An invitation

Seeing his feeble breathing and deathly pale face, Qing Dai hurried to help him carefully into a nearby chair, her eyes brimming with concern.

Jinghong, Fu Rong, Hai Tang, and Li Hua had watched Mu Lan being pulled back from death's door, the terrifying crimson palm print fading away. Now, seeing how the effort had nearly drained Lu Changfeng dry, they were filled with conflicting emotions.

They felt heartfelt relief at Mu Lan's escape from danger, but even greater shock and admiration for Lu Changfeng's power to bring someone back from the brink of death.

With such a miraculous physician in the residence, the Plum Blossom Guards would have that much more confidence when undertaking dangerous missions in the future.

Lu Changfeng spent a short while regulating his breathing. Once he had recovered some true qi, he began asking about what had happened.

He already knew about the affair, and Taiping had given instructions beforehand, so there was no need to conceal anything from him. Hai Tang and Li Hua recounted the entire course of events.

-Su Bonian's account had to be verified first. Scouts from the Prince of Liang's Residence's Crescent Moon Hall were now keeping watch outside the Princess's Residence, with eyes everywhere. Moving out in force would inevitably attract attention. The Three Signs of Spring Equinox were experts in disguise, so Taiping had ordered them to change their appearances and slip out as servants, then go to the treasure site beneath Jade Pillar Peak on Zhongnan Mountain to investigate.

Zhongnan Mountain lay only sixty-odd li from Chang'an, and they arrived quickly.

But they had only just reached the foot of Jade Pillar Peak and had yet to enter the treasure site when an ape's cry rang out, and a blood-red giant ape nearly ten feet tall burst from the woods!

The ape seemed to have gone mad. Its blood-red eyes glared as it attacked anyone it saw.

The Plum Blossom Guards excelled at lightness skills, movement techniques, and assassination. Against a monster with a bronze head, iron arms, steel sinews, and iron bones, whose sheer strength could crush ten kinds of skill, they could only dodge. Worse still, the woods were riddled with traps. One careless move had caused Mu Lan to trigger a mechanism. Dodging a hidden arrow left her defense open, and the monster struck her in the back with its palm, gravely injuring her.

A Blood-Colored Giant Ape...

Lu Changfeng mused, "Su Bonian never mentioned traps in the woods beneath the peak either... though he did mention a river."

There were now two possibilities before him.

If the Record of Strange Tales from Mountains and Seas did not cover every species, then this Blood-Colored Giant Ape might simply be an unusual beast produced by atavism or a mutation caused by the revival of spiritual energy. Even if someone was directing it from behind the scenes, that would be a minor matter.

But if the species recorded in the secret volume were exhaustive, then this "blood-colored" giant ape, which had appeared out of nowhere and was not among them, could almost certainly be linked to the Blood Tai Sui!

The trouble was that the latter possibility was more likely.

If that really was the case... someone else might already have obtained the Blood Tai Sui... and broken the Gu Formation...

Lu Changfeng inwardly regretted the lost opportunity.

Just then, a delicate, elegant fragrance drifted to his nose.

Everyone's vision blurred for an instant, and Princess Taiping appeared soundlessly in the Quiet Chamber like a phantom.

Startled, Jinghong, Fu Rong, and the others hastily bowed in salute.

Lu Changfeng also made to rise, but Taiping waved a casual hand. "Dispense with the formalities."

She first approached the couch and carefully examined Mu Lan. Seeing that her breathing was steady and the palm print on her back had mostly faded, her expression softened a little. She turned to Lu Changfeng and said warmly, "Shennong Qi... Minister Lu, it is thanks to you that Mu Lan is out of danger. What do you make of this unexpected turn of events?"

"As a physician, treating the sick is only my duty..."

After speaking, Lu Changfeng considered for a moment and organized his earlier deductions. "There are too many coincidences here. A Blood-Colored Giant Ape and man-made traps appearing together beneath Jade Pillar Peak are unlikely to be a coincidence. I suspect... that giant ape may well be connected to the Blood Tai Sui. Indeed, someone else may already have obtained it..."

A gleam of understanding flashed through Princess Taiping's eyes. His deductions matched her earlier concerns.

-The Blood Tai Sui was sinister in nature. Those who consumed its juices over time would initially experience a tremendous surge in power and indescribable pleasure. Later, their meridians would feel as though they were burning, and their temperaments would grow increasingly cruel and obsessive. By the time they came to their senses, their vital essence would already be pouring away uncontrollably, their spirits withered and their bodies decayed, beyond the help of any medicine.

