In the room, Jun Beiyue stood tall and straight, his black combat attire lending his lean, finely honed frame an air of mystery and vigor. Standing before the mirror stand, he held his head high and proud, his long, elegant fingers fastening the collar of his robe, his handsome face utterly expressionless. Even the most casual gesture from this man carried an irresistible allure—countless women across the land would have gladly thrown themselves at him like moths to a flame, even at the cost of their own lives.
And yet, the woman lying on the bed had wasted this perfect opportunity entirely—curled up around her pillow, sound asleep.
Once fully dressed, Jun Beiyue turned to leave, but then paused and came back, carefully pressing a light kiss against Ziqing’s lips, the corner of his mouth curling into a doting smile before he finally departed.
Though it was already broad daylight, last night’s gathering had run all through the night, and Qinse Valley remained utterly still and quiet even now.
Jun Beiyue headed straight toward the zither platform. It was still early morning, and the tour of the Sea Valley that the two Qin-Se Elders had originally planned for the early morning had since been postponed to the afternoon.
Qinse Valley’s Sea Valley was, as its name suggested, a valley belonging to the sea—just as a mountain valley was a ravine within a mountain, a sea valley was naturally a ravine within the ocean itself.
At high tide, it was impossible to descend at all, so visits had to avoid both midday and midnight.
Jun Beiyue swept past the massive suspended zither platform and vanished instantly beneath it!
Beneath the platform lay a deep ravine, the entrance to the Sea Valley. Shadowed by the enormous platform above, even in broad daylight this shallow section of the ravine was cloaked in near-total darkness.
The deeper one went, the darker it became, until eventually one couldn’t see a hand in front of one’s face.
A dark shadow moved silently through the blackness. After some time, pinpricks of light began to appear below—not dim lamplight, but a pale white glow, the kind that could only come from luminous night pearls.
The sound of waves grew steadily clearer too. At the bottom of the ravine lay, surprisingly, a circular lake, its shores entirely lined with fine sand, like a beach.
Jun Beiyue landed without a sound, ducking behind a tree just as, not far off, two attendants approached from a distance.
He’d snuck in here twice before, staying each time for a considerable while, yet he’d never once encountered any guards.
But as these guards drew closer, he couldn’t help but startle in shock!
These guards were… Jiao people!
How could this be? The Jiao people were a race unique to the kingdom of Nanzhao—the Jiao clan occupied Nanzhao’s coastal regions, and though small in number, they held their own against Nanzhao’s third clan.
Jiao people, appearing here—and as guards, no less!
What connection could Qinse Valley possibly have with Nanzhao? He’d searched the entire Longyuan mainland and found only three leads pointing to the isolated island. Two of them were here on Liuxian Isle—one was the sacred fusang tree Ziqing had learned of from the old man of the Poison Den, and the other was this very Sea Valley of Qinse Valley! The third lead was Mingsha Mountain, in the kingdom of Western Jing.
The mystery of Ziqing’s origins, the cure for the Enchanting Incense—both were tied inseparably to that isolated island, and yet the island itself remained an utter enigma, with only these three seemingly unrelated leads to go on.
These Jiao people here had to have come from Nanzhao. The secret behind all this, the two Qin-Se Elders surely knew—but Jun Beiyue wasn’t foolish enough to try forcing an answer out of them directly. A dark, sinister flicker crossed his eyes as he prepared to move against the two Jiao guards—but just then, a sudden gust of wind swept past from behind him!
Who was there?
Jun Beiyue immediately pulled back, tilting his head up at once—the shift in the air current made clear that whoever it was had gone upward!
Someone skilled in wind-blade techniques was especially sensitive to shifts in air currents!
Moving this silently, this person couldn’t be from Qinse Valley. Who else could possibly have an interest in this Sea Valley?
Jun Beiyue gave chase at once, and within moments had cornered the figure in black at the ravine’s exit!
“Who’s there!” he demanded coldly, his voice carrying commanding authority.
