On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

The cold wind from Broken Dragon Cliff, carrying the lingering smoke and blood, swirled and howled among the wreckage of the Abyss Workshop.

The charred valley entrance was filled with jagged rocks, solidified venom mixed with blood ice, emitting a pungent smell of bitter almonds and burnt air.

The soldiers of the Fenlei Guards silently cleared the battlefield, collecting the charred and broken remains of their comrades, their numb faces etched with fatigue and grief.

The air was filled with the depression of surviving a disaster and a lingering sense of crisis.

Inside the core area gate, steam filled the air and the pungent chemical smell had not yet dissipated.

Reactor No. 3 was like a wounded beast. The red color on the reactor body faded, the hissing of the pressure relief valve subsided, and only the dripping sound of the cooling water remained.

Chu Xiling took off her heavy asbestos suit, her indigo work clothes were soaked with sweat, her cold face was covered with soot, her lips were tightly pursed, but her eyes were as sharp as before, carefully examining the cracks in the kettle and the broken bearings.

Under her command, the craftsmen quickly and carefully dismantled the damaged parts, replaced the seals, and repaired the cooling pipes.

"The cauldron is slightly deformed, but the liner is intact..." Chu Xiling's fingertips brushed across the cold metal surface, her voice a little hoarse. "The bearings are completely scrapped and need to be recast, and the sealing system needs a comprehensive upgrade."

"Master Chu, the venom is ruined." An old craftsman said in a low voice with worry.

"Why are you panicking? The formula is still in my head." Chu Xiling's eyes were calm as she pointed at the mineral samples piled up in the corner. "The venom is just a carrier. The core is the process. The purity of the raw materials, temperature control, mixing ratio, and stabilizers are the fundamentals."

She picked up a hematite sample. "Different veins have different impurity compositions, which have a huge impact on the stability of the final product. Gu Beichen doesn't understand this. He only knows how to destroy."

She turned around, her cold eyes sweeping across the messy workshop.

"Rebuilding will take time. But we have something more important: data." She picked up an oil-stained record. "Every failure, every explosion tells us what not to do. We'll do better next time."

Yanjing Headquarters, Purple Palace.

The bright candlelight cannot dispel the chill of late autumn.

Lin Zhen sat upright in the main seat. His injuries from the black Panlong regular medicine had not healed yet, his face was slightly pale, but his eyes were as deep as a cold pond, reflecting the dancing candlelight.

Mao Mengji's skinny figure stood at the bottom of the steps, his armor stained with wet mud and snow and dark red blood. The scar on his face looked even more hideous under the light and shadow. The fierceness in his eyes was restrained, but it could not hide a trace of fatigue and unwillingness.

Xiao Hanzhou and Cheng Xuan stood on both sides with serious expressions.

"Gu Beichen escaped." Mao Mengji's voice was hoarse, filled with suppressed anger. "The venom is destroyed. Forty-seven of the Taniguchi Fenlei Guards were killed, and twenty-eight were seriously injured. The workshop was severely damaged."

"The workshop is still there." Lin Zhen's voice was calm. "Ling'er is still there. It's okay."

"Yes..." Mao Mengji lowered his head, "I am incompetent."

"It's not your fault." Lin Zhen's eyes were calm. "Gu Beichen is as cunning as a fox. He used Helian Bao as bait to lure the tiger away from the mountain. He used venom as a weapon to make a feint to the east and attack in the west. Oh, I didn't expect that in just two years, this beast has become a serious threat."

"I request your permission! I will lead the elite troops of the 'Hunting Falcon Camp' deep into the Yin Mountains, search the sky and the earth, and bring him back his head!" A fierce light flashed in Mao Mengji's eyes.

"Search the mountain?" Lin Zhen shook his head slightly. "The Yinshan Mountains are vast, with ravines crisscrossing. Gu Beichen must have a secret lair after so many years of operation. Blindly searching is like looking for a needle in a haystack, a waste of manpower."

"What should I do?" Mao Mengji gripped the knife handle tightly.

"Lure the snake out of its hole." Lin Zhen's lips curled up in a cold arc. "Doesn't he want the 'Fire Thunder Secret'? Doesn't he want the formula? Let's give it to him."

Everyone in the hall was stunned.

"Your Highness?" Xiao Hanzhou looked puzzled.

