Qin Ming put the token into his arms and glanced at the messy cave entrance. "If he can really escape from this desperate place, it's his own ability. Bury the corpses in the cave properly. This cave... is completely sealed."

"Here!"

Qin Ming turned around and walked out of the valley. Meng Zhi immediately came to meet him.

"Your Majesty, the valley has been cleared. There are more than 300 prisoners in total, and they have been concentrated in the camp outside the valley. How to deal with Helian Tieshu? Should we..." Meng Zhi made a beheading gesture.

Qin Ming did not stop, his eyes swept across the figure hanging high at the entrance of the valley, which seemed to be dying.

"Hang him. Let him witness with his own eyes how Shenmu is incorporated into the Daqian territory." Qin Ming's voice was emotionless. "Send someone to keep a close eye on the prisoners, especially... the injured and the silent ones."

Meng Zhi was slightly startled. Although he didn't understand the deeper meaning, he immediately clasped his fists and said, "I obey your command!"

……

Temporary prison camp outside the valley.

A low wooden fence enclosed a cold, clearing where hundreds of Shenmu captives huddled together, shivering in the chill wind. Daqian soldiers patrolled the perimeter, vigilant but not excessively abusive. The war seemed over; their orders were to guard, not to slaughter.