The Princess Cannot Escape: The Cunning Prince Is Not to Be Messed With

Chapter 262 The Four Divine Artifacts

She couldn't imagine what she would do if that dream were real. "Xiahou Ying, with me here, I will definitely make sure nothing happens to you. I... I remember now, Kuang Zhi said that if we collect that... that kind of divine artifact, it will cure your poison. He asked me to tell Xuan Qingzi. I've been so busy recovering these past two days, how could I have forgotten about it?"

Yin Quan slapped his forehead, extremely annoyed. How could he have forgotten such an important thing? Xiahou Ying pondered for a moment and said, "Are you talking about the divine artifacts guarded by the four great manors?"

"Huh? How do you know that too?" Xiahou Ying nodded, but when the topic of the divine artifacts guarded by the four great manors came up, Xiahou Ying frowned even more. "The divine artifacts of these four great manors have been passed down for thousands of years. They are the foundation of each manor and will never be handed over easily."

Yin Quan was grasping at a straw, and she was not about to let this opportunity slip away. When the two arrived at Xuan Qingzi's door, they saw that Xie Fo was also guarding the door. When he saw Yin Quan, he hesitated to speak, but in the end, he turned his head away without saying anything.

Xiahou Ying said calmly, "Is Xuan Qingzi inside?" The Evil Buddha nodded, "Qin Nian is also inside. You'd better wait a bit; he's healing him and won't be out for a while." Yin Quan glanced around and said, "Where's Gu Lounan? Aren't you two always hanging out together? Where is he?"

"He's probably hiding in the back mountain stealing fruit." The Evil Buddha squinted at Yin Quan for a while. "It seems your injury isn't serious. Tell me quickly, monk, what caused your injury in the Six Paths of Reincarnation?" Yin Quan's mind sharpened. "How do you know I was injured in the Six Paths?"

"These past few days, Tianji Mountain has been in complete chaos because of you. Yuqiong Mountain and Qingliao Xuanji refused to return to their own mountain without your guidance. Xuanqingzi has been so worried that several of his hairs have turned white these past few days. The other two major sects returned unharmed, so why did you two suffer such heavy casualties?"

Yin Quan glanced sideways at Xiahou Ying, his heart pounding involuntarily. It wouldn't be a problem if the Evil Buddha didn't know the situation inside and could just tell him a few things, but Xiahou Ying had been inside before; there was no way he could be fooled.

“Well…you also know…the Six Paths, within the Six Paths…” Yin Quan was practicing Tai Chi when Xuan Qingzi finally opened the door, wiped his hands with a plain white handkerchief, and said to Xiahou Ying.

"Your senior brother needs to rest and recuperate recently. Don't cause trouble at the door unless necessary, especially you, Evil Buddha. Don't always swarm around Qin Nian's room like flies. How are the people from Yuqiong Mountain and Qing Liao Xuanji that I asked you to send away?"

The evil Buddha was met with a cold shoulder. "Well... how many of those great gods can I afford to offend? You should come forward yourself." Yin Quan didn't have time to listen to their rambling and hurriedly stepped forward to grab Xuan Qingzi's sleeve.

“I have something important to tell you. I have a way to cure Xiahou Ying’s poison.” Xuan Qingzi’s eyes lit up. He glanced at Xiahou Ying and saw the latter nod slightly. He put away his usual playful expression and said seriously, “Come with me.” Xie Fo originally wanted to follow, but was stopped by a look from Xuan Qingzi.

Reluctantly, they went to find Gu Lounan. Meanwhile, Yin Quan and Xiahou Ying followed Xuan Qingzi to a secluded dark room. Seeing Xuan Qingzi's mysterious demeanor, Yin Quan felt a sense of espionage and inexplicably became nervous.

Yin Quan swallowed hard. "I said, is it really necessary to make it so mysterious?" Xuan Qingzi felt Xiahou Ying's pulse. "For now, it's manageable."

“I know how to cure Xiahou Ying’s poison. Kuang Zhi said that the four great manors each guard one of the four divine artifacts. Once these four divine artifacts are gathered together, they will have the power to destroy the world, and at the same time, they will also have the effect of bringing the dead back to life.” Xuan Qingzi did not show any abnormality, which shows that he already knew the truth.

“Grandmaster is right. Moreover, Xiahou Ying’s poison does not require the collection of the four divine artifacts. As long as we obtain the Ancient Spirit Pearl from Qifeng Manor, we can cure his poison.” Yin Quan said in confusion, “Since you knew this all along, why didn’t you say so? You made me worry to death.”

Xuan Qingzi looked at Xiahou Ying and said, "Although I haven't left the mountain for half my life, I still know a bit about the situation outside. How easy is it to get that Ancient Spirit Pearl?" Xiahou Ying nodded and said, "That is the treasure of the manor. Qifeng Manor will not give it up so easily."

Yin Quan hurriedly said, "This is what your grandmaster said. The world is about to fall into chaos, and we must gather the four divine artifacts. Otherwise, if they fall into the hands of someone with ulterior motives, the world will change hands, and there will be great suffering and death."

Xuan Qingzi frowned. "You mean what Grandmaster said?" Yin Quan nodded like a chicken pecking at rice. "Of course, how could I talk nonsense about such things? He also said it was time for the people from Yuqiong Mountain and Qingliao Xuanji to go down the mountain for training as well."

This time, Xiahou Ying's expression turned grim. "Third Master Ancestor would never easily allow the people from Yuqiong Mountain and Qingliao Xuanji to come down the mountain. I remember that a hundred years ago, when the five kings were fighting for the throne, the three sects came down the mountain and have been in seclusion ever since. Could there be some change in the capital?"

