Outside the cave, sunlight, like fine threads, pierced through the dense canopy of trees, scattering across the boundless green plains, dappling with golden light and teeming with life.

In the distance, the mountains rise one after another, shrouded in mist, like nature's most mysterious guardians, quietly watching over this pristine land forgotten by time.

A gentle breeze blew by, bringing the fragrance of wildflowers and the freshness of grass and trees, making people feel relaxed and refreshed, and all fatigue and tension vanished in an instant.

The grandfather and grandson stood at the entrance of the cave, their eyes meeting exotic flowers and plants they had never seen before. Butterflies fluttered among them, and bees scurried about, creating a harmonious and splendid scene.

"Where...where is this?" Li Xi couldn't help but ask softly, her eyes filled with disbelief and amazement.

Hongying was equally shocked. She looked around and slowly said, "I have never seen such a sight before."

She crouched down, gently picked up a vibrant green blade of grass, and held it to her nose to inhale its aroma: "This place is perfect for cultivating your inner energy."

This valley, in later generations' view, is an extremely rare natural oxygen bar with an extremely high content of negative ions in the air.

Li Xi sat cross-legged, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, feeling a fresh yet gentle breeze enter her nostrils.

That aura seemed to have its own consciousness, traveling along the respiratory tract into the lungs, then merging into the blood, and finally reaching the limbs and bones through blood circulation.

Every pore of her body was greedily breathing in this scent, immersing her completely in it.

After an unknown amount of time, Li Xi slowly opened her eyes, feeling incredibly refreshed, as if every cell in her body had been cleansed.

It feels like you've just taken a shower—refreshing, pleasant, and invigorating.

Seeing that she seemed to have made some progress, Hongying was overjoyed: "Xiaoxi, try striking the air with your palm."

She took a deep breath, slowly raised her hands, palms facing each other, closed her eyes and concentrated, feeling the new life force surging in her blood.

A moment later, Li Xi suddenly opened her eyes, which shone with an unprecedented light.

She moved slightly, and then suddenly pushed her right hand forward.

Her palm seemed to contain boundless power, yet not a single sound of wind could be heard; only a powerful stream of air surged forth from her palm.

Driven by her internal energy, this current of air rapidly rose into the air.

As the airflow rose, the surrounding air seemed to be ignited, beginning to tremble slightly, carrying an indescribable pressure.

The birds and beasts that had been hiding nearby were startled by the sudden pressure and scattered in all directions, while the leaves rustled in the invisible air currents.

"Good, it seems this trip has been fruitful." Hongying was quite satisfied. "Let's go take a look ahead." She had just obtained some clues from the animals.

Hongying walked ahead, stopping from time to time to use her keen intuition to sense the changes around her.

She gently parted the dense bushes and discovered a series of faint footprints pointing to a hidden cave deep in the forest, entwined by ancient vines.

"Could it be that the scout has been here?" Li Xi asked in surprise.

The two then carefully searched the surrounding area.

Li Xi's eyes sharpened further. She crouched down and gently traced the footprints with her fingers. "These footprints vary in depth, but the steps are steady. They were clearly left by a well-trained person," she mused, looking up at the cave entrance.

I don't know what brought him here, there were no signs of a fight nearby.

As they entered the cave, a chilling aura enveloped them, and the two instinctively tightened their clothes.

The cave was dimly lit, and she could only rely on the occasional natural light and the faint glow of the luminous pearl in her hand to illuminate her way forward.

As they went deeper, the air inside the cave seemed to grow heavier, carrying a faint, almost imperceptible fishy smell.

Li Xi's attention was highly focused, her ears picking up any subtle sound, her fingers lightly resting on the hilt of the sword at her waist, ready to deal with any unexpected situation at any time.

Suddenly, a low, rhythmic dripping sound came from ahead, which was particularly clear in the silent cave.

They followed the sound and discovered it originated from a hidden crevice in the rock wall, where it seemed to conceal the entrance to another, smaller cave.

Stepping inside, the view instantly opens up, as if stepping into another world.

This place retains traces of past life; although the tables and chairs were carefully carved, their surfaces have been quietly covered with lush green moss due to the passage of time.

The bed, carved out of the stone wall, was covered with moldy bedding. Beside it, a yellowed book lay half-open, with a few dried flower petals between its pages.

The red tassel was gently turned over, and between the lines, one could tell that the owner of this place had excellent handwriting.

Li Xi picked up a copper bookmark from the ground, which was engraved with intricate patterns.

"Grandma, look what this is!"

"The style of this bookmark is like something that ancient literati loved. The patterns carved on it are the 'Three Friends of Winter'—pine, bamboo, and plum, which symbolize resilience and nobility."

Hongying: "It seems that the owner of this place is not only a man of great literary talent, but also a man of great integrity."

But why would you choose to live in this desolate place?

"The footprints disappeared here. Did that person go out again?" Li Xi looked at the footprints on the ground and muttered to herself in confusion.

She looked through all the places the emperor's secret guards had investigated, but couldn't figure out anything.

She remembered the bloodstained piece of cloth and wondered why the scout had arrived here without any explanation. It seemed the man had been injured and sought refuge here.

But for some reason, they disappeared after arriving here.

Hongying: "Let's go outside first."

Since the trail has gone cold, we can only investigate from other places.

Information about the possible presence of hematite here should be sent to the emperor via carrier pigeon so that he can send professionals to investigate.

It was getting late, so the two of them returned to their house in the city.

At this moment, Wan Yue had also finished preparing the meal. Seeing the grandfather and grandson, he couldn't help but complain, "You two don't even know when you'll be back. It's almost dark. Go wash your hands, dinner's ready."

After dinner, Li Xi returned to her room and wrote a secret letter.

He recorded in detail yesterday's discoveries and speculations, and attached a map marking suspicious locations. He then went out to the post station and handed the document to the postmaster, asking him to send it to the capital as quickly as possible.

Qin Xiaolin, who was in a foreign land, put down his pen, summoned Hai Dongqing, and then asked him to fly back to Jingyuan Palace with a secret letter.

The current emperor of Xuan Yue Kingdom is claiming illness and is recuperating, and has appointed the eldest prince to oversee the country.

According to the informant, the imperial physicians in the palace did not seem anxious, which shouldn't be the case.

Furthermore, the eldest prince has recently been in close contact with the people of the Nageri tribe.

So Qin Xiaolin changed his clothes and went out under cover of night...