“Finally, after being referred through layer upon layer of mysterious people, I found myself outside an extremely secluded valley, where I met that Immortal Physician.”
“What does he look like?” Lu Yan asked in a deep voice, sharply zeroing in on the key point.
Xiao Yunzheng shook his head in despair.
“I don’t know.”
“He never shows his true face. He’s completely wrapped in a massive black robe, and even his voice is hoarse and barely recognizable.”
Black-robed man!
The moment these three words were spoken, Lu Yan and Shen Jue’s pupils simultaneously contracted sharply.
In an instant, memories of that dark, windy night a few days ago flashed through their minds.
They had been hiding on the rooftops of the Zhen’nan Prince’s mansion, witnessing with their own eyes a secret transaction between Prince Zhen’nan, Xiao Zhengnan, and a mysterious black-robed figure.
That heavy wooden box that had been handed over!
Su Hewan and Yu Qing also immediately realized what was happening.
In her mind, Yu Qing shouted: 【Holy shit! The black-robed man we saw that night is this so-called Immortal Physician!】
Su Hewan was equally stunned.
Shen Jue slowly turned his head, his gaze cold and eerie as it fixed on the Zhen’nan Prince, who was drenched in cold sweat.
“Your Highness, so you already knew about your son’s misdeeds.”
“No wonder that night you personally appeared, secretly dealing with that black-robed man.”
Prince Zhen’nan, Xiao Zhengnan, staggered as his secret was exposed.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yunzheng continued his desperate confession.
“The Immortal Physician gave me this packet of divine medicine.”
“He repeatedly warned me, saying its potency is extreme, that only a tiny bit in the incense burner or pillow would make Wan’er forget her worries.”
“But… I wanted her to get better so badly!”
Xiao Yunzheng violently pounded the floor, his knuckles bleeding from the force.
“On our wedding night, seeing her face still as cold as ice, I lost my mind.”
“I stuffed the entire packet of powder into her soft pillow!”
“I thought… I thought that by increasing the dosage, I could make her fully recover, make her give herself entirely to me that night as my wife!”
“But I never imagined that I was personally pushing her into hell!”
The truth was laid bare.
The root of the tragedy was a husband’s extremely foolish and selfish love.
Using what he thought was the right method, he had catalyzed the deadly hallucinogenic pollen, ultimately forcing his wife to end her desperate life with an embroidery needle amidst unbearable, terrifying illusions.
“After it happened, seeing Wan’er die so tragically, I went insane…”
Xiao Yunzheng cried on the ground, unable to rise.
“I didn’t dare report it to the authorities, afraid of ruining myself, and even more afraid of ruining the reputation of the Prince’s Mansion.”
“My father, to protect me, had no choice but to claim to the outside world that Wan’er died suddenly of a heart condition.”
“We gave that Immortal Physician a huge sum as hush money, praying this matter would rot in the mud forever.”
“Never imagined… never imagined that you would still figure it out.”
The hall fell silent again.
Su Hewan was not moved in the slightest by this tragic confession.
As a top student in history, she had seen countless records of history where appearances were maintained for the sake of profit.
Her mind was exceptionally clear. She directly cut to the heart of the matter.
“That valley the wandering doctor mentioned… exactly where is it?”
Su Hewan stared intently at Xiao Yunzheng, her tone pressing relentlessly.
“Where does that Immortal Physician really come from?”
Xiao Yunzheng was cornered by Su Hewan’s piercing gaze, with nowhere to escape.
His whole body trembled violently, as if recalling some horrifying legend.
He swallowed a mouthful of blood-tinged saliva, his voice faint as a wisp of smoke.
“I… I don’t know the exact location.”
“That place is cut off from the world, surrounded by miasma and poisonous creatures—no outsider can enter.”
“All I know is that the people there are extremely skilled in poisons and medicines.”
Xiao Yunzheng took a deep breath.
“The locals in the southern frontier call that cursed place…”
“Yaoren Valley!”
The three words “Yaoren Valley” struck the four protagonists like a thunderclap in their minds.
Su Hewan, Yu Qing, Shen Jue, and Lu Yan—four sets of eyes met sharply in midair.
From each other’s gazes, they saw an unprecedented heaviness and shock.
A mysterious valley, secluded from the world, adept in medicine, capable even of producing lost forbidden drugs like Huansheng Flower.
All these traits perfectly pointed to the ultimate destination they had been tirelessly seeking on this southern frontier expedition.
Shennong Valley!
In their hearts, Su Hewan and Yu Qing cried out in unison.
Shen Jue’s long fingers slowly clenched; in his narrow, predatory phoenix eyes, a bloodthirsty excitement and icy killing intent ignited.
Lu Yan’s hand gripping the Xiuchun Dao tensed, veins standing out on his back; his cold, hard expression seemed to freeze into ice.
After all the twists and turns, the fog had finally cleared.
Shen Jue slowly folded his fan, tapping the ribs one by one with his long fingers.
“Prince, how do you propose we conclude this case?”
Shen Jue’s voice was soft and melodious, yet it sent a shiver down Xiao Zhengnan’s spine.
He shut his eyes heavily, bent his knees, and astonishingly knelt directly toward Shen Jue and Lu Yan!
“Your Excellencies, please spare me! My son was foolish, but he doesn’t deserve death!”
“If this matter were to spread, the southern frontier would plunge into chaos, and the court’s prestige…”
“Outrageous!” Lu Yan barked coldly. The Xiuchun Dao shot out half an inch with a crisp, dragon-like hiss.
“Are you threatening me and the Eastern Depot with the situation in the southern frontier?”
Lu Yan’s gaze was like a tangible blade, slicing across Xiao Zhengnan’s cheek.
Seeing Lu Yan’s domineering stance, Xiao Zhengnan stopped pretending.
His tone turned cold: “Your Excellencies, I am not bluffing! The safety of the southern frontier rests entirely on your decisions!”
Shen Jue and Lu Yan exchanged a swift glance midair.
The Zhen’nan Prince Mansion’s influence in the southern frontier was deeply entrenched and unpredictable.
If the truth were revealed publicly now, cornering Xiao Zhengnan, it might immediately ignite a bloody rebellion in the Ten-Thousand Mountains.
The new emperor was still young, the court unstable; now was absolutely not the time to deploy troops in the southern frontier!
Moreover, their ultimate goal was that hidden place—Yaoren Valley!
“You flatter me, Prince. The heir has lost his beloved wife and, overwhelmed by grief, has become mentally unsteady, speaking nonsense,” Shen Jue suddenly shifted his tone, adopting a compassionate and lamenting manner.
A glimmer of satisfaction appeared in Xiao Zhengnan’s eyes!
Shen Jue looked down at him from above: “In his current state, the heir should not receive visitors.”
“From today onward, he will remain in the rear courtyard, in isolation, to mourn his deceased wife.”
“As for the cause of the Crown Princess’s death…” Shen Jue drew out the words.
Lu Yan interjected at the right moment, his voice cold and iron-hard: “The Crown Princess suffered a sudden heart ailment and passed away. The Jinyiwei and Eastern Depot have confirmed this without error.”
Thus, they temporarily suppressed the matter.
Discussion
Comments
0 comments so far.
Sign in to join the conversation and keep your activity tied to this account.
No comments yet. Start the conversation.