The Cold-Hearted Princess Who Transmigrated Here

By this time, Xuan Liu had thoroughly searched the entire village, but to his disappointment, he still hadn't made any valuable discoveries.

Just as he was about to return, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a figure out of the corner of his eye. It was the servant that Ling Feng had specially arranged to come and gather information.

The man's furtive and secretive manner aroused suspicion, suggesting he was hiding a secret.

Without the slightest hesitation, Xuan Liu immediately slowed his pace and carefully followed.

Following closely behind, the servant turned left and right until he finally arrived at a very secluded place, stopping in front of an ancient-looking cave that exuded a solemn and mysterious aura.

Xuan Liu was startled; this place must be the ancestral land of the Wugu clan that the clan leader had mentioned.

No wonder so many clansmen had searched everywhere but found nothing; it turned out these guys were certain that the witchcraft clansmen couldn't get to this place.

At this moment, Xuan Liu is faced with a difficult choice.

If I were to rashly follow them into this cave, even with the powerful corpse-dissolving water I carry as an aid, I would probably find it difficult to deal with the thirty well-trained assassins inside, all by myself.

However, if they give up the pursuit now, it may be difficult to uncover the many secrets that Ling Feng is hiding, let alone capture him in one fell swoop.

As the servant was about to disappear completely from sight, Xuan Liu was torn between his conscience and his conscience. After weighing the pros and cons, he finally made up his mind.

Even if there are many dangers ahead, we must risk going in to find out what's going on. After all, only by uncovering Ling Feng's conspiracy as soon as possible can we quickly and completely eliminate them.

Xuan Liu gripped the bottle containing the corpse-dissolving water tightly and silently followed into the cave.

Built against the mountain, this place is a natural cave that has been transformed. Many small holes have been carved into the corners and walls, filled with all sorts of strange bottles, jars and dolls. The stone walls are also covered with runes and calligraphy unique to the Wugu tribe.

As they went further in, the cave became increasingly dim, filled with a sour, foul odor. Xuan Liu tried to stay close to the cave walls as he went, avoiding making any noise.

After several twists and turns, the servant entered a secret-like space.

Xuan Liu, hiding in a corner, was shocked to discover that Ling Feng had also appeared in the secret room. He hadn't expected him to be there.

The space here is quite large, covering nearly ten zhang (approximately 33 meters) in front and behind. The layout, furnishings, and decorations are completely different from those outside.

Clearly, this place was specially modified and expanded by these people themselves after their arrival.

The servant knelt down as soon as he entered and reported, "Master, the people from those two families are busy dividing up the grain and are having a good time. No one has noticed our presence."

"You can rest assured and discuss matters here."

Ling Feng responded confidently, "Very good. Let them be happy for now. Being caught off guard and gathered together makes it easier for us to make our move."

He then instructed the other assassins: "Gentlemen, four outsiders have arrived today. We do not yet know their purpose, but to avoid any accidents, I have decided that tonight you will secretly sneak into Chief Li's house and kill these four people for me to prevent future troubles."

Then, as if he had made a decision, he added.

"If you can eradicate both the Li and An clans at the same time, I, the Valley Master, will fulfill any request you may have."

One of the assassins retorted angrily, "Valley Master Ling, you've been saying this for over ten years, and you've never fulfilled our requests. Are you going to work for nothing again this time?"

Ling Feng was embarrassed and his face turned very ugly for a moment, but he quickly adjusted his emotions and lowered his voice to patiently persuade him.

"I know you've suffered a lot of injustice hiding in this dark and gloomy place, but we're all working for Lord Ling. He's going to seize the world and become king in the future, and then you'll all be meritorious officials. Wouldn't it be easy for you to get whatever you want?"

"Everyone has put in so much effort and endured so much for so long. We can't afford to let all our efforts go to waste at this crucial moment."

Then, Ling Feng walked deeper into the secret room, opened a hidden compartment, and took out a tattered scroll.

"I, the Valley Master, have already obtained this Gu Technique Manual. If we find the remaining Witchcraft Manual, then none of us will have to stay in this awful place anymore."

……

Xuan Liu finished listening to the important information, and just as the argument inside was getting more and more noisy, he took the opportunity to leave.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Just as Xuanwu and Xuanqi were filled with anxiety, believing that Xuanliu might have met with misfortune, and were about to step out to search for his whereabouts.

Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps approached from afar. Immediately afterwards, Xuan Liu was seen rushing towards them like a gust of wind.

At this moment, he was soaked in sweat from head to toe, with large beads of sweat rolling down his forehead, as if he had just experienced a life-or-death race.

Seeing this, Xuan Wu and Xuan Qi exchanged a glance and then stepped forward simultaneously in perfect unison. Each of them firmly grabbed one of Xuan Liu's arms and then half-dragged and half-pulled him into the room.

Once Xuan Liu was seated, the two men quickly moved closer and asked in unison, "Has there been any major discovery?"

Xuan Liu didn't bother wiping the sweat from his face. He reached out and grabbed the cup of tea on the table, which had long since gone cold, and drank it all in one gulp.

Then, panting heavily, he said, "That Ling Feng is extremely treacherous and cunning! He actually hid all his assassins in the ancestral land."

At this point, Xuan Liu paused, then continued, "Moreover, tonight, they plan to strike hard and wipe out all four of us outsiders, as well as the Li and An families, leaving no one alive!"

