Chapter 248 Crack
Seeing that the other person was clearly starting to get nervous, Mu Jianjian sighed softly to herself.
She must really like the young prince to do this...
Today, Huo Jin came over and subtly mentioned that Gongsun Yetong had done a lot for the young prince to stay in the Demon Palace. This was meant to remind her that even with the young prince backing her up, she should still understand her original identity and status.
“Dr. Gongsun, there’s no need to be so nervous,” Mu Jianjian said, standing up and meeting his eyes. “I just want to ask Dr. Gongsun for a favor.”
Gongsun Yetong frowned.
Since the Lord of Que has already given her the silver ring, what favors does she still need her to do?
"I won't reveal this matter, but in return, I hope you can have someone in the palace set up a diversion array," Mu Jianjian said leisurely.
"What do you need the transfer formation for?" Gongsun Yetong asked, puzzled.
"I want to transfer the array so that I can use it as a medium to leave this place." He stated his purpose directly without any concealment.
Gongsun Yetong stared directly at the girl, then suddenly noticed the endless stars scattered among them. She looked away. "Why don't you tell the Lord of the Palace about this?"
nonsense.
The fact that she didn't tell the young prince means that the young prince won't allow this to happen...
"Just tell me whether you're going to do it or not," Mu Jianjian said, changing the subject with a light laugh.
"How can I trust you?" Gongsun Yetong retorted. "What if I set up the transfer formation and then you turn around and reveal everything?"
She paused, then her eyes flashed coldly. "Unless you swear an oath first."
Mu Jianjian raised an eyebrow, "Then why didn't you swear an oath first?"
Although she wouldn't go back on her word, if she were to swear an oath, she would already be in a passive position.
Gongsun Yetong took out a medicine bottle from her sleeve.
Mu Jianjian glanced at the other person's hand movements and chuckled, "Doctor Gongsun, I don't want to make the relationship between the two of us too strained. We should be cooperating with each other, not mortal enemies who want to kill each other."
She paused for a moment, then continued, "You don't need to worry that I'll make this public after the transfer formation is set up, after all, at that time..."
"I've probably already left."
The girl's voice grew softer and softer, gradually fading into a gentle murmur in the air.
Gongsun Yetong couldn't hear clearly, but he still caught some of the content.
The girl's actions after being spotted earlier are now explained—
She wanted to leave the Demon Palace!
"You..." Gongsun Yetong originally wanted to ask her the reason, but stopped halfway through his sentence.
What business is it of hers if she wants to leave the Demon Palace?
Once she leaves this place, the Lord of the Palace will gradually forget her, and she will take his place.
"One last question: I was refining pills at the time, how did you know I had taken the Spirit Monkey Orchid Grass?" Gongsun Yetong had already walked to the door, but suddenly turned around and asked seriously.
"The taste." Mu Jianjian's gaze lingered on the white-clad woman's suddenly frozen back.
But... the taste...?
Distinguishing the exact taste of a single herb from hundreds of medicinal materials is something many of her fellow disciples probably couldn't do.
Gongsun Yetong took a deep breath and walked away.
Seeing the other person leave in a hurry, Mu Jianjian slowly turned around and walked to the table, picking up a soft and glutinous rice cake to eat again.
The sweet and fragrant cake filled the air with its aroma.
The art of incense poison combines scent with true energy, making it easy to distinguish the scent of the Spirit Monkey Orchid.
She looked down at the gleaming silver ring in her hand, a look of confusion crossing her eyes.
——
Since Mu Jianjian settled in the palace, she noticed that the young prince was busy with other matters and rarely came back. Her initial anxiety gradually subsided, and she waited for news from Gongsun Yetong.
The other party said the deadline was within seven days. While waiting, she resumed practicing her secret techniques. With the help of Gongsun Yetong's pill refining, her strength gradually recovered to its peak level before long.
Mu Jianjian would have lived a peaceful and uneventful life until, just before the transfer array was about to be completed, a familiar woman came to her crying.
“You…” She looked at the woman in front of her whose face looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn’t remember where she had seen her before.
"Please, they want to drive me out of here, but I am just a weak woman with no cultivation. How can I survive if I leave here?" The woman was wearing an expensive robe, and the hairpins and ornaments on her head were carved from clear and bright gemstones. At that moment, she was crying with tears streaming down her face, feeling utterly helpless.
