Chapter 345: Timely Rescue, Underground Encounter
“Wh-What’s going on—”
Mao Ruoyu was stunned and bewildered.
Thinking back, when they had just entered Qingcheng, she had indeed seen some guards patrolling the streets.
She had originally thought it was just a normal night patrol, maintaining order, but now it seemed…
…they were very likely searching for Shuya?
“Please calm down!” Cheng Yishi stepped forward to protect Mao Ruoyu, her expression calm: “We came from Xima Prefecture to visit relatives and friends. We just arrived tonight and haven’t seen Miss Hua, let alone harmed her.”
“No need for explanations.”
The guard in the lead approached them step by step and said in a deep voice: “No offense, ladies, but please don’t resist. If you’re truly unrelated to this matter, we will release you later.”
Seeing the carriage surrounded, Cheng Yishi bit her lip, her mind racing, but she couldn’t think of a suitable solution.
If explanations were useless, could she only resort to force?
“Whoa—!”
Just then, a horse galloped towards them, rearing up and neighing loudly, startling the guards, who quickly raised their swords defensively, thinking they were under attack.
“Stand down immediately!”
A cold and sharp female voice came from the horseback: “How dare you stop and detain Miss Hua’s close friends?! Do you want to be whipped?!”
“Who’s there?!”
The guards’ expressions changed drastically, and they were about to shout.
But the next moment, they recognized the figure on the horseback, it was Madam Tan’s personal maid, and they immediately fell silent, their arrogance gone.
The guard in the lead, embarrassed and flustered, quickly sheathed his sword and cupped his hands: “Miss Lan’er, we’re just following orders. The entire mansion is under strict surveillance, we have to be thorough, in case any villains are lurking in the shadows.”
“Do you dare say those words to the other young ladies and madams in the mansion?”
“But… their identities…”
“If you don’t believe their words, then you should at least believe Her Highness’s words.”
Lan’er dismounted gracefully, her long legs stepping out from beneath her skirt, her face cold as she took out a letter from her waist and tossed it to them: “Her Highness anticipated that there might be a misunderstanding, so she sent me to deliver this letter, proving their innocence and allowing these two ladies to enter the mansion safely.
With Her Highness’s guarantee, do you still have any doubts?!”
“This…”
The middle-aged guard quickly opened the letter, his expression changing as he read the elegant handwriting on the paper. He immediately sheathed his sword and bowed deeply: “Please forgive us, ladies, we inadvertently offended our esteemed guests, we are willing to accept any punishment. Please don’t blame the other brothers.”
This sudden change surprised Mao Ruoyu slightly, but she quickly smiled gently and waved her hand: “There’s no need to mind, it’s your duty to protect the mansion, it was us who were being rude and reckless.”
“Thank you for your understanding, ladies!”
The surrounding guards sheathed their weapons, cold sweat dripping from their backs, and bowed deeply, no longer daring to be presumptuous.
Lan’er waved her sleeve calmly: “Return to your posts, I’ll take care of these two.”
“Yes… But… Miss Lan’er, Miss Hua suddenly disappeared from the mansion today, please inform Madam, and ask her to be careful.”
“Alright, I understand.”
Lan’er nodded slightly and then turned to Mao Ruoyu and Cheng Yishi, gesturing: “Madams, please give me your luggage, and follow me into the mansion.”
…
The dim main hall was suddenly illuminated by the flickering candlelight.
Mao Ruoyu followed, but she didn’t have the mood to admire the beautiful mansion, her gaze fixed on the outside, her eyes flickering.
There were still many guards searching and investigating outside, all looking for the missing Shuya.
And listening closely, it seemed that Shuya wasn’t the only one who had disappeared, but she wasn’t familiar with the complex relationships within the mansion and didn’t know who else was missing.
“Miss Lan’er, thank you for arriving in time and resolving the misunderstanding.”
Cheng Yishi bowed slightly, her gaze serious: “But it seems Madam Tan already knew…”
“Her Highness didn’t know about Miss Shuya’s disappearance.”
Lan’er bent down and lit several oil lamps, murmuring: “But she vaguely sensed that something might happen in the mansion, so she sent me to help, and I happened to encounter you two being stopped, Madams.”
“I see.”
Cheng Yishi felt grateful, thinking that Madam Tan was truly thoughtful and considerate, a very likeable person.
Lan’er helped carry their luggage and continued: “This is a separate residence within the mansion, usually unoccupied, only cleaned regularly by the maids. If you want to rest, Madams, you can choose any room. No one will disturb you.”
