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

Chapter 277 Tuoran Mountain

"Yin Quan, let's talk this out. Don't ignore me, okay? You can chat and laugh with Gu Lounan like that, but can't you talk to me properly?" Yin Quan was furious. "What nonsense are you talking about! Is Gu Lounan the same as you? So what if he lied to me? I don't care. But you're different. You even mistook me! Xiahou Ying, are you a bastard?"

I thought Xiahou Ying would argue back or get angry, but to my surprise, when I turned around, Xiahou Ying was actually smiling, and his smile was exceptionally bright. "A-Quan is right. I'm a bastard, you can scold me however you want, but don't be angry, okay? Let's heal our injuries first."

Looking at Xiahou Ying's unusually gentle expression, Yin Quan almost thought he was not in a good mood. "Xiahou Ying, are you alright? Did you take the wrong medicine?" Xiahou Ying did not answer, but stretched out his palm to him. On it was a small ball of fluff, which was Xiao Rong, who had disappeared for a long time.

Yin Quan held it in her hands with delight, "Xiao Rong, it really is you! Where have you been these past few days? I was worried that you had been kidnapped by that woman Chu Fenghua."

Xiahou Ying smiled sincerely at her happy expression. "It came to my side just two days after you got into trouble. Fortunately, it wasn't discovered by that Ghost-Faced God. At first, I didn't quite understand why it was so excited when it saw Xiao Xun. But when I found out that the Ghost-Faced God was a fake, I guessed Xiao Rong's intentions."

The little creature was extremely excited when it saw Yin Quan, rubbing its head against her hand incessantly. "Little thing, you're even better than someone else, recognizing me at a glance!" Hearing Yin Quan's pointed words, Xiahou Ying felt rather helpless.

"These past few days, I've been so grateful to Xiao Rong for being by my side. Every time I had a flare-up of poison, it would suck my blood. After a few times, I actually felt that most of the toxins in my body had been cleared away." Yin Quan looked at Xiao Rong carefully and couldn't help but become curious about the identity of the person in the coffin.

"Now that everything is settled, let's go to Tuoran Mountain to find the Ancient Spirit Pearl as soon as possible. Only by curing your poison as soon as possible can I feel at ease." Xiahou Ying smiled without saying a word, making Yin Quan feel uneasy under his gaze.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Why do you doubt that I'm real?" Xiahou Ying suddenly leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Thank you for loving me so much. A-Quan, promise me you won't leave me no matter what happens, okay?" Yin Quan almost blurted out "okay," but when she thought of Kuang Zhi's words from the Six Paths, she suddenly hesitated.

Xiahou Ying seemed to sense that she was hiding something. "What's wrong?" Yin Quan hurriedly shook her head. She didn't want him to know about this for the time being.

"How is Senior Brother Qin Nian... Have you found him?" The room fell silent at the mention of this name. Although Xiahou Ying and Qin Nian did not seem close on ordinary days, Yin Quan knew that in Xiahou Ying's heart, he always regarded Qin Nian as family.

Yin Quan sighed softly, "Brother Qin is a lucky man, I believe he will be alright. Besides, his body hasn't been found yet, which means he still has a chance to live."

Xiahou Ying nodded, trying his best to hide his emotions. "I know you don't need to worry about these things. I'll handle them. You just need to focus on recovering from your injuries. Besides, the disciples of the Heavenly Mystery Sect aren't that fragile."

Seeing Xiahou Ying's confident demeanor, Yin Quan felt a little relieved.

After resting for almost half a month, Yin Quan and the others finally packed their things and planned to go to Tuoran Mountain to find the Ancient Spirit Pearl.

Legend has it that Mount Tuoran is a secret forbidden area of ​​Qifeng Manor, which has not been opened for hundreds of years. It is said that the ancient artifact, the Ancient Spirit Pearl, is sealed there. Since it is a legendary place and no one has ever been there, the group made thorough preparations.

Xiahou Ying didn't want to take Yin Quan, who was still injured, with him, but she was adamant that they should take her with them. This time, Jing Yu was also on the trip.

The group arrived at the main peak where the manor lord was located. At the highest point of the main peak was a rooftop with an iron gate engraved with some strange ancient characters.

There was a stone staircase in front of the rooftop, just wide enough for one person to pass through. Gu Lounan stood on the staircase and took out a clear glass bottle from his sleeve, containing a few drops of Chu Fenghua's blood.

Gu Lounan smeared the blood from the bottle on his fingers and drew strange symbols on the iron gate until he finished drawing a pattern resembling a Bagua (Eight Trigrams). The bloodstains on the iron gate then shone brightly, and a stone hole in the middle of the gate dented.

A pebble in the center of the stone hole spun rapidly, then snapped into four pieces with a click, bouncing outwards to reveal a lock in the middle. Gu Lounan inserted the key and gently turned it, and the iron gate opened with a clatter. Behind the iron gate lay a scene of blooming flowers, like a paradise on earth.

A refreshing fragrance wafted towards her. Yin Quan closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It was truly rare to find such a beautiful scene in the dead of winter.

"This isn't as scary as you guys make it out to be. It's more like a vacation paradise!" Xiahou Ying and Gu Lounan's expressions were far from relaxed. "There are traps everywhere in here, so we'd better be careful. Yin Quan, stay close to us and call for help immediately if anything happens." Yin Quan nodded.