"I don't know you, why should I help you?" Mu Jianjian asked softly, a hint of worry hidden between her brows. "Besides, it's no use you asking me for help."
Yesterday, Gongsun Yetong brought her news that the transfer array was about to be set up, but for some reason, she felt uneasy, as if something unexpected might happen.
“My name is… Yaoling,” the woman said, clutching her chest. “Recently, Lord Que has been away, and the people around him say that he has forgotten about me now that he has you, and they want to expel me. So… please, please don’t let them kick me out, I beg you…”
She lacks true qi and cultivation to maintain her youth forever; for the past hundred years, she has only been able to live this long thanks to the longevity pills that the young prince summoned to keep her life force alive.
She always felt that she was the most special one by the young prince's side, but who knew that she would receive the news that she would be expelled from the Demon Palace.
It must have been those who had long disliked her who dared to do this while the young princess was away from the palace!
Thinking of these things, before she could finish speaking, the woman began to sob softly, the sobs echoing throughout the palace, sounding utterly pitiful.
"Ah," Mu Jianjian exclaimed upon hearing the familiar name, her eyes filled with nostalgia, "So it was you."
A century later, they still managed to meet.
After all, she had been occupying someone else's body for quite some time, and she could vaguely sense a predetermined destiny.
Yao Ling thought the other party knew about her past, and she couldn't help but feel smug. She covered her chest with a hint of arrogance and said, "If you can protect me before the Lord of the Palace leaves, I can speak highly of you to him when he returns."
Although she could never see the young prince, she shouldn't be suspected if she said this to the new woman.
Mu Jianjian immediately frowned, looking at her as if she were looking at a talking pig, "You... are the little prince's... who?"
Countless possibilities flashed through her mind.
lady?
First wife or second wife?
But what was with the ambiguous atmosphere between the young prince and her a few days ago?
And this ring on my hand!
Mu Jianjian immediately banished all thoughts of romance from her mind, and her previously dazed brain became rational again.
This new idiot didn't know that!
Well, it all depends on what she says.
Upon seeing this, Yao Ling decisively clenched her hands and sobbed, "I am the Lord of the Demon Palace's lover. He has kept me by his side for many years, but the people in the Demon Palace reject me and do not like me..."
She bit her lip, looked up and met the gaze of the woman who was scrutinizing her. "If you can keep me here, I can persuade Lord Que to let you be his concubine... I don't mind."
Having barely escaped before everyone else left, she could easily manipulate the woman in front of her if she also liked the young prince.
Mu Jianjian felt as if she had been struck by lightning; she was momentarily speechless and didn't know what to say.
She knew very well what it meant that Yaoling, who had no cultivation of true qi, could live for so many years.
"Please leave, I can't help you."
Mu Jianjian lowered her eyes and turned away. She felt that something was slowly slipping out of her control, something that was usually so rational within her.
Pulling back from the brink is just the beginning; as long as you manage to rein it in, it's not too late.
As he said this to himself, Yao Ling's voice continued to clamor behind him.
"You really don't want to help me? Please... if you just ask, they won't refuse..."
"How about I let you expand? Is that alright?"
"You wretched wretch! If Lord Que hadn't gone to the Primordial Tower, do you think I'd be here begging you?"
Mu Jianjian stopped in her tracks, turned around and asked, "What is the Primordial Tower?"
Yao Ling clearly hadn't expected the other party to turn around suddenly, and her expression remained unchanged, still bearing the same resentful and vicious look from before, unable to adjust for a moment.
She snorted coldly, no longer bothering to pretend, "Why should I tell you?"
Mu Jianjian couldn't help but question the young prince's taste. She turned and left without stopping, showing no intention of wasting words with the person opposite her.
Since Yaoling doesn't want to talk about it, she can simply go find someone else.
"Don't go! Don't go!" Seeing that the girl seemed to be serious, Yaoling immediately rushed forward to chase after her, but the other party did not stop. She could only apologize for what she had said earlier, and only then did she receive a condescending look from the other party.
Yao Ling couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy.
Even when the eldest daughter of the Gongsun family came to see her, knowing that she was someone the young prince cared about, she was extremely respectful and even had to suppress her emotions to prepare longevity pills for her.
What is this person anyway?
What gives you the right to treat her like that?
If I didn't need her help right now, I wouldn't bother coming all this way!