After saying that, his expression changed, and he looked at Yin Quan and said, "No, I must go back to the capital. When I left, my father was not in good health. Now, if the capital is lost..." Xiahou Ying did not finish his sentence, but Yin Quan could guess that Xiahou Ying had been planning all this time for the day he would ascend the throne.

Xuan Qingzi said urgently, "Going back to the capital now is suicide. If our three sects can't cure your poison, then no one in the world can. If we delay for another three months, even a great immortal can't save you. Are you willing to just watch the throne that's about to be yours be handed over to someone else? Or have you forgotten your mother's revenge?"

Xiahou Ying's face was deathly pale, and his gaze towards Xuan Qingzi was tinged with a faint hatred. This was the first time Yin Quan had seen Xiahou Ying so out of control, and she gently tugged at his sleeve. The atmosphere around Xiahou Ying was so oppressive that it was suffocating, but Xuan Qingzi did not back down at all, and the two stared at each other without yielding an inch.

A burst of unrestrained laughter suddenly came from outside the door, instantly shattering the discordant atmosphere. Xuan Qingzi waved his sleeves with displeasure, and the wooden door to the secret room slowly opened. "Gu Lounan, didn't I tell you that outsiders are not allowed to enter this forbidden area of ​​Tianji Mountain? Did you just ignore my words?"

With a thud of his palms, Gu Lounan's figure flashed like a swallow, but as soon as he landed, he was knocked back several meters. After regaining his footing, a trickle of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth. Yin Quan rubbed her eyes. This was the first time she had seen Gu Lounan beaten so badly. In her impression, Gu Lounan and Xiahou Ying's martial arts should be about the same.

But now, looking at Xuan Qingzi as easily as swatting a fly, Yin Quan felt a surge of admiration. Gu Lounan, however, was not angry. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, raised his bright eyes, and smiled at Yin Quan, saying, "Little Quan, you are too heartless. You just watch those two, master and disciple, bully me like this without saying a word for me?"

Yin Quan touched his nose. "I think if I don't say anything, you can at least leave with a whole corpse." Gu Lounan became serious and said to Xiahou Ying, "I did not mean to trespass into the forbidden area, but there is an important matter that I must report to Your Highness immediately."

Xiahou Ying stood with his hands behind his back, turned around, and said, "Speak."

"News has just arrived from the capital: the Emperor is seriously ill, and the Crown Prince is overseeing the court." Time seemed to stand still for a moment, but Yin Quan was the first to react. "Wasn't the Crown Prince deposed long ago and banished from the capital?" Gu Lounan continued.

“When the Emperor was seriously ill, Prince Duan happened to disappear. The Crown Prince was urgently summoned back to the capital by secret edict. Before the Emperor fell seriously ill, he left an imperial decree instructing the Crown Prince to oversee the court and manage state affairs. Now the Crown Prince is searching everywhere for Prince Duan and urgently summoning him to the capital.” Xiahou Ying’s eyes were filled with turbulent emotions.

Could it be that Yin Quan has truly become a demigod? Has her dream really come true? Has that crown prince really made a comeback? Xiahou Ying's eyes were filled with a storm of emotions, and his white robes fluttered in the wind. Xuan Qingzi said sternly, "You still dare to use your internal energy? Don't you know that the more you use your internal energy, the faster the poison will spread? If you don't want to die, stop right now."

Xiahou Ying clenched his fists, his body tense like a pine tree, his voice sounding like it was being squeezed out from between his teeth. "I must return to the capital immediately. I will find a way to get rid of the poison in my body. Yin Quan can stay at Tianji Mountain for now. I will come to pick you up after I have settled everything."

"Xiahou Ying, how many more times are you going to abandon me before you stop?" Yin Quan smiled bitterly. Regardless of whether it was out of a desire to protect her, Xiahou Ying's deception of her in the Qionghai Gang was always a thorn in her heart, making her feel like she had a fishbone stuck in her throat. "Xiahou Ying, I am not a burden to you. I want to be the person by your side."

“But the capital is extremely dangerous this time…” Xiahou Ying hadn’t finished speaking when Gu Lounan coughed and said, “Please allow me to finish speaking. Are Your Highness and Your Highness’s love going well?” Yin Quan pursed her lips and remained silent. Gu Lounan continued, “My spies in the capital have reported that although the Crown Prince is ostensibly searching for the missing prince, he has actually laid a trap in the capital, just waiting for Your Highness to take the bait. Does Your Highness really want to be that big fish?”

Yin Quan rolled her eyes. "I have a good idea, I don't know if you want to hear it?" Xiahou Ying's personality has always been to shoulder his own burdens, but Yin Quan no longer wants to be the fool behind him. This time, no matter what, she will accompany him through thick and thin.

"Yin Quan, I don't want you to get involved in the affairs of the capital. I went to great lengths to set this up so that you could extricate yourself from the vortex of the capital." Yin Quan placed her index finger against Xiahou Ying's lips, stopping him from continuing.

"Just this once, please trust me this once, okay?" Xiahou Ying saw her resolute attitude and could only soften his gaze. Gu Lounan said, "Why doesn't Your Highness listen to the Princess's opinion before making a decision? Perhaps our clever Princess has a good idea."

"The Imperial Advisor is absolutely right. Since the Crown Prince is trying to trap us like a turtle in a jar, why don't we use a clever trick? We'll spread the word that Prince Duan has returned to the capital, and then we'll secretly go to Qifeng Manor and gather the four divine artifacts. Once we've cured Xiahou Ying of the poison, everything will be much easier."

Xiahou Ying frowned. "It's not that simple. If you spread the word that I'm returning to the capital, given the Crown Prince's personality, he will definitely have people hunting me down. It would be best if he could eliminate me before I even enter the capital." Yin Quan smiled. "It would be even better if he really dared to do that."