He Lan Tianxia

Lingyi's body had returned to its enormous size, and the pale-faced scholar struggled to find his place. He wiped the gleaming tip of his blade with a cloth, gazing longingly at the bright red tail, almost drooling. He breathed on the sword, his joy rising to his throat, and with a sudden swift movement, he slashed down fiercely at the unbound tail...

With a "whoosh," the sword was frozen in place.

What's going on? A silver ring illusion? The pale-faced scholar tugged hard, but couldn't budge it. Then he saw Murong Junlan standing behind him. Wasn't he supposed to be unconscious? His eyes… his eyes weren't blind, were they? How dare he attack? Before he could think further, Murong Junlan's first palm strike came down. He had no choice but to parry with his sword. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jiang He's mouth moving beside Murong Junlan. So, it was Jiang He who had ruined his plans. The pale-faced scholar was enraged. He threw a hidden dart at Jiang He, but Murong Junlan, hearing the whoosh, pushed Jiang He aside and launched a hidden dart. With a clang, the pale-faced scholar deflected it with his sword. In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged dozens of blows.

"Jiang He, hurry and save Ling Yi." After a few days of adjustment, Murong Junlan had also mastered the blind man's fighting style.

“Your Highness, can’t you see? He has a sword.” Jiang He didn’t dare to be careless.

"It's alright." As he spoke, Murong Junlan exchanged nearly ten more blows with the pale-faced scholar. At this point, the scholar couldn't care less about Ling Yi; he didn't even have time to wonder why Murong Junlan had woken up.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Jiang He moved closer to Ling Yi, cut the ropes, and quickly stuffed the pill given to him by the prince into Ling Yi's mouth. However, since it was not an antidote, Ling Yi would not wake up for a while. In addition, given Ling Yi's large size, Jiang He did not know how to save Ling Yi. He could only shake Ling Yi desperately.

"Your Highness, be careful." That bastard suddenly pulled out a powder without a word and was about to throw it at Murong Junlan when Jiang He leaped to the side and tackled the pale-faced scholar to the ground.

"Jiang He?" Murong Junlan called out hastily, unaware of what had happened.

The pale-faced scholar was no pushover either. He swung his hand back and struck Jiang He in the chest with a palm strike, nearly hitting him, but the force was considerable. Jiang He felt a burning sensation in his chest, and blood gushed from the corner of his mouth. The pale-faced scholar showed no mercy, and his other hand immediately drew his sword, putting Jiang He's life in imminent danger.

With a clang, Murong Junlan's thin rope struck, tightly binding the sword tip. Murong Junlan pulled hard, and the white-faced scholar's sword flew out of his hand.

"Sword..." Jiang He shouted as he saw the sword hurtling towards Murong Junlan, and the pale-faced scholar flashed a gloating look. In a flash, Murong Junlan slightly turned his body to the side to avoid the sword tip, then stretched out two fingers and drew them in the air, actually firmly clamping the hilt of the sword.

"Beautiful!" Jiang He couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice.

The pale-faced scholar was taken aback; this move was unexpected. He vented his resentment on Jiang He and threw another hidden dart.

With a "whoosh," it pierced Jiang He's shoulder.

"Jiang He." Although Jiang He didn't make a loud noise, Murong Junlan still heard him.

"It's alright, Your Highness." Jiang He turned and attacked the pale-faced scholar.

"Get out of the way," Murong Junlan ordered. He couldn't make his move with Jiang He there.

Jiang He had no choice but to dodge to Ling Yi's side. Murong Junlan's thin rope swiftly lashed out again...

The old pine tree spirit was lured into the wine cellar by the aroma of wine after waking up. My goodness, just how many delicious drinks did that pale-faced scholar have hidden here? The old pine tree spirit scooped up a few spoonfuls and drank, then suddenly had a whim and picked up a small wine jug next to it. It filled the jug to the brim before reluctantly leaving the wine cellar. Unaware of the lively fight taking place inside, and not knowing its way around, it wandered off and ended up in the pale-faced scholar's bedroom.

