With Zhao Xiaozhu as a guide, Jing Chen and the rest avoided many traps set by the hunters after entering the mountains. They did not waste much time on the road.
Perhaps it was because Yu Shu, the big bait, did not follow them, or because there was a group of death warriors trailing behind them, but no thieves appeared along the way.
"If we go any further, we will reach the boundary of the princess' tomb. The entrance is guarded by the Mausoleum Guards. We can't go through. Brother Jing, where is your mother buried? Do you know the way?" Zhao Xiaozhu reined in his horse at the intersection.
Jing Chen looked up at the two precipices and answered, "Let's go forward."
Zhao Xiaozhu raised his eyebrows and looked at Xue Rui. The latter smiled at him and followed first.
.....
An hour later, Jing Chen held the token bestowed by the emperor and successfully passed through two shifts of guards. He left his horse outside and walked into the Princess' tomb.
After Zhao Xiaozhu recovered from his initial shock, he pestered Xue Rui and asked in a low voice, "Brother Xue, where did you come from?"
Xue Rui asked in return, "What do you think?"
They were already here, what was the point of pretending.
Zhao Xiaozhu scratched his ears and cheeks and said, "I really don't know. Tell me, didn't Brother Jing want to pay his respects to his mother? But this is the princess' tomb — ah, could it be that the princess buried here is his mother?"
Xue Rui glanced at him and continued forward.
Zhao Xiaozhu did not know that his acting skills were too weak in Xue Rui's eyes.
The princess' tomb was not big. From the outside, it looked like a small mausoleum. The lower chamber of the tomb was sealed, while the upper chamber was covered with a roof. The tombstone was erected on top.
They brought incense, candles, and paper money with them. Jing Chen knelt under the tombstone and burned incense to pay his respects. This was the first time he came to the princess' tomb since he came to the capital. It was the first time he was visiting his mother.
If he looked into it, it was all because of that lie — if he did not find the person who destroyed his life, he could not love, hate, sorrow, or joy. If he did not calm his heart and forbearance, he would incur natural disasters.
He had known about his parentage since he was a child. Later on, he practiced Taoism and martial arts, and read the books of the sages. Of all virtues, how could he not know that filial piety is the most important? But because of his Sect Leader Shifu's words, he didn't even dare to secretly think about his parents whom he had never met.
Jing Chen faced the direction of the tomb and kowtowed three times. He said quietly, "Mother, I've been waiting for you. This child is unfilial and has only come to see you now. "
That was all there was to it.
After he stood up, Xue Rui also stepped forward. He bowed and offered three incense sticks. Although he was an elder, he was not a relative, so there was no need for him to bow.
Zhao Xiaozhu, on the other hand, came over when he saw that they had bowed. He asked for incense and candles. Jing Chen gave them to him without asking anything. Zhao Xiaozhu knelt down solemnly, muttered a few words to Princess Luyue's tombstone, and kowtowed three times.
He turned around and saw Jing Chen and Xue Rui staring at him. He pretended to be confused and said, "It's rare to enter the Princess' tomb. Can't I kowtow and pray for peace?"
“.....”
The three of them did not stay in the Princess' tomb for long. Xue Rui and Jing Chen were worried about leaving Yu Shu in the Return Residence. After a short rest, they set off.
On the way back, Xue Rui secretly reminded Jing Chen to be careful of Zhao Xiaozhu. If he was discovered to be moving, he should be captured immediately.
This was also a precaution. If Mister Yanye really had any ill intentions towards Yu Shu, they would have Zhao Xiaozhu as a hostage and would not be too passive.
But he had underestimated Zhao Xiaozhu's craftiness. Or rather, he had underestimated his familiarity with the terrain of this area.
Just as they crossed the mountain ridge and reached the foot of the mountain, Zhao Xiaozhu, who was walking in front, suddenly cried out in fear. He had stepped into a trap. Jing Chen saw him and his horse fall into a pit. He quickly abandoned his horse and used his qinggong to catch up.
But he was too late. By the time Xue Rui caught up, there was no trace of Zhao Xiaozhu in the deep pit that was covered with fallen leaves and withered wood.
Xue Rui's eyes darkened. Jing Chen was about to jump down when he suddenly heard Zhao Xiaozhu's laughter coming from the bottomless pit.
"I'll send you off, but we have to part ways. I advise you not to chase after me. Go back and find your companions!"
Hearing this, Jing Chen was the first to change his expression. Xue Rui could not hold him back and he jumped down in the blink of an eye. But he found that there was another world at the bottom of the pit. There were two tunnels that extended east and west, leading to an unknown place.
Jing Chen listened to the direction that Zhao Xiaozhu escaped in. But he could hear the sound of galloping horses in both directions. It was hard to tell.
Xue Rui called out to Jing Chen from above to ask about the situation at the bottom of the pit. He pulled a few vines down and used them to pull Jing Chen up.
In a short while, the group of death warriors behind them heard the commotion and chased after them.
Xue Rui and Jing Chen weren't surprised when a group of masked fellows in grey clothes suddenly appeared in the mountain forest. The leader of that group of people walked forward and showed his official seal to Jing Chen, then he glanced at Xue Rui vigilantly and said in a low voice, "I'm Qing Que. I'm following His Majesty's decree to secretly escort Daozi and listen to Daozi's orders."
Jing Chen took the token and looked at Xue Rui.
"Leave half of you to chase after him. The rest will follow us back." Xue Rui made a prompt decision.
