A Shocking Dream

Everyone looked at each other, each one looking at the other, their expressions filled with confusion and bewilderment. For a moment, the air seemed to freeze, and no one knew what to do.

Now that they knew the location, if they acted rashly, they might encounter the imperial court directly, which would be a thankless task. After all, the imperial court was so powerful that the odds of success against them were slim, and could even lead to catastrophic disaster. But if they backed down, after all, they had come all the way here, through so much hardship, so why would they return empty-handed? Wouldn't all the travel, fatigue, and hope be in vain?

"Why are people from the Eastern Palace inside Qiuluo Mountain?" someone in the crowd asked, brows furrowed in confusion. There was a hint of unease in their voice, as if they had uncovered an incomprehensible mystery. "Qiuluo Mountain is so remote, and the presence of people from the imperial court here is truly puzzling. Could they have also learned about the treasure?"

"There were so many people gathered that we didn't see any members of the imperial court. It seems the treasure is no longer between you and me." Another person sighed, disappointment in his eyes. "I thought we would be the first to find the treasure, but I didn't expect the imperial court to get involved. What should we do?"

"Don't rush into it! Before it's truly implemented, everyone has a chance," a burly man said gruffly. "So what if they're from the imperial court? With so many of us, we might be able to compete with them. The treasure isn't just for the imperial court."

"What should we do now? Just wait here?" a young man asked anxiously, his face full of anxiety. "If the imperial army arrives, we won't have a chance at all."

The East Palace's men were merely signaling; perhaps the imperial troops hadn't arrived yet. It was still unknown how many imperial troops were within Qiuluo Mountain, a huge unknown weighing heavily on everyone's minds. Now that the location was known, why not everyone rely on their own abilities and go in and investigate before the imperial troops arrived?

"But what if there are many masters of the imperial court in there? Wouldn't we be walking into a trap if we go in?" someone said worriedly.

"What are you afraid of? Fortune and wealth are achieved through risk. There are so many of us, how can we be afraid of them?" another person retorted. "Even if there are experts, we can team up to deal with them. We can't just sit here and wait for death."

Everyone was discussing and expressing their opinions, the scene was in chaos. Everyone was weighing the pros and cons, considering their next move. But no matter what, the lure of the treasure was too great to give up easily.

"Why didn't we receive the signal from the Seven Stars Sect, but received the signal from the Eastern Palace instead?" someone asked doubtfully.

"Could it be that Chen Xiao took the treasure away alone?" another person speculated.

"Impossible! He took my poison. If he doesn't come back to find me, he will die from the poison." A man with a sinister face said coldly.

"When did you poison him? You are really cruel." The people next to him looked at him in astonishment.

"I put it secretly in the porridge he drank. I'm only doing this for the benefit of everyone, isn't it? I'm preventing him from finding the treasure and keeping it for himself. If he finds the treasure, he'll go and take it away by himself or ask someone they send to take it away. You and I will be giving him the opportunity to hand it over to us. Once he enters the mountain, he'll know he's been poisoned and will definitely come back to find me. Since he hasn't come back, maybe he hasn't found the treasure, or he's on his way back. Since we all know the location, let's just go together." The person who poisoned the food explained his actions expressionlessly.

"That makes sense, I agree. I looked at the signal, and it was sent from the top of the mountain. Everyone has a chance. I'll go east." A thin man said decisively, with excitement flashing in his eyes.

"I'm going west." Another person also made a quick decision.

"Since everyone has their own direction, then it all depends on their own abilities to reach the top of the mountain." Everyone nodded in agreement.

Afterward, everyone grabbed their weapons and, taking advantage of the night, quietly entered Qiuluo Mountain. Their figures loomed in the darkness, like a pack of hungry wolves, moving resolutely towards their goal. Everyone's heart was filled with anticipation and anxiety, unsure of what awaited them at the top of the mountain. But the lure of treasure was too great, forcing them to rush forward regardless of the consequences.

Mountain top

After Qin Ruoyu finished setting off the signal fireworks, he gazed at the pitch-black mountain below, filled with confusion. He simply couldn't understand why Sect Leader Du had asked him to do this. Even if the Empress Dowager sent troops, based on the time and distance, it would take at least three days for them to arrive. If he set off the signal fireworks now, they wouldn't be able to see them.

"Big Brother, your fireworks are so beautiful! They're the most beautiful I've ever seen." Yuanyuan slowly emerged from the darkness, lantern in hand. She wore a pale green silk gown embroidered with pale pink plum blossoms. The winter night was chilly, and she accessorized with a light purple cape trimmed with white fox fur. The fluffy white fox fur clung to her neck, accentuating her delicate face.

