Before the founding of Liang Country, it once shared mutual admiration with Miaojiang.
Both sides agreed to jointly defend against neighboring countries, but unexpectedly, the Old Miao King turned to Great Zhou.
The biological father of Emperor Liang—the then Old Qin King felt betrayed, but luckily his relationship with Great Zhou was not bad, relying on Great Zhou was better than other countries.
Shortly after, the Old Qin King's sister eloped with the Old Miao King's brother, and a year later, the Old Qin King's sister passed away in Miaojiang.
The Old Qin King went to seek justice for his sister, and gave the Old Miao King's brother a beating.
Perhaps he was too harsh, as the Old Miao King's brother suffered internal injuries and soon died.
Thus, a deep grudge was ford between both sides.
ng Qianqian never expected that the little one was the child of the Liang Princess and the Old Miao King's brother.
"Little Nine."
Shang Jue gave ng Qianqian a look, indicating it was ti to go.
ng Qianqian understood, and said to ng Lang, "Take Mao Tu."
ng Lang glanced at Shang Jue, words of protest stuck in his throat, obediently carrying Mao Tu on his back.
Then ng Qianqian said to Yu Zichuan, "Take the dicine King."
The dicine King was startled.
ng Qianqian didn't explain.
"Let's go."
Shang Jue made the final decision.
He respected all his daughter's decisions.
Si Snake and Ji Li also said nothing.
The group followed the sound of flowing water to a cave, inside which indeed lay a pool.
However, when they swam ashore along the pool, they didn't find the so-called exit.
"It's just a spring, ahead is a thick mountain wall."
Si Snake said.
The hope that was hard to ignite fell empty once more.
More frighteningly, after several ordeals, everyone's strength was depleted to a certain extent, and lacking food, they couldn't last long rely on water sources.
ng Qianqian's gaze swept over the weak dicine King, Mao Tu, and the recuperating Tan'er, knowing that none of them could withstand much more trouble.
"Rest here for now."
She began to issue orders, "ng Lang, dive in for so fish, Yu Zichuan, start a fire, Ji Li, can your Compass still work?"
In the face of a desperate situation, she remained as composed as her mother in her youth.
Shang Jue watched his eldest daughter with relief, as if he saw the shadow of Zhongli Yuan.
Everyone had a clear division of labor, and began to busy themselves.
ng Lang caught three plump fish.
Si Snake took a dagger, walked to the other end, and deftly cleaned the fish.
Shang Jue observed each person.
They, like his daughter, showed no signs of despair.
Ah Yuan, do you see this?
Little Nine has grown up.
She now has her own strength, surrounded by people as brave as she is.
While eating fish, ng Qianqian suddenly rembered sothing, taking out a hairpin from her bosom, and recounted how soone had repeatedly tried to seize it.
"He dropped a piece of the Wind and Fire Order."
She looked at Yun Xiyao.
Yun Xiyao said, "The Wind and Fire Order was placed in the Holy Temple."
ng Qianqian asked Shang Jue, "Daddy, was that person sent by you?"
Shang Jue shook his head, "Not by ."
"Not by you? But he—"
ng Qianqian was puzzled.
At this mont, Yao Guang, who had been sitting to the side with his eyes closed, softly spoke: "It was the Holy Daughter."
Everyone turned to look at him.
The dicine King said, "It's because you ntioned it that I rembered, during the period the Holy Daughter set up an array in the dicine King Valley, she took out the Holy Temple's Wind and Fire Order and gave it to soone. As for who that was, I don't recognize, nor do I know what task the Holy Daughter instructed him to do."
ng Qianqian murmured, "Why did mother do this? Is there sothing special about this hairpin?"
"It was the token of love I gave your mother."
Shang Jue said with utmost seriousness.
Since it was the gift he gave Ah Yuan, it was certainly extrely precious.
ng Qianqian didn't know whether to laugh or cry, her father always showing off their love.
"But how did it end up in Ayimulan's hands? Did mother foresee all this and had soone retrieve it years later?"
Shang Jue was stumped by the question.
Just as everyone was puzzling over it, a disturbance arose in the pond, and soone burst out of the water.
ng Lang was so startled he threw the fish bone in his hand.
With a black face, Chen Long spat out the fish bone from his mouth.
ng Lang awkwardly said, "Ma-, Master?"
Then he looked aside, "Brother-in-law?"
Lu Yuan and Chen Long climbed up to the shore, soaking wet.
Chen Long was holding a man who had fainted from drowning.
The person was caught by Lu Yuan.
But when it ca to moving such an inelegant task, he wouldn't do it.
However, the mont he reached the shore, he imdiately snatched the "hostage" from Chen Long's hands and walked righteously to Shang Jue, "Father-in-law, this son-in-law is late!"
Shang Jue: "..."
Chen Long: "..."
Everyone else was also dumbfounded, not surprised by Lu Yuan's shalessness, since he had long lost face, but wondering how he recognized Shang Jue?
Lu Yuan was the Grand Commander of the Jinyi Guard, and if he didn't have such a skill, it would be unreasonable.
Firstly, he had seen a portrait of Shang Jue in his youth.
Secondly, Tan'er was leaning against the opposite side.
And the mont he and Chen Long burst from the water, the opposite side clearly made a protective gesture towards ng Qianqian and Tan'er.
Moreover, at such a critical mont, Shang Jue should indeed appear.
ng Qianqian rarely saw this bootlicking side of Lu Yuan, and was montarily stunned.
