Born as an ant, I was summoned to ascend to immortality.

Chapter 73 The Beauty Trap

Before long, Zhou Li dismissed the princess and sat cross-legged in the guest house. Instead of immediately starting his cultivation, he pondered what he had seen and heard that day.

During the banquet, when Zhou Li inquired about Gu Heng, the King of Liu must have known that Gu Heng had a close relationship with Princess Xi Yue. However, he passed the question to the Eldest Princess, leading Zhou Li to guess that the Eldest Princess must have an excellent relationship with Princess Xi Yue.

King Liu did not want to bring up Princess Xi Yue, and was also afraid of being accused of deceiving the envoy, so he asked the eldest princess to answer on his behalf, probably because he was certain that the eldest princess would conceal the relationship between the two.

This way, regardless of whether Princess Xiyue's disappearance is related to Gu Heng's disappearance, she won't blame King Liu. This plan is very clever.

It seems that Princess Xiyue probably does know something, and could become a breakthrough for my trip.

As for that mysterious furnace, it must be the source of the impure Xuanming Pill, but it is unknown who placed it.

"Gu worms..."

As Zhou Li pondered this, he secretly communicated with Yang Yang, sharing his discoveries in the Netherworld Cave.

Around midnight, the bamboo shadows outside the window suddenly moved, revealing an uninvited guest.

Zhou Li suddenly opened his eyes, but did not move, remaining in his meditative posture.

The door was silently pushed open a crack, and a slender figure slid into the room like a ghost.

The newcomer had a beautiful face and eyes full of spring. Her light gauze dress outlined her graceful figure, and she was a charming and lovely young woman.

Holding a cup of fragrant spiritual tea, she approached Zhou Li with a touch of shyness on her face.

"Your Excellency~" The woman's voice was charming and seductive, "It is late at night and the dew is heavy. I have been ordered to come and serve you some calming tea to help you sleep peacefully."

What is this? A honey trap? What is Qixia Kingdom up to?

Zhou Li was amused by this. Those who cultivate themselves aspire to the Great Way. How could they possibly indulge in such mundane things as wine, women, wealth, and anger?

The Liu family is acting arrogantly and domineeringly in this small world. Have they forgotten their roots?

But then the woman leaned softly against him, her gauze dress slipping down to reveal a large expanse of snow-white skin, her eyes sparkling with spring-like desire, her breath as fragrant as orchids.

Although Zhou Li himself had never experienced such a scene, he had lived two lives and had been exposed to it before, so he was not entirely ignorant.

The woman saw that Zhou Li was staring at her without moving, and assumed that he was so infatuated with her that he couldn't extricate himself.

However, just as the woman approached, Zhou Li's chest suddenly stirred with a sense of unease—a warning of murderous intent!

"Again?" Zhou Li sneered inwardly, but feigned confusion on the surface and reached out to take the teacup.

A hint of smugness flashed in the woman's eyes. Her slender fingers seemed to be about to serve tea, but a nearly transparent Gu shadow shot out from her sleeve like lightning, heading straight for Zhou Li's face!

In that split second, Zhou Li's ant-like body leaped out from his collar, and the transparent Gu worm was swallowed whole before it could even touch him.

At the same time, Zhou Li's right hand, which was about to take the teacup, pointed like a sword and touched the woman's lower abdomen, dantian. Simultaneously, with a wave of his left hand, a "water prison talisman" that had been held in his palm turned into a stream of light and affixed to the woman's forehead.

With a series of fluid movements, Zhou Li captured the woman before she could even react.

The woman's charming smile froze instantly, turning into horror. She felt her spiritual energy stagnate, and then her entire body was bound by the water prison, unable to move even a finger. She was firmly fixed in place, her eyes filled with terror.

Zhou Li stood up, the dazed look in his eyes gone, and looked down at her, asking calmly, "You were ordered to deliver tea? And what was that Gu worm just now?"

The woman's lips trembled as she said, "Your Excellency, please save the princess! She has been captured by a masked Taoist priest and her life is in imminent danger."

