The dizziness brought by the spatial transfer slowly faded. Mo Lin and Zi Yan planted their feet firmly on the ground and steadied themselves.
The scene before them had changed completely. It was no longer the cold, deathly silence of the imperial mausoleum cave, but a vibrant, ancient, secluded forest. Towering trees blotted out the sky, while sunlight filtered through luxuriant branches and leaves, scattering mottled flecks of light. Clear streams trickled softly, and the air was filled with the fresh scent of grass, wood, and earth. Everything was peaceful and tranquil.
Yet that tranquility was shattered the instant Mo Lin's gaze swept ahead.
Beside the stream, beneath an ancient tree that would have taken several people to encircle, a graceful figure had appeared at some unknown moment.
She was a young girl dressed in green.
Leaning against the rough trunk, she was tall and slender. Her simple green robes outlined the budding curves of her exquisite figure. Her dark hair cascaded like a waterfall, loosely tied with a ribbon of the same color, with several strands falling beside her cheeks.
Her skin was so fair it seemed almost translucent, glowing with the warm luster of jade beneath the fragmented sunlight filtering through the leaves. Her features were as delicate as Heaven's most perfect creation: brows like distant ink-washed mountains, eyes like rippling autumn water, crystal-clear yet so profound they seemed to contain the mysteries of a sea of stars.
At that moment, she silently watched Mo Lin and Zi Yan, who had suddenly intruded upon this place. Her bright eyes held a trace of curiosity and scrutiny, but not the slightest panic.
The instant their eyes met, even Mo Lin's breathing paused slightly.
It was not because of the girl's peerless beauty—every one of his wives and beauties at