Chapter 230 Journey to Shennong Valley

Before officially venturing into the true depths of the dense forest, the four of them chose to set up camp by a relatively open stream to rest and make final preparations.

In the makeshift camp, a fire crackled and popped, dispelling some of the surrounding chill.

Lu Yan spread the roll of sheepskin map provided by Xiao Zhengnan across a few relatively flat boulders.

The four heads huddled together, studying the route deep into the heart of southern Xinjiang by the flickering firelight.

“This map…” Lu Yan’s brows furrowed deeply as his long fingers traced along a winding ink line on the map.

“Too detailed.”

Su Hewan immediately picked up his thought, pressing her finger heavily on several marked spots on the map.

“Exactly, it’s detailed to an almost unbelievable degree.”

“Look here,” she continued, “this route not only avoids the deadliest poisonous areas in southern Xinjiang, but even marks safe water sources along the way and wind-sheltered slopes suitable for camping.”

Su Hewan lifted her head, her gaze sharp and icy with intelligence.

“The Ten-Thousand Mountains are called a forbidden land for the living. If even the Zhen Nan Prince’s mansion has such detailed internal maps, the army would have already trampled this place—how could it have become an untouchable forbidden zone?”

Yu Qing squatted nearby, hugging her knees as she looked at the densely marked map, feeling her scalp tingle.

“What the hell kind of exploration map is this? This is clearly a tourist route!”

“Xiao Zhengnan must think we’re three-year-olds! It’s practically missing only the words ‘Welcome to the Road to the Underworld’!”

Lu Yan rested both hands on the edge of the boulder.

“As the Art of War says, ‘The more one tries to conceal, the more one reveals; the more one tries to cover up, the more one is exposed.’”

“This map, rather than being a guiding light for us, is a trap designed to lure us step by step into their carefully laid net.”

“They intend to use this map to precisely control our route and camping locations.”

“In this way, where we rest each night, when we tire—everything falls into their scheme.”

Lu Yan’s analysis laid bare the hidden murderous intent, dripping with danger.

Even knowing that a bottomless abyss awaited ahead, even knowing that this map was a death warrant, they had no choice but to leap forward.

“Heh…”

A soft, cold laugh broke the heavy silence in the camp.

Shen Jue leaned lazily against a tree trunk. In his captivating phoenix-like eyes, there was no fear—only a burning madness and excitement, as if he were staring at prey.

“Since the Zhen Nan Prince has been so thoughtful as to dig traps for us, wouldn’t it be a shame if we didn’t step into them?”

He slowly stood, his tall figure casting a heavily oppressive shadow in the firelight.

“Map—use it as is.”

“Route—follow it as is.”

Shen Jue walked over to Su Hewan, his fingertips brushing a strand of hair near her ear with a teasing yet careful touch, his voice low and seductive.

“Wanwan, haven’t you said that the most elite hunters often appear in the guise of prey?”

“They want to use this map to lure us into a trap!”

“Well then, let’s see—when we fall into it, who really is the big fish…”

Shen Jue slightly tilted his head, his gaze passing over the flickering fire to the guide, A Liao, sitting motionless like a carved statue, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

The night wind whispered through the forest like ghostly wails.

The firelight gradually dimmed, leaving only a few glowing embers struggling in the ashes.

The guide, A Liao, who had been sitting like a block of wood, finally leaned against a sturdy tree trunk and began to snore in a steady, heavy rhythm.

Once they confirmed he had fallen into a deep sleep, the four, who had been resting with eyes closed, almost simultaneously opened their eyes.

Their gazes were clear and sharp, not a trace of fatigue in sight.

Lu Yan lightly spread the sheepskin map across the ground again, weighing down its corners with a few stones.

Su Hewan leaned over, pressing her fingertip hard on a shortcut deliberately marked in vermilion on the map.

“This path… absolutely cannot be taken.”

Her voice was low, but filled with certainty.

“Why so sure, Wanwan?” Shen Jue deliberately lowered his tone, the tail of his voice carrying a lazy rasp, as if it were just a casual question.

Su Hewan looked up, meeting his probing gaze.

“Look at the terrain here.”

She pulled a plain silver hairpin from her hair and gently traced a few lines on the map.

“The area is high all around, low in the center, like a massive funnel.”

“The climate in the Southern Frontier is humid and hot, with frequent rain all year. All the rainwater and mountain streams would naturally converge in this low-lying spot.”

“Moreover, the vegetation marked here mostly consists of water-loving vines with extremely extensive root systems—poisonous ones.”

“This means that beneath this seemingly flat ‘shortcut’ lies mud that never sees sunlight and bloodsucking poisonous insects!”

Su Hewan took a deep breath and delivered her final verdict:

“This isn’t a path at all—it’s a man-eating swamp!”

Yu Qing, thrilled, hugged Su Hewan excitedly: “Wow, Wanwan, you’re amazing! Your knowledge of geography really shows! Truly a top student!”

