Do you really think you can get me with just a banana?

Yan Ruchen walked around, searching the valley floor, only to find a dead silence. He turned to Qiushui Jianji and the others and said, "Elders, I've checked. The corpses at the bottom of the valley are all completely dead, with no survivors. Like the spirit turtles, they've already decayed to a high degree."

Qiushui Jianji frowned, exchanged a helpless glance with Qing Yuanzi, and said, "It would be great if there were still people alive. We could see how this disciple became like this, but now that he's become so corrupt, it's really hard to study him."

Qing Yuanzi looked at the turtle corpse in front of him, pondered for a moment, and said slowly: "If there is no living one, it is okay to take the dead one back. It will be more troublesome to study it, but it should be..."

“I remember there was one somewhere.”

Before Qing Yuanzi could finish his words, he was interrupted by Yan Ruchen, who said, "We did catch a dead body before and tied it up. I don't know if it's still alive now."

The dead body that Yan Ruchen was talking about was the one he and Guan Shanyu had encountered in the room where they had been hiding.

When he left, the corpse was still tied tightly to the pillar. Given Guan Shanyu's character, he would not let it go even if he went out, so if he went there now, he might really see a living one.

Everyone was excited when they heard this. Qiu Shui Jian Ji immediately arranged for several disciples to stay behind to handle the aftermath, while she and Qing Yuanzi followed Yan Ruchen and rushed towards the house.

Because the Wangshuiling Spirit Turtle was dead, the related spiritual power restraint was weakened. Although it was a bit difficult to exert their own spiritual power, they could still use the Qinggong. Using Qinggong, they jumped a few times in the forest and arrived in front of the house in a blink of an eye.

But when they entered the house, Qiushui Sword Lady could no longer bear it and said to Qing Yuanzi, "Yuanzi, the tablet on your waist has slipped away all the way. Why don't you go and see who is speaking to you?"

Qing Yuanzi was about to step through the door when Qiushui Sword Lady reminded him. He looked down at his waist and actually saw the tablet hanging there, flickering in the dim light. He coughed, said "sorry," and said, "I'll go check it out. It seems quite urgent."

Everyone nodded, and Qing Yuanzi temporarily left the team, stepped aside, untied the tablet and checked the news.

Yan Ruchen pushed open the door, and a stench of dust hit him, choking the disciples behind him and causing them to cough repeatedly. Qiushui Sword Lady rolled her eyes at them and said, "What kind of place is this? You're not allowed to take off the scarf tied in front of your nose in here, do you understand?"

The disciples nodded apologetically in agreement. At this moment, Yan Ruchen had already strode into the house and headed straight for the pillar where the corpse had been hung. After a thorough inspection, he replied regretfully to Qiushui Sword Lady, who had arrived late behind him, "Elder Qiushui, this one is dead too."

Upon hearing this, Qiushui Sword Princess stepped forward and examined the tightly bound corpse, its eyes, mouth, and nose crawling with maggots, and it was highly decomposed. The disciples behind her covered their mouths and vomited at the sight. Although Qiushui Sword Princess was displeased, she had already prepared herself for the situation. She said calmly, "It's okay. Even if it's gone, we can still study it dead. It just takes a little longer, but we can afford the wait."

After saying this, she waved her hand for everyone to leave. However, as she was about to step out of the door, she caught a glimpse of something strange and asked, "What is that?"

Everyone stopped in their tracks, only to see Qiushui Sword Lady squatting in the open space beside the door, picking up a piece of cake and a piece of cloth. Yan Ruchen also noticed the cake, thinking it looked familiar. Just as he was wondering, Qiushui Sword Lady chuckled, turned around, and handed the cloth to Yan Ruchen, saying softly, "This is for you."

"Me?" Yan Ruchen took the cloth and unfolded it suspiciously, only to see two lines of bloody words on it.

"Brother Ruchen, since we saw you haven't returned yet, we decided to go look for you at the bottom of the valley. However, considering you might come back here, if you do come back, remember to eat this cake. We'll be waiting for you at the bottom of the valley."

Signed: Guan Shanyu.

Yan Ruchen frowned slightly, then looked up at the cake in Qiu Shui Jian Ji's hand. No wonder it looked familiar. It was the kind that Guan Shanyu often ate on the road.

