Chapter 63 - Peaches in Full Bloom Throughout the Ten Li

轉碼失敗！請您使用右上換源切換源站閱讀或者直接前往源網站進行閱讀！Chapter 63 Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms

When Yun Qianyue saw Rong Jing's aura warm up, she let out a sigh of relief. This spiritual technique was indeed quite mysterious; since he didn't like it, there was no point in her learning it! Besides, what he said made sense too. Everything has its ups and downs, gains and losses, cause and effect. Using this kind of spiritual technique excessively is certainly not beneficial to one's health.

"You slept through the night but you look very energetic!" Rong Jing pushed Yun Qianyue away and lazily glanced at her.

Yun Qianyue smiled brightly. "This thing has a stimulating effect!"

Rong Jing gave a soft harrumph and warned, "No matter how good its effects are, you need to keep it under control and not use it recklessly."

"Okay!" Yun Qianyue agreed readily.

Rong Jing no longer bothered with her and stood up to go to the basin by the window for washing his face.

Yun Qianyue watched him for a moment, secretly making a silly face. Before she could retract it, Rong Jing turned back to look at her, causing her expression to freeze. He continued washing his face as if he hadn't seen anything, which made Yun Qianyue's lips twitch involuntarily. She quickly looked away from him; even though he no longer nagged about the spiritual techniques she learned, it was obvious that he still felt uncomfortable about it. Her complexion showed some embarrassment.

"Have you arranged everything" Rong Jing asked after finishing washing his face and took a handkerchief to dry his face.

Yun Qianyue suddenly remembered she had intended to meet the Third Young Master, who returned from Western Yan, as well as Hua Luo last night but was delayed by the secret room. She thought of calling Ling Lian and Yi Xue for information but recalled they were dispatched to his father's place. "Did you disguise yourself You can't go out in your position as Prince Regent of Rong王府, right Without the old emperor’s approval, it is not permitted to leave the capital privately."

"Mind your own business!" Rong Jing didn’t look at her but his tone still carried some annoyance.

Yun Qianyue knew he was still sulking and thus ignored him. She walked over to the basin for washing her face, then went in front of a mirror and untied her usual hairstyle, opting for an intricate bun she never wore before. As she busily prepared herself, Rong Jing sat at the table without any intention of helping or even looking at her.

After Yun Qianyue was done arranging her hair, she walked over to the wardrobe where everything inside was in purple Ran Yan Luo fabric. She rummaged through it but sighed in disappointment and looked back at Rong Jing. "What should I do without clothes"

"Qing Ying!" Rong Jing called out.

"Young Master!" Qing Ying floated in.

"Go to Immortal Clothes Shop and see if the two sets of clothing I ordered last night are ready," Rong Jing instructed.

“Yes!” Qing Ying left immediately.

Yun Qianyue smiled. "You prepared everything last night"

"Was it waiting for you to have your ears pierced before getting married" Rong Jing snorted softly in reply.

Originally, Yun Qianyue felt elated after squeezing out a divine technique from her father's knowledge, but now she was grumpy due to being ignored by Rong Jing. She thought that if she knew she would receive cold eyes upon returning, she wouldn't have learned it in the first place. Even if she did learn it, there was no need to show off. Now she had brought this upon herself! This wasn’t about squeezing her father; she ended up squeezing herself.

"Who’s at the gate What is going on" At that moment, Ting Xue and Ting Yu's voices were heard from outside the courtyard entrance.

Yun Qianyue was feeling grumpy when she looked out of the window upon hearing them. Two unfamiliar-looking women entered the room but they weren’t entirely so as their faces resembled Ling Lian’s and Yi Xue’s in some way, which made Yun Qianyue realize her father had altered their appearances. This must have been a master at work. She immediately called out to them, "Ting Xue, Ting Yu, let them come in."

Ting Xue and Ting Yu were puzzled but promptly moved aside.

Ling Lian and Yi Xue exchanged glances before entering the room respectfully.

Standing in front of them, Yun Qianyue scrutinized their faces carefully. There was no trace of any magic trick, making it hard to imagine how her father managed this. She couldn’t help but feel a strong interest in such tricks once more and exclaimed admiringly, "Father is truly amazing!"

"Miss, we were so scared! This is too amazing," Ling Lian said in astonishment.

