Yu Qing took the cloth into his hand, gave his two martial brothers a meaningful look, then opened it to inspect. It was a large piece of white cloth.
Nan Zhu proactively offered the fluorite in his hand to help with lighting. Mu Aotie gripped his sword tightly, remaining vigilant and on guard against the woman in white at all times.
After briefly looking at the map, both Yu Qing and Nan Zhu’s heads grew large. The lines were densely packed, making it utterly impossible to tell which was which. They noticed three different colours and immediately asked, “What do the three different colours mean?”
Woman in white, “They represent different levels. Green is the shallowest, red is in the middle, and black is the deepest level.”
Yu Qing immediately raised his eyes to stare at her, “It is far more than three levels. By the time we got here, we had already descended who knows how many flights of stairs.”
Woman in white, “What you call levels are floors. The colours on the map refer to certain underground levels. One map cannot express the height of each passage.”
Yu Qing fell briefly silent, continuing to stare at the map.
“This spider web really is a maze.” Nan Zhu clicked his tongue in amazement, his gaze suddenly sweeping chaotically across the map, “Eh, we saw some caves along the way, but the map shows nothing of that sort.”
Woman in white reminded, “Is a map with passages not enough? What more do you want?”
Nan Zhu also reached out to lift the map, “That is not right. Where is the exit?”
Woman in white, “The situation in the exit area is something you have experienced. That place has been altered by me and can change in countless ways, with no fixed passage. As long as you properly complete what I have asked, I will naturally let you out.”
Nan Zhu immediately questioned, “How do I know whether you will keep your promise?”
But Yu Qing interrupted, “Immortal, speaking of the exit, I find it very strange. Such a large area, so many stone blocks, how did you manage to make it change in countless ways right under our noses without us noticing?”
Woman in white, “That is not for you to concern yourself with. I said, if you do it, I will let you out.”
Yu Qing shrugged and continued looking at the map.
Nan Zhu suddenly pointed at the map and asked, “Where is our current location?”
Woman in white, “It is not drawn here.”
The three simultaneously stared at her. Nan Zhu asked the question all three wanted to ask, “Why is it not drawn?”
Woman in white said indifferently, “There is no need to draw it. A few less places will not affect your actions in any way.”
Yu Qing, who was observing facial expressions, suddenly raised his hand to stop Nan Zhu from asking further, “There is no need to care about minor details.”
“…” Nan Zhu was speechless for a moment. He really wanted to ask, how could such a matter be treated so carelessly? He ultimately could not resist reminding, “Young man, you must be cautious in your actions. Do not be so impulsive!”
Yu Qing ignored him. He raised the map toward the woman in white, “Is there anything else you need to tell us?”
Nan Zhu was indignant and still wanted to say something, but Mu Aotie beside him tugged his sleeve, also signalling him to stop.
The meaning was obvious. For now, let the fifteenth junior brother take charge.
How to put it? Before leaving the mountain, their little martial uncle had instructed them to use their own experience from the jianghu of the cultivation world to assist the fifteenth junior brother.
However, up to this point in events, Mu Aotie clearly felt strained. He clearly felt that his and seventh senior brother’s previous jianghu experience was too rudimentary. To put it plainly, the level they had previously been exposed to was too low. Placed against many matters now, it simply was not up to par.
He estimated that their little martial uncle had not expected them to encounter such a mess back then. No one could have known in advance. If he had known, he would not have let them come out.
Some things, back at Linglong Temple, they had not felt. After experiencing some things together, among the martial brothers, not to say who was smart or foolish, but the fifteenth junior brother truly had more audacity. His way of handling matters was also different from theirs.
When they encountered matters, at most they could only think of ways to respond.
The fifteenth junior brother was someone who solved problems when he encountered them, someone who could make decisions when encountering matters.
There was still a great difference between having guts and having audacity when encountering matters.
For instance, at Youjiao Port, when they were drawn into the conflict between Jianyuan Hall and Miaoqing Hall, looking back now, if they had truly followed their own ideas and opinions, who knows how it would have ended.
When nothing was happening, he also felt that the fifteenth junior brother was unreliable, easily making people angry. But when real trouble was stirred up, it seemed more appropriate to leave it to the fifteenth junior brother to handle.
Nan Zhu turned back, saw him tugging, and had no choice but to shut up.
Woman in white, “How do you plan to eliminate those demon cultivators?”
Yu Qing, “Let us see the situation first. In any case, you can contact me at any time, and we can coordinate at any time.”
The woman in white said nothing, representing her approval.
“Let’s go.” Yu Qing sheathed the long sword that was holding up the map, waved his hand to signal.
He swaggered ahead, his two martial brothers alert behind him.
The woman in white suddenly said, “Look at the ground.”
Yu Qing and the three turned back to look, then looked at the ground as she indicated. They saw the tangled tendrils on the bridge surface suddenly stand up in a long row, emitting faint light, lightly raised like tiny tentacles.
The woman in white informed, “This is a way to guide the way. It is not easily discovered. When it is inconvenient to speak, pay attention and observe.”
“Understood.” Yu Qing nodded, then continued walking with his two martial brothers.
