People in the Imperial Music Bureau: The Storytelling Demon Child Nezha

He carefully followed the group and discovered that they eventually returned to a hidden military camp. The camp was brightly lit, with soldiers constantly going in and out, but they weren't transporting provisions; instead, they were carrying a type of ore that emitted a faint blue light.

Li Qiye risked getting close and overheard a conversation between two soldiers:

We processed three more batches today; if this continues, we'll be discovered sooner or later.

What's there to be afraid of? With Lord Zhao protecting us, no one from the imperial court will interfere.

But General Cheng's side

Shh! Don't mention that old stubborn man, he won't live past tonight.

Li Qiye's heart skipped a beat. Cheng Tiexin was in danger! He had to rush to the Northern Frontier Camp immediately.

The Northern Camp is located in a glacial canyon thirty miles north of Tiema Pass, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

When Li Qiye finally arrived after two days of trekking, he was met with utter devastation. The camp gates were wide open, and the corpses of the guards lay scattered about, each one an eerie blue, as if they had been frozen and then thawed.

Am I too late...? Li Qiye clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. He cautiously entered the camp, searching for any possible survivors.

Inside the main tent, Cheng Tiexin lay supine in a pool of blood, a dagger embedded in his chest. Surprisingly, the old general was still alive. Hearing footsteps, his cloudy eyes shifted slightly, looking at Li Qiye.

"Lord Li..." Cheng Tiexin's voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz. Chief Wei's...letter...

Li Qiye knelt on one knee and took out Wei Wuyai's letter: General Cheng, who did this?

Cheng Tiexin didn't answer the question about the murderer. Instead, she stared intently at the letter, then pointed with difficulty to an iron box in the corner of the tent: "The key... in my arms..."

Li Qiye took a bronze key from the general's bosom and opened the iron box. Inside were a map of the northern border and several copies of memorials.

The memorial detailed the unusual events that had occurred on the border over the past six months: missing soldiers, strange blue lights, tremors beneath the glaciers... All the memorials were marked with the words "no evidence found" in red ink, and were signed by Zhao, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War.

Zhao Wuji's brothers... Li Qiye suddenly realized. One of the Zhao brothers was a night watchman, the other in the Ministry of War; they were working together to cover up the anomalies in the northern border!

Under the ice... there's something... 847... Cheng Tiexin suddenly grabbed Li Qiye's hand with a force far beyond what one would expect from a dying man. They... were digging... Xuanbing... Before he could finish speaking, a mouthful of blood gushed from his mouth.

"General! What is Xuanbing? Xuanbing Soul?" Li Qiye asked urgently, but Cheng Tiexin's eyes had already begun to glaze over.

"Lord Zhao... there's a problem..." These were the old general's last words. Then his hand fell limply to his side, and he closed his eyes forever.

Li Qiye stood solemnly for a moment, then saluted the loyal and brave general. He quickly flipped through the map and found that Cheng Tiexin had marked a red circle at a certain point on the glacier, with the note "Blue light at night" written next to it.

Chapter 170 Secret Base

As Li Qiye finished gathering the evidence and prepared to leave, he caught faint footsteps outside the tent. He immediately blew out the candle and slipped into the shadows. The tent flap was gently lifted, and a slender figure slipped in.

Under the moonlight, Li Qiye saw that the newcomer was a woman in her early twenties, dressed in hunting attire, with a uniquely shaped short knife at her waist. The woman cautiously looked around, then walked straight to Cheng Tiexin's corpse, took out a silver talisman from her bosom, and affixed it to the general's forehead.

"Rest in peace, Uncle Cheng," the woman said softly, her voice choked with emotion. "I will fulfill your last wish."

The talisman emitted a soft silver light, and the pained expression on Cheng Tiexin's face gradually subsided. Li Qiye recognized it as a high-level soul-soothing technique, impossible for ordinary people to master. He decided to reveal himself.

Who is the girl? Li Qiye stepped out of the shadows, his left hand resting on the Soul-Suppressing Bell at his waist.

The woman reacted swiftly, drawing her short sword instantly and pointing it at Li Qiye's throat: "And who are you?" She took a half step back, using the moonlight to examine Li Qiye. "A night watchman's cloak... You're Li Qiye?"

Li Qiye was surprised that the other person recognized him: "It is indeed I. How does this young lady recognize me?"

