Chapter 553: Orange Life

"Then, while those four young men set fire to the underground palace, the chaos was so great that many of the civilians who had been taken away for sacrifice fled. The craftsmen also took advantage of the chaos to escape. Unfortunately, the mountain was filled with tomb guards, making it difficult to escape.

Seeing this, one craftsman quietly hid in the underground palace. With his familiarity with the layout, he dodged various deadly traps along the way and finally escaped through a dog-hole-sized tunnel prepared by the craftsmen.

After the white-haired old man finished speaking, he stroked his goatee and continued to puff on his pipe.

The little girl opposite was so fascinated by what she heard that she covered her mouth with her hands and exclaimed repeatedly, completely forgetting about coming out to wash clothes.

I didn't expect that when I went out, I met an old man asking for directions. We got along very well and I heard such a dramatic legendary story of "a heroic young man burning the imperial tomb and a clever craftsman bravely escaping".

The girl held her cheeks with both hands, and her wide sleeves revealed two arms as white as milk.

Her eyes were full of excitement and longing:

"Wow, if only I could see those four heroic young men in person!"

The old man took a puff of his pipe, tapped the stem on a nearby stone, flicked away the ash, and said with a smile:

"It's been almost twenty years. If those 'heroic young men' were still alive, they would have reached thirty years of age and perhaps even started families and careers!"

After hearing this, the girl's eyes became brighter and her face flushed. It was obvious that she was imagining what the four heroic young men would look like now that they had become elegant gentlemen.

The young girl's love affair could not escape the old man's eyes, causing him to laugh and tap the girl's head lightly with his pipe:

"Silly girl, it's just a story, something the old man made up. Don't take it seriously."

The girl blinked her innocent eyes:

"But I don't think it's a story. It must have really happened. It was passed down by the craftsman who escaped."

The old man smiled but said nothing, but the girl seemed to have thought of something and asked curiously:

"Oh, Grandpa, you said the craftsman escaped through a tunnel the size of a dog hole. Doesn't that mean the imperial tomb has always had a dog hole open, letting in wind? The late emperor and empress sleep in there. What if they encounter tomb robbers in the future?"

"Don't worry, no one knows the entrance to the cave!" The old man smiled mysteriously, his tone deliberately low and scary:

"Even if someone really found the entrance to the cave and was thin enough to get in, they'd have no way back. When the craftsmen secretly dug the escape passage, they designed it so that you could only exit, not enter.

If you enter, the mechanism under your feet will be triggered, and the lever—think of it as a seesaw—will tilt toward the mausoleum. As you enter, the ten-thousand-pound stone behind you will immediately fall, blocking the way out. If you want to get out again, haha, you have to be a god."

"Wow—" The girl couldn't help but put her hands together and applauded softly, marveling at the craftsman's wisdom. Then she couldn't help but worry about the unknown tomb robbers.

"If a tomb robber really entered the imperial mausoleum, would he be trapped and die inside?"

"Of course." The old man's expression was slightly serious. "The mausoleum is cold and dark everywhere. There's no water or food. It's full of dangers. There are deadly traps like arrows and poison powder, or giant centipedes, human-headed snake-bodied monsters, and mummies left inside when the imperial mausoleum was sealed to guard it... After so many years, I wonder what kind of monsters they have transformed into? Tell me, who could survive entering the mausoleum?"

"Oh my God..." The girl turned pale with fear. Just as she was immersed in a terrible fantasy, she suddenly heard a shrill female voice calling her:

"Jusheng——"

The girl shuddered with fear.

The voice called out again: "Ju Sheng! Are the clothes done? What took so long?!"

Hearing the anger in that voice, the girl named Ju Sheng quickly got up and said goodbye to the old man. She hurriedly picked up the dirty clothes basket on the ground and muttered worriedly:

"It's over, it's over. I haven't washed anything yet. I'm going to get scolded again..."

Ju Sheng's flustered look made the old man feel both amused and distressed:

"It's okay. If you go back and get scolded, just say you went out to do a good deed and helped an old man who didn't know the way home. If you don't believe me, come and verify it with me."

