The night, Weian Mountain.
The dry grass beneath the accumulated snow made "crunch, crunch" sounds as it was trampled. Under the moonlight, Xuan Wu, along with a contingent of Xuan Guards, entered Weian Mountain from the steep cliff on its western side. The mountain was now under a military blockade.
Today's mission was singular: to capture the monster of Weian Mountain alive.
The moonlight, hidden behind dark clouds, flickered in and out of sight. It fell upon the untouched, snow-covered ground, reflecting a shimmering light. With this light, Xuan Wu easily found the monster's tracks.
Footprints, several times larger than a normal person's, were pressed into the snow, extending until they disappeared into a mountain cave hidden behind a dead tree trunk.
...
In the early morning, after breakfast, Nan Shiying went to the medical tent to find Master Du.
"Monster?"
Nan Shiying squatted beside Master Du, watching him busy himself with the herbs on the ground. She had heard that Xuan Wu had led a team to capture the monster on Weian Mountain and was somewhat puzzled.
Since when did their princely manor concern itself with such trivial matters?
"It's a person!"
Master Du emphasized, "A person who has been infected with a蛊 worm!"
Nan Shiying stroked her chin. "So, it's capturing a lab rat for Ji Jinmo?"
Master Du choked slightly. The way she put it... although that was the gist of it, couldn't it be phrased better? For instance: rescuing a poor soul poisoned by a蛊 worm?
He didn't say it aloud, fearing she would call him hypocritical.
"Where is the person?" she asked.
Master Du sorted through the herbs on the ground, then put them into a sack, tied it, and slung it over his shoulder. He turned to look at Nan Shiying, his gaze somewhat akin to looking at an idiot. "Of course, they can't be brought back to the manor!"
Nan Shiying gave an "Oh," which was true.
Xuan Thirteen approached from a distance, coming to fetch Master Du. Seeing Nan Shiying there as well, he asked, "Your Highness, are you accompanying us?"
Nan Shiying nodded with keen interest. "Of course."
As she spoke, she casually took the sack from Master Du's shoulder. Xuan Thirteen glanced at it, then took it back from Nan Shiying's hand.
With the sack on his back, Xuan Thirteen escorted Nan Shiying and Master Du onto a carriage.
It was the bleak winter season, and the wind was biting. It had been raining and snowing for several days, and even the vendors along the streets had dwindled in number. The sky was hazy. The carriage wheels turned westward, and soon it drove out of the capital.
After bumping along for nearly an hour, the carriage entered a cave within a mountain range. Surrounded by mountains, the path was narrow. If not for Xuan Thirteen leading the way, ordinary people would never have discovered this cave.
Alighting from the carriage, they found the interior dark and damp.
Xuan Thirteen walked to a corner of the cave, lightly touched the wall, and then tapped it a few times. Suddenly, beams of orange-yellow light illuminated the area, revealing a winding path hidden in the darkness.
After passing through a long, narrow passage, they came upon a stone door. Two pythons, as thick as an arm, coiled on either side of the door, their green vertical pupils scanning the newcomers as they hissed, flicking their tongues.
"Xuan Thirteen, who is this person? Master only ordered you to bring Master Du. What do you think this place is, that any Tom, Dick, or Harry can enter?"
The question seemed to hiss from the pythons' tongues, a voice filled with venomous coldness echoing in the narrow passage and reverberating off the walls, creating a cascade of echoes.
Sensing the palpable hostility, Nan Shiying's eyebrows arched slightly, and a radiant smile suddenly bloomed on her lips. While her smiling face in their peripheral vision was gentle and kind, Xuan Thirteen shivered violently.
He sternly rebuked, "Tom, Dick, or Harry? Snake Shadow, open your dog eyes and look properly! This is the legitimate wife our master married with great fanfare, our Princess Consort!"
His voice seemed to pause, then carried a deeper chill, tinged with what sounded like sarcasm and disdain. "So what if she's the Princess Consort? Without the master's orders, no one is allowed to enter without permission."
"You—"
Xuan Thirteen's eyes widened. In his furious indignation, he almost drew his sword to hack at the two pythons coiled before them. He suddenly remembered the jade pendant the master had tossed him before leaving. He pulled out the pendant and pressed it against the pythons' eyes, then sneered, "See the token, see the master. Snake Shadow, are you still going to block the way?"
Snake Shadow fell silent for a moment, yet still refused to open the door. "I only obey the master's orders."
"Good, very good!"
Xuan Thirteen laughed in his fury. This Snake Shadow was clearly making things difficult for the Princess Consort. Who dared give her such audacity?
Nan Shiying had seen enough. The person behind these pythons clearly disliked her. She crossed her arms and leaned against the stone wall, her sharp eyes slightly raised. With a half-smile, she said to Xuan Thirteen, "Thirteen, you take Master Du inside. Tell the master there's an ignorant cur blocking my way, and ask him if he wants me to leave or to chop up these beasts to vent my anger."
Xuan Thirteen looked at the wicked bloodlust in Nan Shiying's eyes and knew that things wouldn't end peacefully today. At the very least, he was sure they'd be having snake soup today.
"Yes!"
Xuan Thirteen responded.
"Snake Shadow, did you hear that? Open the door!"
Xuan Thirteen roared.
The pythons on the door stirred. After a few seconds, the stone door opened from within. Thirteen snorted coldly and respectfully said to Nan Shiying, "Your Highness, please wait a moment. Your subordinate will be right back!"
With that, Xuan Thirteen, carrying Master Du, walked inside. Then, the stone door closed with a loud thud.
...
Passing through the stone door, the sight that greeted them was suddenly vast and open.
The stone cave was truly a world of its own.
A stream flowed, and the plants were lush and deep.
What kind of scene was this for the bleak winter season!
Master Du, looking at the scenery within the stone cave, couldn't help but click his tongue in admiration. In the distance, mist billowed, like clouds and fog boiling. Upon closer inspection, they realized it was a large hot spring pool.
"I wondered how such a scene could exist."
"So it turns out there's a hot spring here!"
Ji Jinmo could actually find a place like this!
He was indeed remarkable!
Hearing approaching footsteps nearby, Ji Jinmo raised his eyelids. Seeing only Xuan Thirteen and Master Du, he felt a trace of surprise.
That woman didn't come?
He hadn't specifically ordered Xuan Thirteen to invite Nan Shiying, but if she happened to be present when Master Du was being fetched, it would have been acceptable.
Rather than her knowing and choosing not to come, Ji Jinmo suspected she might not have known at all.
Well, it was fine. From the beginning, he hadn't intended for her to be involved in this matter.
"Master!"
Xuan Thirteen, along with Master Du, walked onto the octagonal pavilion. He glanced at the Xuan iron cage in the center of the pavilion, where a monster covered in green scales was curled up. He then retracted his gaze. Before Ji Jinmo could ask, he recounted the events that had just transpired.
"Master, that Snake Shadow was truly too much!"
Xuan Thirteen was still indignant and then conveyed Nan Shiying's words: "Her Highness asked you, whether she should leave or have a meal of snake soup."
Master Du glanced sideways at Xuan Thirteen. Is that what Nan Shiying had said?
I suspect you're the one who wants snake soup!