Crowned Consort in Golden Age-Chapter 80. The Secret Inside the Mountain

80. The Secret Inside the Mountain

More than two hours later, the rain finally ceased. The weather in the Southern Border was such that rain came quickly and cleared up just as fast. Not long after the rain had stopped, warm sunshine was already sprinkling down onto the earth. The land, freshly washed by the rain, emitted a fresh scent of mud, which would have been more delightful if not for that all-pervading fragrance. As soon as the rain ended, Darky Three emerged. Glancing at the three figures—two sitting, one standing—inside the hall, he showed no sign of surprise at the additional presence. Ye Li pointed to the dried provisions on a nearby table and said, "Fill your bellies first. I estimate that our hosts won’t be delivering breakfast today."

Darky Three nodded, sitting down to eat without haste under the scrutiny of the other three. The Sick Scholar, eyeing Darky Three’s meticulous and leisurely eating, laughed and spoke to Ye Li, "With a skilled guard like Guard Zhuo keeping you safe, no wonder Young Master Chu dares to travel alone to the Southern Border. Brother Zhuo, did you stay up all night? Is this your first meal of the day?"

Darky Three raised his eyes, looked at him, and blandly replied, "The young master only brought me, so I naturally have to be more cautious."

The Sick Scholar’s gaze deepened; having such a guard was already quite impressive. From Zhuo Jing’s words, he surmised that Chu Junwei usually had many people around him, and this situation with only one guard was an exception. Therefore... this Chu Junwei’s identity must be remarkable, he thought. Glancing at Han Mingxi beside him, he mused, Indeed, anyone capable of befriending the brother of the Lord of Tianyi Pavilion is certainly no ordinary person.

Sensing the inquiring gaze of the Sick Scholar, Han Mingxi gave him an innocuous smile. Don’t ask me; I don’t know Junwei’s identity either, he seemed to convey.

Once the four had their things in order, they left the small building. The sunshine outside was bright, and the floral fragrance lingering in the air was growing stronger. But thanks to the antidote provided by the Sick Scholar, this had no impact on them. Upon returning to the adjacent small building, Old Master Liang, his housekeeper, and the guard named Zheng Kui had all vanished. Han Mingxi looked gleefully at the Sick Scholar, saying, "Looks like they left at least two hours ago. How will you find them now?" With someone familiar with the terrain leading the way, two hours, even in the rain, was enough time to escape a great distance.

The Sick Scholar’s lips curled into a frosty smile as he said quietly, "As long as they’re still in the Southern Border, they can’t escape my grasp. Moreover... why do you think they waited here for us? The place they plan to reach is absolutely no more than twenty miles from here."

From his pocket, the Sick Scholar leisurely produced a small box, opened it, and out flew a small, green moth. The moth fluttered its wings twice, landed for a moment on a small porcelain bottle the Sick Scholar held out, then took flight again, heading towards the depths of the village. "Let’s go." Retrieving his small medicine bottle, the Sick Scholar instructed the others indifferently.

The three followed behind the moth. The entire village was indeed deserted. Yesterday, the darkness had been too dense to notice, but apart from the two small buildings they had occupied, every other structure in the village was quite rudimentary. It didn’t resemble a civilian settlement but more of a makeshift base. The moth led them deeper into the mountains. On the way, countless poisonous snakes and insects died due to the Sick Scholar’s potent poison. These creatures instinctively avoided danger, so they didn’t attack the group en masse, even without being deliberately driven away. After more than an hour, the moth stopped at a clifftop, circling around the Sick Scholar, unwilling to go any further.

"Could it be that your little moth has led us astray?" Han Mingxi jested.

The Sick Scholar glanced at him placidly, put the moth back into the box, and said to Han Mingxi, "Go down."

"Down?" Han Mingxi was taken aback for a moment, his face revealing an incredulous look. "You’re asking me to go down?! Do you know where this is? This is the Southern Border! Who knows how deep it is, or what kind of venomous snakes or monsters reside there, and you’re asking me to go down?!"

The Sick Scholar retorted, "You have the best lightness skill among us. Or are you suggesting... Young Master Chu should go first?"

Han Mingxi looked at the Sick Scholar’s face, then glanced at Ye Li and Darky Three. Though he didn’t know Junwei that well, Han Mingxi knew Junwei’s lightness skill wasn’t particularly good. If there was trouble below, Junwei might not even have a chance to escape. Hmphing in annoyance, he said, "Fine, I’ll go down! Just you wait!" Wait until we leave the Southern Border, this young master will make you pay dearly!

