Cold Mountain Treasury, Person in Painting (Seeking Monthly Votes)

At the end of the first month, the atmosphere in Chang'an City became even more oppressive. Previously, due to the ghost haunting case, many people spread rumors, which led to the government's iron-blooded suppression. At the same time, it put the court and the government in a state of extreme vigilance, suspecting targeted attacks at any sign of trouble.

As the Succession Ceremony drew closer, this state of extreme vigilance became even more apparent. Every day, many people were arrested and investigated. Constables and patrolling soldiers were seen everywhere in the streets and alleys, and one could be checked at any time when going out.

Even Gu Mo was affected.

It wasn't that he was oppressed by this atmosphere, but rather by Ye Jinglan and Su Ziyou taking turns to pressure him.

This was because the two of them were begging Gu Mo for help.

Because of them, these past few days, they had been so busy they could barely stand still. It wasn't just about the Succession Ceremony; the main reason was that the Cold Mountain Treasury had still not been found, and the Poison Bead left by the Plague God inside was still threatening the safety of Chang'an City at all times.

And this matter had seen no progress.

With the Succession Ceremony about to be held, the two were as anxious as ants on a hot pan.

Because they both knew that the Poison Bead was being manipulated by someone, they were afraid that Qi Miaoxuan, hiding in the dark, might suddenly decide to detonate the Poison Bead on a whim, which would then bring great disaster to the entire Chang'an City.

Even if they could transfer the Civil and Military Officials, the morale of the Gan Country would be shaken, and the subsequent consequences would be the destruction of the entire Gan Country. The Succession Ceremony would be out of the question.

An incident of ghost haunting could lead to rumors of the Crown Prince's immoral character. If a large-scale plague were to break out, it might lead to rumors that the Crown Prince had committed heinous sins, and even Heaven could not stand it, bringing down Divine Punishment.

And Gu Mo possessed a Poison Bead, inherited from the same lineage.

Gu Mo had also said that he could try to sense the other Poison Bead using the aura inherited from the same lineage.

However, it would take time.

In this tense environment, Time came to the First Day of the Second Month.

There was only one day left until the Succession Ceremony. Su Ziyou was so anxious that he didn't sleep all night because he had learned from Ye Jinglan and Gu Mo that Qi Miaoxuan was an Old Undying who had lived for thousands of years.

Therefore, in his analysis, Qi Miaoxuan's thoughts had long since deviated from purposeful pursuit. Instead, he was purely bored and found pleasure in entertaining all beings. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that this person was very likely to detonate the Poison Bead on the day of the Succession Ceremony.

In this way, the mysterious legend he could create and the turmoil he could stir up would be even greater.

The more he worried, the earlier he arrived at Ye Jinglan's house before dawn, and then found Ye Jinglan, who was also so worried that he couldn't sleep.

Both of them looked listless. Su Ziyou, in particular, looked as if his Yang Qi had been drained. Ye Jinglan, on the other hand, only felt mental pressure; his body was unaffected. With his cultivation, he could go without sleep for ten days and a half without any impact.

"Brother Gu, how is it? Do you have a solution?"

As soon as Gu Mo got out of bed, he was blocked at the door by Su Ziyou and Ye Jinglan.

Seeing their expectant faces, Gu Mo shrugged helplessly and said, "There's no response at all. If I'm not mistaken, that Old Undying Qi Miaoxuan must have taken precautions and set up a restriction beforehand. If it takes more time, I can find it. But if it's short-term, my previous words still stand: you'd best find a way to locate those eight Treasure Maps."

Su Ziyou said in a deep voice, "The time length doesn't matter. We're just worried that Qi Miaoxuan might detonate the Poison Bead during tomorrow's Succession Ceremony to pursue more fun. If that happens, it'll be troublesome."

Gu Mo nodded slightly. He naturally knew that if the Poison Bead were detonated during the Succession Ceremony, or even in the near future, it would cause an epidemic, even with him here to minimize the harm as much as possible.