The death warriors had gone through the strictest training. They were obedient and not afraid of death. After Jing Chen gave the order, the leader called Qing Que quickly divided his men and jumped down the tunnel to chase after Zhao Xiaozhu.
The others followed them back on horseback.
***
Before the sun set, they returned to the riverside outside the dense forest where the Return Residence was located. They were trapped.
Qing Que called out to her companions who were hiding nearby. Seeing that they had suffered heavy casualties, she stopped Jing Chen who was trying to cross the river and explained the danger to him.
A large number of venomous snakes lived under the floating rocks on the river surface. Even if one stepped on solid ground and startled these little snakes, they would immediately jump up from the bottom of the river and bite you. Once bitten, you would definitely die within an hour. It was like a top-notch hidden weapon that could not be guarded against.
Xue Rui and Jing Chen were shocked when they saw the green corpses bitten by the poisonous snakes. Recalling Zhao Xiaozhu's warning when they crossed the river yesterday, they realized that it was not a joke.
Looking at the corpses, they were even more worried about Yu Shu's safety.
The river was about three feet wide. Even an expert with excellent lightness skill could not guarantee that they could cross it without any leverage. If they took a detour, it would be dark by the time they entered the forest.
Just as they were at their wits' end, Jing Chen noticed Xue Rui looking for something along the river bank. Not long later, Jing Chen called him over. Pointing to a light purple flower by the river, he said: "We entered from here yesterday."
Jing Chen's eyes brightened. "You remember the way?"
Xue Rui observed the floating rocks on the river and nodded: "I was following behind Zhao Xiaozhu. I remember clearly that the floating rocks in the water look about the same size. There are actually some differences. "
Jing Chen immediately said: "Alright, show me the way."
Xue Rui turned back and looked at him: "I am not completely confident. Are you sure you want to take the risk?"
Jing Chen self-deprecatingly said: "I was the one who brought her out. If I hurt her again, I will not regret my death."
Xue Rui did not try to persuade him. In fact, it was not that his lightness skill was not as good as Jing Chen's but that he was afraid of delaying the time. He would be the first to cross the river and would not make an unnecessary move to provoke Jing Chen.
"Daoist, why don't I give it a try?" Qing Que overheard and did not agree with Jing Chen taking the risk. He stepped forward and blocked his way. Within the range of their orders, Jing Chen's safety was their top priority.
Jing Chen did not waste time with him. With Xue Rui pointing the way, he brushed away the death warriors in front of him. He stepped on the first floating rock, then the second, and the third.
Xue Rui walked behind him. Qing Que hesitated for a while and followed with a few death warriors.
They were lucky and crossed the river without any mishaps. Jing Chen flew to the opposite bank halfway and dived into the forest without looking back. He disappeared in the blink of an eye.
"Jing Chen!"
Xue Rui shouted. He frowned and leaped over the last few floating rocks. The death warriors behind him passed him and chased after him.
He shook his head helplessly. He did not care about his fatigue and ran into the forest.
.....
The sky gradually darkened. When Jing Chen rushed back to the Gui Residence, Mister Yanye was long gone. He found Yu Shu lying motionless on the bed in his room. He broke out in cold sweat.
When he checked her breath, he found out that she was unconscious.
Xue Rui didn't run as fast as Jing Chen, but he remembered the way, so he rushed over very quickly. That group of death warriors, on the other hand, was shaken off by Jing Chen and didn't follow Xue Rui. Until now, not a single one of them had appeared. They were probably still wandering around in the forest.
"It's okay. She just fainted."
Xue Rui breathed a sigh of relief. He panted heavily and went forward to check.
Jing Chen moved away from the bed, got up, and walked around the room. Finally, he found a handful of paper ashes in the brazier under the stone table. He rubbed it up and smelled it. There was a strange fragrance, which seemed to be some kind of sleeping smoke.
Half of the things in the house were empty. There were only a few winter and summer clothes left in the wardrobe. The rest of the books and ink were all gone. Furthermore, the old horse that was tied to the back of the fenced courtyard was gone.
Mister Yanye left leisurely. After putting down Yu Shu, he still had the time to pack his luggage.
After Jing Chen checked the surroundings, he returned to the stone house. Yu Shu was still unconscious. Xue Rui confirmed that she wasn't injured anywhere else, so he calmed down and thought about it carefully. He then realized that something was wrong.
For example, why did Yu Shu sprain her ankle before they left and stayed behind.
"They left." Jing Chen did not say to chase after them. It was obvious that they could not catch up.
Xue Rui said, "Wake Shu up first. She must know something."
Jing Chen nodded. He went forward and poked a few acupuncture points on Yu Shu's shoulder. After a while, she woke up with a groan. He opened his eyes and looked at the two sweaty men standing by the bed in confusion.
"Big, big brother, Jing Chen?"
Xue Rui smiled at her and asked her gently, "Shu, does your foot still hurt?"
Yu Shu was choked by his dazzling smile. She instantly woke up. She got up from the bed and looked around. Where was Yun Hua?
She was shocked and blurted out, "Where is Yun Hua? Did he run away?"
After saying that, she felt that something was wrong. She turned around and saw the dark faces of Xue Rui and Jing Chen. Her scalp went numb. She forced a smile at them and shrank into the bed. She stuttered, "This … This, I can explain. Haha."
Xue Rui winked at Jing Chen. The latter understood and retreated to the door, in case those men of sacrifice came over and heard something they should not hear.
Xue Rui found a teapot in the room. He poured a cup of water and put it in Yu Shu's hand. He said kindly, "I ask and you answer. Make it short, okay?"
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