Chapter 218: Hungry, Having Some Instant Noodles to Stave Off Hunger

That was the unique mark of the Wang Fu.

Suddenly, that person turned his head in confusion.

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin's heart gave a start; with a thought, she whisked Quan Quan Aoyu away like a phantom into the Phoenix Ring space.

She saw that person's eyes scan the surroundings warily, yet he discovered nothing amiss.

That person murmured to himself:

Upon hearing this, the other person laughed indifferently:

"Where is anyone? Don't scare yourself."

That person shook his head and continued forward.

Inside the Phoenix Ring space, Quan Quan Aoyu and Jun Jun Zijin waited until they could hear no more sound from outside before flashing out to continue observing the patterns on the stone wall.

"These symbols..." she murmured,

Quan Quan Aoyu leaned in for a closer look:

"A mechanism?"

"No, more like... a map."

Jun Jun Zijin's fingers traced along the patterns.

"Look here, these lines resemble the contours of the mountain range, and here..."

Her finger stopped at a depression,

"It looks like another mountain, and the position of this mountain..."

Quan Quan Aoyu's breathing suddenly quickened:

"Are you saying this cave connects two mountains?"

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Jun Jun Zijin's mind, and she nearly cried out:

"This mountain is the very location where the cave imprisoning the Empress Mother was situated, the Prime Minister Gao's weapon workshop! No wonder Quan Quan Tianyi was so eager to destroy that cave; now I understand."

Destroying the cave was equivalent to destroying the passage connecting the two mountains, demolishing the bridge others might use to discover this secret.

Just then, a gust of wind blew from the depths of the cave, carrying damp moisture.

Jun Jun Zijin instinctively stepped back but bumped into Quan Quan Aoyu's chest.

"Careful, are you trying to murder your husband?"

Quan Quan Aoyu supported her shoulders, joking.

"This wind is suspicious."

"With wind, it means the air is circulating."

Jun Jun Zijin rolled her eyes at him and lowered her voice.

"In other words, the cave is connected."

Quan Quan Aoyu picked up the thread of conversation.

Jun Jun Zijin nodded; she reached out to touch the stone wall, which felt icy to the touch, yet a slight vibration came through.

"Did you feel that?" she turned to look at Quan Quan Aoyu.

Quan Quan Tianchen pressed his palm against the stone wall, his brows furrowing slightly: "The sound of flowing water; it seems very close."

"Indeed very close; the underground river must be right beneath us."

The two fell silent and walked forward, holding onto the wall.

They did not know how long they had walked; there were no clocks in this era, but Jun Jun Zijin felt they had walked for quite a while.

Suddenly, a dull boom echoed from ahead, and the entire cave trembled slightly.

Jun Jun Zijin felt the ground beneath her feet shaking slightly; Quan Quan Aoyu instinctively wrapped an arm around Jun Jun Zijin's shoulders.

"It's a mechanism."

Quan Quan Aoyu said in a low voice.

"They have activated something."

The vibration continued for about half a cup of tea's time before stopping.

Jun Jun Zijin was about to speak when she suddenly noticed the stone wall ahead slowly opening.

At that very same moment, Quan Quan Aoyu also discovered it.

As the stone wall opened, the sound of flowing water grew clearer, and a cold, damp wind blew in from the opening.

As if their minds were linked, both intended to go behind the stone wall to see what lay there.

The two crept cautiously toward the stone wall, peeking out carefully; through the dim light, they saw a flight of stone steps behind the wall.

Below the stone steps, there was firelight; a dark river flowed, its water shimmering with a cold, eerie glow under the firelight.

Clearly, several small boats had stopped along the river channel!

Jun Jun Zijin and Quan Quan Aoyu exchanged a glance, seeing shock in each other's eyes.

She saw several dozen figures in black clothing descend from the small boats, walking along the stone steps toward the stone gate.

The two quickly flashed away to hide behind a large boulder.

The firelight illuminated the figures in black. Jun Jun Zijin's gaze fell upon the token pinned at the waist of the figures in black.

That was not the token of the Wang Fu!

Jun Jun Zijin was so shocked her chin nearly dropped; she turned to look at Quan Quan Aoyu, who was also staring fixedly at that token.

The figures in black drew closer, and it seemed they were already near their hiding place.

Jun Jun Zijin came to her senses; with a thought, she whisked Quan Quan Aoyu into the Phoenix Ring space.

"Those are assassins from the Northern Kingdom!"

Quan Quan Aoyu's expression was Solemn as he explained the mystery to Jun Jun Zijin.

