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墨書 Inktalez
Elder Huang recalled the last time Li Tou came up and hurriedly asked, "Did you bring the staff with you?"
Li Tou timidly replied, "I just thought it was a pity to leave the rest behind... so I packed everything together, but there was no staff..."
Nangong Nuo pondered for a moment and felt that Mei Shuang's words were somewhat alarmist. After all, it was just a staff; how much trouble could it cause? They had already lost countless treasures.
Mei Shuang understood the power of the staff well. At this moment, persuading Nangong Nuo to give it up was like playing music to a cow. She signaled Anriyan with her eyes.
Anriyan, skilled in agility, suddenly stepped forward and flicked open the package that Li Tou was holding with his folding fan. Sure enough, as jewels scattered across the ground, the staff fell to the floor.
Li Tou's face instantly turned pale.
Just as Shijieyu had predicted, Mei Shuang felt a sinking feeling in her heart. "Quick! Throw it back into the cave!"
In an instant, Li Tou, fueled by an unknown strength, suddenly lunged for the staff, rolling aside while clutching it tightly and muttering, "Absolutely don’t let go, absolutely don’t let go!"
Anriyan had originally planned to use his fan to lift the staff and throw it back, but now he found himself at a loss.
The sapphire on the staff that had seen daylight seemed to change color, becoming even more azure. Li Tou held it tightly in his arms as if embracing a loved one, his face filled with a look of obsession, refusing to let go.
Everyone was shocked by Li Tou's sudden transformation.
This is bad!
Mei Shuang recalled her own situation and realized that Li Tou had fallen under its spell; he was currently experiencing intense hallucinations. Understanding the severity of the situation, Mei Shuang shouted in panic, "Danger! You all need to subdue him quickly. If he has thoughts of murder, we will be in danger."
In just a moment, Li Tou's demeanor indeed changed. He released the staff and drew his dagger, attacking anyone in sight.
In an instant, Li Tou went mad, and Elder Huang was also startled, finally understanding what the infighting in the Underground Palace was all about.
While others tied up Li Tou with ropes, Elder Huang turned around and picked up a stone, smashing it fiercely against the sapphire on the staff.
Under the tremendous force, the staff bent, and although the stone shattered, the sapphire remained unscathed. Seizing this opportunity, Anriyan used a folding fan to flick it into the entrance.
It was unclear whether it was due to the staff's influence, but after it was thrown in, the earth-shattering rumble gradually subsided, leaving chaos at the cave entrance.
A few people dared not linger and were about to descend along the original path when they suddenly noticed a bright light behind them in the cave.
The group hurriedly made their way toward the light, looking up to see a beam of light pouring down from several meters high, illuminating the ruins before them, with dust swirling in the beam.
Having been in darkness for so long, their eyes could barely open against the sudden brightness.
Mei Shuang couldn't help but tear up; damn it, they finally saw daylight again...
The most delighted were Nangong Nuo's people, each dragging a bag of treasures. Returning along the original path seemed too far-fetched; some had already planned to use grappling hooks when they suddenly heard voices coming from above in the distance.
Before long, they heard what seemed like an incredulous voice saying, "Come and see! Oh my God, I wondered why it shook like an earthquake; turns out there’s a huge pit here!"
Upon hearing that familiar voice, Mei Shuang paused for a moment and looked up. She saw a figure several meters high peering over the edge down at them.
Unable to contain herself any longer, Mei Shuang shouted hoarsely, "What are you waiting for? Damn it, hurry and save them!"
"Hey! It seems like there are people down there!" The voice from above rang out again. Then someone leaned over the cave entrance and called out warily, "Is anyone inside? Please respond!"
Those from Nangong Nuo who were eager to climb up immediately became alert, stopping their actions as they looked at Nangong Nuo.
Nangong Nuo stood at the edge of the light beam, his silver mask reflecting the sunlight, making it somewhat blinding. He quietly listened to the movements above, remaining silent for a moment before drawing his longsword and coldly snorting at Mei Shuang nearby, "Since I cannot escort you away, I can only send you on your way..."
Before he finished speaking, the longsword had already stabbed toward Mei Shuang.
The sudden turn of events caused terror to flash in Mei Shuang's eyes as she reflected the gleaming sword.
With a "thud," the longsword pierced through Shijieyu, accompanied by a chilling scream that echoed eerily in the cave.
Anriyan's iron fan had arrived, mercilessly sweeping toward Nangong Nuo's face. Caught off guard, Nangong Nuo tilted his body to one side, and the silver mask fell from his face.
Mei Shuang couldn't afford to look at the face behind that mask; she frantically scrambled up from the ground and rushed to Shijieyu's side in panic. "Shijieyu, Shijieyu, wake up, please wake up!"
Just moments ago, it was Shijieyu who had fiercely pushed her aside and taken that sword for her.
The longsword had pierced through Shijieyu's chest and back, strong light illuminating her beautiful face. Her already pale complexion from blood loss appeared even more paper-white under the bright light.
Shijieyu trembled as she opened her eyes, blood frothing from her mouth. She knew she wouldn't survive and weakly spoke as Mei Shuang leaned closer to listen. After struggling to say a few words, her head tilted to one side, and she fell silent.
Only her last words were clearly heard: "I'm sorry."
Mei Shuang stood there in a daze.
With the mask swept away, Nangong Nuo realized that it was actually Shijieyu, who had mingled with the group of black-clad men, that had saved Mei Shuang. Anger surged within him.
