A Shocking Dream

The Seven Stars Sect? Qin Ruoyu suddenly realized. No wonder his clothes looked familiar. Months ago, before the Tianwai Mountain altar ceremony, an official in the imperial court had recommended the leader of the Seven Stars Sect to come and divine the astrological timing. His father had met the leader of the Seven Stars Sect before, but he felt he was merely a showboater, not up to the standards of a sacrificial offering, and so he disapproved of the official's recommendation.

"Oh? The Seven Stars Sect is joining in the fun? It seems to me that the group down below can't find the entrance, so they've instigated you to come and look for it," Du Yingmeng mused. The Seven Stars Sect has always loved the spotlight, and now that they're here, they must be being exploited by those cunning men. She fixed her gaze on the man before her and continued, "You may appear clueless, but you're actually quite clever. You used the Si Nan to determine that our entrance mechanism is inside the tree stump. You even identified the location of one of our stumps. You, the Seven Stars Sect, are quite capable." Du Yingmeng had to admit that the Seven Stars Sect was indeed unique in some ways. A sense of alarm welled up in her. If they found the entrance, the peace of the Su Nu Sect would be shattered. "If my guess is correct, you are Chen Xiao, the eldest disciple of the Seven Stars Sect," Du Yingmeng said, slowly approaching the entrance. Wen Ruqing sheathed his sword and stood quietly by. Seeing that his disguise was exposed, Chen Xiao stopped pretending and returned to his usual style, bowing to Du Yingmeng.

"As expected of you, the leader of the Su Nu Sect. You saw through my identity at a glance. I am Chen Xiao, the eldest disciple of the Seven Star Sect. Nice to meet you. It is my great honor to meet the legendary and mysterious leader Du of the Su Nu Sect today." Chen Xiao had indeed put a lot of thought into appearing in front of them, and now it seems that it was not in vain.

"Don't bother with polite words. I don't want to hear them. Since you can come in here, don't expect to get out alive. You'd better keep the words for later." Du Yingmeng's expression was stern, and there was a hint of majesty in his tone.

"To be honest, Master Du, I never intended to leave alive when I came here. It's just that your Su Nu Sect will be exposed soon. Who said I only found one entrance? I've discovered all four major intersections along the entire mountain. Master Du, your Su Nu Sect disciples may be beautiful, but they're too clueless to have noticed my whereabouts. I deliberately exposed myself when the Gui Yuan Sect left, so you could bring me in to familiarize me with the terrain and spread the word about my location. Master Du, your disciples need to gain experience in the martial arts world. You knocked me unconscious and carried me in without even checking if I was unconscious. You brought me in so brazenly without even shielding my eyes." Chen Xiao said this with what he thought was cleverness, not forgetting to mock the Su Nu Sect disciples for their stupidity. However, he didn't realize that everything he did was part of the Su Nu Sect's plan. Du Yingmeng remained unperturbed by his mockery of her own disciples.

"I've seen fools, but I've never seen someone so self-righteous and hopelessly stupid. We've been aware of your presence since you discovered the first entrance. As for the other intersections, we deliberately let you discover them. Compared to the first entrance, don't you find the subsequent entrances too easy? And when you mentioned familiarizing yourself with the terrain and spreading the word, didn't you notice that we've erased every mark you secretly left behind?"

After hearing what Du Yingmeng said, Chen Xiao widened his eyes in shock and took a step back involuntarily, his face full of disbelief and shock.

"Bring it in." Du Yingmeng gave an order, and a woman walked in with a cloth bag in her hand. She threw the bag on the ground, and silver stars were scattered all over the ground.

This was... the mark he'd secretly left behind, and they'd discovered it. Chen Xiao froze in place, his eyes filled with shock and bewilderment. He'd thought he'd put so much thought into everything, everything flawlessly executed, but he'd never imagined his actions were all part of someone else's plan.

"Rumor has it that my Su Nu sect has been mired in mystery in Qiuluo Mountain for years, claiming it must contain treasures and martial arts manuals worth billions of dollars. Humph, I never imagined they would treat us so highly simply because we're so indifferent to worldly affairs and avoid getting involved in martial arts. Now everyone's gathered at the foot of Qiuluo Mountain, even planning to set it on fire, completely disregarding our lives. It's truly ridiculous. I'm sure you from the Qixing Sect have heard the rumor too. Chen Xiao, look at this environment. Do you think we have treasures worth billions of dollars?"

A fierce glint flashed in Du Yingmeng's eyes, and she suddenly reached out and grasped Chen Xiao's shoulders. Her fingers clamped down on Chen Xiao like a pair of iron pliers, the force causing him to feel a sudden pain. Without a word, she led him to the high railing at the cave entrance. Chen Xiao was startled by this sudden move, but he couldn't break free.

The two reached the cave entrance. The fence swayed slightly in the mountain breeze, as if it might break at any moment. Looking out, the endless green mountains and forests stretched as far as the eye could see, rolling and undulating like a green ocean, stretching to the horizon with no end in sight. And below, a bottomless cliff, shrouded in mist, was terrifying. A single fall would surely result in shattering death.

Standing at such a high place, Chen Xiao felt his legs go weak and a strong fear surged in his heart. He moved his feet carefully, trying to stay away from the edge, not daring to get any closer.

"You only see the scenery of Qiu Luoshan at the foot of the mountain from the bottom. What do you think of it when you stand on this high place?" Du Yingmeng said as she walked to the edge of the cave without hesitation. Her posture was upright, as if she didn't care about the dangerous height at all. The mountain wind blew by, lifting her hair and clothes, making her look more free and fearless. If Chen Xiao pushed her down at this moment, she would surely die. However, Chen Xiao did not do so. He stared at Du Yingmeng, his heart full of doubts and uneasiness. No matter how beautiful the scenery was, he had no intention of watching it. He didn't understand why Du Yingmeng brought him in here when he knew his plan. He thought about it and asked aloud.