Mao Ruoyu’s expression turned serious, and she whispered: “But with Shuya missing, and everyone in the mansion searching for her, how can I rest easy?”
“I understand your unease, Madams.”
Lan’er’s eyes flickered, and she said calmly: “But the situation is unpredictable, and we don’t know what exactly happened in the mansion. Please wait patiently, Madams, I’ll go and inquire, and then we’ll decide what to do.”
Mao Ruoyu sighed softly, suppressing her anxiety, and nodded: “Then we’ll have to trouble you, Miss Lan’er, after rushing here all night, you still have to run around the mansion.”
“As a servant, this is my duty.”
Lan’er curtsied and left.
Only the two of them remained in the spacious hall.
“How could… such a thing happen?”
Mao Ruoyu looked worried and uneasy, gently stroking Yun Yue, who was perched on her shoulder: “Sister Yun, can you sense Shuya’s aura in the mansion—”
“No.”
Yun Yue raised her eyes slightly and whispered: “If I had sensed Shuya’s presence, I would have told you. Just as those guards said, there’s no trace of her in this mansion.”
“Please calm down, Ruoyu, there’s no point in worrying now.” Cheng Yishi walked over, her face serious: “We can only hope that Miss Lan’er can gather some information and find Shuya soon.”
Yun Yue’s eyes flickered, and she mused: “And Miss Youluo seemed to have sensed something, she quietly left when you just arrived. With her abilities and intelligence, she should know something.”
Mao Ruoyu pursed her lips and remained silent, her mind racing.
Such a major incident had occurred in the mansion, everyone was on edge, but she didn’t know where the true master of the mansion… the old Zhengyang Prince… was, or what he was planning to do.
…
Boom!
A large number of rocks and debris fell to the ground with a loud crash, sending up a cloud of dust.
Lin Tianlu supported the young girl’s slender back with his arm, his other hand holding her legs, securely carrying the petite girl in his arms.
As the dust swirled, he covered the girl’s nose to prevent her from inhaling it.
“Mm…”
Shanghan was about to cover her mouth with her hand when she realized he had already done so for her.
Slightly stunned, she suddenly realized that she was being held like a baby, her arm and hip pressed against his firm and broad chest, a faint blush appearing on her delicate face, a strangely alluring sight.
“There really is a pre-dug tunnel here.”
As the dust settled, Lin Tianlu murmured.
Shanghan suppressed her shyness, glanced sideways, and saw a dimly lit tunnel ahead, stretching towards a dark and unknown end.
Just a glance, and a strange chill ran down her spine, as if something cold and slimy was crawling on her back, an eerie and unsettling feeling.
Shanghan whispered hoarsely: “Master, I have a bad feeling…”
“Don’t worry, I’m here.”
Lin Tianlu’s deep and magnetic voice echoed beside her ear, making Shanghan’s body tremble slightly. She bit her lip lightly, a warmth spreading through her heart like a spring, and she nodded obediently, her fear slightly subsiding.
At the same time, the young girl’s delicate hands, pressed against her chest, moved slightly, a faint light flickering, the image of the Void Heaven Map appearing faintly.
“We should hurry, Master, those people are moving again… They seem to be heading towards Qingcheng, only a few miles from the city.”
“Alright!”
Lin Tianlu was about to give chase when Shanghan suddenly exclaimed: “Master, stop!”
“Hmm?”
He stopped abruptly at the entrance of the tunnel and asked in surprise: “What’s wrong?”
“There seems to be a formation every half a mile in this tunnel, used to verify identities.” Shanghan’s face was tense, beads of sweat on her forehead: “There might also be other traps to repel intruders on the tunnel walls.”
“I see.”
Lin Tianlu smiled faintly.
If they alerted the enemy now, those people might have other ways to escape.
“Then I’ll just run a bit faster—”
“Th-There’s no need for that, Master, let me handle it.” Shanghan pursed her lips, her delicate fingers quickly forming hand seals, her movements precise and elegant.
Then, an invisible ripple flashed at the entrance of the tunnel.
“Let’s go!”
“Alright.” Lin Tianlu immediately entered.
“Please cooperate with me later, Master.”
Shanghan maintained her complex hand seals, leaning against him like a porcelain doll, her voice barely audible: “Whenever we encounter a barrier, please stop for a moment, and I’ll break it as quickly as possible. If you forcefully charge through and trigger the traps, Master, the entire tunnel might collapse.
Perhaps you wouldn’t be trapped underground with your abilities, Master, but if the terrain collapses, travelers and merchants passing by might be buried, even the inns along the way.”
