Chapter 26: Xiao Yuerou’s Shock and Confusion

“He… how could he be so familiar with the Poison Mist Swamp… that’s completely impossible!” The girl quickly covered her mouth, but her heart was in turmoil.

Because what Mu Xian had been drawing at the desk for most of the day was precisely a map of the Poison Mist Swamp, Mu Yuanshan’s travel route, and the various ferocious beasts Mu Yuanshan might encounter along the way. Mu Xian had even listed the reasons why these beasts might stray from their usual range.

“Could it be because Uncle often enters the Poison Mist Swamp, so the Mu Family collected maps of it? Mu Xian must have seen those maps before, which is why he could draw this map so skillfully?”

“No, even if Uncle had maps of the Poison Mist Swamp, they would either be bought from the market or requested from my father. Most maps of the Poison Mist Swamp on the market are incomplete and fragmented. Although the map in the Junwang Residence covers the overall layout of the Poison Mist Swamp, it still has many blank areas. This map, however, is extremely detailed, much more so than the one kept in the Junwang Residence.”

“Even if Uncle Mu had obtained a complete map of the Poison Mist Swamp by chance, Mu Xian couldn’t possibly recreate the map from memory just by glancing at it a few times. Looking at the strokes and flow on the paper, it seemed as if he had drawn it thousands of times before.”

“…”

After being shocked for a long time, the girl finally shifted her gaze away from the Poison Mist Swamp map. But when her eyes accidentally swept over the dozen or so names listed beneath the map, and the relationships Mu Xian had outlined with simple strokes between these names, her beautiful eyes widened again.

The first few names on the paper were all people who had bullied and oppressed Mu Xian at Yunyang Academy. One of them was even the person who hired an adventurer team to ambush Mu Xian on his way home this time. Mu Xian had circled all these names and connected them with an arrow pointing to another name – Tantai Yanjun. Behind Tantai Yanjun’s name, another arrow pointed to Tantai Mingchu.

At the same time, beside Tantai Yanjun’s name were a few sparse names; these were Tantai Yanjun’s servants and followers.

When the girl saw the faintly visible characters “Xiao Yuerou” at the very end of the list of names, she shuddered, and a complex expression appeared on her face. Because this girl who had suddenly appeared in Mu Xian’s study was none other than Xiao Yuerou, the celebrated prodigy of Yunyang Academy, the goddess in Mu Xian’s heart, and also Mu Xian’s fiancée.

The reason Xiao Yuerou always showed kindness to Mu Xian at the academy was not because she admired him, but because she knew Mu Xian had Inherently Blocked Veins. She also knew about the immense suffering and humiliation Mu Yuanshan and Tang Qiluo had endured for Mu Xian’s sake.

Xiao Yuerou knew her father was a deeply loyal and righteous person. Mu Yuanshan had taken great care of her father at Xuanmen Palace, and the two were as close as brothers. Her father had specifically requested to be assigned to Yunmen County because the Mu Family was from Shitang Town. Therefore, Xiao Yuerou held Mu Yuanshan and Tang Qiluo in great respect.

As for the arranged marriage, Xiao Yuerou always subconsciously avoided thinking about it. Compared to becoming Mu Xian’s wife, she preferred to care for and treat Mu Xian like a younger brother.

It was precisely because of this delicate psychology that Xiao Yuerou always avoided Mu Xian. When she couldn’t avoid him, she was extremely gentle to ensure he wouldn’t be hurt in the slightest.

Xiao Yuerou’s visit to the Mu Family this time was to warn Mu Xian, to remind him of Tantai Yanjun’s existence and to avoid Tantai Yanjun and his servants as much as possible, lest he bring catastrophic disaster upon himself.

But now, looking at the detailed Poison Mist Swamp map and the intricate string of names beneath it, Xiao Yuerou knew her trip had been in vain.

Xiao Yuerou originally thought Mu Xian was a timid, cowardly, and even somewhat clumsy person. She was sure Mu Xian didn’t know that most of the humiliation he suffered at the academy came from Tantai Yanjun’s instigation or schemes. Now, however, it seemed Mu Xian was a person of great wisdom appearing foolish. He wasn’t completely ignorant of what happened at the academy; on the contrary, he saw everything clearly.

“What kind of person are you? If the ‘you’ at the academy was entirely a carefully crafted act, your acting skills are simply too good.” Suddenly, Xiao Yuerou felt a strong curiosity about Mu Xian. She wanted to uncover what astonishing truth lay hidden beneath Mu Xian’s façade.

Just as Xiao Yuerou was lost in thought, faint footsteps suddenly sounded outside the window. Startled, Xiao Yuerou hurriedly put away the paper and prepared to leave. But after taking a few steps, she crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it into the wastebasket before hastily concealing herself.

Almost the moment Xiao Yuerou hid herself, the study lit up again. Mu Xian looked around suspiciously, sniffed the air softly, let his gaze linger on the spot where Xiao Yuerou was hiding for a moment, then picked up the paper he had just thrown into the wastebasket and left again.

Only after confirming Mu Xian had truly left did Xiao Yuerou emerge from the darkness. But this time, she no longer felt the ease and freedom she had earlier.

The glance Mu Xian gave before leaving made Xiao Yuerou’s hair stand on end. She almost thought she had been discovered. In that moment, her heart rate suddenly accelerated, and her palms became damp with sweat.

“Did he notice me?” Xiao Yuerou muttered to herself, then shook her head. “If I intend to hide, even my father can’t find me. Mu Xian is just a person with Inherently Blocked Veins, with cultivation nearly zero. He couldn’t possibly have detected my presence.”

