"Yi Lingzhu?"
Gu Yefeng and the others were stunned. They were shocked, having never heard of an Yi Lingzhu before, and it wasn't marked on the treasure map they had seen.
At this moment, Gu Yi could no longer tend to the punch Bai Dongqing had landed. He quickly ran back to his room, took out the books he had brought from his bag, and intended to re-examine them thoroughly.
Outside the room, Yan Kuan poured another cup of hot tea for Gu Qianying and handed it to her, then stood before her, waiting for her to continue.
Gu Yefeng, on the other hand, seemed indifferent. His objective was to apprehend the eldest daughter of the Gu family and the young official of the Dali Temple, and to search for treasure under the guise of Yang Ze. In reality, he was only there to ensure his sister's safety and cared little for anything else, nor was he interested in knowing about any Yi Lingzhu.
He snatched the teacup from Duan Xifeng's hand, then pulled Yan Kuan aside. He personally guarded Gu Qianying from the front and then closed his eyes to rest.
Duan Xifeng scoffed, walked up to Gu Yefeng, and bumped him hard with his shoulder before entering the room. The moment he pushed the door open, he knocked over Nangong Li, who had been eavesdropping.
Nangong Li cried out in pain, but Duan Xifeng paid him no mind.
Meanwhile, Lu Zhu had knocked out Bai Dongqing with a palm strike and tied him to a tree. His plump body dangled from a branch, almost breaking it. Lu Zhu stood guard, waiting for him to wake up.
Before entering the house, Gu Qianying had instructed Lu Zhu to administer a slow-acting poison to Bai Dongqing.
Even if they wanted this person, they needed to make him obedient.
Yan Kuan followed Gu Qianying into the house.
The few of them sat around a round table. Before Gu Qianying could speak, Yan Kuan directly asked, "So, the Empress of Western Xia and the Emperor of Northern Ridge each hold half of a key?"
Gu Qianying nodded, "Yes, that's right. Furthermore, the people around Wu Yin Mountain have guarded it for generations, and what they guard is also something we must obtain."
"What is that?"
Duan Xifeng's demeanor changed, and he suddenly became serious.
Gu Qianying glanced at him, her expression unchanged. "The Imperial Qiong Ling Mountain map. Qiong Ling Mountain is surrounded by various formations and traps. To navigate safely, the Imperial Qiong Ling Mountain map is essential. This map seems to contain more than just routes; I'm not entirely sure what else is on it."
"But where did you learn all this? The map you showed us didn't mention any of this!"
Nangong Li, his nose still bleeding, walked over.
He was very suspicious of Gu Qianying's words.
How did this woman know everything? And where did she get this information?
"From my master."
Gu Qianying's reason was casual and simple.
But only she knew that she had overheard this from her father in the Gu mansion in her previous life.
At that time, she was completely infatuated with the scumbag Nan Rongqi and paid no attention to any treasures. She didn't realize then that she was already a pawn in Nan Rongqi's hands!
Yet, she remained naive and loyal, wholeheartedly helping the scumbag Nan Rongqi build his empire.
As she spoke, Duan Xifeng glanced at her, his expression somewhat unusual.
Gu Qianying paid no mind to Duan Xifeng's expression. She looked at the others and began to state her suggestion: "We are many. If we all stay here, we will be too conspicuous. Even if we disguise ourselves as local civilians, if we are captured by the Emperor of Xia, let alone go to Northern Ridge, our lives would be in danger. Therefore... we must split into two groups. Some will remain in Xia to cooperate in stealing the Yi Lingzhu, while the other group must go to Northern Ridge and infiltrate the Northern Ridge imperial palace to find a way to steal the other half of the key from the Northern Ridge Emperor. As for who goes and who stays, you decide amongst yourselves, alright?"
After speaking,
Gu Qianying stood up and ushered everyone out,
claiming she needed to rest.
Thus, inside the house and in the courtyard, Gu Yefeng, Du Chun, Duan Xifeng, and others got into a fight over who would stay and who would go to Northern Ridge.
When Bai Dongqing, who was tied to the tree, woke up and saw a group of people fighting, he shivered. He tilted his head and fainted again.
