Huang Rong from The Return of the Condor Heroes: Brother Jing, let's get a divorce.

The centurion pulled his knife halfway out and uttered a string of Mongolian words.

His voice was urgent and forceful, and his spittle almost landed on Yang Guo's face.

Yang Guo stood still, his expression unchanged.

He couldn't understand, but the knife tip was less than a foot from his stomach, so the meaning was clear.

Cheng Ying was so anxious that her palms were sweating.

She took half a step forward and spoke before Yang Guo could, uttering a few broken words in Mongolian.

After hearing this, the centurion frowned, looked Cheng Ying up and down, and then pointed the tip of his knife at a pile of wooden barrels next to him.

Cheng Ying nodded quickly, bowed deeply, and said a few more words.

The centurion sheathed his sword, shook his hand at the three of them, and turned to leave.

Yang Guo let out a long breath; the leather armor on his back was soaked with sweat.

He grabbed Cheng Ying's arm and pulled her to a dark spot near the fire.

"Damn it, what did that bastard just say?"

Cheng Ying was also panting, and her legs were still weak.

"He asked us why we weren't feeding the horses, saying we were new laborers and shouldn't be slacking off here."

"What did you reply?"

"I told him that the three of us were conscripted later and hadn't been assigned to the barracks yet, so we didn't know what to do and asked him to assign us tasks."

Yang Guo patted her on the shoulder.

"Okay, Butler Cheng can come in handy in critical moments."

Lu Wushuang leaned closer and asked in a low voice, "So what did he want us to do?"

"Let's go and water and hay the horses, and fill all the water tanks in the camp."

Cheng Ying pointed to the pile of wooden barrels.

Lu Wushuang rolled her eyes.

"I've come to be treated like a beast of burden."

Yang Guo glared at her.

"Stop talking nonsense and get to work."

"It'll be less likely to be discovered if we blend in. We'll sneak over to check the gunpowder truck in the middle of the night."

The three of them carried the wooden bucket to the water trough.

The Mongol soldiers came and went in the camp, but no one paid them much attention.

These newly conscripted laborers already had little presence in the ranks.

As Yang Guo fetched water, he glanced at the camp's layout out of the corner of his eye.

More than 300 soldiers were divided into four camps and set up tents.

The gunpowder truck was parked in the middle of the camp, about twenty steps away from the nearest tent.

Two soldiers stood guard beside the vehicle, swords at their waists, standing ramrod straight.

"That carriage is difficult to move," Yang Guo whispered to Cheng Ying. "It's guarded too closely; we can't get close even in the middle of the night."

Cheng Ying scooped water into the bucket, barely moving her lips.

"Unless we can lure those two guards away."

"How do we induce it?"

Cheng Ying thought for a moment, "If those horses in the stable get frightened and run away in the middle of the night, the guards will definitely have to go and help chase them."

Yang Guo laughed.

"Butler Cheng, you certainly have a sharp mind."

Lu Wushuang, who was listening nearby, interjected, "Why were the horses startled? I don't know Mongolian to curse them."

"No need to scold."

Yang Guo put down the wooden bucket and took out a small paper packet from his pocket.

He took it with him when he left the Sword Tomb; it contained a few dried fragments of Bodhi snake gall.

"If you soak this stuff in water and sprinkle it in the manger, the horses will go crazy if they smell it."

Lu Wushuang stared at the paper package. "You planned this all along?"

"I never go out empty-handed."

Yang Guo stuffed the paper package back into his arms.

"Let's get to work first, we'll talk about it later, around midnight."

The three of them worked hard for two hours straight.

Yang Guo carried water buckets and moved hay, working even harder than a real laborer.

Lu Wushuang was so tired that she kept cursing, but she didn't dare to raise her voice.

Cheng Ying was a woman of few words, working silently and occasionally exchanging a few words with passing Mongol soldiers.

It was completely dark.

A campfire was lit in the camp, and the Mongol soldiers gathered around it, eating meat and drinking wine, making a lot of noise.

The three of them found a corner a little away from the fire, squatted down, and ate hard flatbread.

Yang Guo chewed on the biscuit, his eyes fixed on the gunpowder cart.

The guards changed shifts, and the two new soldiers looked young but had no proper posture, dozing off by the wheels of the train.

"That's about it."

Yang Guo stuffed the remaining half of the cake into his pocket, stood up, and patted the dirt off his bottom.

"Wushuang, go to the stables."

Lu Wushuang also stood up. "How much should I sprinkle?"

"Half a packet is enough, don't use it all. Come back quickly after you've spilled it, don't just stand there staring."

Lu Wushuang took the paper package and crouched down to feel her way towards the stable.