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin's eyes darkened, and he suddenly understood:

"So that's how it is. No wonder those assassins could enter Emperor Tianqi's capital silently and hide just as quietly. It turns out the Northern Kingdom forces entered Emperor Tianqi's capital through the underground river."

Quan Quan Aoyu felt a surge of anger rise in his heart:

"The Northern Kingdom has openly sent so many assassins to infiltrate our capital this time. They must be plotting something big."

Jun Jun Zijin nodded.

"This matter is of great importance. We must inform His Majesty the Emperor as soon as possible."

Quan Quan Aoyu frowned tightly:

"If they can enter the secret passage via the underground river, then the Imperial Palace itself might not be safe either."

Who could guarantee that no secret passages had been dug beneath the Imperial Palace?

Jun Jun Zijin pondered for a moment and spoke:

"It should not be so. Given Quan Quan Tianyi's ambition, if that were truly the case, even he would not be safe living in the Imperial Palace. He would not recklessly risk placing himself in danger."

Quan Quan Aoyu nodded slightly, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes:

"In any case, caution is best. We cannot be careless in the slightest. After we scout the cave ahead, we will use the Feng Ring's space to return immediately."

The two waited in the Feng Ring's space until the black-clad figures had gone far away before flashing out of the space.

They did not know how long they had walked when suddenly, the scenery ahead changed abruptly.

The originally narrow and cramped secret passage instantly became spacious.

A huge cave, like the gaping maw of a giant beast, appeared before their eyes.

The two exchanged a glance and quietly slipped into the cave.

Inside the cave, the air was damp and chilling; torches emitted a faint light, as if they might extinguish at any moment.

Under the flickering torchlight, rows of soldiers standing in neat formation came into view.

They wore heavy armor, their faces expressionless, while the long spears in their hands shimmered with a cold, chilling light.

Quan Quan Aoyu instinctively shielded Jun Jun Zijin behind him, his gaze vigilantly scanning the surroundings.

The confusion that had plagued Jun Jun Zijin instantly cleared; it turned out the private army was here.

Just then, a low murmur of conversation drifted from not far away.

Jun Jun Zijin saw a huge stone pillar ahead, calculated the distance, and flashed into the space with Quan Quan Aoyu.

She walked ten steps forward, then flashed out again, landing just behind that huge stone pillar.

There, Quan Quan Tianyi and the Northern Kingdom's Second Imperial Prince, Princess Tuoba Ying, stood facing each other with solemn demeanors.

Seeing the situation clearly, Jun Jun Zijin and Quan Quan Aoyu immediately flashed back into the space.

Suddenly, a "gulu gulu" sound inappropriately broke the silence; Jun Jun Zijin instinctively covered her stomach. Having walked for so long, she was indeed hungry.

She took out two buckets of instant noodles and began preparing them for herself.

Quan Quan Aoyu looked curiously at the object in Jun Jun Zijin's hands, his eyes full of confusion.

Once the noodles were ready, a rich aroma instantly spread. Quan Quan Aoyu took a deep breath, his eyes filled with amazement:

"What is this thing? This smell is so fragrant."

Jun Jun Zijin handed a bucket of instant noodles to Quan Quan Aoyu, held one for herself, and explained with a smile:

"I'm hungry; let's eat some instant noodles to fill our stomachs."

Quan Quan Aoyu imitated Jun Jun Zijin's actions, carefully picking up a mouthful of noodles with chopsticks, blowing on them gently, and putting them in his mouth. His eyes instantly widened, his face filled with delight:

"This is too delicious! Dandan, there is such delicacy in the Feng Ring's space!"

Jun Jun Zijin looked at him with amusement; the two ate noodles while boldly eavesdropping on the conversation outside.

They heard Quan Quan Tianyi sneer:

"As long as we join forces, the world will sooner or later be ours. I have ten thousand troops under my command, and in another month, the weapons will all be forged. Your Northern Kingdom has that Divine Arrow Corps; what is there to worry about regarding success?"

The Northern Kingdom's Second Imperial Prince curled the corner of his mouth, yet a hint of cunning shone in his eyes:

"Hmph, that sounds easy enough. However, once the deed is done, how shall the territory be divided?"

Prince Yi narrowed his eyes slightly, a trace of ruthlessness flashing in his gaze:

"Naturally, we shall split it equally; each of us will hold half the empire. At that time, including my own father, you may dispose of him as you wish. But this time, this Prince must take Jun Jun Zijin's life; I hope you do not fail again."