Ju Sheng blushed and smiled, nodded, and waved goodbye to the old man.

After trotting out a few steps, she couldn't help but run back, holding up her skirt, and whispered to the old man:

"Grandpa, where is the entrance to the imperial mausoleum? I want to seal it up when I have the chance, otherwise it would be disastrous if someone accidentally enters."

The old man seemed to be moved by Ju Sheng's kindness. He hesitated for a moment and said with a smile:

"How would I know where the imperial tomb is, silly girl? It's just a story. But the story says that the entrance to the cave is under a fiery red coral tree, and there's a patch of red grass blocking the entrance. I'm only telling you this, don't tell anyone else!"

"Yes! I understand!" Ju Sheng nodded heavily, as if he had a mission in his heart, and his eyes became very serious.

She thought that she should protect the people like the four heroic young men in the story, find the entrance to the cave sooner or later, and block it tightly to prevent innocent people from accidentally entering.

But as she thought about it, she felt something was wrong:

"Grandpa, how do you know everything? Could you be the craftsman who escaped that year?"

“Hahahaha——” the old man laughed heartily: “Who knows!”

Ju Sheng widened her eyes in surprise, concentrating on guessing the old man's identity. The voice that had just called her suddenly called for the third time, sounding very impatient.

Finally, Ju Sheng didn't dare to delay any longer and hurried back to the hut with the basket of dirty clothes.

A figure was standing at the door with his hands on his hips, glaring at her angrily.

Ju Sheng walked over with her head lowered. She was completely different from the innocent and lively look she had just had when she was listening to the old man telling her story. Now she was extremely cautious.

Seeing that no one was around, she called out softly:

"emperor......"

Nan Lijun frowned, thinking that now she only had this little maidservant by her side, she suppressed the urge to slap her, and instead twisted Ju Sheng's arm hard, cursing:

"What time is it already? The clothes aren't washed! The meal isn't cooked! And how many times have I told you not to call me 'Emperor'? Do you want others to hear and kill me?!"

Ju Sheng didn't dare to hide, nor did he dare to rub the painful part. He could only timidly respond in a low voice:

"I see, ma'am. Sorry, I'll go cook now."

Nan Lijun not only did not feel comfortable with Ju Sheng's obedient appearance, but became even more angry. He couldn't help but want to slap her. He swung his arm in the air, but was stopped by a strong hand.

Nan Lijun was even more angry now, but he didn't say anything. He just shook off the person's hand angrily and turned to go into the inner room of the hut.

Ju Sheng still stood there.

She didn't look back or move, her body was tense and she could feel a chest against her back.

A very decent, yet very close distance.

It was so close that she could clearly feel the warm temperature of the chest with the skin on the back of her neck.

You can smell the familiar and pleasant scent of green tangerines on the man, mixed with a little hot sweat and a hint of lime powder.

Seeing Ju Sheng standing motionless at the door, Buyan had no choice but to pat her shoulder.

Ju Sheng said "Oh" as if he had just woken up from a dream, and hurriedly made way for the door, lowering his head even deeper.

Bu Yan went straight into the inner room. I don't know what he gestured to Nan Lijun, who said very unhappy:

"Why is there such a small amount of money again? Only twenty cents, not even enough for three people to eat! I also need to buy candles for reading at night, how can this be possible!"

Nan Lijun lost his temper again, and the other party was naturally silent and unable to speak.

Ju Sheng felt heartbroken when he heard this at the door.

Ever since escaping from the palace, in order to avoid being captured by the soldiers, Bu Yan has always chosen to walk on the most remote and deserted roads and rest in the most desolate village huts.

When they left the palace, Bu Yan was covered in blood and Nan Lijun had only a single piece of clothing on him. The two of them relied on the ten taels of silver in Ju Sheng's pocket for food and drink, and they managed to hold on for two months.

But he was living beyond his means, and in order to support two little girls, Bu Yan had to find a job.

