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

The next morning, sunlight filtered through the thin mist, illuminating the streets and alleys of the capital. Liu Meng, Li Feng, and Zhang Yu met early in the western suburbs of the city. This area in the west of the city was somewhat desolate, with dilapidated houses scattered among them, and an abandoned temple in the distance appearing and disappearing in the morning mist, exuding a mysterious atmosphere.

"This place looks eerie; the Shadow Cult's stronghold might be nearby," Zhang Yu frowned, looking around.

Liu Meng nodded, his expression grave: "No matter what, we must proceed with caution. If we discover anything suspicious, we must not act rashly."

Li Feng pulled his straw hat down further, covering half of his face: "Hmm, let's look around and see if we can find any clues."

The three walked along a narrow path towards the abandoned temple. The silence was eerily profound, broken only by the sound of their footsteps on the stone pavement. Occasionally, a few crows would fly overhead, cawing and sending a chill down their spines.

Soon, they arrived at the abandoned temple. The temple gate was half-closed, the paint peeling off to reveal rotten wooden planks. The stone lions at the entrance were also incomplete, as if telling the story of the vicissitudes of time.

"This temple looks like it's been abandoned for a long time. Could it be a stronghold of the Shadow Cult?" Zhang Yu asked in a low voice.

Liu Meng gently pushed the gate, which creaked open slowly, raising a cloud of dust. The three of them cautiously entered the temple, where a musty, decaying smell permeated the air. Weeds grew rampant in the courtyard, and the Buddha statues were askew, some missing arms, some missing heads, appearing extremely dilapidated.

"Separate teams and search for anything unusual," Liu Meng instructed in a low voice.

The three of them split up and searched the temple carefully. Li Feng found some footprints in a side hall, which looked like they had just been left. He squatted down and carefully observed the size and shape of the footprints.

"Liu Meng, Zhang Yu, come and take a look!" Li Feng called out softly.

Liu Meng and Zhang Yu arrived quickly. Liu Meng looked at the footprints, frowned, and said, "These footprints are very fresh, and judging from the direction of the footprints, quite a few people must have been here."

Zhang Yu followed the footprints and found that they led to the entrance of a cellar behind the temple. The cellar door was half open, and it was pitch black inside; he couldn't see anything.

"Something seems to be going on here." Zhang Yu turned around and looked at Liu Meng and Li Feng.

Liu Meng drew the dagger from his waist and cautiously walked towards the cellar: "Stay close to me, and be careful."

The three slowly entered the cellar, a damp and musty smell hitting them. A faint mist filled the cellar, and in the dim light, they could see some old tables, chairs, and boxes.

Suddenly, Zhang Yu accidentally kicked something, making a loud "clang." The sound echoed clearly in the silent cellar.

"Who is it?" A deep voice came from the darkness.

Liu Meng immediately signaled Li Feng and Zhang Yu to hide. Several figures emerged from the depths of the cellar, holding torches, and walked towards them.

"It looks like someone has broken in, be careful!" a dark figure said.

Liu Meng and the others hid behind a large box, not daring to breathe. When the people got closer, Liu Meng could see that they were all dressed in black, their faces covered with black cloth, only their eyes were visible.

"They look like members of the Shadow Cult," Liu Meng said in a low voice.

When the group got very close, Liu Meng suddenly jumped out from behind the box, a dagger pressed against one of their necks: "Don't move!"

Li Feng and Zhang Yu also quickly appeared and took control of the others.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" Liu Meng asked sharply.

A flicker of fear crossed the eyes of those men, but they kept their lips tightly shut and refused to speak.

"Hmph, you won't talk, huh?" Zhang Yu stepped forward and punched one of them. "If you don't talk, you'll regret it!"

"We...we're just here on orders to keep watch, we don't know anything else," one of them finally couldn't help but say.

Liu Meng frowned: "On orders? On whose orders? Where is the Shadow Cult's stronghold?"

"We really don't know. The higher-ups just told us to stay here and not let anyone near," the man said with a mournful face.

Li Feng said from the side, "Judging from their appearance, they don't seem to be lying. Since there are guards here, we might not be far from the Shadow Cult's stronghold."

Liu Meng thought about it and felt that Li Feng's words made sense. He said to the group of men, "If you dare to lie, I will definitely not let you off. Now, take us to the area where you usually patrol."

Left with no other option, the men led Liu Meng and the others around the cellar. In a grove of trees behind the temple, they discovered a hidden path.

"Where does this path lead?" Liu Meng asked.

“Follow this road and you’ll reach a valley. It seems to be an important place for them, but we don’t know exactly what it is,” one person replied.

Liu Meng looked at Li Feng and Zhang Yu: "Let's go take a look."

The three men, leading the Shadow Cult members, cautiously advanced along the winding path, its lush trees blocking out the sunlight.

After walking for about half an hour, they arrived at the foot of a valley. The mountains on both sides of the valley were steep and precipitous, and several Shadow Cult members were standing guard at the entrance of the valley.

