In the spacious room, the owner, Old Man Lü, stared in astonishment at the four figures who had barged into his home.
Although he didn't recognize Uchiha Kazuhiko, Old Man Lü identified the famously infamous Gongshu Chou and his two companions. He instantly realized his identity had likely been exposed.
"To disturb the esteemed State Master Gongshu Chou, Da Siming, and Shao Siming for a mere old wretch like myself you certainly do me too much honor," he said with a bitter smile.
"Hehehe, your mechanical traps have been dismantled by my Earth Breaker Sevens. Be sensible and hand it over. Of course, even if you refuse, I have ways to find out,"
Gongshu Chou laughed triumphantly, perfectly embodying the qualities of a villain as he half-threatened, half-mocked Old Man Lü, pressuring him to surrender the Dragon Soul needed to control the War God.
"All your memories, even those hidden deepest in your mind, I can excavate them,"
Da Siming, following Gongshu Chou's cue, stepped forward with a graceful gait, preparing to use the Yin-Yang School's mind-reading technique on Old Man Lü.
At that moment, Uchiha Kazuhiko, who knew the plot, stepped forward. Pointing at the wall behind Old Man Lü, he stated confidently,
"No need for such trouble. The Dragon Soul and the child who just entered are hidden in a secret compartment behind this wall."
"What? How could you know?!" Old Man Lü was shocked that this stranger could have discovered Tianming, whom he had hidden.
"Oh?" Gongshu Chou's eyebrow raised. He walked behind Old Man Lü, fiddled with the wall for a moment, and opened the hidden compartment behind it.
Looking at the panicked Tianming, Gongshu Chou put on a false smile and said softly, "Little brother, hand it over to me, and I'll spare your life."
"I will never give it to you!"
Tianming, a youth who valued loyalty above all, remembered Old Man Lü's request to return the Dragon Soul to Loulan and refused Gongshu Chou's demand without hesitation.
"Wrong answer. Earth Breaker Sevens, attack!" Tianming's refusal darkened Gongshu Chou's expression.
He stepped back two paces and ordered the room full of mechanical lizards to teach the boy a severe lesson.
Under the assault of the Earth Breaker Sevens, Tianming flailed his limbs wildly. Unexpectedly, he triggered a hidden mechanism within the compartment.
The mechanism ejected him from the room, landing him safely on a pile of straw atop a distant roof, allowing him to escape the encirclement of Qin soldiers.
Tianming's unexpected escape embarrassed and angered Gongshu Chou, who had been certain of success. He immediately strode out of the room and ordered the Qin soldiers guarding outside:
"Men! Capture that child at once!"
"Yes, State Master!"
The black-armored Qin soldiers mobilized, engaging in a lively chase through the border town with Tianming, eventually cornering him in a large, empty warehouse. A soldier was dispatched to inform Gongshu Chou.
Just as Gongshu Chou prepared to take Uchiha Kazuhiko and the others to apprehend Tianming, the other force dispatched by Qin Shi Huang the Flow Sand organization—arrived in the border town.
"Hahaha! To think His Majesty sent Lord Wei Zhuang and the two masters, Bai Feng and Chi Lian! It seems this mission is as good as accomplished,"
Gongshu Chou exclaimed. Seeing the three martial artists approaching, the anger on his face melted away into a pleased smile as he greeted them.
Wei Zhuang, leader of Flow Sand, stopped. His sharp, blade-like gaze swept over Da Siming, Shao Siming, and Uchiha Kazuhiko before he coldly asked Gongshu Chou, "I heard Gai Nie has come to this town. Any news of him?"
"Hehehe, we haven't found any trace of Gai Nie yet," Gongshu Chou shook his head. Then, remembering the familiar half-piece of jade he'd seen on Tianming's neck, he changed tack. "However, we just found the child he's been searching for."
"Oh? Take me to him." Wei Zhuang's eyes lit up, recalling Gai Nie's reason for coming to this border town. His tone brooked no argument.
"Please." Gongshu Chou, familiar with Wei Zhuang's temperament, didn't mind the imperative tone.
He chuckled and led Wei Zhuang and the others towards the abandoned warehouse where Tianming was surrounded.
After a few steps, Gongshu Chou saw Old Man Lü being brought out of the room by Qin soldiers. Worried the old man might use his mechanical skills to escape if left unguarded, he said to Uchiha Kazuhiko,
"Young brother Heyan, could I trouble you to escort this Old Man Lü back to the garrison residence for detention? We still need him to provide us with some information on Loulan."
"Understood."
Knowing the main characters from the movie would eventually be captured, Uchiha Kazuhiko saw no need to join the fray. Along with the Qin soldiers, he took Old Man Lü back to the garrison residence and locked him in a heavily guarded dungeon.
As expected, it didn't take long for Gongshu Chou and the others to successfully capture Tianming, Shaoyu, and the female lead of the movie, Xiao Li (Little Li), and return to the garrison residence.
In the afternoon, Gongshu Chou sent someone to summon Uchiha Kazuhiko to the main hall for a discussion.
Upon his arrival, Gongshu Chou ordered Qin soldiers to bring in a large, empty sand table.
"Master Shao Siming, please mark the location of Loulan," Gongshu Chou commanded after dismissing the Qin soldiers present.
Shao Siming remained silent. Her hands danced gently, using her internal energy to control the sand on the table, slowly shaping it into the form of the Loulan desert.
At a specific point in the desert, she marked the location of Loulan from Old Man Lü's memory with a tall tower.
"Lord Wei Zhuang, from Old Man Lü's memory, we discovered a crucial clue. The entrance to Loulan is hidden deep within the desert at this location. It is said that immortal monsters guard that place,"
Gongshu Chou said, operating a mechanism to produce a cup of fruit wine which he offered to Wei Zhuang, who was in charge of the operation. He relayed the intelligence Da Siming had extracted from Old Man Lü using mind reading.
"No monster is truly immortal. If it's considered immortal, it's only because the power used against it wasn't strong enough to destroy it,"
Wei Zhuang stated, supremely confident even arrogant in his own strength. He feared no so-called immortal monster, firmly believing any enemy would fall to his Shark-Toothed Sword.
"Hehehe, indeed. With Lord Wei Zhuang here, it poses no problem,"
Gongshu Chou offered a small compliment. Stroking his beard, he continued with a proud expression,
"I have already tasked disciples of the Gongshu family to construct a mechanical sand ship capable of traveling through the desert. With its help, we can quickly reach the entrance to Loulan."
"Good. Make the final preparations. We depart first thing tomorrow morning,"
Wei Zhuang said, draining his cup of fruit wine in one go. He then turned and left the main hall, leading Chi Lian and Bai Feng to continue their search for Gai Nie.
After Wei Zhuang's departure, Uchiha Kazuhiko also took his leave from Gongshu Chou.
He found a Qin soldier and had him take him to the cell holding Xiao Li, the female lead from the movie, intending to meet the incarnation of the Goddess's Tear.