Hearing this, Mu Aotie slowly nodded, also sensing something suspicious. He glanced down the cliff and asked in a low voice, “Can her words still be trusted?”
He was referring to the immortal spring. They had come specifically for the immortal spring. If the vine demon said there seemed to be an immortal spring inside the immortal mansion, and if her words could not be trusted, was there still any need to go in?
This was also what gave Yu Qing a headache. “This old monster is not even certain herself, which makes it hard to tell what is true and what is false. Just because of suspicion, can we just give up?” As he spoke, he could not help but rub the back of his neck.
Mu Aotie said, “She seems to very much want us to go in.”
Yu Qing replied, “That is exactly the problem. She wants us to go in and help her, probably because she does not want us to die in there. She does not know our background, nor does she know how many of us know this secret. If she recklessly uses the immortal mansion to kill us, that would not be silencing us. It would be no different from making an enemy, which is just asking for trouble.
She has been trapped here for so many years, so she probably cannot escape easily. Therefore, her claim that she knows the weakness of the mountain guarding beast inside is likely true. If she can help us avoid the greatest danger, it would not be a bad idea for us to go in and have a look…”
He suddenly paused, waving his hand to signal that someone was approaching.
Mu Aotie quickly followed him as they quietly slipped away.
They were already about to leave. The horizon was showing the pale white of dawn, and if they did not leave now, it would be daylight.
Not long after the two left, Lu Youming appeared, holding a luminous stone in his hand. His intention to patrol the area was very obvious.
He had already gathered and questioned all the personnel from the Spirit Valley who had been deployed last night. Everyone claimed to have found nothing unusual. However, Xiang Lanxuan’s behaviour was truly bizarre, making him feel that something was off without being able to pinpoint the reason. Walking around to check personally was one of the standard procedures.
He used the light to examine the edge of the cliff but found nothing. Just as Lu Youming turned to leave, he suddenly stopped, slowly turned back, and then squatted down. He reached out, picked up a morning glory from the ground, and sniffed it.
Standing up and walking to the cliff edge again, he frowned and muttered, “This vine spirit actually climbed up again last night. Does it have anything to do with the arrival of that great envoy?”
After observing the area below the cliff for a while longer, he left with the flower in hand to inform Yan Yao…
Before dawn, the two brothers, Yu Qing and Mu Aotie, rushed back to the forested area where they had gotten off the carriage, hiding there to wait quietly.
Dawn broke, the sun rose, and the clouds and mist created a magnificent scene. The scenery of Kunling Mountain was infinitely beautiful.
Towards the end of the Chen hour, Qian Wutong appeared as promised, driving the carriage. The two brothers immediately revealed themselves using the carriage for cover, then quickly boarded and hid inside a wooden barrel.
Crack! Qian Wutong cracked his whip, speeding up the carriage and driving away…
For Nanzhu, who had been waiting anxiously at the door, the beautiful scenery of Kunling Mountain was of no interest. His heart was in torment, filled with extreme anxiety and worry. It was not until two familiar figures appeared on the stone steps at the edge of the mountain that he almost tripped and fell flat on his face.
Having stayed up all night without any contact, he was so excited to see his two junior brothers return safely that he forgot about the threshold under his feet. Fortunately, his cultivation base was there to save him. He propped himself up with his hands, got back on his feet, sobered up a bit, and regained his composure.
The neighbours next door also noticed Yu Qing and Mu Aotie’s return immediately. A figure flashed past the window, and Ke Ran appeared, calling out from the window, “Everyone, it is lunch time. Do you want to go to the canteen together?”
Yu Qing waved his hand and replied, “No appetite. You guys go ahead.”
Ke Ran smiled and nodded, watching the brothers return to their room with a meaningful look.
Upon returning to the room, Yu Qing immediately barged into Baili Xin’s room. He was a bit worried about whether Nanzhu had already done something to her.
Baili Xin, lying on the couch, rolled her eyes to the side and saw them. Her breathing immediately became rapid again, and her eyes darted around wildly, probably trying to signal them to remove the restrictions on her body.
Yu Qing put his hands behind his back, stepped closer to observe her clothing, and then tilted his head to ask Nanzhu beside him, “Old Seven, you did not do that to her, did you?”
Nanzhu immediately glared at him and said, “What nonsense are you talking about? What kind of person do you take me for?”
Actually, he had entertained some improper thoughts at the beginning. However, the timing was not right. He had been constantly worrying about Old Nine and Old Fifteen, which completely ruined his mood. Otherwise, if he had truly been bored with nothing to do, he could not guarantee that he would not have done something to Baili Xin.
Yu Qing released the acupoint that kept Baili Xin mute and asked, “He did not do anything to you, did he?”
It was not that he cared much about Baili Xin’s chastity, but rather that if something happened, they would have to deal with the aftermath. If this woman lost her chastity and decided to fight to the death, they would need to handle it promptly.
Baili Xin said furiously, “What exactly do you want? Let me go!”
Seeing her state, Yu Qing breathed a sigh of relief. She was probably fine, so he turned and walked away.
Baili Xin became anxious. Just as she was about to shout again, Nanzhu acted, sealing her mute acupoint once more, and then hurriedly chased after Yu Qing.
Nanzhu was also afraid of Baili Xin being long-winded and noisy. He wanted to know what had happened last night, so he simply made her shut up again. Since they had already treated her this way, he did not care about keeping her quiet for a little longer.