Zhou Li frowned. He had just been about to go find the princess when she was captured. What a coincidence!

But since human life was at stake, Zhou Li dared not act on his own initiative. He shook his head and said, "Fine, you must be following orders. I will not blame you. I will hand you over to King Liu."

Zhou Li handed the woman to the guards, his voice clearly reaching each of them: "This woman sneaked in late at night with the intention of assassinating me. Take her to King Liu and ask him for an explanation."

The guards turned pale and dared not ask any more questions. They quickly ordered people to lift up the ashen-faced woman and hurriedly head towards the main hall of the palace.

The woman's voice drifted from afar: "Your Excellency, this lowly servant's life is not worth cherishing, but I beg you to save the Princess, please save the Princess!"

The night was still long. But the arrival of Zhou Li was like a stone thrown into a deep pool, breaking the calm of the water.

The following morning, the dark red light of the Netherworld did not bring much warmth; instead, it cast a somber, blood-red hue over the Qixia Royal Palace.

In the guesthouse, after completing a full set of the Great Circulation ritual, he slowly finished his practice. Although his spiritual energy was suppressed by the environment, it still flowed smoothly and harmoniously, demonstrating the wonders of the Five Elements.

He remained calm, as if the attempted seduction and assassination last night had never happened.

Before long, King Liu Zhaoyuan arrived in person with his two protectors, Liu Xuan and Liu Qing. Upon meeting, he bowed and apologized: "Envoy Zhou, I feel deeply ashamed of what happened last night. I never expected someone would dare to attempt an assassination in the palace. I have already interrogated them thoroughly overnight!"

Zhou Li returned the greeting and calmly asked, "Your Majesty, you've worked hard. What results have you obtained from the interrogation?"

Liu Zhaoyuan said with a heavy heart, "That lowly maid's name is Xiao Huan. She was originally Princess Xi Yue's personal maid. According to her confession, that child Xi Yue... alas, was actually controlled by a masked evil cultivator who called himself the Hundred Gu Hermit!"

"This person is elusive and ruthless. He used Gu magic to control Xi Yue and is currently staying at the Jingnan Villa. The Gu worms that were intended to harm the envoy were created by him!"

"The Hundred Gu Hermit?" Zhou Li frowned slightly, his eyes fixed on Liu Zhaoyuan.

Liu Zhaoyuan's expression was a mixture of anger and regret, with a hint of deep sorrow for his oversight. It seemed genuine and without any flaws.

"Exactly!" Liu Xuan replied, his voice grave. "This fiend has occasionally appeared within our borders in recent years, his whereabouts elusive. We have pursued him many times, but he has always escaped. We never imagined he would be so audacious as to dare to hold the princess hostage and plot against the envoy!"

Zhou Li pondered for a moment and said, "There is no time to lose. We should set off immediately for the Jingnan Villa to rescue the princess."

"That's only right!" Liu Zhaoyuan nodded, then looked around, slightly puzzled. "Huh? Where's Zhaohan? I can't see her..."

Liu Qing replied, "Your Majesty, I did not see Her Highness the Eldest Princess this morning. When I asked the palace servants, they all said they did not know."

Liu Zhaoyuan frowned: "This girl is usually the most punctual, how could she be like this today..." He turned to Zhou Li apologetically, "Your Excellency, it seems that only I and the left and right protectors can accompany you."

Zhou Li's mind raced. Liu Zhaohan's sudden disappearance was no accident. If what the King of Liu said was true, she had most likely received the news and gone to the south of the border to rescue the princess.

However, this King Liu was rather strange. The fates of the eldest princess and the county princess were unknown, yet he still acted so righteous and awe-inspiring.

Furthermore, the motives of the Hundred Gu Hermit are unclear. Judging from the Gu worms in the cave, he is a meticulous person. How could he have exposed his whereabouts when the upper sect was inspecting? It seems that he deliberately led us there.

Zhou Li remained calm and composed: "It's alright, thank you for your help, King Liu and the two protectors."

Zhou Li, Yang Yang, and the others then boarded a flying boat and headed south.