Chapter 10: Doubts and Dead Ends

Upon hearing this, Xuanjing felt somewhat embarrassed. He cleared his throat and said, "Young hero Cang, I am indeed quite old and somewhat stubborn. If my previous words have offended you, I sincerely apologize to you here."

The falcon was washing its wounds with clear water nearby, and upon witnessing this scene, one could not help but think: although this princess and the old Taoist are Mongolian Tartars and traitors, their true nature is not bad.

Princess Jiu asked, "Xiao Sheng, does this person possess magical abilities?"

The eagle, hearing his polite call, quickly jumped up and asked, "What instructions do you have, esteemed Daoist?"

After a busy hour, everyone was pleasantly surprised to find that the path ahead had suddenly opened up, and at the same time, the sound of rushing water could be heard from afar

Cang Ying said: "If I do not know, at most I will be trapped here, and no one will suspect me. If I do know the reason behind it, I will inevitably arouse suspicion and be subjected to cold words and inquiries."

The group, filled with awe, emerged from the cave and looked up at the scene ahead, unable to help but exclaim in unison.

The falcon sighed and said: "At that time, I was neither trapped in this place nor encountered any hyenas blocking my way; I had merely returned from that cliff. However, given the current situation, I fear that..."

In the distance, one can see the green mountains and clear waters, the valleys stretching far and wide, white clouds drifting, and mist rising. Atop the peaks stands a magnificent palace, resplendent in gold and jade.

The hawk patted its temple and said, "I must make myself feel dizzy, allowing three overlapping shadows to appear before my eyes, so that I can discern the path through these ghostly passages."

The Cangying laughed loudly and said: "Here we are, here we are, this is Yucheng. It is also the abandoned palace of the barbarian king."

The Cangying laughed and said: "I later pondered and understood that the person who built this maze must be well-versed in the exquisite methods of the Eight Trigrams formation, utilizing the principles of feng shui within it, taking advantage of the peculiar sunlight and shadows in this valley, where concave areas become convex, and shadows are not merely shadows, setting obstacles at every step, squinting at every turn, concealing this secret passage without a trace."

Li Shuxiu asked again: "So how did you find it?"

Upon hearing this, everyone couldn't help but cry out in despair, thinking to themselves: If this map is false and this valley is so complex and rugged, are we not going to be trapped to death here

The princess pouted, tears welling in her eyes, and said: "I have truly been too willful. If it were not for my refusal to heed my father's advice and my insistence on coming to this desolate place, I would not have caused the deaths of so many loyal subordinates. I am indeed more of a failure than a success. How can I face my father again? It would be better to die here."

Upon hearing this, hope arose in everyone's hearts, and they all fixed their earnest gazes upon the eagle.

Xuanjing then asked the Cang Eagle: "Young Hero Cang."

Princess Jiu recalled her journey outside the palace in search of mystery, which had been fraught with difficulties. She had encountered continuous hardships, and nearly all of her subordinates had perished. This left her in a state of melancholy, her brows furrowed in worry. Xuanjing advised her, "Princess, I have received great favor from His Majesty. Even if it costs me my life, I will ensure your safe departure from this place."

Xuanjing looked at the map, then raised his head to observe the road ahead, and exclaimed: "It is truly strange that this map was not erroneous before, yet upon arriving here, it is entirely incorrect."

Li Shuxiu frowned, walked to the front of the mountain wall, reached out to knock, and discovered that this was not an illusion. After walking around the area and examining it closely, she did not find any hidden doors.

Li Linhong understood that Cangying had a peculiar temperament, sometimes knowledgeable and reasonable, at other times irritable and reckless, occasionally principled and just, yet at times eccentric and erratic, sometimes obedient and compliant, and at other times stubborn and unyielding. Having endured much along this journey, he knew how to deal with him. Raising his eyebrows, he said to Zhao Sheng: "Xiao Sheng, go and persuade Brother Cangying."

He continued to lead the way, and the others followed him, observing the cave. At first glance, this cave seemed impenetrable, appearing to be a dead end. However, the eagle was quite familiar with the path. At times, he would sniff with his nose, at other times, he would stab with his sword, occasionally performing somersaults, and sometimes lying on the ground as if he were listening to the sounds beneath the earth. Although he appeared flustered and it took considerable effort, he was always able to find a way through the dead end.

Li Shuxiu found it somewhat amusing and asked with a smile, "Why not say it?"

The trees here are lush, flowers bloom vibrantly, and the ground is covered with creeping vines. The mountain breeze sweeps through, causing the leaves to rustle, which further accentuates the tranquility and pleasantness of this place. It is truly a beautiful desert paradise. However, the monstrous creature just witnessed is indeed terrifying, leaving everyone feeling oppressed and utterly disinterested in appreciating the surrounding scenery

It turns out that what is depicted on this map should be a mountain peak, with a cave within the peak leading to a palace deep in the canyon. However, the scene before me is completely different; it is still the endless slopes and rocky walls, with not a trace of the mountain peak in sight.

The princess, deeply troubled by his reprimand, could no longer contain her emotions and burst into tears. Xuanjing realized that he had spoken too harshly and hurriedly apologized to her. Princess Jiuhe softly said: "What the Daoist said is correct; I was at fault just now. My words were inappropriate, and I truly deserve to be scolded and punished."

