We were so engrossed in our private conversation via soul transmission that we completely forgot about Wen Jiang and Wen Qi, until Wen Qi, left with no other choice, called out to me, "Madam Su, can you think of something... Sister Jiang, she..."
Only then did I remember there was a "sickly Xi Shi" among us. Filled with regret, I hurried over. "What’s wrong?" I saw that Wen Jiang had fallen back into a coma, her high fever showing signs of worsening. Wen Qi was supporting her body, already breaking into a sweat from the heat radiating off her sister.
In her stupor, Wen Jiang frowned and wept, "Qimo... you really left, you really don't love me anymore..."
My heart felt a complicated mix of emotions as I hurriedly rummaged through my storage ring for high-grade elixirs refined by the Hall of Eternal Spring of the Wujing Sect. There were some for cold afflictions and high fevers, and others for clearing the heart and calming the spirit. The reason I had let that "Big Bird Brother" search my qiankun bag so freely was, of course, because my most important belongings weren't in there at all. This ring was a treasure gifted to me by Lord Wei; enhanced with high-level illusions, it was impossible for outsiders to detect on my finger. Even if scanned with a specialized bronze mirror for detecting spiritual aura, it would remain invisible and traceless.
I pulled out two types of elixirs at once. Although the daughters of noble houses had delicate constitutions and their medication should normally be handled with caution, I couldn't afford to care about such things in this situation. Just as I was struggling to feed the medicine to Wen Jiang, Yindeng said, "Let me see." She leaned in to check Wen Jiang’s condition, asked Wen Qi roughly what medicine the doctor had previously prescribed, and then said to me, "In addition to these two elixirs, add a Clear Dew Pill or a Five-Aggregates Pill. It will be gentler and more harmless when taken together."
"What about Five-Aggregates Honey?" I finally remembered I still had the sweet paste on me.
"Even better." Yindeng watched with a faint smile as I awkwardly unscrewed the jar of sweet paste behind my back. She watched Wen Qi clumsily feed it to Wen Jiang and said playfully, "So, the box that Master Wei treasures so dearly was actually a gift from you, Zhenzhen."
I couldn't help but laugh. "I never knew she was so stingy. Could she really have hoarded it for six or seven years, unable to bring herself to use it?"
"Indeed she has!" Yindeng smiled, her voice reaching me through soul transmission. "There were several times on the brink of life and death where she merely took it out to look at it. She’d hold the box until it was warm in her hand, yet she never once unscrewed the lid."
Hearing this made my heart ache with a twinge of pain. I reflected on how the gifts I had given her were far too few—far fewer than those she had given me. I only prayed that Heaven would allow me, Su Yuzhi, to escape this tribulation so that I might have the chance to compensate her twofold.
After Wen Qi finished feeding Wen Jiang the honey, there was a moment of silence before Wen Qi suddenly asked softly, "You and he... have you known each other since six or seven years ago?"
I brushed it off with a casual excuse. "Yes, we met in the south."
For a while, no one spoke. A brief moment of peace settled over us as everyone was lost in their own thoughts. Wen Jiang had been quite cooperative when eating the honey, likely because it was sweet and didn't taste like medicine at all. However, when Wen Qi tried to feed her the elixirs again, she refused obstinately. I realized I couldn't let her continue being so willful. Although Yindeng had the means of self-preservation provided by the Temple, she didn't know any martial arts or movement techniques. If we had to flee later, it would be too taxing for me to carry three people alone. Thus, I gathered a strand of soul power to wake Wen Jiang from her slumber.
Wen Jiang looked at me through a hazy, tearful gaze. I said, "Sister, you must take your medicine." My words were polite, but my tone left no room for negotiation.
She lowered her eyes and smiled. "Very well. It doesn't matter if I live or die, but I cannot implicate you, nor can I die at the hands of these bandits." With that, she obediently opened her mouth, took the pill Wen Qi offered, and swallowed it in one go.
That smile of hers was like an apricot blossom blooming amidst a pale, sickly complexion—drenched in rain and seemingly ready to be scattered by the wind at any moment.
After all that exertion, I could finally relax and rest. In truth, my own true essence was quite depleted. I couldn't just use spirit crystals recklessly, so I sat cross-legged to meditate and focus my mind. I didn't need to instruct Yindeng; her natural routine was to sleep by day and stay awake by night. At the moment, she was merely a bit tired but not sleepy, so she told Wen Qi and Wen Jiang to sleep for a while while she kept watch. After a night's rest, Wen Jiang’s illness should improve, and we could observe the situation during the day to see what the Thousand Color Palace was up to. There was no immediate rush to escape.
