Huanzhu Time Travel: Yan Luo's Unbreakable Love in the Yong Dynasty

While cautiously looking around, Xiao Yanzi said to Hongli, "Your Highness, this Misty Forest is too eerie! We just fought that monster, who knows what else might appear next!"

Hongli gripped his sword tightly, his gaze steady, and replied, "My beloved consort, do not be afraid, I am here! No matter what comes, we will work together and we will surely overcome it."

Hongzhou pursed his lips and muttered, "Hmph, this awful place, we really shouldn't have come! But there's no other way now, we can only grit our teeth and keep going!"

Fucha's primary wife tugged at Xiao Yanzi's sleeve and said softly, "Xiao Yanzi, I'm feeling a little uneasy. We must be extra careful!"

Little Swallow patted the Fujin's hand and comforted her, "Sister, don't be afraid. We've come this far, how can we back down? Maybe the Spirit Pearl is waiting for us not far ahead!"

The group walked a little further, but the surroundings were still shrouded in thick fog, and they could only vaguely see some trees nearby.

Hongzhou couldn't help but complain, "Ugh, why won't this fog clear up! We can't even see the road clearly, how long are we going to get there!"

Little Swallow glared at him and said loudly, "Prince He, stop complaining! Complaining won't clear the fog. You'd be better off saving your energy to pay more attention to your surroundings!"

Hongli frowned slightly and said, "My beloved consort is right, Hongzhou, please calm down. We should focus on finding clues right now."

As they were talking, Xiao Yanzi suddenly noticed a series of strange footprints on the ground. She squatted down and called out curiously, "Your Highness, come and take a look! There are footprints on the ground. Could it be that someone was here before?"

Hongli quickly went over to examine it, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "Hmm, judging from the appearance of these footprints, they don't seem to be left by ordinary wild animals. It seems like someone did it deliberately."

Consort Fucha asked in confusion, "Who could it be? Could it be that someone else is also looking for the Spirit Pearl?"

Hongzhou scratched his head and guessed, "Maybe it's someone sent by the Minister of Rites, trying to find the Spirit Pearl first and ruin our plans!"

Little Swallow stood up and said firmly, "No matter who it is, we can't let them succeed! Let's follow these footprints and see if we can find something!"

So, the group slowly followed the footprints. As they walked, they faintly heard a commotion ahead.

Hongzhou lowered his voice nervously and said, "Shh, listen, there seems to be some noise! ​​Could it be those guys?"

Little Swallow also became alert, gripping her sword tightly and whispering, "Who cares who they are? Let's sneak over and take a look. If they're the enemy, we can catch them off guard!"

Hongli nodded, made a shushing gesture, and led the way cautiously toward the direction from which the sound came. As they drew closer, they could see several figures gesturing through the thick fog.

One of them said, "Where exactly is this spirit pearl? We've been searching for so long and haven't found it. If we don't complete the mission, we won't be able to explain ourselves when we get back!"

Another person replied, "Let's keep looking. The higher-ups have given orders that this spirit pearl is of utmost importance and we absolutely must find it!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yanzi's eyes lit up. She lowered her voice and said to Hongli and the others, "Your Highness, it seems they're also after the Spirit Pearl! Should we go up and ask them? Maybe we can get some clues."

Hongli shook his head and said cautiously, "We must not act rashly. We do not know their background. If they are bad people, we will be in danger. Let's hear what else they have to say first."

Just then, the other party seemed to sense someone approaching, and one of them shouted, "Who? Who's there!"

Seeing that she had been discovered, Little Swallow stepped forward and shouted, "Hmph, who are you? Sneaking around here like this!"

When the group recognized Xiao Yanzi and her companions, they immediately adopted a defensive stance. The leader exclaimed, "Oh, it's Prince Bao and his entourage! What, are you here to find the Spirit Pearl too?"

Hongli stepped forward and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Indeed, it seems you have come for this reason as well. But I wonder who you are working for, and why you are looking for this spirit pearl?"

The other party sneered and said, "Hmph, you don't need to know who we are. Anyway, we are determined to get this spirit pearl. You'd better not block our way!"

Hongzhou immediately flew into a rage upon hearing this and shouted, "Hey! You've got some nerve! Why should you get this Spirit Pearl? If you're so capable, let's fight it out ourselves!"

