He Lan Tianxia

After leaving the Black Overlord's cave, Murong Junlan stopped in a grove of trees. He was a little worried because his Yan'er had not yet woken up. Since Yan'er had the Crimson Spirit Pearl in her body, he did not completely believe what the Black Overlord ancestor had said earlier. At least his Yan'er did not show any signs of poisoning yet.

"Lingyi, come and take a look." Murong Junlan knew that Lingyi had extraordinary abilities.

“Your Highness, the Princess Consort is not poisoned. It’s because she has a feverish energy within her that’s preventing her from waking up.” Lingyi took the woman’s pulse through her clothes.

"What should we do?" Murong Junlan frowned.

"It's very likely that the Crimson Spirit Pearl is inside, and she's not used to it yet. If she can suppress this fervor, the princess's cultivation level could probably advance to the third level," Ling Yi said earnestly.

"I just want to know when she'll wake up?" He didn't care how many levels she advanced; he was happy to protect her.

"I've heard that the Crimson Spirit Spring water can relieve all kinds of heat, I wonder if it can relieve this fever." Ling Yi didn't dare to draw a conclusion, after all, he had never heard of this kind of fever. Ling Yi suddenly said, "Your Highness, since the Black Tyrant Ancestor said that the Black Tyrant Flower can detoxify, you can give it to the Princess Consort."

"Your Highness." Seeing that Murong Junlan had reservations, Lingyi guessed that the prince wanted to save the flower for him to use in the future to recover his strength, so he urged again, "Your Highness, this matter should not be delayed. If anything happens to the princess, Lingyi cannot bear the responsibility."

At Ling Yi's repeated urging, Murong Junlan finally took out the jade bottle. He merely picked out a petal, bit off a small piece, and swallowed it before giving the other half to Yan'er. Half an hour passed without any effect. Ling Yi urged Murong Junlan to continue feeding the medicine, but Murong Junlan refused. He believed that if it were effective, even a single petal would have worked, and since there was no effect whatsoever, he didn't want to waste the Black Tyrant Flower. However, he was certain of one thing: Yan'er had the Crimson Spirit Pearl within her, and the Black Tyrant Ancestor would never have poisoned his Yan'er.

"Let's go to the desert to find the spiritual spring water right away." Murong Junlan was confident that she could find the spiritual spring water in the desert. Ling Yi repeatedly urged Murong Junlan to put the small bottle back into her pocket.

Three horses galloped out of the Black Overlord's cave, heading straight towards the desert. Murong Junlan and Jiang He had been to the desert before, so Murong Junlan was quite confident in finding the spiritual spring water. They hadn't gone far when the old, big-headed pine tree spirit, whom they hadn't seen for a long time, was waiting at a crossroads.

"Your Highness, I am willing to serve you." The old pine tree spirit had no other choice; the poison hadn't been neutralized yet.

"No need." Murong Junlan refused outright. The priority now was to wake up Yan'er; the old pine tree spirit was too slow.

"Your Highness..." the old pine tree spirit persisted.

"Get out of the way, you're too slow." Murong Junlan immediately spurred his horse and rode away.

"Your Highness, this antidote..." Before the old pine tree spirit could finish speaking, its mouth was forced open, and it swallowed two pills in one gulp.

"The poison has been neutralized, move aside." Murong Junlan, holding the woman on horseback, seemed very impatient. In fact, he hadn't given the poison to the old pine tree spirit at all; he just wanted to scare it with the Black Tyrant Flower.

"Thank you, Your Highness." The old pine tree spirit was a little excited; it was good that the poison was cured. In a moment of distraction, the three horses galloped away like the wind. The old pine tree spirit stood there for a while, then suddenly felt something was wrong. He rolled on the ground and chased after them.

Just as the group rushed out of the Black Tyrant's Cave, a sudden "boom" echoed behind them, causing the entire cave to collapse and kick up a cloud of thick, yellow dust. Murong Junlan frowned, glancing at the still unconscious woman in his arms, and thought to himself: It seems they'll have to rely on themselves to find a cure.

After traveling for two days and two nights, the woman still hadn't woken up. That noon, they passed a winery, next to which was an inn, and Murong Junlan decided to stay there for the night.