Su Hewan felt dizzy from her shaking and laughed: “Alright, alright, stop flattering me!”

Lu Yan’s expression instantly turned cold.

Though he didn’t know much about geography, years of leading troops had given him basic knowledge of marching and terrain.

After Su Hewan’s straightforward analysis, he immediately saw the malicious intent behind the map.

“A fine Southern Frontier Prince,” Lu Yan sneered, veins bulging on the back of his hand gripping the embroidered spring knife.

“On the surface, he politely provides guides and maps—but behind our backs, he intended to bury us in the swamp without anyone knowing!”

Yu Qing snorted coldly. “That old bastard is wicked indeed!”

At that moment, from the darkness beyond the camp, a faint cuckoo call sounded.

Shen Jue’s long fingers tapped lightly on his knee.

“Come in.”

No sooner had he spoken than a shadow, ghostlike and silent, swept down from the treetops, kneeling on one knee before him.

It was the Eastern Depot agent sent earlier that day to track the mad beggar.

“Commander!”

The agent lowered his voice, an unusual seriousness in his tone.

“My failure in carrying out the mission—I was a step too late.”

Shen Jue’s eyes immediately turned cold, and the surrounding air seemed to drop several degrees.

“Speak.”

“I followed the trail to a ruined temple outside the city and found that the beggar was already dead.”

Everyone was shocked.

“How did he die?” Lu Yan asked in a deep voice.

“The death was extremely brutal,” the agent recalled, his voice tightening.

“Not only was his tongue cut out, all ten fingers were chopped off, and in the end, he was pierced through the heart with a sword and nailed to the temple’s Buddha statue!”

“Furthermore, his clothes were stripped off, and someone carved a strange flower onto his chest with a dagger.”

Su Hewan clenched her fists, as if the rough texture of that withered Illusion Bloom still lingered in her palm.

“It’s the Illusion Bloom,” she said, enunciating each word carefully.

The campsite fell into a deathly silence.

Only the campfire occasionally crackled with a faint pop.

The death of the mad beggar hit everyone like a hammer to the chest.

Their lead had gone cold.

Yet the curse—“blood will bloom where flowers should, and Shennong will find no grain”—still echoed in their minds, leaving them uneasy.

“This is a straight-up murder to cover tracks!”

“Not even a lunatic is spared—whoever’s behind this is completely insane!”

Yu Qing raged silently in her mind, her face pale with fright.

“Seems like our Zhen Nan Wang really does hold all the power in this southern frontier.”

Shen Jue broke the silence, but his tone carried not an ounce of fear.

“The more they rush to cover it up, the bigger the secrets hidden in that so-called Shennong Valley must be.”

Lu Yan nodded in agreement, his cold, hard jaw tensed.

“No matter if what lies ahead is a sanctuary of healing or a den of murderous intent, we have no way out.”

“Tomorrow morning, we continue the act.”

“If they want to watch us struggle on the edge of a trap, then we’ll play along—properly.”

The four exchanged a knowing glance and carefully stowed the map.

At dawn the next day.

Sunlight struggled to pierce the dense canopy, casting mottled shadows on the forest floor.

To avoid alerting any hidden eyes in the darkness, the four pretended to be unaware of the looming danger and moved through the woods at a leisurely pace, following the map’s directions.

It wasn’t until night fell again that they made camp on a relatively dry high ground.

They were now deep in the heart of the Ten-Thousand-Mountain Range.

Ancient trees towered around them, vines intertwining like a giant green web enclosing them.

The campfire was rekindled; its orange glow seemed especially warm in the dim forest, yet also strikingly fragile.

From time to time, unknown insects chirped nearby, and distant beasts let out low, chilling growls.

The atmosphere gradually became tense, tinged with a subtle, inexplicable unease.

“You hungry?”

Lu Yan had somehow hunted a plump wild rabbit and clumsily skewered it on a stick to roast over the fire.

Before long, the scent of something burning filled the campsite.

Yu Qing pinched her nose, looking at the blackened, smoking mass in Lu Yan’s hands with utter disgust.

“Sir Lu, are you sure that thing is even edible?”

“This isn’t cooking—it’s some kind of alchemy experiment!”

For once, Lu Yan’s face flushed red. He cleared his throat, trying to save face.

“Cough… it may look burnt on the outside, but it should be cooked inside.”

He drew his razor-sharp Xiu Chun knife and carefully sliced through the blackened skin.

Immediately, bright red blood spurted out.

“Cooked inside my foot! If this rabbit knew it was going to suffer this indignity after death, it’d probably come back to bite you!”

“Master Lu, please, spare the food—and spare my stomach too!”

“This rabbit died in vain… in vain!” Yu Qing shook her head in disbelief.

Hearing Yu Qing mercilessly rant in her mind, Lu Yan’s expression darkened even further.