"Ling'er has reverse-engineered the formula and has some clues," Lin Zhen said slowly. "However, this substance is extremely dangerous, and transporting and storing it is extremely difficult. Although Gu Beichen has the 'Snake Cave Venomous Saliva', he has no way to stabilize it. He's more anxious than us."

"Your Highness means..." A hint of understanding flashed in Chengxuan's beautiful eyes.

"Spread the word," Lin Zhen said in a low voice. "Say the Burning Thunder Division was attacked, suffering heavy losses. However, Chu Xiling, caught an inspiration amidst the ruins, has overcome the stabilizing agent issue! The newly formulated Burning Heavenly Thunder is twice as powerful and can be safely stored and transported! We'll soon be escorting the first batch of finished products and the core formula to Hu County Deepwater Port for secret testing by the navy!"

"Fake formula? Fake delivery?" Mao Mengji's eyes flashed with a fierce light, "Bait!"

"That's right." Lin Zhen's eyes flashed like lightning. "Gu Beichen will never let this opportunity go. He will definitely take action to rob the formula or destroy the transport team!"

"This plan is very risky." Xiao Hanzhou pondered, "Master, what if Gu Beichen doesn't fall for it?"

"He will be fooled." Lin Zhen said firmly, "The Burning Sky Thunder is the weapon he has always dreamed of, and it is also a sword hanging over his head. He is more afraid than we are of it falling into the hands of the court. This is one reason. Second, he has just been defeated and urgently needs a victory to reverse the decline and deter the villains. Third..." Lin Zhen's eyes flashed with a cold light.

"He is conceited. He thinks he sees through me."

"How do we set up the transportation route?" Mao Mengji asked.

"Openly repair the plank road, secretly march through Chencang." Lin Zhen dipped his finger in water and sketched on the table. "Open route: depart from Yanjing, pass through Black Stone Pass, Falling Eagle Gorge, and Yinma River, with great fanfare, escorting the heavily guarded formula convoy. Secret route: Chu Xiling personally leads an elite force, carrying a truly improved stabilizer sample and some process drawings, lightly equipped, taking the Baishijian and Guijianchou trails, secretly heading south to Hu County."

"I am willing to take the lead!" Mao Mengji's eyes were blazing with ferocity. "I will make sure that Gu Beichen never returns!"

"No." Lin Zhen shook his head slightly. "The bright line needs a bait of sufficient weight. Xiao Hanzhou!"

"The disciple is here!"

"You will pretend to be this prince's trusted aide, holding a fake golden box, and commanding the Ming line convoy. Mao Mengji will lead the main force of the Jingbian Camp, ostensibly as a guard, but in reality setting ambushes along the way!"

"I obey your command!" Mao Mengji bowed.

"Cheng Xuan!"

"exist!"

"You will lead the elite members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to secretly protect Chu Xiling. Make sure she and the sample arrive safely in Hu County!"

"Yes!" Cheng Xuan replied solemnly.

"This prince will personally lead the Jinwu Guards' Divine Machine Battalion to command the central army and provide support! In this battle, we must capture Gu Beichen and his followers in one fell swoop!"

The news spread quickly throughout Yanjing and surrounding counties as if it had wings.

In teahouses, taverns, streets and alleys, there is constant whispering.

"Have you heard? That lady from the Burning Thunder Division is truly amazing! Even with the workshop blown up like that, she managed to figure out a way to stabilize the Burning Thunder from the ruins!"

"That's right! It's said that the newly made thunder is more powerful and can be transported safely! The court is sending a large number of troops to escort it to Hu County!"

"That old bastard Gu Beichen must be furious now! He went to so much trouble to destroy the venom, only to have someone come up with something even more powerful!"

"Shh...keep your voice down! You're risking your life!"

Deep in the Black Water Marsh, there is a snake cave.

In the damp and cold cave, the rustling sound of snake scales rubbing against each other was creepy.

Gu Beichen's purple robe was stained with dust, and the half of his face under the bronze mask looked even more sinister under the reflection of the dark green phosphorescence.

The black-robed old man (Snake King) hunched over, his voice hoarse, "Prime Minister, news has come from Yanjing that the Thunder Burning Division has made a breakthrough in the stabilizer. The new thunder can be stored and transported, and the formula will be sent to Hu County soon."

"Stabilizer? Can it be stored and transported?" Gu Beichen's eyes flashed coldly, and his fingers unconsciously stroked the cold stone wall. "Chu Xiling really can't stay."