"The Primordial Tower is where the Three Stone Flowers grow. A few days ago, when the Three Stone Flowers were in full bloom, people from all over the Upper Realm went to pick them, including people from the Celestial Palace," Yao Ling looked at the other person's expression and asked, "You don't know anything about it?"
There were even people who were more out of touch with the world than she was.
Mu Jianjian pursed her lips.
Ever since she arrived at the Demon Palace and handed the Broken Brocade Scroll to the young prince, she has been in a state of complete inaction.
Even though she had a sense of security about returning after cooperating with Gongsun Yetong, she was still anxious and uneasy, but now she knew.
This is her way of escaping her inner feelings; she consciously tries to ignore news about the young prince, as if only in this way can she leave gracefully.
But now she realizes that she simply cannot do it.
Mu Jianjian's unease intensified, and she softly hummed in agreement before preparing to leave.
"You're leaving? Tell her for me..." Yao Ling was anxious and tried to grab the girl, but the girl dodged her.
"I did not agree to that."
Ignoring the curses and cries behind her, Mu Jianjian turned around and went back to her palace to pack her things, only to bump into Gongsun Yetong.
"You look terrible. You should be feeling better after taking my medicine..." Gongsun Yetong rarely showed concern for her. "Don't misunderstand, I'm just afraid that when Lord Que returns, he will suspect that I didn't cure you."
"I'm fine, thank you." Mu Jianjian's brows furrowed with concern as she continued packing her things.
"You've started packing? How did you know the transfer array was set up!" Gongsun Yetong clapped her hands and laughed. "When are you planning to leave? Don't worry, I've asked the family to make sure everything goes smoothly."
His voice carried a hint of barely perceptible tension and anticipation.
Mu Jianjian seemed not to hear what she said, staring blankly at the meager items in her hands, then turned to Gongsun Yetong, "Do you know where the Primordial Tower is?"
Gongsun Yetong's smile vanished abruptly. "What do you want to do?"
"I'm unfamiliar with this place, so I'm curious and want to ask," Mu Jianjian said slowly and calmly.
"You'd better not even think about getting involved in the Primordial Tower. With your cultivation level that has just entered the Core Formation stage, they can crush you as easily as crushing an ant." Gongsun Yetong's voice was cold and ruthless as he warily sized her up, his gaze like that of a venomous snake.
"I value my life, I'm not lying to you." Mu Jianjian raised a faint smile.
“I doubt you would dare,” Gongsun Yetong raised an eyebrow. “The Primordial Tower is in the southwest. It’s ten thousand feet tall, reaching into the clouds with no end in sight. But the moment you step into the tower, you enter a labyrinth within, and it’s very difficult for ordinary people to get out…”
She spoke haltingly for a long time before finally concluding, "So when do you plan to move to the new location?"
"Come find me here at midnight tonight," Mu Jianjian said steadily. By the time she came to her senses, Gongsun Yetong had already been gone for a long time.
She then looked down at the cold silver ring on her finger.
The young prince said that the silver ring allows him to sense whether she is in danger. Could it be the other way around?
If the system were still around, it would definitely try to persuade her, but she can't worry about that now...
——
Midnight (11 PM - 1 AM).
Gongsun Yetong slowly entered the palace. Seeing the light reflected from the gauze curtains, a trace of reluctance flashed in her eyes.
To eliminate any future trouble, she tampered with the formation, so that as long as the woman entered the formation, she could die without anyone noticing.
She was initially worried that doing something underhanded in the palace would be too obvious, but to her surprise, the other party gave her the opportunity!
Miss Mu, don't blame her for being heartless; blame her for trusting the wrong person!
Gongsun Yetong steeled his heart and entered the palace, only to find that the vast palace was devoid of any sign of life.
Even the guards who usually wait outside the palace were nowhere to be seen!
Gongsun Yetong's heart pounded, and he realized he had been tricked.
"Mu Yuanyuan—"
Very good.
She uttered those words through gritted teeth, making a deep grudge in her heart.
——
The night was deep and dark, with purple mist swirling around. A lingering fragrance coexisted with murderous intent. In the entire Primordial Tower, everything around could kill a cultivator instantly.
Mu Jianjian held a pine root that she had pulled from a pine tree in the system space, and she walked forward while munching on it.
"Hey hey hey, where did this Core Formation little sister come from, trying to steal the flowers?"
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