The deadly poison had been cured, and with the Seven-Star Lotus’s restoration, this body was now filled with strength and had mostly recovered.
Shen Ji carefully recalled what had happened to the original owner before. The succession ceremony at the Marquis Residence was still two days away.
The original owner had been framed by his stepmother and stripped of his Heir position because of two matters. The first was the rumor that the original owner was squandering the Marquis Residence’s money: Lady Liu held forged debt settlements for Marquis Residence properties, along with large promissory notes from the lenders, and also hired a large crowd of people to spread all sorts of rumors that the original owner was gambling and spending lavishly in casinos and taverns.
She had meticulously forged title deeds for the Marquis Residence’s core properties… farmlands, shops, and even portions of the ancestral estate… so flawless they could pass for genuine! These forged mortgaged “properties” and “promissory notes” were all boldly stamped with the original owner’s personal seal and signed in his own hand!
Soon after, rumors spread like wildfire through the capital. Many people vividly described to those around them how “Heir Shen” had thrown money around like dirt right before their eyes, spending fortunes at a single throw!
How he had gambled until his eyes were bloodshot and signed away enormous debts he could never repay! What was more, several groups of fierce “creditors,” clutching Shen Ji’s black-and-white “promissory notes,” openly blockaded the front gates of the Pingyang Marquis Residence, demanding payment.
As if that were not enough, Lady Liu used the Marquis Residence’s flower banquet as cover to set a trap and falsely accuse the original owner of favoring men.
She drugged the original owner unconscious in his room, brought in Shuo Feng, an attendant from the South Wind House, and, taking advantage of the crowded flower banquet, lured a large crowd of madams and young ladies to the original owner’s courtyard to stage a “catching him in the act.” In an instant, the original owner’s reputation was ruined, and the old marquis went so far as to petition the throne directly to strip the original owner of his Heir position.
The Marquis Residence garden was a riot of brilliant colors, so beautiful it defied description. Madams and young ladies wore their cloud-like hair piled high, pearls and jade studding their dark tresses like stars. The fragrant breeze from their sleeves brushed the delicate petals, making the roses droop low and the jasmine tremble softly.
Just as everyone was chatting and laughing, a young lady “happened” to lose a beloved trinket; a steward’s wife “happened” to catch a glimpse of the “thief” fleeing toward the Heir’s courtyard; a crowd of madams and young ladies eager for excitement “happened” to drift, as if by accident, to just outside the Heir’s courtyard; and someone “happened” to notice the Heir’s door left ajar in broad daylight…
And so, amid a chorus of deliberately provoked screams and chaos, the crowd pushed the door open and surged inside!
Inside the room, the disheveled original owner still lay unconscious on the couch, and beside him was a youth equally unconscious and disheveled… none other than Shuo Feng, the celebrated virgin attendant of the South Wind House, famed for his striking looks!
“Ah… !” Shrill screams rang out one after another.
“A cut-sleeve… shameless!”
“Lewd and corrupting! For the Marquis Residence to produce such…”
Disdain, revulsion, shock, and gloating… countless vicious stares and cutting words pinned the original owner with vile, venomous charges… “dragon-yang perversion,” “keeping male favorites,” “carnal indulgence in broad daylight.”
Hot on the heels of the explosive scandal… “Heir Shen’s taste for men at the Marquis Residence flower banquet”… word quickly spread throughout the entire capital, crushing and destroying the last shreds of the original owner’s dignity and future!
The old marquis was so furious that he vomited blood on the spot. Feeling deeply disgraced by Shen Ji, he flew into a rage and, burning with shame and indignation, petitioned the throne directly to strip the original owner of his Heir position and banish him to an estate on the outskirts to fend for himself.
After the incident, Shuo Feng was beaten black and blue, and then Lady Liu sold him to the black mine.
In the original plot, not long after the hunt ended, Shuo Feng died in the mine after suffering endless torment. The most urgent task now was to rush to the West Mountain black mine to rescue Shuo Feng… a crucial witness… and also spare him the tragic fate of his previous life, pulling this bright, pure youth out of the mud and setting him on a brand-new path branching off from the original story.
