“Gong…” She almost called out Gong Yin’s name but suddenly realized her slip and hastily stopped.

That person looked down at her indifferently.

Clothing white as snow, features clear and handsome, expression detached and aloof. When looking at people, it was as if from atop a distant snowy peak, surveying all living beings.

His bearing and manner were exactly like another Gong Yin!

Jing Hengbo nearly mistook him, then realized this was probably another similar person, just like Li Hanyu whom Daimao had encountered before.

She felt somewhat annoyed – why another lookalike? Would this ever end? Did they really take her for such a fool?

Looking more carefully at the person’s features, she discovered he wasn’t actually very similar to Gong Yin. This person had quite a few wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and brows, and his features weren’t as refined as Gong Yin’s. But that manner and bearing was truly a second Gong Yin.

That kind of aloof remoteness, silent arrogance – besides Gong Yin, this was her second time seeing it.

Jing Hengbo became somewhat interested, because when impersonating someone, most people imitated form rather than spirit. Gong Yin’s grace and bearing couldn’t be faked by ordinary people. She hadn’t expected to witness someone today who wasn’t similar in form but was similar in spirit.

As she was observing him, he was also observing her. Suddenly his finger extended, a flow of air surged, and Jing Hengbo’s fingertip involuntarily lifted, releasing a stream of white airflow.

The white airflow was faintly mixed with some blue-green. Jing Hengbo wanted to act, but felt that after this airflow left her body, there was no discomfort. Instead, her body felt somewhat lighter.

She understood somewhat.

She had once helped Gong Yin draw out chaotic airflow from his body and had fallen ill as a result, unable to touch overly cold water since then. What this person was drawing out now must be Gong Yin’s qi that remained in her body.

The person opposite who closely resembled Gong Yin changed expression: “You’re surnamed Long?”

Jing Hengbo’s heart stirred. After thinking, she nodded.

Could this person be the number one master here, that Long Yin?

She was interested in this person’s origins and probing was good.

“Liar!” That person said harshly, “How could the Long family’s Prajna Snow have sinister cold qi! Who are you!”

“Who are you?” Jing Hengbo asked back, “How do you know about the Long family’s Prajna Snow?”

That person was about to answer when he suddenly raised his eyebrows and reached out to grab her.

Jing Hengbo flashed away with a whoosh, clinging to the rocks above him.

That person seemed not to have expected he couldn’t catch Jing Hengbo and was stunned, then said: “If you want to stay here and wait to die, suit yourself!”

With that, he flashed out of the cave.

“Hey, hey, what do you mean?” Jing Hengbo chased after his shadow, shouting.

“Once Purple Orchid Vine is harvested early, this place will close and won’t reopen for two years. Do you want to starve to death?” That person snorted coldly, “If I hadn’t seen you have Prajna Snow true qi, why would I bother warning you!”

Only then did Jing Hengbo understand why that group of people had fled like seeing plague gods when Purple Orchid Vine was harvested.

“Gong Yin! Gong Yin!” She quickly shouted down below, “Run quickly!”

“But it doesn’t matter if you don’t run.” The person above said indifferently, “Prajna Snow is pure and spotless, most unable to be contaminated by impurities. Your Prajna Snow is already impure and will eventually backfire. Early death or late death, there’s no difference.”

Hearing this, Jing Hengbo became greatly alarmed and quickly chased after him: “Wait! Wait! I have questions for you!”

Finally meeting someone who understood Gong Yin’s condition, wouldn’t she regret it for life if she missed this chance? She couldn’t care about anything else now. While shouting for Gong Yin to follow, she chased that person all the way up.

Before going far, she heard rumbling sounds below. Looking back, she saw the purple qi that had previously pooled together had suddenly dispersed, tightly covering the bottom. The trampled medicinal plants, including Gong Yin and the Purple Orchid Vine, could no longer be seen.

Her expression changed. While calling for Gong Yin, she turned back to return, when suddenly the purple mist below broke open and a large mass flew up through the air. She caught it reflexively and was nearly staggered by the weight, only then discovering she’d caught the Purple Orchid Vine.

This made her even more nervous. She shouted loudly: “Hey! Hey! Where are you? Come up! Hey, hey, hey, this place is about to close, don’t sulk and refuse to come up! Hey, hey, hey, I’ll apologize to you, okay? Hurry up!”

