At the foot of Jiyue Mountain, under a cliff, there is a lush jungle.

There is a waterfall falling down the cliff.

It gathered into a pool at the foot of the cliff.

The sound of the falling water can be heard from miles away.

It was late at night, and in the forest surrounding the pool at the foot of the cliff, a torch was lit every ten steps.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a group of soldiers in black armor, guarding the forest road leading to the pool under the cliff with a sentry every ten steps.

If Zhao Rong were present, he would be able to recognize at a glance that these soldiers were the elite of the Dali Imperial Guard.

I don't know why I'm here at this moment.

The only sound in the forest was the sound of the waterfall, and no one made a sound.

At a certain moment, a few fallen leaves suddenly fell on the head of a motionless guard soldier on a certain road.

Several soldiers around looked upwards sharply, and after observing for a while, they saw nothing unusual and slowly withdrew their gazes.

Afterwards, these elite imperial guards remained on guard with their nerves tense.

Tonight, they received a secret order from the Queen Mother to escort the dragon coffin of the late emperor into the imperial mausoleum. Any negligence would result in death penalty...

…

The waterfall pool, which was guarded by layers of imperial guards, was now quiet and bustling.

It is lively because there are many people around the pond.

Even a little crowded:

There were stern soldiers armed with black armor up to their eyes, and the sharp blades of weapons in their hands were shining silver under the cold moonlight.

There are many craftsmen but they are silent.

These craftsmen who worked hard and secretly to repair the imperial mausoleum were of both old and young ages. Although the place was clearly empty, they were crowded together.

Under the indifferent gaze of the black-armored soldiers beside them, the craftsmen's bodies trembled and swayed in unison.

At the front, near the waterfall, there is a group of women playing string music.

There were more than ten of them, wearing snow-white gauze clothes, looking ethereal and very beautiful.

besides.

Behind the stringed girls, there was a group of figures dressed in strange clothes:

They were wearing white mourning clothes, and judging by their posture and attire, they should all be women. However, their faces were covered with white cloth and their eyes were covered with white scarves, revealing no features at all...

As for the silence, it is because everyone here is silent except for the sound of the waterfall.

No matter it was the frightened craftsmen of the imperial mausoleum, or the cold-faced and ruthless string player.

It seems to be quietly waiting for a result.

At this time, what everyone around the waterfall didn't notice was that a young scholar had appeared on a secluded tree behind the waterfall...

"Is it that unfortunate Emperor Dali who is going to be buried in the imperial mausoleum?"

Gui glanced at it and asked curiously.

Zhao Rong frowned slightly and did not reply.

As if knowing what he was thinking, Gui smiled and said, "It was bad luck to begin with. He died early in his prime among kings, leaving behind a delicate and beautiful queen and a huge and powerful dynasty... Hmm."

The sword spirit nodded.

What are you 'hmm' about?

Zhao Rong was speechless, but still didn't respond.

It probably wants to use him and Dugu clan to make a fuss again, for example, Zhao Rong, you have to help the late Emperor Dali take care of his wife and children...

Take care of you big head ghost.

Zhao Rong stretched out his hand and pressed down the leaves in front of him, then looked intently through the larger gaps between the leaves.

At this time, the people beside the waterfall seemed to be quietly waiting for something, and the string musicians were all facing the direction of the waterfall...

By the way, the imperial mausoleum is built here?

Where is it? I don't see any buildings...

Zhao Rong's gaze swept across places near the pool, and finally fell on the straight waterfall that looked like a white cloth hanging on the cliff.

"Interesting, the entrance is built on the cliff behind the waterfall?"

He nodded.

"Hey Zhao Rong, why are we still here? This dragon energy should come from the dragon coffin, not something else. We can go and go up to Jiyue Mountain to take a look."

Gui urged a little impatiently.

Zhao Rong shook his head and said in his heart, "Wait a little longer."

"Are you worried?"

He nodded.

Tomorrow is the Fengshan Ceremony, and the dragon coffin being placed into the imperial mausoleum is happening right under his nose.

Moreover, the person in charge chose the time to seal the tomb in the early morning when everything was quiet and silent, just after arriving at Jiyue Mountain.

Most of the large troops stationed in the wilderness had been traveling for several days and had just arrived at their destination to rest.

This is the time when everyone is most relaxed.

Zhao Rong pursed his lips.

Well, plus Dugu had never mentioned the dragon coffin entering the mausoleum to him, the organizer of the Fengshan ceremony, so he discovered it himself...

"Okay, let's take a look."

Gui thought about it, nodded and stopped urging.

"Hey, Zhao Rong." It called him again and said with a smile:

"Wait a minute, will we discover some big secrets, like an evil villain walking out of the imperial mausoleum, and then proudly talking about his purpose? Hmm. It turns out that the entire Fengshan Ceremony was arranged by him, and the Academy and the Dali Dynasty are all his pawns..."

The sword spirit suppressed his smile and looked serious.

Zhao Rong nodded, "Then I'd better take a closer look to see if he is a peerless master as powerful as you."

When Gui heard someone praising him, he couldn't help but let out a light exclamation. Just as he was about to say something back, Zhao Rong's words continued.

"But even if it is, you shouldn't be the type who talks too much nonsense." He nodded and analyzed seriously: "After all, peerless powers like you are too rare."

Return: “…”

The air was quiet for a moment.

"Zhao Rong, are you saying that I talk too much nonsense?"

"Shh!" Zhao Rong suddenly raised his index finger.

The sword spirit also reacts quickly and does not act like a bad teammate at critical moments.

