Lan Chenyu raised his gaze and said coldly, "Then dig it up."
Knowing that this madman was entirely capable of doing just that, and having no wish to harm innocent passersby, Zha Muxi protested, "But Your Royal Highness, carrying me like this makes my arms so sore."
Only then did Lan Chenyu let her down, looking thoroughly ungracious about it.
After all this commotion, the group lost their appetite for a meal and continued on their journey. As they passed those people, Zha Muxi saw Lan Er swiftly scatter something on the ground.
Zha Muxi curled her lips into a wicked smile, feeling a surge of satisfaction.
Noticing her malicious grin, Lan Chenyu took her hand. "I stood up for you, and you're this happy about it?"
"That's right."
Lan Chenyu said nothing more, though inwardly he thought, *Little liar. But if you dare show even a single flaw, I'll kill you. How does that sound?*
To prevent similar incidents from recurring, Lan Chenyu handed Zha Muxi a veil, eyeing her coldly. "Put this on. I don't want anyone else setting their sights on you again—man or woman."
Zha Muxi naturally understood this as well; when one was weak and isolated, beauty was nothing more than a curse.
After traveling continuously for over half a month, they finally reached the Secret Realm.
There was only a single entrance, flanked by dense trees that stretched out endlessly into the distance. Beside the path stood a stone tablet inscribed with what appeared to be ancient characters. Not a single person was to be seen here, giving the place a grim, eerie atmosphere that sent involuntary shudders through anyone who looked at it.
Lan Chenyu glanced sideways at Zha Muxi. "Miss Zha, what does it say?"
Zha Muxi studied the inscription carefully before speaking. "Welcome to Death Island." Everyone instantly tensed up.
Lan Wu cast a scornful look at Zha Muxi. "Miss Zha, are you spouting nonsense just because you assume the rest of us can't read it? Didn't you say we were going to the Secret Realm? How did it turn into Death Island? There might be traps ahead; Your Highness, do not be deceived by her."
Zha Muxi raised her eyes. Lan Wu was the only female among the shadow guards, and her strength was not to be underestimated. From their very first meeting, Lan Wu had harbored deep hostility toward her and had even nearly gotten her killed several times. At first, Zha Muxi had thought Lan Wu was merely afraid she might be plotting something, but now she understood—Lan Wu was in love with Lan Chenyu. Things were getting more and more interesting.
"Don't you know that the Secret Realm is fraught with danger and therefore also called Death Island?" Zha Muxi retorted with an expression of aggrieved indignation. "I am merely a weak, defenseless woman. His Royal Highness trusts me, so why must you doubt me? Furthermore, I am poisoned with the Gu, and if I leave His Royal Highness, I will surely die. Besides, do you distrust His Royal Highness to this extent?"
Lan Wu was seized with panic. Wasn't this accusing her of overstepping her bounds and defying her master? She hastily dropped to her knees to explain, "Master, your subordinate would never—your subordinate was merely..."
Lan Chenyu said coldly, "Enough. I trust that she has no desire to ever experience the agony of the poison acting up again."
None of the others dared to raise any further objections. After all, they had all witnessed firsthand just how potent the Crown Prince's poison was.
*Heh, speaking of that,* Zha Muxi thought, grinding her teeth in hatred, *I just want to kill them all.*
To this day, she still remembered what it was like when the poison flared up: excruciating pain racking her entire body, sweat the size of peas constantly beading on her skin, curling up on the bed as if tens of thousands of insects were gnawing away at her flesh and blood, her hands clenched so tightly that her fingernails dug deep into her palms. Only then would Lan Chenyu toss her the antidote as if throwing a bone to a beggar.
Zha Muxi knew very well why he did it: to sear that sensation into her memory so she would never dare betray him.
Lan Chenyu looked at Zha Muxi. "You walk in front and lead the way for us."
Zha Muxi walked straight ahead. After walking for a long time, the path still seemed to stretch on endlessly without end.
Only then did the others realize the peculiarity of this place, and excitement stirred within them—perhaps there really were treasures from the previous dynasty here.
They continued walking for over an hour, yet still no living creature was to be seen in the surrounding area.
Finally, Zha Muxi, whose physical stamina was the weakest of them all, could take no more. She squatted down against a tree, her face pale as she said, "Your Royal Highness, I truly cannot walk any further. Can we take a rest? There is still a long way to go before we reach the treasure site."
Lan Chenyu had naturally noticed her condition, but he had simply been waiting for her to speak up. He gave her a calm look and commanded, "Stop. We rest."
Lan Wu said anxiously, "Master, but it will be dark soon. If we haven't found a place to settle by then, wild beasts will be roaming at night, and we will be at a severe disadvantage. This woman might be trying to get us all killed."
Seeing that Lan Chenyu remained silent, Lan I, who had not spoken until now, piped up. "Master, this Secret Realm is exceptionally strange and eerie. Although we have reached the core area, we haven't heard a single bird cry, as if all living creatures have never set foot here."
Zha Muxi was well aware of the dangers involved as well. Having recovered a bit of her strength by now, she said gently, "Your Royal Highness, I've rested enough. Let's continue on our way!"