The reason I dared to be so composed was that I had several layers of insurance. First, there were the Golden Bells, Yangyang, on my wrist. Because they looked like mere women's jewelry, those crude men hadn't bothered to take them. Wei Qingming had taken Yangyang to the Wujing Sect’s Spiritual Treasure Pavilion to be forged and refined at great expense and favor, elevating her to the Canxia Realm. Not only was she more solid and reliable as a defensive tool, but Lord Wei had also had Xuesu bring back the matching bell that could sense my location. Before entering Xixi Tower, I had already handed it over to my Eldest Senior Brother. Perhaps he would find us by tomorrow morning. Second, after entering this manor but before being searched, I had quietly released the Canxia-level Great Ghost from the Nether Jade Wine Pot. Lu Lingfeng had temporarily taught me how to connect my mind with it. When the time came, I only needed to sacrifice a drop or two of heart's blood to activate the incantation marks, and I could have it wreak havoc in the manor. At the very least, breaking down the door of this dilapidated shed wouldn't be a problem. Finally, there were the illusion arrays and the fallback artifacts given to me by my Master. If I still couldn't escape with all these means, I might as well bash my head against a wall and be done with it!
A night passed in this manner. The manor remained unusually quiet, with no sign of rescuers. This meant the formations here could isolate the sensing of Yangyang. That was the better scenario; the worse scenario was that Lu Kaifeng’s side had also run into trouble and couldn't spare the effort to find me.
Since they had schemed to bring me to this godforsaken place, it meant Zhang Zhuyi’s side had long since seen through our disguise at Xixi Tower. Perhaps the secret was out the moment that box of gifts was returned to her. Her eager return visit was actually a probe into our situation. Her low profile during the grand banquet was merely a refusal to expose me, as she waited to deliver me into the hands of the Thousand Color Palace... Alas, I truly hadn't expected the person behind her to plan so meticulously—a level of precision that didn't seem human, sending a chill down my spine.
Once Wen Jiang’s will to die vanished, she recovered remarkably well. By the time it was broad daylight, her fever had subsided, and her spirits were good enough that she could move on her own without support. I discussed our next move with Yindeng. Yindeng said, "Escaping this manor isn't hard; the difficulty lies in where to go after we're out." She sighed softly. "A-Zhi, it is our incompetence that has burdened you. If it truly comes down to it, just take the two of them and go."
"What are you saying?" I laughed. "How could I bear to leave you behind!"
Yindeng was amused by my words. "What time is it, yet A-Zhi still doesn't forget to flirt with me? Do you expect me to be like Sister Banyuan, redeeming my freedom to follow you?"
I thought to myself: *You have no idea that the person you serve already said she could redeem you and give you to me.* Of course, that was entirely sarcastic. If I really brought Yindeng home... Wei Qingming would definitely turn the world upside down again. Speaking of which, I thought of Dong Banyuan and sighed. "Is Mistress Dong’s matter... truly beyond redemption?"
"Likely so," Yindeng sighed as well. "It is said that Young Master Song has set the night of the Lantern Festival to welcome her into his home. He says... he wants to give her the most perfect companionship, like the moon of the Shangyuan Festival."
The two of us fell silent for a moment. I pulled myself together and declared boldly, "In any case, let's scout the situation of this wretched manor first!"
The Path of Illusions had not appeared before the public for a long time, but certain habits passed down over thousands of years had unknowingly integrated into other fields, such as formations. Although formation masters themselves might not understand it clearly, many binding formations came with runic mechanisms that automatically shielded against illusionary prying. The formation at the door of our little shed was no exception. However, no one had cast a specific illusion-binding spell on me personally, which meant Yin Huadi was not in the manor. Aside from that half-baked Meng Tingwu, there shouldn't be anyone who knew the trade, which was a stroke of luck. I only needed to wait for someone to come check on us; the moment the formation was opened, I could use Illusionary Sight to scout outside.
Finally, at noon, a lackey came to deliver food and water. He opened the door, and his hand seals for opening the formation were quite clumsy, allowing me to observe more easily. Since I was distracted, Yindeng took charge of striking up a conversation with the visitor. The skills of a top courtesan were fully unleashed, her illusionary intent so thick that even I almost couldn't maintain my focus. She smiled at the lad. "There’s actually food, but our hands are tied. How are we supposed to eat?"