"Yes, Your Highness really has skills," Yi Xue touched her face. "It looks exactly the same."

"There are wonders in this vast world!" Yun Qianyue looked at them and said, "Your eyebrows still resemble each other; it’s obvious Father was meticulous to preserve your inherited traits from the Ling and Yi families. Since you come from these two houses, they can’t be too unfamiliar. This way is perfect—it looks like but isn't quite you."

"Yes!" They nodded in unison.

“I wonder how Father did this It seems he cast a spell on your foreheads,” Yun Qianyue pointed at the middle of their eyebrows, her hand involuntarily itchy as she wanted to research further.

"Yun Qianyue, take your paws off and stop thinking about it! Otherwise I will go find Uncle Yuan right now; he definitely has a way to make you forget what you learned last night," Rong Jing’s cold eyes swept over her.

Yun Qianyue immediately withdrew her hand and smiled at Rong Jing, "What are you thinking Since I promised you, of course I won't misuse it."

"It's up to you to be mindful! Otherwise, I wouldn't mind helping you forget," Rong Jing said coolly.

"You really are my uncle!" Yun Qianyue angrily turned around. When did he become her overbearing nagging relative He wasn't just an overbearing relative; if he was, she would have dared to kick him out. Unfortunately, when this person turned cold and indifferent, it left her helpless.

Rong Jing suddenly laughed. Whether it was from being amused or because the phrase was genuinely funny, he slowly said, "Yun Qianyue, your skin is really too loose; I think it needs to be tightened."

"No need for Rong Junzi to make a grand appearance! My skin can tighten itself," Yun Qianyue angrily grumbled.

Rong Jing no longer spoke and swept his gaze over Ling Lian and Yi Xue. The two immediately understood and hurriedly left the room.

"Wait, Third Young Master and Hua Luo" Yun Qianyue turned around to look at them.

"Replying to Miss, do you want to see them Last night when we knew that Miss wouldn't return, I passed on a message for them not to come. If you wish to see them now, I'll send the message," Ling Lian said.

Yun Qianyue thought about it and nodded, "Let Third Young Master come! Hua Luo doesn’t need to come; he can wait with Hua Sheng and others outside the city for me to go to Lan Family!"

Ling Lian nodded and left.

"Yi Xue, no, Ting Xue!" Yun Qianyue called out again.

"Miss!" Ting Xue immediately responded from outside.

"Tell Jade Bracelet and Green Twig that starting today, the senior sister-in-law will manage the household. Regardless of how big or small the matters are in the mansion, they must be taken to the senior sister-in-law for decision-making," Yun Qianyue instructed.

"Yes!" Ting Xue responded and immediately left.

Yun Qianyue lowered her head and thought, feeling that there was nothing else she needed to instruct besides waiting for Third Young Master. She turned around and asked Rong Jing, "Has Yitian started his journey"

Rong Jing didn't answer, as if he hadn't heard.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" Yun Qianyue glared.

"Should I reply just because you're speaking to me What logic is that" Rong Jing said leisurely.

Yun Qianyue immediately became annoyed, "Rong Jing, how long do you intend to be stubborn Do you really want to part ways with me over this matter Would it make you happier if we went our separate ways"

"You can't handle my being stubborn for just a moment" Rong Jing placed his teacup down and raised an eyebrow.

"Who would want to see your cold face early in the morning" Yun Qianyue grumbled angrily.

"Forget it! I'll seek retribution from Uncle Yuan later for this discomfort. He surely knew that I'd be bothered yet still agreed to teach you. In the future, he won't have an easy time," Rong Jing rubbed his temples.

Yun Qianyue blinked and suddenly giggled, walking over and hugging him, "As long as you don’t continue being stubborn! You're right; Father knew that I learned this and said it would make you unhappy. He deliberately wanted to bother you! So in the future, just make sure he isn't comfortable!"

Rong Jing reached out to embrace her body that had come over and shook his head with a smile, "You're impossible to deal with!"

Yun Qianyue rolled her eyes, wondering if she could actually handle him.

"Young Master!" Qing Ying's voice came from outside.

"Is it here" Rong Jing released Yun Qianyue.

"Yes!" Qing Ying threw in a small package through the open window.

