“He retreated eastward. From his tone, it seemed he arrived on a monster bird, not by ship.” White Board’s reconnaissance skills were remarkable. “All along the way, mermen contacted him, showing extreme respect. Once, downwind, I caught fragments of conversation—the Lord of Yangshan seemed dissatisfied that the Merman King had kept him in the dark, and he said something about ‘I also have a share.’ However, his spiritual perception is astonishing. Even amid the chaos, he nearly detected me several times.”

‘I also have a share’—a share of what? Feng Miaojun instinctively reined in her horse.

Should she infiltrate the Lord of Yangshan’s entourage? With her shape-shifting insect and White Board, she could transform at any time. Getting closer to the Lord of Yangshan would bring her one step closer to the Golden Branch Jade Dew—perhaps she would have a chance to obtain a drop.

That was currently the only known way to get the curse’s antidote. As for the other drop that someone else had acquired, with Spiral Float Island in such chaos, there was no way to pursue it, so she didn’t even consider it.

However, the Lord of Yangshan had gone east, in the opposite direction from Cone Tail Mountain. She could only choose one.

Go to Cone Tail Mountain, or seek out the Lord of Yangshan?

She was torn once again.

“Mistress?” White Board waited for quite some time, and seeing her still motionless, couldn’t help but call out softly.

Feng Miaojun seemed to awaken from a trance. She shook the reins and galloped forward again.

Straight ahead was a silent peak in the night.

She had chosen Cone Tail Mountain.

She didn’t know whether the Merman King could successfully prevent his opponent from claiming Spiral Float Island. What if he failed?

Nearly two hours had passed since Fu Lingchuan left the Inner Palace Hall. With so many people in the Feng business, from packing luggage to rushing to the dock, they probably hadn’t reached the seaside yet.

Lu Chuanying still needed to find a fleet and negotiate with ship captains; even with their agreement, preparations before sailing would take several hours, including food, fresh water supplies, cargo loading, and more. Which of these didn’t consume time?

The remaining three hours were not enough!

She had to rush to Cone Tail Mountain and, within her capabilities, help others gain more evacuation time. She knew she might not succeed, but if she chose to pursue the Golden Branch Jade Dew instead, and her foster mother and the Feng business people came to harm, she would regret it for the rest of her life.

This choice wasn’t particularly difficult for her.

White Board hesitated a moment before saying: “Mistress, you won’t have time to board the ship.”

“I know.” Feng Miaojun’s expression remained calm. Not only would she miss the ship, but if both she and the Merman King failed to stop Fu Lingchuan, all beings on the island and ships that couldn’t escape in time would likely face one outcome:

Including herself, none would survive.

However, there might still be a way:

Before the heavenly lightning struck, Fu Lingchuan and Princess Changle must have arranged an escape route for themselves. If she could join their escape, perhaps she wouldn’t have to die.

Of course, this would require improvisation and couldn’t be planned.

As she urged her horse forward, she continued questioning White Board: “By the way, when you went in, were Fu Lingchuan and Princess Changle also in the box? What did they say?”

“At that time, the two were already standing, preparing to leave. Fu Lingchuan said, ‘New Xia is newly established, surviving in a precarious position, and will need to rely on Your Lordship in the future.'”

“Rely on… His Lordship?” She mulled over these words repeatedly. No matter how mediocre Princess Changle might be, she was still the Queen of New Xia. No matter how impressive the Lord of Yangshan was, he was still a cultivator without sect or faction, not serving any royal court. After New Xia was established, why would Fu Lingchuan still need to “rely” on him?

Nation and individual were concepts on two different levels. In this era, no matter how powerful an individual is, they couldn’t transcend a nation. Yun Ya was the best example.

His power, intelligence, and cunning were unmatched by anyone else Feng Miaojun had ever encountered. Yet even Yun Ya, to fulfill his ambitions, had to attach himself to the Kingdom of Wei, serving as its State Preceptor, gathering elemental power for it, and fighting wars east and west.

What capabilities did this Lord of Yangshan possess that allowed him to remain detached from worldly affairs while making others depend on him?

“The Lord of Yangshan laughed heartily: ‘We’ll soon be one family, why speak so formally?'”

Feng Miaojun was startled: “One family?”

“That I don’t know.” White Board didn’t define intelligence beyond its comprehension. “Afterward, the two of them left.”

Feng Miaojun brushed back her hair, disheveled by the wind: “So, before attempting to steal Spiral Float City, Fu Lingchuan specifically went to pay respects to this Lord of Yangshan, yet didn’t inform him of his upcoming actions?”

Why was that?

Fu Lingchuan’s visit already indicated the Lord of Yangshan’s esteemed position, and the two seemed quite familiar. But why wouldn’t Fu Lingchuan warn the Lord of Yangshan to leave first?

Perhaps he feared leaking information or believed the Lord of Yangshan would oppose and obstruct his plan.

Or perhaps…

In this instant, countless conjectures surged in Feng Miaojun’s mind.

Traveling in silence, she quickly reached the foot of Cone Tail Mountain. Ten miles further west was the dock. From this elevated position with a clear view, she turned to look back. Occasionally, as the mist dispersed, she could see the dock brightly lit, with many red lights moving back and forth.

Those were torches.

It seemed many sea merchants felt uneasy and wanted to board ships quickly.

Seeing this, Feng Miaojun felt somewhat reassured. With more people wanting to leave the island for the sea, more ships would depart. With Lu Chuanying and Peng Bai’s abilities, they could certainly lead the Feng business people to leave first.

Directly ahead, the mermen had set up temporary checkpoints, forbidding outsiders from entering the mountain. Seeing this, Feng Miaojun understood that Fu Lingchuan was indeed performing the heaven-worshipping ceremony at Cone Tail Mountain’s peak, as she had predicted. Otherwise, why would the Merman King block this area? Clearly to prevent Fu Lingchuan’s accomplices from coming to his aid.

She couldn’t continue riding openly from here. She found a grove to release her horse, and just as she was about to sneak in, she heard a monster general telling his soldiers: “By order of our King, arrest all of Fu Lingchuan’s accomplices throughout the city! Also, investigate which ship he arrived on—everyone on that ship is to be considered an accomplice and brought in for thorough questioning!”

The soldiers acknowledged the order and swiftly departed. Behind the tree, Feng Miaojun broke out in a cold sweat.

Fu Lingchuan had traveled on the same ship as them, and when arriving on the island, passengers from each ship had to register. Now that the mermen were hunting for accomplices, they only needed to check the records to arrest the Feng business people!

Just now, looking at the sea, she hadn’t seen any large ships setting sail, indicating that the Feng business people were likely still at the dock. This area was still merman territory—they would catch them with certainty!

As the saying goes, an arm can’t wrestle a leg. Even with her and Feng’s business together, they couldn’t overcome the local power. The only hope now was for the Merman King to quickly subdue Fu Lingchuan, or for her to find a way to help the Merman King.

Feng Miaojun quietly retreated and deployed her movement technique to pursue the messenger soldier.

Her speed was extreme, almost able to move forward with just the lightest touch of her toes on grass leaves.