Unparalleled Evildoer

Chapter 237: Confinement in the Bedroom
The secret passage is under the cliff of the Ten Thousand Snakes Valley. It is a winding underground cave. It is more like a snake nest than a secret passage. It is densely packed with poisonous snakes everywhere, which makes people's scalps tingle and feel nervous. No one would like to take this road. Fortunately, Mengya sprinkled some powder on herself and Wuzhan. The poisonous snakes smelled the powder and stayed away from it.

Men are not allowed to set foot in Yuechang territory. If found, they will be killed. Unless they have the queen's special order, they are allowed to enter. In order to avoid being stopped and quickly enter Yuxiang Valley with no obstacles, Mengya had no choice but to take this secret passage. By the time Mengya pushed open the stone door and walked out of the cave, it was already dawn.

Yuxiang Valley is full of brightly colored flowers with a fragrant smell. The ancient trees are more than ten feet thick and are far apart, blocking out the sun. The houses are all made of wood and are built on the branches like bird's nests, leisurely and unique. There are at least a dozen houses on a tree, and a tree is a village. The houses are surrounded by spun gauze, like a colorful waterfall, which is particularly spectacular.

Wuzhan did not have the time to appreciate the scenery of Yuxiang Valley. Taking advantage of the darkness, he followed Mengya and quickly bypassed the house and ran towards an ancient tree that looked like a mountain. The whole tree was like a palace, majestic and magnificent.

Before he could get close to the palace, he was discovered by a group of women in light gauze. The women in Yuechang covered their bodies with light gauze, and their body features were clearly visible. Only those who were infertile or old and ugly could use thick gauze to wrap their private parts. Therefore, Wuzhe was recognized as soon as he appeared.

This group of women all had green snakes carved on their right arms. Leading them was a middle-aged woman dressed in grey gauze, with dark skin and a rough face. When she saw Meng Ya, she immediately surrounded her with her people.

The middle-aged woman asked, "Where are you going, Princess, with this man?"

Meng Ya originally wanted to bring Wuzhan into her palace and disguise Wuzhan as an old woman, but she didn't expect to be discovered so quickly. Meng Ya said in a deep voice: "Do I need you, the captain, to ask me where I am taking him?"

The female captain smiled and said, "Princess, please calm down. I am just performing my official duties. Please show me your special order."

Meng Ya said: "This is the mother's oral order. The matter was urgent and no special order was given."

"Without your Majesty's special order, I will have no choice but to detain this man and then question your Majesty!"

Meng Ya was surprised and asked, "Mother Queen... Where is Mother Queen now? I will take him to see Mother Queen now."

The female captain said, "His Majesty is naturally in the palace, but the princess cannot take him to see His Majesty without His Majesty's special order."

Meng Ya scolded: "How dare you disobey my order!"

"I dare not. I am just following the law."

Meng Ya glared at the female captain and shouted, "The queen mother is anxious to summon him. If there is a delay, can you afford it?" Then she took Wuzhan and walked towards the palace gate.

The female captain said, "His Majesty has issued an order to lock up the palace and no one is allowed to see him."

Meng Ya: "Isn't it possible for me to see you?"

"The princess is no exception."

Meng Ya said angrily: "I will take him to see the queen mother today, let's see who dares to stop me!" She pointed her sword at the female captain.

The female captain took a step back and revealed the black bone spurs, "Princess, don't force us!" and confronted Meng Ya.

"Stop!" A voice came from the direction of the palace gate. The person who spoke was a beautiful woman in pink gauze.

"Elder Mu has come at the right time. Captain Ye has committed the crime of disobeying his superiors and dared to stop me from seeing my mother." Meng Ya said happily, because Elder Mu is in charge of government affairs, is smart and capable, and is the youngest elder in the tribe. He usually treats Meng Ya as his own daughter and spoils her.

Elder Mu glanced at Wuzhan who was wearing a mask, and said to Mengya, "Why did the princess bring this man into Yuxiang Valley?"

Meng Ya said: "Where is the Queen Mother? I want to take him to see her."

Elder Mu said with some difficulty: "I don't know why, but His Majesty suddenly ordered last night that no one is allowed to enter the palace. Now only Elder Liu can see His Majesty. We also have important matters to report to His Majesty and are waiting for His Majesty's decision. We have been waiting all night now."

Meng Ya was relieved, knowing that her mother was still alive, and asked, "What does the elder want to report?"

Elder Mu asked, "Princess, don't you know that Yuxiang Spring was poisoned last night? Although it was discovered early and the source of the poison was removed, thousands of people were poisoned. This poison is extremely strong. We have tried many methods but cannot cure it. If Your Majesty cannot cure it, I am afraid these thousands of people can only wait to die."

