Huanzhu Time Travel: Yan Luo's Unbreakable Love in the Yong Dynasty

After an unknown amount of time, footsteps sounded outside the Imperial Study. The guard who had gone to investigate hurried in, knelt down and bowed: "Your Majesty, the investigation results have been brought back."

Hongli leaned forward slightly, his gaze intense: "What's the situation? Tell me the truth."

The guard looked up, his expression serious. "Your Majesty," he said, "based on the information provided by the mysterious man, we have found Liu San, who lives in a small village on the western outskirts of the capital. He does indeed make a living selling groceries, and his appearance matches the description given by the mysterious man. Furthermore, at the dilapidated temple in the south of the city, we discovered that he was meeting with several suspicious individuals. After observing them in secret, we have confirmed that they are indeed transmitting messages from the Shadow Cult."

Upon hearing this, Hongli nodded slightly and turned his gaze to the mysterious man: "It seems what you said is true. But this is just a contact person. You still need to provide other information as soon as possible to help me completely eradicate the Shadow Cult."

The mysterious man kowtowed hastily: "Your Majesty, please be wise! I will tell you everything without reservation. Besides Liu San, there is another contact named Zhang Mazi. He runs a tavern in the north of the city. On the surface, he is the tavern owner, but in reality, he is an important informant for the Shadow Cult in the north of the city. Every five days, he meets with cult members from other places in a secret room in the tavern."

Yongqi frowned and questioned, "Whether this information about the pockmarked man is accurate is still unknown. Although your previous information has been verified to be correct for the time being, there is no guarantee that it won't be false later."

The mysterious man hurriedly waved his hand, his face filled with anxiety: "I swear on my life that every word I've said is true. If there is even a single lie, I am willing to be torn to pieces!"

Er Kang snorted coldly: "I'll trust you this time. If you dare to play any tricks again, you'll regret it."

After a moment's thought, Xiao Jian said, "Your Majesty, to be on the safe side, this operation needs to be carried out with extra caution. We can first send a small number of agile guards to secretly monitor Zhang Mazi's tavern. Once we confirm the situation, we can then carry out the arrest operation."

Hongli nodded in agreement: "Do as you say. Be sure to proceed with caution and do not alert the enemy."

Then, Hongli looked at the mysterious man and said seriously, "Since you have chosen to cooperate with me, you must be wholeheartedly committed. If you dare to conceal anything again, I will not forgive you."

The mysterious man hurriedly kowtowed: "Your Majesty, rest assured, I have made up my mind and will tell you everything I know truthfully. The Shadow Cult also has a hidden stronghold in an abandoned mine in the eastern suburbs. There are many weapons and some core members hidden there."

Yongqi couldn't help but ask, "Where exactly is this mine located? How many people are inside?"

The mysterious man quickly replied, "The mine is located five miles east of the city. The entrance is hidden, and there are many trees around it for cover. There are about twenty core members inside, each of them highly skilled and loyal to the Shadow Cult."

Er Kang frowned: "There are quite a few people, and they are all core members. The capture operation will probably be very difficult."

Xiao Jian nodded slightly: "That's true. But if we know in advance, we can make full preparations. Your Majesty, you need to send more elite guards and formulate a detailed capture plan."

Hongli's expression was solemn: "This operation is of great importance and must succeed. Xiao Jian, you are in charge of coordinating the arrest operation and ensure that nothing goes wrong."

Xiao Jian knelt on one knee: "Your Majesty, I obey! I will certainly not fail Your Majesty's trust."

The mysterious man said cautiously, "Your Majesty, I have revealed a great deal of important information, and I hope Your Majesty will fulfill your promise as soon as possible."

Hongli's gaze was calm: "I will keep my promise. Once the Shadow Cult is completely eradicated, I will spare your life. Until then, you must cooperate with us and provide more useful clues."

The mysterious man quickly replied, "Yes, yes, I will definitely cooperate fully."

Although the atmosphere in the Imperial Study remained tense, the new clues boosted everyone's confidence. Would the upcoming arrest operation proceed smoothly? Could the core members of the Shadow Cult be captured in one fell swoop? All awaited resolution amidst this unpredictable situation…

This chapter concludes here. Stay tuned for the next chapter.