At that time, the Chu Kingdom could easily use this to their advantage, sending people to spread rumors that the Crown Prince was flawed, which would surely cause the people's hearts to scatter and shake the National Foundation.

However, Gu Mo also expressed that he was Helpless.

If that guy Qi Miaoxuan really intended to cause trouble tomorrow, even he would be unable to stop him. Not to mention that Qi Miaoxuan was good at hiding, making him impossible to find. Even if Qi Miaoxuan didn't hide, he didn't have absolute confidence that he could defeat him.

Ye Jinglan sat on the Stone Steps by the door and said, "I've been fully investigating those eight Treasure Maps during this period. I already had one, and I have specific clues for the other seven. Four of them are in Ye Chen's hands. I'm not worried about these four. As long as Brother Gu asks, Ye Chen will definitely give them to you.

The most important ones are the other three, which came from the Yue Kingdom, Northern Zhou, and Later Qin respectively. However, after I finally found the people in these three countries who possessed the Treasure Maps, just as we were preparing to arrange for people to intercept them, someone else got there first."

Gu Mo asked, "Can't you find out who made the move?"

"Can't find out, too mysterious." Ye Jinglan said, "Originally, the three people from the Northern Zhou, Yue Kingdom, and Later Qin who possessed the Treasure Maps were all experts, Grandmaster-level experts.

But just yesterday, almost at the same time, the three of them were attacked. There was no ambush; it was a direct and open confrontation, and it was one-on-one. They easily defeated those three Grandmasters and took the Treasure Maps.

The most crucial point is that the three people who snatched the Treasure Maps were actually three women, and they looked very young. Even more absurd is that within Chang'an City, under the combined efforts of the Imperial City Division, Six Doors, and Night Division, they disappeared. Those three people left no traces, as if they were three Peerless Masters who suddenly popped out of the ground."

Gu Mo asked doubtfully, "That can't be right. If they can defeat Grandmaster experts, they must also be Grandmaster experts. People can disguise themselves, but their martial arts should leave some traces, right?"

Ye Jinglan shook his head and said, "Their martial arts also didn't show any Style. Moreover, these three people mixed into the crowd within the Encirclement and disappeared. If it was just a disguise, it's unlikely they could have escaped so easily."

Gu Mo said, "Overall, it means there are no clues now."

Ye Jinglan nodded and said, "If we can find out which force those three experts who intercepted the Treasure Maps came from, it would be easier."

For a moment, all three fell silent.

Ye Jinglan's investigation had lost its clue, Gu Mo couldn't find the Poison Bead in a short time, and Su Ziyou had no good solutions.

After a while, Gu Mo patted Ye Jinglan's shoulder and said, "Brother Ye, do your best and leave the rest to Heaven. Many things in this world are Unsolvable, and not all problems have an Answer. If you've done your best and still can't Solve it, you can't blame yourself."

Su Ziyou shook his head and said, "Brother Ye, Brother Gu is right. If we can't find the best Answer, then we can only Settle for Second Best and make the Mistake smaller. If there's really no way to prevent the Poison Bead from exploding, we can only find ways to minimize the Impact. That's also a kind of victory!"

Ye Jinglan looked helpless, looked up at the sky, and sighed, "We can only ask Heaven for a Blessing..."

Before Ye Jinglan could finish speaking, a shadow suddenly appeared before his eyes, blocking his Line of Sight. It was Ye Chen, whom he hadn't seen for several days. He had flown in using his Movement Technique without a word and was now standing on the Wall Top.

Since returning from the Clay Figurine Shop that day, Ye Chen had been resting. Although he wasn't injured that day, being pulled into the mirror had greatly consumed his Essence, Qi, and Spirit. Coupled with the shock of the Brothel incident, he had been Listless. Therefore, he had been sleeping at Honglu Temple for several days without leaving his room.

At this moment, Ye Chen stood on the Wall Top, proudly fiddling with his hair and saying flamboyantly, "I, Ye Chen, the Chosen One, am back! Big Brother, Ye Jinglan, have you missed me?"

Ye Jinglan curled his lips and said, "What, did you go to a free brothel again?"