Her voice carried a crying tone by the end. She was about to turn back to find Gong Yin when that Long Yin suddenly returned, grabbed her collar, and without a word, carried her away.

“Let go of me!” Jing Hengbo kicked his shin, leaving a large black footprint on his snow-white clothing. Without even looking, he casually tore off the dirty piece of cloth and let it fly away in the wind.

“Let go!” Jing Hengbo beckoned with her hand, and a loose stalactite broke off completely. Its sharp break aimed straight for the man’s neck. He tilted his head to avoid it, nearly having his throat cut by the sharp point, only then looking back at her with some surprise.

“Do you know I’m saving you?” He looked at her with the disdain of someone looking at an idiot. “The Purple Orchid Pool closes in layers. The bottom layer has closed, so naturally your companion can’t get out.”

“Then let me go down!” Behind Jing Hengbo, a stalactite hovered, aimed at his brow. “My affairs don’t need your interference.”

“I don’t want to interfere with you either, but unfortunately you’re useful to me.” That person sneered, “You should stop making trouble too. I’m the general manager of mechanisms here. The Purple Orchid Pool will close with thousand-pound boulders. Those stones are half a zhang thick – human strength simply cannot open them. After the Purple Orchid Pool closes, soft tubes in the mountain will release a gas beneficial to Purple Orchid Vine growth but harmful to human bodies, allowing seeds buried under the jade pool to slowly sprout and grow over two years. Though I can’t open the closed pool, I can delay the release of that gas. If you don’t want your companion to lose even his last chance, you’d better obediently listen to me.”

Jing Hengbo’s face paled. Looking back at the already closed pool, from above it seemed to have gained an additional translucent cover, sealed without gaps.

That cover might still have a chance of being opened, but if poisonous gas was released inside, it would extinguish even Gong Yin’s last thread of life.

She immediately waved her hand, withdrawing the stalactite, and smiled: “Ah, misunderstanding, misunderstanding. Since you mean well, let’s hurry up then.” She stepped forward to take his arm, simultaneously flattering him by brushing off dust.

That person grunted with some satisfaction as he looked at her. Jing Hengbo paid no attention to his expression, impatiently urging: “Then let’s go, let’s go, let’s go.”

That person nodded and led her flying upward. Just as they landed on a huge stalactite in the middle, Jing Hengbo saw that the stalactite had long tubes of the same color running along the mountain wall downward, inserting from the edges into the Purple Orchid Pool below.

One end of the tube extended from the mountain body with a silver five-claw-shaped object clamped on the tube. Now vibrations from below were transmitted upward, and those claws were slowly loosening.

Long Yin flew up and grasped those claws, about to twist them tight in the opposite direction. Watching his movements, Jing Hengbo felt slightly relieved but wondered – this person had been showing goodwill despite his poor attitude since seeing her. There was no causeless love or hate in this world. Why was he doing this? Just because of that bit of Prajna Snow true qi?

Just as the claws were about to be tightened, suddenly an arrow shot like lightning toward Long Yin. Long Yin brushed it away with his sleeve and looked up with changed expression.

Above, at the cave entrance where Jing Hengbo and Gong Yin had entered, people had somehow filled it completely. The leader had dark skin, heavy eyebrows, and wore robes with four-clawed golden dragons – clearly the Shang King.

He stood angrily at the cave entrance, saying coldly: “Indeed there are such gentleman thieves coveting Purple Orchid Vine. I just didn’t expect that my Purple Orchid Pool’s Great Guardian would also betray from within!”

Seeing the Shang King, Jing Hengbo frowned, thinking no wonder today had been so smooth – the other side had been prepared all along.

Long Yin turned to look at her and called: “Come behind me.”

Jing Hengbo was somewhat surprised. She hadn’t expected this fellow, caught red-handed by the real master, wouldn’t immediately abandon or betray her but instead chose to help her. Though inexplicable, her heart still warmed slightly.

She wondered if this person was helping her because he thought she was also from the Longying World Family. If this person truly was from the Longying World Family, then that legendarily noble and proud family wasn’t so cold and heartless after all.

Above, the Shang King angrily said: “Long Yin, you dare assist the tyrant!”

Long Yin looked up and laughed: “I was here for my own cultivation from the start. We agreed to each take what we need – I’m not your slave. Now that I have other ideas, naturally I needn’t heed you.”