With a light tap of his feet, Han Mingxi leaped down the cliff, as graceful as a gigantic dark-red butterfly. The Sick Scholar murmured his praise, "Second Young Master Han’s lightness skill is indeed much better than Young Master Mingyue’s." But it’s only lightness skill, he thought. Compared to the shrewd and unpredictable Young Master Mingyue, Han Mingxi isn’t much to worry about. As long as I ensure, for Young Master Mingyue’s sake, that Han Mingxi isn’t killed—thus avoiding any trouble with the Pavilion Master—that will be sufficient.

"Zhuo Jing," Ye Li said, standing at the edge of the cliff and looking down. All she could see were rolling white clouds; there was no glimpse of the scenery below. This cliff was probably twice as deep as the one beneath Black Cloud Peak. It was nearly impossible to reach the bottom relying solely on lightness skill. Darky Three stepped forward and extended his hand over the edge. A silver silk line with something attached to it rapidly descended. After a good while, Darky Three slowly retracted the silk line, wrapping it around his palm. He turned back to Ye Li and said, "Young Master, it’s at least a hundred zhang to the bottom of the cliff. And... the cliff wall is incredibly smooth."

Ye Li pondered this. A hundred zhang—nearly three hundred meters—and yet the cliff surface was smooth, with hardly any grass or trees. It clearly wasn’t a natural formation. It appeared the Sick Scholar’s moth had indeed led them to the right place.

The Sick Scholar watched Darky Three’s actions with a flash of curiosity in his eyes. Just as he was about to speak, a figure scrambled up from below the cliff, landing disheveled on the ground. Before he could even catch his breath, Han Mingxi started cursing, "Sick Scholar! You just wait for this Young Master! If I die here because of you, I swear the Tianyi Pavilion will hunt you to the ends of the earth!"

The Sick Scholar’s expression remained unchanged, as if Han Mingxi’s threats meant nothing to him. He asked coldly, "What’s down there?"

Han Mingxi sneered, "What’s there? A whole lot of nothing! Even if there was something, could your pathetic lightness skill and pitiful physique get you down there? Don’t expect me to carry you. Unless you want us both to end up shattered to pieces!" Seeing the Sick Scholar frown, Han Mingxi mocked him maliciously. It appeared Han Mingxi had indeed faced danger below the cliff, causing him to momentarily forget his wariness of the Sick Scholar and resort to cold mockery to vent his anger and fear.

"Brother Han," Ye Li called out in a deep voice. Angering the Sick Scholar at this point offered no benefit.

Han Mingxi was not an impulsive person. Prompted by Ye Li’s words, he quickly suppressed his anger and said, "At the bottom of the cliff is a sea of flowers. However, I suspect they’re all poisonous. There are many venomous snakes among the flowers, and a few skeletons too. I’m not sure if they fell accidentally or were thrown down. However, about seventy zhang from the top, on the cliff wall, there’s a sizable cave that seems to be an entrance. But..." He paused and glanced at the Sick Scholar with a smirk. "The cliff wall has been deliberately smoothed and has practically no footholds. I wasn’t joking; even with my lightness skill, it’s impossible to bring another person down without us falling to the cliff bottom, which is infested with snakes and other poisonous creatures. As for you three... with your lightness skills, trying to get down on your own would be pure delusion." Han Mingxi was quite proud when speaking of his own lightness skill.

"So, that’s why there were no guards on this journey. Were they certain we wouldn’t find the way?" the Sick Scholar mused. If the one who had descended earlier hadn’t been Han Mingxi, an expert in lightness skill, any of them attempting it would have been courting death. "There must be another path. I refuse to believe that all of those people are lightness skill experts."

Han Mingxi arrogantly replied, "Of course! Do you think master-level lightness skill is easy to achieve? But even if there is another path, can you find it right now?" None of them were experts in mechanisms, and besides, this was unfamiliar terrain for them in the Southern Border. More importantly, the people of the Southern Border weren’t fools. Would they just sit there and wait for them to find the route in?

"You..." The Sick Scholar frowned at Han Mingxi, who quickly hid behind Zhuo Jing, not even bothering to peek out. "Don’t count on me. Even if I can get in, it’s pointless. My combat skills are terrible, and I suspect that even if it is an entrance, there wouldn’t be enough room to use lightness skill. If I go alone, the most I can do is alert the enemy."

"What exactly is so important down there?" Ye Li asked, her brows knitted.

"Do you have a plan?" The Sick Scholar looked at her with a frown.

