Chapter 812, Part 1: Who Will You Choose?

When Zu An left, the Gu clan brothers immediately ran over to Bi Linglong’s side to be at her beck and call. Unfortunately, Bi Linglong’s mood was clearly not great because of the matter of Zu An.

Gu Xing said, “Linglong, I know that you don’t feel great right now because you trusted the wrong person, but things will now take a turn for the better! Now that we’ve gotten rid of the troublemaker, we’ll have much more confidence in completing the crown prince’s great exam.”

Gu Heng nodded and also said, “Indeed. As long as the young masters unite together, with our strength, losing one Zu An won’t matter at all. Furthermore, we brothers will always stand at the crown princess’ side.”

Bi Linglong forced a smile. “Thank you. I’ll really have to depend on you guys from now on. The young masters of the different clans are all proud and arrogant. They might show respect for me on the surface, but I fear that in a moment of danger, they might not be so reliable in this dungeon. Now that Zu An has left, you two are the only ones I can trust.”

The Gu clan brothers were overjoyed. “We are willing to go through anything for the crown princess without hesitation!”

Bi Linglong’s mood finally improved a bit. Then, she spoke a few more words to them and gave them some encouragement.

The two brothers looked at the elegant and graceful crown princess in front of them as they chatted. This really was a blissful moment. They were quite close to each other, so they could smell her body’s fragrance. They couldn't help but become worked up. Their eyes also began to wander towards her chest, waist, and other sensitive areas in a rather unrestrained manner. The desires within them began to brew as well.

I only thought that Linglong was beautiful and elegant before. I didn’t expect her figure to be so amazing too…

She’s slender, yet has amazing curves. What the hell did that damn pig of a crown prince do to be so blessed?

Hm… The crown princess didn’t seem to mind that Zu An hugged her. Does the crown prince have this kind of fetish, or does he not know what that means? Regardless of which one it is, it seems we have a chance!

…

In the following days, no scouts went missing anymore. The group sighed in relief.

Zhao Xi laughed heartily. “Looks like the murderer was indeed that Zu An! All of those annoyances seem to have disappeared once he left!”

𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Gu Xing said in agreement, “Indeed. He even made us take meaningless detours and kept saying confidently that it was for avoiding danger or something. In my opinion, he was acting on King Qi’s orders and came to interfere with our plan. The detours instead made it easier for him to get rid of our people.”

Gu Heng cupped his hands toward Pei You. “We have to thank young master Pei for this. If it wasn’t for you uncovering his sinister plot, we might not have had any idea what to do as more and more people died.”

Pei You said indifferently, “I only gave the most reasonable deduction. I wasn’t trying to target anyone.” After saying so, he left bearing his sword in his arms in an aloof manner.

Bi Linglong had a pensive expression as she watched him leave.

…

Their party’s relaxed mood didn’t continue for long, because they quickly encountered danger.

They unknowingly entered the territory of some Giant White Wolves and were completely surrounded. Fortunately, all of them had powerful skills and tools, which allowed them to barely escape from the wolves’ territory.

But before they could even celebrate, they barged into the territory of some Demon-Faced Greenfire Spiders. Only now did they realize why the Giant White Wolves hadn’t continued to chase after them.

Many of the warriors were wrapped in the spiderwebs, then instantly sucked dry by the Demon-Faced Greenfire Spiders. Some of them got some of the spiders’ green flames on them, and their entire bodies instantly became surrounded by a green flame. They couldn't put out the fire no matter what they did and were burned to ashes in the span of a few seconds.

When they finally managed to get away somehow, they encountered the attacks of a Blacksteel Thundersnake. As the name implied, their bodies were as tough as steel, making the attacks of the various clans’ warriors ineffective, and they could even use the power of electricity. Those who faced it experienced a taste of what it felt like to be struck by thunder.

Fortunately, Bi Linglong’s commands were excellent, so their group was finally able to escape to a safer place.

But after suffering from three disasters in succession, only a third of their previously grand troop was left. The remaining party members were wounded and covered in grime. Even Bi Linglong’s clothes were torn. The only one who was completely unharmed was the crown prince, as he was the top priority for protection. No one dared to let him suffer in the slightest.

It now seemed that there was no way for their group to continue their bold advance. When they were certain that there was no more danger around them, the survivors set up camp and began to treat their injuries.

However, after everything that had happened, the higher-ranking individuals had to hold a meeting. They reported on their casualties, and discussed among themselves what they should do from then on. Their fighting spirit had already dropped considerably compared to before. All of them sighed deeply.