“If you don’t heed this king, why should this king be considerate of you?” The Shang King was so angry he laughed instead. Waving his hand: “Cut the chains! Let these medicine thieves and faithless villains all be buried with my Purple Orchid Vine!”

His guards responded in unison, each drawing their swords to cut the chains that could be used to climb into the cave.

But suddenly a blade angled upward, cold light flashing as it pierced into the Shang King’s calf!

Caught off guard, the Shang King screamed loudly. Already standing at the cave entrance edge, when his calf was injured, his leg weakened and he immediately fell.

Jing Hengbo and Long Yin, clinging to the stalactite, watched dumbfounded as the Shang King fell past them, striking the silk ribbons hung with golden bells into chaotic ringing, passing through that pale purple mist with a “bang.”

That sound made both their hearts jump – the violent sound of flesh and bone striking hard objects. Even if not dead, half a life would be lost.

A piece of stalactite was also broken off by the Shang King’s impact and fell down, followed by crashing sounds. Through the purple mist, Jing Hengbo vaguely saw the stalactite shattered into white fragments that scattered. Her heart chilled – the bottom was indeed sealed with hard stone that she absolutely couldn’t break through.

Above at the cave entrance, someone suddenly laughed with a somewhat familiar voice, then threw out a torch.

Long Yin’s expression changed drastically. Crying “Not good!” he swept his sleeve to strike down the torch, but it was too late. The mountain belly was hung full of silk ribbons that instantly ignited and burned through. Some ribbons wrapped around stalactites and soft tubes quickly ignited those tubes too. The tubes seemed to be flammable material, immediately burning through and dropping heavily downward like a dragon with its sinews removed.

Jing Hengbo was greatly alarmed. The soft tubes releasing poisonous gas had burned through – the first to suffer would be the Shang King, the second would be Gong Yin who still hadn’t come up. The switches had lost their purpose. How could she stop the poison gas from spreading?

She beckoned with her hand and the soft tube came to her grasp. Still burning, it immediately raised blisters on her palm, but she couldn’t spare time for pain and hurriedly tore a section of sleeve to tie up the tube.

But Long Yin grabbed her: “Useless. That gas is released from within the mountain body. Without the pipeline, it will permeate the entire mountain belly. You should quickly leave with me.”

Jing Hengbo dejectedly let go, shouting several times for Gong Yin below. Besides hearing some intermittent groans from the Shang King, where was Gong Yin’s response?

Someone above was laughing. The voice was familiar. She looked up to see a guard slowly removing an integrated hood.

It was actually the Shang King’s Queen.

Seeing her, Jing Hengbo understood somewhat. The Shang King had set a trap to lure them to steal medicine, wanting to catch them all in one net. But the Queen, unwilling to remain in disfavor and confinement from then on, had infiltrated the Shang King’s side. With her status and years of palace connections, she probably had ways to mix into the guard unit and even leave the palace.

This was mantis stalking cicada with sparrow behind – one became another’s sparrow. Who knew who would be the final sparrow?

The Shang King’s guards at the cave entrance stared woodenly at the Queen. After a long while, someone finally reacted and cried: “The Queen killed the Great King!”

Everyone awakened with a “crash” as they all drew their swords.

Cold light flashed in all directions with pressing sword qi. The Queen, in the midst of the sword group, remained unruffled and said coldly: “Yes, this palace did kill the Great King. So what? You few who failed to protect the Great King – do you think you’d have a way to live upon returning?”

The guards were stunned, their expressions changing dramatically.

“The Purple Orchid Pool was robbed. The Great King came overnight to catch thieves and was harmed by criminals, dying at the pool.” The Queen pointed at Jing Hengbo with a contemptuous smile at her lips. “The Queen, worried for the Great King’s safety, arrived in time to turn the tide, leading all guards to eliminate the criminal rabble and recover Purple Orchid Vine and other precious medicines. Afterward, merits will be rewarded – precious medicines will be bestowed upon officers and soldiers who protected successfully, and each will be promoted one rank.”

The guards were initially stunned, then gradually understood. Some slowly changed color, some wavered, some showed light in their eyes, some let their blades droop.