Ye Chen's face stiffened. He remembered that unpleasant experience from that day and said, "Can we not bring up a sore subject?"

Ye Chen flew down from the wall, looking speechless, and cupped his hands toward Su Ziyou.

He had met Su Ziyou at the Clay Figurine Shop that day and they could barely be considered acquaintances, but not close friends, so he still needed to observe proper etiquette.

Su Ziyou cupped his hands in return.

Gu Mo asked with a smile, "Why didn't you use the main entrance? What's the point of climbing over the wall?"

Ye Chen chuckled, "Big Brother, I'm a Jianghu person, okay? Jianghu people need to have that Jianghu aura."

"Be careful someone doesn't break your legs!" Gu Mo teased.

Ye Chen waved his hand, "Don't worry, there aren't many people in this world who can break my legs. I won't be that unlucky!"

Gu Mo smiled. Although Ye Chen's words sounded a bit boastful, it was true that not many people could defeat Ye Chen. After all, he was third on the Chu Kingdom's Heavenly Ranking, and undoubtedly the top-tier master among those below the Top Ten Under Heaven.

Moreover, considering Ye Chen's unique fortune and destiny, even if he encountered a master among the Top Ten Under Heaven, they might not be able to do anything to him.

"Why are you here so early in the morning?" Gu Mo asked.

Ye Chen said with a grin, "I came to pay my respects to Big Brother. Hmm, and also to ask, Big Brother, do you want a treasure vault?"

"Cold Mountain Treasury?" Gu Mo asked doubtfully.

Ye Chen said, "Yes, the Cold Mountain Treasury that's been causing a stir in the Jianghu lately!"

Ye Jinglan and Su Ziyou exchanged glances.

They had investigated this before and knew that Ye Chen possessed half of the treasure maps. They had been planning to find the other three lost treasure maps and then ask Gu Mo to get them from Ye Chen. They never expected Ye Chen to bring it up proactively.

It was just a pity, that the clues to those three maps were lost.

Gu Mo said, "I heard you have four treasure maps, but that's no use. You need all eight treasure maps together to find the Cold Mountain Treasury."

Ye Chen chuckled, "Big Brother, your information is outdated. I have more than four treasure maps; I have seven. And isn't one of them in your Gan Country Imperial Palace? Go ask the Emperor for it, and then you'll have them all."

As soon as he said this, Ye Jinglan, Su Ziyou, and Gu Mo all showed looks of surprise.

Ye Jinglan hurriedly asked, "Were those three mysterious masters yesterday your people?"

Ye Chen looked bewildered and said, "What mysterious masters?"

"You don't know?" Ye Jinglan asked doubtfully. "Yesterday, the three masters from Later Qin, Northern Zhou, and Yue Kingdom who held treasure maps had their maps snatched by three mysterious people. If it wasn't you, how did those treasure maps end up in your hands?"

Ye Chen said in surprise, "There's such a thing? I don't know. I've been lying in Honglu Temple for several days. Yesterday, I felt much better, so I went out for some fresh air.

Not long after I went out, on a street, I was about to buy two strings of Candied Hawthorn. Just then, a beautiful girl who passed by me inexplicably reached out and touched me.

With my martial arts skills, I could have dodged, but I thought, such a beautiful girl wouldn't touch me for no reason. She must be trying to steal money. She's so beautiful, she wouldn't steal money for no reason, she must have some difficulties. So I didn't dodge.

I swear, I really didn't have any other intentions. I just felt that I couldn't let such a beautiful girl go astray. I thought I'd let her steal my money, then I'd follow her to see her difficulties. I would absolutely not use her difficulties to force anything on her, I just thought such a beautiful girl, we should use love to influence her.

But, what I didn't expect was that the girl didn't steal my money. She just wanted to touch me, and even left a piece of paper in my arms. She must have been attracted by my handsome appearance and extraordinary temperament, but, as a girl, she's always reserved and finds it hard to say it out loud, so, she must have written a letter to ask me out..."