Upon hearing this, Li Kongchen was instantly enraged, and his resentment towards Ling Feng surged to its peak. At this moment, he wished he could tear Ling Feng to pieces to vent his anger.

After calming down a bit, Li Kongchen turned to Xuanwu and said, "Xuanwu, in your opinion, what is the best course of action to deal with this matter?" He knew very well that he lacked experience in combat, so it would be better to leave it to professionals to coordinate and arrange.

Xuan Wu pondered for a moment, then replied without hesitation, "Elder Kong, there's no time to lose. Right now, the only way for us to take the initiative is to strike first."

"While those guys haven't scattered yet and are all hiding inside the cave, this is the perfect opportunity to wipe them out in one fell swoop. If they sense something is wrong and scatter and flee, it will be difficult for the four of us to catch them."

Xuan Liu then added, "Not only that, but this matter must not be leaked to the ears of other clansmen. We must keep the matter of entering the forbidden area a closely guarded secret."

"Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable if they were discovered. We must annihilate the enemy and eliminate them before they find out."

Xuan Qi then pinpointed the crux of the problem: "Judging from the current situation, we probably don't have more than an hour to prepare a countermeasure. At this critical moment, how can we quickly annihilate the enemy?"

Li Kongchen, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up and suggested, "Boys, I have a plan, but I don't know if it will work. Why don't you listen to it first before making a decision?"

Before he finished speaking, the eyes of Xuan Wu and the other two turned to Li Kongchen, their eyes filled with anticipation, and they asked in unison, "Elder Kong, please speak!"

Li Kongchen slowly said, "I can use my disguise technique to transform into Ling Feng's appearance, and then sneak into the cave to poison those guys."

Xuan Wu nodded in agreement, but then shook his head slightly and raised a question: "This plan is indeed ingenious. If all goes well, it can be a one-hit kill without breaking a sweat. However, Elder Kong, are all your clansmen, except for the Holy Maiden, not allowed to set foot in the ancestral land?"

Li Kongchen snorted coldly, a hint of resentment appearing on his face, and replied indignantly, "Originally, there was such a rule, but in reality, the clan leader can also enter the ancestral land."

"If it weren't for that incident back then, I should have naturally taken over as the clan leader. It's just a pity..." At this point, he couldn't help but sigh deeply, still feeling resentful about the past.

"However, I am by no means such a pedantic person! Now that my life is in grave danger, how can I have the mind to care about those old rules?"

Xuan Qi agreed, saying, "I also think this plan is excellent, both concealed and effective. However, it is worrying that we are sending Elder Kong alone into the danger. Since the three of us cannot go together, we cannot guarantee your safety."

Just as everyone was racking their brains, Xuan Liu suddenly had a flash of inspiration and excitedly said, "How about this? I will disguise myself as Ling Feng's servant. He is his trusted subordinate. If the two of us appear together, it will definitely not arouse any suspicion from him."

Upon hearing this, the other three people's eyes lit up, and they all nodded in agreement.

Xuanwu agreed, saying, "This method is feasible."

Xuan Qi also praised it highly: "This is a great idea!"

Li Kongchen then made the final decision: "Then let's proceed according to the plan."

At this moment, Xuanwu continued, "While they have not yet returned, I will go to Ling Feng's residence to fetch a set of his clothes and, while I'm at it, bring along a pot of his treasured fine wine, so that I can administer the drug."

Xuan Liu then added, "In that case, I will now make disguise masks for these two people."

Knowing that he had no use for his skills at the moment, Xuan Qi volunteered, saying, "Then I'll go prepare the meal for you." With that, he turned and walked towards the kitchen.

Li Kongchen decided to do what he was best at, "I'll go and prepare a colorless and odorless potion."

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the four of them had everything ready.

The two tribes still had doubts about the food distribution plan, so Li Xingchen decided to have everyone have dinner here tonight and then discuss it further.

The crowd's emotions were ignited and became incredibly high.

The women gathered together, some skillfully washing and cooking rice, others picking and preparing vegetables; while the men were busy chopping wood and starting a fire. The roaring flames reflected the smiles on everyone's faces, and the whole scene was lively and full of joy, as if even the air was infected by this warm and happy atmosphere.

Meanwhile, Xuan Qi was stealthily making his way towards Ling Feng's courtyard. His mission for the night was to capture Ling Feng and the servant who was with him. Therefore, he decided to arrive near Ling Feng's courtyard first, patiently waiting for the best opportunity to strike.

After careful observation, and confirming that Ling Feng and the servant had returned to their original residence, Xuan Wu, Xuan Liu, and Elder Kong immediately set off.

They traveled swiftly, and in no time, only about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the three of them arrived safely at the forbidden area.

As luck would have it, just as they arrived, a member of the assassin squad suddenly emerged from the forbidden area. Judging from his crouched and hurried manner, this assassin must have come out to relieve himself.

Upon seeing this, Xuan Wu immediately and decisively followed, silently and slowly approaching the assassin. When he was close enough, taking advantage of the assassin's lack of vigilance, Xuan Wu swung his blade and cleanly ended the assassin's life.

Because the incident happened so suddenly, Xuanwu didn't have time to disguise himself. He quickly changed into the clothes of a death squad member, covered his face with some dirt, and then hid on one side of the door, constantly on guard to see if anyone else would come out.