All people understand seeking benefit and avoiding harm. The Great King was already dead, killed by the Queen no less, and in this secret place. Even if they spoke out, who would believe them? They were just house slaves – how could they contend with their master’s power? If the Queen retracted her words, lightly it would be inadequate protection, heavily they might be blamed for the Great King’s death. Who hadn’t witnessed the Wang family’s ability to overturn clouds and rain, their ruthless and cruel hearts?

Meanwhile, the Queen had already thrown out tempting bait without changing expression. Just by going along with her and saying the Great King was assassinated by thieves, they would become the Queen’s trusted followers. The Queen was even generous enough to share medicines. Who didn’t know the precious medicines heavily protected in this Purple Orchid Pool were worth fortunes for even a little bit? This could be exchanged for money, status, and everything they wouldn’t dare dream of in their lifetimes. Moreover, there were job promotions and a series of visible benefits.

Persist in justice, defend truth and pay with life, or conceal truth, comply with superior will and gain wealth and honor?

No need to consider.

Swords and blades slowly drooped. The Queen smiled smugly, though that smile slightly choked when she saw one sword that still hadn’t dropped.

“Shang Cheng.” She said shrilly, “What do you mean?”

That man called Shang Cheng was an ordinary-looking middle-aged man. Sweating profusely while holding his sword, he wouldn’t look directly at the Queen’s eyes and said with difficulty: “I… I cannot…”

“Shang Cheng! Remember it was I who recommended you into the Imperial Forest Guard!” The Queen’s expression was incredulous.

“I still remember my surname is Shang!” Shang Cheng suddenly raised his head, passionately retorting.

The Queen stared at him and suddenly smiled.

“Oh, I forgot – you’re surnamed Shang, a branch of the royal clan.” She nodded, her finger tapping her palm, her voice suddenly turning harsh. “But the most shameful branch of the royal clan! As a branch of the Shang royal family, your grandfather actually dared attempt rebellion. Your whole family was exiled to barren lands for fifty years. Most of your family starved to death. In the end, it was still I who pleaded and asked the Great King to pardon you, giving you the position of Imperial Forest Guard to ensure your family’s stable survival in the capital. This is how you repay this palace!”

“Precisely because we once rebelled, during those fifty years of exile in Wangchuan, we swore countless times that as long as we could return to the capital, our descendants would never again commit betrayal, never again betray the Shang family!”

“What Shang family? What kind of Shang family person are you?” The Queen said contemptuously. “Oh, this palace understands now. You see the Great King is dead, this palace is a woman, this palace’s son is still young. You’re thinking of setting things right, selling out this palace. Maybe you still have a chance to rise smoothly and become a regent?”

“I have not.” The color of hesitation and difficulty on Shang Cheng’s face had faded. He seemed to have made up his mind, took a deep breath and said: “Your Majesty’s earlier words were very right. You saved my whole family from fire and water. By reason and emotion, I cannot violate Your Majesty’s will.”

“That’s right.” The Queen breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. “Since you understand, rest assured, I won’t hold grudges against you. I will…”

“But I also cannot betray the oath we once made. We swore that if any descendants violated the oath again, the family would collapse – men as slaves, women as prostitutes.”

The Queen immediately stopped, her face iron-blue.

“You’re seeking death…”

“Yes.” Shang Cheng smiled bitterly. “Any choice is wrong. So I can only die.”

He suddenly turned the sword, the blade flashing horizontally. With a “hiss,” blood gushed from his throat, “spurting” all over the Queen’s head and face.

The guards retreated in panic. The Queen screamed loudly. Even Long Yin watching the battle on the stalactite involuntarily loosened his grip on Jing Hengbo’s hand due to the shock.

The moment his hand loosened, he realized and reached back to catch her, but Jing Hengbo’s figure had already vanished.

The next instant, she was before the Queen.

The Queen, sprayed with Shang Cheng’s blood covering her eyes, was screaming and staggering backward. Due to fear and tension, her features were twisted and fierce. Covered in dripping blood with a mouthful of white teeth, she looked as terrifying as a malevolent ghost.

Sensing someone suddenly appear before her, she flailed her hands trying to push away, screaming: “Protect! Protect!”

Jing Hengbo raised her hand and fiercely gripped her throat.

“Turn off that tube!” she said harshly.

