As the emperor's words faded, the chamberlain immediately withdrew. Then his gaze shifted to the jade pendant in his hand.
"The Phoenix Blood Jade. Truly a priceless treasure rare in the world."
...
Night fell, blanketing everything in darkness. It was late at night and all was quiet.
In the darkness, a man in white slowly opened his eyes. His long, narrow phoenix eyes sparkled with a mysterious light.
He sat up, looking at the Phoenix Blood Jade in his hand. Then, as if recalling something, the corner of his mouth curved into a faint smile. Next, he took out a gold medal from his bosom. It was the very medal he had given to Tang Youyou back then.
The gold medal was engraved with nine golden dragons. Each dragon looked so lifelike that it seemed to be alive.
This gold medal was the Nine - Dragon Seal.
"This time, I'll see where you can run to."
Saying so, the man got up, walked to the window, and then leaped off the roof, dashing towards the outskirts.
At this moment, his speed was astonishing, as swift as a lithe leopard.
Tang Youyou walked while observing the surrounding scenery. But after walking for several hours, she still couldn't find her way out of the forest.
She started to get anxious. Was she going to get lost?
To be precise, she knew nothing about many things here.
It wasn't until she was completely exhausted and finally couldn't stand up that she vaguely found the path down the mountain.
At the foot of the mountain, it was deserted. After passing through the bustling market, she came to a small town.
The people in the town all had fierce looks on their faces.
As soon as she took a step into the town, everyone in the town turned their eyes towards her in unison.
"A newcomer? This is interesting."
A woman in revealing clothes stared at Tang Youyou with lustful eyes.
The numerous men behind the woman stared at her like hungry predators eyeing their prey.
Seeing this, Tang Youyou instinctively took two steps back, afraid that these people would rush at her and take her life at any moment.
The woman looked extremely charming, with a teasing look in her eyes. She sashayed towards Tang Youyou.
"Hey, this little girl is quite cute. Why did you come to our Valley of Villains? Did you get lost, or did you do it on purpose?"
Hearing this, Tang Youyou was slightly stunned. The Valley of Villains? She had never heard of this place before.
However, looking at these people, they seemed to be ordinary people from all walks of life.
Shoemakers, tailors, doctors, merchants, bandits...
The woman raised her long and slender fingers, carefully sizing up Tang Youyou. But just as she reached out to touch her, Tang Youyou dodged to the side.
"Excuse me, sister... What are you doing?" Tang Youyou tried to soften her tone, but her expression showed no sign of compromise.
Seeing this, the woman retracted her outstretched hand and started to fiddle with the flower hairpin on her head. The hairpin was quite ordinary, a big red flower on her head, making her look like the top courtesan in a tavern...
"Sister just likes good - looking people. Since you don't want me to touch you, then let the big guys behind sister accompany you well. I hope you won't refuse this time, little sister."
As the woman's words fell, the men finally moved. They showed evil smiles and rushed towards Tang Youyou one after another.
"Pretty girl... Let us accompany you and protect you, okay?"
Some of them couldn't even hide the disgusting saliva at the corners of their mouths.
Seeing this, Tang Youyou flipped and jumped, grabbed a willow branch beside her, and with all her strength, swung herself out of the encirclement of these more than a dozen people.
Next... it was time to run!
She started a new round of escape. Only the jade pendant in her bosom had become even blood - red at this moment.
She stuffed it well and after turning several corners, she finally managed to shake off the people behind her.
Hungry and cold, with no way out, she could only crouch in a deserted and abandoned temple to catch her breath.
She didn't know what those people were up to. The so - called Valley of Villains was completely unheard of in her mind.
She hid behind the Buddha statue in the Guanyin Temple. The feeling of hunger and faintness came over her again, and she could hardly hold on...
Outside, it was getting dim. The night cast a curtain over the temple. When the strong wind blew, it left a strange sound, making her heart tremble slightly.
So cold...
Suddenly, she heard a sound from outside.
Since no one had burned incense in this temple for a long time, the main door was already in a dilapidated state. So when the person pushed it open, the door creaked, which was out of place in the silent temple.
The person walked into the temple carefully, carrying only a satchel in hand. She hurriedly opened the satchel, and to her surprise, it was full of food...
But looking at the girl, she was dressed in simple clothes, as thin as a skeleton. The patches on her clothes were very obvious. If it weren't for her bright eyes, Tang Youyou would have thought she was an old woman from somewhere.
The girl placed the food on the offering table in front of the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. There were all kinds of cakes. This was the best thing she could offer.
"Goddess of the Sky, this little girl wishes..."
She knelt on the ground, hanging her furry head. But she just couldn't bring herself to say the second half of her wish.
Tang Youyou, who was crouching behind the stone statue, had already lost consciousness. But when the fragrance of the food wafted out, relying on her last bit of instinct, she managed to stand up again.
Tang Youyou crouched low and peeked at the girl in front of her.
Another hour passed, and finally the girl left, leaving Tang Youyou alone...
Only then did she feel relieved and walked out. Looking at the offerings on the table, she reached out to pick them up.
Suddenly, a sword came flying through the air from outside. Tang Youyou quickly turned around and narrowly dodged the attack...
But before she could put the cake into her mouth, it was knocked to the ground by someone...
Her food had fallen to the ground.
The two people outside came in using their light - body skills and immediately started arguing with each other.
"It's all your fault... If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have gotten lost, and I wouldn't have ended up in this Valley of Villains!"
"What do you mean it's my fault? You can't tell directions but still give wrong directions. Is it my fault that we got lost? It's your fault! Or is it... her fault?"
These two were dressed in luxurious clothes embroidered with golden twin lotus patterns, wearing gold crowns and jade - decorated brocades. They looked extremely wealthy.
However, their appearances were quite different.
The young man pointing at her looked very heroic and handsome. He seemed to be a young general from some family.
The other one looked upright and proud, like a learned man full of knowledge.
But their current bickering made Tang Youyou think that her initial judgment might be wrong.
Ignoring their argument, she bent down on her own to pick up the cake on the ground.