Chapter 192: The Underground Palace

The Underground Palace built by the "Hero of the Age" Ouyang Ting can be roughly divided into two levels.

This Xiao Mimi had discovered the upper level of the Underground Palace.

In recent years, she had been living a Carefree and happy life in the Underground Palace, and had even kept many Male Concubines.

The commotion regarding the Emei Mountain Treasure Map was so great that she naturally knew of it as well.

She had caught a glimpse of Yu Liancheng's appearance and bearing from afar and could not help but be moved, wanting to take him as a concubine; yet, she had not expected that not only would she fail to succeed, but her identity would also be seen through by him, and at this moment, her only option was to flee.

Xiao Mimi unfolded her movement technique, unexpectedly skimming straight toward the direction of the cliff.

A sheer precipice—could it be that she intended to jump off the cliff?

However, she had only run a few zhang when a black shadow already blocked her path: "Miss Xiao, you are leaving a bit too hastily."

"I have urgent business, so naturally I must be a bit hasty."

Xiao Mimi giggled coquettishly and turned her body, but Yu Liancheng had already reached out a hand.

This reach seemed as simple as could be, but Xiao Mimi felt an unspeakable heaviness, and the scene before her eyes dimmed; Yu Liancheng's hand seemed to enlarge infinitely before her eyes, grabbing toward her as if to cover the sky and block the sun, and all directions had already been sealed off.

There was no retreat, and no way to avoid it.

At this moment, all the martial arts taught to her by her lovers had become useless.

The next moment, Yu Liancheng had already grabbed her shoulder.

Fortunately, Xiao Mimi still had her unique skill, a unique skill specifically used to deal with men.

"Ah, Young Master, you are hurting me."

Her voice was naturally gentle and charming, and at this moment, it held an indescribable sense of seduction, making one's bones soften by three parts just upon hearing it.

And as her pearly teeth bit her cherry lips slightly and she knitted her brows lightly, she displayed an appearance of extreme frailty, yet radiated a kind of soul-stirring, bewitching charm.

This "martial art" was very useful against men, but unfortunately, it had little effect on women.

Xiaoxiannv Zhang Jing had already rushed over, and seeing this scene, she waved her delicate hand.

Slap!

A slap had already landed on Xiao Mimi's face, and she could not help but be stunned: "You hit me?"

Slap!!

Another slap, and there were already clear palm prints on both of Xiao Mimi's cheeks.

Zhang Jing sneered and said: "You have already fallen into our hands, why can I not hit you?"

Xiao Mimi, however, suddenly sighed, as sorrowful as Xishi clutching her heart: "Little girl, are you afraid that I will snatch your man? Rest assured, I..."

Slap! Slap!

Xiaoxiannv drew her bow and, without the slightest courtesy, rewarded Xiao Mimi with two more slaps.

After finishing, she looked at her own palm and sneered: "An old hag like you needs to apply three jin of powder to your face just to cover up the wrinkles; do you think I am afraid of you?"

"What did you say?" Xiao Mimi immediately gritted her teeth; this sentence seemed to make her angrier than ten or a hundred slaps.

Xiaoxiannv sneered: "I said you are an old hag, are you not? When I was still a child, I had already heard of your nickname 'The Dead Don't Pay for Their Lives'; calculating your age, I fear you are already fifty or sixty."

"Bullshit, I am only thirty-seven! As long as I am willing, there is no man in the world who can resist my seduction," Xiao Mimi hissed.

"Oh, so you are already an old woman nearing forty."

Xiaoxiannv sighed lightly: "The passing of youth is naturally a regrettable thing. But this woman does not even know she is old, that she is no longer in her prime, and still desperately uses powder to cover the wrinkles on her face, posturing and posing—it is not only no longer sad, but laughable."

When one woman becomes sharp-tongued toward another, it is undoubtedly a very terrifying thing.

"You... you..." Xiao Mimi's whole body trembled; had Yu Liancheng not been gripping her shoulder, she would likely have fought Xiaoxiannv to the death.

In fact, this Xiao Mimi did not appear old at all; rather, she was very beautiful and very charming, enough to make many men go crazy for her.

Yu Liancheng looked at Xiaoxiannv strangely and tapped Xiao Mimi's acupoints, instantly rendering her unable to move.

"I will leave for a moment; you watch this woman, do not kill her." Yu Liancheng turned and walked toward the edge of the cliff.

"What are you doing?" Xiaoxiannv called out.

"Going to fish a monkey up."

"Wait? I want to go too." Xiaoxiannv was just about to chase after him when she suddenly screamed, her whole person frightened into a daze on the spot, her face incomparably pale.

It was only because she saw Yu Liancheng actually jump off the extremely steep cliff, which almost scared her out of her wits; her mind seemed blank, and for a moment she stood stunned, not knowing how to react.