The man snorted coldly and, without warning, swung his arm violently to strike, aiming to break free—but in that split second, Jun Beiyue made no move to dodge. Bone struck bone with a dull, heavy thud, the pain evident in the sound alone!
A flash of pain crossed the black-clad man’s eyes, but far more than pain, there was hatred. Jun Beiyue’s gaze remained just as icily composed as ever, and without warning he kicked out directly!
Thud! The man, caught completely off guard, was sent flying straight out of the ravine, landing hard atop the zither platform!
Jun Beiyue snorted coldly. In close combat, he’d only ever let Han Ziqing get the better of him.
His figure flashed past in an instant as he landed nearby. The black-clad man didn’t get up—blood seeped through his face covering, his internal injuries clearly severe. Without a word, Jun Beiyue leaned down to tear off the man’s mask—but just then, the man in black suddenly spat out a needle-thin spray of white mist!
Caught off guard, Jun Beiyue lurched backward at once. By the time he’d steadied himself and refocused, the man in black had already vanished without a trace, leaving nothing behind but wisps of white smoke curling in the air.
That white smoke carried an unusually pungent fragrance—Jun Beiyue immediately held his breath and retreated further, recognizing at once that this was clearly poison!
What a formidable opponent—able to spit poisonous mist straight from his mouth. This was no ordinary poison technique. Who could this man possibly be?
They’d be able to tour the Sea Valley again soon—if this man hadn’t shared some ulterior purpose just like him, why would he have taken the risk of trespassing into the Sea Valley at all?
The two Qin-Se Elders, however kind and benevolent they might be—tolerant even of someone as arrogant as Bai Feiyao—that hardly meant that violating Qinse Valley’s own rules and taboos would be so easily forgiven!
Though Jun Beiyue had held the upper hand in those last few exchanges, he still couldn’t be certain of the man’s true capabilities.
Because the man had never actually intended to fight him at all—he’d been fleeing the entire time. That kick just now might well have been deliberately taken, simply to create an opening for his own escape.
In truth, he wasn’t nearly as weak as he’d let on!
Who could he possibly be?
Aside from Chu Feiyan and Consort Yi’s faction, who else knew of Ziqing’s true origins? The poison technique Ziqing had displayed at the gathering—who knew how many people’s suspicions that might have already stirred up.
Thinking of this, Jun Beiyue’s brow furrowed, and he turned to leave.
Not long after, the two Qin-Se Elders arrived, landing on the zither platform. The Sea Valley was no ordinary place—inviting the entire gathering to tour it required careful preparation in advance.
“Ha, listening to the waves in the Sea Valley—this truly is the crowning highlight of the entire gathering!”
“Indeed. No melody crafted by human hands could ever compare to the sounds of nature itself. To think that in our lifetimes, we might finally invite the whole world to hear it together!”
…
Both elders looked positively radiant, brimming with excitement. Qinse Valley had always stood apart from worldly affairs, living simply and desiring little—when people came seeking medicine or treatment, they never charged a single coin, and their expenses were naturally kept modest as a result. Now, with the funds from the auction, this gathering would finally be spared any embarrassment of poverty—opening the Sea Valley had been the cherished wish of several generations of family heads before them!
“Ha, though it does pain the heart a little, handing over such a massive sum of silver to the Jiao people!”
“Wealth is just an外在 possession! Why dwell on it so much? Letting more people hear that glorious sound is still a great blessing in life!”
“Elder Qin, though this is certainly cause for celebration, the defenses down in the valley must be handled with great care, or else that secret…”
The Se Elder trailed off, catching sight of Xuanyuan Lige approaching from a distance.
“Don’t worry, this is the Jiao people’s job. Do you think we’d be paying them all that silver for nothing?” the Qin Elder said quietly, falling silent as Xuanyuan Lige drew near.
Xuanyuan Lige bowed respectfully, his face still pale.
“Why haven’t you rested more? You really must… well, you must take better care of your own health,” the Qin Elder said earnestly.
“Thank you for your concern, Elder. I’m fine now. I came specifically to ask if there’s anything I could help with, regarding the opening of the Sea Valley,” Xuanyuan Lige asked flatly.