Feng Fei and Yuan Jue couldn't help but exchange glances.
Yuanjue took the lead, but did not forget to hold Fengfei's hand.
Back in Shuiyue Cave, he forgot to hold Feng Fei's hand, which is why the two of them separated. What's behind him isn't necessarily safe; what's in his hand is relatively safe.
Looking at the two holding hands, Feng Fei couldn't help but think of the scene at Shuiyue Cave. She sighed: Yuan Jue was not to blame at all that time. Although Yuan Jue never mentioned it, and she never mentioned it either, they both knew that Yuan Jue had blamed himself for the incident.
The grove wasn't far away, and soon Feng Fei and the other two arrived inside.
As soon as you enter, a deafening roar of laughter fills the air.
Immediately, Feng Fei felt waves of dizziness.
Yuan Jue held Feng Fei tightly in his arms, looking very anxious. "What's wrong?"
After a while, Feng Fei felt better and shook his head with Yuan Jue to indicate that he was fine.
Yuan Jue stared at Feng Fei for a while, making sure she was only a little pale and had no other discomfort before taking another step.
After taking only three steps, a dark cave entrance appeared before Feng Fei and his companions.
"A deliberate diversion?" Feng Fei couldn't help but ask. The fact that the cave was so blatantly displayed made it hard to believe there wasn't a conspiracy.
Yuan Jue did not answer immediately, but closed his eyes and used his spiritual sense to investigate. After a long time, Yuan Jue exhaled and said to Feng Fei, "There used to be a maze array outside this forest, but I don't know why it didn't stop us."
"It's closed?"
"No, it's activated, and judging from the way this formation operates, it's been running for over a hundred years."
Feng Fei was taken aback. How could a formation that could operate for a hundred years be allowed to enter so easily? Moreover, even Yuan Jue had not sensed anything unusual. If the entrance to the cave had not been so obviously in front of them, they probably would not have thought to check it and would not have discovered the formation.
Should we go in?
Yuan Jue thought about it and decided it was better to go in, since they couldn't get out, and there might be another exit inside the cave.
Feng Fei and Ming Feng both thought it made sense, and the three of them immediately entered the cave one after another.
Upon entering, Feng Fei was immediately struck by the pungent smell of blood.
"Yuanjue, can you smell it?"
Yuan Jue did not answer, but Feng Fei sensed his solemn expression and immediately fell silent, following behind Yuan Jue slowly forward.
After walking for a short while, the cave became more spacious, and a blinding bloody light shone from the front.
After walking a few more steps, Feng Fei and the other two saw a huge pool of blood, which was so thick that it made them want to vomit.
Even more horrifying was that the blood pool was filled with creatures that couldn't really be called human. No, they were human; Feng Fei clearly saw that many of the people in the blood pool were the citizens of Mochou City he had seen before at the city lord's mansion. But they couldn't be called human anymore; many of them had exposed white bones, and their flesh was slowly melting into the blood pool.
They seemed to be having a party, their mouths uttering shouts and calls for each other to eat.
They would occasionally scoop up a handful of blood from the pool and drink it, letting out groans that sounded both painful and pleasurable. Each time they drank the blood, a piece of flesh could be seen falling from their bodies into the pool, where it would instantly melt away.
The melting of the people in the blood pool varied. The group closest to Feng Fei and his companions consisted of the commoners who had been invited to the city lord's mansion for the banquet. Unlike the "people" in the distance who were almost nothing but bones, their bodies were only covered by a few pieces of skin, yet they were even more horrifying. This was because after the skin fell away were the veins and bloodied muscles, with drops of blood seeping from the muscles, gathering into beads of blood, and then rolling into the blood pool.
Some of the "people" in the middle, and even those that were half-skeletonized, had most of their flesh corroded, but they still allowed Feng Fei and the other two to see directly into their internal organs. Feng Fei could clearly see that their hearts were still beating and their intestines were still moving.
They were uttering happy words, but their faces were filled with pain.