Meng Ya secretly hated Xiao Yuzhen and Yu Sisi for really poisoning her. She turned her eyes and said, "My mother ordered me to find a doctor last night. I don't know what happened after that."

Elder Mu looked at Wuzhan and said, "Is he the doctor the princess found?"

Meng Ya glanced at Wuzhan, nodded, and thought to herself: "No matter if you know medicine or not, you can only be treated as a doctor now. If it doesn't work, I will try your blood again. I just don't know if your blood is enough for a thousand people."

Elder Mu said, "Then follow me and see if he can cure those who are poisoned!"

Wuzhan said, "Elder Mu, please lead the way!"

Elder Mu turned around and brought Meng Ya, Wu Zhan and others to a nearby tree house. Under the tree, there were already more than a dozen people lying side by side. Each of them had a black face, purple lips, and their breathing was sometimes fast and sometimes slow. Wu Zhan said nothing, leaned over and gently placed the back of two fingers on the neck of one of them, concentrating on observing his pulse, and after a moment he opened his mouth to check.

Elder Mu took out a wooden box, opened the lid and found a black pill inside. He handed it to Wuzhan and said, "This is the poison taken from the spring."

Wuzhan took it, sniffed it gently, thought for a long time, and said: "There are twelve kinds of poisons mixed here, and the poisons are interdependent. The toxicity is extremely strong. If one of the poisons is removed, the others will evolve and fill in. Not only will it not weaken, but on the contrary, the toxicity will become stronger. It is very difficult to break it."

Elder Mu asked, "Sir, do you mean this poison cannot be cured?"

Wuzhan stood up straight and said, "If it were an ordinary person, he would not be able to survive for even an hour, but the noble has practiced poison arts since childhood, and his body has a certain resistance to these poisons. In addition, the noble's Yuxiang Spring has a natural detoxification effect, so the poison has only taken effect at one or two levels. Although the poison has invaded the internal organs, most of the toxins are still blocked in the abdomen. If you want to detoxify, you should first eliminate the poison in the stomach and intestines, and then look for detoxification medicine. Do you have Bashu here?"

Elder Mu said, "Yes, sir, how much do you want?"

"The more the better. Boil it in boiling water for half an hour and give the soup to them first."

Elder Mu ordered his men to do it with some doubt. Meng Ya breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Wuzhan's calmness with admiration.

Elder Mu smiled and said, "Sir, if you can save my people, you will be the savior of Yuechang. We Yuechang have always been repaying kindness and revenge."

Wuzhan said: "It seems that if Li cannot save the elder's people, then there is only death!"

Elder Mu's expression changed slightly and he said, "Since this is the order of His Majesty, how dare we decide whether you live or die? I wonder how you are going to remove the remaining poison in their bodies next?"

"Does Elder Mu's clan have any medicinal herbs? If so, can you take me to choose some?"

Meng Ya said: "Of course, I'll take you there right now!"

Elder Mu asked, "Sir, what kind of herbs would you like me to send someone to get?"

"poison."

Elder Mu asked in doubt: "Poison?"

"A kind of poison that you often take. This poison will not endanger their lives, but it is highly toxic. Only by using this poison can the balance of the twelve poisons be broken, so that they can be eliminated from their mutual promotion to mutual restraint."

Meng Ya said, "Then it can only be Queen Mother's Beauty Drunk!" Xiang Wuzhan explained, "This Beauty Drunk is a poisonous wine that our people have gradually taken since childhood. It can resist all kinds of poisons, nourish the skin and promote blood circulation. It is brewed by Queen Mother herself and distributed to the people. If an outsider drinks this wine by mistake, he will inevitably become mentally unstable, have hallucinations, and bleed from all seven orifices and die."

Elder Mu said: "Now that His Majesty is not seeing anyone, this is going to be difficult!"

Meng Ya said: "I will go to see the Queen Mother."

Elder Mu shook his head and said, "Elder Liu strictly guards the bedroom. The princess is not unaware of her character."

Meng Ya said: "Our lives are at stake. If she tries to stop us, Elder Mu, can you come with me to attack and see the Queen Mother?"

Elder Mu was shocked and said, "Absolutely not. If His Majesty blames me, even the princess may not be able to bear it."

"If we want to save the lives of more than a thousand people as soon as possible, is there any other way? Moreover, we only need to restrain Elder Liu, and the Queen Mother may not blame us."

"It's not that I haven't thought about this, but Elder Liu's cultivation is higher than ours. It's not easy for us to control her, unless..." Elder Mu stopped talking halfway. Meng Ya asked, "Unless what?"

"It's better not to say it."

Meng Ya said anxiously: "What's there to be afraid of? At most I can bear it alone."

