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

Chapter 511: The Truth Approaches, Danger Lurks Everywhere

As dawn broke, the faint morning light filtered through the carved window lattices, casting a hazy golden glow on every object in the slightly messy room of Shufangzhai. Xiaoyanzi sat bolt upright in bed, her forehead beaded with sweat, her eyes still gleaming with the lingering fear of the previous night. Her coarse cloth nightgown was wrinkled, and her hair was somewhat disheveled. She hastily grabbed a hair ribbon, quickly tied her hair up, and got up.

"Yongqi, Erkang, get up quickly!" Xiaoyanzi shouted while tidying her clothes, her voice filled with undisguised urgency. "What happened in the library last night must not be so simple. We have to think of a solution quickly."

Upon hearing the commotion, Yongqi and Erkang quickly got out of bed, washed up briefly, and went to Xiaoyanzi's side. Yongqi, dressed in a light blue robe with a white jade belt around his waist, looked grave: "I find the masked man who helped us last night very suspicious. Who is he? Why did he help us?"

Erkang, dressed in a dark blue outfit, tightened the short sword at his waist. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "No matter who he is, at least for now he's on our side. The most urgent task is to find clues about the Shadow Pavilion as soon as possible, otherwise we'll always be on the defensive."

Little Swallow paced back and forth in the room, then suddenly stopped, her eyes resolute: "I want to go to the Shadow Pavilion; maybe I can find some crucial evidence."

Upon hearing this, Yongqi's expression changed drastically, and he quickly stepped forward to grab Xiaoyanzi's arm: "No, the Shadow Pavilion is too dangerous. Who knows what traps and ambushes are inside?"

Xiao Yanzi broke free from Yongqi's hand, looked into his eyes and said, "Yongqi, I know you're worried about me, but we can't keep cowering like this. Only by venturing into the lion's den can we find the truth and avenge Lin Xiaoyan."

Er Kang nodded in agreement: "Little Swallow is right, we can't just sit here and wait to die. However, we must be fully prepared and not act rashly."

As the three were discussing, Lin Yuxuan hurriedly entered Shufangzhai. He was wearing a white robe, looked tired, and his eyes were slightly red: "I found out some information about the Shadow Pavilion. It is said that they have a secret stronghold outside the city, which is heavily guarded and difficult to approach."

Little Swallow's eyes lit up, and she asked eagerly, "What else do you know? Tell us quickly!"

Lin Yuxuan pulled a crumpled drawing from his pocket and spread it out on the table: "This is a rough layout of the Shadow Pavilion stronghold that I managed to get my hands on. Although it's not very complete, it should be of some help."

Xiao Yanzi and the others were gathered around the table, carefully studying the blueprints. Just then, a commotion suddenly arose outside Shufangzhai. Yongqi cautiously walked to the window and looked out. He saw a group of eunuchs and palace maids walking towards Shufangzhai, led by a stern-faced eunuch.

"This is bad, it seems the Empress's people have arrived," Yongqi said, frowning.

Xiao Yanzi quickly hid the blueprints, straightened her clothes, and stood calmly in the room. A moment later, a eunuch entered Shufangzhai and said in a shrill voice, "His Majesty's decree summons Xiao Yanzi, Yongqi, Erkang, and Lin Yuxuan to the Hall of Mental Cultivation for an audience immediately."

The four exchanged glances, their hearts filled with doubts, but they could only follow the eunuch to the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Along the way, the sunlight grew increasingly intense, yet it offered no warmth. The atmosphere within the palace was unusually oppressive; guards, spears in hand, patrolled back and forth with solemn expressions, as if a storm was about to break.

Upon arriving at the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the four knelt and paid their respects. The Emperor sat on the dragon throne, his expression solemn, toying with a jade pendant in his hand. After a moment of silence, he said, "Yesterday, I sent people to investigate the Empress's affairs and discovered many suspicious points. This Empress has been behaving strangely lately, completely different from her usual self. I suspect she is being manipulated."

Xiao Yanzi was startled and couldn't help but ask, "Your Majesty, are there any clues? Could they be related to the Shadow Pavilion?"

The Emperor nodded slightly: "I have the same suspicion. The Shadow Pavilion is mysterious and powerful in the martial arts world, and may have already infiltrated the palace. I have also heard about your encounter in the library yesterday."

Yongqi stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, we are planning to conduct an in-depth investigation into the Shadow Pavilion in order to find out the truth. We hope Your Majesty will grant us permission."