Hmm? The scent seems familiar. It saw a pair of shoes by the bed. A woman? It cautiously moved aside, and seeing no movement, reached out and lifted the bed curtains. A princess? So she was tied up here? Wait, she wasn't tied up! The old pine spirit then pounded on the bed, but no one paid attention. Sound asleep? The old pine spirit hesitated for a while, then started pounding on the bed again, still no one paid attention. Oh dear, could she have been poisoned? No, it had to save her. The old pine spirit flipped over and jumped onto the bed.

"Your Highness, please forgive my intrusion." The old pine spirit addressed her respectfully, following Lingyi and the others, and felt a sense of reliance as it spoke. Yes, it was used to wandering alone, and it was Murong Junlan who gave it a sense of home, even if it was only a tiny bit, it still warmed its heart. Today, if it really saved the princess, it would be the first time it had done something for this family.

The old pine tree spirit grew increasingly excited, its excitement practically leaping to its throat. Sure enough, the princess had been poisoned by the pale-faced scholar, but it had no antidote! What to do? It searched high and low in the drawers but couldn't find a single antidote, and was frantic with worry. Ah, didn't it still have a flask of old wine? Pouring it in? The old pine tree spirit hesitated for a long time, then finally made up its mind. It jumped onto the bed, raised the flask high, and poured the wine into the woman's mouth.

"Cough cough cough...smack!" A loud slap landed. It was a heavy blow, knocking it off the bed, its face swollen, and its eyes seeing stars. Good heavens, didn't it recognize me? But thinking back to what had just happened, something seemed off. It had been standing high up on the bed where the princess was lying; it had offended me. It deserved it, it deserved it. If the prince found out, it wouldn't just be a beating; it might already be missing an arm or a leg.

Thinking this, the old pine tree spirit excitedly got up again, grabbed the wine jug that had fallen with it, and wobbled over to the bedside, carefully saying:

"Your Highness, you have been poisoned."

"Go away!"

"Let me see if this wine can help you detoxify," the old pine spirit said, handing over the wine. This time, it didn't dare get on the bed.

"Where is my husband?" the woman asked again.

"Your Highness? I haven't seen him either. Let's go out and look for him together after we're cured of the poison."

"What prince? My husband." The woman impatiently kicked off the shoes that the old pine spirit had just helped her put on.

"Oh, your husband." The old pine spirit was very good-natured.

"Get out!" The woman sat up and kicked the old pine tree spirit viciously.

"Your Highness, try this wine and see if it can cure your poison before you go out." The old pine tree spirit got up and handed the wine pot over again.

The woman grew impatient, snatched the wine jug, and gulped it down. After finishing, she wiped her mouth with her sleeve and handed the jug back to the old pine tree spirit, saying, "Delicious, have some more."

"Again?" This wine really can cure poison? The old pine tree spirit was delighted and, holding the wine jug, hopped back to the wine cellar.

The woman waited for a while and then got bored, so she got out of bed and put on her shoes. She heard the sounds of fighting and walked over.

"Another group fight?" The woman's sudden arrival caused the two men fighting inside to stop strangely. Murong Junlan remained expressionless, while the pale-faced scholar was immediately taken aback.

"Sister Yan?"

"Have you seen my husband?" The woman's words plunged the pale-faced scholar into an icy abyss, and he lost all interest in continuing the fight.

When the old pine tree spirit came in with the wine jug, it felt the cave was eerily quiet. It stood there abruptly for a moment, then lifted its leg and walked toward the woman.

"Your Highness, here is the wine you requested."

"Have you seen my husband?" the woman asked again as she took the wine.

"Isn't the prince over there?" The old pine tree spirit glanced back at Murong Junlan, then looked intently into the woman's eyes, wondering: "Do the princess and the prince have something wrong with their eyes?" Suddenly, the old pine tree spirit turned around and snatched the wine pot back. Because the woman's focus wasn't on the wine pot, the old pine tree spirit was able to take it away so easily. The woman was taken aback and somewhat displeased.

"Your Highness, may I borrow this for a moment?" The old pine tree spirit approached Murong Junlan with a fawning expression and handed her the wine pot with both hands.

"Your Highness, please have a taste."

Murong Junlan didn't accept it, simply turning his head to the side as a form of refusal. Even though he enjoyed drinking, drinking in this kind of setting wasn't his style.