Ignoring his question, Ye Li repeated, "What exactly is the Young Master looking for?"

The Sick Scholar snorted coldly. With three of them and me alone, capturing Chu Junwei to use as a hostage is completely unrealistic, he thought. After a long silence, he said solemnly, "It’s a strange poison."

Upon hearing this, the others immediately lost much of their interest. Han Mingxi asked curiously, "Young Master, you are renowned for your mastery of poisons. What poison in this world could be so intriguing as to make you risk your life for it?"

The Sick Scholar gave a chilling grin, a glint of malicious delight in his eyes. "A... poison that makes people yearn for death, yet be unable to die."

Ye Li had no interest in a poison that made people desire death over life. In this world, there were plenty of ways to inflict suffering; there was absolutely no need to risk one’s life searching for some peculiar poison. As for desiring death yet being unable to die—if a person truly wished to die, there were countless ways. How could such a state exist? If it did, it was only because the person still clung to life due to certain hopes or attachments. However, the malicious glint in the Sick Scholar’s eyes made Ye Li’s heart skip a beat, a vague idea forming in her mind.

"Young Master, you are a master of poisons yourself. Why take such risks in searching for this strange poison?" Ye Li asked calmly.

The Sick Scholar laughed tersely, his laughter filled with resentment and malice. Then, he fell into a fit of violent coughs. "Indeed, I have plenty of potent toxins, but they’re not enough... The most excruciating poison in the world is here in the Southern Border. Heh heh..."

Ye Li stared at him wide-eyed, her voice rising slightly with curiosity. "I heard the most torturous poison in the world is the Heart-Rending Bone-Corroding Pill. Those poisoned suffer torn entrails and shattered bones, wailing in agony for forty-nine days before dying. Is there a poison even more terrible than that?"

The Sick Scholar laughed confidently. "Indeed, the Heart-Rending Bone-Corroding Pill is potent, but it must be ingested orally and has a very strong medicinal smell. Even if you try to mask it with other scents, it won’t fool those skilled in medicine or those with a keen sense of smell. This one, however, is different. The poison it produces is truly colorless and odorless. Just one drop can doom a person to an eternity in hell, never to be reborn!"

"The Flower of Abyss Underworld?" Han Mingxi inquired curiously.

The Sick Scholar snorted disdainfully. "Do you think the Southern Border only has the Flower of Abyss Underworld? Compared to the Flower of Abyss Underworld hidden in the Southern Border’s sacred land, this is the real unparalleled treasure—the Bilo flower."

"The Bilo flower?" Han Mingxi looked confused. "The name sounds rather elegant, but I’ve never heard of it."

The Sick Scholar snorted again. Ye Li narrowed her eyes and quietly said, "To scale the azure heights of the firmament, to plumb the yellow depths of the underworld."

The Sick Scholar laughed. "Exactly. The poison’s full name is Bilo Yellow Springs."

"That doesn’t sound too bad," Han Mingxi remarked. Compared to ’Heart-Rending Bone-Corroding,’ the name seemed almost poetic.

The Sick Scholar chuckled. "Indeed, it’s not ’too bad.’ Once this poison touches your body, it instantly permeates your bloodstream. Unless you drain every single drop of blood from your body, this poison can never be removed. Even if you could replace all your blood, if even a trace containing the poison remained, it would rapidly spread and multiply in the fresh blood."

Han Mingxi was puzzled. "Why is it called Bilo Yellow Springs?"

"Heh heh... One represents the heavens, the other, the earth. Those afflicted by this poison show no external signs of damage, but their insides gradually rot away. The more toxins accumulate within, the more beautiful they appear on the outside. But... they can no longer touch any other person or animal."

"It’s contagious?" Ye Li asked, her eyes lowered, her tone serious.

"No, how could it be contagious?" The Sick Scholar chuckled. "Playing with a poison that spreads uncontrollably invites great trouble. The reason they can’t touch any living thing is because any warm creature will cause them unbearable pain and accelerate the rotting of their internal organs. They can only hide alone in a secluded place, letting themselves putrefy and reek. Ah... their limbs will stiffen and become paralyzed first. Perhaps, they might even starve to death before their body completely rots."

The three people present shivered at his words, especially when combined with the Sick Scholar’s ominous tone. Even under the bright sun, they felt a spine-chilling, bone-deep cold.

"This can’t be possible. If it’s just a poison, it wouldn’t be regarded so seriously," Ye Li calmly pointed out. Even the most precious poison was still just a poison. Except in the hands of someone like the Sick Scholar, it probably wouldn’t be valued more than a panacea pill.