Lan Chenyu gave her a deep, searching look before giving the order to move out once more. Fortunately, they managed to find a cave just as night fell completely.
The moment they sat down, Lan Wu cast a contemptuous look at Zha Muxi. "Miss Zha, perhaps you could elaborate on that map so that we can prepare ourselves to deal with any dangers ahead."
Zha Muxi looked at her as if she were an idiot. If she told the truth, would she even survive?
However, seeing that Lan Wu had no intention of dropping the matter unless she spoke, Zha Muxi slowly began, "We must get through three trials in total before we can gain the recognition of the Secret Realm and qualify for the treasure. However, I don't know what those three trials are."
"Then why didn't you say so earlier? Are you trying to send us to our deaths?" Lan Wu demanded angrily.
Zha Muxi looked utterly innocent. "Well, you didn't ask."
"You—I'm going to kill you!" In a fury, Lan Wu drew her sword, intent on killing Zha Muxi.
"Enough. This is no time for infighting," Lan Chenyu finally said coldly, stopping her.
"Master, this woman might have been lying to us all along."
Lan Chenyu did not take Zha Muxi to heart; what threat could a woman with no martial arts skills and riddled with deadly poison possibly pose? "We still need her at the moment, and did I not say that she is now our honored guest?"
"Miss Zha, please pay her no mind; it is my fault for failing to discipline my subordinates properly. May I ask if you know what these three trials entail?" Lan Chenyu asked with a gentle smile, looking at Zha Muxi.
Naturally, Zha Muxi knew he was merely protecting his subordinate and hoping she wouldn't pursue the matter further, so she continued, "That I am unsure of. However, what is rather strange is that logically speaking, even though this place is extremely difficult to find, it shouldn't leave absolutely no trace behind, should it?"
Zha Muxi left it at that. The highest realm of lying was to mix truth with falsehood.
Lan Chenyu asked no further questions and simply told the group to rest.
Lan Wu could only glare with bitter hatred at Zha Muxi before turning and walking away.
The night on the island was terrifyingly quiet. In the distant depths of the forest, grotesquely shaped trees emitted chilling, mocking sounds in the shadows, accompanied by rustling noises that made one's hair stand on end!
Zha Muxi felt not a shred of fear; on the contrary, she was quite content. She had wandered through the dark years alone for far too long, and those periods of utter solitude were the only things truly terrifying to her. When 77 had first appeared and offered to take her away, she thought she had been quite happy about it.
The night passed peacefully after all, and Zha Muxi managed to get a sound sleep. Being the weakest person in the entire party did have one sole advantage: she didn't have to take a turn standing watch at night.
Gradually, the sky grew light, and the group resumed their journey. There was no telling how long they had been walking.
Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a thick white fog rapidly engulfed the entire Secret Realm. Their vision was restricted to a mere few steps ahead, making it impossible to see what lay before them.
Zha Muxi shouted, "Everyone, be careful! This white fog has appeared out of nowhere; either it's poisonous, or something is waiting for us on the other side." Hearing this, the group grew even more alert.
At that moment, Zha Muxi's hand was suddenly grabbed. Just as she was about to shake it off, Lan Chenyu's voice sounded in her ear, "Be a good girl, don't move."
Only then did Zha Muxi feel somewhat reassured. After all, she was essentially a useless zero-tier fighter right now; without someone to protect her, even if she managed to escape, the price would be heavy.
Lan Chenyu calmly issued his orders one by one. "Everyone stay close, form a tight circle, and scatter the medicine we brought on yourselves."
Zha Muxi couldn't help but admire his decisive judgment in making such rapid decisions.
Suddenly, cries of terror rang out from not far away. "Help! So many venomous spiders and bugs!" "Ah, help me!" "Here! There are more over there!" "Watch out!"
These venomous spiders and insects formed a dense, writhing blanket that made Zha Muxi's skin crawl. Their poison was intensely potent—more than enough to kill a master with profound Internal Energy.
Right now, Zha Muxi was playing the part of a genuinely delicate beauty to the hilt, so she hastily put on a look of utter terror and clung tightly to Lan Chenyu. Yet for some reason, she had the distinct feeling that these venomous creatures were actually afraid of her. Could it be...
Lan Chenyu shouted, "Scatter the medicine!"
Once everyone had finished scattering the medicine over themselves, the venomous creatures grew wary and reluctantly turned away. Even so, the battle had been brutal, and many people had died. Now that she thought about it, the reason they hadn't encountered anyone else along the way was likely because those corpses had already been dissolved by these toxic pests.
Daring not to push forward any further under the circumstances, the group sought out a safe spot to rest. As soon as they settled down, a furious Lan Wu grabbed her sword and lunged to kill Zha Muxi.
By this time, Zha Muxi's stamina was completely exhausted; how could she possibly dodge an attack from someone skilled in martial arts? She took the full force of a sword slash to her shoulder and instantly lost consciousness.
Panicking, Lan Chenyu struck Lan Wu away with a single palm strike, scooped Zha Muxi up in one arm, ordered everyone to turn around, and pulled out trauma medicine to staunch the bleeding on Zha Muxi's wound.