Ye Jinglan curled his lips and said, "You don't need to describe these imagined processes to us. Just get to the point."

Ye Chen said, "I took out the paper and saw it was a palm-sized Parchment. I'm familiar with this thing, it's a Treasure Map from the Cold Mountain Treasury. It's not fake, it's real, because I had four pieces before, and I can tell the difference.

At that moment, I thought, the girl must have been too excited and accidentally mixed up the letter asking me out with this Treasure Map, and then handed it over by mistake. So, I hurried to chase after her, but the girl turned around and disappeared.

I searched for a long time, chased for two blocks, but couldn't find her. I could only sigh that Fate had not allowed us to be together, after all, there was no address left on the Treasure Map for us to meet. However, as handsome as I am, even if I missed a wonderful Fate, I would immediately have a second one.

Just as I was feeling dejected, amidst the crowd, in the vast sea of people, I met the second girl. Our eyes met in the throng of people. That Moment, we both knew that we were the fated person the other was looking for.

However, the girl was still reserved. She shyly lowered her head, pretending to brush past me, and then secretly put a Token of Love into my arms..."

Ye Jinglan's mouth twitched, and he said, "Don't tell me it was another Treasure Map?"

"Isn't it?" Ye Chen said, "I didn't expect this second girl to be so careless, giving the wrong Token of Love.

So, I chased after her again, and as a result, I didn't catch up. I was even more dejected, I felt terrible. Two beautiful Fates, both missed due to such misunderstandings. Is it because I'm handsome that I have to suffer such torment in love?

Perhaps Heaven heard my plea. As I turned a corner, I encountered the third Fate. That girl was passionate like fire, running towards me and directly throwing herself into my arms.

I held her, she leaned on me. We twirled around in that alley for two and a half circles, then she shyly left. However, even though she was very shy, she didn't forget to leave me a token when she left. It's just that this girl was also a bit careless, and she also gave me the wrong token, stuffing another Treasure Map into my arms!

I missed another love, another Fate. This damned Heaven, forcing a handsome man like me to endure such bumpy and uneven roads in love!"

As he spoke, Ye Chen stood with his hands behind his back, looking up at the Sky Dome at a forty-five-degree angle, his face filled with sorrow.

Gu Mo: "..."

Ye Jinglan remained silent, only clenching his fists.

Su Ziyou gently patted Ye Jinglan's shoulder and said in a low voice, "Forget it, forget it. He is your Heaven!"

Ye Jinglan: "..."

He had indeed been asking Heaven for a Blessing just now, and then Ye Chen appeared.

"Big Brother," Ye Chen said, "I waited at Honglu Temple for a whole night, but those three girls never found me. I knew then that I must have missed these three Fates."

As he spoke, He took out three pieces of parchment from his bosom, saying, "Although these three love affairs ended without illness, these three tokens are witnesses and very meaningful. They commemorate my lost love, so I'll give them to you!"

Gu Mo pouted and said, "It was a good treasure map, but after you said that, I suddenly feel desecrated and a bit dirty!"

Ye Jinglan quickly asked, "What about your other four?"

"Gave them away," Ye Chen said. "But don't panic. I remember those maps very clearly and can draw them anytime without any errors. As for the last one, you'll have to figure it out yourselves."

"No problem," Ye Jinglan said hurriedly. "I'll go to the palace to get it now."

Immediately, Ye Jinglan and Su Ziyou hurried out.

As they walked out of Ye Manor, Su Ziyou asked doubtfully, "Brother Ye, do you think this Ye Chen has a problem? He must know the value of this treasure map, yet he gave it to Brother Gu for free?

A few days ago, you mentioned that this Ye Chen recognized Brother Gu as his Big Brother. You said he thought Brother Gu was bad luck for him. Logically, shouldn't he be staying far away now? Why is he spending so much to get close? Ye Chen can't possibly be willing to be Brother Gu's subordinate just because of a few words back then, right?"

Ye Jinglan said with a smile, "Brother Su, you don't cultivate, so you don't understand. This Ye Chen, while not exactly cunning, is still a smart person.

