The woman said, “This is Penglai Valley. You probably haven’t heard of it. It’s in the ten-thousand-zhang deep ravine of White Deer Plains. Our ancestors have lived here for generations. My surname is Tan, and I am the master of this place.”

“Oh, so it’s Miss Tan. My apologies, my apologies.” Even in such an embarrassing situation, Lin Mubo still pedantically exchanged pleasantries with her, saying in confusion, “I remember there was an earth’s fury above, and after I lost consciousness, I came here. Could it be that during the earth’s fury I fell down from above and ended up in your ravine?”

“Sir is truly clever,” the woman laughed. “It was my household servants who dug you out from the ruins. You were very fortunate – you landed in deep snow and weren’t hurt. Our climate here is hot, so the snow melted quickly. That’s why you didn’t freeze to death and escaped with your life.”

Lin Mubo nodded gratefully and said, “In that case, Miss is truly my great benefactor. If it weren’t so inconvenient right now, I really should perform the grand ceremony of kowtowing to you.”

Hearing this, Qing Xia was almost angry enough to vomit blood. Here he was, captured and bound up like this by others, and he still wanted to perform the grand kowtow ceremony. What a blockhead.

“But since you saved me, why did you tie me up? Looking at Miss’s fairy-like countenance, you really don’t seem like a bad person. Could it be that your family has such unique customs, using such distinctive methods to entertain guests?”

If these words had come from anyone else’s mouth, they would definitely be sarcastic, but coming from Lin Mubo’s mouth, they seemed so sincere and heartfelt. The woman was young with a mild temperament, and she actually explained unhurriedly, “No, we don’t have such customs here. Could there really be such methods of entertaining guests outside?”

Lin Mubo quickly shook his head and said, “I don’t know either. I was just guessing wildly.”

“Oh.” The woman nodded and laughed softly, “Don’t laugh at me. I’ve just never been outside before, so I’m very curious about the outside world.”

Lin Mubo was stunned upon hearing this and asked in confusion, “Has Miss really never been outside? Have you always lived in this ravine?”

“Yes,” the woman said cooperatively, “I grew up here with my family since I was small. After father and mother passed away, I stayed here with the household servants. He was the first outsider I’ve seen, and you’re the second.”

Lin Mubo nodded and sighed, “That’s truly a pity. However, this place is like a paradise, and it’s indeed a good place for composing poetry and viewing paintings.”

Chu Li and Qing Xia, hiding in the chest, were almost exploding with anger. That wooden block outside was chatting away like old friends. If not for fear of the at least fifty or sixty guards stationed outside the door, Qing Xia would have already rushed out to give this bookworm a good beating to vent her anger.

After rambling for ages, Lin Mubo finally gained some awareness of his situation and asked with furrowed brows, “But Miss, even if I entered your territory without your permission, you shouldn’t keep me tied up like a criminal. I am the Grand Minister of Nan Chu’s Privy Council, entered the Palace Academy, thirty-sixth class scholar, with several generations of clean ancestry. I am definitely not a bad person.”

“I also know you’re not a bad person, but I cannot make decisions about this matter.”

The woman sighed deeply and said, “I made a terrible mistake, and now there’s no turning back. Fortunately, Heaven doesn’t abandon people completely – your master isn’t here, so you escaped disaster. It’s just a pity I’ve harmed you. He’ll be back soon. You should eat something first, and when he returns, I’ll plead for you.”

Just then, the sound of knocking on the door suddenly came. The woman panicked, quickly covered Lin Mubo’s face again, stood up and said, “Who is it?”

“Miss, it’s me.”

A low male voice suddenly rang out. The young woman relaxed upon hearing the voice and said, “It’s Tan Sheng. Come in.”

Brown robe hem, gray boots – the man’s calves were very long, indicating he must be quite tall. The man called Tan Sheng bowed to Miss Tan and said in a deep voice, “Young Master has returned with his men from White Ape Ravine. He didn’t find the Great Emperor of Nan Chu, but discovered that a nest of white ape beasts had been killed there, and there were traces of fire in the cave. It seems they didn’t die.”

The two people in the chest were shocked upon hearing this. Who exactly were these people? Why did they know about their whereabouts, and why were they searching for them? This Penglai Valley was mysterious and unpredictable, seemingly hiding enormous conspiracies and mysteries that were difficult to see through.

The woman seemed relieved as she said repeatedly, “Heaven be praised. I hope they can turn misfortune into fortune, otherwise my sins would be great.”

Tan Sheng said in a deep voice, “Miss, if Young Master heard these words, he would be displeased.”

The woman was stunned and slowly sighed, “How could I not know? But I truly don’t want to harm people anymore. Father said long ago that the gunpowder the Master left behind would have great use in the future. Using it for private vengeance like this, creating natural disasters and large-scale slaughter – it harms Heaven’s harmony and is truly inappropriate.”

Qing Xia was immediately shocked and suddenly turned to stare intently at Chu Li, who was also frowning tightly. Could that earthquake have actually been created by this seemingly frail and delicate woman? Could such powerful explosives have already been produced in this cold weapons era? The unease in Qing Xia’s heart grew larger, with no clues at all, everything in chaos, preventing her from grasping what she wanted.