No one had their eyes open anymore; they were all tightly shut, their faces twitching from time to time, sometimes looking happy, sometimes looking sad, but in the end, they all turned into expressions of pain.
There's also a sense of hostility.
Yuan Jue suddenly frowned, pulled Feng Fei behind him, and swept his right hand across her brow, instantly waking Feng Fei from the negative emotions emanating from the blood pool.
As soon as Feng Fei woke up, she couldn't help but bend over and vomit. This bloody scene was something she had never seen in either of her two lives. Even when she first came to this world, the scene of people being killed was not as bloody and terrifying as this.
“Yuan Jue…”
Feng Fei leaned weakly against Yuan Jue's chest.
Yuan Jue gestured for Feng Fei to be quiet, and at the same time told Ming Feng to stay close to him. He wasn't too worried about Ming Feng, after all, Ming Feng had lived for tens of thousands of years and had seen many things. Moreover, he didn't know Ming Feng's true strength, but he was certain it wouldn't be weaker than his own.
After all, as a national mythical beast, and one that has lived for tens of thousands of years, how could it be so weak that it needs human protection?
Suddenly, Yuan Jue's gaze sharpened.
On a dimly lit rock opposite the pool of blood lay a blood-red toad, its body covered except for the top of its head with rough, warts of varying sizes. Each wart had reddish-brown keratinous spines. Its tympanic membrane was large and prominent, and behind its eyes were a pair of particularly large, protruding glands—the postauricular lines, which were its venom glands.
The blood-red toad seemed to be asleep. The cramped underground cave was not suitable for their movements, and if they were to fight with the toad, they would likely come out on the losing end.
Not wanting to wake it, Feng Fei and his companions were about to retreat when a hole filled with blood-red light appeared in the stone wall behind the blood-red toad. Then, several indistinct shadows were imprinted on the stone wall; someone had arrived.
Chapter Sixteen: Best Buddies
Before long, the owners of those shadows appeared beside the blood-red toad.
The leader was dressed in a bright red robe, with flowing cloud patterns embroidered in gold silk trim on the hem, cuffs, and hem. He wore a pair of black boots with gold trim. His blood-red hair was tied back with a red satin ribbon, moving without wind.
At a glance, one could tell that the man was wearing the groom's clothes. Could it be Lu Fei?
Looking further back, there was a person wearing the same clothes as the leader, but instead of flowing clouds, the clothes of this person were embroidered with phoenix flowers.
The last person was dressed in dark red clothes. Looking at his face, it turned out to be Steward Zhang, who had led the three of them earlier.
The second person who appeared gave Feng Fei a sense of déjà vu, but she was certain she had never seen such a person in the Celestial Empire. Therefore, there was only one explanation: this feeling of familiarity was a legacy from her previous life.
Thinking of this, Feng Fei immediately tried to recall his predecessor's memories, and soon he found the person's information.
This man was none other than Yue Jin. Yue Jin was originally the city lord of Mochou City, only thirty years old at the time. He had no white beard and was extremely beautiful; if he were to disguise himself as a woman, no one would suspect a thing. Yue Jin's ancestors were loyal and valiant generals of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom, a family of generals that existed since the time of Feng Wu, but by Yue Jin's generation, only his lineage remained. Yue Jin had a wife, sons, and an elderly mother around eighty years old.
Yue Jin originally had three older brothers, but they all died in battle against the White Tiger Kingdom. Many people felt that their deaths were suspicious, but no one could find anything wrong, and the matter was eventually left unresolved.
Yue Jin had been the lord of Mochou City since he was fourteen. He disappeared mysteriously with his family and subordinates after the Vermilion Bird Kingdom was conquered and Lu Fei was sent by the White Tiger Kingdom to take over Mochou City. Unexpectedly, he was found here.
"Yue Jin..."
Feng Fei spoke slowly, glancing calmly in the direction of Yue Jin and the other two.