However, just ten or so breaths later, two more figures suddenly floated up from below the cliff and landed flatly on the ground.

One of them was none other than Yu Liancheng.

As for the other, he was thin, withered, covered in hair, and wearing tattered clothes, looking seven parts like a monkey and three parts like a human. At this moment, although this person was trembling all over from excitement, the emotion and wisdom contained in those eyes clearly showed he was indeed a human.

"Young Master's great kindness and virtue, Shen Qinghong will never forget for his entire life."

Suddenly, this person knelt down and knocked his head heavily three times toward Yu Liancheng; the sound was heavy, and he even broke his forehead.

Yu Liancheng stood with his hands behind his back, accepting his three kowtows with peace of mind.

For the great grace of saving a life, three kowtows were not considered excessive.

That person hesitated for a moment and said: "I wonder if the Senior also intends to save that monkey?"

Yu Liancheng shook his head: "What does that monkey have to do with me? I also do not care for that batch of red goods of yours; you may go, I still have important matters to attend to."

That person hesitated for a long while, then knocked his head three more times: "If the Young Master has any orders in the future, Shen Qinghong will not hesitate to go through fire and water, even if it means death."

Yu Liancheng merely waved his hand.

This person stood up, took a deep breath, and suddenly ran down the mountain while shouting, acting as if crazed, yet he was venting the pent-up frustration of who knows how many years.

"This person is Shen Qinghong?" Xiaoxiannv finally came back to her senses.

In reality, Yu Liancheng had told her about Shen Qinghong, but she had been too shocked and had not reacted in time.

Yu Liancheng nodded and said: "Correct, he is Shen Qinghong. For the sake of a single escort mission, this man was trapped in a cave for over ten years; he can be considered a man of utmost faith and righteousness. Since I could save him with a mere flick of the hand, why not do so?"

Xiaoxiannv said: "Then what about Xianguoshenjun?"

Yu Liancheng said: "He is not worth me saving, and I am too lazy to kill him. But I can be certain that he will not live long."

Xianguoshenjun and Shen Qinghong were trapped in the mountain cave for over ten years; during this time, they had countless opportunities to kill each other, but they did not, because after all, they needed someone they could talk to.

Even though they were enemies, they could still fight and curse to pass the time.

But now, only Xianguoshenjun remained in the cave, and that kind of bone-deep loneliness was more unbearable than any torture in the world; I fear it would not be long before he jumped off the cliff to his death.

……

"Let's go, it's time for us to go down," Yu Liancheng said indifferently.

"Go down?" Zhang Jing was slightly puzzled at first, but she soon understood and exclaimed, "Are you suggesting we jump down from here?"

Yu Liancheng smiled and said, "Of course. The treasure is right below; how can we not go?"

"But... but..." Zhang Jing poked her head out to look down the cliff, but her vision was blocked by a layer of clouds and mist; a pebble rolled down, and she heard no echo for a long time.

If one were to just jump down like this, I fear even a supreme expert would be smashed into meat paste.

"You don't have to go if you don't want to; just wait up here," Yu Liancheng said, having already brought Xiao Mimi over.

Zhang Jing knitted her eyebrows: "You aren't planning on taking a woman down with you, are you?"

Yu Liancheng nodded: "Actually, this woman has already found the Underground Palace, and I still need her help."

"Young Master, what Underground Palace are you talking about? This little girl doesn't quite understand," Xiao Mimi had already composed her emotions, slightly lifting her head to look at Yu Liancheng, her delicate and pretty appearance looking truly touching.

Yu Liancheng said indifferently: "You had better understand, because if you don't, it proves you have no more value to me, and people with no value can only die."

Xiao Mimi was rendered speechless at once.

Zhang Jing suddenly said: "I want to go with you."

Yu Liancheng could not help but reveal a hint of a smile: "Oh? You aren't afraid anymore?"

Zhang Jing said: "I said it before, until the treasure is found, no matter to the ends of the earth, I will follow you."

Yu Liancheng laughed aloud: "It seems you really have deep feelings for me."

"I certainly do not..."

Before she could finish speaking, Yu Liancheng unsealed Xiao Mimi's acupoints, grabbed her shoulder, wrapped his arm around Zhang Jing's slender waist, and jumped off the cliff.

This cliff and deep ravine was more than a hundred zhang deep.

Leaping down from this spot, both women could not help but turn pale with fright, their bodies going limp.

Yu Liancheng gently circled Zhang Jing's slender waist and smiled: "In any case, jumping down from a hundred-zhang height is an experience one doesn't often get; you should take a good look and experience it. Don't tell me our Xiaoxiannv is afraid?"

Jumping down like this, human voices should have been scattered by the wind.

But Yu Liancheng's words clearly reached Zhang Jing's ears.