The Sick Scholar declared gravely, "Correct. It’s rumored that when the Bilo flower is combined with another herb, it can allegedly resurrect the dead, fleshing out white bones. The so-called panacea pills that cure all poisons can only neutralize common toxins. But a detoxifying pill made from Bilo flowers can completely heal any poison or injury, as long as the person is still breathing. It can even prolong life. Tell me... who wouldn’t vie for such a treasure? If that Liang fellow turns it into pills, even if one costs ten thousand gold, no one would complain about the price."

Ye Li, concealing the gleam in her eyes, nodded casually. "I see. Indeed, it is a treasure. Are you seeking it to cure an illness, Young Master?"

The Sick Scholar sneered, "Curing illness and making poison don’t conflict."

"Then... I suppose a share of this pill would be a reasonable reward?" Ye Li asked.

The Sick Scholar gazed at her coldly. "Reward?"

"Doesn’t the Young Master ever pay when asking for help? Since you said it can be used for both healing and poisoning, I can assume Bilo flowers aren’t all that rare. I’m not well-versed in pharmacology, so the Bilo flower itself is useless to me. Therefore, a pill that can detoxify and prolong life shouldn’t be too much to ask for, right?"

The Sick Scholar’s eyes flickered. After a long pause, he said in a deep voice, "I agree."

"Very well."

"I can go down myself," the Sick Scholar rebutted. The thought of being carried down made him feel weak, which was unacceptable.

Zhuo Jing cast him a glance. "The Young Master can try it himself if he doesn’t fear falling to his death."

"You!" The Sick Scholar’s face darkened. He saw Ye Li waving at him as she grabbed a rope. She had already moved to the location Han Mingxi indicated, skillfully fastened an iron hook, and then threw the rope down. Ye Li grasped the rope and gradually rappelled down the cliff. Han Mingxi leaned out to watch her. She moved down the cliff face with an oddly skillful and quick rhythm. Within a short period, she had disappeared into the clouds and mist.

After a good while, the gently swaying rope became still. Then, the iron hook attached to the rock began to shake more violently and gradually dislodged. "Ah..." Han Mingxi anxiously reached out, but Darky Three calmly stated, "Don’t worry, the Young Master has reached the bottom."

Sure enough, after the iron hook loosened, the lower end of the rope seemed to be pulled down rapidly, disappearing over the cliff edge. Darky Three began to prepare, following Ye Li’s method. The Sick Scholar no longer argued. Once Darky Three had descended a little, the Sick Scholar used his lightness skill to land beside him, grasping him tightly. The two then began their descent, moving noticeably slower than Ye Li.

Han Mingxi, left alone at the edge of the cliff, curiously looked at the iron hook and slender rope that had been gripping the huge rock. He murmured, Junwei really is a strange lad...

When Ye Li had rappelled down more than sixty zhang, she indeed saw a cave not far away, taller than a person. I was lucky to have lengthened this rope when I realized how useful its thin, sturdy nature was, she thought. Otherwise, I probably wouldn’t have reached this place. She gently swung to the right, landing accurately at the cave’s edge and steadying herself. Han Mingxi hadn’t been wrong; this was indeed a deep, seemingly bottomless cave, like a passage chiseled into the cliff, leading into a pitch-black unknown. Observing the clearly fresh footprints on the ground, it seemed these people were very confident, not even bothering to station a guard at the entrance. Ye Li carefully stowed the rope and walked a few steps forward to wait. After another while, Darky Three and the Sick Scholar appeared at the cave mouth. Just as they had steadied themselves, before Darky Three could even retrieve the rope, Han Mingxi elegantly descended and swept into the cave.

"They did indeed enter from here," Ye Li said, pointing to the footprints on the ground and then upwards. "Be careful, there should be mechanisms above. I took a careful look when I was coming down. There ought to be some kind of controllable mechanism on the cliff wall that allowed them to descend without relying on lightness skill. Unfortunately, we don’t have time to search for it slowly."

The Sick Scholar’s face was pale. Although being carried down by Darky Three hadn’t required much effort from him, it hadn’t been a pleasant experience. "Let’s move on. Don’t worry about the mechanisms for now."

Ye Li furrowed her brows and asked, "Can you suppress your cough?"

The Sick Scholar nodded somewhat stiffly, then took a bottle of medicine from his robes and downed the entire contents. His complexion turned even more ghastly. "Rest assured, I won’t cough again."