At first, he recognized Brother Gu as his Big Brother because he was scared by the bad luck and was desperate. But after the clay figurine incident, he must have willingly become his subordinate."

"Why?" Su Ziyou asked doubtfully.

Ye Jinglan explained, "Because the higher one's martial arts, the more they understand Brother Gu's unfathomable depth. If Ye Chen's Great Sun Demonic Art truly has a problem, then when the problem erupts, Brother Gu will be the only one in the world who can help him!"

Meanwhile, In Chang'an City, at Prince Qi's Manor, Prince Qi Li Zhongyi was having a furious outburst in his study. Ink, brushes, and paper were scattered all over the floor, and in front of him stood three beautiful women.

If Ye Chen were here, he would definitely recognize these three women as the ones he met yesterday.

"Three useless fools!"

Li Zhongyi pointed at the three women and cursed, "Three of you, and all of you were deceived by the same person. Are you brainless?"

The three women remained silent, quietly enduring the scolding.

Li Zhongyi grew angrier the more he thought about it. Just then, the door suddenly opened, and a young woman appeared at the entrance. Her demeanor was extraordinary and refined, like an immortal. She was incredibly beautiful, with a graceful and curvaceous figure, yet Li Zhongyi, as a normal man, felt no impure thoughts. This was because the woman's aura was too sacred.

This woman was none other than Xiaobai, who had come from Penglai Island.

The moment he saw the woman, Li Zhongyi's anger instantly dissipated. He hurriedly bowed and said, "Immortal Aunt Bai, why have you come?"

Xiaobai said calmly, "I was idle and wandering around. I heard you raging and came to take a look. Did something happen?"

Li Zhongyi pointed at the three women with their heads bowed and said, "It's all their fault. Yesterday, I sent them to intercept the Treasure Map of the Cold Mountain Treasury. They had already succeeded, but in the end, they were all deceived by the same person and failed at the last hurdle."

Xiaobai asked with some doubt, "What happened?"

These three women were experts she had cultivated using the abilities of White Jade Capital after arriving in Chang'an City. Their thinking was only lacking in emotion compared to normal people. Although their martial arts were not comparable to top Great Grandmasters, they far surpassed ordinary Grandmasters, and their ability to handle affairs was not weak.

"Tell me yourselves!" Li Zhongyi said angrily.

The first woman said, "When I took the Treasure Map, I was tracked and surrounded by people from the Imperial City Division. Although I discarded my human skin mask, the Imperial City Division was not easy to fool, and Ye Jinglan was also present. In a moment of desperation, I had to transfer the Treasure Map to someone else to avoid being searched.

At that time, I happened to see a fool, a person in his twenties or thirties, drooling over Candied Hawthorn. I thought I'd place the Treasure Map on this person. He probably wouldn't notice anything extra on him for half a day to a day. I didn't expect him to be the famous Chosen One, Ye Chen, from Jianghu."

The second woman said, "It was similar for me. Wang Zhen'ge from Six Doors was personally tracking me, so I decided to transfer the Treasure Map. Coincidentally, at that moment, I saw someone grinning foolishly at me. He looked like an idiot, so I thought he was the perfect candidate. I didn't expect it to be Ye Chen."

The third woman said, "It was the same for me. I also thought he was an idiot. That Ye Chen must have done it on purpose. He was too deceptive, grinning foolishly the whole time, looking very simple-minded. I also thought that if I put something on him, he wouldn't notice it for a while, and I could easily get it back."

After listening, Xiaobai looked bewildered and said, "Who is this Ye Chen? How are his methods so brilliant? He actually played all three of you like this. I'm afraid this person was watching you from the shadows all along, meticulously planning every step, leading to so many coincidences. He didn't even have to exert any effort to get everything, and he wouldn't attract the attention of the court. This person's mind is like a demon's!"

Li Zhongyi said, "This person is Chu Kingdom's Third Master, known in Jianghu as the Chosen One. He already possesses four Treasure Maps. There are eight in total, and he now has seven!"