The young masters who normally spoke with confidence all seemed to have been humbled. It was instead the habitually silent Gao Ying who spoke first. “Is there something wrong with this dungeon? Why are the beasts we’ve encountered all much more formidable than what our intelligence said?”

“Indeed, according to our intelligence, whether it’s the Giant White Wolves or the Demon-Faced Greenfire Spiders, even though they’re dangerous for us, we have the numbers advantage on our side, and our preparations were ample. There should have been no reason for us to suffer such severe losses,” Meng Pan said.

Zhao Xi frowned. “Did the academy deliberately fool us and lie to us about their cultivation?”

“That’s impossible!” Bi Linglong immediately refuted his suspicion. “The academy has always been neutral; they would never help King Qi ensnare us. Furthermore, the academy’s people aren’t the only ones who have entered this dungeon before; we’ve sent people in before as well. The intelligence they provided us with is identical to the academy’s.”

“Then why are these beasts so much stronger?” Meng Pan asked, his expression dark.

They couldn't figure the situation out no matter how they thought about it. Piao Duandiao suddenly said, “Looks like big bro Zu was making us take detours precisely to avoid these dangerous beasts. If he were still here, we wouldn’t have suffered such serious losses.”

Jiao Sigun added, “Exactly. Everyone thought that he was holding up our mission for no reason, but now, it looks as if we actually misunderstood him.”

The others felt their faces heat up. They all felt embarrassed. After all, they all had a part in chasing Zu An away. Some of them really did feel regret. However, there were also people who disagreed.

“Zu An was still the most suspicious suspect after all. We might have been able to avoid these beasts by traveling with him, but if he killed some of our people every day, then our casualties would only become worse as time goes on.” Pei You harrumphed. He was the one who had led the accusations against Zu An, so he had to stand his ground here.

Jiao Sigun asked, “Isn’t this too groundless? Those people might not have been killed by Zu An.”

“You’re right, I feel it’s quite strange as well.” Gu Heng suddenly spoke up. Jiao Sigun and Piao Duandiao were stunned. This guy was one of the ones who hated Zu An the most; why had he suddenly spoken in Zu An’s favor?

Gu Heng continued, “We were misled by that scoundrel and chased Sir Zu away. Unfortunately, it’s now too late for regrets.”

Pei You frowned. “What are you trying to say?”

Gu Heng said sternly, “Who was the one who chose the path this time?”

The others were shocked. They all looked at Pei You.

Pei You’s expression changed. “I merely followed the trail left by the Jade Moon Serpent; how could I possibly know that there were so many beast nests here?”

“Did you really not know or are you just pretending?” Gu Xing asked. “Sir Zu changed your itinerary several times before to avoid those beasts, so your plan was ruined. That’s why you tried to chase him away. Afterward, you were finally able to lead us into those traps.”

Liu Xian wiped at the grime covering his face and cursed. “Hmph, I never liked how you talked all this time anyway, I knew there was something wrong with you. Who would’ve thought that you really were this evil!?”

Zhao Xi stood up just then as well, surrounding Pei You with the others. “Mister Pei, I trusted you back then, yet we only ended up misunderstanding Zu An. Speak, who sent you here?!”

Pei You held his sword close to him. “Absolute nonsense! What motive do I have for harming you all?!”

Meng Pan replied darkly, “How could you not have a motive? Your Pei clan has two branches, one of which firmly supports King Qi’s faction. Your grandfather doesn’t get along with Sir Bi either; it’s just your father who gets along with Bi Ziang. It really is strange now that I think about it. It was probably the Pei clan who sent you to infiltrate the Bi clan. Now, their plan is finally working.”

It was clear that Bi Linglong wasn’t the only one who had suspected Pei You.

Pei You’s expression changed several times. “It’s normal for a clan to belong to several factions; even father and son can belong to different parties. It’s a common occurrence in history. What’s so strange about that?”

“It might not be strange if that were all, but if we think about how you chased Zu An away, and then deliberately led us into the beasts’ territory, isn’t that too much of a coincidence?” Gu Heng sneered.

Pei You laughed in distress when he saw the others’ suspicious looks. “I didn’t expect all of you to have harbored such ill feelings toward our Pei clan. It looks like my father’s decision back then really was wrong, and moreover ridiculously wrong!” As soon as he finished speaking, he drew his sword. A gorgeous slash of sword brilliance struck out at the group.

“Protect the crown prince and princess!” The others immediately became alarmed. They felt that the sword strike was aimed at them, and became a hundred and twenty percent vigilant.

But in the end, Pei You’s strike was just a feint. He didn’t actually attack and used the chance to quickly run. He was fast, disappearing into the forest after just a few leaps.