Unfortunately, he couldn't speak and couldn't complete many tasks; in order to avoid being hunted by officers and soldiers, he didn't dare to show up in public, and finally had no choice but to carry stones at the black stone quarry.

At the end of the day, his shoulders were red, swollen and bleeding, and he was covered in sweat, but he could only earn fifty cents.

Fifty cents, although not much, is enough for three people to live a simple life for a day.

But Nan Lijun didn't know what was wrong with him. After the court announced the establishment of three schools and the recruitment of students from all over the world, he suddenly sat up one night and shouted about what exam he wanted to take.

From then on, he really worked hard, reading by lamplight until midnight every day.

As a result, with the additional expenses of buying books and candles, fifty cents was far from enough.

In addition, in the past two months, for some reason, the money Bu Yan brought back every day became less and less.

This made the situation even worse. The three of them often had to eat one meal and go hungry the next.

Ju Sheng could understand why Nan Lijun lost his temper.

But she felt even more distressed. He clearly had superb martial arts skills as a secret guard and could have a good future anywhere, but now he could only do the lowest level of physical work in the underworld.

After listening to Nan Lijun's temper, Buyan came out from the inner room with a normal expression, rolling up his sleeves as he walked, apparently going to cook. Ju Sheng immediately trotted after him to help.

Neither of them spoke, but they coordinated their actions and quickly made a pot of wild vegetable and tofu soup.

Ju Sheng quickly set up the table and small stools in the outer room, placed three bowls of soup on the table, and then respectfully said to Nan Lijun who was reading in the inner room:

"Madam, please have your meal."

Nan Lijun put down his book and walked out, sitting at the table. He casually glanced at the three bowls of wild vegetable soup, snorted coldly, pointed at the largest and most tofu-filled bowl in front of Bu Yan with his chin, and said sarcastically:

"Hey, Buyan, you see, our little orange boy is really good at dealing with things. I know you haven't been earning much lately, probably because you haven't had enough to eat and don't have the energy to work, so I specially served you such a big bowl - Buyan, you must eat well and don't let my kindness down!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Bu Yan frowned and stopped moving the hand holding the soup spoon beside the bowl.

Ju Sheng's face turned red with embarrassment. He twisted the corner of his clothes with his fingers and stammered for a long time, not knowing what to say.

Nan Lijun snorted and continued eating.

Buyan thought for a while, scooped two spoonfuls of tofu from the bowl into Nanlijun's bowl, and then scooped two spoonfuls into Jusheng's bowl.

Ju Sheng hurriedly covered the rim of the bowl with his hand, looked up and met Buyan's gentle and comforting eyes, as if saying "It's okay", so he had to slowly let go, lowered his head deeply, and accepted Buyan's kindness.

Nan Lijun sneered and said nothing in response to the eye contact between the two.

For her, seeing the little thoughts of the sixteen-year-old girl Ju Sheng was as clear as seeing a mirror.

During their escape, Ju Sheng remained as respectful and obedient to Nan Lijun as before, and still served her like an emperor, washing clothes, cooking, making her bed... everything for her.

But women are always more thoughtful. After a long time together, Nan Lijun soon discovered that Ju Sheng treated her and Buyan differently.

For example, when Ju Sheng washes Nan Lijun and Buyan's clothes, he always washes Buyan's clothes a few more times.

When making the bed at night, I always put a thick layer of straw under Buyan’s mattress.

Not to mention the usual meals, Bu Yan’s bowl always gets the most food.

When he is not talking during the day or out, Ju Sheng rarely speaks or smiles.

But as soon as Bu Yan came back, Ju Sheng would run to greet him like a little sparrow, with a lively and bright smile on his face, and he was extremely happy.

The look in Ju Sheng's eyes when he looked at Nan Lijun was one of respect and fear.

The look he gave Bu Yan was filled with admiration, gratitude, heartache, and love that was almost overflowing.

Nan Lijun saw through these "little thoughts of young girls" clearly.

She thought to herself that Bu Yan, the man who had risked his life countless times for her, would never fall in love with the little palace maid Ju Sheng.