In his memory, Shen Ji saw Shuo Feng being thrown out of the Marquis Residence, his body crisscrossed with whip marks and drenched in blood. Those eyes, which should have been clear and brilliant, now held nothing but hollow deadness and fear.
First, though, he had to hurry to the West Mountain black mine and rescue Shuo Feng. Shen Ji carefully placed the remaining roots and leaves of the Seven-Star Lotus back into the wooden box and stored them in his space. After clearing away the traces around him, he slipped out of the cave.
Shen Ji spread out his mental energy, his cold gaze piercing through the dense vines and forest as he sharply scanned the area for any movement. The outskirts of the forbidden zone were now crawling with guards conducting a mountain-wide search of the hunting grounds!
When he had been locked in mortal combat with the giant python in the forbidden zone, triggering an earth-shaking roar, Shen Ji had already detected the instant commotion erupting on the perimeter!
The sound of a large number of footsteps approaching from far and near, blades being drawn from their sheaths, horses neighing, and short, tense shouts of command… were swiftly converging on the forbidden zone from every direction!
Fortunately, none of these guards dared enter the forbidden zone itself. Forget the legendary fierce beasts… even the poisonous miasma inside was enough to make everyone keep their distance.
The hunting grounds forbidden zone was an inviolable taboo deeply rooted in the hearts of all hunting-ground guards! They only dared search the relatively “safe” areas around its perimeter, scurrying back and forth like headless flies.
Were it not for this fear of the forbidden zone etched into their very marrow, Shen Ji… gravely wounded and utterly exhausted at the time… would likely have been discovered by these guards halfway to the cave!
Avoiding the crowded areas such as the hunting grounds’ entrance and exit, Shen Ji extended his mental energy ceaselessly, carefully dodging the nearby patrolling guards as he took a detour into the marginal areas of the hunting grounds: far from the main roads, with treacherous terrain, jagged rocks, and steep, difficult climbs.
Even during routine patrols, guards rarely set foot in such places, let alone now when everyone was panicked and the focus was on searching the perimeter of the forbidden zone and the main roads!
Shen Ji darted swiftly through the forest. Suddenly, the faint sound of deliberately muffled complaints drifted over from not far away.
“…Making such a huge racket, and in this godforsaken place!” a coarse voice said with obvious impatience and fear.
“What in the hell is inside that forbidden zone that could kick up such a commotion? Earth-shaking! My legs were trembling even from way over here!”
“Shh! Keep your voice down!” another, slightly hoarse voice immediately warned, though it, too, was suppressing anger. “The higher-ups only know how to hand out stupid orders! Making us trudge back and forth outside this forbidden zone like headless flies!
If they’re so capable, let them come search inside themselves! Is this godforsaken place even something you can get near?”
“You said it!”
“It’s damn creepy! Such a huge commotion… you think… maybe something big inside went mad and started fighting? What’s that got to do with us anyway? And we still have to look for clues out here… what a load of crap! Anyway, give me a hundred guts and I still wouldn’t dare step inside that forbidden zone!”
“Damn it, I don’t care what the reason is! I just hope we don’t run into it!” The voice was full of impatience.
“This sun’s making my head spin! Once we finish searching this stretch of woods, if we still haven’t found anything, let’s find some shade and take a break! This assignment is a death sentence! Prowling around the gates of hell with our hearts in our throats… it’s a complete waste of effort!”
The voices continued to drift clearly from afar. Shen Ji hid in the dense woods, holding his breath and concentrating, until the voices of the group of guards gradually faded away into silence.
The terrain at the edge of the hunting grounds was indeed harsh: underfoot lay slippery, uneven mud that gave way with every step and reeked of the pungent stench of decay; thorn-covered vines stretched across the path like tripwires; and steep rock faces had to be carefully climbed.
Utterly focused, Shen Ji sped swiftly along this treacherous, untrodden path.
Finally, as the sun slanted toward the west, he made his way around to the outer wall of the hunting grounds. With a nimble leap, Shen Ji vaulted over the high wall, swiftly left the area, and headed for the West Mountain black mine… to rescue Shuo Feng.