Elder Mu looked around, handed Meng Ya a packet of medicine, and whispered: "Unless the princess sprinkles it on her when she is not prepared, only then can we be sure. Princess, don't worry, this medicine will only make her lose her internal strength. Once the incident is over, I will give her the antidote."

Meng Ya said without hesitation: "Okay, let's go now."

Elder Mu winked at Captain Ye, and took a team of people, leading Meng Ya and Wuzhan towards the palace.

Wuzhan walked beside Mengya, and while no one was paying attention, he whispered, "Let me have a look at the thing that Elder Mu gave to the princess!" Mengya didn't think much about it and secretly stuffed the packet of medicine into Wuzhan's hand. Not long after, Wuzhan stuffed the packet of medicine back without saying anything.

The palace gate was a huge tree hole with ancient totems and characters engraved on the door frame. More than a hundred guards in red gauze stood in a row in front of the door. When they saw Meng Ya and others enter the palace, they stepped forward to pay their respects. Meng Ya ignored them and led everyone through the main hall to the back hall. At this time, more than a dozen people were already waiting in the hall, most of them were people of noble status in Yue Chang, and they were all surprised to see Meng Ya leading a man in.

One of the beautiful women in blue gauze stepped forward and said, "Princess, where have you been?" After saying that, she glanced at Elder Mu with a slightly doubtful look on her face.

Meng Ya replied: "My mother ordered me to find a doctor, so I came back just now!"

The beautiful lady in blue veil looked at Wuzhe and said, "His Majesty is now confined to his chambers and guarded by Elder Liu. It may be difficult for the princess to see His Majesty."

Meng Ya came to the guards and said, "Go and inform Elder Liu that I want to see my mother."

The guard turned and headed towards the bedroom. Not long after, he came back and reported, "Elder Liu said that His Majesty will not see anyone. Princess, please wait in the back hall."

Meng Ya asked: "Why did the Queen Mother lock up the bedroom?"

The guard replied: "I don't know!"

The beautiful lady in blue gauze said coldly, "I'm afraid this is what Elder Liu meant. If the situation is urgent, why didn't His Majesty even see the princess?"

An old man in black veil coughed and said, "Elder Liu has been in charge of the military affairs of punishment for thirty years. He is highly respected and meticulous. He is deeply trusted by His Majesty. What intentions could he have? Bai Ling, what you said is wrong."

Bai Ling smiled and said, "I am just worried about your majesty's safety. Now the Yuxiang Spring has been poisoned, and almost everyone in the valley has been poisoned to death. Such a big thing has happened, and Elder Liu has locked us in the bedroom and won't let us see your majesty, and he won't tell us the reason. Elder Feng, can you rest assured?"

Elder Mu said, "This kind of thing has never happened to us in Yuechang, and outsiders dare not easily enter Yuxiang Valley. The poisoner is familiar with the terrain and must be someone in the valley. Before the truth is found out, each of us can be suspected."

Elder Feng said: "Anyone can be suspected, except Elder Liu. I can guarantee it with my life."

Meng Ya said: "It won't be too late to find the poisoner later. The most urgent thing now is to see the queen mother and ask for the 'Beauty Drunk' to save more than a thousand lives."

Bai Ling said, "Princess, you are right. I think we should go see His Majesty together. It would be better to hear His Majesty say even one word than to wait here in vain."

Seeing Elder Feng thinking silently, Elder Mu said, "That's right, let's go together!" Then he, Meng Ya, and Bai Ling took the lead to walk towards the bedroom. The guards could not stop them. Elder Feng saw that several people followed him, so he had to follow behind them.

When they saw the bedroom, they heard an old man shouting, "How dare you break into His Majesty's bedroom." An old man with a cane blocked the door.

Meng Ya stepped forward and said, "Elder Liu, this is urgent. I need to see the Queen Mother."

Elder Liu was as thin as a stick. He stared at Meng Ya with sunken eyes and said, "No matter how urgent the matter is, we must follow His Majesty's order."

Meng Ya asked, "What happened to the queen mother?" In fact, she knew better than anyone that the queen mother must have been ambushed by Xiao Yuzhen and was poisoned.

Elder Liu said, "Princess, don't worry. His Majesty is fine."

Bai Ling said, "Since there is nothing wrong, why do you keep the palace closed and not allow us to see His Majesty? Moreover, more than a thousand people in the family are waiting for His Majesty's help. How can His Majesty ignore them? Elder Liu, you must let us see His Majesty to reassure us."

Elder Liu leaned his cane on the ground, and the dark energy immediately dissipated. He said with bright eyes, "This is the order of His Majesty. Anyone who wants to see His Majesty must first pass me."

Elder Mu smiled and said, "Elder Liu, please calm down. We are just worried about His Majesty. How dare we be rude to you? However, this matter happened too suddenly. You should tell us the truth so that we can feel at ease." After saying this, he secretly winked at Meng Ya.