Zhang Jing showed a stubborn expression and finally opened her eyes, looking at the scenery flying past; it was indeed quite spectacular in its own way.

"What a brave girl," Yu Liancheng lowered his head and kissed Zhang Jing's cheek.

Zhang Jing's face flushed red, but she could not worry about much else, for at this moment the three of them were nearing the bottom of the cliff; if they did not take any measures, they would likely be smashed into three piles of meat paste.

"Hold on tight to me."

Yu Liancheng said this, and his hand moved away from Xiao Mimi's shoulder.

Xiao Mimi screamed incessantly in terror, clutching Yu Liancheng tightly.

Zhang Jing glared at her and also hugged Yu Liancheng.

Yu Liancheng circulated his True Qi, flipped his palm, and formed a palm wind like a natural disaster, striking toward the ground; the trio's figures paused slightly, then he tapped his toes against the cliff face, unleashed his superb and peerless light-body technique, and landed lightly in the valley.

The valley floor was not as damp and humid as imagined, but rather warm and dry.

What they stepped on was not swampy mud, but a very pleasant meadow; the soft green grass looked just like a verdant carpet.

The surrounding dense forest was dotted with fresh flowers, appearing as if it were a beautiful fairyland.

"Lead the way, go to your Underground Imperial Palace," Yu Liancheng shifted his gaze to Xiao Mimi, paused, and added: "If you don't want to die, you had better be honest."

Though his words were light, they carried a sharp, murderous intent.

Having witnessed Yu Liancheng's peerless divine skill, Xiao Mimi dared not hesitate: "Young Master, please... please follow me."

Although this "fairyland" was beautiful, it seemed as if it were dead.

Apart from the three of them, it was a scene of absolute silence.

Not only were there no birds singing or insects chirping, but even the wind made no sound; every blade of grass and every leaf seemed to be frozen, appearing to have no vitality at all.

Soon, Xiao Mimi led the two to a large tree.

This tree was very large, very thick, and its leaves were exceptionally green.

At first glance, there was nothing unusual about it, but the lower half of the bark was actually different from the upper half; the upper bark was rough, while the lower bark was very smooth.

Clearly, this bark was frequently touched by people.

Xiao Mimi knocked on it skillfully, and the bark began to move; the perfectly good tree actually revealed a doorway.

Xiao Mimi said: "This is the entrance to the Underground Palace, Young Master, please enter."

All three entered the doorway, and it felt slightly crowded.

Immediately after, a sensation of descending came from beneath their feet.

Xiaoxiannv was startled; although she did not speak, she unconsciously moved closer to Yu Liancheng's side.

Yu Liancheng, however, was very familiar with this sensation of descending; it was just like an elevator from his past life.

Soon, the sensation of descending vanished, and another doorway appeared before them, with a greenish light spilling in from outside the door.

Xiao Mimi pushed open the door, not daring to play any tricks; at this distance, the other party could end her life with a single palm strike.

Moreover, the other party's words always had a convincing power, as if they made people obey unconsciously.

Outside the door was a tunnel, with exquisitely carved stone walls on both sides, inlaid with glowing copper lamps.

The tunnel was not long, and at the end was a door, also carved with figures and flowers.

When Ouyang Ting built the Underground Palace, one wonders how much manpower and material resources he spent.

Yu Liancheng pondered for a moment and said: "Take me to your residence to have a look."

"Yes."

Xiao Mimi was very obedient; she led them out of the tunnel again, passed through rows of magnificent halls, and arrived before a large door.

The door was pushed open, and brilliant light immediately shone out.

Behind the door was a huge room, constructed with extreme exquisiteness, just like a beautiful and magnificent palace.

Of course, the most crucial thing was that there were actually seven or eight people in the room.

These seven or eight people were all wearing loose and soft robes, and none of them looked to be more than twenty-something years old; each one of them was delicate, clean, and fair-skinned.

Although they were men, they looked almost like women, sitting there lazily, listless, as if they had no bones in their entire bodies.

There were truly very few men who could handle a woman like Xiao Mimi.

Seeing Xiao Mimi, these seven or eight men stood up and respectfully shouted: "Greetings, Queen, long live the Queen."

Watching this scene, even Xiaoxiannv could not help but turn green in the face.

Xiao Mimi, however, recovered her "Deadly Charmer" demeanor and giggled coquettishly: "Men can have three wives and four concubines, why can't women?"

After speaking, she cast a soul-snatching glance at Yu Liancheng.

These men were all her concubines.

But only a man like Yu Liancheng was worthy of being her Empress.

"If you look at me with that gaze one more time, I will gouge out both of your eyes," Yu Liancheng said in a flat voice.

"I dare not."

Xiao Mimi's figure trembled, and she hurriedly withdrew her gaze.

"Jiang Yulang is also here with you, right? Bring him over for me to see."

PS: 8,000-word update, requesting monthly tickets.