The cannon fodder heiress trembled with fear after being recognized as a member of her family.

Yan Dali stood there stunned. "Brother-in-law, I am just a commoner and you are a prince. I, Yan Dali, know perfectly well that you look down on me. You say I'm a fake? What's the logic behind that?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Feilan sneered twice and flung the flame in her hand at her stubborn brother-in-law, saying, "I'd like to see just how tough you are!"

One hand was on Yan Dali's neck, his face turning bluish-purple.

Just as Yan Dali was about to faint, the hand released its grip.

After repeating this several times, Yan Dali could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground.

"Ouch~ cough, cough~" Yan Dali struggled to sit up and gasped for breath. "Brother-in-law, if you think I'm a burden, just cut me off. Why torture me like this! Who else could I be but Yan Dali?"

"Tch~ You're still being stubborn today, don't blame me for being ruthless! I'll see how long you can keep up this act." Zhao Feilan suddenly sprang up from the ground and kicked Yan Dali.

He had only met his brother-in-law a handful of times, but he knew a fair bit about the man's character.

This person is unkind to Cuiyin on the surface, but he is considerate to everyone in private.

After Cuiyin disappeared, this person put on a convincing act, and he almost fell for it.

"Jingqian replaced Cuiyin, what are you after?" Zhao Feilan used less than a fraction of his strength, but the wisp of true sun fire fell on this brother-in-law.

If someone is truly possessed, they can always be forced to reveal their true nature.

Yan Dali was kicked and slid towards the cave wall.

At first, nothing seemed amiss, but then white smoke rose from his body, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Zhao Feilan had been keeping a close eye on him and quickly concealed the wisp of white smoke. "So it was you who was causing trouble behind my back. Tell me, are you connected to this blood pool?"

The closer the wisp of true solar fire got to the white smoke, the smaller it became.

Zhao Feilan, finding it useful, was even less likely to let it go.

The white smoke landed and slowly transformed into an old man with a white beard. "Hey~ Stop! I am Yan Jue, the ancestor of the Yan family. What bad intentions could I possibly have! If you don't believe me, ask him!"

Yan Jue floated to Yan Dali's side and, taking advantage of Zhao Feilan's distraction, flew out of the cave.

"I'll catch you sooner or later!" After Zhao Feilan gave chase, Yan Jue disappeared into the sky above the blood pool.

"Brother-in-law, what are you doing here?" Yan Dali awoke from the pain, looking completely bewildered at his surroundings. "Where in the Pinglian Mountains are we?"

"Tell me everything that happened after you went into the mountains, don't hide anything!"

Zhao Feilan's face was expressionless, his expression stern, exuding royal majesty.

Yan Dali dared not hide the truth and quickly explained, "After entering the mountains, I followed the route on the map passed down from my ancestors, intending to find the ancestral home of the Yan clan. When I arrived here, for some reason, the fog was so thick that my skin felt slightly stinging when it touched it—"

"You only feel a stinging pain?" Zhao Feilan interrupted, his brows furrowing slightly.

When he first entered, it wasn't just a stinging pain; if it weren't for protective measures, he probably would have become nourishment for this place the moment he set foot here.

"Yes, the feeling disappeared after a few drops of blood were lost."

Yan Dali, unsuspecting, continued:

"I followed the route above the whole time, and I only remember entering a stone gate. I don't know what happened after that."

How did I get here?

"You came to the Pinglian Mountains to find me?"

"Where is this? How did we end up in a cave? Why aren't we home yet?"

Zhao Feilan ignored his questions and continued, "Do you remember why you came here?"

The two men sat around the fire, talking about recent events.

Just as things were starting to look up for Princess Changyun, another group of people arrived.

"How did you get here so quickly?" Geng Rui stopped the bleeding from his wound. "Have you been keeping an eye on things back in the county town?"

Everyone looked at Geng Rui with admiration; his blood-painted stone gate had completely shocked them.

"..."

Luo Yuan remained silent, but secretly glanced at Princess Changyun.

They relied on Yin Chang and arrived at the county town even before Geng Rui.

However, when Luo Yuan went to the Princess's residence a few days ago, he did not make a big fuss, but quietly sneaked into Princess Changyun's room.

Even Granny Chu was unaware of this matter.

Geng Rui thought it would take them a few more days to reach the county town, so he instructed Granny Chu to ask Luo Yuan for help.

Seeing the former couple in such a state, Geng Rui, having been through it all, knew all too well.

"Yin Chang, you're really something! You used the life-saving technique your master gave you in this kind of situation."

Geng Rui's eyes grew colder as he pulled Princess Changyun behind him. "Sirou, saving Qian'er is the priority."

"Uncle-Master Bing Shu, you've misunderstood me!" Yin Chang hurriedly explained, "I did use some mechanisms to get ahead of you, but I didn't use anything my master gave me. If it weren't for the Duke of Dingguo's desperate longing for his wife and his earnest pleas, I wouldn't have gone to such lengths for him."

Yin Chang's mechanical skills are not only admired by the Immortal Mountain, but also by all the sects in the entire Leaf World with a lineage.

Luo Yuan has guarded the border for so many years and has earned the title of the invincible war god, and Yin Chang has contributed to this achievement.

Geng Rui snorted coldly and ignored them.

"Ancestor, what did my great-uncle draw on the stone gate with blood just now?" The Third Prince couldn't help but ask Xu Tianyun.

"I don't know either. Senior's methods are unpredictable and beyond our comprehension." Xu Tianyun gestured for the Third Prince to be quiet and not to act rashly.

Geng Rui simply stared indifferently at the stone gate, ignoring everyone else.

Luo Yuan moved closer to Princess Changyun, about to speak, when a loud "boom" came from the stone gate.

"Go in! Once inside, your life or death is in your own hands; you'll have to bear the consequences yourself."

Geng Rui threw down a sentence and headed straight there with Princess Changyun.

Qingshan and Qinghe followed immediately.

Ignoring Yin Chang's attempts to stop him, Luo Yuan chased after him.

A flash of red and a flash of white, and only the Third Prince and Xu Tianyun remained at the stone gate.

A small door was opened in the middle of the stone gate, just big enough for one person to pass through.

"He's so powerful! Ancestor, should we go in or not?" The Third Prince stared in amazement at the stone slab on the ground, which was the same size as the small door.

He couldn't decide whether to go in or not.

"In my opinion, let's not go in! There are opportunities inside, but also considerable risks. As you saw before, those red vines are not easy to dodge. I know my own strength and don't want to get involved."

Xu Tianyun glanced inside once and then turned his head away.

"Now that the Ancestor has a wife and children, we must be careful. I won't go in either. I'll just dig up some medicinal herbs around here and bring them back; that will be enough to report to my mother."

The third prince turned and left, not wanting to take any risks.

The two men, who had been full of ambition just moments before, slunk away in a short while.

Red vines sprouted from the stone gate, swung around the gate a few times, and then returned to the stone gate.

The small door that Geng Rui opened disappeared, and the stone door returned to its original state.

Han Cuiyin stood outside the city gate, a strange look on her face. "That character is Yan?"