First annul the engagement, then sever ties with the empress; the empress reigns supreme.

"Senior Sister, we've been following that old thief for so long, but he hasn't shown any intention of teaching us how to remove the curse. It seems like it's all been for nothing. Anyway, Wei Ming is already dead, so why don't we escape?"

In the dense woods, Su Li led Qing Yan and Qing Miao to bury the body.

Qingyan threw down the hoe in her hand and looked at the boundless sea.

Su Li has lost patience with Qing Yanzi. Given his current crazy state, he might go crazy again soon.

"Try searching the old thief's secret room these next couple of days to see if we find anything. If we still don't find anything, then let's leave."

Upon hearing this, Su Li made a final decision: Qing Yanzi had issued a strict prohibition against anyone entering the secret room on the island that belonged to him.

Qingyan and Qingmiao nodded in agreement without any objection.

The secret room was in Qingyanzi's room. Su Li tried several times but failed to enter, mainly because Qingyanzi hadn't left his room much in the past few days. Even when he ate, he had his meals delivered to his room.

Ten days passed in this way, and Qingyanzi finally left the room. After leaving the room, he went straight down the mountain to the Huoli tribe's residence.

After Su Li led Qingyan and Qingmiao away, Qingyan took the initiative to say, "Senior sister, now that the old thief has gone out, I'll keep watch, you can go in."

"Elder Sister, I'll go follow that old thief and see what he's up to." Qingmiao also automatically accepted the task.

The three split up. After entering the room, Su Li began to search for mechanisms by feeling around. She knew for sure that there was a hidden room in the room, but she had no idea where the mechanism was.

Finally, she found a small recessed groove at the head of the soft couch where Qingyanzi often lay. With a gentle press, the door to the secret room opened. Su Li carefully slipped inside.

This dark room is similar to the Poison Pool in the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion; it is dark and damp, with all kinds of poisonous insects crawling on the walls and the floor.

Fortunately, Su Li was immune to all poisons and did not collapse even after being bitten by several poisonous insects.

Through the secret passage formed by countless poisons, Su Li finally reached the innermost part, where many gold and silver treasures were displayed, along with various documents and records. Finally, Su Li found a book wrapped in sheepskin that read "The Great Compendium of Cursed Poisons."

This should be it.

Su Li's eyes lit up. She flipped through the book casually and then stuffed it into her arms.

Is it China? Is it the country's speculation on the website? Is it the old website? Is it the Huijin Technology website? 9

Not knowing how long Qingyanzi would be gone, Su Li dared not stay in the dark room for long, so she turned and walked out of the dark room.

Meanwhile, Qingyanzi had already descended the mountain and arrived at the settlement of the Huoli tribe. He tried several times to approach the Huoli tribe, but was discovered by the residents and driven away as if he were a monster or a wild beast, even alarming the tribe chief.

The white-haired, white-bearded clan chief surrounded Qingyanzi, who was now encircled by his clansmen. Qingyanzi still wore the same white robes and had the same white beard as before, but in the Lihuo clan, no one respected him anymore.

"Qingyanzi, didn't I say that your activities are limited to the top of Wolf Mountain? Who gave you permission to come down the mountain on your own?" The clan leader looked at Qingyanzi with an air of authority, his tone as if he were expelling some annoying monster.

Qingyanzi smiled ingratiatingly: "Uncle, it's so lonely being stuck on the mountain all the time. Please let me go back to live with the Lihuo tribe. My mother is your cousin, and I'm your cousin's nephew. My brother is no longer in this world. You can't just leave me all alone, can you?"

Qingyanzi's mother was also a member of the Huoli tribe. Back then, Qingyanzi's father also lived on the top of Langshan Mountain. The Huoli tribe had a prohibition against intermarriage with people of the same lineage as Qingyanzi. It was Qingyanzi's father and mother who secretly had an affair, which violated the Huoli tribe's rules.

Because Qingyanzi's great-grandmother had already caused harm to the Lihuo tribe by fleeing back to them, this latest violation of the prohibition has made the Lihuo tribe even more disgusted with Qingyanzi's lineage.

This is also why Qingyanzi's father later led them away from the Western Islands and were pursued by the imperial court.

The clan chief was stunned when he heard that Wei Ming was dead, but then showed no sympathy for Qing Yanzi: "I said long ago that you should give up when your abilities don't match yours. So many people have died, and you still haven't realized your mistake."

"Qingyanzi, you should go back to the mountain and stop dragging our Lihuo clan into this. It's only because I'm your uncle that I'm giving you this final piece of advice: stay put and live a peaceful life on the mountain. That's the only way to ensure the continuation of your bloodline."

"Uncle..." Qingyanzi, hearing the clan chief's words of persuasion, seemed to see a glimmer of hope and, seizing the opportunity, tried to further exploit the situation. However, before he could even utter a sound, the clan chief had already drawn the curved knife from his waist: "Get lost."

As soon as the clan leader said this, all the clansmen around him raised their wooden sticks at Qingyanzi.

The Li Huo clan is somewhat eccentric; they perform a ritual called the Summoning Dance. This dance can heal, but it can also kill. Therefore, although Qing Yanzi knows Gu magic, he has never considered taking action against the Li Huo clan.

Faced with this lack of welcome, Qingyanzi was at a loss, but he was still unwilling to give up: "Uncle, since it is inconvenient for you to let me into the village today, then I will come to visit you another day."

The clan chief did not respond.

Qingyanzi walked away, turning back every few steps, but his gait was strange. His steps were unsteady and weak, his eyes were wide open, his tongue was dry, and he kept tugging at his clothes, as if he wanted to take them all off.

In the home of the Li Huo tribe, a girl dressed in a dark blue coarse cloth, with her hair in braids and silver bells on her head, walked in from outside the courtyard and stepped into the house with cheerful steps.

The weak man lying on the bed sat up and looked out into the flower hall: "Miss Jiaoniang, why was there such a commotion outside just now?"

Jiao Niang poured herself a cup of tea, took a sip, and went into the room. Seeing that the injured Murong Yuan had gotten up, she hurriedly stepped forward and pressed him down: "Young Master, your injuries are serious, it is not advisable for you to get up now."

Murong Yuan drifted at sea for several days, encountered waves, and lost his two attendants. He went through a life-or-death ordeal before finally landing on Qunxi Island.

Unexpectedly, the island was full of traps. Despite his utmost caution, he still fell into one and was tied to a tree. After hanging there for a day and a night, Jiao Niang found him and secretly brought him home.

Murong Yuan was physically weak, and even though he was unwilling, he was pressed back onto the bed by Jiao Niang.

Jiao Niang frowned and warned, "Whatever the noise outside is none of your business. Don't forget what I said when I saved you. Our clan doesn't welcome outsiders. If the clan leader finds you, he'll throw you into the sea to feed the monster fish."

Murong Yuan pursed his lips, showing no fear of the clan leader Jiao Niang had mentioned, but also wanting to arouse Jiao Niang's suspicion.

When he was rescued by Jiao Niang, he did not tell her the truth. He only said that he was a fisherman who went out to sea and was accidentally swept onto the island by the wind and waves.

Murong Yuan was handsome and skilled in strategy. He could lie without batting an eye, so even though Jiao Niang thought Murong Yuan's face was too pale and didn't look like a fisherman who spent his days basking in the sun, she didn't pursue the matter further.