Xiaobai looked as if she knew it would be so and said, "Your Highness Prince Qi, from this, it can be seen that this person is certainly someone who can strategize and win battles from a thousand miles away. It's normal for them to be deceived, so please don't punish them!"

Li Zhongyi felt something was wrong but couldn't quite pinpoint it. He cupped his hands and said, "Since Immortal Aunt Bai is pleading for them, then forget it."

Xiaobai said, "The most important thing now is to find a way to get the Treasure Map from Ye Chen. Since he has seven, he will definitely scheme for the eighth. This person's mind is like a demon's; he thinks a hundred steps ahead for every one step he takes. The eighth map will surely be within his grasp. We can wait until he obtains all the Treasure Maps and then capture him directly!"

"I'm afraid that won't work," Li Zhongyi said. "Immortal Aunt, the eighth Treasure Map is in my Father Emperor's hands. This morning, when I found out that the person who tricked them out of the Treasure Maps yesterday was Ye Chen, I had already prepared to set a trap for him. However, I don't know if it was a coincidence or if he had planned it in advance. He actually went to Ye Jinglan's Manor early in the morning. Not long after, Ye Jinglan entered the palace. I suspect he gave the Treasure Map to Ye Jinglan, thereby cooperating with my Father Emperor."

Xiaobai said, "It certainly won't be a coincidence. This Ye Chen is too smart; he sees things very clearly. For the Cold Mountain Treasury, as a Jianghu person, what he wants most is the martial arts inheritance within. As for what your Father Emperor wants, it's definitely property.

They each get what they need, so they can naturally cooperate, and happily so, without any conflict. They can even gain your Father Emperor's friendship. It's killing multiple birds with one stone. This person is not only exceptionally intelligent but also very rational. Your Highness Prince Qi, this person must not be offended. If you must offend him, it must be with a single, decisive blow!"

Li Zhongyi said in a deep voice, "Ye Chen's actions will not only gain him the protection of the most powerful person in Chang'an City but also the protection of the Number One Under Heaven, Gu Mo. No one in Chang'an City can touch him."

Xiaobai asked doubtfully, "Gu Mo is also in Chang'an City?"

"Yes." Li Zhongyi asked doubtfully, "Does Immortal Aunt know Gu Mo?"

"Yes, there's a bit of a personal grudge," Xiaobai said. "This person is truly the Number One Under Heaven, and he lives up to his name. I am not his opponent yet. Your Highness, since this person is in the Capital City, then give up on the Cold Mountain Treasury. After the Succession Ceremony tomorrow, leave the Capital City directly for your fiefdom. Don't linger any longer!"

Li Zhongyi was greatly shocked. He was amazed by the methods of this Immortal Aunt Bai before him.

Last year, this Immortal Aunt Bai suddenly approached him seeking cooperation, claiming to be an immortal from overseas who needed to assist a person with a Serpent Fate to ascend the throne and become Emperor, borrowing the power of the ascending dragon to become a Heavenly Immortal.

At first, he had scoffed. He only contacted her because of her extraordinary demeanor. But after interacting with her, he was quickly convinced by Immortal Aunt Bai's miraculous methods. The most direct example was his three maids. They were originally ordinary people, but under Immortal Aunt Bai's tutelage for less than a month, they had become top-tier experts.

But now, this Immortal Aunt Bai, who he regarded as no different from a god or immortal, was actually afraid of Gu Mo.

He knew Gu Mo was powerful, Number One Under Heaven, capable of ignoring even the army, but he always felt that although Gu Mo was Number One Under Heaven, he was definitely not as good as immortals like Immortal Aunt Bai.

But now, it seemed that was not the case.

"Immortal Aunt," Li Zhongyi asked doubtfully, "Is Gu Mo that strong? You are an immortal?"

Xiaobai said, "I came from the Earth Immortal Realm to this mortal world for a Mortal Tribulation. Many of my abilities cannot be used in a short time. I need to adapt. In at most a year, a mere Gu Mo will be nothing!"