The woman in white watched them leave, actually somewhat hesitant to speak. It was because Yu Qing was too agreeable, almost giving the feeling that whatever she said went.
Logically speaking, this should be a good thing, but it made her feel somewhat uneasy.
Could it be that he was not worried at all about her going back on her word?
She instead felt that the fat one was a bit more normal.
After thinking it over repeatedly, she still shouted a sentence at the backs of the three departing figures, “It is best not to play any tricks, or I can make those demon cultivators find you at any time.”
“Rest assured, we will not joke with our own lives.” Yu Qing waved his hand with his back to her.
Nan Zhu was speechless. He felt this fifteenth junior brother was extremely relaxed and carefree. How big was his heart? Did he think he was out shopping?
That said, before entering the cave, coming to this kind of place for the first time, he had already prepared himself psychologically to be afraid. But then the fifteenth junior brother messed around east and west until the atmosphere was somewhat off, inexplicably making him “lose” his fear, causing him, the senior brother, to worry himself to death.
The group entered the cave and had not walked far when they encountered the first fork in the road. Yu Qing once again brought out the map. Mu Aotie moved the fluorite in his hand closer.
With one look at Yu Qing’s appearance, Nan Zhu guessed what he was looking for. He reached out to pull Yu Qing’s neck over and whispered in his ear, “Looking for the location of that valley stone bridge just now, right? When I mentioned it earlier, you said it was a minor detail and did not care. What exactly are you trying to do? Also, you believe whatever she says. Did you not agree too readily?”
Mu Aotie, seeing seventh senior brother’s action, could guess what seventh senior brother wanted to say. It was probably the same doubt he had, only he did not know what the fifteenth junior brother meant by doing so. He also wanted to know.
So he stretched his ear over to listen closely, otherwise he could not hear clearly.
He naturally understood seventh senior brother’s caution. Normal speaking voices in this underground palace could not be hidden from that female immortal’s ears.
Yu Qing then reminded the two in a low voice, “Could I not agree readily? Why did she meet us there? That valley likely hides killing moves capable of dealing with us. If we agree, fine. If we do not agree, it is death. She will not let us expose her existence!”
Previously, as the three had been running wildly through the underground palace, when they reached that valley stone bridge, he had thought they had inadvertently stumbled there while evading entanglement with demons and evil spirits. Later, sensing something was wrong, he realised they had likely been deliberately directed along their route by someone setting obstacles in their path.
With the other party’s ability to control the overall situation, she was entirely capable of doing this.
In short, they had likely been deliberately guided to that valley.
Seeing is believing. That woman was entirely capable of using any “ghost foetus” to appear and meet them anywhere. Why did she lead them to that place?
His “Observation” character art was not merely for show either. When the evil aura was surging in the valley, he had observed that something enormous seemed to be surging in secret below the valley.
The two martial brothers listened with secret alarm. Nan Zhu asked in alarm and doubt, “How did you see that?”
Yu Qing, “Of course because I am wiser than you.”
“…” Both martial brothers simultaneously looked back at this shameless fellow, their faces full of disdain.
Nan Zhu, “Stop messing around. Is that immortal abode she spoke of real or fake?”
Yu Qing, “Are you stupid? I do not care whether it is real or fake. If we cannot leave alive, then real is also fake. Now finding a way to leave alive is the top priority.”
From the very beginning, when he found the blocked exit and wanted to leave, he had already given up on continuing deeper into the ancient tomb to search for clues about the immortal abode.
The situation was not right. It exceeded the scope of their preparations. Continuing further would not be greed, but foolishness. He had already decisively given up then. If not for being forced back by Liu Piaopiao and the others, he would have escaped long ago, preferring to face the trouble outside.
Hearing these words, Mu Aotie nodded deeply in agreement.
Nan Zhu understood, but was also somewhat disappointed, “All that fuss was just nonsense. Seeing you ask in such detail, I thought it was something.”
Yu Qing scoffed, “Do you think I wanted to engage in nonsense with her? She threw out a heaven-defying temptation to our faces, while sharpening her knife behind our backs. Tell me, should I accept or not? If I do not accept, do you think we could have easily walked out of that valley?”
Nan Qing sighed, finally understanding. He had not expected that they had already brushed past danger. But he still could not relax, “Liu Piaopiao and the others are not easy to kill. This favour is not easy to help with! What do you plan to do?”
Yu Qing, “Kill my foot. Whoever wants to kill can go kill! If the force capable of threatening that evil demon is gone, can you guarantee she will keep her promise? How foolish would we have to be to place our lives in someone else’s hands? Whether we can survive naturally depends on fighting for it ourselves.”
“Ah?” Nan Zhu was slightly alarmed, “I am afraid that is not up to us. She is watching us at all times.”
Yu Qing, “It is not up to her either. We are not dead people who can be manipulated by her at will. Stall. Wait for reinforcements to arrive.”
“Reinforcements?” Nan Zhu did not understand. That look clearly asked, what reinforcements do we have?
Yu Qing, “The excitement has not even started yet. Only how many people have entered so far? I estimate the people from Sinan Mansion have not yet made their entrance. Later, this immortal will have her hands full. In short, whoever can rescue us is our reinforcements. Alas, we are incompetent. We can only be fence-sitters.”