But as soon as she saw the beautiful girl Ju Sheng, who looked as bright as a flower, her plump cheeks that were so tender that they could be squeezed out of water, and her milky white, tender and scarless skin that she had always hated, Nan Lijun could not control the jealousy that raged in her heart.

She always wanted to slap Ju Sheng or scold her dozens of times to vent her anger.

Sometimes, she would even deliberately make ambiguous screams when doing that with Buyan, and afterward she would specifically ask Ju Sheng to help her wash and dress, just to admire that pale little face.

Nan Lijun didn't know what had happened to him. Having his kingdom and throne taken away was one thing, but now he had been reduced to a jealous rivalry with a little palace maid? How sad and ridiculous...

Thinking of this, Nan Lijun finished the soup and vegetables in the bowl in a few mouthfuls, then turned and went into the inner room to read.

From the day she heard the news of Huo Gannian's abdication and the selection of a new emperor, Nan Lijun made up her mind that she would study hard, pass the exam, become a disciple of Junxiamen, and regain her throne with her own strength.

Bu Yan understood her thoughts clearly.

Although he bought books and candles for her without complaint, he knew deep down that it was all in vain and it was just her wishful thinking.

Regardless of the fact that she should be "dead" now, the Black Sparrow Team has never given up on capturing and assassinating her.

Even if she really survived by chance and studied hard and was admitted to Junxiamen, what would it matter?

Should I stand in front of Huo Gannian and say like the goddess of vengeance, "Mr. Huo, I'm here to take back this kingdom"?

Even if Huo Gannian agreed to let her study at Junxiamen, allowed her to compete for the new emperor, or even become the new emperor, then what?

Given her character, if she did it again, wouldn't it be another massacre and harm to the people of Nan Country?

Bu Yan saw these things clearly, and he knew that Nan Lijun was also very clear about it.

But people, when they are in hopeless situations, they have to ignite something in order to survive.

He couldn't bear to destroy Nan Lijun's fantasy, so he would rather run away with her for the rest of his life and let her read books quietly and steadily for the rest of her life.

The three of them, each with their own thoughts, ended up having a tasteless meal.

Bu Yan gently closed Nan Lijun's door so as not to disturb her reading, and then cleaned up the dishes with Ju Sheng.

Seeing that the clothes in the laundry basket had not been washed, Buyan took out a wooden basin, fetched water from the well, and started washing clothes.

Ju Sheng followed behind him like his little tail.

The two of them worked together to soak the clothes in the basin and scrub them.

Ju Sheng grabbed the bath beans and wanted to rub them on his clothes, but his hand slipped and the bath beans flew out.

Buyan tried to help her pick it up, but he also slipped, and the bath beans flew back to Ju Sheng.

The two of them took turns catching the bath beans that were as slippery as fish in the basin.

This funny scene made Ju Sheng couldn't help but giggle, and even Buyan, who rarely smiled, grinned.

The laughter of Ju Sheng, like the tinkling of bells, filled the small courtyard. After just a few laughs, Nan Lijun in the inner room shouted:

"Quiet!"

Ju Sheng had no choice but to shut up and stuck out his tongue at Buyan mischievously.

Bu Yan looked in the direction of Nan Lijun in the inner room, and then looked at Ju Sheng who was quietly washing clothes again. His rolled-up sleeves revealed his snow-white lotus-root-like arms, which were covered with bruises of various sizes caused by Nan Lijun's pinching.

Seeing this, Bu Yan stopped laughing, sighed softly, and gestured for Ju Sheng to follow him.

Ju Sheng obediently followed Buyan's footsteps, left the thatched cottage and headed towards the barren mountains not far away.

She didn't know why Buyan suddenly called her out alone. The little girl was thinking about all kinds of things, and she didn't expect Buyan to suddenly stop.

She couldn't stop in time and bumped into Bu Yan's back. She cried out "ouch" and her face turned red with embarrassment.

Seeing Ju Sheng’s silly yet cute look, Buyan felt soft in his heart and raised his hand to touch her head.