Li Zhongyi realized, and his heart settled. He said, "With Immortal Aunt's words, I am relieved. My biggest worry is that Gu Mo will intercept me when I raise my army in the future. He has very good relationships with Ye Jinglan, Zhuo Qingfeng, Su Ziyou, and others from the Second Prince Faction. If I raise an army, he will definitely help the Second Prince, and he can almost ignore the army."

Xiaobai waved her hand and said, "No need to worry. Once we reach your Fiefdom, I will give you many Martial Arts Manuals. You can recruit talented people widely then, and do not be stingy with money or manuals. I can cultivate countless Masters for you."

Li Zhongyi was excited and pointed at the three women, saying, "Just like cultivating these three?"

Xiaobai nodded.

For her, cultivating ordinary Masters was very simple. White Jade Capital had many accelerated cultivation methods in its inventory. The simplest, the complete Taotie Divine Skill, could directly absorb others' internal energy for one's own use.

Then, after killing someone, she could extract their Nascent Soul, and then use White Jade Capital's abilities to cleanse it, retaining only the Martial Dao Will and basic consciousness. Then, she could find a matching Physical Body to fuse with, and obtain a Master with strong Martial Dao Will and internal energy.

Although the ones cultivated this way were no different from puppets, and far inferior to those on Penglai Island who could cultivate and grow independently, these she created now had consciousness, but it was injected. They could only operate according to fixed consciousness and could not grow.

However, it didn't matter to Xiaobai.

The path she was taking now was different from the Great Island Master and Second Island Master back then. The Great Island Master and Second Island Master had taken the elite route, accepting only the top Nascent Souls of an era, and then letting various Nascent Souls develop freely.

But she was different. She took the route of embracing all rivers. She fused all consciousnesses into one, and then, with the power of a nation and the power of the world, pushed her will to a higher level.

The Great Island Master and Second Island Master back then did not understand the wonderful use of worldly power, but she understood it very well. Therefore, she wanted to support Li Zhongyi to become Emperor.

Chang'an City, Ye Manor.

Ye Jinglan quickly found the last Treasure Map from the Imperial Palace. Then, combined with the four Treasure Maps drawn by Ye Chen, the complete Cold Mountain Treasury Treasure Map appeared.

When combined, it was not a map, but a poem.

After Su Ziyou's deciphering, the location of the Cold Mountain Treasury was quickly pinpointed. It was in a lake within Chang'an City.

Immediately, Ye Jinglan mobilized the Imperial City Division army and went there, completely sealing off the entire lake area.

Gu Mo stood on the shore, his fingertip tracing the cool water ripples on the lake surface. His internal energy quietly probed the lakebed. After a moment, he looked up at Ye Jinglan and said, "There is a formation fluctuation at the bottom of the lake. It should be the entrance."

Ye Jinglan could no longer wait. He immediately made some arrangements with Su Ziyou, asking Su Ziyou to command the Imperial City Division army on his behalf, and then plunged into the lake.

Afterward, Ye Chen and Gu Mo exchanged a look, both boosted their energy and stepped on the water. Their figures shot into the clear water like arrows.

In the depths of the lake, undercurrents surged with water weeds. Gu Mo's palm emitted a faint light, breaking through a patch of turbid water. He stirred up mud that was two zhang deep, and saw half of a Bagua diagram carved on the rock wall at the bottom of the lake. It was the verification of "Qian Hexagram Hidden in Water" from the Treasure Map poem.

Ye Chen clung to the rock wall, his fingertips poking randomly into the hexagram groove. Suddenly, with a "click," the rock wall cracked open, revealing a faint green light.

The three entered single file, and then the stone slab closed, sealing off the lake water.

The passage was slippery and narrow. When they reached the end, it suddenly opened up—an underground palace built of white jade appeared before their eyes. The dome was inlaid with luminous pearls, illuminating the room with dazzling gold and silver. Among the piles of treasures and jade artifacts were scattered ancient sword boxes and silk scrolls, revealing the true appearance of the Cold Mountain Treasury.

"Found it!"

Ye Jinglan's gaze sharpened as he pointed to the Black Iron Altar in the center of the underground palace.

