Chapter 22

Chapter 22

During their brief respite, Wen Qiao examined the contents of her storage pouch. She discovered multiple vials of Fasting Pills, with each containing ten pills that could sustain one for half a month without food.

Aside from the Fasting Pills, there were also various spiritual pills - healing, spirit-replenishing, detoxifying, blood-regenerating... Some had names she couldn't identify, leaving her to speculate on their uses based solely on their labels.

In addition, there were numerous talismans, weapons, and array disks – all the necessary resources for cultivation.

After her inspection, Wen Qiao looked at Ning Yuzhou with mixed feelings and asked, "These spiritual pills..."

"All refined by the Ning family's alchemists," Ning Yuzhou said with a smile. "The spirit pills aren't of high grade, but they should suffice for you."

Wen Qiao hummed in response, contemplating that given Dongling's alchemy standards, it was already commendable to produce Mystic Rank pills, while Earth Rank ones were exceedingly rare. The spirit pills in the storage bag indeed weren't of high grade, mostly being Yellow Rank. However, their variety was impressive, with many types she had never even heard of, each with peculiar uses.

It seemed that the royal Ning family's foundations were far more profound than what outsiders speculated.

As one who stood to benefit from this, Wen Qiao was grateful.

There were so many Fasting Pills that they could last for years without needing food. Even if they were trapped here and couldn't leave, starvation wouldn't be an immediate concern. Thus, Wen Qiao felt reassured. For now, she needed to worry about potential dangers within the palace maze and how to escape. If this place was truly the abode of some mighty cultivator, traps would likely line the path, posing immense risks.

Wen Qiao mentally calculated their progress. After a sufficient respite, they proceeded to navigate the maze together.

On either side of the labyrinth, luminous fluorite stones were embedded at intervals, casting a subtle, eerie glow that illuminated the surroundings. However, this very lighting made it facile for one to lose track of time's passage.

Wen Qiao retrieved her hourglass and examined it, realizing they had been wandering in the labyrinth for an entire day. Concerned that her husband might be exhausted, she considerately suggested they take a rest.

"In truth, I'm not tired at all," Ning Yuzhou replied with a smile. Despite his inability to cultivate, he had learned some martial techniques suited for mortals. He had done this solely for the purpose of keeping fit, and was not as helpless as others might assume. He could endure for days without rest.

Yet, Wen Qiao insisted on taking a rest.

Laying out a fur blanket made from an enchanted beast, the two of them sat upon it.

Then, Wen Qiao retrieved a water skin and some food from her storage pouch, passing them to her husband.

As Ning Yuzhou was an ordinary human, he was unable to utilize items like storage pouches. Whatever he needed would typically be presented to him by Qian Shou. Now that Qian Shou was absent, it fell upon Wen Qiao to attend to him and retrieve items from the storage pouch.

Despite being younger and in frail health, as a cultivator, Wen Qiao was undoubtedly more capable in this environment than Ning Yuzhou, who was an unpracticed mortal.

Ning Yzuhou sipped his water leisurely, smiling as he said, "Ah Cuo, if everyone who enters is scattered throughout the maze, they will eventually find their way out. Our pace is already slower than others, and if we waste more time resting, we might fall even further behind."

The remark held an underlying meaning, suggesting to the young lady not to be so naive. With this unknown grotto now open, there must be rare treasures to be found; they should hurry and search for them instead of wasting time in this maze.

It was unclear if Wen Qiao had understood the hint. She responded calmly, "But you need to rest."

Ning Yuzhou replied, "… I can still manage."

"No, you need your rest," Wen Qiao insisted. "My cultivation is too low. Even if I find any unusual treasures, I won't be able to protect them from others. It's better if I just take a casual look around."

Ning Yuzhou fell silent for a moment before he couldn't help but laugh.

His smile curved his eyebrows and warmed his eyes, as if a spring had been intoxicated, making his handsome face even more gentle.

Wen Qiao took out a Fasting Pill, swallowed it with a frown, and found the taste truly unpleasant. Fasting Pills rarely had a good taste, and she wondered why alchemists didn't improve their flavor.

"Don't force yourself if you can't eat it," Ning Yuzhou said. "Don't worry, no matter how large this maze is, we'll leave here soon."

Wen Qiao glanced at him, secretly thinking that her husband might have made another discovery. As someone traveling alongside him, she had noticed nothing, highlighting the obvious difference between them. She was already accustomed to Ning Yuzhou's intellectual superiority over ordinary people. Just because he couldn't cultivate, it didn't mean she should underestimate him. This was a man who could even tame the Hidden Scale Guards, so he must possess extraordinary abilities.

As an ordinary person, she only needed to follow his instructions and not trouble herself with such concerns.

Thus, Wen Qiao put her heart at ease and rested for two full hours before continuing their journey.

They wandered through the maze for nearly five days.

By now, it had been twenty days since they entered the Hidden Scale Hunting Valley, with only ten days left until its closure.

On this day, as Wen Qiao marked a crossroads they had passed, she heard an odd, faint sound. It piqued her interest, stirring her senses slightly.

The maze was eerily quiet, as if nothing else existed besides them. This silence could drive anyone mad, but Wen Qiao, having spent a long time bedridden, was accustomed to such solitude. Ning Yuzhou, too, was no ordinary person; he remained calm and composed throughout, never showing any signs of anxiety, which greatly relieved Wen Qiao.

She shared her discovery with Ning Yuzhou and led him towards the source of the sound.

However, despite walking for a long while, they couldn't locate its origin. Wen Qiao furrowed her brow and couldn't help but stop.