When the three brothers reached the upper floor, Nanzhu immediately asked for the situation. Yu Qing did not hide anything from him and gave him a rough account of what had happened.
After hearing this, Nanzhu was dumbfounded. He stood there with a face full of shock and suspicion for quite a while. Not knowing whether he was shocked or pleased, he suddenly clapped his hands and exclaimed, “See? You should be grateful to me, right? When I picked that fruit back then, you all despised me. Now you know what it means to be experienced, don’t you? Now you know what worldly experience is, don’t you? When doing things, you cannot only look at the present. You must look to the long term. Without me, you would not even have a door to enter this time!”
He praised himself profusely, his face full of self-satisfaction. He truly looked like a senior brother seriously lecturing his two junior brothers.
As the senior brother among the three, he always felt bad about not having any notable achievements to show when things happened. Now it was perfect. He had to praise himself extravagantly. After all, it was impossible to expect these two guys to have such awareness. It was good enough that they did not undermine him.
Yu Qing looked at him with disdain, very much wanting to remind him of who had looked terrified to death when they woke up that golden strongman and were chased by him.
Mu Aotie scoffed, turned his head, and walked away, saying, “A blind cat meeting a dead mouse!”
Nanzhu flew into a rage, pointing at his retreating back and criticising, “Old Nine, you are simply all brawn and no brains. Why is it that when things are right in front of everyone, none of you can get them, but only I can? Luck is also a part of strength. Do you understand?”
Yu Qing patted his shoulder and pointed downstairs, signalling him to get lost. “You had better think about how to appease that woman. We cannot kill her now, but we cannot keep her indefinitely either. Otherwise, if Kunling Mountain does not see her for a long time, we will not be able to explain ourselves. Yet if we release her, we are afraid she will cause trouble. In short, I do not care what method you use. Even if you have to kneel and beg her, you must get her sorted out.”
Remembering that he had kept the person under control for so long, Nanzhu felt a bit uneasy. “Well, I cannot guarantee I can handle it. Old Fifteen, it is not that I want to criticise you, but you could have just thought of a way to cope with it at the time. You were too simple and crude, tying her up directly. Who would not be angry about that? You made the mess, and now you expect me to clean it up. It is too disgusting, and I might not even be able to clean it properly.”
Yu Qing said, “Suit yourself. Anyway, it is not like I want to be with her. If you fall out, then you will have no chance with her.”
Nanzhu’s face was immediately filled with conflict.
“Old Seven, let me remind you. If you can handle her, we can stay and broaden our horizons, watching the Chaoyang Assembly before going down the mountain. If you cannot handle it, then we can only go down the mountain and leave right now.”
“Go down the mountain and leave? Are we not going to explore that place anymore?”
“Old Nine and I have already discussed this. Exploration can only happen after the assembly. Our purpose in coming in during the assembly was only to figure out the situation. Now we have mastered the routes in and out, and we have even figured out the entrance. Later, when the assembly is over and Kunling Mountain lets its guard down, we can sneak back in and accomplish it in one stroke. Even if we make some noise, they will not suspect us.”
Nanzhu thought about it and realised it made sense. He nodded slightly, then sighed. Remembering that he had to deal with Baili Xin, he shook his head and walked away with a conflicted expression.
Not long after he went downstairs, the faint sound of a fierce argument with Baili Xin could be heard from below, immediately followed by a very clear “smack” sound.
Soon after, the sound of heavy footsteps coming up the stairs was heard.
Bang! Yu Qing’s door was kicked open. There was no need to guess who it was.
Baili Xin stormed in furiously, followed closely by Nanzhu, who looked like he was begging for mercy, with a bright red slap mark on his face!
Yu Qing, looking stunned, stood up with a frown and said, “Baili Xin, are you crazy? Do you not know how to knock before entering a man’s room?”
Baili Xin retorted, “Why did you not talk about the differences between men and women when you were getting handsy with me? Let me tell you, if you do not explain clearly what you did last night, this is not over!”
Yu Qing immediately pointed at Nanzhu to shift the blame, saying, “Looking at his plump appearance and weathered age, you can tell he is our boss. We all listen to him. If you want an explanation, ask him, not me.”
Nanzhu nodded repeatedly, “Yes, yes, let us talk about it slowly.”
Baili Xin pushed him away as he leaned in, staring at Yu Qing and gritting her teeth, “I am not blind. You are the mastermind, so I am coming to you! Let me tell you, if you do not speak, I will go and turn myself in to Kunling Mountain, and none of us will have a good time.”
Yu Qing spread his hands and said, “It has nothing to do with you. What is past is past. You also know that if you turn yourself in, none of us will have a good time. Why bother looking for trouble?”
Baili Xin said, “I do not know what you are plotting, nor do I know what you have done on Kunling Mountain. Nine times out of ten, it is something shady. If I turn myself in, I might be able to atone for my sins with merit. At the very least, if something happens, I can clear my name. I cannot just sit here knowing nothing and wait for you to drag me down with you.”
Yu Qing was very helpless. He knew this woman was going to use the excuse of being implicated again. However, what she said was indeed reasonable. Anyone would feel the same way about being dragged down. At this point, he could only say bluntly, “You can rest assured. We will absolutely not implicate you. We will withdraw from the assembly right now and leave Kunling Mountain immediately. Are you satisfied?”