"Why did you come out alone? It's very dangerous in the mountains at night..." Qin Ruoyu saw Yuanyuan and thought she came alone, but when he saw Wen Ruqing behind her, he stopped talking.

"They have already taken action. When will your men arrive?" Wen Ruqing saw the faint glow of fire in the deep mountains and knew that those people had entered the mountains overnight.

"I don't know whose troops were sent, nor do I know how fast they are. If it's my uncle, they won't arrive until tomorrow night at the earliest."

"Will Brother God come too?" Yuanyuan couldn't wait to ask when Qin Rongchen was mentioned.

"It will take quite a while to get here from the mountain. You and Chen Xiao will just wait here."

"Why did you bring them up here?"

"Just do as you're told. I can't tell you yet, but we in the Su Nu sect won't harm anyone's life.

Wen Ruqing turned around and said to Yuanyuan, "You must remember what your uncle-master said these days and follow His Royal Highness the Crown Prince closely. Wherever he goes, you must follow."

"Senior Sister, I understand. I will follow Big Brother until he comes down the mountain." Yuanyuan responded obediently.

Wen Ruqing seemed to have something else to say, but hesitated. She knew in her heart that this was not the right thing to do, but she was just following orders.

"Okay, I'll go back first." Wen Ruqing seemed to have something to hide, and turned around and left.

Qin Ruoyu watched Wen Ruqing disappear into the darkness, feeling that something was amiss with her, as if she was hiding something. But he couldn't tell what exactly was wrong.

"Your senior sister's expression and behavior seem a little strange. Is she usually like this?" Qin Ruoyu frowned slightly and asked Yuanyuan.

"Big brother, I don't know if you ask me. Anyway, my mission is to follow you until you get down the mountain." Yuanyuan didn't notice anything unusual about Wen Ruqing. If she had been more careful, she would have seen the faint tears falling from Wen Ruqing's face.

"Then what should we do now? Just stay here and wait?" Qin Ruoyu asked helplessly.

"There is a cave over there. Senior sister has already piled up some grass for us. We can go in and warm ourselves up now. Big brother, let's go over there quickly." Yuanyuan said excitedly.

"Okay." Qin Ruoyu took the lantern and walked towards the cave. Halfway through the walk, Qin Ruoyu remembered Chen Xiao.

"Is Chen Xiao in the cave?"

"No, Senior Sister hung his body on a tree."

"In a tree? You put him..." Qin Ruoyu was shocked. Didn't you say you wouldn't hurt anyone?

"We didn't kill Chen Xiao. He encountered us because he'd taken poison. The poison lingered in his system for too long, and without an antidote, it invaded his internal organs, killing him. Chen Xiao was truly a victim. The people who let him in were afraid he'd find the entrance and steal the treasure, so they poisoned him before letting him in. As long as they had the antidote, Chen Xiao would have returned to get it after finding the treasure. They didn't expect us to capture Chen Xiao, and we didn't expect him to be poisoned. Otherwise, we wouldn't have captured him. Speaking of which, Chen Xiao is truly pitiful. Master had already laid out the next plan for him; he didn't have to die. We in the Su Nu Sect didn't intend to kill him. We simply wanted to hand him over to you, Big Brother, to sentence him to any crime and have him removed from the martial arts world. Who knew that the poisoning forced Master to change his plans? However, if it weren't for Chen Xiao, there wouldn't have been a plan for you, Big Brother."

Listening to Yuanyuan's story, Qin Ruoyu suddenly realized. Everything he had seen and heard in the past few days had actually been part of the Su Nu Sect's plan. He hadn't realized when he had become part of their plan.

"Then why hang the body on the tree?" Qin Ruoyu asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"That's what the master said. She said there are too many wild animals in the mountains. What if they put him on the ground and his body is eaten before the people at the foot of the mountain reach the top? Do you think that big brother would be willing to stay in a cave with a lifeless person for several days? You are not afraid, but I am afraid too. Hanging him on the tree can, firstly, prevent his body from being eaten by other animals and destroyed, and secondly, it is cold in winter, and it will take them at least one or two days to reach the top of the mountain. Hanging him on the tree will help the body dissipate the smell and prevent it from stinking." Yuanyuan explained everything.

"Yuanyuan, why are you leading people up the mountain? The mountain is open, but the entrance to your Su Nu sect isn't here." Qin Ruoyu still didn't understand, so he asked Yuanyuan, thinking she would know. He also saw again why he hadn't been able to find the entrance to the Su Nu sect on Qiuluo Mountain in the first place. It turned out that their Su Nu sect wasn't even on Qiuluo Mountain.