The Sorceress: Blossoming Power

At the mines, Ming saw the old Lofey and Tyriece with a man on the shoulders. "General Lofey, what brings you here and what can I do for you?" 

"Well, look who we got here?" Tyriece let Qinfen leaned on a tree with opened but staring empty eyes. Ming's forehead wrinkled seeing his own brother like this. 

"Someone controlled your brother's mind, that's why he is like that."

"Who?"

"The man I'm looking for, Mafan, our good king's adviser. He is a Chiangda and a mind controller. Look at what he did to your brother." The general waved a hand on Qinfen's eyes, but the latter didn't moved or complain, or talk. "We need to capture that man or else your brother will remain in this state or we need to bring him to someone who can cure him."

"When and where did you get my brother?"

"Just minutes ago and holding this." Tyriece gave the bag of explosives to Ming. 

Ming opened the bag and the smell of firework's powder entered his nostrils. "Cough, cough…," Ming had a coughing spell and threw the bag down. Boxes filled with black powder fell on the grassy ground.

General Lofey scanned the area and saw the boulders and the hole. "Little brother, are these the mines?"

"Yes," Ming replied.

"I've been suspecting the war started because of something inside this stone mines that Mafan wanted." General Lofey explained everything to Ming.

"Mafan?" The name rang a bell in Ming's mind.

"I think that's the name of Qinfen's friend." Xinyi said.

"You met Mafan?" Lofey and Tyriece said altogether. Tyriece was staring at Xinyi and Ming saw it. He moved in front of Xinyi, covering her from the other man's vision.

"It was only in passing. Good thing you remembered it, Wife." Ming emphasized the WIFE for the guests to understand their relationship.

Tyriece got Ming's point and walked to the hole to distract himself. Her beauty enticed him but wouldn't dare sour their new relationship with Ming. He tried to go in but stepped back when he saw it was very dark. "What's inside that makes Mafan instigate a war?" he said without looking back.

"That is… you need not know, brother."

"But we need to open it for that guy might be inside by now and has taken what he wanted," said Lofey with an insistent voice.

"And it probably could mean a disaster to Fengfu," Tyriece added.

Ming understood the urgency, but something in him told him not to open it.

"Little brother," Lofey said louder this time. "I have a whole army to open it, so no need for your men to work." 

"Are you sure he's inside? If not, we're only wasting our time," Ming didn't waver and answered with the same intensity. 

General Lofey's anger with Mafan overpowered his reasoning. He wanted to catch the man as soon as possible. "Whether he is inside, we need to stop him from owning what he's after. And the only way to find out is by opening it."

Ming looked at Xinyi for a suggestion. She had an idea but didn't say it out loud because there were other people listening. Instead, she went to Ming's side and whispered. "I can send the Hutyuns to look inside." 

The invisible Hutyuns zoomed in but not a minute after, they came back, staggering and spoke to Xinyi in her mind. "We can't see inside, my Queen. There's a powerful thing that makes us confused."

Xinyi looked at Ming with a sad face and whispered the result. The rest watched them, wondering what they were hiding. General Lofey was getting agitated but waited anyway out of respect.

"Do you want me to bring Nianshi here so he will go in for us?" Xinyi said softly.

Ming shook his head and sighed. Looking at the impatient general and the poor Qinfen, "Okay, bring your men here to open the mines but I do not allow them to roam anywhere.

Unknown to them, Mafan was there ever since the general arrived. He made a big smirk after hearing the verdict. Thank you, general. Your impatience is a blessing to me now. 

The uncovering of the mines was fast with the Chiangdas and the whole Goding army working alongside Ming's guards. The construction workers appeared as well and Ming asked them who sent them there. 

"It's Lord Qinfen, Governor." 

"Was there anyone here when you worked?"

"Yes."

"What he looked like?"

"He was very pretty." The men laughed with what he said. That confirmed it was Mafan. Ming didn't ask more and sent them back to Anjing Pavilion. 

Xinyi called Nianshi through telepathy and the lion dragon appeared right away, in human form.

Mafan worked hard though his hand was not used to hard work. He had no choice but to pretend. When Lofey and others were busy talking, he snuck in, but…

"Hey! You're not…" Before Ming's guard could finish his sentence, Mafan controlled him. 

"Go out and you didn't see me."

The man walked out without saying a word. He hurriedly went in not knowing there were eerie eyes on the walls watching him.