The Eldest Daughter Returns with Power

Chapter 163 Snowfield Horror 1

Si Yunchen sat upright in the deep and quiet secret chamber of the East Palace with a cold expression. His posture was straight, his back was like an ancient pine tree, and his whole body exuded an aura of authority without anger.

Before him, on the ancient and heavy sandalwood table, dozens of volumes of the Imperial Medical Bureau's archives were laid out in a messy yet orderly fashion.

These archives, weathered by time, have yellowed slightly and are densely covered with information about the illnesses and medications of people in the palace. They are like silent histories, hiding countless unknown secrets.

In the secret chamber, the gilded dragon candlestick stood quietly, its flickering candlelight like a lively spirit, casting Si Yunchen's resolute and profound profile onto the silk screen painted with "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains".

In the flickering candlelight, the silhouette seemed to dance on the screen, sometimes clear, sometimes blurry, adding a touch of mystery to the entire secret room.

At this moment, three silver needles firmly pinned the medical record of "Yuanhui 27th year". The instant the paper was pierced by the silver needles, it seemed to also pierce the barrier of time, presenting that long-forgotten past to Si Yunchen's eyes once again.

Just then, the Shadow Guard Commander stepped lightly into the secret chamber.

He knelt on one knee and respectfully presented a wet palace robe with both hands, saying, "Your Highness, this was found in the laundry department."

Si Yunchen's gaze slowly fell on the palace dress, where he noticed almost invisible purple powder on the lapel. The powder, like mysterious stars in the night sky, exuded an eerie aura.

The Shadow Guard Commander continued, "After Lady Yu Luo's identification, it is indeed a Gu ingredient made from the Seven-Leaf Heartbreak Grass."

Si Yunchen narrowed his eyes slightly and gently rubbed the purple powder with his slender fingertips.

In an instant, a familiar yet strange feeling welled up in his heart. His thoughts instantly drifted back to a month ago, to a sunny day when he was strolling leisurely in the Imperial Garden.

It was at that moment that he bumped into the Third Prince, Si Yunyuan.

At that time, Si Yunyuan was dressed in gorgeous clothes, and the Miao silver bells at his waist shimmered in the sunlight.

At this moment, the eerie light emitted by the purple powder bore a striking resemblance to the eerie light emanating from the silver bell.

Si Yunchen frowned deeply, his eyes revealing a hint of vigilance and doubt.

He suddenly grabbed the map on the table, and the rustling sound as it unfolded was like the rolling wheels of history.

He gripped the vermilion brush tightly in his hand, the tip of the brush moving swiftly across the map, connecting the Cold Palace, the Imperial Hospital, and the Third Prince's residence into a triangle.

When the triangular shape was fully displayed on the map, Si Yunchen was startled – this was precisely the location of the "Tianrui Star" in the Luoshu, and in ancient astrology, the "Tianrui Star" was associated with illness and misfortune.

Is this merely a coincidence? Or is there a huge conspiracy hidden behind it? Countless questions welled up in Si Yunchen's mind.

"Report—" A hurried shout rang out like thunder. A secret agent burst through the window at lightning speed, exuding a sharp aura. He landed and kicked up some dust from the window sill.

He knelt on one knee, barely catching his breath, and said urgently, "My lord, the brothers who are monitoring the Third Prince just reported that half an hour ago, a caravan dressed in Western Turkic attire entered through the side gate of the Prince's residence. They were carrying five gilded cypress wood chests. The chests looked very exquisite, and the gilded patterns on them shimmered faintly in the night. I don't know what's inside."

The spy's voice was still echoing in the room when a deafening roar suddenly came from afar. The sound was like thousands of troops galloping and fighting, or like some kind of giant beast in the world roaring angrily, making the glass on the windows rattle.

Si Yunchen's brows furrowed instantly, a hint of wariness and doubt flashing in his eyes. He rushed to the carved window and pushed it open. A cool night breeze blew in, ruffling a few strands of hair on his forehead.

A crimson light shot into the northwest sky, like a ferocious fire beast dancing wildly in the dark night, turning half the sky red. And the source of that crimson light was none other than the direction of the Imperial Archives.

The Imperial Archives was where the royal family stored important books and historical records. For such a large fire to break out at this time must mean something terrible has happened.

Si Yunchen's heart tightened; he knew this matter was no small thing.

He turned around quickly, reached out and grabbed the sword on the table; the hilt trembled slightly in his hand.

