During a brief rest, Wen Qiao checked the contents of her storage pouch and discovered that there were several bottles of Fasting Pills. Each bottle contained ten pills, and a single pill could stave off hunger for half a month.
In addition to the Fasting Pills, there were various other spiritual pills: healing pills, restorative pills, detoxification pills, blood-replenishing pills… as well as some she couldn’t identify by sight and could only guess their uses based on their names.
Beyond the pills, there were also talismans, weapons, and array disks—everything a cultivator might need was fully supplied.
After completing her inspection, Wen Qiao looked at Ning Yuzhou with a complicated expression and asked, “These spiritual pills…”
“They were all refined by alchemists of the Ning clan,” Ning Yuzhou replied with a smile. “The grade of the pills isn’t very high, so make do with them.”
Wen Qiao responded with an “oh” and secretly thought to herself that, given the alchemy standards in Dongling Country, producing even Mysterious-grade pills was already impressive. Earth-grade pills were as rare as phoenix feathers, so it was true that the spiritual pills in the storage pouch weren’t of high grade. Most were Yellow-grade pills, but what they lacked in quality, they made up for in variety. Many were types she had never even heard of, with strange and uncommon uses.
It seemed the foundation of the imperial Ning clan was far deeper than the outside world had ever imagined.
As one of the beneficiaries, Wen Qiao naturally felt grateful for this kindness.
The number of Fasting Pills was sufficient to sustain them for several years. Even if they were trapped here without a way out, they wouldn’t starve for the time being. This reassured Wen Qiao. For now, the more pressing concern was whether there were other dangers in the labyrinth and how to escape. If this place truly was the dwelling of some great power, there were sure to be numerous traps along the way, and the dangers would be immeasurable.
After some mental calculations, Wen Qiao decided they had rested enough, and the two of them continued exploring the labyrinth.
The walls of the labyrinth were embedded with glowing stones every few zhang, emitting a faint bluish-green light that illuminated the surroundings. However, this constant light also made it difficult to perceive the passage of time.
Wen Qiao took out a water clock to check and found that they had already been wandering in the labyrinth for a day. Worried about her husband getting tired, Wen Qiao considerately suggested they rest.
“I’m actually not tired,” Ning Yuzhou said with a smile. Though he couldn’t cultivate, he had practiced some martial arts suited for mortals—not for any other reason but to strengthen his body. He wasn’t as useless as others might imagine and could hold out for days without rest.
Nevertheless, Wen Qiao insisted that they take a break.
She spread out a blanket made from the hide of a demonic beast on the ground, and the two of them sat down.
Then, Wen Qiao took out a water bag and some food from her storage pouch and handed them to her husband.
Since Ning Yuzhou was a mortal, he couldn’t use the storage pouch himself. Whatever he needed, his attendant, Qian Shou, would normally fetch for him. Now that Qian Shou wasn’t present, Wen Qiao took it upon herself to take care of him and retrieve items from the pouch as needed.
Although Wen Qiao was younger than him and her health wasn’t great, as a cultivator, she was naturally better suited to handle a place like this than Ning Yuzhou, who couldn’t cultivate.
Ning Yuzhou sipped water slowly and said with a smile, “Ah Qiao, if everyone who entered this labyrinth is scattered throughout, sooner or later, someone will find the exit. Our pace is already slower than others. If we keep stopping to rest, we’ll likely fall even further behind.”
His words carried a hint of suggestion, telling her not to be so naïve. Now that this mysterious dwelling was open, there were bound to be extraordinary treasures within. The priority should be to quickly search for those treasures instead of wasting time in the labyrinth.
It was unclear whether Wen Qiao understood his implication. She replied calmly, “But you need to rest.”
Ning Yuzhou: “…I can still keep going for a while.”
“No, you need to rest,” Wen Qiao insisted. “My cultivation is too low. Even if I find some extraordinary treasure, I wouldn’t be able to fight off others for it. It’s better to just take things as they come.”
Ning Yuzhou was silent for a moment before he couldn’t help but laugh.
