The dazzling white light illuminated the cave with perfect clarity, and the farther they went, the wider it became.
Xi Qingyue looked at the utterly unremarkable cave, puzzled. “Strange. There’s nothing in here. It seems to be nothing more than a passage. Who would go to the trouble of digging out a passage for no reason?”
At that moment, Lu Jinshuang’s attention was focused on the flashlight in Xi Qingyue’s hand. The lights inside the motorhome had already astonished her, but this little device, which could be carried anywhere, was somehow capable of producing such powerful light as well. It was truly a marvel of craftsmanship.
Hearing Xi Qingyue’s question, she smiled and offered her guess. “It’s simple. Either they were hiding from enemies seeking revenge, or they were hiding from the imperial court. They must have chosen this place deliberately. The poisonous plants outside may not be wild, either. I’ve heard that some prestigious clans choose secluded places in the mountains to live. That way, if their clan ever faces the danger of being wiped out, they can leave their younger generation a way to survive.”
Xi Qingyue agreed with her, but still added, “This doesn’t look like the work of a prestigious clan. The cave is too crude. People from such clans wouldn’t choose a place this shabby. Even if they dug a tunnel, they’d choose somewhere comfortable.”
The two chatted as they walked. After about fifteen minutes, they finally emerged from the cave, and the view ahead suddenly opened up.
Xi Qingyue switched off the flashlight and put it away. Looking down at the cliff beneath her feet, she suddenly laughed. “As expected, none of them are honest. An ordinary person would die instantly if they jumped from here, wouldn’t they?”
Lu Jinshuang walked over beside her and looked around. The outline of the towering mountain opposite them was clearly visible, but everywhere else was covered in dense forest. There was no sign of Luoxia Valley anywhere.
Looking down, they could faintly see a rushing river below.
Lu Jinshuang couldn’t help sighing. “Anyone who jumps from this height had better know how to swim. Otherwise, they’ll either be smashed to death or drown.”
If they missed their landing and struck a rock, they would die from the fall. If they landed in the river but couldn’t swim, they would be as good as dead. No wonder no one knew of Luoxia Valley’s existence.
Xi Qingyue looked down and let out a cold laugh. “Whatever kind of place it is, we’ll go down and take a look first.”
With that, she grabbed Lu Jinshuang and jumped.
She did not leap directly into the river. Instead, she stopped in midair, then flew through the forest, circling around it once before returning to the sky above the river.
Holding Lu Jinshuang’s hand, Xi Qingyue flew downstream. At the river’s end was a waterfall more than a dozen zhang high. Beneath it lay a vast lake, surrounded by fruit trees.
Not far from the lake, a small path paved with pebbles led deep into a peach grove. A village could already be seen faintly within it.
The two stood on the path. Looking at the scenery around them, Xi Qingyue smiled faintly. “It’s a pretty nice place. What a pity there are no peach blossoms to see.”
Lu Jinshuang reached out and rubbed her head. “It’s all right. We can come back next year when the peach blossoms are in bloom. We’ll pick some to make peach blossom pastries, and brew some peach blossom wine. I’m sure it will taste wonderful.”
Xi Qingyue grinned. This place was beautiful, but getting here was rather troublesome. If she moved everything into her spatial realm, the peach trees would bloom in no time. They could even produce peaches. Whenever she had nothing to do, she could go inside and enjoy the scenery. The more she thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.
She gazed around and chuckled foolishly, leaving Lu Jinshuang completely baffled. She had no idea what Xi Qingyue was so happily laughing about.
A moment later, the two of them continued along the pebbled path, heading straight for the village ahead.
Various fruit trees grew on both sides of the path. Besides peach trees, there were pear trees as well. Some of the thicker trees even had swings hanging between them, but the fallen leaves and dust covering the seats made it clear that no children had played there for a very long time.
“Who goes there?” a furious shout rang out.
As soon as the two arrived at the village, a man dressed in blue blocked their way. He was holding a bronze gong.
A smile appeared at the corner of Xi Qingyue’s mouth when she saw him. “We’ve come to find your Valley Master. Tell him that we’ve wiped out the Yuanlai Inn.”
The man in blue snorted at her words, then struck the bronze gong with all his strength. The instant the gong rang out, the villagers rushed out one after another, hastily grabbing their weapons.
Xi Qingyue’s eyes turned cold as she watched the men charge toward them with murderous expressions. It seemed that they really were connected to the Yuanlai Inn. They were already willing to attack her and Lu Jinshuang based on a single sentence.
A burly man pointed a saber at the two of them and shouted, “How dare you trespass into Luoxia Valley! Hurry up and face your death!”
As soon as he finished speaking, he swung his saber at them.
Xi Qingyue did not hold back. With a slight movement of her fingers, a sharp blade of wind shot toward the burly man.
“Ah!”
After a scream, the man fell to the ground with his eyes wide open.
The others flew into a rage when they saw their companion fall. “Damn you! How dare you kill someone from Luoxia Valley? You must have a death wish!”
The man in blue struck the bronze gong again and shouted, “There’s something strange about these two! Don’t waste your time talking to them. Use poison!”
A group of men immediately pulled packets of powder from their sleeves and threw it at Xi Qingyue and Lu Jinshuang all at once.
Xi Qingyue swept out her sleeve, and the powder flew back as though it had grown legs.
One by one, the men began coughing violently as the powder entered their mouths and noses. They were immune to poison, but having it get into their eyes and nostrils was still extremely unpleasant.
Lu Jinshuang swept her gaze across the crowd. Frowning, she shook her head. “None of these people look like the Valley Master. There’s been such a commotion, yet he can still remain calm.”
Xi Qingyue waved dismissively. “It’s fine. He can’t escape. I know where he is.”
Her abilities were not merely for show. Whether it was her earth or wind affinity, she could sense everything in the area. Her wood affinity was equally useful here, since there was no shortage of flowers and trees.
In a courtyard at the very back of the village, a man in his early twenties listened to the uproar outside and smiled sinisterly.
“Fools who don’t know their place. How dare they cause trouble here? Even if they really have the ability to kill me, so what? Countless people will still die alongside me. It won’t be a loss.”
Xi Qingyue sensed the scene through her abilities, but simply assumed that the Valley Master was overconfident. She did not think any further into it.
Looking coldly at the group surrounding them, she said, “I’ll only ask once. Is the Yuanlai Inn in Xin’an City one of your Luoxia Valley’s businesses? Do you know about the practice of drugging travelers passing through, then selling them for money?”
The leader in blue felt that something was wrong and was just about to deny it when a young man suddenly spoke up.
“That’s right. We did it. What business is it of yours? You’re nothing but a wet-behind-the-ears brat, yet you dare come here and cause trouble in Luoxia Valley? You were only lucky just now. Once our Valley Master arrives, you won’t even know how you died.”
Xi Qingyue suddenly smiled in satisfaction. “Very good. Since you admit it was you, I won’t hold back.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she thrust both hands forward. Sharp wooden spikes shot in from every direction, instantly piercing the men’s bodies.
After the wooden spikes came countless transparent, gleaming ice spikes. As though guided by invisible eyes, they pierced through the men’s limbs and nailed them directly to the ground.
The young man and the man in blue, who had been shouting moments before, now lay on the ground half-dead, blood oozing from their entire bodies.
After her initial shock, Lu Jinshuang approached the man in blue robes with newfound curiosity and crouched beside him. Clutching the ice spike, she yanked it out in one swift motion, then quickly retreated.
Blood sprayed into the air without staining her clothes, but the bone-chilling cold of the ice spike in her hand made her fingers tremble, and she immediately dropped it.