Ye Li nodded. Darky Three took the lead, followed by the Sick Scholar, with Ye Li and Han Mingxi bringing up the rear.

After moving further inside, the tunnel grew gloomy and dark. However, it seemed quite dry. Once the light completely vanished, the Sick Scholar lit a tinder stick. Ye Li frowned. Starting a fire in a tunnel with thin air really isn’t a good idea, but we have no other option now, she thought.

Han Mingxi, following behind, watched Darky Three and Ye Li walking with their backs pressed against opposite walls. He quirked a brow and chuckled quietly, "Junwei, aren’t you two a bit too tense?"

Ye Li threw him a sideways glance. "Compared to the exceptionally light-footed Young Master Han, how can I not be tense?"

The Sick Scholar turned back to look at the three of them before continuing forward with the lit tinder stick. This tunnel, built within the mountain, was apparently not designed to confuse, so they encountered no forks or mazes. The path sloped continuously downwards. When Ye Li estimated they were almost at the foot of the mountain, they finally heard noises from ahead. The Sick Scholar extinguished the tinder stick and stood at a bend, peering out. Indeed, not far off, two men dressed in Southern Border attire stood guard. Behind them was a door, from which clamorous sounds emanated.

The two guards obviously didn’t anticipate anyone approaching from this direction and were engrossed in a low-voiced, laughing conversation. However, the straight passage ahead was at least a hundred meters long and quite narrow. None of them could silently take down the two guards from this distance. And if these two made any sound, they would inevitably alert those inside.

The Sick Scholar silently took an exquisite box from his robes and aimed it forward. With a SWISH! SWISH!, the two Southern Border men instantly stiffened, unmoving. The four quickly sneaked past. The Sick Scholar was the first to slip through the doorway. As Ye Li passed, she hesitated for a moment. Turning her head, she saw the two men still in their standing positions, a trickle of black blood at their lips. They’re dead, she realized. Her eyes darkened briefly before she too slipped quickly through the door.

Inside the doorway, it was completely different from the cold, dark outer passage; it was stuffy and bright. People bustled about not far away, and security had clearly tightened. However, all four were skilled martial artists, so evading these guards wasn’t difficult.

Crouching behind a barrier formed by a large rock, Han Mingxi looked out curiously. The area beyond was bustling with activity, and he could hear the rhythmic CLANG! CLANG! of hammering. "What are they doing?"

The Sick Scholar responded calmly, "They are forging weapons." He pointed to the distance, where many finished weapons were already laid out. Darky Three glanced at Ye Li and made a hand gesture. Ye Li understood and nodded. The weapons these people were forging were not the kind favored by ordinary martial artists or weapon enthusiasts; rather, they were standard battlefield armaments. Such a large number of people engaged in mass production clearly indicated these weapons were being made for a specific army.

"This is none of our business. Let’s go." The Sick Scholar showed no interest in what weapons these people were forging. His only interest now was the Bilo flower.

"Do you know where Old Master Liang is?" Han Mingxi asked.

The Sick Scholar snorted coldly. "He can’t run far."

Han Mingxi nodded. "Ah, I remember now, you poisoned him, didn’t you? Where’s your little moth?"

The Sick Scholar shot him a cool glance and got up, walking in another direction. Han Mingxi shrugged, smiled at Ye Li, and followed.

Darky Three whispered, "Young Master, these weapons are being forged for an army of Great Chu."

Ye Li raised an eyebrow. "How do you know?"

Darky Three pointed to a row of sabers nearby. "People from the Southern Border prefer short knives. Those from Xiling use sabers with thicker blades. As for Beirong, their cavalry is the strongest, and they favor long weapons or broadswords. This style of saber is commonly used by our Great Chu soldiers."

Ye Li nodded and got up to follow Han Mingxi and the Sick Scholar.

The Sick Scholar was right; this was indeed a sizable underground weapons forge. Two vast caverns were filled with craftsmen busily forging weapons. Most of them were from the Central Plains, though a significant number were from the Southern Border. Ye Li and Han Mingxi followed the Sick Scholar, evading these people. The path continued downwards, leading them away from the weapon-forging caverns and into another cave. Compared to the rough-hewn caves before, this one resembled a decorated underground palace. The floor was paved with exquisitely carved marble and covered with comfortable, beautiful carpets.

"Are those guys dead yet?!" As the four approached, a somewhat piercing voice echoed from within. Ye Li frowned; it was the voice of the wealthy merchant, Old Master Liang. His tone no longer held its earlier smugness and contempt; instead, it was tinged with urgency and murderous intent.