The Queen waved her hands, struggling to break free, paying no attention to what she’d said: “Pro… tect…”

“Protect your damn head!” Jing Hengbo was frustrated, grabbing her throat and flashing again.

“Bang!” The next instant she rammed the Queen hard against the nearest stalactite. The Queen’s back made a “crack” as it split.

The Queen rolled her eyes back, wanting to scream but unable to. Jing Hengbo’s fingernails dug into her throat skin, each nail shooting killing intent, wanting to torture her inch by inch.

“Turn off the tube! Open the pool! I’ll spare your life!”

“I… I…” The Queen desperately tried to claw at Jing Hengbo’s face but couldn’t reach. Jing Hengbo dragged her sliding down the stalactite, the protrusions scraping the Queen into continuous screams.

Jing Hengbo slightly loosened her grip: “Open the pool! Turn off the tube!”

“The pool… once the pool closes… it takes two years to open…” The Queen hoarsely begged for mercy. “You let me go… I’ll give you… ah!”

“Crack.” With a tremendous crash, Jing Hengbo rammed her against another stalactite, forcibly breaking it. The thunderous sound of falling rocks covered the sound of breaking bones and the Queen’s screams.

Jing Hengbo’s heart was full of anxiety, burning with bone-deep rage and hatred. Gong Yin’s inexplicable failure to come up, the Purple Orchid Pool’s irreversible closure, the soft tube’s poison gas release – like stones crushing down one after another, completely extinguishing her rationality. Now even if she needed this wretch’s bones as keys to open doors, she would immediately smash her into thousands of pieces!

At this moment, she finally understood why Gong Yin acted so coldly and ruthlessly. For her, someone who grew up in the modern world, nurtured by ideas of human rights, freedom, and equality, any trampling and disregard of life was heartless and immoral. But for Gong Yin, for Yélu Qi, for Pei Shu, for these prodigies who had wandered homeless since childhood, growing up in environments of conflict, conspiracy, and killing, this was their growing environment, their way of survival, the essential instinct they relied on to stay alive and keep going.

The saying goes that compassion cannot command armies, righteousness cannot manage wealth. Benevolence and morality simply could not survive here! Even if one could initially uphold benevolence and morality, in the end, one would be forced by those greedy wretches full of conspiracies and endless schemes to resort to ruthless methods.

“You ambitious, trouble-making wretch! Venomous woman!” Jing Hengbo gritted her teeth and said harshly, “What use is it to stay alive?”

The next instant, her figure flashed and she was already grabbing the Queen, pressing her against the mountain body where the soft tube had extended.

The gas was being extracted from that mountain body and released through the soft tube. Now that the tube had burned through, gas was hissing out.

Jing Hengbo shoved the Queen’s head into that narrow mountain crevice.

“If the tube can’t be plugged, I’ll use your head to plug it!”

Ignoring the Queen’s hoarse screams and pleas for mercy, she let go and withdrew to the stalactite. Long Yin stared at her intently, strange lights flashing in his eyes.

The Queen hung on the mountain wall. Her head was about the same size as that crevice, now stuck and unable to break free. The gas rushed straight at her mouth and nose with no escape. Watching those flailing legs gradually soften and droop like rotten noodles hanging on the mountain wall.

Jing Hengbo looked down at her own hands in a daze, then suddenly screamed: “Come out! Come out! I don’t blame you anymore! Look, I’m even more ruthless than you now! Stop being stubborn and sulking with me, come out, come out! Come! Out!”

Her voice was mournful, echoing in the spacious mountain belly. The golden bells on the remaining silk ribbons rang chaotically – ding-a-ling-ling.

Long Yin suddenly sighed softly and said: “Stop shouting. Even if the gas from the soft tube didn’t enter the very bottom, once that door is closed, it absolutely cannot be opened.”

Jing Hengbo hugged the stalactite and said fiercely: “No, I must go down. You can leave.”

“You’re crazy. Didn’t you see the mountain crevice isn’t completely blocked? Wait a bit longer and we’ll also faint here. Hurry up and leave!” Long Yin reached out to pull her again.

Jing Hengbo dodged, then suddenly heard applause from above. Someone laughed: “One person’s head can’t block it, but adding another person’s head would block it, wouldn’t it?”

Jing Hengbo looked up and saw a face smiling with particular satisfaction.

“Shang Lue!” she blurted out.