The three people opposite seemed to know of Feng Fei and his companions' presence, and pretended not to hear Feng Fei's voice.
At this moment, Steward Zhang leaned close to Lu Fei's ear and whispered something. Lu Fei frowned, then waved his right hand, and a cloud of blood-red powder drifted above the Blood Toad. The next moment, the Blood Toad, which had been sleeping, woke up, croaked for a while, and then stared at Feng Fei and the other two with its terrifying blood-red eyes.
Mingfeng stepped forward to block Fengfei's path. As a fire-attribute divine beast, he was naturally able to restrain such blood-attribute creatures.
Yuan Jue's face darkened, and he was about to make a move.
Feng Fei, however, was alarmed and quickly asked, "Yue Jin, are you a traitor or a patriot?"
Yue Jin paused, while Lu Fei looked at Yue Jin calmly. Seeing Yue Jin nod, Lu Fei walked to the blood-red toad, patted its body to signal it to be quiet, and then stepped forward to look at Feng Fei and the other two across the blood pool.
The pool of blood contained people who were still reveling despite being devoid of flesh and blood, while six people stood silently facing each other on either side of the pool.
After a long while, Yue Jin suddenly sighed, waved his right hand, and a long red ribbon floated out from his sleeve. It seemed to float softly, but it actually formed a red ribbon-like bridge over the blood pool and landed directly in front of Feng Fei and the other two.
Without hesitation, Feng Fei and the other two stepped onto the platform immediately.
After Feng Fei and the other two stepped onto the red ribbon, Yue Jin exerted a slight force on his wrist, and the red ribbon quickly brought Feng Fei and the other two to the opposite side of the blood pool, in front of Yue Jin.
Who are you?
Yue Jin was brought before them by Feng Fei's question, "Is it treason or patriotism?"
Upon hearing this, Feng Fei merely pursed her lips. She had only asked the question on a whim. She didn't know if she could tell Yue Jin her identity, or if she could let Lu Fei, who was standing next to her, know.
Seemingly aware of Feng Fei's predicament, Yue Jin took Lu Fei's hand and said to Feng Fei, Yuan Jue, and the other two, "Lu Fei is my husband."
Ignoring the astonished expressions on Feng Fei, Yuan Jue, and the other two's faces, Yue Jin calmly placed a kiss on Lu Fei's right cheek. Lu Fei accepted it without hesitation.
"Today is my wedding ceremony with Lu Fei." Seemingly disliking the bloody smell here, Yue Jin frowned slightly before continuing, "What was the reason for your question just now?" His gaze was fixed on Feng Fei, as if he wouldn't give up until he found out.
Feng Fei couldn't help but look at Yuan Jue.
Yuan Jue stepped forward, looked at Yue Jin calmly, and said, "Lu Fei is your husband, so you are Lu Fei's wife. Between the two of you, who is in charge of the home and who is in charge of external affairs?"
Yuan Jue's question seemed to be asking who was in charge of internal and external affairs, but everyone present knew that Yuan Jue was asking whether each of them could represent the other, or to put it more bluntly, whether they belonged to the White Tiger Kingdom or the Vermilion Bird Kingdom. If Yue Jin was in charge of internal affairs, it would mean that they belonged to the Vermilion Bird Kingdom, while Lu Fei's external affairs were merely a facade for the White Tiger Kingdom.
Yue Jin's expression remained unchanged, a faint smile on his face. He looked at Lu Fei with deep affection before slowly saying, "I will take care of the internal affairs, and he will take care of the external affairs."
Hearing this, Feng Fei relaxed considerably, but Yuan Jue was still not satisfied. Just as he was about to ask something, Yue Jin spoke up again: "We have revealed ourselves, but we don't know where you are from. Are you really Mr. Yue's people?"
Yuan Jue was taken aback, then realized that when he visited the city lord's mansion, he had handed over his own invitation, which was addressed to Mr. Yue of the White Tiger Kingdom.