His laughter was warm and gentle, his eyes crinkling into crescents, as if a pool of spring water had been stirred into ripples. His already handsome face became even softer and more radiant.
Wen Qiao took out a Fasting Pill, frowned as she swallowed it, and thought it tasted awful. Fasting Pills rarely tasted good; she wondered why alchemists didn’t try to improve their flavor.
“If you don’t want to eat it, then don’t,” Ning Yuzhou said. “Don’t worry. No matter how big this labyrinth is, it’s still limited. We should be able to leave soon.”
Wen Qiao glanced at him, secretly thinking that her husband might have discovered something again. As someone traveling with him, she had noticed nothing in comparison—a stark contrast. She was already accustomed to Ning Yuzhou’s intelligence, which far surpassed that of ordinary people. Just because he couldn’t cultivate didn’t mean she should underestimate him. This was a man who could even tame the Qianlin Guards; he was bound to have extraordinary qualities.
As a mere mortal, she only needed to follow his instructions and not worry too much.
With her mind at ease, Wen Qiao rested for a full two hours before they continued forward.
They wandered through the labyrinth for nearly five days.
By now, twenty days had passed since they entered the Lintai Hunting Valley. There were only ten days left until the valley would close.
That day, as Wen Qiao marked another fork in the path, she suddenly heard a strange sound. It was faint and intermittent, making her spirit stir slightly.
The labyrinth was eerily quiet, as if nothing existed in it but them. This oppressive silence could drive a person mad. However, Wen Qiao, who had long been bedridden due to illness, was accustomed to the loneliness and desolation of such days. Ning Yuzhou was an exceptional individual, calm and composed from beginning to end, showing no signs of anxiety. His demeanor was reassuring.
Wen Qiao informed Ning Yuzhou of her discovery and pulled him in the direction of the sound.
However, after walking for a long time, they still couldn’t find the source of the sound. Wen Qiao frowned and eventually stopped.
Since Ning Yuzhou wasn’t a cultivator, his senses weren’t as sharp as Wen Qiao’s. Unable to hear the sound, he asked, “Ah Qiao, can you describe the sound to me?”
Wen Qiao listened intently again. “It sounds like something falling to the ground, coming from this direction, but it also seems to be coming from behind the wall.”
Ning Yuzhou looked in the direction she pointed, his expression shifting slightly. He reached out to touch the wall.
The wall was solid and incredibly sturdy. When attacked by cultivators, only a thin layer of stone chips could be scraped away; brute force couldn’t break through. Even if they suspected the sound was coming from the other side of the wall, there was no way to immediately check.
Wen Qiao had no choice but to give up and pulled Ning Yuzhou to continue forward.
Perhaps the earlier rare sound was a good omen. As they passed another three-way intersection, they suddenly heard a commotion ahead. The noise of hurried footsteps and chaotic shouting filled the air.
Wen Qiao listened carefully for a moment and quickly pulled Ning Yuzhou into a run.
As they randomly chose a passage and dashed down it, a group of people suddenly emerged from the corridor ahead, running at full speed as if something terrifying was chasing them.
The person at the front caught sight of Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou and screamed, “Ning Yuzhou!”
Without hesitation, they bolted toward them. The others, unable to shake off the demonic beast pursuing them, naturally followed suit—safety in numbers.
Wen Qiao recognized the voice instantly—it was Princess Ning Yaozhu.
Since entering the Lintai Hunting Valley, Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou had taken their time traveling, neither seeking rare treasures nor resources, lagging far behind the other cultivators. They had encountered very few people along the way. After the dwelling emerged, they had been trapped in the labyrinth for several days, and it was only now that they ran into someone familiar.
But given the current circumstances, Wen Qiao would rather they hadn’t met.
Hearing the panicked, chaotic sounds of flight behind them, Wen Qiao didn’t know what was chasing them, but running was the obvious solution.
Drawing on the escape skills she had honed in life-and-death battles in the Ice Tear Frog’s territory, Wen Qiao decisively hoisted Ning Yuzhou onto her shoulder and sprinted away.