"Your Highness, this wine can..." Before he could finish speaking, the pale-faced scholar suddenly reached out to snatch it. This wine was his; how could he just take it away like that? Just as his hand was about to touch the wine pot, an arm was faster than him.

"Glug glug." The gorilla tilted its head back and poured all the wine down its throat, then rubbed its furry mouth with satisfaction, looking completely content.

The arrival of the gorilla startled the pale-faced scholar again. Weren't they all poisoned? How come they all seemed unharmed? In his surprise, a wine jug was thrown at his head. If he hadn't dodged quickly, half of his face would probably have swelled up. He was furious. The gorilla had stolen his wine and hadn't even gotten angry, yet it dared to attack him? Humph, did it think he was a pushover just because he wasn't angry? So, the pale-faced scholar struck out with a palm strike at the gorilla.

"Husband, be careful!" The woman suddenly stood in front of the gorilla. The gorilla was impatient and thought the woman was in the way. It grabbed her and threw her aside, then leaped and kicked the pale-faced scholar.

The gorilla was furious. The pale-faced scholar had actually poisoned it! Today, it would slaughter him without leaving a trace. The gorilla's moves grew increasingly fierce with each strike. Hmm, its head had been spinning a moment ago, but after drinking the wine, it seemed to feel much better.

The woman lost her balance when the gorilla threw her and she fell into Murong Junlan's arms. Jiang He was amused, but before he could even laugh for a second, Murong Junlan pushed her away with his long arm, disgustedly sending her flying.

"Your Highness, this is the Princess Consort..." Jiang He had barely finished speaking when the woman, under Murong Junlan's ruthless force, collapsed in front of the pale-faced scholar. The scholar was overjoyed and immediately embraced the woman, softly saying, "Sister Yan..."

With a sharp "slap," the pale-faced scholar was caught off guard and slapped across the face by the woman. Just then, the gorilla's large paw came up and slapped him again, leaving several black finger marks on the scholar's fair face.

"My husband is amazing." The woman pushed the pale-faced scholar and sent him flying towards the gorilla.

The gorilla immediately dodged, but it seemed it hadn't had enough of the pale-faced scholar. It moved to the other side and struck again, then jumped to the other side and struck again, leaving the scholar defenseless. Just as the gorilla reached out to throw the scholar away, it caught a glimpse of the woman rushing towards it again.

"Annoying." The gorilla kicked the pale-faced scholar and turned to leave.

With a "thud," the pale-faced scholar fell to the ground. Hmm, how come he's so easy to hit? Why isn't he fighting back? Little did the gorilla know that its previous chop had missed its mark and hadn't hurt the pale-faced scholar's vital points, but it had inadvertently struck the scholar's pulse. No wonder the pale-faced scholar was so easily slaughtered later on.

"Husband, wait for me!" The woman abandoned the group of people and chased after him.

"Your Highness, don't go..." Jiang He couldn't bear it and chased after her.

The once quiet stone cave was now shrouded in an eerie atmosphere. Seeing everyone motionless, the old pine spirit, hiding behind a large rock, cautiously peeked out. Its eyes were fixed on the dented wine jug, and it thought to itself that these people were all acting strangely; it needed to quickly get some wine to sober them up. It tiptoed past the pale-faced scholar and then came to the opposite side of Murong Junlan, where the dented wine jug lay on the ground.

"Who?" Murong Junlan's ears perked up.

"Your Highness, it's me." The old pine tree spirit hurriedly introduced itself, not wanting Murong Junlan's fine rope to hurt its small body; otherwise, it wouldn't just be a matter of it falling apart.

"I'll go and get you a pot of wine; this wine can cure poison." The old pine tree spirit finally had a chance to finish his sentence.

"Hmm?" Murong Junlan was half-convinced.

"What?!" A thunderbolt struck the pale-faced scholar's mind. No wonder these guys were acting like nothing was wrong; it was all thanks to the wine he brewed. Heavens, he was about to vomit blood! He hadn't even known this secret! This was even more humiliating than the fact that Yan Mei's beauty faded after a short nap. The pale-faced scholar wanted to run wildly, to run naked. He glared at the old pine tree spirit—no, not at all, he should be glaring at Murong Junlan. What a twist of fate! He had schemed against him for ten thousand years, waited for him for ten thousand years. In his past life, he had killed them; in this life, he could finally win the heart of a beauty. Instead, he was met with the mockery of self-destruction. The pale-faced scholar's anger surged so intensely that he actually lost his voice.

