Chapter 359

Chapter 359: Dead Is Dead

This formation wasn’t hard to break-at least not for her.

But for Tang Ming Xuan and the people inside, it was like a maze that was almost impossible to escape. The group wandered like headless flies, bumping around and never getting out of the formation’s range.

Yu Zhi Yi quickly located the Formation Core. Before long, a wave rippled before her eyes, and the array outside the tree hollow vanished without a trace.

Tang Ming Xuan and the others had been wrestling with a dead end. Their vision blurred for a second, and then-where was the dead end? They were all squeezed into a tree hollow only three or four meters wide. No wonder it had felt so cramped while searching for an exit; two men beside Tang Ming Xuan had been shoving against him the whole time.

Seeing the sudden opening of the tree hollow, Tang Ming Xuan grew wary. He didn’t believe something that had trapped them so long would just disappear on its own. There were only two possibilities: either allies had arrived, or the person who trapped them had come.

While he hesitated about going out, a familiar figure appeared at the entrance and said: “Why aren’t you coming out yet?”

Tang Ming Xuan blinked and blurted: “Miss?”

Yu Zhi Yi nodded and said: “That demonic cultivator has already been handled by me. Come out.”

Tang Ming Xuan finally relaxed. He stepped out first and then called for the others to carry the wounded out.

Without waiting for Yu Zhi Yi to ask, he reported what had happened. Their team of ten had split up to search near Juxian Manor and did find unusual traces. The collapsed area especially looked man-made. He checked the direction from which the earlier cold arrow had come and searched along that line for half a day, then found a torn piece of cloth. The cloth wasn’t brand-new, but it wasn’t very old either-like it had just hung there for a short while. Its color was familiar too, like the clothes Chen Xin Yue wore on the day of the Grand Horse Racing Meet.

After pocketing the clue, he planned to scout Juxian Manor itself-but they were trapped. That time, they weren’t trapped long. Their Defensive Jade Pendants flashed once, and they found a way out.

With that experience, he trusted Yu Zhi Yi’s skills even more and decided to sneak into Juxian Manor to investigate. Sadly, reality crushed the plan. Shortly after sneaking in, they were trapped again. This time the Defensive Jade Pendants didn’t help, and they were stuck for four days and nights. If they hadn’t brought enough dry rations and water, they might have starved.

On the fifth day, they saw thunder explode outside Juxian Manor. Before they could figure out what had happened, they all fainted. When they woke up, they were still inside a formation.

Looking at the surrounding forest now, Tang Ming Xuan frowned in confusion and asked: “Weren’t we at Juxian Manor? How did we end up here?”

Yu Zhi Yi said: “The arrays you were in, before and after the thunder, weren’t the same trap. Take the thunder you saw as the dividing line. Before that, you were indeed trapped at Juxian Manor. After that, someone moved you here. Their goal was to deal with me.”

Tang Ming Xuan jumped. He hadn’t expected he and his team to become part of a plan to target their own protectee. “My lord, are you alright?”

Yu Zhi Yi didn’t mind the slip and said: “I’m fine. I already took care of him.”

Tang Ming Xuan let out a long breath.

Outside the forest, Commandery Governor Song had soldiers guarding the perimeter, ready for trouble. Standing with him were the stern-faced Jiang Yu Wei and the anxious Jiang Yu Chuan and his wife. The younger generation had been sent back to Mount Ming; tomorrow the Earthly Ranking tournament would begin, and they didn’t want to stop it unless they had to. Someone had to hold down the fort. Jiang Liu Ting and the others were adults now and could handle things.

“I’m going in,” said Jiang Yu Chuan. He wasn’t a rash man, but with his daughter still inside, even he couldn’t stay calm.

Commandery Governor Song thought for a moment, then said: “Here’s what we’ll do: I’ll go in with Second Master Jiang. Alliance Leader Jiang will stay outside to coordinate. If anything happens, we’ll signal with flares.”

Chen Ruo Lan followed behind them. Seeing everyone ready to risk their lives for Yu Zhi Yi, her eyes flashed cold. [Just a little wretch. If she dies, then she dies. Is she worth all this fuss?] Oh, right-she had to admit, the little wretch was now a third-rank official of the Imperial Court. But who said an Imperial Court official can’t die?

Her gaze flickered as she edged closer to Jiang Yu Wei and whispered: “Big Brother, do we really have to do this?”

Jiang Yu Wei frowned at her and asked: “What do you mean?”

Softly, Chen Ruo Lan said: “Big Brother, the person inside is a very powerful demonic cultivator. He could turn a forest into a wasteland and then a wasteland back into a forest in a short time-that shows immense skill. Even if the entire Martial Alliance went in, I fear we’d only be going to our deaths.”

Jiang Yu Wei understood that, but…

“What are you suggesting? That I give up on Jin’er and the Marquis Wu’an’s heir apparent?”

Even if Jin’er weren’t an Imperial Court official, there was still the Marquis Wu’an’s heir apparent! If either of them met with disaster on Martial Alliance land, he couldn’t bear that responsibility.

Chen Ruo Lan said: “Big Brother, I’m not telling you to give up. I’m saying we shouldn’t make needless sacrifices. Think about it. If we rush in with all these people, can we really rescue them? We might all die in there. What’s the point of adding more casualties?”

Jiang Yu Wei pinched the bridge of his nose and said: “You’re not wrong.” He understood that perfectly well. “But I still have to go.”

Chen Ruo Lan fell silent for a beat, swallowing her surge of anger, then said: “Is Big Brother worried the Imperial Court will blame us?”

Jiang Yu Wei frowned without speaking, but the meaning was clear.

“If that’s the only worry,” Chen Ruo Lan said, “then I don’t think it’s actually a problem.”

Jiang Yu Wei’s brows drew tighter: “What do you mean?”

She said: “Think about it, Big Brother. The Marquis Wu’an’s heir apparent took the risk for Jin’er. Later, Jin’er took the risk to search because she didn’t want to offend the Marquis Wu’an’s household. This is their own doing. To be exact, Jin’er caused the situation we’re in now. The Imperial Court only wants an explanation-a culprit. If we make everything clear, I believe the Imperial Court isn’t unreasonable.”

Her unspoken meaning was simple: push all the blame onto Yu Zhi Yi. Even if she was an Imperial Court official, the Imperial Court wouldn’t show mercy.

Seeing hesitation on Jiang Yu Wei’s face, Chen Ruo Lan pressed on: “Plenty of people saw Jin’er go in today. With their testimony, the Imperial Court will believe we’re innocent.”

In her heart, she already planned to stir things up afterward. Soon the whole Martial World would “know” that the little wretch brought death on herself by provoking a demonic cultivator, dragging the Marquis Wu’an’s heir apparent and others to their deaths with her. No matter how much the Emperor valued her, under the pressure of public opinion, he wouldn’t punish the Martial Alliance too harshly. In the end, the little wretch would die for nothing.

Most of all, Chen Ruo Lan didn’t believe the Emperor valued that girl very much at all. [She’s just a woman-how could she have real skill to be an official?]