Rong Jing caught it and passed it to Yun Qianyue, "Go change."

Yun Qianyue took the package and opened it. Inside was a set of black brocade men's robes that appeared to fit Rong Jing’s measurements, along with an elegant silk robe in light blue with emerald green embroidery and jade beads, fitting Yun Qianyue’s size. She picked up both pieces of clothing and examined them carefully before holding the silk robe and walking behind a screen.

As soon as Yun Qianyue reached behind the screen, Rong Jing waved his hand to gently draw back the curtain and undid his moon-white brocade robe, putting on the black one instead.

The two of them were separated by a screen, and they could hear the sound of clothes being changed.

When Yun Qianyue was dressed properly and came out, Rong Jing had already finished changing. Yun Qianyue stared at Rong Jing intently. To be honest, she had never seen him wear any other color but moon-white brocade robes from childhood to adulthood. Now that he wore fitting black brocade robes with a jade belt around his waist, he was completely different from his usual gentle demeanor; it was as if he were a piece of black jade or an ancient sword made of wrought iron, concealing its sharpness behind the black robe. If not for his identical face, he would seem like a different person.

"It's not good-looking" Rong Jing raised an eyebrow, looking at Yun Qianyue’s direct gaze.

“It looks great!” Yun Qianyue nodded and said with a strange expression on her face: "I finally understand why you only wear white."

"Huh" Rong Jing looked at her.

“White can hide your sharpness. Black is noble, but the old emperor never favored the Yong王府. If you appeared in front of him every day dressed like this, he might not want you to live.” Yun Qianyue said. Just as her aunt and great-uncle had once said: which emperor would be willing for his ministers to outshine him She originally thought that moon-white brocade robes could embody his temperament but now she realized black ones made him appear even more noble, like the phrase "refined elegance unparalleled among princes."

“Huh…” Rong Jing chuckled softly. “It’s not as calculated as you say; I simply prefer white.”

A flicker passed through Yun Qianyue's eyes and she didn’t speak, walking to the mirror to take a look at herself. Wearing this outfit didn't make much difference in her appearance, but the combination of blue and green was like the sky meeting a lake, adding a touch of coldness compared to purple's vivid warmth. She had abandoned her playful and casual demeanor, hinting at a subtle martial spirit in her eyes. From afar, she appeared quite different; if she hid her features with magic, Night Tianyi wouldn’t recognize her.

At that moment, a strange thread of wind brushed through the window, followed by someone lightly landing inside.

Yun Qianyue turned around to see Third Young Master entering through the curtains. When he saw their changed attire and appearance, he was momentarily stunned. Yet, he quickly recovered with a smile: "Sure enough, people are clothes and horses are saddles."

Seeing that Third Young Master had already disguised himself as her, Yun Qianyue said with a smile: “This trip to the Western Extent is tiring! Did you find anything useful”

"Alright!" Third Young Master’s smiling expression dimmed.

Yun Qianyue raised an eyebrow and asked, "It's not very good"

"Indeed." Third Young Master nodded his head and said softly: “She has at most half a year left.”

Yun Qianyue’s smile faded as she asked seriously: “What incurable illness is it”

"Consumption!" Third Young Master replied.

Yun Qianyue's face changed; this was indeed an incurable disease. She glanced at Rong Jing, who remained calm, and then asked: "Has she made any arrangements for you"

Third Young Master looked at Rong Jing before shaking his head and saying softly: “Knowing that I am with you now, she advised me to follow your lead without worrying about her.”

Yun Qianyue frowned.

His darkened face brightened slightly as he said輕鬆ly: "These past years away from her, our bond hasn't been so thick. I am merely feeling a bit sad. Don’t worry, knowing her time is short won’t crush me."

"Alright! After resolving the Lan family matter, we will discuss this further. She is still your mother; let’s see if there's any way to help." Yun Qianyue knew he was pretending not to be sad. No parent doesn't care about their children and no child doesn’t care for their parents. There might be exceptions but Third Young Master definitely isn’t one of them.

Third Young Master nodded, "Alright!"

Yun Qianyue pursed her lips and said after some thought: “This time, you won't impersonate me at the residence but go to the Lan family.”

"Lan Family" Third Young Master was stunned again.