Yet, remembering Mu Xian’s glance before leaving, a sense of unease welled up in Xiao Yuerou’s heart, giving her the urge to quickly flee this place.

“This is really strange. The nasty things Tantai Yanjun did in the Poison Mist Swamp – I only learned about them accidentally. Mu Xian never entered the Poison Mist Swamp. How did he find out? Probably even Uncle Mu himself doesn’t know it’s Tantai Yanjun plotting behind the scenes, right?”

“And also, with Mu Xian’s status and position, he couldn’t possibly have had any contact with Qian Tian Wang, or even heard of him. How did he know Qian Tian Wang’s real name? Even I only know his title, not his real name.”

“What did Mu Xian mean by that monologue before he first got up and left the study? Does he actually plan to deal with Tantai Yanjun? Tantai Yanjun has already reached the Human King Realm in cultivation. He even has servants with Earth Emperor Realm cultivation. It’s said he has a Celestial Position Realm shadow bodyguard secretly protecting him. Even I would have no way to deal with Tantai Yanjun. Mu Xian is just a Flesh Body Realm cultivator with Inherently Blocked Veins. What could he possibly do against Tantai Yanjun?”

“…”

Clusters of questions arose in Xiao Yuerou’s mind, leaving her utterly perplexed.

Xiao Yuerou considered paying a visit to Mu Yuanshan and Tang Qiluo to warn them about Tantai Yanjun. But remembering Mu Yuanshan and Tang Qiluo’s status, she immediately dismissed the idea.

It wasn’t until she had left Mu Manor for a while that Xiao Yuerou realized something: she actually cared so much and was so anxious about Mu Xian’s life and death. Didn’t she deeply resent the arranged marriage? Why did she rush over in such a panic to warn him upon learning he was in mortal danger?

Rubbing her slightly throbbing forehead, Xiao Yuerou got her bearings and quickly headed deeper into the Poison Mist Swamp.

Deep within the Poison Mist Swamp, a spacious tent stood abruptly on a carefully cleared patch of flat ground. Although it was late at night, the tent was brightly lit and bustling with noise. It didn’t seem like a perilous, unpredictable death zone, but more like a scenic tourist spot.

Inside the tent, dozens of night pearls were strategically placed, illuminating the space brightly. The ground was covered with a thick layer of Blazing Flame Demon Tiger fur, filling the entire tent with a festive atmosphere. Wisps of green smoke rose gracefully from sandalwood incense burners around the tent, filling the air with a subtle fragrance and preventing various ferocious beasts from approaching.

Over a dozen women with curvaceous figures and wearing revealing clothes danced gracefully. From time to time, these women would cast bone-meltingly seductive glances toward a young man seated at the head of the tent, their eyes seemingly dripping with desire. They occasionally made provocative gestures towards the young man, and soft, enchanting moans escaped their lips, making the young man at the head laugh heartily.

With every movement of the young man’s hands and feet, True Essence Power surged, stirring up waves of qi. His eyes shone brightly, containing an exceptionally sharp and formidable sword intent that seemed capable of piercing the heavens, sharp and unstoppable. His body also radiated a dazzling, brilliant light. Set against this dazzling radiance, the young man appeared like a Heavenly God descending to earth, majestic and awe-inspiring.

The young man looked to be only about seventeen or eighteen years old, handsome in appearance, vaguely resembling Qian Tian Wang. However, his face carried a hint of sinister cunning and haughtiness.

While appreciating the dancing women in the tent, the young man slowly tapped the long sword on the table. His eyes occasionally scanned the tent entrance, as if waiting for something.

Suddenly, a corner of the tent was lifted, letting in a gust of cold wind. Simultaneously, a dark figure silently slipped into the tent.

Whether due to the stimulation of the cold draft or the overwhelming murderous aura emanating from the dark figure, the dancing women all shivered simultaneously. Their dance became impossible to continue.

Seeing this, the handsome young man frowned, then waved his hand impatiently. The women immediately retreated from the tent as if granted amnesty.

“Young Heir, this subordinate is incompetent. The operation has failed. I beg for your punishment.” After seeing the dancers leave, the dark figure knelt down heavily, his face filled with terror as he pleaded for forgiveness.

“Hmm?” Hearing the dark figure’s words, the handsome young man stood up abruptly from his tiger-skin chair and said sharply, “Mu Yuanshan is just a True Essence Realm waste. Killing him should have been as easy as snapping your fingers. How could you fail? Tell me the reason, truthfully!”

“At the beginning, everything developed according to plan. Even though Mu Yuanshan’s combat power and tenacity were exceptionally astonishing, he was ultimately doomed to die with regret. But… but at the final moment, the Prince suddenly appeared, saved Mu Yuanshan, helped heal his injuries, and personally escorted him to the exit of the Poison Mist Swamp.”

“The Prince also secretly transmitted a voice message to me, saying that if the Young Heir continues to oppress commoners without reason, he will send the Young Heir to the Haoqi Sect to cultivate a better temperament…”

Before the dark figure could finish his words, a teacup was hurled heavily at his head. Then, a series of crashing and banging noises erupted in the tent. In the blink of an eye, the luxurious and exquisite tent was completely wrecked. The handsome young man’s face contorted grotesquely, and his eyes blazed with fury and resentment.

“This is forbidden, that is not allowed… what pleasure does a Heir like me have left?” In the darkness, the handsome young man’s enraged roar pierced through the layers of poisonous mist, echoing across the sky.