“You’re very thoughtful, Miss Shanghan.”
Lin Tianlu chuckled and praised her, his steps not slowing down as he ran through the cold, damp, and dark tunnel.
Shanghan, no longer shy or playful, focused on maintaining her technique, the Void Heaven Map faintly visible on her fingertips, her eyes wide open as she stared ahead.
Crack!
Crack!
Crack!
One barrier after another was silently broken, their cooperation becoming even more seamless, almost without any pauses, their figures flashing through the tunnel like a blur.
Until—
The view before them suddenly opened up, as if the clouds had parted and the sun had emerged.
Lin Tianlu’s steps slowed, and he looked around, surprised to see a large amount of bricks, tiles, and mud piled up as if a massive structure was being built underground. Glancing around, he could vaguely see the outline of a palace in this vast, empty space.
But this palace, only its foundation laid, was deserted.
“Master, this is just a ‘node’.”
Shanghan, like a cat, shifted slightly in his arms and whispered: “There are eight tunnels branching out from here, leading in all directions, and other entrances and exits as well. Our target is the one in the middle, leading directly to Qingcheng.”
“Let’s chase after them and find out.”
Lin Tianlu frowned slightly: “Miss Shanghan, hold on tight, we’re going to speed up.”
“C-Can we go any faster?” Shanghan was stunned, her heart pounding inexplicably.
“Naturally.”
As soon as he finished speaking, their figures transformed into a streak of light, shooting forward, creating a gust of wind in the tunnel.
…
“—Ugh!”
After a moment of dizziness, the wind suddenly stopped, and Shanghan’s blurry vision gradually cleared.
As she touched her forehead and focused her mind, her delicate face froze.
Because she suddenly realized that she and Lin Tianlu were standing in a crowd of people, startling her.
“Wh-What’s going on?!”
The surrounding area was filled with people, both men and women, their expressions blank… No, it wasn’t blankness, but a true emptiness, devoid of life!
“Are these… zombies?”
Lin Tianlu glanced around: “Or just corpses?”
“I… I can’t sense any Yin energy flowing within them.”
Shanghan’s face turned pale with fright, her mind momentarily unable to process this: “And they’re also different from Yin corpses.”
“Amitabha——”
A low and hoarse voice suddenly echoed from afar, making her ears ache as if pierced by needles.
Shanghan’s heart tightened, and she instinctively looked towards the sound, seeing a thin and gaunt monk standing amidst the crowd, his hunched and withered figure instantly reminding her of that night.
“You two have intruded into our sacred ground, what is your purpose?”
The old monk clasped his hands together, his eyes lowered slightly, a calm and ethereal demeanor: “This is not a place for ordinary people.”
Shanghan opened her mouth slightly: “W-We…”
But the words caught in her throat. Looking at the old monk’s withered and grotesque face not far away, she felt her heart pounding erratically, unable to utter a complete sentence.
“Miss, let me talk to him, you should rest for a while.”
The gentle voice beside her ear calmed her trembling heart, and she nodded slightly, like a wounded animal, instinctively clutching Lin Tianlu’s clothes.
“—Alright.”
Lin Tianlu looked up and smiled faintly: “Master, it’s not very appropriate to threaten a young girl, especially for a Buddhist monk.”
“Although this girl is young, her thoughts are no different from a mature woman’s, she’s also a ghost practitioner skilled in Yin techniques, there’s no need to treat her like an ordinary child.”
The strange monk clasped his hands together and said hoarsely: “And I deliberately sent those incompetent thugs to drive her away, but instead of retreating, she came here, recklessly putting herself in danger. Such recklessness must be punished, so she can learn about the dangers of this world, she can’t be so careless.”
Lin Tianlu chuckled: “Master, aren’t you saying that you are the danger?”
“Indeed.”
But to his surprise, the strange monk nodded in agreement: “I don’t know her identity or background, but if she continues to meddle, I’ll have no choice but to make this girl ‘sleep’ and experience pain and regret.”
“You’re quite straightforward, Master.”
Lin Tianlu narrowed his eyes slightly.
With his emerald green eyes, he could faintly see through this person… no, this wasn’t a living person, but a true undead being, a demonic monk.
Decaying flesh and blood encased his soul, a profound and powerful mix of Yin energy and baleful energy swirling within. But unlike ordinary demons and ghosts, this strange monk had also cultivated an astonishingly vigorous blood and Qi, as warm as the sun. Yin and Yang intertwined, achieving a delicate balance and cycle, extreme Yin and extreme Yang merging and circulating, emitting a strange and hazy mist.