Meanwhile,
on a bustling street,
Gu Qianying, dressed as a man, walked through the crowd and entered a medical clinic. Upon seeing the clinic's apprentice, she produced the thumb ring that signified her identity as the sect leader of the Poisonous Doctor's Sacred Hall. The apprentice, upon seeing the thumb ring, immediately became respectful. "Greetings, Sect Leader."
"Have your hall master come out to see me."
"Yes, Sect Leader."
The apprentice scurried upstairs and returned with a tall, thin man in green, with high cheekbones and a slightly prominent nose, walking quickly down.
"Greetings, Sect Leader."
He had seen a portrait of the newly appointed sect leader. Therefore, even though Gu Qianying was disguised as a man, he recognized her.
The man dismissed everyone else.
Gu Qianying took out several portraits from her sleeve and handed them to the man, ordering him, "Have some of your people protect the people in these portraits from the shadows. No matter where they go, follow them discreetly."
The man took the portraits from Gu Qianying and unfolded them one by one.
He recognized everyone in the portraits.
Yan Kuan, the young official of the Dali Temple; Nangong Li, the Sixth Prince; Gu Yi, the Third Young Master of the Gu family.
"Yes, Sect Leader."
"Furthermore, issue an order to your subordinates that the medical clinics stationed in Xia must be properly regulated. Clinics are for treating patients, not for catering to the whims of the powerful and wealthy!"
On her way, she had seen some poor civilians bringing sick patients to the clinic for treatment, but the fees were astronomical for them. Because of this, she had seen several people die from illness due to their inability to afford the high consultation fees.
And in this city, from yesterday to today, she had observed that the clinics charging high consultation fees displayed the distinctive foreign signs of their Poisonous Doctor's Sacred Hall.
Upon hearing this,
the hall master's body trembled violently, a chill ran down his spine, and sweat beaded on his forehead.
The insiders had long heard that their new sect leader was very capable. Within the first few days of her ascension, she had eliminated all those who disobeyed, caused a stir in the capital, and disrupted the entire internal situation of the Eastern Victory Kingdom. Furthermore, when she left, she had almost angered the Ninth Prince Nangong Mo, who was known as the God of War in the Eastern Victory Kingdom. Such a formidable person made him truly fearful.
After leaving the clinic,
Gu Qianying sat at a small stall with great interest, drinking a bowl of tofu pudding.
Although Gu Yi, Du Chun, Yan Kuan, the young official of the Dali Temple, and others had voluntarily accompanied her, they had ultimately been lured by her.
All she could do was protect their safety.
While halfway through her tofu pudding, a man suddenly sat down beside her.
The man was dressed in a red robe with dark cloud embroidery. He sat directly opposite Gu Qianying, his narrow peach blossom eyes looking at her charmingly. "Aren't you going to buy me a bowl?"
Gu Qianying looked up, frowning.
Ouyang Qinglin?
How had he followed her?
"I don't have money. Please excuse me, sir."
She took out two copper coins from her person, placed them down, and stood up to leave.
A hand with well-defined bones suddenly grabbed her. "Leaving already? Won't you stay and keep me company?"
When Ouyang Qinglin grabbed Gu Qianying, he used some internal force, making it impossible for her to break free. She quickly produced two silver needles, preparing to retaliate.
Not far away, in a corner, a man with a half-silver mask on his face, his deep pupils filled with murderous intent,
emerged from the shadows. He walked up to Gu Qianying, drew his sword, and without a word, began fighting with Ouyang Qinglin.
Upon seeing the man wearing the silver mask, Gu Qianying was slightly surprised. She had never expected to see this strange man again here.
While the two of them fought, Gu Qianying retreated to the side.
Ouyang Qinglin was a wicked man, and many people wanted him dead. It was likely that the man wearing the silver mask was his enemy.
The stall owner, frightened, crawled under the table. Other vendors, some daring to watch the spectacle, others afraid, quickly packed up their stalls and hid. The crowd was somewhat congested.
Towards the center where Gu Qianying was, a pregnant woman, pushed by someone, fell to the ground, clutching her stomach and crying out in pain, "Help me, my child, help me, ah!"
Someone shouted for help, and it was a pregnant woman. This caused the crowded onlookers to turn their attention towards her, becoming even more congested.
Bright red blood flowed from beneath the woman, causing her cries of pain to intensify and her face to turn pale.
A figure suddenly blocked the woman's view, grabbed her hand, and said, "Lie down quickly and take deep breaths."