Seeing Yan Ruchen's expression seemed a little awkward, Qiushui Sword Princess laughed and said, "You said Shanyu was a coward and incompetent, but he's a good person. He even thought of leaving dry food for you when he was running away."

After saying that, Qiu Shui Jian Ji stuffed the cake to Yan Ruchen and left the house. The other disciples followed her out, leaving Yan Ruchen alone standing there.

This piece of cake, which was already half moldy, was still lying quietly in the oil paper wrapped in it. On top of the oil paper was a piece of cloth torn from somewhere. It was unknown whose blood the words on the cloth were written with, but looking at the signature, it should not be difficult to guess who it was.

At first glance, this message with red words on a white background looked like a threat, but who would have thought it was actually a reminder for him to remember to eat bread when he was hungry.

Yan Ruchen gently stroked the blood-stained words with his fingers, his gaze settling on the words "Remember to eat this cake." Suddenly, he remembered the last time he and Guan Shanyu had come to Wangshuiling alone. He'd always asked if he wanted to eat, and if he refused, he'd squat down beside him, munching on a large cake...

As he thought about it, Yan Ruchen actually smiled inexplicably.

Very helpless.

When Yan Ruchen came out of the house again, Qing Yuanzi just returned from the call. Seeing that his face looked a little serious, Yan Ruchen stepped forward and asked with some confusion, "What happened?"

Qing Yuanzi glanced at the crowd that had gathered around him and said with some distress, "Old Li just said that Shan Yu went to Yuchen Palace."

Qiushui Jianji asked, "What is he doing in Yuchen Palace?"

Qing Yuanzi said, "He said he was going to find Su Yi and wanted to check on his injuries."

Upon hearing this, Yan Ruchen's brows furrowed slightly, and he thought to himself that this man truly had a warm heart. Qiushui Jianji, on the other hand, seemed quite casual, "They've been through life and death together, and their bond is deep. It's understandable that he cares for his companions when he has nothing else to do. However, Suyi is still in Zixiao, so he might have gone there to find some time. Even so, Yuanzi, why do you look like that?"

Qing Yuanzi looked at her solemnly and said, "If it was just about looking for someone, Old Li wouldn't need to say anything more. The key point is that his palace disciples reported that the young lady of the Li family had taken a fancy to Shan Yu and was seen cuddling with him in the main hall."

Qiushui Sword Lady was startled at the words, her face twitching. Yan Ruchen also quickly turned his head, his brow furrowed. Qing Yuanzi's tone deepened, glancing at Qiushui Sword Lady. He whispered, "Everyone knows that Miss Li has a fondness for handsome men. I'm just worried she'll... wander around the palace with Shanyu."

Qiushui Sword Princess suddenly realized something and quickly looked around. She saw Yan Ruchen staring blankly at the ground, while the other disciples looked confused. So she coughed lightly and said to Qing Yuanzi, "Old Li will handle this properly. He has a picky eye, and Shanyu is definitely not his preferred choice. But we also need to complete our mission and return quickly to avoid any complications."

Qing Yuanzi nodded in agreement and then waved to his disciples, "Let's go and check the bottom of the valley again."

*

On the other side, Guan Shanyu had already changed into the clothes of a Yuchen Palace disciple and followed Li Suyin to the cell.

As he followed Li Suyin with his head lowered, he thought to himself that this person must have been a cosplayer in his previous life. There were too many different kinds of messy clothes in the room. If he wanted to take Guan Shanyu out, it would take him almost half an hour just to find clothes for this disciple.

Oh, mainly to introduce to him what occasions to wear those cosplay clothes.

Guan Shanyu couldn't quite understand why she collected these clothes. He not only thought so in his heart, but also asked so.

Li Suyin rolled her eyes at him and replied, "In my previous life, I spent every day in bed, always wearing a T-shirt and casual pants. In this life, I'm lucky enough to experience the life of a lady, so of course I want to try out all the clothes I've never worn before. Besides, if we run away together, the clothes I've collected are enough for us to change into two or three hundred times. There's absolutely no way anyone would recognize us."

