Huanzhu Time Travel: Yan Luo's Unbreakable Love in the Yong Dynasty

Chapter 134 Exploring the Secret Realm

Xiao Yanzi nervously grabbed Hongli's arm and whispered, "Your Highness, the footsteps are getting closer. Let's find a place to hide!"

Hongli nodded, his eyes quickly scanning the surroundings, and said in a low voice, "My dear consort, don't panic. Let's see if there's a place to hide nearby."

Hongzhou pointed to a crevice in the rocks and said, "Fourth Brother, there's a crevice over there that looks like it can hide someone. Let's try hiding in there first."

Consort Fucha hurriedly said, "Then go quickly, don't hesitate."

The group quickly hid in the crevice between the rocks, huddling together tightly, not daring to breathe.

A short while later, the Minister of Rites arrived in haste with men in black.

The Minister of Rites looked at the stone gate and laughed triumphantly, "Haha, they must have gone through this stone gate. Let's see where they can run to this time!"

As he spoke, he led his men through the stone gate.

Little Swallow watched their retreating figures through the crack in the rocks, gritting her teeth as she said, "Those annoying fellows, they're always haunting us!"

Hongli gently comforted her, "My dear consort, don't worry. Let's wait until they're a little further away before we go out and see if we can find another way out or the secret location of this Shadow Pavilion."

As the footsteps of the Minister of Rites and his entourage gradually faded into the distance, the group cautiously emerged from the crevice in the rock.

Hongzhou muttered, "This godforsaken place is filled with an eerie atmosphere; it's really unsettling."

Little Swallow rolled her eyes at him: "Prince He, stop complaining and hurry up and look for clues."

Fucha's primary consort said, "Little Swallow is right. We are pressed for time and cannot linger here for too long."

So the group slowly moved forward along the passage, which was filled with a damp atmosphere and had faint phosphorescence flickering on the walls.

Suddenly, Little Swallow slipped and almost fell.

Hongli quickly helped her up and asked with concern, "My dear consort, are you alright?"

Little Swallow said with lingering fear, "It's alright, Your Highness. There seems to be water on the ground; it's slippery."

Hongzhou rubbed his foot on the ground and said, "This isn't water, it's more like some kind of slime, it's disgusting."

Consort Fucha frowned and said, "Everyone be careful not to get it on yourselves."

As they walked, a large hall appeared ahead, filled with all sorts of strange artifacts and some ancient scrolls.

Little Swallow ran over excitedly, picked up a scroll and flipped through it, saying, "Your Highness, there are so many books here! Maybe we can find records about the murals in the Shadow Pavilion!"

Hongli also went over and examined the scrolls with her, saying, "Hmm, look carefully, perhaps the key lies in these scrolls."

Hongzhou, meanwhile, curiously fiddled with the strange gadgets. He accidentally triggered a mechanism, and with a "whoosh," a hidden arrow shot out.

"Ouch!" Hongzhou exclaimed in surprise, but fortunately he reacted quickly and dodged in time.

Lady Fucha, the primary consort, was startled and scolded, "Prince He, can't you be more careful? This is so dangerous!"

Hongzhou scratched his head sheepishly: "I was just curious, I didn't expect this thing to have a hidden mechanism."

As Little Swallow flipped through the book, she said, "Everyone, don't move around. This place is full of traps and mechanisms; you'll fall into one if you're not careful."

Hongli looked at the scroll in his hand and suddenly said, "My beloved consort, look here. It mentions that the murals in the Shadow Pavilion are related to a mysterious power, and it seems that five spirit pearls are needed to unlock the secrets of the murals."

Little Swallow looked up in surprise: "Five spirit pearls? Where are we going to find those?"

Hongzhou leaned closer and asked, "Fourth Brother, does this scroll mention where the Spirit Pearl is?"

Hongli shook his head: "No, he only said that these five spirit pearls are scattered in different places and can only be obtained by going through trials."

Consort Fucha said worriedly, "This is not easy. We are currently being hunted down by the Minister of Rites, and now we have to find the Spirit Pearl. It's going to be even more difficult."

Little Swallow, however, said with great fighting spirit, "What's there to be afraid of! Now that we've come this far, we must uncover the secrets of the Shadow Pavilion and, while we're at it, take care of that Minister of Rites!"

Hongli looked at Xiaoyanzi with eyes full of approval: "My dear consort is right. No matter how difficult it is, we must not back down."

Just then, a melodious tune suddenly filled the hall. The music seemed to have a magical power, gradually making people's minds wander.

Little Swallow covered her ears and cried out, "Your Highness, this music is strange; it seems to bewitch people!"

Hongli forced himself to remain calm and said, "Everyone, don't let this music affect you. Concentrate and try to find the source of the music. Maybe we can find clues to the exit or the spirit pearl."

The group struggled against the magic of the music, searching for clues everywhere.

Hongzhou noticed a strange box in a corner of the hall, and the music seemed to be coming from inside the box.

He walked over and tried to open the box, but found it was locked.

Hongzhou called out, "Fourth Brother, there's a box here. The music is coming from inside, but it's locked and we can't open it."

Hongli walked over and examined the lock, saying, "This lock looks complicated; we need to find the key."

Little Swallow was searching for the key in the hall when she suddenly saw a painting on the wall. The painting depicted a key, and the shape of the key was facing a stone pillar in the center of the hall.

Little Swallow's eyes lit up. She ran to the stone pillar and examined it closely. She found a small hole on the pillar, the shape of which was exactly the same as the key in the painting.

She exclaimed, "Your Highness, I think there might be a key hidden inside this stone pillar. Let's find a way to get it out!"

Hongli and Hongzhou came to help, and the three of them worked together to turn the stone pillar. Finally, a key popped out of the pillar.

Hongzhou, holding the key, said excitedly, "Haha, this is it! Watch me open this box."

Hongzhou inserted the key into the lock of the box, turned it gently, and the box opened with a "click".

There was no spirit pearl in the box, only a map and a letter.

Hongli picked up the letter and read it: "To obtain the Spirit Pearl, first go to Spirit Void Valley, traverse the Misty Forest, and the Spirit Pearl will appear..."

Looking at the map, Xiao Yanzi said, "Your Highness, where is Lingxu Valley? It doesn't seem to be marked very clearly on this map."

After thinking for a moment, Hongli said, "No matter what, let's get out of this place first, and then find the location of Lingxu Valley. We can't just stay here forever."

The group decided to look for the exit according to the general direction on the map, but as soon as they stepped out of the hall, they encountered the Minister of Rites' subordinates.

The leader of the men in black shouted, "Prince Bao, you can't escape now! Hand over what you've found!"

Little Swallow shouted angrily, "Don't even think about it! Come and take it if you dare!"

Hongli gripped his sword tightly and said, "My beloved concubine, be careful, another battle is about to begin!"

The group is once again embroiled in battle. Will they be able to successfully repel the enemy this time, and will they be able to find Lingxu Valley and embark on the journey to find the Spirit Pearl? The political landscape of the palace remains unpredictable, and the story continues.

This chapter concludes here. Stay tuned for the next chapter.