Chapter 190: Target Wan Yao Gu

"Father, I'm fine." Qin Yueyao shook her head, her expression complex.

The crisis was temporarily resolved, but the atmosphere within Quiet Thought Garden remained solemn.

Qin Yueyao drew a deep breath, suddenly turning sharp, she glanced around at the trusted aides who had previously been in charge of guarding the courtyard, and said in a cold voice: "For Black Judge to find this place so precisely and to act before I activated the formation shows there is a traitor among us!"

Her tone was icy, each word like an icepick piercing everyone's ears.

The maid Xiao Cui, who had earlier led Zhang Jun and Lin Xue inside, now trembled with fear, kneeling on the ground and kowtowing repeatedly: "Miss, spare my life! I am not a servant! I am loyal to you, Miss!"

Qin Yueyao did not look at her, but fixed her gaze on a middle-aged guard who had previously stood in the corner, remaining silent.

"Steward Liu," Qin Yueyao said slowly, "I remember that the defensive layout of Quiet Thought Garden is known only to you and me. Black Judge and his men seem to know the weaknesses of this formation inside out."

The guard called Steward Liu's face changed drastically, his eyes flickering, just about to speak.

Qin Yueyao gave him no chance, waving her hand: "Seize him!"

Several loyal Qin clan guards immediately stepped forward, firmly pressing down Steward Liu.

Seeing the situation exposed, Steward Liu's face turned ferocious as he snarled: "Qin Yueyao! You betray the Supreme One, you will come to no good end! The Supreme One will sooner or later rule the world, and you ants will all turn to dust!"

"Gag him!" Qin Yueyao spat out a trace of disgust, shouting sternly: "Take him away, subject him to strict interrogation! I need to know exactly how many secrets he leaked!"

The disturbance temporarily subsided.

Within Quiet Thought Garden, only Zhang Jun, Lin Xue, Qin Yueyao, and Qin Boyan remained.

The Shennong Cauldron's green light column still enveloped the annex, emitting a soothing aura.

Qin Yueyao looked at Zhang Jun and Lin Xue, a bitterly complex smile appearing on her face.

She again took out that jade slip from her bosom, solemnly handing it over: "The information inside is absolutely true. The Supreme One has a secret base in the suburbs of the capital called Wan Yao Gu."

She paused, lowering her voice further: "There, it is not only one of his important hiding places, but it may also conceal the crucial node for activating the Nine Netherworld Devouring Soul Grand Formation, or rather, the hub controlling certain earth vein points."

"However," Qin Yueyao's expression grew exceedingly grave, "that place is heavily guarded, with experts as numerous as clouds; according to what I know, there may even be core figures of the Shadow organization stronger than Black Judge and Ink Raven Envoy stationed there. If you go, you will be entering a dragon's pool and tiger's den, with nine deaths out of ten."

Within Quiet Thought Garden, the Shennong Cauldron's green light gradually waned, leaving only a faint afterglow.

The four sat around the stone table, with Qin Yueyao's brought jade slip spread out.

Qin Boyan's voice carried a hint of age: "Wan Yao Gu... I seem to have heard this name in my early years. Rumor has it that place is filled with miasma, its terrain treacherous, rarely visited by people—yet it turns out to be the nest of the Shadow organization."

Lin Xue's fingertip lightly traced the map lines on the jade slip. This was a more detailed map of the capital's suburbs than the one in Qin Yueyao's study secret room, with Wan Yao Gu's location marked in bright cinnabar, surrounded by dense tiny annotations recording patrol routes, whistlepost placements, and even known mechanisms and traps.

"The jade slip says Wan Yao Gu is not only the Supreme One's base, but may also hide a strange device called the Heart of the Earth Vein Stabilizer." Qin Yueyao spoke, her brow furrowed with worry, "This thing is likely what the Supreme One uses to control the capital's earth vein power, the key piece for setting up that Nine Netherworld Devouring Soul Grand Formation."

"Heart of the Earth Vein Stabilizer?" Zhang Jun muttered the name once; just hearing it sounded like no good thing.

"If we can find it, destroy it, or at least learn its details, perhaps we can break the Supreme One's scheme." Lin Xue quickly grasped the point.

Qin Yueyao nodded: "Exactly. But Wan Yao Gu is full of mechanisms, experts as numerous as clouds, with figures stronger than Black Judge and Ink Raven Envoy stationed there—no empty talk. If we force our way in, we..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was clear.

"Yueyao, what do you mean?" Qin Boyan looked at his daughter.

Qin Yueyao drew a breath: "Father, although our Qin clan has suffered great losses, our foundation remains. I think we should combine the Qin clan's remaining strength to create a disturbance on the outskirts of Wan Yao Gu, drawing as much attention from the Shadow organization as possible."

"Then, Zhang the young hero and Lin the young lady will take the opportunity to sneak into the core of Wan Yao Gu to seek the Heart of the Earth Vein Stabilizer."

This plan is bold, and it is currently the only method with a slight chance of success.

Zhang Jun looked at Lin Xue, and Lin Xue was also looking back.

"Alright, let's do it." Zhang Jun hammered the decision.

At that moment, a voice from outside the secret chamber came from the confidant of Third Master Liu, bringing new news.

"Third Master sends word," the attendant outside the door said respectfully, "The Capital Medicinal Alliance has been active lately after Black Judge suffered two setbacks. Old fox Gu Songnian is secretly contacting several other medicinal families in the capital, his attitude unclear, seemingly hoping to profit from the chaos."

"The Medicinal Alliance..." Zhang Jun snorted, having no fondness for that old fellow Gu Songnian.

"Moreover," the attendant continued, "those branch lineages of the Lin family that had been suppressed before are now also restless, as if they have received support from some mysterious force, showing signs of wanting to stir up trouble in the capital."

Lin Xue frowned slightly upon hearing this. The clownish branches of the Lin family would eventually be dealt with—I never expected them to come out and cause trouble at this critical juncture.

The situation in the capital is more complicated than they had imagined.

Seeing off the attendant, the several people redirected their focus back to the plan for Wan Yao Gu.

Zhang Jun and Lin Xue, based on the information from the jade slip, began preparing various tools for infiltration, stocking up on detox pills as well—just hearing the name Wan Yao Gu tells you it's no good place.

Lin Xue further organized the preliminary insights she had gained from resonating with the Shennong Cauldron, as well as the fragmentary Medicine Sect ancient prescriptions mentioned in the jade slip given by Qin Yueyao.

She discovered that among them were several obscure prescriptions specialized in countering yin evil toxins and certain rare miasmas, which might prove very useful for this trip to Wan Yao Gu.

While studying the ancient maps and the jade slip's information, Zhang Jun's Yang Jade in his palm and Lin Xue's Yin Jade in her bosom unexpectedly warmed slightly in unison, producing an indescribable sensation toward the direction marked for Wan Yao Gu on the jade slip.

That sensation suggests that within Wan Yao Gu there is something that shares a deep connection with the Medicine Sect's heritage and these two jade pendants.

"It seems Wan Yao Gu is a place we must go to." Zhang Jun rubbed the Yang Jade in his palm.