Xiahou Ying went in first. After everyone had gone in, the huge iron gate slowly closed. It was as if they had entered another world. Many colorful butterflies were fluttering around Yin Quan. When she reached out, several butterflies landed on her fingers, which made her feel a tingling sensation.

"Xiahou Ying, look! These little things seem to really like me!" As soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Rong suddenly jumped out of her pocket, baring her teeth and raising her fluffy feathers at the butterflies.

The butterflies scattered in fright. Yin Quan said to Xiao Rong with some reproach, "Look, you scared them all away." Xiahou Ying grabbed Yin Quan and said, "Something's not right here. Xiao Rong is very alert. It won't let you touch it. It must have sensed something is wrong."

Yin Quan had no choice but to reluctantly withdraw. The group carefully walked forward, and before they had gone far, they heard a girl's clear and beautiful singing voice, as melodious and pleasant as a nightingale in the woods. Suddenly, the tune changed, and the originally cheerful tone became sorrowful.

"Young man, your country is grieving, your dreams are fading... Seeing the flames of war, you think of your hometown, and your parents' hearts are filled with longing..."

Jing Yu stopped in his tracks, his expression sorrowful, as if stirred by painful memories. "Father, Mother, your son is unfilial, unable to care for you in your old age and see you off in your final days, but rest assured, your son will definitely avenge you." Seeing Jing Yu muttering to himself, Xiahou Ying frowned and asked, "Jing Yu? Jing Yu, what's wrong?"

Jing Yu suddenly knelt down, burying his head low, his hands tightly gripping his hair as if in great pain. Gu Lounan exclaimed, "Oh no! There's an illusion in this song! Jing Yu must have fallen into his imagined world!"

Jing Yu's body soon began to convulse. Yin Quan was beside him and tried to wake him up. However, before she could get close, she was blasted away by a burst of internal force.

Yin Quan fell hard on her bottom, rubbing her buttocks which were almost split in four. Yin Quan said innocently, "Is this child crazy?" Just as she finished speaking, Jing Yu suddenly jumped up from the ground.

He drew his soft sword from his waist and charged straight at Yin Quan, shouting, "Give me back my mother's life! I want revenge! I want revenge!" Xiahou Ying grabbed Yin Quan's waist and vanished from the spot in an instant. Jing Yu's eyes were already bloodshot.

All he could say was "kill, kill." Gu Lounan seized the opportunity and tapped him on the waist, causing Jing Yu to go limp. Xiahou Ying took out a purple orchid from his pocket and let Jing Yu smell it.

Jing Yu frowned, slowly waking up. "What...what happened to me?" Yin Quan held up one finger. "How many is this?" Without hesitation, Jing Yu replied, "One..."

"Then who am I?"

“Your Highness…” Yin Quan turned to look at Xiahou Ying, “Thankfully the assessment is complete; her intelligence hasn’t been affected.” Xiahou Ying couldn’t help but chuckle and lightly flicked the tip of her nose.

"You... you're still in the mood to joke at a time like this."

The woman in the distance asked with some surprise, "How do you know that purple orchids can cure the poison of the Illusionary Sound?" Xiahou Ying helped Jing Yu up, "How could we dare to trespass into Tuoran Mountain without being fully prepared?" The girl said somewhat displeased, "This isn't fun, this isn't fun. How come only this kid was affected by my Illusionary Sound and you're all unharmed?"

Gu Lounan interjected, "Among us, only Jing Yu has too much obsession in his heart. The prince and I are resolute, and as for the princess, she is probably without desires." The little girl let out a surprised "Eh."

Yin Quan looked around and saw no one within a hundred miles. He called out in the direction of the girl's voice, "What are you hiding for? Come out and let's have a good chat. You must be lonely staying here all year round, right?"

"I wasn't hiding, I'm right next to you, you just didn't notice me." Yin Quan looked around but couldn't see a single person. "Are you invisible?"

“I’m on your shoulder now.” Yin Quan turned around and saw a deep blue butterfly land on her shoulder. She widened her eyes and pointed at the butterfly, saying, “Don’t tell me it was you who was talking just now?”

The little butterfly flew up and circled twice in front of her eyes. "Of course it's me! You're such a stupid woman, I don't like you." As it spoke, it flew to Xiahou Ying's shoulder, and Yin Quan's jaw almost dropped to the ground.

"I'm saying you don't actually transform or anything, do you?" The little butterfly flapped its wings twice, and after a burst of golden light, it revealed a little girl the size of a palm, with two pairs of butterfly-like wings growing from her back.

Looking at the petite butterfly girl, Yin Quan's worldview was once again overturned. "Xiahou Ying, pinch me and tell me I'm dreaming." Xiahou Ying shook his head with a wry smile, "I'm afraid it's real."

The little butterfly sat on Xiahou Ying's shoulder, gazing at him with infatuation, "You're so handsome, the most handsome man I've ever seen." Gu Lounan, somewhat displeased, said from the side, "Hey little girl, take a closer look, I'm very handsome too." He then struck what he considered a perfect pose.

Yin Quan felt a chill and cleared her throat, saying, "I'm telling you, little girl, you're so young, why are you learning to be infatuated with men? Come here, as someone who's been through this, I need to give you some pointers on female modesty."