Chapter 231 Bewitching and Debauched Gentleman

The campsite fell into a deathly silence.

Only the occasional crackle of the campfire broke the stillness.

The death of the mad beggar hit everyone’s hearts like a hammer.

The trail was cut off.

Yet the curse still echoed in their minds: “Blood blooms where the flowers open, Shennong’s Valley without grain.” It left them uneasy.

“This is a clear case of killing to cover up a murder!”

“Not even a madman is spared—this mastermind behind it all is completely deranged!”

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

“It seems our Zhen Nan Wang really holds all the power in this southern frontier,”

Shen Jue broke the silence, his tone betraying no fear.

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

Lu Yan nodded in agreement, his jawline tense and rigid.

“Whether the place ahead is a sanctuary for healing or a den of killers, we have no way out now.”

“Tomorrow morning, we continue the act.”

“If they want to watch us struggle on the edge of a trap, then we’ll give them a good show.”

The four exchanged a knowing glance and carefully put away the map.

The next morning.

Sunlight struggled through the dense canopy, casting dappled patterns on the forest floor.

To avoid alerting any hidden eyes, the four acted as if they were unaware of the imminent danger, moving deliberately along the path indicated by the map through the dense woods.

It wasn’t until night fell again that they set up camp on a relatively dry plateau.

This was already deep within the Ten-Thousand Mountains.

Towering ancient trees surrounded them, vines intertwined like a massive green web enclosing them.

The campfire blazed once more, the orange glow warm against the dark forest, yet fragile.

Unknown insects chirped intermittently, and in the distance, the low growls of wild beasts sent shivers down the spine.

Unconsciously, the atmosphere became tense, with an indefinable hint of awkward intimacy.

“Hungry?”

Lu Yan somehow caught a plump wild rabbit and clumsily skewered it on a branch over the fire.

Soon, the smell of burning meat wafted through the campsite.

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

“Master Lu, are you sure this is even edible?”

“This isn’t roasting meat—you’re practicing alchemy!”

Lu Yan, unusually embarrassed, cleared his throat to save face.

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

He carefully drew his razor-sharp butterfly knife and sliced into the charred exterior.

Only for the bright red blood to gush out immediately.

“Cooked on the inside? If this rabbit knew it was going to suffer such humiliation after death, it would probably rise up and bite him!”

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

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

Listening to her merciless inner commentary, Lu Yan’s face darkened further.

He was a full-grown man of seven feet, yet he couldn’t even manage a simple meal—it was utterly humiliating.

“Then don’t eat!” Lu Yan, flustered and frustrated, tossed the roasted rabbit aside like a sulking child.

Seeing this, Yu Qing couldn’t help but let out a snicker.

“Oh, I was just joking! Don’t be mad, Lord Lu.”

She leaned over and poked the charred piece with a stick, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

The two of them bickered here as if no one else existed, and somehow, the atmosphere became unexpectedly warm.

Elsewhere, Shen Jue had somehow caught a live fish from a nearby stream.

He wrapped it in a large banana leaf and buried it in the scorching embers at the edge of the fire, letting it cook slowly.

When the aroma began to waft through the air, he elegantly unfolded the banana leaf.

Out came a delicate silver knife he seemed to have conjured from nowhere. His movements were lightning-fast yet fluid as water.

In a flash of blade, the fish’s bones were removed perfectly, leaving the meat completely intact—every morsel undisturbed!

Such masterful skill, wasted on anything other than killing, yet here it was used to fillet a fish—truly a crime against nature.

Shen Jue placed the pristine, boneless fish on a clean leaf and naturally offered it to Su Hewan.

“Try it—this is a spiritual fish from the southern frontier, the meat is exceptionally tender.”

His voice was soft enough to be almost tangible, and his narrow, phoenix-like eyes reflected only Su Hewan.

Su Hewan paused, looking at the enticing fish, and a faint, suspicious blush rose on her ears.

She accepted the fish quietly. “Thank you, Commander.”

Shen Jue let out a soft laugh, his long fingers brushing her hand ever so lightly.

“No thanks needed between Wan Wan and me.”

This entire scene fell squarely into Lu Yan’s line of sight from not far away.

He looked at the half-cooked, charred rabbit in his own hands, then at Shen Jue’s peacock-like display of charm, and couldn’t help but roll his eyes so hard it practically hurt.

“Exuding all the sly charm of a rogue, yet such a refined scoundrel!” Lu Yan muttered under his breath.

After the meal, the camp’s atmosphere grew serious again.

The guide, A Liao, had long since eaten and drank his fill and was now curled up in a corner with the map, snoring softly.

The four of them sat around the campfire.

“While it’s still safe, let’s go through the case of the Crown Princess from start to finish,” Su Hewan broke the silence first.

“Although Xiao Yun Zeng admitted that he misused the Hehuan Powder, causing the Crown Princess to hallucinate and take her own life, I still feel there’s a crucial link missing.”

Lu Yan furrowed his brows and said in a deep voice, “You mean his motive?”

“Exactly.”

Su Hewan picked up a stick and idly stirred the ashes on the ground.

“According to Xiao Yun Zeng, the Crown Princess, Lin Wan’er, had no choice but to live in the prince’s mansion after her parents passed away. She couldn’t adjust to the new environment and, missing her parents, developed severe depression.”

“But think about it—this is the proud Zhen Nan prince’s mansion. Couldn’t they even hire a few competent doctors?”

She lifted her gaze, her eyes sharp as they swept across everyone.

“Even if the southern frontier is remote, the mansion’s resources are still there.”

“For ordinary depression, the heart may be troubled, but a few calming medicines or teas would suffice.”

“So why did Xiao Yun Zeng feel compelled to take extreme measures, trusting in that ridiculous Hehuan Powder, even seeking out some elusive immortal doctor?”

Su Hewan’s rapid-fire questions instantly cut through the fog that masked the surface of the case.

“Wan Wan is right,” a spark of admiration flashed in Shen Jue’s eyes.

“Only in desperation will a person recklessly grasp at medicine.”

“Unless… it wasn’t ordinary depression at all, but a hidden illness that even the mansion’s doctors were powerless against—or perhaps… didn’t dare to reveal!”