The giant ape's palm force was intensely yang in nature, and those struck felt their meridians burn. That matched the symptoms of fire poison accumulating in the body after consuming the Blood Tai Sui!

Princess Taiping sighed softly. "The Blood Tai Sui was sealed away by Zhang Yizhi in the third year of the Chang'an era. More than four years have passed since then. Zhongnan Mountain has always been a favored retreat near the capital, where high officials and nobles escape the heat, cultivate themselves, and recuperate. There are plenty of villas and estates in the mountains, and with so many people, there are eyes everywhere. Nor is the Blood Tai Sui an ordinary object. Spiritual energy gathers around it, and over time, unusual signs were bound to appear at the treasure site. It is not impossible that someone with keen spiritual perception, or a wild beast, noticed them. But..."

Her tone shifted, and a trace of doubt flickered in her eyes. "The Gu Formation Chi Ming laid is no trivial thing, and the Poison-Averting Pearl is in Wu Sansi's hands. Who else could break the formation and obtain the rare treasure? And if they have already obtained it, why not transplant it elsewhere? Why go to such lengths to set traps at the original site and drive an unusual beast to bar others' way? That makes no sense, unless..."

"Unless they have not yet fully succeeded."

Lu Changfeng took up her thought. "Perhaps they found a way to withstand the Gu Formation temporarily, allowing them to approach the Blood Tai Sui and even feed some of its juices to creatures like the giant ape. But they still lack some crucial condition or the right timing to remove the Blood Tai Sui itself intact. That is why they remain there guarding it, preventing word from getting out and keeping others from interfering..."

Princess Taiping nodded slightly. "Indeed. That is the most reasonable explanation for now... but speculation alone can hardly yield a firm conclusion. Minister Lu, would you like to go beneath Jade Pillar Peak and see for yourself?"

Hm?

Lu Changfeng froze. Raising his eyes, he met Princess Taiping's eager gaze.

What did she mean? She was going herself?

He had been a little hesitant at first, but the moment he saw her expression, his worries vanished.

Princess Taiping's martial prowess was unfathomable. From childhood, her mother had personally guided her in laying her martial foundations, and she practiced the imperial family's secret martial art, the Purple Tenuity Heavenly Heart Formula. Her cultivation had long since reached the realm of unity between heaven and humanity. She stood shoulder to shoulder with the famed "Ten Supreme Masters" of the martial world, one of the handful who truly stood at the pinnacle of the martial path!

Years ago, she had founded the Plum Blossom Guards and assumed the post of grand commander herself, slaughtering rebels and clearing the obstacles to Wu Zetian's ascension to the throne. After the Divine Dragon Coup, she had also worked with the Five Kings to execute the two Zhang brothers, helping Li Tang reclaim the imperial throne and rendering an unparalleled service!

Her foundations were extraordinary.

Going out with her could not be safer.

This was different from writing poems to curry favor, which was utterly meaningless. The matter before them concerned rare treasures and the revival of spiritual energy. Only by learning more of the inside story could he better handle similar incidents. With the tide of events sweeping onward, evasion was useless. Shrinking back in this regard would only leave him at a disadvantage.

With that thought, Lu Changfeng immediately nodded. "Since Your Highness wishes it, I shall certainly accompany you."

"Very good."

Satisfied by his agreement, Princess Taiping nodded and lightly clapped her hands.

The next moment, the shadows in the room stirred, and another figure quietly stepped out.

Her appearance was identical to Princess Taiping's-even her expression and bearing were indistinguishable!

The double bowed respectfully to Princess Taiping, who instructed the others, "You few, return to Yao Light Hall with 'her' first. I shall be going out for a while."

At her words, concern appeared on everyone's faces.

Jinghong hurried a step forward to remonstrate. "Your Highness, the situation beneath Jade Pillar Peak is unknown and exceptionally dangerous! A child worth a thousand pieces of gold does not sit beneath an unstable roof. Please reconsider!"

Princess Taiping had already made up her mind. "Precisely because the situation is unknown, I must see it myself. There is no need to say more. Si Jin."

Another female official entered the room, holding a suit of soft armor as thin as silk in both hands, and offered it to Lu Changfeng.

Princess Taiping explained, "Minister Lu, your cultivation is still shallow, and this journey may entail risks. This Ice Silkworm Silk Armor is impervious to water and fire and can disperse some of the force of a blow. Put it on for protection."

"..."

Lu Changfeng accepted the armor. It felt almost weightless in his hands. This woman had everything prepared. First an invitation, then a treasure as a gift-what was she after, being so attentive?

Something about this just felt wrong!