“Don’t worry; it's not for real. We'll make it look like that. Wind Pavilion will protect you. The old emperor knows I’m going to the Lan family and doesn't want me to meddle, so he’ll send someone to intercept us on the way. Then pretend to be injured and unable to arrive, returning home to recuperate.” Yun Qianyue said softly.

“Got it! You’re trying to divert the old emperor’s attention. Not going to the Lan family but being blocked from getting there. With such a big event at the Lan Family, if you stay hidden in your chambers that would be suspicious. This way, there's no suspicion.” Third Young Master understood.

“Smart!” Yun Qianyue snapped her fingers and asked Rong Jing: "How about you"

"Someone impersonating me, Xiangge and the eighteen secret guards following me will go with the disguised Third Young Master. Doesn’t this make it more realistic" Rong Jing raised an eyebrow.

Yun Qianyue knew that Xiangge and Rong Jing’s eighteen secret guards never left his side; this did indeed make things more realistic. She nodded, "Alright! Night Tianyi will go to the Lan family representing the imperial court with a ceremonial escort. Many people will be following him on the official road. Third Young Master and Xiangge can take that route after them. I know there’s a treacherous path leading through the ten great families. This is recorded in the Mitan Cliffs secret records. It's all steep mountains, difficult to travel but not impossible for us. Let's take this path!"

"Alright." Rong Jing nodded.

“Mother Zhao, bring breakfast!” Yun Qianyue called out after her words; it was time to start the journey after eating.

Mrs. Zhao replied and quickly brought in breakfast with Tingyu. Yun Qianyue invited the Third Young Master to sit down. The three of them did not speak, and their meal was simple and quiet.

After the meal, Yun Qianyue gave instructions to the Third Young Master: "The old emperor must have known that Rong Jing is with me, so he surely sent many Secret Guards this time. You and Xiangge need to be careful."

The Third Young Master nodded.

Yun Qianyue reached out to pull Rong Jing, saying, "Let's go!"

Rong Jing nodded and said to the Third Young Master, “Later on, Xiangge and someone disguised as me will come to pick you up. Just wait for them."

"Got it!" The Third Young Master waved his hand.

Yun Qianyue and Rong Jing did not say anything more. They lightly touched their feet and were about to leave when a guard from the Cloud Family Mansion rushed into the courtyard, shouting loudly towards the main house: "Miss Yun Qianyue, the Seventh Prince sent someone with a message saying that last night he requested permission from the Emperor for you to accompany him to the Lan family. The Emperor said since you don't want to enter the palace to accompany the Empress, you probably planned on secretly sneaking away. He couldn't stop you so he gave his approval! And he also said how could such a grand event be without Young Master Jing So he approved your participation too."

Yun Qianyue stopped and looked out of the window, narrowing her eyes slightly as she asked: "What else did he say"

"He said since the Emperor has given his approval, he will wait for you two and head to the Lan family together. The carriage is already outside," replied that person.

Yun Qianyue glanced at Rong Jing. Rong Jing's thin lips slightly opened: "Refuse it! Stick to our original plan."

"Let Seventh Prince go ahead first, we'll follow shortly." Yun Qianyue instructed outside.

The person responded with a nod and left the Shanyue Pavilion.

Yun Qianyue pondered what Night Tianyi meant. She supposed he knew that they couldn’t be stopped, so did he personally monitor them He and Cangting were both very astute individuals; it would be hard to hide their actions from him. Or perhaps he colluded with the old emperor to intercept them midway. Yun Qianyue sneered: "Night Tianyi is becoming more calculating!"

"He has always been calculating! You just misjudged him," Rong Jing said calmly.

Yun Qianyue had no way of refuting that, and she pulled him with her as they lightly touched their feet to head towards the old王爺的院子。她吩咐改了容貌的淩蓮和伊雪：“你們二人跟上，去爺爺院子裡，我們從暗室的秘密通道出城。”

“是！”淩蓮和伊雪齊聲應道，連忙跟在兩人後麵。

來到雲老王爺的院子，雲淺月拉著容景進了房間。隻見雲老王爺和雲王爺穿戴一新，端坐在椅子上像是等人，雲淺月知道他們是等著雲離帶著七公主來敬茶，撇了撇嘴：“還挺像回事兒！糟老頭子，你慢慢喝孫媳婦的茶吧，我們走了啊！彆想我。”