The woman remained vigilant: "Uncle Cheng mentioned that Chief Wei would send someone. He described what you look like." She paused, then said, "My name is Su Yuqing, and Uncle Cheng is a former subordinate of my father."

Li Qiye noticed a complex emotion flash in Su Yuqing's eyes when she mentioned her father. But now was not the time to press her for answers.

"It's not safe here," Li Qiye said. "The people who killed General Cheng may still be nearby."

Su Yuqing nodded: I know a secret path that can take you to a safe place.

The two quickly gathered the crucial evidence and left via a cliffside path behind the camp. Along the way, Li Qiye noticed that Su Yuqing was extremely familiar with the terrain and possessed exceptional skills, navigating dangerous situations with ease.

"Do you come to the military camp often?" Li Qiye asked.

Su Yuqing didn't turn her head: I grew up on this glacier. After my father died, Uncle Cheng took care of me.

Before dawn, they arrived at a secluded cave. Inside were simple necessities and a small bookshelf. Su Yuqing lit an oil lamp, the warm yellow light illuminating her delicate face—almond-shaped eyes, cherry lips, snow-white skin, and a beauty mark at the corner of her right eye.

"Have a seat, this is my secret hideout." Su Yuqing poured two cups of hot tea. "How much do you know about Uncle Cheng?"

Li Qiye briefly explained how Cheng Tiexin's murder was discovered, as well as the old general's last words. After listening, Su Yuqing took out a wooden box from under the bed. Inside was a palm-sized blue crystal that emitted a faint light.

"Mysterious Ice Soul." She said Uncle Cheng discovered it two months ago. A team of soldiers went missing on the glacier, and this was found during the search.

Li Qiye carefully took the crystal and immediately felt a chill spread along his arm. Strangely, the chill was not uncomfortable; instead, it relieved the pain in his right arm.

"Is this what the Blue-Eyed Clan is looking for?" Li Qiye asked.

Su Yuqing nodded: "Not only that. They've established an outpost beneath the glacier and are mining this crystal extensively." She unfolded Cheng Tiexin's map, pointing to the red circle—right here, beneath the glacial lake.

Li Qiye recalled the mysterious stone the casino owner had mentioned, and the ice-origin stone mentioned in Xu Qi'an's notes: What was the connection between these Xuanbing Souls and the teleportation array?

Chapter 171 Outpost

"I don't know anything about teleportation arrays," Su Yuqing frowned, "but I know that Xuanbing Souls can open doors. Seven days ago, I personally witnessed the Blue-Eyed Clan use three large Xuanbing Souls to open a blue vortex on the frozen lake, and two people in white robes walked in and disappeared."

Li Qiye's heart skipped a beat—the Blue-Eyed Clan was already in the experimental space passage!

The situation was more urgent than Wei Wuyai had imagined.

We must destroy that outpost. Li Qiye asked, "Do you have a way to get in?"

Su Yuqing hesitated: Going in isn't difficult; the difficult part is coming out alive. There are at least twenty blue-eyed warriors and three white-robed priests there. She paused, then said, "But... I have a plan."

847 Just then, the Soul-Suppressing Bell suddenly began to vibrate violently. Li Qiye instinctively lunged at Su Yuqing, shielding her with his body. Almost simultaneously, a blue arrow of light pierced through the concealment of the cave entrance, embedding itself in the spot where Su Yuqing had just stood, exploding into a cloud of icy mist.

The ice mist created by the blue light arrow caused the temperature inside the cave to drop sharply.

Li Qiye shielded Su Yuqing and rolled her to the side. His right hand instinctively reached for the folding fan, but he only touched the empty space at his waist—the weapon that had been with him for twenty years had already been buried with Xu Qi'an.

"Get down!" Su Yuqing suddenly flipped over and pinned Li Qiye down. Three beams of light whistled past their heads, striking the stone wall and exploding. Ice crystals splattered everywhere, and Li Qiye felt a chill on his cheek as a bloody welt appeared.

Su Yuqing had already drawn the peculiar short knife, its blade gleaming with a silvery-white light. With a flick of her wrist, the knife flew out of her hand, and a scream echoed from outside the cave.

"Let's go! The back door!" Su Yuqing pulled Li Qiye up and rushed into the depths of the cave. Only then did Li Qiye notice an almost invisible crack in the rock wall, just wide enough for one person to squeeze through sideways.

