Chapter 218: Hungry, Eating Some Instant Noodles to Tide Over

—That is the unique emblem of the Prince Yi Wang Fu.

Suddenly, that person turned their head in confusion.

Jun Zijin felt a jolt in her heart; with a thought, she whisked Quan Aoyu away like a phantom into the Phoenix Ring space.

The person scanned their surroundings with a vigilant gaze, yet discovered nothing unusual.

The person muttered to themselves:

The other person heard this and laughed dismissively:

"Where would there be anyone? Don't scare yourself."

The person shook their head and continued forward.

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

"These symbols..." she murmured.

Quan Aoyu leaned in to look closely:

"Is it a mechanism?"

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

Jun Zijin's fingers traced along the patterns.

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

Her finger stopped at a depression.

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

Quan Aoyu's breathing suddenly quickened:

"Are you saying this cave connects two mountains?"

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Jun Zijin, and she nearly cried out in surprise:

"This mountain is the location of the cave where Mother was originally imprisoned, the site of Prime Minister Gao's weapon workshop! No wonder Quan Tianyi was in such a rush to destroy that cave; so that was it."

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

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

Jun Zijin subconsciously took a step back, but bumped into Quan Aoyu's chest.

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

Quan Aoyu steadied her shoulders and joked.

"This wind is suspicious."

"If there is wind, it means the air is circulating."

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

"In other words, the cave is connected."

Quan Aoyu took up the thread.

Jun Zijin nodded. She reached out to touch the stone wall; it was ice-cold to the touch, yet a faint vibration came through.

"Do you feel that?" She turned to look at Quan Aoyu.

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

"Indeed very close, the underground river must be right beneath this."

The two said nothing more and walked forward, keeping their hands on the wall.

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

Suddenly, a dull, rumbling sound came from ahead, and the entire cave began to vibrate slightly.

Jun Zijin felt the ground beneath her feet shaking slightly, and Quan Aoyu subconsciously wrapped his arm around Jun Zijin's shoulders.

"It's a mechanism."

Quan Aoyu said in a low voice.

"They have activated something."

The vibration lasted for about half a cup of tea's time before it stopped.

Just as Jun Zijin was about to say something, she noticed the stone wall in front slowly opening.

At that very moment, Quan Aoyu noticed it too.

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

As if they shared a telepathic connection, both intended to go behind the stone wall to see what was happening.

The two moved toward the stone wall on tiptoe, cautiously poked their heads out, and through the dim light, they saw a flight of stone stairs behind the wall.

Below the stone stairs was firelight and an underground river flowing, the water shimmering with a cold, eerie light under the flames.

Startlingly, several small boats were docked by the riverbank!

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

Dozens of men in black were seen disembarking from the small boats, walking along the stone stairs toward the stone gate.

The two hurriedly flashed behind a giant boulder to hide.

The firelight illuminated the figures of the men in black. Jun Zijin's gaze fell upon the tokens tucked into the men's waists.

That was not a token from the Prince Yi Wang Fu!

Jun Zijin was so shocked her jaw nearly dropped; she turned to look at Quan Aoyu, who was also staring fixedly at the tokens.

The men in black drew closer and closer, and it looked as though they were nearing their hiding spot.

Jun Zijin regained her senses, and with a thought, she whisked Quan Aoyu into the Phoenix Ring space.

"Those are assassins from the Northern Kingdom!"

Quan Aoyu's expression was grave as he cleared up the confusion for Jun Zijin.

Jun Zijin's eyes darkened, and she suddenly realized:

"So that's it. No wonder those assassins could enter the capital of my Tianqi without a sound and hide without a sound. It turns out the Northern Kingdom forces were entering the Tianqi capital through the underground river."

A surge of anger rose in Quan Aoyu's heart:

"The Northern Kingdom has brazenly sent so many assassins to infiltrate our capital this time. They are likely brewing some major conspiracy."

Jun Zijin nodded.

"This is a matter of great importance; we must inform His Majesty as soon as possible."

Quan Aoyu's brows were tightly locked:

"If they can enter the secret passage from the underground river, I fear the Imperial Palace may no longer be safe either."

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

Jun Zijin pondered for a moment and said:

"It shouldn't go that far. Given Quan Tianyi's ambition, if that were truly the case, he wouldn't be safe living in the Imperial Palace himself. He wouldn't easily take the risk of putting himself in danger."

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

"In any case, caution is best. We cannot be careless in the slightest. Once we investigate the cave ahead, we will use the Phoenix Ring space to return immediately."

The two waited in the Phoenix Ring space until the men in black had walked far away before flashing out of the space.

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

The originally narrow and cramped secret passage suddenly became wide and open.

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

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

Inside the cave, the air was damp and cold, and the torches emitted a faint light that looked as if it could go out at any moment.

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

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

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

The doubt that had been plaguing Jun Zijin instantly cleared; so, the private army was here.

Just then, a low sound of conversation came from not far away.

Jun Zijin saw a giant stone pillar ahead, calculated the distance, and whisked Quan Aoyu into the space.

She walked forward ten steps and then flashed out, landing perfectly behind that giant stone pillar.

Quan Tianyi was standing face-to-face with the Northern Kingdom's Second Imperial Prince, Tuoba Ying, his expression grave.

Once Jun Zijin and Quan Aoyu saw the situation clearly, they immediately flashed back into the space.

Suddenly, a "rumble-rumble" sound broke the silence at an inopportune moment; Jun Zijin subconsciously clutched her stomach—having walked for so long, she was indeed hungry.

She fished out two cups of instant noodles and began to brew them for herself.

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

The noodles were ready, and a rich aroma instantly filled the air. Quan Aoyu took a deep breath, his eyes full of amazement:

"What is this? This smell, it's so fragrant."

Jun Zijin handed a cup of instant noodles to Quan Aoyu, picked up a cup for herself, and explained with a smile:

"I'm hungry, let's eat some instant noodles to pad our stomachs."

Quan Aoyu imitated Jun Zijin, cautiously picked up a mouthful of noodles with chopsticks, blew on them gently, and put them into his mouth. His eyes widened instantly, his face full of pleasant surprise:

"This is too delicious! Dandan, the Phoenix Ring space actually contains such delicacies!"

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

They heard Quan Tianyi sneer:

"As long as you and I join forces, this world will be ours sooner or later. I have these ten thousand troops in my hands, and in another month, the weapons will all be forged. With your Northern Kingdom's Divine Archer Squad, why worry that our great cause won't succeed?"

The Second Imperial Prince of the Northern Kingdom curled the corners of his mouth, though his eyes revealed a hint of cunning:

"Hmph, that is easy to say. However, once the deed is done, how shall this territory be divided?"

The Prince narrowed his eyes slightly, a flash of ruthlessness crossing them:

"Naturally, it shall be split equally; you and I will each occupy half the realm. When that time comes, even my Imperial Father shall be yours to dispose of. Only this time, I must take the life of Jun Zijin, and I hope you do not fail again."