The lackey’s heart swayed. Looking at her flower-like beauty, he almost forgot to breathe. As if possessed, under Yindeng’s affectionate, expectant, and pitiful gaze, he scooped a spoonful of a mushy mixture—whether it was porridge or stew, I couldn't tell—and fed it to her.
I found it quite hilarious, trying to hold back my laughter while scouting. To buy me more time, Wen Jiang also pouted and grumbled, "I am very hungry too. You can't favor one over the other, young brother!"
The lackey turned around and saw yet another goddess-like beauty; he nearly fainted on the spot. Wen Qi also found it hard to know whether to laugh or cry. She didn't need to be fed, so she lowered her head to hide her stifled laughter... Instead, this simple-minded lad was completely impartial, stuffing a few bites of food into my and Wen Qi’s mouths as well, though his movements weren't quite as "sacred" or gentle. Alas, beauty truly is useful at all times.
I was nearly gagged by the Thousand Color Palace’s terrible food. Once the lackey left, I found a secluded corner in the straw pile and spat it all out. The three of them, however, had to endure the nausea and feed each other, as their cultivation levels required them to eat to pull through. After the commotion, I told them what I had discovered.
The manor wasn't large, but the rooms were divided very densely. Row after row, they were almost identical, containing only a bed and a table—extremely spartan. It had likely been sealed for over twenty years, its facilities ruined, yet it served perfectly for the Thousand Color Palace to station themselves in individual rooms. Yindeng understood immediately. "It was an illegal brothel. The eastern suburbs are a gathering place for the poor, and underground businesses are common. It’s not surprising."
As for their numbers, there were at least fifty or sixty people. Among them were Mi Toutuo and Big Bird Brother, both at the peak of the Tunyun Realm, as well as the heavily injured and unconscious Meng Tingwu. It seemed that after I was abducted, Xuesu had been so enraged she tried to take Meng Tingwu’s life. She was hindered by Mi Toutuo and the others, and her blade only managed to split half of Meng Tingwu’s body, barely saving her with spiritual medicine to keep her hanging on by a thread. Mi Toutuo and Big Bird Brother must have already requested reinforcements from their Palace Master; more people would be swarming in soon. Aside from guarding us, the lackeys were busy cleaning the vacant rooms.
I made a prompt decision. "We can't wait. We escape tonight." Against this current nest of bandits, the Canxia Great Ghost could still handle them. But if any cultivators of the Canxia Realm arrived, I would be utterly unable to match them with my almost non-existent ghost-controlling skills.
The problem remained how to plan our route... Based on Big Bird Brother’s flight speed, we had moved four to five hundred miles to the southeast. I couldn't perform escape techniques for three people alone, and the terrain of the wild outskirts was unknown; there was no guarantee we wouldn't be caught or encounter other bandits. The sky and the ground were both impassable, so our only hope lay underground. Generally, these kinds of black-market industries would have secret escape tunnels. They wouldn't be connected to this crude shed, but would likely be located in the rooms reserved for the owners and distinguished guests—places already occupied by Mi Toutuo and his lot.
Just as I mentioned we could try to find a tunnel, Yindeng fell into deep thought, while Wen Qi and Wen Jiang stood up to search the surroundings for any hidden mechanisms. After a moment, Yindeng seemed to think of something and asked me, "If I have a temporary escape technique and we each take one person, how far do you estimate we can go, Zhenzhen?"
"If your technique can last more than fifteen minutes and you can keep up with my speed..." I said, "roughly a hundred miles."
"Good," Yindeng said. "Whether there is a secret tunnel in the manor, where it leads, and whether it’s still usable after years of neglect are all uncertainties. I have a plan: we can use the existing teleportation array of Chunan Tower to return to the city."
I immediately understood her intent and clapped my hands in praise. "In other words, if we can find a black-market industry involved in the Chunan Night Banquet within a hundred-mile radius, we can reverse our way back to Chunan Tower! Isn't it a coincidence? Today is the nineteenth of the twelfth lunar month, the night of the biggest banquet of the season!"
It wasn't until later, when Wei Qingming explained it to me, that I realized how reckless we had been when we first plunged into the Chunan secret tunnels. The shops within the "Qing, Hong, Zao, Bai" districts seemed to be in one place, but they were actually scattered throughout the capital's outskirts. The structure of that underground gold-consuming cave was incredibly complex, linked to countless illicit industries where bandits and assassins roamed. If we had run into them... with my meager skills back then, I wouldn't have lasted long enough for her to come save me.
***
**Glossary**