Elder Liu said, "You don't need to ask anymore. Leave here quickly."

Bai Ling said, "How can we leave without worrying about the reason that the elder has not told us? Besides, the princess and the elders are all here. What else can Elder Liu not say? Moreover, such a big thing happened last night, and the elders are guarding the palace and not letting us see the emperor. Could it be that the elders have other purposes?"

Upon hearing this, Elder Liu raised his cane and smashed it at Bai Ling, shouting angrily, “I think you have a purpose.”

Meng Ya hurried forward to stop Elder Liu and said, "Elder, calm down!"

Seeing Meng Ya trying to stop him, Elder Liu took back his cane and said coldly, "All of you get out. If His Majesty wants to see you, you will show up."

Bai Ling insisted, "You didn't even let the princess see you, you must have put His Majesty under house arrest!"

Before he could finish his words, Elder Liu had already pushed Meng Ya away and swept his cane towards Bai Ling. Bai Ling dodged the thundering blow and said with a smile, "It seems that what I said was right!"

Elder Liu became even angrier, and he jumped up, swinging his crutch at Bai Ling again.

Bai Ling flew out her long sleeves, wrapped around her cane like flowing water, and shouted, "I will see His Majesty today even if I have to risk my life!"

When Elder Liu saw that his crutch was entangled, he shook it hard to break free, but he immediately felt sore all over and could not use his internal strength. He turned his gaze back to glare at Meng Ya. Meng Ya immediately felt ashamed and said timidly: "I... I am just worried about my mother. Don't blame me, Elder Liu. I will cure your poison when I see my mother." It turned out that when she was trying to stop Elder Liu, she had already sprinkled the poison that Elder Mu gave her on Elder Liu's body.

Bai Ling was quick-witted and had already rolled her other long sleeve towards Elder Liu's body. Elder Liu forced his inner energy to break the long sleeve wrapped around his cane, then he jumped a few feet away and spat out a mouthful of blood with a "puff" sound.

Elder Mu said, "Princess, it's important for us to see His Majesty!" Then he rushed to the bedroom. Meng Ya felt extremely guilty, but the situation was urgent, so she had to follow him.

Elder Liu was holding his breath and wanted to chase after them, but was entangled by Bai Ling. Elder Feng saw the two fighting and tried to persuade them, but no one was willing to listen. He could only stand by and worry, unable to intervene.

When the guards heard Elder Liu's order, they stepped forward to stop them, but how could they stop Elder Mu? In a few jumps, Elder Mu had already rushed into the palace gate.

As soon as they entered the bedroom, it was empty. Elder Mu was familiar with the structure of the bedroom. Without waiting for Meng Ya, he ran straight to the Hundred Flower Pond where Li Manfang practiced. The Hundred Flower Pond was the core of the palace. The water in the pond was formed by the dew absorbed by the leaves. It was pure and cool. All around the pond were various exotic flowers blooming, with a fragrant smell.

Elder Mu stopped in front of the Hundred Flower Pond, bowed and shouted, "Mu Chunbo has an important matter to discuss with Your Majesty!" Seeing no one answer, Mu Chunbo took a few steps forward and shouted again, "Mu Chunbo has an important matter to discuss with Your Majesty. Please grant me your permission!" Still no one answered for a long while.

At this time Meng Ya had come behind Muchunbo. Without stopping, she rushed to the edge of the pool and shouted, "Mother Queen..." She stopped halfway through her words and saw Li Manfang sitting in the water. Her whole body was wrapped by vines grown in the water, with only her head exposed. Her face was as white as jade and so delicate that it could be broken by a blow. Although her eyes were closed, she had a kind of majesty. She looked somewhat similar to Meng Ya, but she had more elegance and grace without the autumn color.

Mu Chunbo's face popped out from behind Mengya and stared at Li Manfang carefully. At this time, Mengya shouted several times in succession, but Li Manfang did not respond. Mengya wanted to jump into the pool to check, but was stopped by Mu Chunbo.

Mu Chunbo's eyes showed a proud look, and he said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty seems to be injured, and he is practicing Qigong to remove the poison."

What Meng Ya was worried about happened. Her mother was indeed poisoned. She cried, "Is the mother seriously injured?"

Mu Chunbo said: "It is very serious, and her majesty's breath is very weak. I am afraid she will not survive."

Meng Ya said: "No matter what method you use, you must save the Queen Mother. Elder Mu, think of a way quickly!"

Mu Chunbo suddenly sneered, "Your Majesty, despite his great powers, couldn't save himself. How can I help you? What's more, Your Majesty was harmed by the princess. Isn't this the outcome the princess wanted?"

Meng Ya was shocked and said, "You..., you already know everything!"

(End of this chapter)