Chapter 237 Could It Be Poisoned by Miasma?

The voice of the masked man carried a cold clarity, as if he had seen through the world.

“Those black-robed people are nothing more than a bunch of fanatical cultists who stop at nothing to achieve their goals.”

“The so-called ‘Holy Lord’ they worship is nothing but an ambitious madman, intent on overturning the world.”

“For the sake of covering up a family scandal, Your Highness handed over the military defense maps of Southern Frontier to them, which is tantamount to pushing millions of people in the South into an abyss from which there is no return.”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhengnan felt as if an old wound had been pressed. His fury ignited instantly.

“You talk as if it doesn’t hurt you!” he growled. “If it weren’t for them holding the key to my very life, would I ever be at the mercy of such despicable people?”

The masked man slowly turned around.

“We have no intention of meddling in Your Highness’s private affairs, nor do we wish to concern ourselves with trifles,” he said. “But the situation in Southern Frontier cannot, under any circumstances, fall into the hands of those petty villains just because of a momentary lapse in judgment.”

Xiao Zhengnan sneered repeatedly, his face full of mockery.

“Better said than sung!”

“You people normally skulk in the shadows like rats in a gutter, hiding your faces from the light.”

“And today you suddenly appear so boldly—surely it is for the same reason?”

“You’ve come for that woman surnamed Su, haven’t you?”

Faced with Xiao Zhengnan’s merciless ridicule, the masked man did not deny it. Instead, he took a heavy step forward, and the aura of restraint he had carried for years suddenly erupted!

In that instant, it felt as if the very air in the study had been sucked dry.

The immense pressure made it nearly impossible for Xiao Zhengnan to breathe, forcing him to step back involuntarily.

“Correct. The target of the Dragon-Seeking Guard’s current operation is indeed that Miss Su,” the masked man’s voice suddenly rose, carrying a fervent, soul-shaking fanaticism and absolute loyalty.

“But she is by no means the key to opening the cult’s sacred treasury!”

“Nor is she some petty toy for those vile cultists to freely exploit or use as a bargaining chip!”

“She is the legitimate heir of the Great Yuan Dynasty!”

“The only master left with true dragon bloodline from the collapse of the previous dynasty!”

Xiao Zhengnan drew in a sharp breath.

That maid who followed the Eastern Depot’s supervisor around every day, serving tea…was actually the supremely noble princess of the fallen dynasty!

“Your Highness,” the masked man said, sharply perceiving the shock and agitation in Xiao Zhengnan’s eyes.

He immediately reined in his outward aura, his tone returning to calm but infused with a hypnotic, deadly charm.

“Today, the emperor is young and ignorant, the Empress Dowager a mere woman, controlling the court like a hen ruling the roost.”

“At court, the eunuch faction runs rampant, the Brocade Guards bully freely, stirring the wrath of heaven and men alike.”

“This world has long been one where the people suffer and corpses lie scattered!”

“The Zhen’nan Prince’s Mansion has guarded the Southern Frontier for a hundred years, laboring to repel foreign enemies, yet still is constantly constrained by that harsh, ungrateful old woman in the capital!”

“Are you, Your Highness, truly willing to spend your life trapped in this miasma-ridden Southern Frontier, a puppet for others to command and discard at will?”

Xiao Zhengnan’s hand tightened sharply.

Seeing this, the masked man seized the moment, pressing the advantage and raising the stakes of his proposition.

“As long as Your Highness cooperates with the Dragon-Seeking Guard, sending troops to eliminate those cultists and protect Her Highness the Princess,” he said, “when the time is right, we will welcome the princess back, restore the previous dynasty, and reestablish the Dragon Court!”

He slightly bowed, clasped his hands, and gave Xiao Zhengnan a formal military salute.

“At that time, Your Highness will be the foremost hero aiding the new dynasty!”

“What is a mere prince of another surname, unable even to return to the capital? What is being confined in the Southern Frontier?”

“The great rivers and mountains of Central Plains, the endless honor of the court—all of it will be yours in full, Your Highness!”