"Come on, come on, the best spicy distilled rice! One sip and you'll feel good after two, and you'll even have to take some home!" the bartender shouted.

"Chanyu, have you had any?" Murong Junlan must know that Luo Xie has been a nomadic person for a long time and has a wide range of knowledge.

"No, but I've heard that this wine is very strong, and it has a nickname, 'One Cup Down.'" Luo Xie swallowed hard as he looked at the large vat of wine.

"Then let's go down and try it." After saying that, Murong Junlan jumped off the Fire Red Hare with the woman in his arms. Jiang He and Luo Xie quickly dismounted and tied up their horses. Ling Yi couldn't show himself, so he shrank a little and was covered with a bamboo basket, which Luo Xie was responsible for looking after.

"Hey, two jugs of spicy stir-fry, please." Luo Xie put his bamboo basket down on the stool next to him and sat down casually, ordering a few local stir-fries.

Murong Junlan asked the waiter for a small stool and then gently placed the woman against his chest. At this moment, Jiang He tied up his horse and came in, followed by a pale-faced scholar in a white robe carrying a folding fan, and a pageboy behind him.

"Young Master Bai, please come in." The waiter greeted him familiarly.

The man addressed as Young Master Bai glanced around and sat down at the table next to Murong Junlan. Perhaps because they were so familiar with each other, the waiter, without asking, brought over three bottles of spicy Gu Lai wine, filled a glass for Young Master Bai, and then left. Young Master Bai, seemingly oblivious to everyone else, picked up the glass with his right hand and drank it all in one gulp.

Hmm? Wasn't he supposed to be a "one-cup wonder"? Why is he drinking like this? Besides, this pale-faced scholar does give off a somewhat frail impression. As Murong Junlan's gaze swept over, the pale-faced scholar's gaze also swept over.

"Young master, your wife has been poisoned," the pale-faced scholar said as he finished his second cup of wine.

Poisoned? Murong Junlan looked down at the woman and was shocked. Just now, when Lingyi said she wasn't poisoned, her face was glowing red, but now it had turned a pale black. How could this be? Since Lingyi was in the basket and it was difficult to communicate, Murong Junlan quickly pressed two acupoints to seal the woman's pressure points.

"I have studied medicine since childhood and have some knowledge of detoxification. Young master, you may come to my humble abode for treatment." The pale-faced scholar spoke without addressing Murong Junlan, as if talking to himself.

"Jiang He, get two rooms at the inn." Before Jiang He could even leave the table, Murong Junlan had already strode out of the winery carrying the woman, startling Jiang He so much that he jogged a few steps ahead to the inn's front desk.

"I never charge for medical consultations. Just remember to bring three hundred jars of spicy dregs." Murong Junlan had just left the winery when he heard the pale-faced scholar call out to him in a low voice.

The innkeeper quickly arranged two private rooms on the second floor and brought a bucket of hot water as instructed by Murong Junlan. Ling Yi also appeared at this moment. Looking at the woman's face, he suddenly said solemnly, "Strange, the princess is really poisoned. Your Highness, did you see the princess's face before you dismounted?"

“I checked, it was fine before dismounting.” Murong Junlan pondered for a moment and nodded affirmatively.

"Has anyone approached the Princess?" Lingyi wanted to lean forward and touch the Princess's hand to see if it was hot, but Murong Junlan's eyes immediately turned over, and Lingyi stretched out its tail and moved away a little.

"Then, Your Highness, could you tell if the Princess Consort is hot or cold right now?"

Murong Junlan touched the woman's forehead; her body, which had been burning hot just moments before, was now ice-cold. Murong Junlan panicked. He couldn't care less about anything else, so he pulled Lingyi's head to rest against the woman's back, and asked anxiously in a panic, "How could this happen?"

Lingyi was pulled by Murong Junlan and lost his balance, actually leaning against the princess. He was so frightened that he jumped back.

"What are you hiding for? Quick, save her!" Murong Junlan was a little flustered. He saw Ling Yi standing there motionless and thought that Ling Yi was reacting like this because she was afraid that he would blame her, so he said, "I don't blame you, quickly save the princess."