He took out his pocket knife and wrote on the ground:

"Thank you."

Ju Sheng thought that she was talking about giving him more food in the evening, and smiled foolishly:

"It's okay. You worked hard during the day, so you should eat more. Besides, you didn't eat much."

Bu Yan shook his head and wrote two more words:

"all."

It took Ju Sheng some thought to realize that Bu Yan meant "thank you for everything."

The blush that had just faded from Ju Sheng's face suddenly returned, and he smiled sheepishly:

"It's okay, no need to thank me, it's just a small matter..."

Is it a small matter?

Buyan shook his head again.

He will never forget the day when he broke out of Feng Yutian Palace.

He exchanged a glance with Yun Chen, who was dressed as Nan Lijun, across the screen, and was then surrounded and attacked by the Black Scale Cavalry.

He was chopped down hard and fell to the ground, vomiting blood. All he could see was blood. When he was about to lose consciousness, he suddenly felt a cat biting his trouser leg.

He looked over doubtfully—

It wasn't a cat, but the little palace maid Ju Sheng, who had been splashed with foot washing water by Nan Lijun and almost fed to a tiger by Zhi Luo, who was trying to grab him with the weak strength of a cat.

While Yan Shijiu and all the black-scale cavalrymen were busy rushing into the Feng Yutian Palace, Ju Sheng dragged Buyan out of the palace little by little.

Bu Yan still couldn't understand how a sixteen-year-old girl with such a thin body who could hardly lift a bucket of water could carry a grown man like him out of the pile of dead bodies and escape from the palace.

At that time, all the palace people were busy running for their lives and hiding. Ju Sheng could have escaped with them.

Buyan didn't understand why she turned back halfway while escaping and risked being killed to save him.

Is it just to repay the kindness of saving her from the tiger's mouth?

Alas, there are so many fools in this world who don’t know how to repay kindness... I can’t express my feelings in words.

But later, as they spent more time together, Nan Lijun became jealous and crazy more often. No matter how slow he was, he finally understood Ju Sheng's feelings.

It was a pure love that he dared not touch and felt unworthy of.

In order to be with him, Ju Sheng took out all the property he had taken with him when he escaped from the palace, and fled with him and Nan Lijun despite the hardship. He was willing to serve Nan Lijun, the emperor who was dead in name only, and endured insults and beatings every day.

Of course Bu Yan couldn't stand it. No matter whether Ju Sheng was his savior or something else, he couldn't let her be bullied.

But the more he helped Ju Sheng and protected Ju Sheng, the harder Nan Lijun would beat Ju Sheng when he was not around.

Thinking of this, Buyan knew that he could no longer drag down Ju Sheng.

He wrote on the ground again with the knife:

"Ju Sheng, where are you from?"

Ju Sheng smiled with his eyes curved: "I am from Huainan."

Hearing this answer, he smiled without saying a word.

That smile seemed to say:

I guessed right. Oranges grown in the south of the Huai River are called oranges, while those grown in the north of the Huai River are called trifoliate oranges.

Ju Sheng, Ju Sheng. I knew you were from Huainan.

Buyan smiled and took out a small purse from his boots, which contained three taels of silver.

Ju Sheng only needed to take a look at the scattered copper coins and silver ingots to realize that these were all saved by Bu Yan from his daily wages.

No wonder the money he brought back during this period was not enough, but he looked more tired and exhausted than before.

Ju Sheng didn't understand why Buyan did this. While she was wondering, Buyan had already stuffed the purse into her hand.

Facing Ju Sheng's blank gaze, Buyan wrote on the ground again.

Just a few words made Ju Sheng go from being stunned to being shocked, and his eyes instantly turned red.

"Jusheng, three taels of silver, and I can go back to Huainan."

Three taels of silver was just enough for the trip back to Huainan.

Ju Sheng knew that Buyan was not trying to drive her away, but he couldn't bear to see her stay here and suffer the pain of fleeing with him and endure Nan Lijun's torture.

It's a pity that this love and care came from the kindness in his heart, not from his affection for her.

