Chapter 10

"However, that last Emperor had not yet had the chance to open the Tianqi Secret Treasury before the Great Qi dynasty fell, and the seven keys in his hand have since vanished without a trace."

Speaking of this, Cang Yin's moon-like eyes grew cold as she said:

"So, stop bothering me. A mere wooden box cannot possibly open the Tianqi Secret Treasury!"

Hearing this, Li Musheng sighed deeply and said:

"Alas, I knew things were not that simple."

He stuffed the wooden box into his chest, stood up, and approached Cang Yin, saying:

"However, Miss Cang, you know quite a lot. If I have any unclear matters in the future, I will ask you."

Having said this, he extended his fingers, preparing to unseal her acupoints.

However, halfway through, he suddenly stopped:

"You don't plan to knock me unconscious again, do you?"

"No."

Cang Yin replied calmly and quickly.

Li Musheng chuckled:

"I'm afraid you don't even believe those words yourself."

Cang Yin snorted coldly and said:

"As long as you cannot get close, I do not believe you can still strike my acupoints."

Li Musheng shook his head; this girl still had a stubborn temper.

After thinking for a moment, he suddenly spoke:

"Miss Cang, actually, I have a way to remove the tattoo on your face."

Upon hearing this, Cang Yin's expression changed imperceptibly, but she quickly returned to normal and said coldly:

"I do not believe it."

Li Musheng looked at her without speaking.

Cang Yin's gaze gradually dimmed, then she spoke to herself:

"The person who tattooed my face has already cultivated the 'Bone-Eroding Yin Wind Finger' to a state of perfection. What you see is merely the surface characters, but in truth, the characters have long been carved into the facial bones. Like maggots eroding bone, they cannot be removed in this life or the next."

Hearing this, Li Musheng flicked his finger, directly unsealing Cang Yin's acupoints, and said leisurely:

"Miss Cang, if you do not try some things, how can you know they are impossible?"

Sensing her acupoints unsealed, Cang Yin moved her now-functional hand; the next moment, her entire figure vanished from the spot, retreating backward like a ghostly shadow.

Quickly, she stopped before the old tree where she had stood earlier, facing Li Musheng from a distance.

However, they saw Li Musheng with his arms crossed, saying:

"Do not forget, I am the Seventh Imperial Prince lost among the common people. Every time you attack, you are committing an offense against a superior. When I restore my identity in the future, even the head of your Spy Bureau cannot save you!"

Cang Yin fell silent for a while; then, her upright body slowly leaned against the old tree behind her, saying:

"If you can truly remove that character on my face, when you face a life-or-death crisis, I will risk my life to save yours!"

"No need for that."

Li Musheng smiled and shook his head, extending one finger; after thinking, he added two more fingers and said:

"Miss Cang only needs to promise to fulfill three conditions for me."

Cang Yin's phoenix eyes narrowed slightly as she said:

"No problem!"

Hearing this, Li Musheng immediately showed a strange expression:

"So straightforward? Do you not fear I might propose some very excessive conditions?"

Cang Yin smiled coldly and said:

"If it is something I am unwilling to do, even death will not make me do it."

"You have backbone."

Li Musheng extended his thumb in praise, turned around, and sat down before the bonfire.

However, his mind was thinking about the Tianqi Secret Treasury; this also counted as a clue in his pursuit of transcending the martial arts. It was just that gathering seven keys gave him a headache.

"How will you remove this character on my face?"

At this moment, Cang Yin, standing not far away, spoke up voluntarily.

"We will discuss it when we reach Shangyang City."

Hearing this, Cang Yin stared at Li Musheng for quite a while; finally, she still spoke a single word, "Good," then leaned against the tree, closed her eyes to rest her spirit, and said no more.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, after resting for one night, the two continued riding horses to travel, heading for the Great Li Imperial Capital, Shangyang City.

At the beginning, Li Musheng was not in a hurry, riding leisurely, viewing the mountains and rivers along the road, finding a unique interest in it.

Regarding this, Cang Yin did not urge him; sitting on the horseback as if on flat ground, she cultivated her breathing and true qi while maintaining the same pace as Li Musheng.

After a few days like this, Li Musheng grew tired of the scenery along the road.

After all, mountain paths are not famous scenic spots; beautiful sights worth seeing are pitifully few. What was seen most on the road were trees and grass, along with a ground covered in dust.

Thus, he finally changed his slow pace and instead sped up to travel.

"Miss Cang, how many days until we reach the destination?"

Li Musheng did not know the way; along this journey, all the route maps existed only in Cang Yin's mind.

"If we travel day and night, we can reach Jingzhou in ten days; after that, traveling one more day will reach the Imperial Capital. Traveling at a normal pace requires twenty days."

Cang Yin replied expressionlessly, then teased:

"Actually, there's no need to be so hurried; after all, the true Imperial Prince is always the last to appear."

These words were the excuse Li Musheng had originally concocted to slow down the journey, and now they were returned to him exactly as they were.

To this, Li Musheng could only shrug and continue on his way with a sullen air.

Several more days passed in this manner, and the two of them, riding two horses, covered in dust, arrived at the borders of Chongzhou.

The journey had been somewhat dull, except for one encounter with a band of mountain bandits who ambushed the road; however, the moment that group showed their heads, Cang Cang Yin Yue eliminated them in an instant.

Aside from that, there was not a single ripple of disturbance.

According to Cang Cang Yin Yue, that band of bandits was an accident; the route she had chosen had been specially screened by the Secret Intelligence Bureau.

It deliberately bypassed dangerous areas and places with complex martial arts factions, making it the safest path with the least chance of complications.

This was also the reason why the journey had been so smooth, with basically no accidents occurring.

However, after entering Chongzhou, Cang Cang Yin Yue became noticeably more cautious; she did not practice breathing cultivation even once along the way, and was basically keeping constant watch on her surroundings.

Although Li Musheng understood that such a situation must have a cause, he did not know what it was, so he asked this living map and human version of the Great Li Encyclopedia.

"Miss Cang, what exactly is special about Chongzhou? You seem somewhat overly nervous."

Cang Cang Yin Yue did not speak kindly to Li Musheng; along this journey, for big or small matters, whether she knew them or not, the other party would ask her about anything he did not understand.

To be honest, she had become somewhat afraid of Li Musheng.

However, in the end, she still explained:

"Chongzhou has been unstable recently; according to secret reports from the Secret Intelligence Bureau, the largest martial arts factions within the province seem to be showing signs of going to war with each other."

"The place where we are now lies within the territory of a martial arts faction named the Yuxue Alliance; under these circumstances, they will inevitably guard every passable intersection."

"But this faction is neither wholly righteous nor wholly evil, and is not easy to deal with; it is better to avoid trouble than to invite it, so it is best to be cautious and try not to encounter them."

(End of this chapter)