Chapter 409

Qilin didn't knock, just shoved the door open and entered; he felt awful, while Mu Yuanzhi was faring much better. He surmised that the deeper one's internal force and the higher one's martial arts, the more severely the toxin's disturbance affected them.

The dazed Qilin didn't notice anything amiss; normally when he shouted that loudly, the monk would have heard and started mocking him, but today he had burst in and still heard no reply from the monk.

He pushed the door open and saw the monk sitting cross-legged on the bed, cultivating and regulating his breath, his forehead slick with cold sweat.

"What's wrong?" Qilin hurried over.

Mu Yuanzhi: "Could it be that even the great master has suffered too?"

"Hey! Yuan Yan!"

In his haste, Qilin forgot that disturbing someone's cultivation could easily cause a venous backflow.

Mu Yuanzhi hurried to pull Qilin back, warning him: "Don't rush; be careful not to interrupt the master's cultivation."

Qilin hastily nodded, about to find a stool to sit, when he saw the monk already open his eyes, rise from the bed, and say: "Amitabha, I momentarily let my guard down and fell for a scheme, Andluo—how interesting!"

"Still interesting? Did your formation fail too?!" Qilin felt another wave of dizziness from his agitation.

The monk grabbed him and pressed him to sit on the bed: "It failed for a while, Amitabha; though I've tried to make up for it, I fear the intruders have already come up the mountain."

Qilin felt his head buzzing: "Where is Gu Rongjin?"

Mu Yuanzhi bit her lip: "I estimate he's not up in the valley..."

Otherwise, with Gu Rongjin's keen perception, he would already be here.

Qilin, unable to sit still even for a moment, said: "I have to go check!"

"Let's go together," the monk said.

"No, who will look after my senior sister?"

"No need to look after me; I'm just a bit dizzy, it's fine."

Qilin nodded: "Then stay close to us—what about the two little ones?"

"They're with Pei Si, and Cao Cixiu is there, so they should be safe," Mu Yuanzhi said, "but I still can't relax."

"It's fine; we brought the little ancestors with us."

Cao Cixiu's voice sounded from outside the courtyard.

Hearing that, Mu Yuanzhi breathed a sigh of relief; they met outside and discussed their plan.

"What should we do now?" Cao Cixiu asked, showing not a hint of urgency.

The monk turned to Cao Cixiu, curious: "I noticed the poisonous gas seems to be emanating from your Mysterious Palace; why are you unaffected?"

"I'm a coffin kid."

Who knows if it's just an excuse, but he loves saying that.

"And your prince?" Mu Yuanzhi asked.

"He fainted," Cao Cixiu said.

Qilin: "He fainted and you're still grinning? You don't seem as loyal as you appear..."

"Fainting isn't bad; it saves me from worrying, and I still have to bring the kids along," Cao Cixiu said, shaking the little ones he held in each hand.

The two siblings seemed to know the crisis at hand; they stayed quiet, not arguing or asking anything, just behaving honestly—aside from calling for their mother and uncle when they arrived, they also asked where their father had gone.

Qilin was still speechless: "Aren't you afraid your prince will be seized as a hostage? Just leaving him alone with two dangerous individuals in the same room?!"

"If you were Andluo, would you seize Pei Si? What use would threatening him be? Is he after me?" Cao Cixiu countered, "After all this effort, the target is surely you lot!"

That made sense; there was no rebuttal.

"Besides, I didn't leave him in the Mysterious Palace; I found a cool spot to settle him."

Gu Yuantong raised his hand: "I know! It's a pig..."

Before he could finish saying "pen," his sister covered his mouth, the reason being that the pigpen was her suggestion and also nearby safety.

Everyone instantly understood, then fell silent.

"Why is there poison gas in the Mysterious Palace? What are you doing in there?!" Qilin demanded.

Cao Cixiu: "If I'm not mistaken, the source of the poison should be Xiao Yichen; he's likely a human vessel."

Mu Yuanzhi: "You mean the poison is hidden in his body and you accidentally triggered it?"

"Princess, you really hit the nail on the head—exactly so." Cao Cixiu rubbed his nose, a bit embarrassed, though he didn't seem to be reflecting.

Monk: "This Andluo really left nothing to chance; he's smarter than I imagined."

"Bald donkey, quit praising him! Are you eyeing him now, wanting to defect over?!" Qilin hadn't forgotten that this person had previously defected to their side precisely because he found them interesting.

"Don't worry, I won't." The monk patted Qilin's shoulder to soothe him, "This is merely a rational compliment."

"Rational or not, I'm going mad!" Qilin knew without going out that the valley was surely a mess now; he hoped Qiao Chu could hold out temporarily, as they still hadn't figured out a plan.

"This kind of poison gas alone shouldn't have such a big effect; I suspect it's interacting with the local miasma, and..." The monk glanced at Cao Cixiu, "... and what Cao Cixiu fed Xiao Yichen."

At that moment, a signal flare exploded in the air.

"Enemy attack, they've already stormed up!" Qilin lunged to run, but he couldn't mobilize his energy at all, nearly choking on his breath and almost fainted.

"Don't get agitated." The monk grabbed him and lifted them both into the air, flying away.

"Let's go too, Princess," Cao Cixiu said.

Mu Yuanzhi glanced at the two children, worried that bringing them meant swords would have no eyes, yet leaving them behind she feared they'd be captured by the enemy...

"Don't worry, Princess; since you promised my prince that after things are settled we'd become friends, I will certainly protect the young duke and the young heir."

Mu Yuanzhi nodded: "Then I'll entrust you, Lord Cao."

After they left the Mysterious Palace, several thousand of Pei Si's elite warriors seemed to appear from nowhere, instantly coming from all directions to await Cao Cixiu's command.

"There's nothing to say; upon seeing anyone from Cold Dew Stronghold, kill! No need to take them alive," Cao Cixiu said in a steady voice.

Issuing a death order is right; it avoids mishaps from trying to take prisoners alive, Mu Yuanzhi had no objection, and besides, facing someone like Andelu, even wanting to kill them isn't simple.

"Here!"

The elite warriors responded in unison, their momentum grand, reassuring everyone.

At the same time, down in the valley, Gu Rongjin and Pei Shangling were pondering how to cross the river.

There are no boats here right now, and the valley above is already unable to cope.

This river isn't huge, but it's not small either; crossing without a boat is somewhat difficult.

"Come on, Gu Rongjin, a little stream like this has you stumped?!!" Pei Shangling snickered, "Aren't you the omnipotent Frost Descent Chief?"

"Can't you use your brain? Even if I could get across, there are so many mechanisms in the valley; once triggered they'd be hard to deal with—I need to think calmly and find a way."