It passed through the Ajna chakra and looked outside, and sure enough, the waterfall beside the pool was suddenly split into two halves by a force.

A woman's figure walked out from between the two branching waterfalls.

This figure is plump, with flowing white clothes and graceful steps...

After a few breaths.

Zhao Rong, who was hiding on the tree trunk, breathed a sigh of relief.

Well, she’s not some powerful person behind the scenes. He knows this woman.

It's the snow silkworm.

The Fengyi female official of the Music Bureau was second only to the Grand Master of Music Mu Jin in status.

Zhao Rong muttered, "So, she was ordered by Dugu to arrange for the dragon coffin to be placed in the imperial mausoleum? But why did she choose to do it in the middle of the night? Also, what was she doing in there alone just now, checking?"

But soon, before he could have any new doubts, there was new movement near the pond.

The plump lady named Xuecan glanced around the field with cold eyes, then nodded her chin at the pair of string musicians who were waiting quietly.

The string girls immediately stepped forward, bringing with them a pair of masked and blind-faced women in white.

Zhao Rong's gaze immediately fell on the latter.

There were eighteen women in white clothes. Their faces could not be seen clearly. Some were tall, some were short. Most of them were slim and must be young women.

Even the shortest one among them looks like an underdeveloped little girl with a head like that of a girl.

Zhao Rong frowned.

Gui Hao said angrily: "Hey, Zhao Rong, who are these people?"

He thought for a moment, "The imperial mausoleum is about to be sealed, and they were brought in blindfolded... They are most likely the concubines of the late Emperor Dali. This is... a plan to bury them alive."

"Tsk tsk, they are the former rivals of the Empress Dowager Dali?" The sword spirit smiled, "So, Dugu sent them all in the name of justice? Well, as for why she didn't go in to accompany him, her son is the emperor and she is the empress dowager."

Zhao Rong didn't say anything, but frowned, feeling that something was wrong.

That Dugu family member does not seem to be a petty-minded woman. Although she can act, well, most beautiful women can act, not to mention that she is part of the imperial family.

However, he felt that Dugu should not take this opportunity to send all of the emperor Dali's concubines to the imperial mausoleum for burial just for the sake of political reputation.

After all, the approach was too cruel and would bring criticism, which was exactly what she wanted to avoid at the moment.

However, it is understandable that these things are chosen to be carried out quietly in the early hours of the morning to avoid being known by too many people.

But a certain beautiful widow would never have thought that he would come out to relax in the middle of the night, and even see the dragon energy and find the location of the imperial tomb...

Gui looked ahead for a few seconds and said, "Hey, Zhao Rong, what do you think?"

Zhao Rong thought for a moment and said softly:

"If Dugu wanted to kill them, she would have many ways to do it, not this... But it could also be that women are jealous. Is she very much in love with the late Emperor Dali?"

His tone was also undecided.

He retracted his gaze and chuckled:

"Heh, even such a young girl has it. Doesn't it seem that the late Emperor of Dali was as wise as you praise him to be? At least when it comes to women, he doesn't care about meat or vegetables. His taste is almost catching up with that of Mr. Zhao. He's really good."

"???"

A certain young scholar was stunned, with question marks popping up all over his head...

Where was I punished?

Then, someone hiding on the tree trunk objected strongly: "What the hell is my taste? Why did you drag me into this? What kind of punishment is this?"

The sword spirit nodded and said, "I have seen a lot of the scenes in your heart. When your first and second wives were still little kids, didn't you, a scumbag, start to take action?"

“…”

Zhao Rong's blood pressure was a little bit out of control, and he protested:

"Wasn't I also a child at that time? It's wrong for children to attack other children. How could you slander the innocent things at the children's feast as dirty tricks? Do you understand childhood sweethearts? Do you understand innocent children?"

Gui nodded, "I don't quite understand. I only know that you are not as good as a rabbit."

Zhao Rong couldn't help but be curious, "Rabbit...what's wrong with the rabbit?"

"Even rabbits know not to eat grass near their burrows." He said in a leisurely tone.

“…”

As the two of them were arguing with each other, a completely different scene was taking place on the field.

In front of the waterfall, Snow Silkworm was standing silently with his hands behind his back.

The stringed women escorted the masked and blindfolded women past her who was watching coldly and into the separated waterfall.

Zhao Rong looked closely and saw what seemed to be a dark passage inside the waterfall...

After roughly understanding what happened on the field, Zhao Rong did not leave immediately.

He hid in the tree and waited for some time.

There is still no strange villain who suddenly appears, and the plans and conspiracies are read out honestly.

"Is it just a normal dragon coffin entering the mausoleum?"

Zhao Rong murmured softly. Although he did not feel the secret joy of uncovering the conspiracy and was a little disappointed, he did not leave immediately.

The main reason is that Xuecan, a female official of Fengyi, is currently present, which is different from when she came.

He also didn't know how powerful she was, and whether he would be discovered if he sneaked away quietly.

in addition……

The young scholar restrained his breathing even more subtly, and at the same time, his eyes gradually turned to the group of people who were trembling in a certain direction...

About one stick of incense later.

The string musicians who entered the waterfall corridor returned one after another.

As Zhao Rong had expected, they were the only ones who returned, while none of the masked women in white clothes that they brought in came out.

Among the group of string music girls, the leader nodded slightly towards Xuecan.

The latter nodded and took her away from the waterfall.

In an instant, the two forked waterfalls merged into one.

From the outside, the waterfall looks nothing like it was man-made.

If an outsider didn't know about it, they probably wouldn't notice that there was something strange on the cliff behind the waterfall...