“臭丫頭，鬼纔想你！”雲老王爺哼了一聲。

“不想最好，不用你想。”雲淺月白了雲老王爺一眼，鬆開容景的手，跑到雲王爺麵前抱了一下，黏糊地說：“爹，你不準逃跑！”

“你這孩子！”雲王爺好笑地伸手摸了摸雲淺月的頭。

雲王爺的手還冇夠到，容景一把將雲淺月拽到了自己身邊，拉著她就向屏風後走去。

雲王爺的手僵在半空，看著屏風掀起又落下，慢慢放下手，啞然失笑對容景說：“小景，你要好好照顧小丫頭啊。”

容景彷彿冇有聽到，推開暗室的門拉著雲淺月走了進去。淩蓮和伊雪匆匆進來給兩位王爺行禮後追了進去。

四人進入暗室，門又關上了。

“臭丫頭冇出息，被景小子吃得死死的。”雲老王爺罵了一句。

“你不是希望有人管著她嗎？如今不樂意了？”雲王爺挑眉問。

“你懂什麼，看著她長大，天天圍著景小子轉，心裡能好受？”雲老王爺哼了一聲，“女大不中留啊！”

“當初一味地撮合他們，如今感歎起來。”雲王爺失笑說。

“瞪了雲王爺一眼，“你個混小子！老來還氣我是不是？再氣我滾出去！”

“十幾年冇回府，冇當過王爺。如今兒子娶媳婦來了，坐享其成喝喜茶，對不起哥哥啊！不過也冇辦法，將就著喝一杯吧。”雲王爺慢悠悠地說道。

“你也真厚臉皮！”雲老王爺掄起柺杖照著雲王爺打來。

The Marquis of Yun lightly dodged and looked outside, "Father, the newlyweds have arrived! You must maintain your dignity as an old marquis in front of the princess. Be careful! Be careful!"

The Old Marquis of Yun immediately retracted his cane and sat upright. The Marquis of Yun chuckled and also sat properly.

At this moment, Rong Jing was leading Yun Qianyue through a secret passage. Seeing that he seemed very familiar with the route as if he were at home, Yun Qianyue curled her lips, thinking it amusing how he had pulled her out of her father's arms without saying a word. This man...

The four people quickly emerged from the secret passage. The end of the passage led to the Purple Maple Forest outside the city, which was also where Rong Jing and Cang Ting fought that day. The Purple Maple Forest was dense and difficult for others to spot their movements.

Ling Lian placed her thumb and index finger on her lips and whistled softly. After the whistle faded, five figures dropped down lightly, all kneeling in unison, "Subordinates pay respects to Young Master!"

These five people were precisely Hua Sheng, Hua Luo, Cang Lan, Feng Yan, and Feng Lu.

"You may rise," Yun Qianyue waved her hand. Seeing their appearances still the same as several months ago, she smiled warmly and pointed to Rong Jing beside her, "This is Rong Jing! All of you should already know him."

"We greet Lord Jing!" The five people saluted together.

This was the first time Yun Qianyue had revealed the power of her Red Pavilion to Rong Jing.

"The Seventh Elder of the Red Pavilion is indeed very intelligent. No wonder the seven major families struggled so hard before reluctantly letting him go back then." Rong Jing looked at the five people, his gaze lingering on Hua Luo, Cang Lan, and Feng Yan for a moment before he smiled amiably, "No need to be overly formal!"

The five people straightened up in unison. They seemed momentarily stunned by Rong Jing’s dark jade brocade robe but quickly hid it as they awaited further instructions.

"Let's go! We’ll take a shortcut over the mountains and won’t need horses. It might be a bit arduous!" Yun Qianyue said to the five people.

"As you wish, Young Master!" The few people spoke in unison.

Yun Qianyue smiled and led Rong Jing towards the northern end of the Purple Maple Forest.

A hundred years ago, when the ten great families announced their retreat from the world to the public, no one knew where they had gone. The founding emperor saw that these families understood the times well and granted them permission to go into seclusion as a result. Originally, he was going to take action against them but decided against it. Over the past hundred years, the ten great families have set rules for their descendants not to enter society; even if they do enter the secular world, they try their best to keep their whereabouts hidden. But in fact, the sites where these hermits reside are not far from the capital city, merely a thousand miles away, located near the Ten Miles of Snowy Mountains' precipitous cliffs.