Guan Shanyu thought about the exaggerated satin skirts he had just seen, and thought that if he wore this, he would probably be caught as a pervert as soon as he went out on the street, and it would be impossible for him not to be recognized.

But he still gave a thumbs up and said, "It has to be you."

"Of course." Li Suyin walked ahead happily, replying as she walked, "Speaking of this anti-immortal cultivator, we actually sent someone here the day before yesterday. It's said that he was beating drums in Songpi County to complain about his grievances. He said that he accidentally joined an anti-immortal sect, and as a result, someone was hunting him down. He begged the county magistrate to lock him up, and he didn't dare stay outside, so he was sent to us."

Guan Shanyu asked suspiciously, "Then it was sent to you?"

Li Suyin uttered a "Pah" and said, "No, no, it seems that he was sent to Zixiao or your place first. However, it is said that your place was not big enough for the cells, so they sent him here. I just happened to pass by and heard my father mention it. That should be the situation."

Guan Shanyu thought for a moment and nodded. Li Suyin turned back and reminded him, "I can only take you in to take a look. You can't communicate. If my father finds out, I'll be dead."

Guan Shanyu understood, nodded, and said, "I'll just take a look and won't say anything."

Li Suyin said "hmm", then continued to take Guan Shanyu to the water prison with peace of mind.

The cells in Yuchen Palace are similar to those in Tianxuan Palace. Both are hidden in extremely remote places. The walls are indestructible and surrounded by dense barriers. There are also many disciples on high alert, creating an atmosphere that is easy to enter but difficult to escape.

However, because it was Miss Li who led the way, the two of them did not encounter any obstacles and successfully entered this heavily guarded area.

Guan Shanyu kept his head down all the way. Because Li Suyin had deliberately dismissed the accompanying maids and nannies, the two of them were able to whisper as they walked, without worrying about being overheard. However, it seemed that this was also Li Suyin's first time in a cell. After entering, she was frightened by the damp and dark environment of the cell and hid behind Guan Shanyu. Guan Shanyu carefully reminded her to pay attention to her manners and asked, "Where is the person you mentioned?"

"The second floor." Li Suyin said.

Upon hearing this, Guan Shanyu immediately turned around and headed for the second floor, but Li Suyin called out to him from behind, saying, "Give me a hand."

"?" Guan Shanyu looked at her in confusion. She was walking just fine, so why was she helping him now? Unexpectedly, Li Suyin lifted her skirt, showing the flower pot soles under her feet, and said, "It's inconvenient to walk up the stairs. Help me."

Guan Shanyu rolled his eyes, walked over and extended a hand, saying: "Why are you wearing such a fringe?"

Li Suyin took his arm and replied as they walked: "My father wants me to marry into the royal family. The ladies over there all wear this. He has thrown away all the shoes I used to wear. He wants me to adapt in advance."

Guan Shanyu chuckled. Li Suyin twisted his arm and said viciously, "How dare you laugh?"

"Don't laugh, don't laugh." Guan Shanyu replied, holding back his laughter.

The two walked up to the second floor and found that unlike the relatively quiet corridor on the first floor, the second floor was much noisier. There was a very loud voice cursing. Li Suyin pointed to the cell where the sound came from and replied, "That's it."

Guan Shanyu nodded and told Li Suyin that he would go ahead and investigate, and asked her to wait here. After receiving Li Suyin's response, he let go of her hand and walked straight into the depths.

Although the second-floor corridor was short and there were not many prisoners held there, whenever someone came to visit, they would flock to the railings and cry out their injustice. Guan Shanyu had seen many big scenes, so he was not scared. He walked all the way to the last cell before he saw the person imprisoned there.

There was a man locked up in the cell, curled up on a straw mat in the corner. The walls were covered with graffiti such as "selling dog meat under the guise of selling mutton", "turning a tiger into a cat", "warning first", etc. Guan Shanyu carefully examined the words on the wall. At the same time, he heard the man's unclear whispers in his ears. He didn't know what he was saying. Guan Shanyu leaned over the railing to listen, and suddenly the man turned over to him.

Guan Shanyu was caught off guard and had no time to dodge, and he bumped into the eyes of the man in the cell. At this moment, a shout came from the other end of the corridor. It was Li Suyin who shouted at him:

"Hurry up, my dad is back!"