If this promise were drawn by Yu Qing, even she would have to concede defeat!

Yet this pie is painted so large and so tempting…

For Xiao Zhengnan, trapped in desperation and craving power and security, it carried an irresistible, deadly allure.

“Why… should I trust only your words?” he asked.

The masked man let out a light laugh and drew from his chest a completely black token, made of a material neither iron nor metal.

Carved upon it was the exclusive dragon-patterned seal of the previous dynasty’s imperial family, representing supreme authority!

“Because behind this token lie over thirty thousand Dragon-Seeking warriors, lying in wait for more than a decade!”

The masked man casually tossed the token onto the desk, producing a dull thud.

“Your Highness is a clever man; naturally, you know how to weigh risks and benefits.”

“Do you choose to be manipulated by that group of cultist lunatics, made to obey like a dog, only to end up ruined, betrayed, and discarded?”

“Or do you choose to join forces with us, the Xunlong Guard, using the pretext of exterminating the cult to seize complete military control of Southern Frontier?”

“Once the princess is brought back and the throne reclaimed, you will be the first prince of a different surname to stand alongside the emperor in the new dynasty!”

The masked man’s voice was quiet, yet every word struck at the most vulnerable—and most greedy—part of Xiao Zhengnan’s heart.

The temptation of power was as deadly as opium.

Xiao Zhengnan’s breathing gradually grew heavier.

“Good!”

He slammed his hand on the desk.

“I agree!”

“But I demand that those cultists die without a trace!”

A satisfied curve lifted the corner of the masked man’s mouth beneath his mask.

“Your Highness is wise.”

“Since we have reached an agreement, please secretly dispatch the elite troops of the Southern Frontier and block all exits of the Ten-Thousand Mountains.”

“Under no circumstances are those cultists allowed to take the princess even a single step away from Southern Frontier!”

Xiao Zhengnan snorted coldly, exuding a long-missed aura of killing intent.

“This Southern Frontier is my domain!”

“I will issue the orders immediately!”

At the same time, deep within the Ten-Thousand Mountains, night pressed down like thick, indelible ink, impossible to dissipate.

The pale moonlight barely pierced the dense miasma, casting mottled, twisted shadows across the muddy ground.

“Cough… cough…”

Lu Yan’s face was as pale as paper, and he coughed weakly from his injuries.

Yu Qing clutched his arm tightly, her small face drained of color, yet she bit her lip to keep from crying out.

“Help! What kind of hellish place is this?”

“Lu Yan, you absolutely cannot die!”

“If you croak, my puny arms and legs won’t even be enough to stuff the crocodiles in this swamp!”

Yu Qing wanted to cry but had no tears.

Lu Yan cracked a faint smile.

This girl’s courage was smaller than a mouse, yet she insisted on holding herself together.

“I’m fine.”

Though his voice was weak, it carried unyielding determination.

Shen Jue, walking at the front, suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He abruptly turned his head to look at Su Hewan.

“What is it?”

Su Hewan felt her scalp tingle under his gaze.

Instinctively, she touched her cheek, then looked down at the coarse clothes smeared with mud.

Shen Jue’s fingers twitched slightly at his sides, suppressing the storm of emotions within him.

“Everyone stop.”

Shen Jue’s voice, soft yet cold, carried a chilling edge.

“This place is not right.”

At his words, Su Hewan immediately focused, carefully scanning the surroundings.

As a top student in history, she had deep theoretical knowledge of the Five Elements, Bagua, and Qimen Dunjia.

Though mostly theoretical, in a place as bizarre as this, it was far better than wandering blindly.

She squatted, scooped up a handful of black mud, and sniffed it.

“There’s no smell of water or vegetation—just a faint scent of sulfur.”

Su Hewan furrowed her brows, stood, and pointed toward a few dead century-old trees ahead.

“Look at the positions of those trees.”

“Three to the left, five to the right, seven in front, one behind—they subtly form an encircling formation.”

“This isn’t a naturally formed swamp—it’s a man-made labyrinth of confusion!”