"Don’t worry, they definitely can’t escape," the voice of Le Jiang, chieftain of the Luoyi Tribe, sounded.

"Why didn’t you send people to kill them directly!" Old Master Liang complained. "That sickly scholar is terrifying! If we don’t kill him soon, he’ll be a future disaster. If it weren’t for him following me all this way, I would have reached the Southern Border long ago. But no matter what I do, I can’t shake him off! And that Han fellow, he obviously knows the sickly scholar too. We can’t let them live! No matter the cost!"

"No matter the cost?" Le Jiang sneered mockingly. "Who pays the price? You think I don’t know those people are formidable? Even the snake swarm couldn’t harm them. Every man in my Luoyi Tribe is precious. How many lives will we lose if we fight them head-on? Do you think my men are as expendable as those in your Great Chu, endless in number?"

"Don’t forget..." Old Master Liang called out angrily.

Le Jiang interrupted loudly, "Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten what I’m supposed to do. But you’d better not order me to do anything beyond our agreed terms."

There seemed to be a pause from inside. After a while, they heard Old Master Liang’s voice. "But... what if those people escape? Do you think they would spare us? I don’t know about the other three, but you must have heard of the reputation of that sickly scholar. He’s the Third Pavilion Master of the King of Hell Pavilion in Xiling."

"Why did you provoke someone from the King of Hell Pavilion!" Le Jiang was clearly furious, shouting loudly.

"How would I know?! He mysteriously appeared not long after I set out, and I couldn’t even get him to leave. That man is famously vengeful. What could I do?"

"So you brought him all the way to the Southern Border!" Le Jiang gritted his teeth for a moment before snorting. "I understand. I’ll send people to deal with them as soon as possible. Rest assured, the path down the mountain has long been sealed. The mountain is now teeming with poisonous insects and snakes. Even if he is the Sick Scholar, adept at using poisons, I don’t believe he can poison every venomous creature on an entire mountain!"

"Regardless, be careful. You must see his corpse. If you had acted to kill them from the start, we wouldn’t have so much trouble now."

Le Jiang snorted. "He never left your side. Do you think we could kill him before he killed you? I’m going to give the orders. You wait here. Don’t forget your things. If the Master doesn’t get what he wants, you know the consequences!"

Old Master Liang’s breath hitched. He quickly said, "I know. I’ve brought half of the token. Give me the other half."

Le Jiang scoffed. "This originally belonged to us in the Southern Border."

On the matter of benefits, Old Master Liang didn’t back down. "The item is in my hands. Only I know how to retrieve it."

"That was entrusted to the Liang family for safekeeping by the late King of Nanzhao. It wasn’t given to you," Le Jiang said solemnly.

"Haha, so what? You also know it belongs to the Nanzhao royal family, not yours, right?" Old Master Liang laughed. "It’s quite good of me not to have handed it over to the Nanzhao royal family, isn’t it?"

"Isn’t it because we offered a higher price? If you returned it to the King of Nanzhao, besides a few words of thanks, you’d get nothing," Le Jiang sneered.

Old Master Liang said, "You want the treasure, I want money. Everyone gets what they need, don’t they? So, you’d better hand over the other half of the token quickly. Stop playing tricks. This mountain has been practically hollowed out by your digging. Without me, you’ll never find the treasure. Also, don’t even think about silencing me by murder. Don’t forget who is behind me..."

Old Master Liang’s triumphant tone clearly made Le Jiang uncomfortable, but he was helpless. He reluctantly said, "I understand. I’ll bring it over shortly. You’d better not try any tricks. The Master has said he must see the item within half a month at the latest. Otherwise... even if you had the backing of the Emperor of Heaven, it would be useless!"

Old Master Liang’s smug laughter choked for a moment. After a while, he finally replied, "I know, don’t worry. I’m well aware of the relationship between the Prince and your Family Head. I’m not someone who doesn’t understand discretion. Once you give me the token, and I reach the Nanzhao Capital, I guarantee I’ll deliver the item right before your eyes."

"That’s for the best!" Le Jiang replied. His footsteps gradually faded, and the room finally fell silent, with only the sound of Old Master Liang’s labored breathing resonating.

The four stood in a hidden corner. Han Mingxi signaled the Sick Scholar with his eyes, as if asking, What now? The Sick Scholar lowered his eyes, a trace of an insidious smile flashing across his gloomy face. Han Mingxi shivered, sparing a pitiful glance at Old Master Liang, who was pacing anxiously inside. What kind of torment is that old man in for? he wondered.