This was a cavern filled with stalactites. Just past the entrance stood a massive stone slab, used as a screen—one had to pass around this stone screen to truly enter the Ancient Music Cavern.

What left Ziqing and Jun Beiyue stunned was the enormous hollowed-out design at the center of that stone—unmistakably that same mysterious totem.

The Ancient Music Cavern was forbidden ground, naturally beyond Lord Bomiluo’s reach for gathering information, so Ziqing had no advance knowledge to draw on. At first, she’d been pondering why the cavern was called “Ancient Music”—wondering if it had some connection to the sacred hymns of the Earth King religion.

But the moment Ziqing saw the totem, an utterly chilling thought immediately surfaced in her mind—and it seemed Jun Beiyue was thinking the exact same thing. The couple exchanged a glance, both their faces going pale.

Quite a few people had come along, but none of the attendants—not even the eunuchs attending the Prince of Nanzhao—had followed inside. At this moment, only a handful of people stood at the cavern’s mouth: Ziqing and Jun Beiyue, Yelu Qianqian and Situ Haonan, the Empress of Eastern Qin and Xuanyuan Zhaoxi, along with the Prince of Nanzhao, the three clan leaders, and the Second Beast Young Master.

This totem was something that even someone of the Second Beast Young Master’s standing had never known about.

Only the Prince of Nanzhao, the three clan leaders, and the guards at Nanzhao’s northern gate knew that this totem was forbidden. And only the Prince of Nanzhao himself understood its true significance.

Yet in fact, aside from Yelu Qianqian, everyone else present already knew this totem was forbidden and held some secret.

Unfortunately, in the eyes of the Prince of Nanzhao and the three clan leaders, only Jun Beiyue and Han Ziqing were assumed to know about it—after all, they were the ones who had traveled together with Chu Feiyan and witnessed the totem being discovered on her.

Seeing Jun Beiyue and Ziqing’s reaction, the Prince of Nanzhao shot Jun Beiyue a meaningful glance. The message was clear enough—Jun Beiyue had summoned his secret agents into the palace the very night he’d arrived in the capital, and the Prince of Nanzhao had asked him to keep this matter confidential.

Jun Beiyue returned the look with a smile, signaling that he understood the gravity of the matter and wouldn’t speak carelessly about it—though inwardly, he sneered. If the Prince of Nanzhao knew the truth, would he drop dead on the spot from shock?

A totem of this style wasn’t particularly rare within the Nanzhao kingdom—setting aside that it was forbidden, anyone unaware of its significance would simply take it for an ordinary decoration. With Jun Beiyue’s smile, the Prince of Nanzhao’s mind eased considerably.

Aside from Yelu Qianqian, everyone else present was a master of deception, clearly noticing the totem at a glance, clearly shocked by it, yet all treating it as nothing more than ordinary decoration, following the Prince of Nanzhao and the three clan leaders around the stone screen, heading deeper into the cavern.

The guards had all been left outside the entrance. Guxi sat on a large rock nearby, sword resting across his lap, his mind entirely consumed with thoughts of Shiliang. His mistress knew nothing, but Prince Yao clearly had a complete grasp of everything—Shiliang being left behind must have had a purpose, especially having been assigned to guard Wuzheng specifically.

What on earth had possessed that girl Shiliang? Did she not stop to think—something as important as Wuzheng, was that really hers to guard?

Guxi’s handsome brow furrowed tight, looking like a little old man, and even though his heart was torn with countless regrets and helplessness, in the end, reason won out over feeling.

He was so deeply grateful to have met his lord, who had given both him and Shiliang an entirely new life. He’d even once imagined that he and Shiliang would spend their whole lives together, protecting their lord side by side.

But Shiliang had actually…

At this thought, a trace of sorrow crept silently across his otherwise clean-cut face, and his clear eyes suddenly welled up with tears.

He had to admit, in that moment when Prince Yao had said he wouldn’t forgive her, he’d felt a flash of impulse—to seize the chance to find Shiliang and flee far away with her without a second word.

But in the end, reason had still won out. A beggar who managed to survive was never a simple person, and a beggar who survived, once truly grateful for kindness shown, would surely repay it for the rest of their life.

He couldn’t leave. Whatever mistake Shiliang had made, he would atone for it in her place.

Guxi, still young after all, was so absorbed in his sorrow that he failed to notice one of the Empress of Eastern Qin’s guards among the attendants, watching him with cold, calculating eyes.

It was thanks entirely to this guard that the Prince of Nanzhao had been led to the Ancient Music Cavern at all.

Shiliang had revealed that the totem was connected to the Ancient Music Cavern, and though the Second Beast Young Master hadn’t managed to uncover anything himself, he’d known under what circumstances the Prince of Nanzhao would definitely visit the cavern.

This guard had simply been the one to instruct Chu Feiyan to extinguish the dragon-and-phoenix candles. And this guard was none other than Chu Tiange in disguise.

“So, not satisfied with just the woman, now you won’t let the boy go either?” the guard standing nearby, head lowered this whole time, murmured quietly—the guard disguised as one of the Empress of Eastern Qin’s own, who else could it be but Jun Beiyao?

The Ancient Music Cavern was their final, most crucial gamble here in Nanzhao—how could they possibly let it slip by?

“Just watching, that’s all. Shiliang is far more useful than this boy,” Chu Tiange said with a cold sneer.

“I disagree. This boy, young as he is, is a genuine prodigy in martial arts. Look at that physique of his—if he stays by Han Ziqing’s side a few more years, he’ll become someone formidable indeed,” Jun Beiyao goaded.

No one could understand the depth of his hatred for Han Ziqing. He wanted nothing more than for every single person around her to betray her—even Jun Beiyue himself, if it came to that.

To let her taste true despair!

The humiliation dealt to him beneath her had left Jun Beiyao utterly consumed by despair—his whole life ruined by that single kick.

Guxi had no idea these two men were watching him so closely, nor did he know that not far off, hidden in the shadows, Yingzi was surely watching him just as intently.

Meanwhile, inside the Ancient Music Cavern, Ziqing and the others walked deeper along the tunnel. Though the light inside was dim, Ziqing observed everything carefully—along the way, aside from that stone screen, she hadn’t seen any other totems.

Before long, a fork in the path appeared, with a stone tablet standing beside it, its inscription barely legible. There, Consort Qin had already been waiting for quite some time—undoubtedly, it was Consort Qin who had escorted Chu Feiyan here.

Ziqing couldn’t help but smile to herself—the Prince of Nanzhao really did know how to arrange people well.

The Prince of Nanzhao’s brow had remained furrowed with displeasure the entire journey, so the Medicine Clan leader naturally took on the role of spokesperson.

“Everyone, ahead lies the altar for listening to the sacred music. There are two paths here, leading to two different altars—the right path leads to the Yang Music, the left to the Yin Music…”

At this point, Ziqing was startled. Sure enough, men were to go right, women to go left—she and Jun Beiyue would have to separate!

Jun Beiyue tightened his grip on her hand, about to speak, but Ziqing gave a quiet, teasing laugh first. “Ahem, let’s see which of us stirs up trouble first.”

He hadn’t even needed to say it—Ziqing already understood this was both a scheme and an opportunity.

Jun Beiyue shot her a sidelong glance, about to say something, when Consort Qin finally lit the lamp herself. Just then, the inscription on the stone tablet beside them came into clear view, and Ziqing glanced over casually, only to see that it was…