Ju Sheng is not stupid, and she knows this.

"Oh, okay." Ju Sheng lowered his head and said with a sour nose.

She slowly turned around and walked back, wanting to pack her bags, but then she remembered how poor she was now and had nothing, so how could she pack any bags? She changed direction and wanted to go to the nearest town to find a carriage.

Buyan quietly watched Ju Sheng spinning around like a confused little bird, frowning and sighing.

The sigh was very soft and small, but for some reason, it sounded as loud as thunder in Ju Sheng's ears.

She couldn't bear it any longer, and suddenly turned around and rushed towards Bu Yan, doing something that surprised even herself -

She stood on tiptoe, straightened her chest, and frantically kissed the corner of his lips. She choked and said, "Master Buyan, goodbye," then stumbled away and never looked back.

Looking at the figure running away in the distance, Bu Yan subconsciously touched the corner of his lips. There was surprise on his face, and a little... surprise, which was a result of not being touched by warmth for a long time.

At this time, Nan Lijun's sarcastic voice came from behind:

"Oh, I was out for a walk and happened to see this scene of affection between a man and a woman. What a coincidence! Women are always more likely to feel sympathy and the softest love for men who are both disabled and handsome, don't you think?"

The irony of this double entendre brought Bu Yan back from his emotions. He frowned unhappily and looked at Nan Lijun with a gloomy look. However, the latter was not afraid at all. Instead, he raised his chin and smiled even more mockingly:

"Why, was I wrong? I was only talking about you, not Yun Chen. You don't have to stand up all your thorns."

He withdrew his gaze and walked back silently.

Nan Lijun continued to chatter in the background, each word more sarcastic and pointed than the last:

"Little girls are great, so fresh and tender, better than a slut with scars all over my body, right? It's normal for you to like her, how can you not like her? If you don't like her, with your secret guard's skills, you won't be able to avoid her when she kisses you? Haha..."

Bu Yan was obviously too lazy to pay attention to these unpleasant words, and was unable to argue at all.

He went straight back to his hut and fell asleep.

Nan Lijun refused to give in and wrapped her body around him and started to strip off his clothes.

If Bu Yan blocked it once, she would pounce on him again. If he blocked it again, she would pounce on him again.

She suddenly became furious and kicked and punched Buyan's back.

Her clothes were messed up in the movement, and her hair bun became loose, making her look like a shrew.

No matter how she hit him, Buyan remained motionless, as if he didn't feel anything.

She finally felt bored and tired of fighting, and lay down beside him panting.

"I've always wondered why you never sleep in the same bed with me?"

Between her and Buyan, whether it was when they were in the palace or now when they were on the run.

As a human being, you have sexual desires, which is unavoidable, but it is not uncommon for people to leave after being affectionate for a while.

This is very unusual for an extremely delicate and gentle man.

Nan Lijun really wanted to know the answer.

Buyan opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

In fact, he also wanted to answer:

Because the story says that only husband and wife can sleep together.

Sharing a bed is a very warm and sacred thing, and it cannot be done casually.

He didn't know what gesture to use to express this sentence. While he was thinking, Nan Lijun stood up and went back to the inner room to read.

She fiddled with the candle until it burned brightly and quickly.

She lowered her head to read, her voice cold and stubborn:

"When I pass the exam and get into Junxiamen, I won't need you anymore. Then you can go wherever you want."

For the next period of time, life went on as usual.

Without Ju Sheng's help, Bu Yan had to work in the quarry during the day and take care of all the housework when he came back at night. It goes without saying how hard it was.

That day, he was really sleepy. While chopping wood in the woods, he somehow fell asleep. When he woke up, it was almost dark.

He thought to himself, "Oh no! A'li will be worried!" He ran back in a hurry, but from afar he saw that the hut was in a mess inside and outside.

His heart suddenly sank, and he thought to himself that this was not good!

He quickly searched inside and outside, but there was no sign of Nan Lijun anywhere. It was obvious that someone had kidnapped Nan Lijun while he was away.