"Is the news reliable?" The Snake King's cloudy eyes rolled.

"I'd rather believe it." Gu Beichen said in a cold voice, "Lin Zhen wants to trick me into taking action? Humph, I will grant his wish!"

"The Prime Minister intends to..."

"Robbery is the worst option." Gu Beichen's lips curled up cruelly. "Destroy it and bury it along with the people being escorted! Let Lin Zhen's efforts be in vain, and let the world know the consequences of being an enemy of me, Gu Beichen!"

"What's the route?"

"The obvious routes of Black Stone Pass, Falling Eagle Gorge, and Drinking Horse River must be traps." Gu Beichen's eyes were deep. "Lin Zhen's tactics are just as strange as they are. The obvious routes are bait, and the hidden routes must be in dangerous and secluded places. The road to Baishijian Guijianchou is dangerous enough, and fast enough."

"Your Excellency is wise." The Snake King laughed softly, like the cry of an owl in the night.

"Mobilize the Black Scale Guards (Gu Beichen's secret assassins)! Contact the remaining diehards of the Vulture, Snow Wolf, and Wind Falcon factions! Tell them the opportunity has come, revenge is now!"

Gu Beichen said fiercely, "Target Baishijian, Guijianchou will intercept and kill Chu Xiling, seize the samples, destroy the blueprints, and leave no one alive!"

"Yes!" The Snake King bowed and his figure merged into the shadows.

At the foot of Broken Dragon Cliff, the Fenlei Division is under reconstruction.

There was a hint of fatigue on Chu Xiling's cold face, but her eyes were focused.

In her hands was a specially made double-layered clay pot, lined with mercury foil and covered with wet mud. Inside the pot was a small amount of a sticky, oily liquid—a sample of the improved stabilizer.

"Impact test... a thousand times... explosion rate... 50%..."

"Vibration test... simulated 100-mile transport... explosion rate... 10%..."

"High temperature test...50 degrees Celsius for 24 hours... Stability... No change..."

The assistant's voice was filled with suppressed excitement.

Chu Xiling nodded slightly, a glimmer in her eyes. "Encapsulate. Prepare to depart."

"Sir, this journey is extremely dangerous..." the assistant said worriedly.

"Only when it's dangerous can it be valuable." Chu Xiling said calmly, carefully placing the pottery jar into a specially made lead box lined with cotton wool springs. "This item is related to the fate of our nation. We can't afford to lose it."

Three days later, midnight.

The north gate of Yanjing quietly opened. A massive convoy, escorted by hundreds of elite Jinwu Guards, slowly emerged, illuminated by torches.

In the center of the convoy, a huge carriage covered with thick oilcloth and pulled by eight strong horses was particularly eye-catching. It was surrounded by armored soldiers and was on high alert.

Xiao Hanzhou was dressed in a scholar's robe, sitting upright in the carriage, holding a rosewood box with a gilded chain, with a solemn expression.

Mao Mengji wore black armor and carried a long sword, riding his horse at the head of the team. His skinny face was covered with hideous scars, and his eyes were as sharp as an eagle, scanning every shadow in the darkness.

The convoy set off with great fanfare, heading straight towards Black Stone Pass.

At the same time, in the western suburbs of Yanjing, at the entrance of Baishijian.

The wind was cold and the moonlight was obscured by dark clouds.

A small team of only dozens of people gathered quietly like ghosts.

Everyone was wearing black clothes and a mask, carrying a powerful crossbow and a short knife on their backs, and their movements were swift and silent.

Chu Xiling was dressed in an indigo suit with a black cloak on the outside. Her cold eyes were as calm as water in the night.

Cheng Xuan was wearing black leather armor, with a short sword hanging from his waist, and his eyes were as sharp as a knife.

Behind her were twenty carefully selected top masters of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"The route is Baishijian, Guijianchou, we'll change horses at the ferry and go straight down to Hu County." Cheng Xuan said in a low voice, "There are secret sentries along the way to provide support. However, this road is extremely dangerous and prone to ambushes. Everyone must be extremely vigilant and protect Lord Chu!"

"Yes!" Everyone responded in a low voice, their voices solemn and murderous.

"Let's go!" Cheng Xuan waved her hand.

The team seemed to blend into the night and silently disappeared into the rugged and dangerous Baishijian.