"What should we do?" Zhang Yu asked in a low voice.

Liu Meng pondered for a moment: "We definitely can't just go in like this. Let's hide these people first, and then find a way to sneak in."

The three hid the Shadow Cult members in a secluded spot and then began to discuss how to sneak into the valley.

“I have an idea,” Li Feng said. “We can change into their clothes and pretend we’re changing shifts; maybe we can sneak in.”

Liu Meng and Zhang Yu thought this method was feasible, so they quickly changed into the clothes of the Shadow Cult members and swaggered towards the entrance of the valley.

"Halt! Why are you taking so long to change shifts?" asked one of the cult members on guard duty.

Liu Meng calmly replied, "Something came up on the way, let's get to the handover quickly."

The believers had no suspicions, briefly exchanged information with Liu Meng and his group, and then left.

Liu Meng and his two companions successfully entered the valley. The valley was a hidden world, with several wooden houses scattered around, and some people walking back and forth nearby.

"This looks like an important stronghold of the Shadow Cult," Li Feng said softly.

"Let's split up and see if we can find any useful clues," Liu Meng said.

Just then, a figure emerged from a wooden hut. The person was tall, dressed in a long black robe, and wore a silver mask, obscuring their face.

"What are you doing here?" the man in black robes asked.

Liu Meng was startled, but he quickly calmed down: "We...we're here on patrol."

The man in black robes sized them up: "Patrol? I've never seen you before."

Zhang Yu quickly said, "We're new here; today is our first day on the job."

The man in black robes sneered, "Hmph, newcomers? Come with me, I want to ask you some questions."

Liu Meng and his two companions exchanged glances, realizing something was amiss. But they had no other choice but to follow the man in black into the wooden hut.

The cabin was simply furnished, with only a table and a few chairs. The man in black robes sat in a chair, staring at Liu Meng and his two companions: "Speak, who exactly are you? Why did you infiltrate here?"

Knowing he couldn't hide it any longer, Liu Meng suddenly drew his dagger and lunged at the man in black: "Enough nonsense, today is your death day!"

The man in black reacted quickly, dodging Liu Meng's attack by sidestepping, then drawing a long sword from his waist and engaging Liu Meng in combat. Li Feng and Zhang Yu also swiftly joined the fight, and the three engaged the man in black in a fierce battle.

"Do you think you can easily break into this place and leave unscathed?" the black-robed man sneered as he fought.

"Stop talking nonsense, take this!" Liu Meng roared, wielding his dagger with ferocious speed.

The battle was extremely fierce, with both sides giving it their all. Liu Meng and his companions gradually realized that the black-robed man was incredibly skilled in martial arts, and even the three of them working together were finding it somewhat difficult.

"This can't go on. We need to find a way to deal with him as soon as possible," Li Feng shouted.

Zhang Yu nodded, then suddenly pulled a smoke bomb from his pocket and threw it on the ground. Instantly, the cabin was filled with thick smoke.

"Hurry up!" Zhang Yu shouted.

Taking advantage of the smoke, the three quickly escaped the cabin. The man in black robes shouted through the smoke, "Don't let them get away!"

Liu Meng and his two companions ran desperately towards the valley entrance. Along the way, Shadow Cult members kept chasing them. They dodged and weaved, finally shaking off their pursuers and escaping the valley.

"Although we didn't find any important clues this time, at least we've confirmed that this is a stronghold of the Shadow Cult," Liu Meng said, panting heavily.

"Well, we've been exposed too, so it'll be harder to come back next time," Li Feng said.

"Let's go back first and tell Lord Fu about the situation here, and see what instructions he has," Zhang Yu said.

The three dared not linger and hurriedly left the west side of the city.

Meanwhile, in the Imperial Study of the palace, Hongli was discussing state affairs with Fuheng. Fuankang entered the Imperial Study, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, Lord Fuheng, the secret team has news."

A hint of anticipation flashed in Hongli's eyes: "Oh? Tell me quickly, what did you discover?"

Fu Ankang recounted in detail what Liu Meng and the other two had encountered in the west of the city.

Hongli frowned slightly: "It seems that the Shadow Cult does indeed have an important stronghold in the west of the city. We must find a way to investigate their background and find out who their backers are."

Fu Heng said, "Your Majesty, although the secret team has been exposed this time, it has also provided us with important clues. Next, we need to revise our plan and not let the Shadow Cult be on guard."

Hongli nodded: "Yes, go and make the arrangements. Make sure to investigate this matter as soon as possible. I don't want to see anything that threatens the safety of the palace again."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Fu Heng and Fu Ankang replied in unison.

Outside the palace, the secret team's search continues, and the Shadow Cult's conspiracy seems to be gradually surfacing. Where will this battle between good and evil ultimately lead? Everything remains shrouded in mystery.

This chapter concludes here. Stay tuned for the next chapter.