Tan Sheng frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and said in a deep voice, “But Miss, even if Young Master doesn’t succeed this time, he’ll think of other methods. We’re already involved – can we still escape?”

The woman was slightly stunned. After a long while, she said softly, “His heart is full of hatred – where is there a place for me? I wanted him to accompany me in a carefree life at the bottom of this valley for the rest of our lives, but I’m afraid that’s impossible now.”

Tan Sheng slowly took a breath, as if making a great decision, and said in a deep voice, “Miss, actually…”

“Miss! Uncle Meng is back.”

Chaotic footsteps suddenly came from outside the door. Tan Sheng was startled and stepped aside. The main door opened, and Uncle Meng entered the hall, bowing to the woman and saying, “Miss, Young Master just sent someone back to report that the stone guardians in the Secluded Path have been destroyed, and two Fire Birds have died. Those two people must have already entered the valley.”

“What?” Miss Tan was greatly shocked and exclaimed, “They’ve already entered the valley? Where are they?”

“Miss need not panic. They don’t know the paths. Outside the estate there are twenty-eight ground traps, seventeen cloud locks, and countless mechanisms and snares. Even if they had three heads and six arms, they couldn’t get in. Young Master is now leading the valley’s able-bodied men to search outside the valley and will return late. He asked me to notify Miss to activate the mechanisms, seal the Secluded Path, and not let them escape again.”

Miss Tan slowly sighed and said, “I understand. You may withdraw.”

Uncle Meng and Tan Sheng withdrew together. Miss Tan sat in her chair, sighed deeply, said nothing more, and sat in a daze. Qing Xia and Chu Li lay in the chest, not daring to move. For a moment, the great hall was deathly silent.

This chest was extremely long and narrow. The two lying flat inside didn’t feel too cramped, but it wasn’t wide enough, so Qing Xia was essentially lying on top of Chu Li. Earlier, when concentrating on listening to the movements outside, she hadn’t felt much, but now that it was quiet and they were looking at each other, the atmosphere immediately became awkward.

The temperature grew higher and higher, making the chest increasingly stuffy. Qing Xia’s forehead slightly perspired, sweat slowly sliding down her fair neck. Her eyes were like stars, dark and sparkling, her nose delicate, her lips cherry red, her small ears crystal white and translucent like transparent porcelain. With perspiration glistening and several strands of hair sticking to her cheeks and neck, combined with her black tight-fitting outfit that accentuated her exquisite figure, she had a particularly charming and alluring appearance.

Qing Xia’s hands supported herself on Chu Li’s chest, her head slightly raised, ear tilted as she carefully listened to sounds outside, her gaze sharp and alert like a small leopard.

Chu Li’s breathing gradually became heated, as if two flames were constantly transmitting from Qing Xia’s tender white small hands into his chest, igniting the fire within his body and building up an irrepressible impulse.

His breathing by her ear became increasingly heavy. How could Qing Xia not know? She could only pretend not to care while listening to movements outside, breathing shallowly, forcing herself to endure this unspeakable embarrassment. Chu Li’s body gradually heated up, and even her own clothes were soaked with sweat. The clothing stuck to her body, making her figure even more prominent and seductively attractive. Her soft chest pressed against Chu Li’s muscular chest, both their heartbeats almost synchronized. In the deathly silence, they could actually hear their hearts beating rapidly like drums. Qing Xia’s hair fell across Chu Li’s face, strand by strand caressing his skin like mischievous children.

Qing Xia’s hands firmly supported her body, but as time passed bit by bit, her arms became sore and numb. Sweat gradually slid down, flowing across her cheeks, past her nose tip, and dripping onto Chu Li’s face. She was obviously about to be unable to hold on.

Chu Li frowned, and his strong palm suddenly moved up, tightly grasping Qing Xia’s slender waist. His five long fingers pressed firmly against Qing Xia’s elastic waist without an ounce of excess flesh. Qing Xia frowned tightly, wanting to struggle but afraid of being discovered by the people outside. She could only awkwardly turn her head away, unwilling to face this embarrassing situation.

Sand in the hourglass slowly poured down, but Miss Tan showed no sign of leaving. The great hall remained deathly silent, and even Lin Mubo, who was a prisoner, seemed to have fallen asleep. Only in the pitch-black chest, amid the stifling heat, two heated bodies were intertwined together, with an awkward and intimate atmosphere slowly rising.

Chu Li gazed at the woman so close at hand and could no longer restrain himself. He suddenly slowly raised his head, and a warm kiss landed on Qing Xia’s crystal-clear earlobe.

Like an electric current instantly surging through her entire body, Qing Xia’s whole body shuddered. She suddenly turned her head, her eyes pitch black, looking toward Chu Li. But just as she turned her head, her cherry-red lips were suddenly captured by Chu Li. Wild and fierce breath instantly surged into Qing Xia’s body. His domineering tongue probed into Qing Xia’s cherry lips but was blocked outside her shell-like white teeth, forcefully drawing in the fragrance from her mouth like a storm that ravaged heaven and earth, carrying the dark energy that could destroy everything. Qing Xia’s mind instantly went blank, her entire body stiff as a statue.