Ning Yuzhou wasn't a cultivator, so his senses weren't as sharp as Wen Qiao's. Unable to hear the noise, he asked, "Ah Chuo, can you describe that sound to me?"

Wen Qiao listened attentively once more. "It sounded like something dropping onto the ground, possibly coming from this direction, or maybe from behind the wall."

Ning Yuzhou followed the direction she pointed, his expression shifting slightly. He reached out to touch the wall.

The walls were solid and impervious to force; even cultivators could only shave off bits of stone with their attacks, unable to break through violently. Even if they suspected that the sound might be coming from the other side, there was no way to verify it immediately.

Wen Qiao had no choice but to give up and continue moving forward with Ning Yuzhou. Perhaps due to the fortunate discovery earlier, when they reached another fork in the road, they heard distant commotion and hurried footsteps coming from one of the paths ahead.

After listening for a moment, Wen Qiao hastily pulled Ning Yuzhou and started running. As they randomly chose a passage to dash through, a group of people emerged from a passage ahead of them. They were running at an incredible speed, as though something terrifying was chasing them from behind.

The person in front, upon spotting Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou, screamed, "Ning Yuzhou!"

Without hesitation, this person dashed straight towards them. The others, unable to escape the pursuing monsters, naturally followed closely behind, for safety lay in numbers.

Upon hearing the voice, Wen Qiao knew it belonged to Princess Jiuyi, Ning Yaozhu.

Since entering the Scale Platform Hunting Valley, they had been traveling leisurely without actively seeking out any heavenly treasures or resources, lagging far behind the other cultivators. They hadn't encountered many fellow cultivators along the way, and after the grotto's appearance, they'd spent days lost in the maze. It was only now that they finally came across someone familiar.

But under the current circumstances, it would have been better if they hadn't met anyone.

Wen Qiao listened to the hurried footsteps of their pursuer, though clueless about what creature was chasing them, she knew they had to run for it.

With the escape skills honed during her life-and-death struggles in the territory of the Ice Tear Frogs, Wen Qiao scooped up Ning Yuzhou and bolted.

Ning Yuzhou: "..............."

Those watching from behind: "..............."

If circumstances were different, Ning Yaozhu would have found this scene hilarious and would have mocked Ning Yuzhou relentlessly for needing the protection of a frail girl. However, with the bizarre monster hot on their heels, they had no time for anything but to flee as quickly as possible, seeking every chance to save their lives.

Ning Yaozhu's cultivation was higher than Wen Qiao's, and so were those around her. They swiftly caught up to Wen Qiao, then – without hesitation – passed them by.

At that moment, one of the male cultivators beside Ning Yaozhu suddenly glanced at Wen Qiao and the man, drawing his sword to strike.

Wen Qiao hastily dodged, but in that fleeting instant, the group had already distanced themselves.

A sense of extreme peril washed over her, as if she was being targeted by something terrifying. A chill ran down her spine, and without any hesitation, she shoved Ning Yuzhou forward, taking the blow meant for him.

Her body was sent flying, crashing into a wall before rebounding back to the ground. A metallic taste filled her throat as she coughed out a mouthful of blood.

With her organs feeling as if they were being crushed, Wen Qiao spat out blood mixed with fragments of her innards. Her vision darkened from the excruciating pain, and she nearly fainted. She sensed her life force rapidly draining away, but thoughts of Ning Yuzhou, who was defenseless, compelled her to draw upon all the essence spirit energy from her 36 spiritual orifices. Activating her full potential and speed, she forced herself forward, diving onto Ning Yuzhou and shielding him beneath her.

"Ning Yuzhou!" he cried, staring at her in shock.

Wen Qiao faced the monster, barely catching a glimpse of a white figure dashing past the wall through the corner of her eye. Before she could even register what it was, searing pain lashed out at her back. Sharp claws tore through her clothes, ripping her flesh open, and blood splattered.

She laid herself over Ning Yuzhou, protecting him with her body.

Ning Yuzhou gazed at her in a daze, witnessing her bloodied face, pale and disheveled.

A rumbling noise sounded ahead, accompanied by the screams of those fleeing. Panicked, they turned back, only to see Ning Yuzhou on the ground, holding the blood-soaked, unconscious Wen Qiao in his arms. The pursuing monster was leaping about, seemingly delighted as it scavenged for scattered spirit pills to devour. It showed no trace of the ferocity it had displayed during its chase.

All the cultivators felt a pang of regret. If they had known that the monster feasted on spirit pills, they would have used them to pelt it earlier. Amidst life and death, who would have cared about wasting spirit pills?

Ning Yaozhu's pupils constricted. Whether she was surprised by the monster's pill consumption or amazed by Ning Yuzhou's miraculous survival, she couldn't tell. However, there was no time for contemplation. Rumbling sounds echoed behind them, and the labyrinth's passageways visibly crumbled. Rocks tumbled from above, the ground cracked, revealing a dark abyss. It seemed the labyrinth's pathways were built mid-air, and their collapse would cause the entire maze to plummet.

The collapse unfolded at an astonishing velocity, reaching this spot in the blink of an eye.

The white-furred monster, busy scavenging for spirit pills to devour, let out a piercing shriek. Enraged, it hopped about before turning to flee. However, no matter how swift its escape, it could not outrun the labyrinth's crumbling pace. Along with everyone else in the passage, it plummeted into the darkness below.

As they fell, Ning Yuzhou held the person in his arms tightly, allowing her blood to soak through his clothes and seep slowly into his heart. His typically gentle and amiable eyes were now a stark crimson hue...