The moment they squeezed into the crevice, a beam of blue light blasted at the entrance, causing the entire mountain to tremble. Rocks rained down, and Li Qiye shielded Su Yuqing with his body. A fist-sized rock struck his back, causing him to groan in pain.

"Are you injured?" Su Yuqing's voice was exceptionally clear in the darkness.

"It's just a minor injury," Li Qiye gritted his teeth and asked, "Where does this road lead?"

Below the frozen lake. Su Yuqing guided him through the narrow crevice, urging him to hold on tight to her belt so he wouldn't lose her.

In the narrow crevice, Li Qiye could smell a faint fragrance emanating from Su Yuqing, a scent that seemed to be a mixture of cedar and some kind of herb.

The passage grew steeper, forcing them to climb downwards using both hands and feet. The chill seeped into their bones through their clothes, and Li Qiye's right arm began to throb again. The Soul-Suppressing Bell vibrated gently every now and then, dispelling some of the cold.

After climbing for an unknown amount of time, a faint blue light appeared ahead. Su Yuqing stopped and gestured for Li Qiye to be quiet. They cautiously approached the light source and discovered it was a small hole in the ice wall through which they could see a huge ice cave—

The ice cave was a hundred feet square, with countless icicles hanging from the top, and neat passages and platforms carved out of the ground.

Dozens of Blue-Eyed Clan members were working, using special tools to extract blue crystals from the ice wall—the very Xuanbing Soul that Li Qiye had seen before.

Even more shockingly, in the center of the ice cave stood three enormous pieces of Xuanbing Soul, each as tall as a person, arranged in a triangle, with complex runes engraved on the ground in the middle.

"Teleportation array..." Li Qiye whispered. Although this array isn't as large as the one in the capital, its principle is the same.

Su Yuqing nodded: They're experimenting. Each time a batch of Xuanbing Souls is taken out, three people stand in the formation, and then... Her words were interrupted by a commotion.

Chapter 172 The door must open on time

Three white-robed figures emerged from the passage on the other side of the ice cave; they were the same priests Li Qiye had seen before the teleportation array. The leading priest held a staff inlaid with Xuanbing Soul, the crystal at the top of which was more than twice the size of the others.

"Speed ​​up!" The priest's voice came through the ice wall, sounding muffled and distorted. "The polar night is approaching, and the gate must be opened on time!"

The workers responded obsequiously, and the mining speed noticeably increased. Li Qiye noticed that whenever a worker placed a piece of Xuanbing Soul into the designated container, the blue eye pattern on their chest would light up, as if they had received some kind of energy replenishment.

"Look over there." Su Yuqing pointed to a corner of the ice cave. There were several cages there, containing local hunters and soldiers. They were pale-faced, with dull eyes, and each wore a collar inlaid with a small piece of Xuanbing Soul around their neck.

The priest walked to the cage and randomly selected a young hunter. The young man was led without resistance to the center of the three large pieces of Xuanbing Soul and forced to kneel in the middle of the runes. The three white-robed priests began chanting, and the Xuanbing Soul on their staffs grew brighter and brighter.

What are they going to do? Li Qiye clenched his fists.

Su Yuqing's face turned deathly pale: The sacrificial ceremony... I've seen it once.

As the chanting reached its climax, the hunter suddenly let out a piercing scream. The veins all over his body bulged, turning an eerie blue, and then his entire body melted like a candle, turning into a pool of blue liquid that seeped into the runes on the ground.

After the runes absorbed the liquid, they shone brightly, and a blurry vortex appeared between the three large pieces of Xuanbing Soul.

"Not enough!" the lead priest roared. "We need more power! Bring three more!"

Li Qiye felt a sharp pain in his stomach. He finally understood where the missing border residents and soldiers had gone—they had all become sacrifices to activate the teleportation array!

"We must stop them," Li Qiye whispered, "while there are still few of them."

Su Yuqing shook her head: "It's too risky. There are at least thirty blue-eyed warriors there, plus three priests. We need to find more of the Xuanbing Soul's whereabouts first."

She gestured for Li Qiye to continue along the crevice. The passage gradually widened, eventually leading to a smaller ice cave. Inside, many wooden crates were piled up, some already opened, filled with Xuanbing Souls of varying sizes.

"Their warehouse," Su Yuqing whispered. "It seems they're preparing to move the goods elsewhere."