The Crown Prince of Shang Kingdom stood at the cave entrance clapping gently, his face full of unexpected joy as he smiled: “Receiving news at midnight, coming to this Purple Orchid Pool once, I never expected such tremendous gains. Ah, Your Majesty the Queen, many thanks, many thanks.”

Looking at him, Jing Hengbo wondered if this was yet another Yi Kingdom scenario with endless mantis stalking cicada with sparrow behind. No, impossible. Unlike Yi Kingdom’s interconnected seamless schemes, it was impossible for all these Shang Kingdom people to coincidentally come to Purple Orchid Pool. Someone must have tipped them off.

Shang Lue didn’t need to threaten or entice the guards. With the Great King and Queen dead, he was the natural master of Shang Kingdom. He stood openly among the guards and said to Jing Hengbo below: “Your Majesty, considering our past relationship and that you helped me eliminate that wretch, this Crown Prince cannot bear to personally act against you. Hand over the medicine you harvested, take poison, and swear never to reveal today’s events. This King will have people rescue you. Of course, that treacherous fellow beside you must stay to plug the hole.”

He was already eagerly calling himself “this King.” Everyone bowed their heads listening. Looking at the Queen who had been used to plug the hole, then hearing the silence from below, they all felt chills in their hearts.

The imperial family was truly the most heartless.

Jing Hengbo looked at him steadily and smiled: “Alright.”

“Your Majesty mustn’t treat this King like you treated the Queen just now.” Shang Lue suddenly smiled cunningly. “This King cannot die. If this King dies, who will tell you that this Purple Orchid Pool has another most important secret in the Great King’s bedchamber?”

Jing Hengbo’s eyes lit up. She immediately dismissed the idea of severely beating this fellow. Without waiting for the other party to approach, her figure flashed and she was beside Shang Lue. Shang Lue immediately retreated warily.

“I trust you, but don’t play with me either.” Jing Hengbo stared at him coldly. “You’ve also seen that my lightness skill and internal power are formidable – you simply can’t catch me. If you offend me severely, having such an elusive person as your mortal enemy for life, you’ll have to live in a turtle shell for the rest of your days. Consider it yourself.”

Shang Lue squinted: “Your Majesty is capable. This King dares not offend.”

Another figure flashed as Long Yin also stepped into the cave. Shang Lue’s attitude toward him wasn’t so polite, shouting harshly: “Someone come—”

“Crown Prince.” Long Yin said expressionlessly, “I’ve stayed in your royal clan for ten years, served as your Shang family’s Purple Orchid Pool general manager for three years. Do you really think someone like me knows nothing about your Shang family, hasn’t left anything for self-preservation?”

Shang Lue’s expression changed. After staring at him for a long while, he finally waved his hand, ordering the guards to withdraw their swords.

Long Yin smiled nonchalantly and walked to Jing Hengbo’s side.

“Are Father King and Mother Queen dead?” Shang Lue peered down below, looking somewhat afraid they weren’t completely dead and it would be troublesome to bring them up like this.

“Those who deserve to die will always die.” Long Yin answered coldly.

Only then did Shang Lue make up his mind, ordering people to hurriedly go down and carry up the corpses of the Shang King and Queen. They tore sleeves, disheveled hair, scattered some dust on themselves, and rubbed their eyes vigorously to make them red as if they’d been crying, then ordered the return journey.

Jing Hengbo asked impatiently: “What about the Purple Orchid Pool secret you mentioned?”

“It’s always been locked in Father King’s palace. How could I know?” Shang Lue said with a playful smile. “I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble Your Majesty to personally escort this King to retrieve it.”

Jing Hengbo hesitated, fearing Shang Lue was deceiving her – that would truly lose the last chance to save Gong Yin. But she also felt Shang Lue had no need to fabricate this lie. He could completely keep her here behind closed doors. If she was overly suspicious, she would also lose the chance to save Gong Yin.

In a dilemma, she finally decided to grit her teeth and take a gamble.

She followed Shang Lue through the passage they’d come by. At the end was a door, but it wouldn’t open. Shang Lue ordered people to use keys to open it, but it still wouldn’t open. Long Yin stepped forward to look and his expression changed slightly: “The gateway to the outer mountain has been adjusted – it’s not the original door anymore.”