Yang Guo turned to look at Cheng Ying.

"You wait here. If anyone comes to ask you anything, just say I was taking a dump in the back."

Cheng Ying's face darkened. "Couldn't you have come up with a more respectable reason?"

"Can being respectable fool the Mongols? Taking a dump is the most practical thing; nobody wants to follow me to watch me take a dump."

After Yang Guo finished speaking, he went around to the back of the camp, squatted down next to a bush, and stared in the direction of the gunpowder cart.

After waiting for about half an incense stick's time, the stable suddenly erupted into chaos.

Three or four horses neighed and charged out of the stables, rampaging through the camp.

The Mongol soldiers were in complete chaos, some shouting and some chasing, torches flickering everywhere.

The two young guards next to the gunpowder cart couldn't sit still any longer and stood up to look towards the stables.

One of them was yelled at by the centurion next to him. The two looked at each other and ran towards the stable.

This is what Yang Guo was waiting for.

He darted out from behind the bushes, bent over, and quickly crept to the gunpowder cart.

He covered the twenty-step distance in three breaths.

The boxes on the truck were covered with tarpaulins and tied tightly with hemp rope.

Yang Guo took out his dagger, cut the hemp rope, and lifted the oilcloth.

The box contained a dozen or so iron cans, each about the size of a head, all sealed with wax.

Yang Guo picked one up and weighed it in his hand; it was heavy.

He leaned closer and took a sniff; a pungent sulfur smell assaulted his nostrils.

"Goodness, this must weigh several hundred pounds."

Yang Guo put the iron can back and then opened several boxes next to it.

They were all the same kind of tin cans, box after box.

He was making plans in his mind.

These Mongols transported so much gunpowder not just to blow up Guo Jing alone.

That's enough to blow up a section of the city wall.

Just as Yang Guo was about to take a closer look, he heard hurried footsteps behind him.

He quickly covered the tarpaulin back up, ducked down, and crawled under the truck.

Two pairs of feet ran past the car, shouting in Mongolian.

The two guards have returned.

Yang Guo lay prone under the carriage, not daring to breathe.

The wheel was right next to his head, and the two guards sat down again, leaning their backs against the wheel.

"Damn it."

Yang Guo cursed inwardly.

Those two are back, but things haven't calmed down at the stables yet; in fact, the commotion is getting bigger and bigger.

He lay down under the car, slowly turned his head, and looked out through the gap in the axle.

Cheng Ying stood in the shadows at a distance, looking this way.

The two made eye contact.

Cheng Ying looked very anxious.

Yang Guo gestured to her, meaning, "Don't come any closer."

After another incense stick's time, the commotion over the stable finally subsided.

The horses were caught and tied up, and the Mongol soldiers returned to their tents, cursing and swearing.

Yang Guo still couldn't get out.

The two guards sat by the wheel, showing no intention of leaving.

Just then, Cheng Ying walked over carrying two wooden bowls.

The bowl contained hot water. She walked up to the two guards, said a few words in Mongolian, and handed them the bowl.

The two guards took the bowl, smiled at Cheng Ying, and said something.

Cheng Ying bent down and said a few more words, pointing to the bonfire in the distance.

The two guards discussed it for a moment, then stood up and followed Cheng Ying toward the campfire.

Yang Guo seized the opportunity and rolled out from under the carriage.

He crouched down and ran back behind the bushes, just in time to run into Lu Wushuang sneaking over from the other side.

"Is it ready?" Yang Guo asked in a low voice.

"It was spilled a long time ago, and those idiots only just caught up with it now." Lu Wushuang brushed the grass clippings off his clothes.

Cheng Ying also came back, her face pale.

"I lied to them and said there were hot breads by the fire, and they believed me, but this trick can only be used once."

Yang Guo told the two of them what he had just seen.

"A dozen or so iron cans, all filled with gunpowder, sealed tightly."

"These people not only want to bomb Guo Jing, but they probably want to bomb the walls of Xiangyang as well."

Lu Wushuang gasped. "Then what do we do? Steal the gunpowder?"

"We can't steal too much, and we'd be exposed as soon as we made a move."

Yang Guo squatted on the ground and drew on the mud with a twig.

"Now there are two paths."

"First, let's continue to follow them and see where they transport the gunpowder, then return to Xiangyang and inform Chief Huang about this."

"Secondly, let's find an opportunity to ignite this gunpowder now. Without the gunpowder, their plan will fall through."

Cheng Ying thought for a moment, "It's too dangerous to follow them. There are over three hundred people. If the three of us are mixed in, we'll be exposed sooner or later. Besides, that centurion has already noticed us once."