"Master Du, you knew my plan, why did you bring me here?" Chen Xiao's voice trembled a little. He was afraid of the unknown and was puzzled by Du Yingmeng's behavior.

Du Yingmeng tilted her head slightly, a faint smile playing on her lips, a smile tinged with mystery. "Chen Xiao, do you think your plan is flawless? You're too naive. From the moment you stepped into Qiuluo Mountain, your every move was under our control."

Chen Xiao's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief. "Impossible! I was so careful, how could you have discovered me?"

"Your so-called caution is nothing but child's play in our eyes. Do you think no one has discovered the marks you secretly left behind? Do you think the entrances you discovered were accidental? Chen Xiao, you are too conceited." Du Yingmeng's tone was full of sarcasm.

I thought others were stupid, but I didn't realize that I was too arrogant and underestimated the enemy.

"Since you knew my plan, why didn't you just kill me instead of bringing me here?" Chen Xiao frowned, his eyes filled with confusion and uneasiness. He stared at Du Yingmeng, trying to find the answer from her face.

"I brought you in to show you how foolish you are." Du Yingmeng's lips curled up slightly, revealing a mocking smile. Her eyes were cold, as if they could penetrate Chen Xiao's soul. "If I kill you directly, wouldn't that make me an enemy of your Seven Star Sect? My Su Nu Sect is not afraid of trouble, but we don't want to cause trouble either. Wouldn't it be better for us to keep our distance?"

Chen Xiao was silent for a moment, his mind racing. He had to admit, Du Yingmeng's words made sense. The Seven Stars Sect held considerable influence in the martial arts world. If the Su Nu Sect easily killed him, it would inevitably provoke retaliation from the Seven Stars Sect. "You mean, you'll let me go?" Chen Xiao's eyes lit up, and he was eagerly anticipating Du Yingmeng's answer.

"We in the Su Nu sect can release it, but..." Du Yingmeng hesitated, turning and walking towards the fence, her eyes slowly sweeping over the disciples. There was a hint of mystery in her eyes, making it hard to understand.

"But what?" Chen Xiao asked anxiously. His heartbeat accelerated involuntarily, as if he was waiting for a fateful answer.

"He won't let you go." Du Yingmeng smiled as she saw Qin Ruoyu. Her smile seemed to hide a deeper meaning, which made people curious.

"Who is he?" Chen Xiao didn't know who Du Yingmeng was looking at. He followed her gaze and noticed a man among the Su Nu sect disciples. A strong sense of unease welled up in his heart. Who was this strange man? Why did Du Yingmeng say she wouldn't let him go?

The distance was too far, and Qin Ruoyu couldn't hear what they were saying, nor did he know who they were looking at. He only felt that someone was staring at him closely, as if planning something. He frowned slightly, his heart full of doubts.

"Yuanyuan, didn't you say this was a place for punishment? Why aren't there any instruments of torture?" Qin Ruoyu asked in confusion. He looked around and saw only an empty cave, without any trace of torture instruments.

"Big Brother, look where Master is standing now. That's where the punishment takes place. Disciples who commit serious offenses are pushed directly down the mountain," Yuanyuan explained. There was a hint of fear in her voice, as if she was recalling those horrific scenes.

"Pushing it down that high wouldn't be..." Qin Ruoyu gasped at the thought of the consequences. A bloody mess of flesh, what kind of punishment is this? This is simply a death sentence. This Su Nu sect's style of operation is truly unique.

"How big of a mistake does it take to be kicked out? Do you have any precedents?" Qin Ruoyu continued to ask. He was filled with curiosity and wanted to learn more about the rules of the Su Nu sect.

"Yes, most of the disciples who commit these offenses are secretly meeting men. Our Su Nu sect's rules prohibit any disciple from having affairs with men, or else they will be severely punished, up to and including death." Yuan Yuan answered seriously. A hint of helplessness flashed in her eyes, as if she was somewhat dissatisfied with these rules.

"Doesn't that mean I'll never marry?" Qin Ruoyu's heart tightened, and the image of Kankan unconsciously emerged in his mind. Alas, Qin Ruoyu, what are you thinking about? Don't you know your own identity? Why are you still letting your imagination run wild?

"No, big brother, I can't explain it to you. When they came down, I told them that Master wouldn't kill any of the Seven Stars Sect disciples. Why is Master coming this way?" Yuanyuan looked in Du Yingmeng's direction, her face filled with surprise. Her eyes were filled with confusion, wondering what Du Yingmeng would do next.

Du Yingmeng slowly walked towards where Qin Ruoyu stood. Chen Xiao's vision gradually cleared, and when he saw Qin Ruoyu's face clearly, he was shocked. He was!!! Chen Xiao couldn't be wrong. That day in the palace, he saw with his own eyes that officials addressed the man before them as "Your Highness the Crown Prince."

How could he be here? What was his relationship to the Su Nu sect? Chen Xiao's heart was in turmoil. His Royal Highness, the future heir to the throne, held an incomparably noble position. His presence in Su Nu sect territory was truly inconceivable. Could the Su Nu sect be colluding with the imperial court? But the Su Nu sect, always secretive and aloof from worldly affairs, shouldn't have had much involvement with the court. Or was there something else going on? Chen Xiao's heart was in turmoil again, all sorts of theories swirling in his mind, but he couldn't make sense of it.