Chapter 91: Maze

The wooden boat entered the slide and arrived in a cavern filled with broken wooden boats.

The cavern ceiling was inlaid with night stones emitting wisps of phosphorescence, illuminating the surrounding dark space with a greenish glow.

The iron chains hooking the wooden boat retracted quickly. Li Yuanling glanced around, seeing only a pile of floating rotten wood and broken, damaged wooden boats, while the nearby still water surface rippled with a thin layer of mist.

"What should we do next?"

Li Yuanling frowned her beautiful brows and turned back to look at Li Musheng with curiosity.

Li Musheng merely nodded with his chin, signaling her to look at a stone tablet standing at the edge of the cavern ahead.

Seeing this, Li Yuanling looked in the direction he pointed, only to see several lines of phosphorescent characters glowing on the stone tablet:

"This place is an underground water maze. The maze contains poisonous fog, miasma, and underwater anomalies. Please always protect the wooden boat. If the wooden boat is damaged, ten to two hundred marks will be deducted based on the degree of damage."

"After this trial begins, the first person to reach the end of the maze will be awarded twenty additional marks. For every six-sided copper coin engraved with the 'wooden boat' pattern found within the maze, twenty additional marks will also be awarded."

"The time limit for this trial is two hours. Any wooden boat that fails to reach the end within this period will have all accumulated marks cleared."

After roughly finishing reading the rules of the third trial, Li Yuanling smiled lightly and said disdainfully:

"This final trial actually looks quite simple; it's just the so-called search for copper coins, which might require some luck."

At this moment, Li Musheng, sitting opposite, shrugged and said:

"Since my sworn sister is so confident, I'll leave everything that follows entirely to you."

Hearing this, the smile on Li Yuanling's face suddenly froze. She turned to look at Li Musheng, her eyes rolling.

Then, carrying a gust of fragrance, she sat down on the soft bench beside him.

She extended a pair of slender jade hands to grab Li Musheng's sleeve, speaking with a hint of coquetry and a smile:

"Where is there any need for me to act? With such a powerful sworn brother like me, passing this final trial is nothing but easy."

Hearing this, Li Musheng narrowed his eyes and threatened her:

"Let me state the ugly truth upfront: my sense of direction isn't very good, so I can't guarantee we won't end up in some corner of the maze."

"Ah?"

Li Yuanling, holding his hand, froze. Frowning, she said:

"Then what should we do?"

Li Musheng said nothing. At this moment, in the slide behind them, wooden boats one after another fell down, entering the rock cavern.

After all nine wooden boats arrived, the slide made of wood and stone slowly retracted amidst the rumbling sound of twisting iron wheels, disappearing from sight.

The people on the wooden boats glanced at the cavern, and after reading the rules on the stone tablet, a heavy voice sounded from above the cavern:

"The final trial officially begins. Please, esteemed guests, drive your wooden boats to the end of the maze on your own."

As the words fell, wisps of smoke suddenly rose from the greenish stone cracks, rapidly spreading throughout the entire cavern space.

"Be careful, this mist is poisonous. Hold your breath and use martial arts true qi to protect your body."

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

Shortly after, the sound of wooden boats parting the water waves emerged, and gradually, more and more wooden boats, driven by martial arts true qi, slid deeper into the cavern.

"Aren't we going?"

Li Yuanling covered her mouth and nose to ask, while her entire body was protected by martial arts true qi on her skin to avoid being corroded by the surrounding poisonous mist.

Li Musheng sat on the soft bench, with no fluctuation of true qi around him. He glanced at her and said:

"No rush. Let them scout the way first."

And in a place no one noticed, wisps of true qi threads shot out from Li Musheng's fingertips, falling into the bodies of the people on those wooden boats within the smoke.

As the wooden boats continued forward in the smoke, those threads also disappeared into the depths of the cavern.

"Why has Young Master stopped? Are you waiting for this young lady?"

Just then, a wooden boat slowly drifted out of the smoke and stopped beside the wooden boat where Li Musheng and the other were.

Han Meiyan stood gracefully in a magnificent palace robe. Her figure was graceful, her eyebrows and eyes like a painting. A few stray hairs hung casually over the light veil covering her face, subtly adding a touch of unintentional charm.

Seeing the other party, Li Yuanling frowned slightly, but Han Meiyan cast a light glance and said, "This younger sister is so beautiful."

Li Yuanling felt as if a spring breeze was blowing through her heart, instantly generating affection and closeness toward the woman with the graceful figure before her. Her brows immediately relaxed, and she said:

"We will leave shortly. If this older sister doesn't mind, we can travel together."

Hearing this, Han Meiyan fluttered her long eyelashes lightly, then turned her gaze to Li Musheng on the wooden boat and said timidly:

"This Young Master, may this young lady really travel with you?"

In an instant, she gazed silently at Li Musheng, her eyes like deep autumn water, flashing with soul-stealing, heart-snatching light.

Li Musheng glanced at Han Meiyan, rubbed his chin, and said:

"This Miss, why do I feel you are so flirtatious?"

Upon hearing this, Han Meiyan, whose lips had been slightly upturned, was instantly stunned.

She looked at Li Musheng, narrowed her eyes, then lowered her gaze and sighed softly:

"Perhaps this young lady's common rouge and willow-like figure cannot enter Young Master's eyes."

As she spoke, Han Meiyan straightened her body slightly. Her full, upright figure with beautiful curves and long, straight legs outlined a soul-stealing, heart-snatching charm all over her body.

Her voice was clear as water, yet like a melody that plucked the heartstrings, unconsciously and continuously tempting and bewitching Li Musheng's desires.

For a moment, Li Musheng stared at Han Meiyan up and down for quite a while, then slowly nodded:

"The parts that should protrude protrude, the parts that should recede recede. This figure is truly good!"

Saying this, he immediately proactively suggested to the other party:

"Miss, why don't you take off your veil? I am not a person who likes hazy beauty."

Hearing this, Han Meiyan was stunned again. Her gaze changed, and she stared at Li Musheng for a while.

Then, she immediately retracted her charm, bent her knees to perform a shallow bow, and said:

"Young Master truly lives up to his reputation as a person of firm will and disposition; this young lady was rude just now."

Li Musheng raised an eyebrow, glanced at the other party and then at Zhang He on the wooden boat, and asked:

"Are you two both from the demonic path?"

Hearing this, Han Meiyan and Zhang He exchanged a glance, and their expressions both changed.

At this moment, Zhang He hurriedly spoke up:

"Young Master has misunderstood. This one is my distant cousin; she only recently arrived in the Imperial Capital, and I specially brought her here to Floating Boat City for a look around."

Li Musheng nodded lightly and praised:

"Your cousin is quite pretty."

Then, he waved his hand and said:

"Lead the way ahead. This last trial I'll leave to you two. With your abilities, surely you won't fail to get out of this labyrinth?"

(End of chapter)