Ning Yuzhou: “…………”
The people behind who witnessed this scene: “…………”
If the timing weren’t so dire, Ning Yaozhu would have laughed herself to death at the sight, mocking Ning Yuzhou for having fallen so low as to need protection from a sickly girl. However, the strange demonic beast behind them was in relentless pursuit, leaving them no time for other thoughts. All they could do was focus on fleeing, desperately seeking a chance to survive.
Ning Yaozhu’s cultivation level was higher than Wen Qiao’s, as was the case for the cultivators accompanying her. They quickly caught up to Wen Qiao and then—without hesitation—overtook them.
At that moment, a male cultivator next to Ning Yaozhu suddenly glanced at Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou and slashed at them with his sword.
Wen Qiao narrowly dodged the attack, but in that instant, the group had already run far ahead.
An intense sense of danger washed over her, as though something terrifying had locked onto her. The hair on her body stood on end. Without the slightest hesitation, Wen Qiao pushed Ning Yuzhou forward and braced herself for the attack coming from behind.
The strike sent her flying, slamming her into the wall before she rebounded to the ground. A metallic taste filled her throat as she coughed up a large mouthful of blood.
Her internal organs felt as if they were being torn apart. Blood sprayed from her lips, mixed with fragments of her viscera. Darkness clouded her vision, and the pain was so overwhelming that she nearly passed out. Even so, the thought of Ning Yuzhou, utterly defenseless, lingered in her mind. Forcing herself to act, she drew upon all the Yuan Spiritual Power in her thirty-six spiritual apertures, pushing her body to its absolute limits. With a burst of desperate speed, she lunged forward and tightly embraced Ning Yuzhou, shielding him beneath her.
“Ah Qiao!” Ning Yuzhou’s eyes widened as he looked at her.
Wen Qiao, with her back to the demonic beast, caught a glimpse of a white shadow darting past the wall from the corner of her eye. Before she could make out what it was, a scorching pain seared her back. Sharp claws tore through her clothes, ripping her flesh apart. Blood splattered everywhere, leaving her back a mass of raw, exposed wounds.
She pressed herself firmly over Ning Yuzhou, using her body to shield him.
Ning Yuzhou stared at her in a daze, his gaze fixed on her bloodied face, pale and disheveled.
A rumbling sound came from up ahead, accompanied by the screams of those fleeing. Panic-stricken, they turned back the way they had come.
Soon, the group spotted Ning Yuzhou and Wen Qiao on the ground. Ning Yuzhou was holding Wen Qiao, who was covered in blood and whose life or death was uncertain. The demonic beast that had been chasing them was now hopping about nearby, frantically scavenging and swallowing scattered spiritual pills from the ground. It was eating with such relish that it no longer exuded the ferocity of before.
The sight left the cultivators filled with regret. If they had known earlier that the demonic beast was after spiritual pills, they would have thrown some at it. In life-and-death moments, who cares about wasting pills?
Ning Yaozhu’s pupils contracted as she observed the scene. It was unclear whether she was more shocked by the demonic beast’s behavior or by Ning Yuzhou’s luck in surviving.
There was no time for further thought. The rumbling behind them grew louder. The labyrinth’s passages were collapsing at a speed visible to the naked eye. Stones from above rained down, the ground split open, and an unfathomably deep darkness appeared below. It was as if the entire labyrinth had been constructed mid-air. As the passages gave way, the entire structure was falling into the void below.
The collapse was terrifyingly fast, spreading to their location in mere moments.
The white-furred demonic beast, still busy eating spiritual pills, let out a sharp screech before leaping in fury and fleeing. But no matter how fast it ran, it couldn’t outrun the collapsing labyrinth. Along with everyone in the passage, it plummeted into the darkness below.
In that fleeting moment of freefall, Ning Yuzhou held Wen Qiao tightly in his arms. Her blood soaked through his clothes, seeping into his chest and into his heart. His usually gentle, warm eyes were now a fiery, blood-red…