Lingyi remained standing there with his head held high. Suddenly, he opened his mouth and blew a puff of mist at the woman. Seeing that her face was getting darker and darker, he shook his head worriedly and said in disappointment, "Your Highness, I cannot save the Princess."

"Your Highness, that pale-faced scholar might have a solution," Luo Xie said anxiously from the side. At that moment, Jiang He suddenly rushed out the door.

"Three hundred jars of Spicy Eagle Gu." Murong Junlan quickly sealed several more acupoints on the woman, picked her up, and strode towards the door. Luo Xie tried to put Ling Yi back in the basket, but Ling Yi dodged out the back window, leaving behind the words, "I will find you." When Luo Xie chased after her to the outside of the inn, Jiang He had already prepared a carriage filled with three hundred bottles of Spicy Eagle Gu and was waiting there.

"Get in the carriage." Luo Xie was quick, and two Red Hare horses and a Ferghana horse were already brought over.

“Your Highness, there are a few spruce trees five kilometers ahead, and two miles to the right, there is a white stone courtyard, which is the residence of the pale-faced scholar.” Jiang He briefly told Murong Junlan what he had found out.

"Giddy up!" Murong Junlan, carrying the woman, leaped onto the horse, and the Red Hare sped off like an arrow.

They arrived at the White Stone Courtyard in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, but it seemed deserted. The group sat for a while, and Jiang He knocked on the door several more times, but no one answered.

"Your Highness, it seems there's really no one inside."

"They're not still at the winery, are they? I'll go check." Just as Luo Xie was about to jump onto the Ferghana horse, Ling Yi entered.

"I'll go instead." Ling Yi had been outside and couldn't come in, so now that he saw no one was around, he hid in a tree in the White Stone Courtyard. Just as Ling Yi was about to leave, he heard the sound of wheels rolling outside. Then a carriage, driven by the white-faced scholar's page, was struggling to come into the courtyard, while the white-faced scholar sat there leisurely, enjoying the scenery.

"You're here? Come and help." The pale-faced scholar seemed to have anticipated their arrival, but his attention was only on the car. Seeing that Murong Junlan and the others didn't move, he threw out a lukewarm remark: "You've come to me for treatment, haven't you? If you don't help, the two of us probably won't finish moving it until dark."

The carriage stopped at the last wall of the courtyard. The pale-faced scholar got out of the carriage and gently pushed the wall with both hands. With a loud "bang," the wall collapsed, revealing a large hole. The pale-faced scholar walked to the back of the carriage and pulled off the cloth covering it, exposing a cartload of snow-white stones to everyone.

"Move in." The pale-faced scholar seemed to be addressing everyone, though it was unclear who he was talking to.

The pageboy began carrying the pieces one by one, struggling to carry them. He glanced at everyone, dared not utter a sound, and continued carrying them silently.

"You've decided not to move the stone, is that it? Fine, let's see who can outlast whom." The pale-faced scholar didn't lift the stone; he simply used his palms to push it, as if practicing martial arts or playing a game. The sight made Murong Junlan and the others want to slap him to death.

Jiang He couldn't bear to watch any longer and was the first to step forward to help. Luo Xie followed suit, and since they were all martial artists, they quickly finished moving the stones. The pale-faced scholar patted his hands, which weren't dusty at all, and then instructed, "Scholar, quickly help them move the remaining stones back."

"Heavens, there's more?" Luo Xie Jiang He had no choice but to continue transporting stones with the pageboy. One cart, two carts, three carts... When they reached the fifth cart, Murong Junlan, who had been frowning the whole time, suppressed his anger and spoke in a low voice.

What conditions would it take for them to save someone?

"We just need to get the remaining five cartloads of stones transported," the pale-faced scholar said unhurriedly.

"Five more carts?" Luo Xie's temper, which he had been holding back, suddenly exploded. He couldn't hold back any longer, turned around, grabbed the pale-faced scholar's arm with one hand, and said fiercely, "Do you believe I can just snap your arm in one go?"

"I believe you." The pale-faced scholar fanned himself with his fan, looking confident. "But you can't bear to part with it."

Looking at that calm, pale face, Luo Xie gripped his knuckles so tightly they cracked.

"Move it!" Murong Junlan tried his best to control his volume, but his tone still revealed a frosty and icy aura. He didn't know how much longer he could endure before his patience finally snapped.

