Atlas of Heaven and Man.

Chapter 1419 The tunnel conceals the shadows

When Yuan Conglai woke up from her coma, she found herself no longer in the train carriage, but lying on the ground of the tunnel.

His ears were ringing, so he reached up and pressed his head, shook his head, and looked around. He saw that the officer and the group of sentries who had not been in the same carriage were now lying haphazardly around him.

It felt like I was being thrown out of the train car.

Directly in front of him, the once dark and deep tunnel was now radiating a bluish-green light.

He could vaguely make out that there seemed to be a figure standing in that light. After a while, his eyes adjusted to the light, and he realized that it was an elderly Taoist priest.

The man was staring at him with hostile eyes, eyes that seemed to be filled with intense disgust and hatred.

He couldn't help but shudder.

The old Taoist priest sneered when he saw his appearance.

Just then, a paper crane suddenly flew out from behind the tunnel. The sound of its flapping wings and its graceful posture made people almost doubt that it was a real crane.

He reached out and grabbed it, then turned around. A moment later, more light emerged from the other end of the tunnel, so bright that tears welled up in Yuan Conglai's eyes, and he quickly raised his hand to shield them.

After a while, the sound of several pairs of military boots clicking could be heard. They stopped when they got close, and then he heard the old Taoist priest say:

“Xuanji, this person should be Emperor Wenguang’s eldest son, born to Empress Cao. Although Emperor Wenguang does not favor him, he knows a lot of palace secrets. Emperor Wenguang must have sent him to scout ahead this time.”

Then he heard a young but powerful voice say, "Gao Gong was right after all."

Yuan Conglai peered through the gap in the cover and was startled, for he noticed that the men who had come over were all wearing the uniforms of the Da Shun army. Combined with the questions he had just heard, his heart sank, and he realized that he must have been captured.

But at this moment, he showed no fear or anger; instead, he calmly accepted everything, perhaps because he had already prepared for this when he came out.

Yuan Conglai took a deep breath, lowered his hand, got up from the ground, and looked calmly at the group of people standing in the light, whose specific appearances were not clearly visible.

Although the other party did not release any field of intimidation towards him, his body was still trembling uncontrollably. He himself was not afraid, but the mutated tissue in his body was gripped by fear and spasms.

At this moment, the servant slowly awoke and saw his surroundings. A look of surprise flashed across his face, but he quickly regained his composure and whispered, "Your Highness."

Yuan Conglai breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that he had woken up. "Zikang, it's good that you're alright..."

The official also got up from the ground, dusted himself off, and said with his hands clasped, "Your Highness, I am unharmed."

Ming Chengzi sneered and handed Chen Chuan a map that had just been confiscated from the train: "Xuanji, this is what this person was carrying."

Chen Chuan took a look and saw that the map marked this track, and the main locations along the way were marked in detail.

After looking at it, he closed the map and looked up at Yuan Conglai: "Are you Prince Qiong, Yuan Conglai?"

Yuan Conglai remained silent. At this moment, Conglai stepped forward, clasped his hands, and said, "Indeed, this is His Highness Prince Qiong."

Chen Chuan said, "Did Emperor Wen Guang send you here to scout the way?"

Yuan Conglai remained silent. The official continued to reply, "Without an imperial decree, how could one leave the city? And how could one be protected by the imperial guards?"

Ming Chengzi sneered and said to Chen Chuan, "Xuanji, this Emperor Wenguang is no different from those emperors of the previous dynasty. Seeing that the country is about to perish, he is looking for a way out. However, he sent his eldest son, whom he has always disliked, with a rather sinister intention."

Chen Chuan asked, "What arrangements should be made for Gao Gong?"

Ming Chengzi said to him, "That's easy. I'll use a secret technique to make this person forget everything that just happened. When he goes back and reports to Emperor Wenguang, he will think there's no problem here and will pass through. Then we can capture him."

Chen Chuan said, "Since you are so confident, then I'll leave it to you."

When Yuan Conglai saw them talking about these things so openly and without any attempt to hide it from him, he couldn't help but tremble. He pulled out a small knife from his sleeve and was about to slit his own throat.

The official was greatly alarmed, grabbed his sleeve, and reached out to snatch the knife from his hand, crying out, "Your Highness, you mustn't!"

Yuan Conglai struggled to his feet and shouted, "Let me go! I'd rather die than let my father be plotted against by the enemy because of me!"

Ming Chengzi watched the two of them fighting and sneered, "Do they really think they can just die?"

Not to mention that Yuan Conglai wouldn't die in front of him, even if he did cut him, someone like Yuan Conglai, a direct descendant of the imperial family, would have his naturally highly active and mutated tissues quickly help him recover from his injuries.

Not wanting to make a scene in front of Chen Chuan, he gave a strange look to his eyes, and Yuan Conglai immediately became stunned, dropping the knife in his hand to the ground.

Seeing that he did not move, he was finally relieved, but at the same time he was worried about his current condition. He turned around and bowed to Chen Chuan and Ming Chengzi: "His Highness Prince Qiong is born with a deficiency and is weak and sickly. No matter what you want, I hope you will take pity on his frailty and show him some compassion."

