Chapter 91: Labyrinth

The wooden boat entered the chute and arrived at a cavern filled with broken, decaying boats.

The ceiling of the cavern was inlaid with luminous nightstones, casting a faint green glow over the surrounding darkness.

The iron chains hooked to the boat retracted swiftly; Li Yuanling scanned the surroundings, seeing only floating rotting wood and shattered vessels, while the still water nearby shimmered with a thin layer of mist.

“What do we do next?”

Li Yuanling furrowed her delicate brows and turned curiously to look at Li Muxian.

Li Muxian, meanwhile, tilted his chin toward a stone stele standing at the edge of the cavern.

Following his gesture, Li Yuanling looked in that direction and saw several lines of glowing characters on the stele:

“This place is an underground water labyrinth. The labyrinth contains poisonous mists and subaquatic anomalies. Always protect your boat—damage to the boat will result in a deduction of ten to two hundred runes, depending on severity.”

“After this trial begins, the first to reach the end through the labyrinth gains twenty additional runes. Each six-sided copper coin engraved with the pattern of a ‘wooden boat’ found within the labyrinth also grants twenty additional runes.”

“The time limit for this trial is two hours. Any boat failing to reach the end within this period will have all accumulated runes erased.”

…

After reading the rules of the third trial, Li Yuanling smiled faintly and sneered:

“This final trial seems simple enough—just finding copper coins. It might require a bit of luck.”

At that moment, Li Muxian, seated across from her, spread his hands and said:

“Since my sister is so confident, I’ll leave everything to you from now on.”

Hearing this, Li Yuanling’s smile froze instantly. She turned to look at Li Muxian, her eyes darting.

Then she sat down on the soft stool beside him, bringing a waft of fragrance with her.

She reached out her slender, jade-like hands and tugged at Li Muxian’s sleeve, smiling playfully:

“Why would I need to lift a finger? I have such a powerful elder brother—getting through this final trial will be effortless.”

Hearing this, Li Muxian narrowed his eyes and warned her:

“Let me be clear—I have a terrible sense of direction. I can’t guarantee I won’t drift us into some obscure corner of the labyrinth.”

“Huh?”

Li Yuanling’s grip on his sleeve stiffened. She frowned and said:

“Then what should we do?”

Li Muxian said nothing. At that moment, from the chute behind them, wooden boats began to drop one after another into the cavern.

Once all nine boats had arrived, the stone-and-wood chute groaned as iron wheels turned, slowly retracting and vanishing.

The occupants of the boats glanced around the cavern, read the stele’s rules, and then a deep voice echoed from above:

“The final trial begins. All guests, propel your boats toward the labyrinth’s end.”

As the words faded, wisps of smoke suddenly emerged from the crevices of the green stones, spreading rapidly through the entire cavern.

“Beware—the mist is poisonous. Hold your breath and shield your body with martial qi.”

Someone on one of the boats called out a warning. Soon, all ten boats were shrouded in hazy smoke, their outlines blurred and indistinct.

Not long after, the sound of oars parting water emerged, and one by one, boats began gliding deeper into the cavern, propelled by martial qi.

“Aren’t we going?”

Li Yuanling covered her nose and mouth, her body shielded by martial qi to ward off the poisonous mist.

Li Muxian sat on the soft stool, his body showing no qi disturbance. He glanced at her and said:

“No rush. Let them scout the path first.”

Where no one noticed, fine threads of qi slipped from Li Muxian’s fingertips, sinking into the bodies of those aboard the boats within the mist.

As the boats advanced through the mist, the threads vanished into the cavern’s depths.

“Why has the young master stopped? Are you waiting for me?”

At that moment, a wooden boat drifted slowly from the mist and came to a halt beside Li Muxian’s vessel.

Han Meiyan stood gracefully in an ornate palace gown, her figure elegant, her features like a painted scroll. A few strands of hair fell loosely over her face veil, adding an unintentional allure.

Seeing her, Li Yuanling slightly frowned, but Han Meiyan cast a light glance and murmured, “What a lovely little sister.”

Li Yuanling felt as if spring breeze had brushed her heart, instantly warming toward the graceful woman, her frown melting away as she replied:

“We’ll set off soon. If you don’t mind, we can travel together.”

Hearing this, Han Meiyan fluttered her long lashes and turned to look at Li Muxian, her voice timid:

“Young master, may I truly travel with you?”

She gazed silently at Li Muxian, her eyes like deep autumn waters, shimmering with a soul-stealing radiance.

Li Muxian studied Han Meiyan, stroked his chin, and said:

“Miss, why do I get the feeling you’re being overly flirtatious?”

At these words, Han Meiyan, whose lips had just begun to curl upward, froze.

She stared at Li Muxian, narrowed her eyes, then lowered her gaze and sighed softly:

“Perhaps my rouge and common beauty, my humble form, simply don’t meet your standards.”

As she spoke, Han Meiyan straightened slightly, her curves full and graceful, her legs long and straight, her entire figure radiating a mesmerizing allure.

Her voice was as clear as water, yet like a melody plucking at the heartstrings, subtly luring Li Muxian’s desires.

For a moment, Li Muxian stared up and down at Han Meiyan, then slowly nodded:

“Where it should be full, it’s full. Where it should be narrow, it’s narrow. This figure is truly excellent!”

Then he offered her a suggestion:

"Miss, why not remove your veil? I'm not fond of misty beauty."

Hearing this, Han Meiyan froze again. Her gaze shifted as she studied Li Muxian for a moment.

Then she immediately shed her seductive demeanor, knelt in a shallow bow, and said:

“Young master, you truly are a man of unshakable will. I apologize for my earlier impropriety.”

Li Muxian raised an eyebrow, glancing at Han Meiyan and Zhang He on the boat, then asked:

“Are you both from the demonic sects?”

Hearing this, Han Meiyan and Zhang He exchanged glances, their expressions changing.

Zhang He quickly spoke up:

“Young master, you misunderstand. This is my distant cousin. She just arrived in the capital, and I brought her to Floating Boat City for a tour.”

Li Muxian nodded slightly and praised:

“Your cousin is quite beautiful.”

Then he waved his hand and said:

“Lead the way. This final trial is yours. I’m sure your abilities are sufficient to find your way out of the labyrinth?”

(End of Chapter)