Little Swallow chimed in, "That's right, that's right! This spirit pearl is related to the secrets of the Shadow Pavilion, we won't give it to you so easily!"

Lady Fucha, the primary consort, watched nervously from the side and whispered a reminder: "Your Highness, there seem to be quite a few of them. We must be careful!"

The two sides instantly became tense, and the atmosphere reached an extreme level of tension.

Hongli stared at them with sharp eyes and said, "I advise you to leave obediently and not invite trouble upon yourselves. If you insist on fighting, then let's settle this with our skills!"

The leader of the opposing side snorted and shouted, "Then don't blame us for being impolite, attack!"

After saying that, the two groups started fighting. Little Swallow nimbly weaved through the crowd, shouting as she fought, "Hmph, let's see how I deal with you!"

Hongli's swordsmanship was fierce, each move aimed at the opponent's vital points, while he shouted, "My beloved concubine, watch out behind you!"

Hongzhou was not to be outdone, and laughed loudly as he fought, "Haha, come on, today I'll show you how powerful we are!"

Although Consort Fucha could not participate in the battle, she anxiously called out from the sidelines, "Your Highness, good luck! Little Swallow, be careful!"

In an instant, the misty forest was filled with the glint of swords and the constant shouts of battle.

As the fight went on, Xiao Yanzi noticed that someone on the opposing team seemed to be secretly retreating, as if they were about to do something. Suspicious, she called out, "Your Highness, there's someone acting strangely over there. It seems like they're plotting something. I'll go check it out!"

While dealing with the enemies before him, Hongli called out, "My beloved concubine, be careful!"

Little Swallow shook off her enemies and chased after the man. When she reached a secluded spot, she found him fiddling with something in front of a large tree, as if searching for a mechanism.

Little Swallow shouted, "What are you doing!"

The man was startled and turned to run, but Xiao Yanzi rushed forward, blocked his way, and pointed her sword at him, saying, "Hmph, don't even think about leaving until you explain yourself!"

The man stammered, "I...I just wanted to see if there were any spirit pearls hidden in this tree, please let me go!"

Little Swallow didn't believe him and was about to press him for more information when Hongli and the others arrived.

Hongli asked, "My beloved consort, what's going on?"

After Xiao Yanzi explained the situation, Hongli looked at the man and said in a deep voice, "If you tell the truth, perhaps I can spare your life. But if you dare to conceal anything, don't blame me for being impolite!"

Seeing this, the man could only stammer, "I'll talk, I'll talk. Actually, we were sent by the Minister of Rites. He said this spirit pearl is very important to his plan and that we must find it. I really don't know what the plan is. Please spare my life, sir!"

Upon hearing this, Hongzhou angrily exclaimed, "Hmph, it really was sent by that old fox! Your Highness, we can't just let him go like this!"

Little Swallow waved her hand and said, "Let's not worry about him for now. Now that we know it's the Minister of Rites who's behind this, we need to find the Spirit Pearl as soon as possible and not let his conspiracy succeed! Maybe there are clues nearby."

The group then began to search the surrounding area carefully, leaving no suspicious place unchecked.

Suddenly, Consort Fucha exclaimed, "Come and take a look! There seem to be some words carved on this tree. Could they be related to the Spirit Pearl?"

The crowd rushed over to take a look, and saw several lines of blurry words carved on the tree, which seemed to be a cryptic hint.

Little Swallow scratched her head, looking troubled, and said, "Oh dear, what is all this written? I can't understand it at all! Your Highness, please take a look!"

Hongli carefully examined the words, his brows furrowed, and after pondering for a while, he slowly said, "It seems to say that the Spirit Pearl is hidden at the source of the water, deep in the mist... Does this mean that there is a water source in this misty forest, and the Spirit Pearl is there?"

Hongzhou asked in confusion, "But this Misty Forest is so big, where can we find that water source?"

Little Swallow's eyes lit up and she said, "No matter what, let's follow the sound of water and see if we can find it!"

So the group began to grope their way forward in the direction where they might hear water, unsure if they would find the Spirit Pearl this time, and what methods the Minister of Rites would use to stop them. The political situation in the palace remained unpredictable, and their adventure continued.