Ming Chengzi said coldly, "You and this Prince Qiong are still somewhat useful. Not only will I spare your lives, but I will also let you go back safely."

Chen Chuan calmly said, "I have a few questions for you." The official bowed deeply and said, "I dare not hold anything back, please enlighten me, sir."

Chen Chuan first asked him about his origins, then about the residence of the Prince of Qiong, which road they had taken to get here, what places they had passed through along the way, and so on. Then he asked about some things in the palace.

There was nothing concealed; all answers were truthful.

Finally, he thought for a moment, gritted his teeth, looked up and said, "My lord, there must be a secret passage in this imperial court that leads directly from Youdu to here, without having to go through the land."

Chen Chuan looked at him: "How did you know?"

The official stated with absolute certainty, "Without this route, the escape route to the north would have been blocked outside the city long ago, making it impossible to escape here!"

Chen Chuan nodded and said to Ming Chengzi, "Master Gao, I have finished asking."

Ming Chengzi gladly said, "Xuanji, leave the rest to me."

A glint flashed in his eyes, and his subordinates suddenly became as dazed as Yuan Conglai. Meanwhile, all the sentries on the ground stood up and walked into the train with expressionless faces.

Before long, the train restarted and continued moving forward along the tracks.

Ming Chengzi said, "Xuanji, that person is indeed shrewd and can see through things. However, Emperor Wenguang is a man of deep thoughts, and now he is even using his own son."

He sneered, “There is indeed a road to the north in the palace, but it does not need to follow the ground to get here. Just open a crack, and you can travel from outside the boundary and then circle around to our rear.”

I suspect that Emperor Wenguang's actions this time are intentional; he wants to reveal the initial route so that we believe he won't use it again, or that he's lying in ambush there, before opening the rift and heading straight for the outer realms from the rear!

Chen Chuan hummed in agreement. The rift could be seen on the map that Song Haiying had given him before, but that map was from the previous dynasty, so he was not sure whether it still existed or whether it still led there. He had just sent people to guard it, just in case.

However, according to Ming Chengzi, the Yuan imperial family can now also use this rift to cross over.

If that's the case, then Emperor Wenguang might indeed have been planning this.

Ming Chengzi then offered another suggestion: "Xuanji, this time we should turn the tables on him and use that Prince Qiong to let Emperor Wenguang know that we have set up an ambush here, so that he can cross the border without worry."

Chen Chuan nodded slightly; this strategy was feasible.

Of course, all of this is based on the premise that Emperor Wenguang was unaware that they knew about the rift.

In fact, the struggle between the two sides often doesn't rely on complicated strategies, but rather on information asymmetry.

Whoever has more comprehensive and accurate information will be able to suppress their opponent. The same principle applies to the present situation.

Seeing that he agreed, Ming Chengzi was also excited. If Da Shun used this plan, and Emperor Wen Guang really made this choice, then they could definitely capture him here and avenge their great grudge!
He then realized something, bowed to Chen Chuan, and said sincerely, "Xuanji, please forgive me for concealing something before. There is an inner demon lying in ambush in all four directions outside Youdu City. Please be careful before you advance."

Chen Chuan raised an eyebrow; the "inner demon" he spoke of was actually an anomaly.

He could understand why Ming Chengzi hadn't mentioned this situation before, since the two sides hadn't established trust yet.

Without this collaboration, it seems they wouldn't have spoken up first, but rather waited until they encountered problems before approaching us.

He asked, "How much does Gao Gong know about this inner demon?"

Ming Chengzi said, "These four inner demons were captured and suppressed outside Youdu by my Fulong Sect. They attract the death energy and evil aura around Youdu. If the imperial family releases them, it may cause harm."

However, I did not participate in the demon-slaying ceremony that day. Here is only a diagram of the secret ritual, which may be of assistance to you.

Chen Chuan took it and looked at it carefully.

He takes anomalies very seriously, as these things are often unpredictable and illogical.

If it grows abnormally, it becomes extremely difficult to deal with. Just look at the "diners"—once certain conditions are met, even martial artists from the Dongxuan Temple might fall victim to them. Even some major powers would find it difficult to suppress them.

For example, the reason why the troops on the southern front could be withdrawn this time was because a huge anomaly occurred in both the north and south of the Chirogado Confederation.

Unlike Da Shun, Chiluo Jiaduo is extremely permissive about anomalies, not only failing to take any precautions but also engaging in sacrificial acts to promote them. Now, with the approach of the Great Collision, the anomalies are also changing drastically, and sure enough, a major problem has arisen.

Therefore, this matter must be handled with caution. After observing the ceremony, he looked up and said, "Thank you for informing me of this matter, Master Gao."

Seeing that he didn't seem to mind, Ming Chengzi felt a little relieved and bowed to him solemnly with the etiquette of the Xuanjiao sect. "Xuanji, you are too kind. If your side needs my help to cure this internal demon, I will certainly not refuse."

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(End of this chapter)