He rushed out, his steps as fast as lightning, each step carrying immense power, as if he wanted to shatter the silent night.

His dark cloak fluttered as he ran, like a giant black bird spreading its wings in the night sky.

As the cloak swept past the palace wall, the night dew that had condensed on the glazed tiles of the wall, illuminated by the crimson light, appeared eerily blood-red, as if countless eyes were watching him in the darkness, exuding an indescribable gloom and terror.

Si Yunchen paid no attention to any of this. He had only one thought in his mind: to get to the Imperial Archives as soon as possible, find out the truth, and see who dared to commit such a heinous crime in the capital.

He strolled through the palace corridors, his footsteps making a crisp sound on the stone pavement.

Along the way, he encountered many panicked palace maids and eunuchs, some of whom fled in terror, while others collapsed on the ground trembling.

Si Yunchen had no time to comfort them; he simply quickened his pace and ran towards the direction where the crimson light was shooting into the sky.

…………

In the vast and boundless Western Regions, there lies a Devil City, a place that strikes fear into the hearts of all. Here, fierce winds howl year-round, and yellow sand swirls in the air, like a lurking demon, ready to devour any creature that dares to venture within.

Ling Feng, dressed in a black outfit, rode a lithe black horse and stood atop a hundred-foot sand cliff.

The horse was entirely black except for its four snow-white hooves, which made it look like it was walking on snow. At this moment, it was pawing at the ground and snorting, as if it too sensed the eeriness and danger of this Devil City.

The gale, like a roaring beast, swept up the yellow sand, slicing across Lingfeng's cracked lips like a sharp blade.

His face was resolute and stern, weathered by the wind and sand, but his deep eyes shone like cold stars, radiating an indomitable light.

The compass at her waist emitted a faint glow under the moonlight, its needle spinning wildly in the howling wind, as if drawn by a mysterious force.

Finally, the pointer steadily pointed to the faint, icy blue light at the bottom of the abyss.

The icy blue light flickered uncertainly in the dark abyss, like the eyes of a ghost.

Ling Feng felt a chill run down his spine. He knew that this was the place where the Thousand-Year Ice Soul Snow Lotus, recorded in the "Suwen Yipian," grew.

This thousand-year-old Ice Soul Snow Lotus is a rare and miraculous medicine in the world, said to have the magical effects of bringing the dead back to life and enhancing internal strength.

In their search for the snow lotus, the group endured countless hardships, traversing vast deserts and towering mountains before finally arriving at this mysterious Western Regions Devil City.

"Boss, there are fresh hoof prints on the sand," a shadow guard suddenly shouted, his voice tinged with tension.

He lay on the ground and quickly dug through the loose sand with both hands. Soon, he revealed half of an arrowhead engraved with Saka tiger stripes.

The arrowhead has a unique shape, with lifelike tiger stripes, as if it might leap out of the arrowhead at any moment.

The shadow guard's face turned extremely ugly. He raised his head, looked at Ling Feng, and said, "The Western Turkic Wolf Guard arrived half a day earlier than us!"

Ling Feng's pupils suddenly contracted, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

The Western Turkic Wolf Guard was the most elite force of the Western Turks. They were all agile and ruthless killers, making them an extremely difficult opponent.

Unexpectedly, they also had their eyes on this Thousand-Year Ice Soul Snow Lotus, and they even arrived half a day earlier than me.

Ling Feng inwardly groaned. The mission to find the snow lotus was already extremely dangerous, and now the addition of the Western Turkic Wolf Guard as a formidable enemy was undoubtedly adding insult to injury.

He slowly untied the bronze chain from his wrist.

This bronze chain has a simple and ancient design, and the pendant is an exquisite jade pendant, which was given to Tang Yuluo before his departure.

At this moment, the bronze chain resonated with the snow lotus's ethereal light, trembling slightly as if it were telling Ling Feng something.

He recalled the scene when they passed through Yumen Pass. It was a hot afternoon, and the area outside Yumen Pass was bustling with people.

Their group rested briefly before the pass. At that moment, a foreign merchant selling camel milk approached. The merchant was short, dark-skinned, and had a cunning look in his eyes.

He enthusiastically promoted camel milk to Ling Feng and the others. However, the moment Ling Feng took the camel milk, he clearly saw a glint of shrewdness flash in the merchant's eyes.

At the time, he didn't pay attention, thinking he had misread it. Now, he realizes that from the moment they left the palace, they had already fallen into someone else's scheme.

Ling Feng took a deep breath and calmed himself down.