Ming Dynasty: Zhu Biao's younger brother, the most rebellious son in history

Zhu Kai's mind suddenly became clear after hearing this. "Thank you for your advice, old man!" After saying this, he hurriedly said goodbye and rushed to the West Lake.

At the same time, Gu Wen also heard similar rumors in the market. After the two met at the agreed location, they exchanged the information they had collected.

"Gu Wen, it seems we have to solve this puzzle." Zhu Kai said.

Gu Wen thought for a moment and nodded, "Master Zhu, this line of poetry comes from Wang Wei's "Autumn Night in the Mountain Dwelling", which is intended to express a life attitude that transcends the world. If I were Mr. Misty, I would choose to wait for the person who solves the mystery in the pine forest or near the stream."

Zhu Kai nodded in agreement: "Yes, there is a pine forest by the West Lake, and there happens to be a stream next to it. Let's go there and take a look."

The two rushed to the pine forest and found a wooden sign beside the stream. On it was a line of words: "If you want to see your true face, you must cross this bridge."

"It seems that we have to find this bridge." Zhu Kai said.

"Lord Zhu, there is only one stream here. I think the bridge should not be too far away." Gu Wen suggested.

So they walked upstream along the stream. After walking for about a quarter of an hour, a simple and quaint little bridge came into view. There was water flowing under the bridge, but no one was on the bridge. Zhu Kai walked forward and saw a piece of paper in the middle of the bridge.

"Master Zhu, what is written here?" Gu Wen asked as he moved closer.

Zhu Kai unfolded the note, on which was written a line of small words: "Solve my mystery and understand my heart."

"What does this mean?" Gu Wen asked in confusion.

Zhu Kai pondered for a moment, and a gleam of light flashed in his eyes: "Gu Wen, I think I understand. Mr. Mist wants us to understand his inner world, not just solve a puzzle."

"Then what should we do?" Gu Wen asked.

Zhu Kai took a deep breath, looked up at the starry sky, and slowly said: "What we have to do is to show our true intentions. Tell him that we are here for justice, to reveal the truth, not for personal gain."

After that, Zhu Kai put the note back on the bridge, and then shouted to the night sky: "Mr. Misty, we are here to solve the doubts in your heart. If you are willing, come out and meet us!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a gust of wind blew, and the leaves rustled. Suddenly, a man in a gray robe walked out from the woods not far away. He wore a white mask on his face, revealing only a pair of deep eyes. He walked slowly to the bridge and stopped in front of Zhu Kai.

"Do you really want to know the truth?" The masked man's voice was low and powerful.

Zhu Kai answered firmly: "Yes, we are willing to pay any price for it."

The masked man was silent for a while, as if evaluating the sincerity of the two. "Okay, I'll give you a chance. But you must be prepared, because the truth is often more cruel than a lie."

Zhu Kai and Gu Wen looked at each other, their hearts filled with determination. "We are ready, please tell us the truth."

The masked man nodded and slowly took off his mask, revealing a weathered but kind face. "Actually, I am Mr. Mist that you have been looking for. The reason why I hide my identity is that I know many secrets that are unknown to the public, and once these secrets are made public, they will cause great turmoil."

When Mr. Mist took off his mask and revealed his true face, Zhu Kai was filled with an indescribable complex emotion. He was shocked that the wise man he had thought of was actually a small leader among the Shadow Guards. What was even more unacceptable was that the leader did not seem to intend to let them become the so-called guardians, but suddenly revealed a hideous face.

"Do you think you can get the truth this way?" Mr. Mist's voice was filled with cold sarcasm. "I'm just a small leader, but what I know is enough to make sure you two die without a burial place."

Zhu Kai's face turned serious, and he realized that the situation was far more serious than he had imagined. "Mr. Misty, we have no ill intentions. We just want to find out the truth and clear the name of the innocent."

"The truth?" Mr. Mist sneered, "The truth is, you have gone too far and can't turn back."

Gu Wen took a step forward and tried to ease the atmosphere: "Mr. Misty, perhaps we can talk and find a solution that both parties can accept."