This level of cultivation was probably no less than that of a Savage Realm great demon.
“You have a keen eye, benefactor.”
The strange monk remained unmoving and suddenly said in a low voice: “But these eyes might bring you misfortune… Why don’t you just surrender with this girl and stay here quietly?”
As soon as he finished speaking, the old monk’s figure dissipated like a phantom, his strange aura vanishing completely.
Lin Tianlu was slightly surprised and was about to focus his senses to search for him when he suddenly felt a strange gust of wind behind him. He quickly dodged sideways.
Whoosh!
A calloused hand, infused with blood and Qi and swirling with Yin energy, suddenly reached out from behind him, striking the air with a deafening boom, like thunder exploding beside his ear.
“Oh?”
He spun and leaped away, quickly distancing himself from the attacker, and looked closely to see that the sneak attack had come from the dazed crowd standing nearby— It was the middle-aged man dressed as a farmer, his face still blank and empty, his hand frozen in a striking position like a puppet.
Bam!
Their fists and palms collided, a wave of energy exploding.
“So that’s your method.”
Lin Tianlu blocked the attack with his other hand and chuckled, turning around: “You look like a monk, Master, but your methods are quite sinister and underhanded.”
And behind him stood another young man, also in a striking position. But his heavy punch had been firmly blocked.
“As long as it can subdue you, benefactor, any method is acceptable.” The young man forced a stiff smile, his voice dry: “Every method in this world has its purpose, Yin and Yang intertwined, good and evil circulating, regardless of their power, they are all just tools.”
“Your words are quite profound, Master.”
Lin Tianlu smiled coldly, pushing him back, and glanced around, his eyes narrowing, to see that the hundreds of people present were slowly moving, as if being controlled, preparing to attack together.
Even a single “puppet” possessed incredible strength and speed. If these hundreds of people attacked together, their brute force alone would be enough to tear apart this underground palace!
However—
“Your method has a glaring weakness, Master.”
Facing the terrifying killing intent surrounding him, Lin Tianlu calmly pressed his palm downwards, and a torrent of spiritual energy descended like a landslide!
Instantly, the hundreds of people trembled, their backs bending, almost crushed to the ground!
Although they could still barely stand, they couldn’t attack, unable to even take a single step.
“A single force… can break it.”
“Amitabha.”
The strange old monk’s figure reappeared, slowly walking out from among the immobilized crowd, his body incredibly thin and gaunt, as if he would collapse at any moment. But his voice was as hoarse, low, and steady as ever.
“You truly possess extraordinary abilities, benefactor, but I have a promise to keep, so I can’t back down here.”
Lin Tianlu’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he asked: “Tell me, Master, what are you all plotting in this tunnel?”
“Talking is useless.”
The strange old monk slowly closed his cloudy eyes, his aura seemingly dissipating as if he had truly entered nirvana, leaving behind only his withered and decaying body, like a skeleton. His bony hands slowly clasped together, forming a Buddhist hand seal.
“In the end, we’ll have to settle this with our fists.”
“Since you want to spar, Master, I’ll naturally accompany you.”
Lin Tianlu extended his hand and chuckled: “But after we’ve determined the victor, I hope you’ll honestly tell me what kind of conspiracy you’re plotting against the Zhengyang Prince’s Mansion, and what your purpose is.”
But hearing this, the old monk’s expression suddenly changed, his eyes widening slightly, the surging aura around him stagnating, and he said hoarsely: “What do you mean by that, benefactor?”
The smile remained on Lin Tianlu’s face, but his thoughts raced.
—Something wasn’t right.
This old monk’s reaction wasn’t fake!
Just then, a shout suddenly came from afar:
“Old friend! Grandson-in-law! Stop!”
As soon as the voice fell, the withered old monk’s intertwined Yin and Yang energies instantly dissipated, and he unclasped his hands and retreated.
Lin Tianlu was also incredibly surprised and looked towards the voice. He saw an old man with white hair approaching swiftly, his clothes elegant and dignified, his figure tall and robust, his complexion healthy.
Landing lightly, the old man waved his sleeve and stroked his beard, saying in a clear voice: “Please calm down, Grandson-in-law, this conflict is a misunderstanding.”
Lin Tianlu asked hesitantly: “May I ask who you are, old man?”
“Hua Yanxing.”
The old man smiled boldly and frankly: “Shuya’s grandfather.”
Lin Tianlu’s lips twitched slightly.
This person… was Shuya’s beloved grandfather… Prince Hua Yanxing?
