Before the house is confiscated, the enemy's warehouse is emptied and exiled

Xiao Heng looked in the direction where Shen Qingge's finger was pointing, and then a smile appeared on the corner of his lips.

Shen Qingge suddenly changed the subject and added softly:

"As for the armory in Xiayang County, Hexi Commandery, it's located in the territory of General Liu Fu, my father's old subordinate, and is quite far from here.

Furthermore, we don't know Uncle Liu's attitude towards Xiao Mo at the moment, whether he's willing to submit or is opposed. Therefore, we can only put that place aside for now.

However, there is no need to lose heart! After all, we still have something that Xiao Mo longs for. "

After hearing this, Xiao Heng thought about it again and again. After a while, he asked with a hint of doubt:

"Could it be that the rumored treasure map of Southern Xinjiang is really in your hands?"

“Yes… and no!”

Shen Qingge's answer once again left Xiao Heng confused.

"What exactly does this 'being and not being' mean?"

Just when Xiao Heng was puzzled, Shen Qingge took out an exquisite purple gold sandalwood box from somewhere and gently placed it in front of Xiao Heng.

The corners of her mouth lifted slightly, outlining an imperceptible arc, and a sly glint flashed across her eyes as she said:

"Here, this is what they have been searching for—the purple gold sandalwood box!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Heng, who was sitting next to him, was instantly attracted to him.

He took a closer look and saw that the purple-gold sandalwood box was emitting a faint purple glow all over, and the wood texture was as delicate as silk, which indeed looked quite precious and unique.

However, what really interested Xiao Heng was not the box itself, but the extremely exquisite lock inlaid on it.

Xiao Heng examined the lock carefully and saw that its structure was extremely complicated, with the mortise and tenon joints fitting perfectly together. It was obviously the work of a skilled craftsman.

Judging from such exquisite and complex craftsmanship, it is not difficult to infer that the items stored in the box must be priceless and extraordinary.

Thinking of this, Xiao Heng couldn't help but reach out to find out what was going on.

But just as his fingers were about to touch the lock, he suddenly froze, then turned to look at Shen Qingge and said in an unpleasant tone:

"Heh...it seems like you've been planning this all along! You're playing tricks on me, all that 'present and absent' talk, you're just trying to get me to do free labor for you!"

Hearing this, Shen Qingge hurriedly smiled and said:

"Oh, my Lord, what you are saying!

Looking around, how many people in the entire Beiling Kingdom are as smart and talented as you?

I really have no other choice but to rely on you, Your Majesty!"

As he spoke, a fawning look appeared on his face.

Xiao Heng rolled his eyes at her and said in a feigned dissatisfaction:

"Alright, alright, stop flattering me! If it weren't for the potentially important contents of this box, I wouldn't bother wasting my time here with you!"

Although he said this, his hands had already unconsciously begun fiddling with the lock, trying to find a way to open it.

Shen Qingge, who was standing beside him, smiled even more brightly when he saw this.

But no matter how much they joke around, they will never joke about serious matters.

Soon, the two of them got into the mood.

Xiao Heng leaned over with full concentration, tilted his head and put his ear close to the lock, holding his breath and trying to catch the extremely faint turning sound of the lock's internal parts.

After a while, he straightened up, stretched out his slender fingers, and carefully moved the lock back and forth.

Time passed minute by minute, and before he knew it, a layer of fine beads of sweat had quietly formed between his brows.

At the same time, Shen Qingge, who was standing aside, also looked solemn and nervous.

Her eyes never left Xiao Heng's hands, which were operating the machine. Her heart was in her throat, fearing that Xiao Heng would make a mistake and accidentally trigger the mechanism hidden in the box.

“Kachaka…kachaka…kachaka…”

An almost imperceptible sound of gears turning came from the lock.

Hearing this voice, their hearts tightened instantly and they involuntarily clenched their fists at the same time, their palms already wet with sweat.

“It should be...opening soon!”

Xiao Heng, who had been wearing a tense expression, suddenly spoke, his tone filled with a hint of uncontrollable excitement and anticipation.

In order to more clearly distinguish the tiny difference between the rotation of the gears, he simply pressed his entire ear against the box, wishing that he could become one with the lock.

At this moment, Shen Qingge's ears trembled sharply.

It happened in a flash. Just when Xiao Heng was about to successfully open the box, Shen Qingge suddenly reached out and pushed hard, allowing Xiao Heng to avoid it.

"careful!"

Along with her shout, there was a whoosh whoosh whoosh...

Dozens of silver needles, as thin as gossamer threads and gleaming with cold light, shot out from the box. Fortunately, Shen Qingge acted in time, otherwise Xiao Heng would have been the first to bear the brunt of the attack.

Immediately afterwards, Shen Qingge tore off a corner of the tablecloth and threw it out, intercepting all the silver needles that were shot out.

The tablecloth flew out a beautiful arc in the air, then flew back and landed steadily on the table.

The two of them hurriedly used the weak candlelight to examine it carefully.

Shen Qingge reached out and pulled out a silver needle, then put it to the tip of his nose and sniffed it.

"Your Highness, look, this is smeared with Luo Hui! The poisoned person will lose consciousness, then become weak and comatose."

"Then why are you still touching it?" Xiao Heng's tone was a little anxious.

"It's okay. This stuff is only effective on broken skin. Besides, this kind of poison can't hurt me!"

After finishing speaking, Shen Qingge placed his fingers lightly on the lid of the purple gold sandalwood box.

As her fingertips exerted a little force, the box made a slight sound and was opened smoothly.

In an instant, a stale smell emanated from the box.

The two of them took a closer look and saw a slightly worn sheepskin with traces of time placed in the box.

Shen Qingge carefully checked the box again, and after confirming that there were no other mechanisms, he carefully took out the sheepskin.

Then, she gently spread the sheepskin on the table in front of her, as if she was treating a rare treasure.

Xiao Heng, who was standing by, stared at the sheepskin on the table, observing it carefully. After a moment, he said:

"Indeed, this is a map. Look, some important locations are outlined with eye-catching red lines.

Unfortunately, these characters are not from our Central Plains. Perhaps they are some ancient characters, or perhaps they come from other small countries in southern Xinjiang.

As such, I'm afraid we won't be able to decipher the mystery on the map for the time being."