A hint of hesitation flashed across Mr. Misty's eyes, but was soon replaced by determination. "There is no room for negotiation. You know too much."

At this moment, Mr. Misty drew his sword from its sheath, and with a flash of cold light, he pointed it directly at Zhu Kai. Zhu Kai reacted quickly and dodged the fatal blow by leaning sideways. But he knew that in this situation, it was not wise to fight hard. So, he dodged while looking for an opportunity to escape.

"Gu Wen, go!" Zhu Kai shouted, and at the same time pushed Gu Wen away, keeping him away from the danger area.

Although Gu Wen was shocked, he also knew that this was not the time to get entangled. He quickly turned around and ran in the opposite direction, hoping to attract some of Mr. Mist's attention and buy more time for Zhu Kai to escape.

"Want to run?" Mr. Mist snorted coldly, and his figure appeared behind Zhu Kai like a ghost, swinging his sword, with the tip of the sword just a hair's breadth away from Zhu Kai's throat.

However, Zhu Kai was prepared. He ducked and narrowly avoided the sword, and at the same time drew out the short knife from his waist, which collided with the opponent's long sword, making a crisp metal collision sound.

"Mr. Misty, doing this will only make your situation more dangerous." Zhu Kai said breathlessly, although he knew in his heart that it might be meaningless to say this now.

"I have no way out," Mr. Mist's voice was filled with despair, "We might as well die here together."

Zhu Kai felt sad. He knew that if he couldn't get out of this situation in time, the consequences would be disastrous. He took a deep breath and decided to take a gamble.

"You are wrong, Mr. Mist. As long as you are willing to tell the truth, we may be able to find a way to survive."

Mr. Misty paused, and it was obvious that Zhu Kai's words touched something in his heart. But in this brief hesitation, Zhu Kai seized the opportunity, flipped over, and rolled out of the sword's range. Then, he ran desperately into the depths of the woods.

"Lord Zhu!" Gu Wen's voice sounded in the distance. He obviously also noticed Zhu Kai's plan.

"Hurry up!" Zhu Kai shouted, speeding up. His chest rose and fell violently, and every breath seemed to tear his lungs. But no matter what, he couldn't stop.

Mr. Misty looked at the two people walking away, with a complicated look in his eyes. Finally, he lowered the sword in his hand and let Zhu Kai and Gu Wen disappear into the dense forest.

Zhu Kai and Gu Wen ran all the way until they were sure that Mr. Mist was no longer chasing them. Then they stopped and leaned against a big tree to catch their breath.

"Master Zhu, what should we do?" Gu Wen's voice trembled. Zhu Kai wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked forward firmly: "We have no way out. We can only move forward and find the truth."

"But how do we know where to go next?" Gu Wen asked.

Zhu Kai stood up and patted the dirt off his body: "We need to find out more information about Mr. Misty. Perhaps the organization behind him is our real target."

Gu Wen nodded, his fighting spirit rekindled in his eyes: "Master Zhu is right, we can't just give up like this."

Zhu Kai stretched out his hand and shook hands tightly with Gu Wen: "That's right, as long as we unite as one, there will be no difficulties that we cannot overcome."

The two encouraged each other and set out on their journey again. They knew that the road ahead was still full of unknowns and dangers, but as long as there was light in their hearts, nothing could stop them.

After several weeks of tracking and investigation, Zhu Kai finally discovered the secret base of the organization behind Mr. Mist. It was a small village hidden between the mountains. It seemed peaceful and tranquil, but it hid unknown secrets. Zhu Kai sneaked into the village carefully, and every step was like stepping on the tip of a knife, for fear of alarming any possible sentinels.

"Gu Wen, are you sure this is the headquarters of that organization?" Zhu Kai asked in a low voice to his companion who was hiding in the bushes not far away.

"Yes, Master Zhu," Gu Wen's voice came from the darkness, "I have observed for several days and found that people here come in and out frequently, and they all look mysterious."

"It seems that our guess is correct." Zhu Kai nodded, "But we must be more careful. Once we are discovered, the consequences will be disastrous."

Gu Wen leaned out from the bushes and moved closer to Zhu Kai. "What should we do? Just break in?"