Jing Hengbo remembered hearing the guards here discussing earlier that passages changed every seven cycles and should be readjusted tonight. She asked Long Yin: “You’re the Great Guardian here. Don’t you know how it’s adjusted?”

“I know how to adjust from inside, but if it’s adjusted from outside, I have no way.” Long Yin shook his head.

Jing Hengbo pondered. She could teleport out as long as she confirmed solid ground outside, but these people, especially Shang Lue, couldn’t get out. If Shang Lue couldn’t get out, how could she save Gong Yin?

Suddenly they heard someone laugh hoarsely outside: “They say mantis stalks cicada with sparrow behind, but don’t know there are people beyond people – closing doors to beat dogs.”

Through the door, the voice was clear – it seemed to be a youth’s voice in the voice-changing period. Jing Hengbo was thinking this wasn’t Yu Wuse’s voice when she saw Shang Lue’s expression change drastically: “Shang Yao, how dare you!”

Outside quieted, then the youth’s mocking voice rang out: “What daring? Do you really think you’ll become Shang King? Fine, just be your Shang King at the bottom of this Purple Orchid Pool!”

“Father King and Mother Queen are still here!” Shang Lue said angrily. “Shang Yao, are you usurping the throne?”

Outside quieted again, then the youth’s voice sounded somewhat urgent: “Where’s Mother Queen? Where’s my Mother Queen? Mother Queen, say something, say something!”

Shang Lue turned to look at Jing Hengbo, gesturing for her to impersonate the Shang King and Queen to deceive his younger brother.

Jing Hengbo looked up at the sky and ignored him.

Shang Lue suppressed his anger and had to tell Shang Yao: “Mother Queen was secretly attacked by villains and is now unconscious. If you want to save Mother Queen, let us out first!”

Outside was quiet again with what seemed like low discussion, then with a “clang,” something metallic struck the door.

A figure flashed – Jing Hengbo vanished.

The next instant, she appeared outside the door, just seeing the Queen’s youngest son Shang Yao grasping a bunch of keys with both hands, struggling with a man.

That man had his back to her, wearing a wide black cloak from head to foot, revealing no trace of his form.

Seeing her sudden appearance, Shang Yao was stunned and loosened his grip. That man originally had his back to Jing Hengbo – logically he should have seized the keys then turned to look at Jing Hengbo. Who knew he also loosened his grip with a clang as the keys fell to the ground. Without even turning his head, his figure flashed as he plunged into the outer mountain passage and disappeared in an instant.

Not only was Shang Yao stunned, even Jing Hengbo was baffled – who was this cloaked person? Why did he suddenly flee in panic? Was it because he saw her? But he never turned around at all.

Shang Yao was still in a daze. Jing Hengbo reacted quickly, rushing forward to snatch the keys and inserting them into the door lock. It opened.

Shang Lue emerged in great joy, laughing wildly: “Your Majesty is divine!”

He walked past the dazed Shang Yao with loud laughter, reaching out to pat his shoulder: “Little brother, look at Mother Queen—”

Shang Yao instinctively turned to look. Cold light flashed from Shang Lue’s sleeve. Jing Hengbo happened to see it and shouted: “Be care—”

“Hiss.” A soft sound cut off her word “ful.” A line of blood sprayed, splashing Shang Lue’s face.

Shang Lue’s malicious grin was thus half red, half white, fierce as a beast.

“Go accompany Mother Queen!” he said viciously, brazenly withdrawing the blade.

From Shang Yao’s ribs, a streak of purple-black blood followed the blade out, splashing on his lips and chest. He smiled and licked his lips, saying softly: “Little brother, turns out our Shang family blood is sweet.”

Shang Yao had been in a daze all along. Only now did he seem to slowly react. His eyes moved, looking at the blood stains at his brother’s lips, then looking down at his own ribs.

“Don’t look.” Shang Lue said gently. “A through wound – guarantees you’ll die without pain, much better than your mother.”

Shang Yao looked down fixedly, then suddenly giggled.

The mountain cave was damp, cold, and silent with faint echoes. This giggling was cold and deep. The whole cave was suddenly filled with giggling sounds like a chorus of weeping ghosts – terrifying to hear.

Jing Hengbo hugged her arms, not knowing if the cold came from outside her body or rose from her heart.