Above the altar, a bead as black as ink was suspended and rotating, wisps of black qi coiling around it. This was the Poison Bead left by the Plague God, exactly the same as the one in Gu Mo's hand.

Gu Mo, who had studied the Poison Bead deeply, immediately stepped forward. He condensed pale golden true qi at his fingertips and, like tweezers, steadily extracted the Poison Bead. The black qi instantly retracted.

"Something's not right!" Gu Mo suddenly said.

Ye Jinglan asked doubtfully, "What's not right?"

Gu Mo said, "When I was outside, I clearly felt a special restriction in this underground palace that blocked my senses. But now it's gone. If there were no restriction, I wouldn't have spent days fiddling with it without sensing this Poison Bead."

Ye Jinglan said gravely, "The construction of this underground palace is not exquisite. Without a restriction, it truly couldn't be hidden so well. However, this restriction should be connected to the formation of this underground palace. Let's look around, and we should be able to find something."

Gu Mo nodded slightly and said, "Qi Miaoxuan is no ordinary person. If his restriction isn't dealt with, there will inevitably be future trouble. Later, when those soldiers outside come in to move the property, they might encounter irresistible danger."

Ye Jinglan nodded repeatedly and said, "We must search thoroughly."

Ye Chen felt that this situation was not good. He had been experiencing periods of bad luck and good luck lately. This so-called restriction here, which even Gu Mo took so seriously, must be very dangerous. He didn't want to repeat the mistake he made in the Clay Figurine Shop.

Immediately, Ye Chen said, "Big Brother, you and Ye Jinglan search. I won't get involved. My luck is unpredictable, I don't want to hold you back!"

Gu Mo understood Ye Chen's difficulty and nodded. "Then you can just find a place to rest. There are many treasures in here. See if there's anything you like and pick some to take back."

"Now that's an offer I can't refuse, heh heh!"

Immediately, Ye Chen happily went to open the chests and start picking. Meanwhile, Gu Mo and Ye Jinglan probed the cracks in the stone walls with their inner energy, searching for the hidden restriction's nexus.

Ye Chen, worried about encountering bad luck, deliberately avoided things like wall formations and focused on the large chests in the middle to find treasures. As he opened the third chest, he suddenly caught sight of a painting rolled up within the golden light.

He blew the dust off the painting and unrolled it. It depicted a woman in a Seven-Colored Dress, smiling. Her eyes were like peach blossoms soaked in morning dew, and her flowing gaze seemed to hold the fragmented reflections of a galaxy. Her vermilion lips curved slightly, as if about to drip honey.

The Seven-Colored Dress shimmered with a streamer of light. The golden threads embroidered with cloud patterns were faintly visible with movement. Her black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, and the jade ornaments in her hair swayed gently. With every gesture, she seemed to shatter spring light around her.

"Tsk tsk, she's really beautiful!" Ye Chen exclaimed in wonder, his fingers unconsciously brushing over the hem of the woman's skirt in the painting. "If only she were real, she's too beautiful..."

Before he finished speaking, the corner of the woman's lips in the painting actually curved upwards, revealing a smile.

Ye Chen praised, "She's even more beautiful when she smiles..."

Huh? She smiled!!

My mother, why is it me again!!

Ye Chen's expression changed, and he exclaimed, "Big Brother..."

Just that instant, A glint flashed in the eyes of the woman in the painting, and Ye Chen suddenly froze.

At this moment, Gu Mo heard Ye Chen's shout and hurried over, asking, "What's wrong?"

Ye Chen scratched his head, pointed to the painting in his hand, and asked slyly, "Big Brother, isn't she beautiful?"

Gu Mo: "??"

At this moment, Ye Jinglan was also drawn over by Ye Chen's loud shout, thinking he had made a discovery, and then he heard Ye Chen's question.

Ye Jinglan said speechlessly, "You're just asking about this?"

"I want this painting."

Ye Jinglan complained, "What, to take it back and sleep with it?"

"Mm."

Ye Jinglan: "??"