Zhu Kai shook his head, his eyes lingering on the entrance of the village for a moment. "No, that's too risky. We need a better plan."

As night fell, the whole village fell into silence. Zhu Kai and Gu Wen changed into the villagers' clothes, trying to make themselves less conspicuous. They decided to use the cover of night to sneak into the core area of ​​the village.

"Master Zhu, there is a small house over there that looks like a warehouse." Gu Wen said softly, pointing to a dilapidated building in the distance.

"Okay, let's go over and take a look first." Zhu Kai replied, and the two of them began to move towards the target silently.

When approaching the warehouse, Zhu Kai suddenly stopped. He felt as if there were invisible eyes watching them. "Gu Wen, slow down, something doesn't feel right."

"Lord Zhu, what's wrong?" There was a hint of nervousness in Gu Wen's voice.

"Someone is coming," Zhu Kai lowered his voice, "Get your weapons ready."

At this moment, several dark figures walked out from the darkness, led by Mr. Mist. He had a cold smile on his face, as if he had anticipated their arrival.

"Lord Zhu, Lord Gu, I didn't expect you would actually come to our door." Mr. Mist's voice was particularly clear in the night sky.

Zhu Kai calmed himself down and tried to make his tone sound calm: "Mr. Misty, we just want to find out the truth of the matter."

"The truth?" Mr. Mist sneered, "Do you really think that knowing the truth will change anything?"

"At least we will try our best." Zhu Kai answered firmly.

Mr. Misty's eyes became sharp. "You know too much. None of you can leave here today."

Zhu Kai exchanged a look with Gu Wen, then slowly drew out the sword behind him. "Mr. Misty, we are not here to fight, but if this is the only solution, then we will have to accompany you to the end."

An inevitable conflict was about to break out, and the air seemed to freeze. Both sides stared at each other, ready to attack at any time. At this tense moment, Zhu Kai suddenly had an idea.

"Wait, Mr. Misty!" Zhu Kai shouted, "What if we can prove you wrong? Will you give us a chance?"

Mr. Misty's expression was slightly startled, and he obviously didn't expect Zhu Kai to make such a suggestion. "Why do you think you have the ability to change all this?"

"Because we believe in justice." Zhu Kai replied, his tone full of determination.

"Okay," Mr. Mist seemed to have made a decision, "Give me a reason to believe you."

Zhu Kai took a deep breath and began to talk about the process of their investigation, how they uncovered the conspiracy behind the organization step by step, and why they firmly believed that all this was not hopeless. Every sentence was full of power, as if a bright light was lit in the darkness.

"Mr. Misty, you are also a human being. Are you willing to live a lie forever?"

Mr. Mist was silent for a long time, and finally, he nodded slowly. "Okay, I'll give you one chance. But if you fail..."

"We know," Zhu Kai took over the conversation, "We will bear all the consequences."

The conversation between Zhu Kai and Gu Wen temporarily calmed the tense atmosphere in the air, but Mr. Misty's doubts were not completely eliminated. At this critical moment, Zhu Kai suddenly revealed a barely perceptible smile, and his eyes passed over Mr. Misty and looked into the distance. As if receiving some kind of signal, an unusual atmosphere began to surge in the surrounding darkness.

"Mr. Mist, have you ever thought that sometimes, light can shine in from the most unexpected places?" Before Zhu Kai finished his words, the sound of horse hooves could be heard from the surrounding woods, rumbling like thunder, breaking the tranquility of the night.

Mr. Misty's face suddenly changed. He obviously didn't expect Zhu Kai to have such a careful arrangement. He turned around and saw a fully armed team emerging from all directions, surrounding the entire village. These soldiers were like divine soldiers sent from heaven, their armor flashing coldly in the moonlight, and their spears pointed straight to the sky, forming an insurmountable barrier.

"Zhu Kai, how dare you lie to me!" Mr. Mist roared, his voice full of anger and unwillingness.

"This is not a deception, Mr. Misty," Zhu Kai said gently, "It is just a means to let everyone see the truth."

"The truth?" Mr. Mist repeated sarcastically, "What do you think you can change?" (End of this chapter)