“My good brother.” Shang Yao said quietly, dreamily. “Do you know what it means that evil deeds bring their own punishment?”

“What?” Shang Lue stopped wiping his mouth, staring at his brother suspiciously. After a long while, his eyes rolled and he smiled: “You’re being mysterious, trying to get me to save you?”

Long Yin suddenly laughed coldly.

Following his gaze, Jing Hengbo saw that Shang Lue’s hand had somehow turned a sickly blue-green color.

Looking again at Shang Yao’s ribs, at the torn clothing there had originally been a paper packet. Now the packet had been pierced by the blade and stained red with blood, not very obvious. At the torn packet and wound, some congealed powder could be seen accumulated. When blood flowed past there, it changed from deep red to purple-black.

Lightning flashed through Jing Hengbo’s mind.

Poisoned!

Shang Yao, prepared against who knows whom, had worn a poisoned packet at his ribs. As luck would have it, the cruel and ruthless Shang Lue had stabbed exactly at his ribs. The poison powder packet burst, and when blood gushed out, it was contaminated with poison.

And Shang Lue, so cruel as to personally taste his brother’s fresh blood, had swallowed the poison even deeper.

Even more eerie, he was poisoned but completely unaware, still staring with his blue-green eyes, smugly pleased with himself.

What goes around comes around – perhaps it was heaven’s will. If he hadn’t been so heartless, he wouldn’t have poisoned himself.

Watching the blue-green Shang Lue swaying like a blue zombie, watching the blood-stained Shang Yao giggling as he fell, the damp cave floor half fresh blood, half purple blood, trampled into a mess by boots. Jing Hengbo felt chilled all over, her heart churning. She turned her head and vomited again with a “retch.”

May I never encounter imperial families in life after life!

“Come… come…” Shang Lue swayed and beckoned to Jing Hengbo. “Take you to… get the secret…”

Jing Hengbo sighed. In Shang Lue’s condition, could he last until the Great King’s bedchamber and find the Purple Orchid Pool secret for her?

Also, who was that cloaked person just now? If she hadn’t guessed wrong, the massacre of the Shang royal family was definitely related to him. Why did the Shang King, Queen, Shang Lue, and Shang Yao all so coincidentally come to Treasure Terrace Mountain’s Purple Orchid Pool? Where did a child like Shang Yao get such powerful poison?

But if this person’s target was the Shang Kingdom royal family, why did he suddenly flee when victory was in sight?

With a belly full of questions, she followed the poisoned but unaware Shang Lue hurriedly back to the palace. The wheels rolled over stone slabs, bumping along. Shang Lue was very excited in the carriage, wiping drool that had been jostled out while telling Jing Hengbo incoherently: “When this King ascends the throne, our two kingdoms shall establish good diplomatic relations…”

Jing Hengbo nodded with sounds of agreement, thinking don’t wait for the enthronement – if you can last until the bedchamber, heaven will be giving you face.

However, heaven ultimately didn’t give face. Just before seeing the royal palace, Shang Lue excitedly climbed out of the carriage, then rigidly toppled from it, never to rise again.

Before dying, he was still shouting: “You all come bow to this King—”

Jing Hengbo reined in the horse and jumped down from the carriage. Looking at his face frozen in excited joy even in death, she sighed.

What should she do next? Shang Kingdom would soon be in great chaos. Could the Shang King’s bedchamber be entered so easily?

Behind her, Long Yin slowly got down from the carriage. Silent in the morning wind, he suddenly said: “I have a way to help you enter the Shang King’s bedchamber, obtain the Purple Orchid Pool secret, and even help you solve the problem of the true qi in your body.”

“I haven’t asked you yet,” Jing Hengbo turned to stare at him. “Why did you help me the moment you saw me? Don’t give me any ‘love at first sight’ nonsense – my IQ is normal.”

Under the dawn light, she saw Long Yin’s features clearly for the first time. That man was not young, yet his features were still like a painting. The faint lines at his eyes added a few traces of mature masculine desolation and vicissitude. Like mottled green bamboo bearing clear dew, like autumn birch forest with golden leaves on the ground – a kind of beauty that was dim yellow yet warm.

The unique charm of a man who had seen through all worldly affairs.

Long Yin was also gazing at her, strange lights flickering in his eyes. After a long while, he slowly extended his hand to her.

“Because I need you.”