Jiang He returned, but he missed the gorilla and the queen. He was also worried about the safety of Murong Junlan and Ling Yi, since one was still unconscious and the other was blind. Jiang He had no idea how strong the white-faced scholar really was.

"Your Highness, I lost track of the Princess Consort." Jiang He approached Murong Junlan.

"Has Lingyi woken up yet?" Murong Junlan was only concerned about Lingyi.

"Not yet." Jiang He walked over and patted Ling Yi.

"Give him some wine," Murong Junlan instructed.

"Who dares?" The pale-faced scholar was unable to move or speak, so he could only glare at Jiang He with wide eyes and a fierce expression. Jiang He felt a chill run down his spine, but he ignored it.

"Give it to me." Jiang He took the wine brought by the old pine tree spirit, deliberately went to the pale-faced scholar, raised it, and sneered, "The Spicy Carving Ancient Wine is quite good." Then he walked past the pale-faced scholar to Ling Yi and slowly poured a pot of wine into Ling Yi's mouth.

Jiang He followed the old pine tree spirit into the wine cellar to retrieve wine more than ten times before Ling Yi slightly moved its bright red tail.

"Hiss—" Suddenly, a hawk's cry rang out, and the eagle swooped in, pecking at Lingyi's tail without even looking. Lingyi, in pain, slapped his tail hard against the hawk.

"What's going on?" Murong Junlan couldn't figure out what was happening.

"Your Highness, the eagle is attacking Lingyi's tail," Jiang He said hurriedly.

"Attack its tail?" Murong Junlan found it unbelievable. He reminded him, "Find a way to get the eagle to drink."

“Yes.” Jiang He rushed toward the eagle with the wine jug in his hand.

The eagle, with its lack of skill, completely disregarded Jiang He, screeching a few times before continuing its attack, circling around his tail. Just then, Jiang He saw a frown flash across the pale-faced scholar's face. Jiang He swiftly moved, striking several pressure points on the scholar with a few quick movements – this was a threat that could be a threat at any moment.

"Your Highness..." The enraged eagle suddenly lunged at Jiang He.

At the critical moment, the old pine tree spirit instantly transformed into a lush sapling, its branches stretching out to block Jiang He's head. The eagle, enraged, clawed at the branches, snapping them off with a crack. What incredible strength! That's deadly!

"Get out of the way." The thin rope flew out and the eagle was frozen in place. Murong Junlan said in a deep voice, "Pour it down with wine."

Jiang He quickly grabbed the wine jug and poured the wine into the eagle's sharp beak. The eagle couldn't move, its eyes still glaring fiercely at Jiang He. Jiang He pretended not to see it, but thought to himself, "You'll have to thank me when you wake up." Who knew that the eagle, after drinking the wine, became even more arrogant, its eyes immediately turning blood red.

"Your Highness, this wine is poisoned. The eagle's eyes have turned blood red." Jiang He's hands trembled.

"Bring me the wine." Murong Junlan took the wine pot from Jiang He, tilted his head back and drank a few mouthfuls. This prince, who usually paid great attention to his words and deeds, broke down in his guard at this critical moment.

“It shouldn’t be a problem with the alcohol,” Murong Junlan said, shaking his head with a sense of relief. Murong Junlan walked up to the eagle, reached out and grabbed its legs, then pressed down hard on its groin twice. The eagle’s body immediately went limp. He then took out a pill from his pocket and put it into the eagle’s mouth.

"Quickly wake Lingyi and take that Bai fellow away from here." Murong Junlan didn't want to linger any longer.

"What, bring that pale-faced scholar along? You think he didn't poison you enough?" Jiang He thought he had misheard.

"Find a rope and tie him up first," Murong Junlan ordered.

"Yes, Your Highness." Did Your Highness intend to keep him to help detoxify? Jiang He went searching everywhere for a rope.