"Don't worry, she won't die." The pale-faced scholar told Jiang Heluo Xie and his servant to move the things, while he simply plopped down on a stone bench in the courtyard and fanned himself, as if his priority now was building the cave dwelling and he had long forgotten about saving the person.

After another short while, all five cartloads of stones were finally moved into the cave. The pale-faced scholar then ordered his servant to bring a large wooden barrel. When the carts arrived before Murong Junlan, the scholar instructed his servant to lift the lid. A fragrant aroma wafted out, instantly giving one a refreshing and invigorating feeling. Inside the barrel were bunches of plump, dark grapes; even the aroma alone was enough to make one's mouth water.

"Eat up, it's delicious, perfectly cooked." The pale-faced scholar called out to the crowd, grabbing a skewer and chewing on it. As he ate, he clearly felt waves of anger emanating from him.

"People are on the verge of death, and you're still only thinking about eating and building houses?" Luo Xie thrust his sword into the face of the pale-faced scholar, who was only stunned for a moment.

"Don't worry, she won't die," the pale-faced scholar said casually.

"You have to save her immediately." Luo Xie held his sword to the pale-faced scholar's neck. If he hadn't seen Murong Junlan, he would have already flattened the pale-faced scholar with a single palm strike.

Murong Junlan remained silent. He slowly raised his head, his eyes glaring at the pale-faced scholar with icy intensity, as if the scholar's life would end in the blink of an eye. Suddenly, Murong Junlan frowned, his eyes turning to the woman in his arms. He anxiously reached out to check her breath, and cried out in panic, "She...she's not breathing!"

"Great! This is the moment I've been waiting for!" the pale-faced scholar exclaimed with delight.

"Bang!" Murong Junlan sent the pale-faced scholar flying against the cave wall with a single palm strike. The scholar saw stars from the impact and then crashed heavily to the ground.

The pale-faced scholar, ignoring the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, anxiously shouted to everyone, "Quick, pour those three hundred jars of wine into the large barrel of grapes, then throw your wife in! Hurry!"

Murong Junlan felt very uncomfortable hearing that his Yan'er was to be thrown into the tub, but at this moment he obediently ordered the wine to be poured. When it came time to throw the woman in, he held her tightly and refused to let go.

"If you hesitate any longer, it'll be too late," the pale-faced scholar said anxiously. At that moment, Ling Yi also sensed the danger and leaped down from the tree without hesitation. The pale-faced scholar suddenly blurted out something that startled everyone: "Why aren't you hiding in the Spirit Serpent Cave? What are you doing here?"

Lingyi was startled. Did the pale-faced scholar know him? How come he had no recollection of him at all?

Murong Junlan pondered for a few seconds, then suddenly jumped into the grapes soaked in wine with a "thump" while holding the woman.

"Hey, what are you doing going in there? It's dangerous!" The pale-faced scholar was anxious, but he kept waving to everyone, telling them to quickly push the large barrels into the cave that had just been filled with ten cartloads of stones.

"Seal the entrance to the cave immediately!" the pale-faced scholar shouted again. At this moment, the pageboy somehow brought over a cartload of stones, and together they used all their strength to seal the entrance to the cave tightly with a "whoosh."

"That scared me to death." The pale-faced scholar patted his chest with a sigh of relief, then wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve. His white clothes were soaked with sweat. Suddenly, he thought of something and shouted loudly into the cave, "Young master, you'd better stay away from your wife. If you hurt her, I won't be able to help you." His voice was soft and weak, but it was extremely penetrating.

"She's breathing!" Murong Junlan exclaimed in surprise from inside the cave.

"Her body started to feel hot."

"It's getting hotter and hotter..."

"Run!" The pale-faced scholar waved to the crowd, then grabbed his page and dashed out of the courtyard gate.

Everyone was stunned, unsure what to do. Suddenly, a red light emanated from the cave, and an explosion seemed imminent. Jiang He panicked, and Lingyi slapped Jiang He and Luo Xie with its tail.

"Run!" Several people jumped backward.

"Boom!" The cave dwelling, glowing with a brilliant red light, exploded!

The two people were sent flying out of there with a "whoosh"...