Not being able to kill Mei Shuang meant endless troubles ahead.
He no longer hesitated and commanded the black-clad men behind him to advance.
Mei Shuang raised her eyes, glaring hatefully at the unmasked Nangong Nuo. The familiar face beneath the mask was twisted with anger and shock. She could no longer care about her safety and pulled out the Zhanlu Sword from her sleeve, rushing madly towards Nangong Nuo, shouting, "Nangong Nuo, die!"
Cong Fei was also extremely angry at Nangong Nuo's earlier cruelty. Remembering the tragic death of his brother, new grudges and old resentments made him shake as he aimed his sword directly at Nangong Nuo's vital points.
Outnumbered, Nangong Nuo found herself in a tight spot where the other black-clad figures could not fully unleash their abilities. Although Mei Shuang missed her stab and Nangong Nuo dodged Anriyan's folding fan, she could not evade Cong Fei's sword and was slashed on the arm.
The people above had already begun to climb down the rope. Weighing her options, Nangong Nuo ultimately decided not to linger in battle and ordered her subordinates to retreat...
It truly was a case of searching everywhere without finding anything; unexpectedly, a sinkhole had formed at the mountaintop, revealing someone who had been sought after for so long. When Mei Shuang had shouted earlier, Lin Tian'er guessed it was likely Mei Shuang, but she never expected it to be true. The excitement was beyond words.
Lin Tian'er and the others quickly equipped themselves. Upon descending, they saw Mei Shuang sitting amidst the ruins, tears streaming down her face as she looked at Shijieyu's cold body.
Hearing that Shijieyu had blocked a sword for Mei Shuang at a critical moment made them unable to suppress their sighs. After much effort to comfort the emotionally unstable Mei Shuang, they helped her up and guided her down the rope to the ground.
Along with Lin Tian'er came Anriyan's people. They saw several individuals dressed in Yamataikoku attire kneel before Anriyan, saying, "We apologize for arriving late to your aid, Your Highness."
Anriyan stood arrogantly and replied lightly, "It's fine; it seems you arrived earlier than I expected..."
While Anriyan spoke with his subordinates, Lin Tian'er noticed Mei Shuang's sorrowful state and inquired about Cong Fei. Cong Fei briefly recounted the harrowing events of their journey, concluding that thanks to Mei Shuang disarming the trap, they managed to escape without being buried in the ruins. Lin Tian'er was shocked upon hearing this; Mei Shuang's image instantly elevated in her eyes.
Naturally, there were countless things to discuss upon reuniting. After sharing their stories briefly, Cong Fei instructed his men to carry Shijieyu's body above ground for burial and create a grave. Cong Yue's body had already been buried under the ruins, and Kato had met a tragic end deep within the cave; searching for them now would likely yield no results. They could only give each person a grave and place their belongings inside as a memorial.
The sadness of losing companions combined with the relief of survival left Mei Shuang emotionally unstable. After emerging from the cave, she sat silently in front of Shijieyu's gravestone, unresponsive to anyone calling her.
The afternoon sun slanted over the mountaintop, and the mountain wind rustled through the grass and trees. Mei Shuang sat quietly before Shijieyu's gravestone; everyone understood her feelings and remained silent.
After a long while, Mei Shuang's soft voice broke the silence. "Shijieyu's mother is outside the palace, being coerced by Zhao Prince. She had no choice but to lead everyone into grave danger according to his instructions. Zhao Prince calculated that no matter how perilous the situation, everyone would prioritize my safety. So when it comes down to just me, I would have no way to resist, and at that point, assisting them in breaking into the palace to obtain the treasure would be a piece of cake..."
Although Nangong Nuo kept his promise and let Shijieyu go, he never expected that after much contemplation, Shijieyu couldn't bear it and returned, infiltrating Nangong Nuo's group with the intent of preventing him from killing me after achieving his goals. At the entrance of the cave, I noticed a shadow that looked remarkably like her; I never thought it would truly be her. During our time in the Underground Palace, she also discovered the strangeness of the scepter. She led Zhao Prince's men towards it, causing them to fall into an illusion and turn on each other, all to weaken Zhao Prince's power...
As she finished speaking, Mei Shuang's eyes turned red again. She covered her face with her hands, her shoulders shaking as her voice choked and became hoarse. "It was my fault; I shouldn't have let her come..."
Everyone knew that Historical Consort Shi's death had a significant impact on Mei Shuang, so they tried to comfort her with words about fate and destiny. Moreover, Shijieyu had betrayed everyone first but later found her way back; although she died, she did so honorably and without shame.
Though they understood that no amount of comforting words could ease her pain at this moment, they could only offer what little support they could.
In truth, everyone knew that as long as this young lady was safe, everything else was trivial. Fortunately, despite facing numerous dangers, she had repeatedly escaped death; it seemed fate favored her—truly a remarkable woman.
After several days of searching in the mountains, the group was filthy and exhausted. Lin Tian'er helped Mei Shuang to a nearby heavenly pool for a bath and provided her with fresh clothes.
Once she washed away the dirt, she appeared refreshed and clean; however, Mei Shuang's spirit still seemed diminished. Her small face looked even paler than before.
The others believed that her exhaustion from the continuous dangers she faced, being injured by Zhao Prince, coupled with the grief over Shijieyu's death had taken a toll on her. Thus, they decided to send Mei Shuang down the mountain immediately to distance her from this place of turmoil.
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