Chapter 092
Chapter 92: Impossible to Shake Off
At those words, Zhang He’s eyes flickered, instinctively glancing at Han Mei Yan with a questioning gaze.
Han Mei Yan gave an almost invisible shake of her head, then gracefully turned to Li Mu Sheng. With a gentle and pure smile, she softly spoke:
“Young Master, rest assured. This humble girl will surely lend her meager strength to guide you safely out of this labyrinth of waters.”
After speaking, she gave a slight courtesy and indicated to Zhang He to steer their wooden boat forward into the smoky depths of the Karst Cave ahead.
Observing this scene, Li Yuan Ling found nothing suspicious and immediately used her martial Qi to propel her wooden boat, following behind Han Mei Yan and Zhang He.
At that moment, Li Mu Sheng suddenly spoke up:
“My sworn younger sister, do you think that lady ahead is prettier, or are you?”
Li Yuan Ling’s delicate brows knitted slightly. She hesitated for a moment before finally answering Li Mu Sheng:
“Can’t we both be equally pretty?”
Li Mu Sheng rubbed his chin thoughtfully, his gaze shifting toward the figures of Han Mei Yan and Zhang He in front of him.
Although Han Mei Yan’s charming arts had no effect on him, judging from Li Yuan Ling’s reaction, her charm was indeed remarkable. She had even caused Li Yuan Ling, a dignified princess of Great Li, to set aside her pride and compliment a stranger’s beauty.
Furthermore, Li Mu Sheng could clearly see that Han Mei Yan possessed formidable martial dao cultivation. With two disciples of the demonic path appearing in Floating Boat City, they likely had hidden motives—perhaps they were also after the divine object said to boost martial cultivation.
If that was true, letting them lead the way might actually spare him quite some trouble.
Meanwhile, Han Mei Yan and Zhang He drove their wooden boat forward, secretly exchanging whispers through Qi threads.
“Holy Maiden, why didn’t you continue your attempt earlier?”
“That Eighth Prince is not ordinary,” Han Mei Yan replied gravely. “My Smoke Veil Charm has no effect on him, and he himself is quite suspicious.”
Facing away from Li Mu Sheng’s boat, Han Mei Yan’s expression had become extremely serious.
“You must have noticed,” she continued. “He appears to have no Qi fluctuations or martial Qi protection around his body, yet the poisonous mist here has absolutely no effect on him.”
Zhang He pondered for a moment, nodding slowly.
“Perhaps he took an antidote pill beforehand. Still, someone unaffected by your charm is truly puzzling.”
“Besides, they likely have martial experts secretly protecting them, so we must not act recklessly.”
Han Mei Yan shook her head, eyes flickering anxiously.
“You don’t understand. My Six Desires Sacred Scripture grants me a sense of hidden dangers, giving warnings beyond normal perception. When I met his gaze just now, for an instant, I felt an inexplicable fear.”
Hearing this, Zhang He instinctively began to turn his head to glance at Li Mu Sheng, but Han Mei Yan quickly stopped him.
“Don’t look back,” she warned quietly. “I now suspect that perhaps no expert is guarding them from the shadows. Instead, the true expert might be that Eighth Prince himself.”
Zhang He’s eyes filled with shock.
“But he’s just a prince who’s been wandering outside the palace for twenty years and still so young. Could he really possess such powerful martial dao cultivation?”
Han Mei Yan said nothing, merely shook her head gravely.
“Even if there’s only the smallest possibility, we cannot afford to be careless.”
She then sternly instructed him:
“Look for an opportunity to slip away from their sight. Our purpose is to obtain the Qilin blood, and we absolutely cannot have an unknown powerhouse tagging along.”
At this point, Han Mei Yan deeply regretted her earlier impulsive action against Li Mu Sheng.
Although she’d previously suspected the prince had hidden protectors, she’d still believed firmly in the effectiveness of her Smoke Veil Charm, confident she could capture him effortlessly, even under a hidden master’s watchful eye.
What she never imagined was that the hidden master might actually be Li Mu Sheng himself. She had clearly kicked an iron plate this time, and she dared not think about tempting the Great Li’s Eighth Prince again.
Zhang He’s expression flickered uncertainly, but he soon nodded firmly. Han Mei Yan’s worries weren’t baseless, and he felt an unexplainable chill creep up his spine.
In silence, the two continued navigating their boat through the misty maze.
The Karst Cave ahead branched out into countless winding channels, growing more confusing the deeper they went. Han Mei Yan and Zhang He carefully examined every water passage, trying to identify the correct path.
Suddenly, Han Mei Yan’s eyes lit up as she whispered urgently to Zhang He:
“There’s a chance ahead. Speed up toward the left-front channel and use the opportunity to lose them.”
Just ahead, the waterway narrowed sharply into a curve. If they accelerated quickly, they could easily vanish from Li Mu Sheng’s sight in the blind spot.
Zhang He quietly nodded.
As soon as their wooden boat passed the bend, briefly disappearing from Li Yuan Ling’s view, both Han Mei Yan and Zhang He released their martial Qi at full power. Their boat surged forward at astonishing speed, slicing through the water and swiftly vanishing into the mist-filled side path.
At the same time, Han Mei Yan quickly turned around, sending out two swift palm strikes. One created gusts of wind that stirred the water surface toward another passage, while the second smoothed out the trail of their passage behind them.
A short while later, Li Yuan Ling finally reached the bend. Confused, she looked at the fog ahead. Han Mei Yan and Zhang He’s boat had already vanished from sight.
Thinking quickly, she glanced down, searching the water’s surface for clues. Just as her eyes brightened, ready to follow a certain path, Li Mu Sheng gently tapped her head and pointed to another direction.
“This way.”
Li Yuan Ling blinked, ready to argue, but Li Mu Sheng glanced sideways at her calmly.
“My martial dao cultivation is as high as a dozen stories. Don’t you trust me?”
Li Yuan Ling’s lips twitched slightly. In the end, she didn’t say anything more, simply pouting as she steered the boat in the direction Li Mu Sheng had indicated.
“How did they catch up again?”
Before long, Zhang He, who believed they had successfully shaken off their pursuers, noticed the wooden boat trailing behind again. His expression filled with shock.
Han Mei Yan subtly glanced back. Seeing Li Mu Sheng simply resting with closed eyes, she hesitated briefly, then sent a firm message:
“Keep trying to lose them. We absolutely cannot let them follow us further.”
Zhang He nodded seriously.
Throughout their journey, whenever an opportunity arose, the two of them would unleash their martial arts fully, attempting repeatedly to shake off the persistent Li Mu Sheng.
Yet, each time they believed they’d succeeded, the other boat would leisurely catch up again, sticking to them like glue, impossible to shake off!