With such thoughts, her heart surged with emotions, and feelings of gratitude rose and fell, remaining unsettled for a long time

Li Shuxiu asked: "Brother Cangying, what is this all about"

The hawk let out a dry laugh, looking up at the sky with a rather disdainful expression

Xuanjing's expression turned stern as he said, "Your Highness, your words are misguided. If you were to abandon yourself, how could you justify the sacrifices made by so many guards who risked their lives to save you? How could you repay the Emperor's grace and affection? As the commander here, how could you utter such words that would shake the morale of the troops?"

The Cangying said with a smile: "Don't rush to flatter me, the Eight Trigrams formation is not yet complete"

Xuanjing let out a long laugh and said, "Your Highness, such a broad-minded disposition truly reflects the qualities of a good daughter of the Emperor"

The falcon's wrist trembled, and the long sword thrust directly at the head, but with a gentle touch on his acupoint, it drew some blood and immediately retracted. He then opened his eyes and said: "Follow me."

The crowd exclaimed in astonishment as Zhao Sheng ran up, and the Cang Ying lifted him up, both of them entering the rock together. The crowd hurriedly followed them in and indeed discovered a hidden cave within the rock, which was exceptionally concealed; without Cang Ying's guidance, it would have been impossible to notice it.

Li Shuxiu exclaimed uncontrollably: "Brother Cangying, you truly are. You are so knowledgeable." She wanted to say "a scholar of great learning," but having not spoken Chinese for a long time, the idiom felt too unfamiliar, and she couldn't recall it immediately

Li Shuxiu gazed at the terrifying wounds on the body of the eagle, and while shocked, he thought to himself: Just moments ago, Brother Eagle risked his own life to cure the deadly poison within me, even going so far as to plunge into this perilous situation, nearly being pierced through with countless wounds. Yet afterward, he said not a word about it, as if this act were a matter of course. Such selfless chivalry is what truly defines an extraordinary person; it is likely that the heroic figures my master spoke of are no different. How then should I repay such a great kindness

She pondered slightly and looked towards the eagle, discovering that the eagle was staring blankly ahead, seemingly lost in thought.

The eagle immediately bent down and shouted: "Understood. Orders acknowledged." He originally intended to say "as commanded," but managed to rein himself in at the last moment and realized his mistake

The hawk chuckled softly and said, "How would I know?" He reached up to scratch his forehead and added, "Even if I did know, I wouldn't tell."

Xuanjing walked up to Li Shuxiu and asked, "Young Hero Li, according to that map, how far are we from the palace of the Naiman King"

He followed the direction of the sunlight and walked towards a massive boulder. When he reached the front of the boulder, everyone was momentarily dazzled and discovered that the eagle had already vanished.

Everyone was filled with fear and anxiety, and that night they slept rather uneasily. Fortunately, no other monsters attacked afterward, and the place was indeed too tranquil. After being on guard for a while, they finally dozed off in a daze. When they woke up in the morning, they found sunlight shining through the trees, with golden rays scattered, creating a dappled light and shadow that inevitably inspired a sense of hope.

In fact, Kublai Khan, the emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, originally thought that she was merely acting on a whim, indulging in a moment of folly, and was determined that she would not be able to find the palace of the Naimans. Coupled with his habitual indulgence towards her, he allowed her to wander in the desert. Little did he expect that by sheer chance, she would actually enter this labyrinth of sand. Had he known this earlier, how could he have permitted Princess Jiuhe to come here

He walked to the front of the mountain wall, closed his eyes, shook his head, raised his long sword, and pointed it at his own temple. Li Shuxiu's beautiful eyes widened in surprise as she exclaimed, "Brother Cangying, what are you doing"

She asked, "Brother Cangying, you have been here before, do you know how to proceed?"

Everyone studied the map in detail and found Li Linhong's words quite reasonable, feeling somewhat reassured and their courage greatly increased

Xuanjing said: "If we truly find the treasure, do you know how we should return to the desert"

Li Linhong looked left and right at the map and said, "Since this palace is built in the deepest part of the valley, I guess there must be a safe secret passage inside. Since we have no way to retreat, we can only proceed step by step."

Zhao Sheng spoke in the tone of the Cangying: "Princess, if anyone tells you that there are spells in this world, it must be slander and nonsense; you must not believe it. Brother Cangying surely has other wonderful methods." Before he could finish speaking, Cangying's head seemed to emerge halfway from the rock, and he said, "Why is everyone still dazed? Come in with me."

At this moment, Li Shuxiu had considerable trust in Xuanjing. Without any reservations, she took out a map from her bosom, unfolded it, and spread it on the ground for everyone to see. She pointed to a patch of green on the map and said, "We are probably here." Raising her head and looking around, she continued, "According to the direction we have been traveling, if we head north and navigate through a maze-like valley, we should be able to reach the location of the palace."

Li Shuxiu looked at the map several times, memorizing the upcoming route, and led his companions out of the woods and into a valley. This section of the mountain road was considerably shorter than the previous one, with few forks, and the path was quite wide. After walking for merely two hours, Li Shuxiu stopped, repeatedly examining the map, and expressed his confusion: "Strange, this map does not quite match the situation before me."

Zhao Sheng responded with a sound, clinging to Cang Ying's wrist like a little monkey, and pleaded, "Brother Cang Ying, just tell everyone how to proceed, everyone is trapped here and their stomachs are growling with hunger."