0 ······Requesting flowers 0 ····

Li Qiye cautiously approached an open box. The Xuanbing Soul inside was purer than any he had ever seen, almost transparent, with only a hint of blue at its core. Just as he was about to reach out and touch it, Su Yuqing grabbed his arm.

Don't touch them! She warned, these have been purified and will drain your life force.

..... .... ....

Just then, footsteps sounded outside. The two quickly hid behind the crate. Two blue-eyed warriors walked in, dragging a heavy crate.

This batch must be shipped out today. One soldier said, "Lord Zhao is waiting."

"What's the rush?" another complained. "This godforsaken place is freezing! I really don't understand why we have to mine here. Aren't there Xuanbing Souls elsewhere?"

Fool, only the Xuanbing Soul here contains that stuff, the High Priest said...

The two voices faded away as their footsteps disappeared. Li Qiye and Su Yuqing exchanged a glance—Zhao Wuji had indeed colluded with the Blue-Eyed Clan, and they were searching for some special substance within the Xuanbing Soul.

"Follow them," Li Qiye decided, "and see where they take the Xuanbing Soul."

Chapter 173 Let others see the consequences of resistance

They stealthily followed the two soldiers through a winding ice tunnel. At the end of the tunnel was a makeshift dock, where the underground river formed a calm pool, where several oddly shaped small boats were moored. The soldiers loaded the boxes onto the boats, and the other two rowed away.

This river leads to the frozen lake outside. Su Yuqing said, "It seems they use waterways for transportation."

There were no other guards near the dock. Li Qiye noticed some "847" patterns carved on the wall. Upon closer inspection, he realized they were ancient murals. The first depicted a group of blue-eyed people fighting another group; the second showed a huge figure descending from the sky and suppressing the blue-eyed people; the third was blurry and seemed to have been deliberately damaged.

这 是

The legend of the Heavenly Evil Buddha suppressing the Blue-Eyed Clan. Su Yuqing said softly, "My father... once mentioned it."

Her tone caught Li Qiye's attention: Who is your father?

Su Yuqing did not answer directly: Look over there, there are more murals.

The murals behind were even more damaged, but some details could still be discerned: a human-looking woman stood beside the Heavenly Evil Buddha; the woman held a short knife—very similar to the one Su Yuqing had at her waist; and finally, a map marked five locations, three of which had been crossed out.

This is... Just as Li Qiye was about to examine it closely, the Soul-Suppressing Bell suddenly began to vibrate violently.

"Someone's coming!" Su Yuqing pulled him behind a pile of wooden crates. A squad of blue-eyed warriors escorted three new prisoners into the dock; they were the same prisoners in cages they had seen before.

"Hurry up! The priest can't wait any longer!" the leading warrior urged.

Li Qiye counted; there were eight enemy soldiers, plus three weakened prisoners. A surprise attack might offer a chance...

He looked at Su Yuqing, who seemed to understand his thoughts and nodded slightly. She took out the dagger, and the patterns on the blade began to glow.

"I'll count to three," Li Qiye said in a low voice, his left hand reaching for the Soul-Suppressing Bell at his waist.

However, just as they were preparing to act, one of the prisoners suddenly broke free of his restraints and crashed into the nearest warrior. In the chaos, the man's collar came off, and he roared: "Blue-eyed bastards! I'll fight you to the death!"

Li Qiye recognized the uniform as that of border guards, presumably Cheng Tiexin's men. The soldiers quickly subdued the resister, knocking him unconscious with a heavy blow.

Damn ants! The leader drew his sword and said, "I'll take care of one right here and show the others what happens when they resist!"

In the instant before the blade struck, Li Qiye had already rushed out of his hiding place... The Soul-Suppressing Bell emitted a piercing ring, the sound waves striking the warrior with the sword as if they were tangible. The man staggered backward, his sword deflecting the attack, leaving only a wound on the soldier's shoulder.

Who goes there! The blue-eyed warriors quickly formed ranks, and three crossbows were aimed at Li Qiye.

Su Yuqing charged out from the other side, her short sword drawing a silver arc, snapping the weapons of two crossbowmen in two instants. Her movements were incredibly fast, her swordsmanship exquisite; in the blink of an eye, two more fell.

Li Qiye, however, found himself in a fierce battle. His injured right arm severely hampered his movements, and relying solely on his left hand to fight four well-trained soldiers, he quickly found himself at a disadvantage. One soldier seized an opportunity, thrusting his spear towards his chest—