Henry Lang let out a low gasp, and Isaac Lowell’s expression was also complicated. Charles Quinn waved his hand at them forcefully: “My mind is made up, there’s no point in saying more! After enduring the burning of black hair, I can handle another round with white hair—I won’t die from it!”

Then, Charles Quinn respectfully placed the Yangshou Evil Bow in front of him, sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to rest, saying nothing more. Isaac Lowell took Henry Lang for another round through the mine, but aside from some clear water, they found nothing else useful, so the two of them sat down behind Charles Quinn.

Henry Lang was full of longing for his ancestor and even more curious about the Jiulong Division that Edward Lang had personally founded back in the day. Now, Isaac Lowell treated him like a younger brother, quietly explaining: “The Jiulong Division is divided into three branches: Heaven, Earth, and Man. The Heaven branch is responsible for guarding the royal family and handling cases involving the royal bloodline; the Earth branch inspects officials and monitors military and political affairs; the Man branch assigns agents to the various provinces to listen to the voice of the people.”

Of the three branches of the Jiulong Division, in terms of strength, the Heaven branch, which guards the royal family, is naturally the strongest, followed by the Earth branch, and then the Man branch.

This time, those responsible for breaking the mountain and dispelling evil were all blue-robed agents from the Man branch, and Charles Quinn was one of the few top experts in the Jiulong Man branch, specially assigned by the commander to oversee the operation.

The two of them chatted idly in low voices, just waiting for the next time the jade wall would “serve food.” During this time, Henry Lang even jumped up and performed a set of Taizu Long Fist that he had practiced over the past four years.

After practicing, Henry Lang regretted it—since the jade wall hadn’t moved yet, he was the first to get hungry...

Maybe it was an hour, maybe a whole day—Henry Lang didn’t know how long he’d waited, nor when he’d started to doze off. He had just dreamed of Evelyn Wynn grinning as she pulled an oil-paper packet from her clothes, but before he could open it, Isaac Lowell gently shook him awake.

Henry Lang was dazed for a moment before remembering where he was. He hurriedly got up and saw that the entire mine was now shrouded in thick darkness!

Isaac Lowell was holding a spirit lamp that glowed faintly, and softly said to Henry Lang, “The jade wall has released the little ghosts again.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Charles Quinn beside them erupted in a furious shout:

“White hair, burn!”

The Yangshou Evil Bow’s string vibrated with a hum, and an arrow as fine as a hair traced a dazzling golden arc through the air, shooting straight at the jade wall!

But this arrow, swift as wind and fierce as fire, pierced into the jade wall with a sharp whistling sound, yet met no resistance at all—it simply vanished inside...

The divine arrow disappeared into the jade wall, without the violent explosion they had imagined, and the jade wall remained completely unharmed, still towering before them.

Instead, it was the little ghosts who were startled by the arrow. Their faces suddenly twisted into hideous grimaces, and they all sped up, running and jumping chaotically around the mine, trying to find out who had fired the sneak attack.

Henry Lang waited a moment longer, his palms slick with nervous sweat, and finally confirmed that this arrow, which had cost Charles Quinn half his remaining lifespan, had had no effect at all.

Charles Quinn had already turned into a decrepit old man. His once delicate features were now covered in ugly wrinkles, his eyes clouded over, and grayish, sickly age spots appeared on his face. Even his voice had become hoarse and ancient: “When the jade wall releases the little ghosts, it becomes intangible and can’t be harmed. That arrow just passed right through—wasted.”

As he spoke, a heavy, deathly odor of old age slowly spread. Even his once white teeth were now broken, yellowed, and unsightly.

Henry Lang’s expression kept changing—he was saddened by Charles Quinn’s sudden aging, and also frustrated by their inability to deal with the jade wall, feeling trapped with no way out. Unconsciously, he reached out to steady Charles Quinn, gently urging, “It’s all right, we’ll think of something else. You should sit and rest for now...”

Charles Quinn had grown old.

He seemed slower, his body slightly hunched. After frowning in thought for a moment, he suddenly reached into his clothes and pulled out a lump of red clay. With a muffled grunt, his clothes all tore apart, revealing his wrinkled, aged body.

Henry Lang didn’t understand, but Isaac Lowell’s face turned anxious as he grabbed Charles Quinn’s arm: “Sir, you... what are you doing!”

Charles Quinn shrugged off Isaac Lowell’s hand with a slight movement of his shoulder and arm, and gave a cloudy smile: “The jade wall is an evil thing that’s gained a spirit. No matter what’s special about its body, it must have a heart of flesh and blood! Destroy it, and the monster will die. I’ll go in and find it—you two just wait here!” As he spoke, he used his palm to soften the red clay and began carefully smearing it over his body.

Henry Lang was shocked—only now did he realize that, seeing that attacking from outside was useless, Charles Quinn intended to crawl inside the jade wall to find the monster’s heart of flesh and blood!

“I suspect that inside the jade wall is boundless baleful energy that harms people,” Charles Quinn said, not waiting for his two companions to speak, suddenly speeding up his words: “I have protective qi, and with the red clay sealing my life force, I can last a while even in the baleful energy. Don’t worry, and don’t get sentimental!”

Not only was Henry Lang still a child, even the battle-hardened blue-robed Isaac Lowell was in turmoil. The two of them didn’t know how to persuade him, and could only cry out in panic, “No, you can’t!” blocking Charles Quinn on either side.

After covering his whole body with red clay, Charles Quinn used the rest to seal his ears and nose, and his tone suddenly turned icy cold: “Captain Lowell, listen to my command!”

Isaac Lowell’s eyes were bloodshot, and he bit his lip without making a sound.