The Emperor pondered for a moment and said, “This matter is of great importance and you must not act rashly. I will secretly send some guards to assist you, but you must be careful and report to me immediately if you discover anything.”

After receiving their orders, the four left the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Back at the Shufangzhai, they began their preparations for heading to the Shadow Pavilion. Xiao Yanzi changed into a black outfit, carefully tying her long whip to her waist and concealing a dagger in her boot. Yongqi donned a dark robe over a light, soft armor, and carried a longsword. Erkang remained in his dark blue outfit, a short knife at his waist, and had prepared some hidden weapons. Lin Yuxuan carried a wooden stick; although his martial arts skills were inferior to the others, his eyes shone with determination, resolve to avenge his sister.

As dusk fell, the afterglow of the setting sun dyed the glazed tiles of the palace orange-red, making the entire palace seem as if it were engulfed in a sea of ​​fire. Under the cover of night, Xiao Yanzi and her companions quietly slipped out of the palace through a side gate. Along the way, they carefully avoided the patrolling soldiers and headed towards the Shadow Pavilion stronghold outside the city.

The road outside the city was rugged and uneven, flanked by dense forests, where the occasional hooting of owls sent chills down their spines. The moon gradually rose, casting its cold light to illuminate their path. After walking for a long time, they finally saw a sinister castle in a desolate valley—the stronghold of the Shadow Pavilion.

The castle gates were tightly shut, and high walls surrounded the castle, with several watchtowers on which guards patrolled back and forth. Little Swallow and the others hid in the woods, observing the movements inside the castle.

"How do we get in?" Lin Yuxuan asked in a low voice.

Erkang pulled a grappling hook from his pocket and pointed it at the castle wall: "I'll try using this grappling hook to climb the wall and see if I can find the entrance."

With that, Er Kang swung the grappling hook with all his might, and it hooked firmly onto the top of the wall. He quickly climbed up the rope. Just as he reached the top, he heard a loud shout: "Who goes there?" Immediately afterward, a guard rushed towards him.

Erkang quickly drew his dagger and engaged the guards in combat. Seeing this, Xiaoyanzi and the others also drew their weapons, preparing to rush into the castle. Just then, a raging fire suddenly broke out inside the castle, flames soaring into the sky, and shouts of battle erupted everywhere.

"Something's wrong inside," Yongqi said, frowning.

Little Swallow was frantic and rushed towards the castle gate without thinking. Yongqi, Erkang, and Lin Yuxuan followed closely behind. When they arrived at the gate, they found it had already been opened and the inside was in chaos.

They cautiously entered the castle, only to find the Shadow Pavilion disciples fleeing in all directions, fighting amongst themselves, as if engulfed in internal strife. Suddenly, a dark figure flashed past them. Little Swallow, quick as lightning, immediately lashed out with her whip: "Halt!"

The dark figure stopped and slowly turned around. It was a mysterious person he had never seen before. He was tall, with sharp eyes, and exuded a mysterious aura.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" Little Swallow asked warily, gripping her long whip tightly, ready to attack at any moment.

The mysterious man was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Who I am is not important. What is important is that you shouldn't have come here. But since you're here, there are some things you should know."

Before they could say anything more, a group of Shadow Pavilion disciples surrounded them. These disciples held weapons, their eyes filled with killing intent.

"It seems we'll have to fight side by side again." Yongqi gripped his longsword tightly, his expression cold and stern, and stepped aside to shield Xiaoyanzi.

Little Swallow brandished her long whip, her eyes resolute: "Then let them see what we're made of!"

The group immediately assumed fighting stances and engaged in fierce combat with the Shadow Pavilion disciples. The Shadow Pavilion disciples were numerous and highly skilled, but Xiao Yanzi and her companions were fearless, cooperating effectively, and for a time it was difficult to determine a victor.

During the battle, Xiao Yanzi spotted a suspicious figure running towards the depths of the castle. A thought struck her, and she suspected this figure might be connected to the secrets of the Shadow Pavilion. So, taking advantage of the others' inattention, she quietly followed.

The man seemed to realize he was being followed and quickened his pace. Little Swallow wasn't going to give up easily and kept up the chase. Finally, the man stopped in front of a secret room, opened the door, and went inside.

Little Swallow cautiously approached the secret chamber and peered through the crack in the door. Inside, she saw various rare treasures and ancient books. In the center of the chamber stood a huge mural of the Shadow Pavilion, completely different from any mural she had seen before, seemingly concealing some earth-shattering secret.

Just as Xiao Yanzi was about to enter the secret room, suddenly, a hand covered her mouth from behind and dragged her into the darkness...