They say the father-in-law looks at the son-in-law with more and more disapproval.
But there's also a saying that one doesn't hit a smiling man.
Shang Jue felt a breath stuck in his throat, unable to swallow or spit it out, and even his joy at seeing his son wasn't coherent.
Chen Long walked over slowly, unsure if the scene before him was real: "Father… it really… is you…"
Shang Jue took a deep breath and patted his shoulder, "It's , I've returned."
Chen Long's eyes turned red, tears glistening at the corners.
A cold-blooded killer, at this mont, was moved to tears.
"Father-in-law, he's awake."
Chen Long's emotions were abruptly cut off.
The warm scene of father and son was interrupted by Lu Yuan like that.
He even felt like drawing his sword!
ng Qianqian recognized the person; it was the man attempting to retrieve her mother's hairpin.
Speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao arrives.
"You..."
ng Qianqian was about to question him, but he fainted again.
Lu Yuan said, "No worries, he was originally a mute."
ng Qianqian: "Then..."
Lu Yuan: "But I've already asked what needed to be asked."
There's no one that the Grand Commander of the Jinyi Guard can't interrogate.
"He is a close confidant of the Holy Daughter. Many years ago, on her instructions, he deliberately 'gave' the hairpin to Toghtai, but the Holy Daughter also instructed him to retrieve it before the next Seven Stars in a Row and send it to the Holy Temple Forbidden Land on Liuli Island."
"This is all he knows; he is only following orders."
ng Qianqian suddenly understood: "So, Mother had made arrangents so early to let the hairpin fall into Toghtai's hands... it was probably to protect the hairpin."
And indeed, that was the case.
The hairpin had been kept intact in Toghtai and Ayimulan's possession until today.
"What's the use of a hairpin?"
Tan'er tilted her head and asked.
ng Qianqian pondered, "With such great effort, it must have a significant use."
"Right, on his back, there's this."
As Lu Yuan spoke, he tore open the man's clothing.
Everyone then saw a tattooed astrological chart on the man's back.
Tan'er scratched her head, "This is..."
ng Qianqian looked at the hairpin, then back at the tattoo, "Ji Li!"
Ji Li held the compass, took out the turtle shell, and divined according to the astrological chart.
"Life Gate!"
He exclaid, "This place is actually a massive Eight Trigrams Array."
"Key!"
"Key!"
ng Qianqian and Lu Yuan looked at the hairpin and said in unison.
This hairpin is indeed the true key to the Gate of Qiankun.
Ji Li drew a route map based on the divination.
Lu Yuan said, "So it's back in the first secret chamber; it seems we'll have to retrace our steps."
The group jumped into the pool, winding their way back to the first secret chamber.
"Here it is."
Lu Yuan found the chanism, pressed it, and a crack appeared on the stone wall, revealing a groove that perfectly fit the shape of the hairpin.
ng Qianqian placed the golden hairpin inside.
To everyone's surprise, there was no reaction from the secret chamber.
ng Lang rubbed his chin, "Could it be... it needs the blood of the Twin Flowers?"
Lu Yuan slapped him on the back of the head.
ng Lang: "Why are you hitting ? That's how the stories go!"
Chen Long said seriously, "If it was Mother's plan, she would never bear to let her daughter bleed."
"I'll do it."
Shang Jue extended his hand, cut his palm with a dagger, and let the blood drip onto the hairpin.
No reaction.
Shang Jue: "I knew it! Ah Yuan wouldn't bear to let bleed a single drop either!"
Everyone: "..."
Lu Yuan pressed the hairpin downward.
Clack!
The groove retracted into the stone wall.
With a loud rumble, a stone door slowly opened on their right side.
ng Lang twitched his mouth, "So it was just not placed in the right position..."
Everyone instinctively took a few steps forward.
Shang Jue stopped them, "I'll go in first."
Inside the stone door, mist swirled.
As soon as Shang Jue entered, he disappeared from sight.
Tan'er anxiously shouted, "Daddy!"
Shang Jue: "I'm here; there's no chanism inside, you can co in."
"I'll go first."
Yun Xiyao was worried about the children.
But Tan'er couldn't hold back any longer and darted inside.
"Tan'er!"
She called out, "General Shang, Tan'er went in!"
"You child."
"Hee hee!"
Voices of the father and daughter ca from the mist, and it seed they encountered each other. Yun Xiyao breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, Si Snake, Ji Li, ng Lang, Yu Zichuan, and others went in one after another.
Lu Yuan and ng Qianqian were the last to enter the mist.
The passage was narrow, only allowing one person to walk through at a ti.
"You go first."
ng Qianqian said.
"Are you sure?"
Lu Yuan asked.
"Yes."
ng Qianqian nodded.
"Alright." Lu Yuan said, "Then follow closely behind ."
ng Qianqian did not follow.
The mist was too thick, she couldn't see anything clearly, so she asured the ground beneath her feet over and over.
It was an empty cavern, without a single thing inside.
ng Qianqian was utterly disappointed.
What about the Seven Stars in a Row?
What about the Gate of Qiankun?
In the end, it was just an escape passage.
"'Seven Stars in a Row, Holy Daughter appears', was it really just the High Priest's lie?"
A wave of deep sorrow hit her; she laughed at herself, forcing back tears before turning to leave.
At this mont, a voice seed to travel across centuries.
It was ethereal and delicate, with ultimate gentleness.
"Little Nine."
(End of text)
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