Xi Fuhong kept shouting in her heart, but no one heard.
“…Tiger Dragon Cave cannot be opened…” A vague voice echoed in her ears.
“Tiger Dragon Cave cannot be opened… mortals dreaming of obtaining it… never! Never!!” Suddenly, she shivered, recalling the owner of the voice, the corpse-like Baili, the zombie who hid the White Tiger Ring Head.
Why was she hearing his voice now? Wasn’t he killed by Xiao Qiyu? There were too many mysteries, and she didn’t have time to think them through.
Suddenly, she opened her eyes and found herself at the bottom of the stone stairs.
Strangely, she didn’t remember walking down the stairs.
“Don’t dawdle, keep up,” Luo Qingcheng said sideways, leaving Xi Fuhong even more confused.
Did she walk down by herself? Looking around, she was surprised to find herself not in a dark cave, but in a magnificent underground palace.
Although it was equally dim, the places faintly illuminated by firelight were adorned with intricate carvings, and even golden peonies were sculpted on the stone walls.
Scattered around were ancient jade and treasures, truly a treasure trove!
“…The legend is true?” The Tiger Dragon Treasure accumulated over a thousand years.
Luo Qingcheng snorted disdainfully at her words and then turned to leave.
Xi Fuhong bent down to pick up a piece of jade from the ground.
The jade was beautiful, but it felt incredibly heavy in her hand.
These looted treasures exuded an ominous aura, and she could vaguely hear wailing, the cries of people during the plundering.
She quickly tossed the jade aside and hurried to catch up.
Following the firelight, she wound through the stone corridors.
The underground palace was extraordinarily luxurious, even having a large courtyard and a pool.
Unfortunately, it never saw daylight, and due to the underground cold, there were faint traces of ice in the pool.
She crossed a low bridge and joined the others, only to see Gui Po standing in front of an iron door.
This door was different from the ornate decorations, a cold, towering gate.
The iron door was also carved, but with ferocious beasts and monsters, some even depicting the torture of people, and scenes resembling hell, warning intruders not to enter.
Whatever lay beyond was certainly not benevolent.
Clearly, Gui Po’s ultimate goal was not the treasure or the secret manuals… but something waiting for them behind the door.
Xi Fuhong stood by the pool, her face pale.
She couldn’t believe what she was seeing and hearing, just because…
“Fuhong, jump in.” Gui Po spoke again, asking Xi Fuhong to jump into the pool with faint traces of ice.
Earlier, the scholarly man who came with Chen Tanghe had been unexpectedly pushed into the pool by Gui Po.
At that time, Xi Fuhong was terrified and wanted to save him, but Gui Po’s shout stopped her, not to prevent Xi Fuhong, but to make her jump in.
The pitch-black pool, once someone entered the water, their heart would immediately go numb, followed by suffocation, and then… death.
Did Granny want her to die?
“Fuhong, didn’t you hear? Jump in quickly.” Gui Po’s sharp shout made Xi Fuhong tense up.
Why? Why? Why?
“Granny… do you… want me to die?” Xi Fuhong asked, her eyes wide open.
If it were anyone else like Luo Qingcheng wanting her dead, Xi Fuhong wouldn’t be surprised, but why Granny?
The Gui Po who raised her, was she really asking her to die?
Could there be such a heartless person in the world?
“Granny… I’m Fuhong… the Fuhong you raised… could it be you…”
“Shut up!!” Gui Po suddenly roared, interrupting Xi Fuhong.
Her face twisted, glaring at Xi Fuhong with a fierce look, completely devoid of any kindness, as if the person in front of her wasn’t a servant who had served her for ten years, but a deeply sinful enemy.
Xi Fuhong bit her lip, saying nothing.
The five outsiders present all focused their gaze on Xi Fuhong.
Those eyes held pity, indifference, amusement, silence, and lament, but no one was willing to help her out of danger.
Xi Fuhong blinked, feeling her eyes dry, unable to shed tears.
This feeling of wanting to cry but having no tears made her heart feel like it had a big hole, the pain unable to land, even the hurt felt insubstantial.
Gui Po stared at her for a long time, finally curling her lips into a mocking smile.
“Not shedding tears until you see the coffin? Fine, it’s time for you to understand, even in death, you should die clearly,” Gui Po’s tone was full of disgust, completely devoid of the usual calm treatment.
She walked towards Xi Fuhong, only five steps away, “Xi Fuhong, it’s truly ironic.
Over these ten years, I almost forgot the purpose of saving you.
I should have given up… but in the end, I couldn’t help it.
Blame it on… blame it on the shadow of that woman in you… your face… your appearance…”
Xi Fuhong was full of confusion, completely unable to understand Gui Po’s words, which seemed like self-talk but were closely related to her background.
What shadow? Which woman? Xi Fuhong didn’t understand.
She couldn’t remember things from over ten years ago because she was just a five-year-old child then.
Granny had said she was almost starved to death in front of a broken temple, and Granny saved her… it should have been like that…
“You know, ten years ago, I bloodily slaughtered the Ouyang Family.
That damned Ouyang Qian deceived my feelings and then ran away, betraying my love for him, that heartless man… so I killed him, including everyone in his family, whether it was maids, workers, cooks… or that woman… his wife,” Gui Po laughed a few times, then coldly looked at Xi Fuhong: “But I spared you, Fuhong… I spared you…”
…Spared… me? Xi Fuhong trembled all over, unable to comprehend Gui Po’s words.
Since Granny saved her, how could it be sparing?
Why was it sparing?
“Yes, I spared your life and took you back to the valley to raise you.
How foolish, the person you devotedly served is the demon who killed your entire family! You even wanted to take the blame for me? Ridiculous… truly ridiculous!!” Gui Po laughed maniacally, the sound echoing in the vast underground palace, as if from hell, incredibly desolate.
“Listen! You weren’t saved from a broken temple by me, you’re a descendant of the Ouyang Family, the illegitimate child of Ouyang Qian and that vile woman!” Gui Po glared at Xi Fuhong with anger in her eyes, “Our clan’s women have a kind of child-bearing gu in their bodies.
Once they have relations with a man, the gu worm awakens, and if they want to have children in the future, they can only be with one man.
But he betrayed my feelings! Destroyed my life with shameful sweet words! Since he abandoned me, I wouldn’t let him have it easy! Since he made it impossible for me to have children, I took his child…”
“It’s you, Xi Fuhong.
At that time, you were feverish, crying for your mother.
With one slash, your mother’s blood splattered on your face, staining it red, perhaps a curse,” Gui Po ignored Xi Fuhong, speaking to herself: “At that time, I don’t know why, I didn’t take your life.
Maybe it was because you had Ouyang Qian’s blood.
I thought this child ultimately had his bloodline, so I took you back to the valley.
But as you grew, I saw that woman’s shadow in you… every time I saw it, I hated it more…”
Xi Fuhong, hearing this, could no longer think.
Her mind was blank, only a few images flashing by…
That was in the Ning Family cellar, when Baili’s hollow eyes fixed on her.
–He knew something…
At that time, Xi Fuhong indeed had the thought that Baili knew the Ouyang Family’s descendant was still alive.
“Xi Fuhong, no… maybe I should call you Miss Ouyang.
It’s you who made me understand that hatred can never dissipate, even after ten years.”