As Feng Fei pondered how to answer Yue Jin's question, Yuan Jue pulled her into his arms. Just as she was about to scold him, she heard Yuan Jue say to Yue Jin, "My wife is also from the Vermilion Bird Kingdom. She has always been domineering, so she is the only one who can manage matters within the country. So I will naturally be in charge of external affairs."
Feng Fei was still dressed as a man, which made Yue Jin and the other two feel a sense of sympathy for him.
Perhaps this was Yuan Jue's intention; Feng Fei clearly saw the complex emotions in Yue Jin and Lu Fei's eyes, including sadness and joy.
It turned out that before Lu Fei led the White Tiger Kingdom's troops into Mochou City, Yue Jin had followed the advice of his family advisors and fled Mochou City with his elderly mother, wife, and children. However, he was unwilling to give up and secretly returned to the city lord's mansion, only to be caught red-handed by Lu Fei.
Lu Fei had always been fond of men, and it was for this reason that his prime minister sent him to Mochou City, not expecting him to achieve anything, but simply to guard the city well. Lu Fei was also extremely excited about being away from his father, so after the White Tiger Kingdom's king issued the imperial decree, he immediately led his troops to Mochou City, only to find an empty city lord's mansion.
Even so, he was still very excited. Lu Fei was twenty-two years old this year, but he had no wife, no children, and no concubines, simply because he was a man.
That night, he was resting in the master bedroom of the city lord's mansion, waiting for Steward Zhang to bring him a handsome young male prostitute, when unexpectedly, an exceptionally handsome man barged in. This man was none other than Yue Jin. At first glance, Lu Fei fell in love with Yue Jin. Just as he was about to scoop Yue Jin up, Yue Jin escaped. From then on, he was filled with anxiety and uncertainty every day.
Yue Jin's ancestors were all soldiers with exceptional skills, and he was no less capable. Upon learning he had been discovered, he left without hesitation, only to later learn from his advisor that he had encountered Lu Fei. The advisor suggested Yue Jin seduce Lu Fei, as Lu Fei was known for his fondness for men.
Yue Jin was a man extremely skilled in intrigue, often resorting to any means to achieve his goals. Therefore, he merely frowned slightly before agreeing to his advisor's suggestion. What surprised him even more was that he felt no aversion to such seduction. Although he utterly loathed women who stooped to such behavior, the thought of that glance he had cast at Lu Fei's mansion earlier made it impossible for him to feel any disgust.
At that time, he was still unsure of his own feelings. It wasn't until he had direct contact with Lu Fei that he discovered he was attracted to men. However, he found it difficult to have similar thoughts towards other men.
After spending time with Yue Jin, Lu Fei learned of Yue Jin's true identity. Yue Jin, who gradually revealed his feelings, also made no attempt to conceal his true identity. Touched by Yue Jin's honesty and because of his own wholehearted love, Lu Fei completely sided with Yue Jin, secretly helping him contact other people in the Vermilion Bird Kingdom who wanted to restore the empire.
He even scooped out his own spirit beast, the Blood Toad, to guard the blood pool.
This blood pool has existed for a very long time, its age unknown. However, every generation of Yue Jin's ancestors had to do this every year by catching blood food to replenish the blood pool.
Lu Fei had completely disregarded Lu Yuan, who was still in the White Tiger Kingdom. In Lu Fei's own words, "That old scoundrel Lu Yuan actually has dealings with other countries in private. Who knows if he has done anything to betray the country? If he really did such a thing, I might as well do it myself. That way, I won't feel wronged when things come to light."
In Lu Fei's nonchalant tone, Yue Jin only saw deep affection.
Although societal norms forbid such an unconventional relationship from being established, they continued it in secret. This would only strengthen their bond.
"Ahem..." Seeing Yue Jin and Lu Fei's increasingly intense eye contact and their lips getting closer and closer, Steward Zhang, who had been standing behind them, couldn't help but cough lightly to remind the two of their surroundings.