In reality, the precipitous cliffs weren't truly so steep but were rather arranged by the ten great families with an array formation that was shrouded in mist and fog, resembling sheer cliffs. If one could penetrate through this array formation, there would be a peach blossom forest covering ten miles of land, where the ten great families resided behind.

However, throughout history, how many people have been able to break through the array formations set up by the ten great families Barely any. Even if someone mistakenly entered it, they wouldn't be able to get out or would be sealed and unable to speak about it. Hence, this is why no one knows where the ten great families actually reside.

Because of geographical reasons, taking the official road around would take a thousand miles. But if one went straight over the mountains, the journey could be shortened by half, making it five hundred miles instead.

Rong Jing and Yun Qianyue, along with Hua Sheng and others, were all highly skilled martial artists. With light clothing and the aid of their agility skills, walking five hundred miles in three days would not be difficult. Perhaps they could even reach the peach blossom forest within less than three days. Therefore, to avoid Night Tianyi and Cang Ting, Yun Qianyue chose this route.

Five miles outside the Purple Maple Forest was a continuous range of mountains. The nine people climbed up the mountain. Although it was autumn now, the trees and flowers in the mountains had turned yellow, with green and yellow colors covering everywhere. But the branches still remained thick, easily concealing their figures.

Since Yun Qianyue had never been to any of the ten great families’ sites before, she wasn’t very accurate about direction initially, so she pulled Rong Jing ahead at first. After walking for a while, she remembered that he was the head of the Chu family and naturally didn't need her help in identifying directions. She immediately switched places with him, letting him pull her forward.

"Actually, there's another path even shorter than this one," Rong Jing said leisurely.

"Why didn’t you say it earlier!" Yun Qianyue glared at him upon hearing that.

"Anyway, we're not in a hurry. It’s rare for me to have traveled with you over mountains and rivers all these years; so now I can consider this as traveling," Rong Jing smiled when he saw her glare, looking at her mischievously.

Yun Qianyue's anger faded away immediately. She had intended to reprimand him a bit but decided against it in the end.

The autumn wind blew fiercely and insects chirped. Unfaded wildflowers in the mountains released fragrant aromas. Led by Rong Jing, their pace was unhurried as they walked while also enjoying the scenery. They covered two hundred miles in one day.

At nightfall, if it had been Yun Qianyue, she would have continued traveling to reach her destination early. But with Rong Jing here, he naturally wouldn't treat himself harshly. After dusk fell and they ate some wild game they hunted, several people laid Yun Qianyue on a large tree trunk for rest without uttering a word. Though no words were spoken, it was obvious that they didn't plan to move further.

Yun Qianyue thought nobles were indeed nobles. Being born noble, Rong Jing always acted with the bearing of a prince whether he was in high places or remote areas; hence, he wouldn’t treat himself poorly. Since he wasn't in a hurry, she didn't need to be either. So, she nestled into his embrace, used his arm as a pillow, and closed her eyes comfortably.

Hua Sheng, Hua Luo, and others exchanged glances and retreated to find places for rest.

Feng Lu had the personality of a young girl; since meeting Rong Jing and Yun Qianyue, she had been very disciplined and dared not act recklessly. But after enduring all day, it was her limit. As soon as everyone sat down, she couldn't help but whisper softly, "Is Lord Jing really the head of the Chu family"

Hua Luo rolled his eyes at her, saying, "Idiot! Didn’t I tell you Why are you asking again

"Brother Hua Luo, don't you feel uncomfortable if I don't scold me" Feng Lu glared and whispered, "I'm just curious! Prince Jing is really amazing. The Chu family is the first major noble clan!"

"What's that Prince Jing is also the master of Ink Pavilion!" Hua Luo threw another bombshell.

"What" Feng Lu suddenly stood up, her voice louder and disbelief in her eyes.

hua Sheng was alarmed, quickly covering Hua Luo’s mouth with his hand and pulling her back down. "Keep it quiet," he whispered, "don’t disturb Master and Prince Jing's rest, or I’ll send you back."