Moreover, judging from the rough traces of struggle and fighting in the hut, it was probably not done by people from the imperial court.

He followed the footsteps in the yard and searched around. With his excellent searching skills as a secret guard, he soon found Nan Lijun in a valley.

She was being dragged by her hair to an open space by five or six men in cloth.

Judging from the men's curses, they didn't want to violate her, but to... take revenge?

Two men pushed Nan Lijun to the ground, and the others found two large baskets of stones from the woods.

The crowd surrounded Nan Lijun, each holding a pile of stones, and it seemed that they wanted to smash Nan Lijun to death.

"Are you sure she's Nanli Jun? That dog emperor?"

"It's certain! My cousin accidentally overheard it when he was transporting swill buckets to the palace a few months ago. Nan Lijun is not dead and has been on the run!"

"A few days ago, I personally heard a woman calling her 'Emperor'. Who else could she be but Nan Lijun?!"

"Fuck you! You bastard emperor! How many loyal people have you killed? How many civilians have you killed? There are eleven people in my family, and you killed ten of them in the war! I'm the only one left! My son is only two years old!!"

"My wife was harmed by your 'women have no human rights' slogan. She was on the street when she ran into a patrolman and her warrant was lost, yet you indiscriminately arrested her and made her a military prostitute! She was my legitimate wife!! To protect her innocence, she had no choice but to jump into the river!"

"You beastly emperor! Damn you, damned filthy bastard! I risked my life for you during the decisive battle in Youzhou! But what have you done? You withheld pension money! I can't even support my parents! They both committed suicide to avoid being a burden to me! And yet you're still clamoring to eat that bloody swallow! Do you have any conscience?!"

Everyone cursed and spitted at her, and no matter how Nan Lijun begged and said she had repented and reformed, people remained unmoved.

Because there are some sins in this world that are not worthy of being forgiven.

Buyan originally wanted to launch a sneak attack from the side and rush forward to kill everyone, but when he heard that they were all innocent people who were killed by Nanlijun, he had no choice but to sheath his sword, walk out openly, and deal with them.

It’s a pity that Bu Yan couldn’t explain it in words, and no one could understand the gestures he made.

The men immediately labeled him as a bastard of the same ilk as Nan Lijun, picked up the stones in their hands, and threw them at the two of them.

Bu Yan couldn't bring himself to attack innocent civilians, especially those who were harmed by Nan Lijun and had ample reasons to seek revenge.

He could only quickly knock the men down with his fists and feet, but even so, Nan Lijun was still hit hard on the head several times.

This immediately gave her a terrifying feeling that she might "die". Taking advantage of the opportunity when Buyan was pushing and shoving the men, she desperately ran towards the small hill in the distance, trying to find shelter.

Unexpectedly, when she turned around a fiery red coral tree, she accidentally stepped into a patch of red grass. She didn't pay attention and stepped on empty air. Before she could scream, her whole body fell into a deep hole.

Seeing this, Bu Yan quickly flew forward to rescue him, but he saw that the entrance of the cave where Nan Lijun fell was shaking violently, and it sounded like some huge mechanism was turning.

Those people who were clamoring to kill Nan Lijun were all scared away.

Buyanyi was terrified, knowing that something bad was going to happen. He was about to chase Nanlijun into the cave, when—

Ju Sheng appeared out of nowhere, or maybe he had never been far away.

She rushed over with all her strength from the side and pushed Bu Yan away.

Her mind was filled with the old man's words: "The imperial mausoleum is dark and cold... filled with traps... and countless monsters guarding the mausoleum... once you enter, there's no coming back, you'll be trapped to death inside..."

She gritted her teeth, her expression filled with fear, yet also determination. The force she unleashed directly knocked Bu Yan two steps away from the cave entrance.

Bu Yan was completely unprepared for this. When he quickly turned over and got up, he heard a loud "boom", as if a huge rock weighing thousands of pounds had fallen to the ground.

The hole that Nan Lijun fell into disappeared instantly, and the entire ground was sealed tightly.

All that remained in the air was a hint of dirty dust.