Feng Lu immediately stopped talking in fear but her eyes were still wide open.

"Don't believe me Ask Ling Lian and Yi Xue!" Hua Luo glanced at Ling Lian and Yi Xue.

The others didn’t know this news either, so they all looked towards Ling Lian and Yi Xue. They thought the two were wearing disguises when they first saw them in Purple Maple Grove but later found out that wasn't the case. Through Ling Lian and Yi Xue’s explanation, they learned that it was actually Duke Yun who had cast a spell on them. At first, everyone felt alarmed but then sincerely admired its wonder.

Ling Lian and Yi Xue nodded when seeing others looking at them. "Seems so!"

After getting confirmation from both of them, they fell silent for a moment. If Prince Jing being the master of the Chu family made people think he was amazing, then him also being the master of Ink Pavilion made people feel that it wasn’t just about his prowess.

Feng Lu saw no one speaking and pushed Hua Sheng’s hand away, lowering her voice to say, "Ink Pavilion is the imperial palace of the previous dynasty…"

"Feng Lu! No nonsense!" Hua Sheng growled softly and covered Feng Lu's mouth again.

Feng Lu immediately fell silent; she couldn’t help but look in the direction where Rong Jing and Yun Qianmo were resting. Seeing no reaction, she let out a breath of relief but saw everyone warning her with their eyes so she lowered her head knowing that she had said something inappropriate.

No one spoke anymore as if there was no one around.

Although Yun Qianmo closed her eyes, she wasn’t sleeping and could still faintly hear what they were saying. She didn't sense any change in Rong Jing's aura but knew that he certainly wasn't asleep either; anything she heard, he would naturally hear too. Her lips pressed into a thin line before slowly relaxing again as she drifted off to sleep with no more noise from the others.

The next day, Rong Jing still walked at the same pace as the previous day, neither fast nor slow, and after two hundred miles, it was already dark. They naturally spent another night resting in the wilds.

On the third day, they continued walking for half a day. Around noon on the western side of the mountain range, they arrived at the cliffside ten miles away from Sky Snow Mountain.

The moment they arrived, an old man rushed out from inside the cliff. The old man was probably in his sixties. Upon seeing Rong Jing, he bowed down excitedly, "Headmaster! You finally…"

"Uncle Qi, no need to kneel," Rong Jing reached out a hand to stop him.

The old man couldn’t kneel and straightened up instead. He said excitedly, "Old Headmaster estimated that you would be here soon and told me to come welcome you." As he spoke, it seemed as if he only then noticed Rong Jing holding Yun Qianmo's hand and quickly turned his head, “This young lady is”

"Red Pavilion’s Lady," Rong Jing introduced her.

Hearing this, the old man’s face instantly showed surprise; he carefully observed Yun Qianmo. At that moment, she had already covered her face with a sheer veil, leaving only her icy eyes exposed. Seeing him look at her, she gave him a faint smile but said nothing. Then he looked behind her and saw Hua Sheng and the other seven people following. After a long time, he finally turned his gaze away and sighed emotionally, "I didn’t expect that I would still see Lady of Red Pavilion in my lifetime! A fortunate event! A fortunate event!" Finished speaking, he asked Rong Jing again, "Headmaster, you arrived half a day earlier than expected. The envoy from Heavenly Saint Court and the Wise Prince of Southern Liang aren't here yet. Shouldn’t you return to your clan first"

"Mm," Rong Jing nodded and reached into his chest pocket, pulling out a silver mask to put on before slowly stepping forward.

Yun Qianmo glanced at Rong Jing; she felt that his aura changed as soon as he wore the mask. She followed him into the cliffside.

After entering the cliff, it was indeed ten miles of peach blossom forest. Whether because of climate or array formation, in this autumn season, the peach blossoms were still blooming brightly like a red sea with fragrant flowers everywhere.

They've arrived at one of the top ten noble clans now, waiting for surprises!

I’m timidly calling out - if you have accumulated votes, please throw them to me!

Thank you all who sent monthly tickets and diamond rewards and flowers! Kisses~p on the reins as she recalled Prince Rong Jing giving her the Crimson Beauty Brocade.Feng Jin snorted: "I can't close it!""Do you believe me that I have a way to make you shut up" Yun Qianmo suddenly...