Chapter 1337 - 1013: Stirring Up the Snake

Upon hearing these words, Lu Xiao was still somewhat at a loss, but gradually came around and nevertheless looked at Shang Ruyi with disbelief. After a long while, she whispered, "Are you truly after the so-called treasures in the Left General’s Tomb?"

Shang Ruyi looked at her and laughed, "For money, men die; for food, birds perish."

"..."

"Even the Western Turkic Khan and Wang Shaoqiu can give up attacking Xiazhou and aiding Luoyang for this Left General’s Tomb, so why should I be an exception?"

Lu Xiao said, "You are Princess Qin, not lacking money. Besides, you yourself have said what a life of luxury you’ve lived these years, with servants at your beck and call. Even when I stayed at the Shen Mansion for a while, I knew how much the Emperor favored you after you bore a child, rewarding you every few days."

"..."

"You’re already so wealthy, yet still covet this little treasure?"

Shang Ruyi said, "Miss Lu Xiao, this is where you misunderstand. Though my life in the palace is affluent, it doesn’t consume much Silver Coin. The most extravagant expenses in this world are raising an army and war; compared to these, everything else is trivia."

"Raising an army? War?"

Lu Xiao looked at her with growing confusion, "What kind of soldiers are you raising, or battles are you fighting?"

Shang Ruyi glanced at her without speaking.

Lu Xiao’s heart grew heavier; she originally thought Shang Ruyi was only concerned with the matters of Xiazhou, but she couldn’t have imagined she had other plans too. Now, climbing the mountain with Turkic people and Wang Shaoqiu, who knows what might happen?

Those two are no good fellows.

At this time, footsteps sounded from nearby; looking up, Lei Yu was approaching them. Shang Ruyi instinctively pressed her lips together, and seeing her wary stance, Lu Xiao also looked away. Lei Yu came over, his face as puzzled as Lu Xiao’s as he looked at Shang Ruyi, "Ru Yi, are you truly here to find the Left General’s Tomb?"

This question mirrored Lu Xiao’s earlier words.

Shang Ruyi said, "Yes."

Lei Yu’s brow furrowed even deeper, "What are you really thinking?"

Lei Yu wasn’t unaware of their awkward position, being close yet already in opposing camps. Even so, she still wished to protect Shang Ruyi, having anticipated Shang Ruyi leaked the news of the Left General’s Tomb to lure Ashina Zhuxie and Wang Shaoqiu, while worrying they might turn against her if they didn’t get what they wanted, leading her to resolutely leave He Du and insist on coming along.

Unexpectedly, although Shang Ruyi had drawn the people over, she hadn’t done anything regarding the crisis in Xiazhou. Observing her conduct, it seemed she genuinely sought the Left General’s Tomb.

This left Lei Yu uncertain.

Seeing her equally perplexed, Shang Ruyi calmly said, "Actually, for these two years, I’ve been trying to find the Left General’s Tomb. Such a large sum, if left underground to decay, it would be quite a pity."

"..."

"And using this opportunity to lure Ashina Zhuxie over, granting Xiazhou some breathing room, it’s a win-win situation."

"..."

"That’s all."

Her words were candid, but Lei Yu’s brow furrowed deeper.

She said, "Do you truly need Duke Xiao Shan’s funeral offerings?"

Shang Ruyi glanced at her without speaking; once intimate friends who shared life and death now found themselves speechless, the atmosphere turning awkward and suffocating.

The crowd drank and ate, using the mealtime to restore their spirits.

Shang Ruyi stood and announced, "Let’s go."

With the command, everyone stood silently behind her; Shang Ruyi seemed to have invisibly become the leader of the troop, leading them along the winding path, hidden amidst the lush brush, starting the climb toward the mountain peak known as Skytop Mountain.

As she said, the path up this mountain lay in the shade; though the sun shone bright and the air was hot, it didn’t reach here, allowing wild grasses to flourish, vines to thicken. Even without towering trees enclosing, it felt dark and skyless, each step requiring them to brush away branches reaching from the path and layers of wild grass beneath. Sometimes, they had to search tirelessly for a path, and even then, they would occasionally catch sight of blue, red, or even multicolored serpents slithering through the grass, terrifying them.

Halfway along the trail, several Turkic people had already been bitten by snakes.

The first two were bitten by common ridge snakes and were able to walk after simple bandaging, but one was unlucky enough to be bitten on the leg by a snake with black body and silver rings, which was evidently poisonous. He immediately foamed at the mouth and fell unconscious, forcing Ashina Zhuxie to have the first two who were bitten escort him down the mountain for treatment by the remainder of his men stationed below.

This made everyone proceed even more cautiously, slowing the pace considerably.

Gradually, the sun set, casting a fiery red glow on the opposite peak, turning it into a crimson column.

As the sun almost dipped below the horizon, they barely set eyes on the road’s end, stretching toward the peak of this mountain. They could faintly make out an eave stretching outward.

Shang Ruyi’s lead scout immediately exclaimed, "There’s a house! Someone’s living here?"

At these words, the already suffering Turkic people behind her perked up instantly, and Ashina Zhuxie’s eyes brightened as well, hurriedly squeezing past several people to rush forward and investigate. He saw indeed the house corner atop the peak and hurriedly turned to Shang Ruyi, "Is that the Left General’s Tomb?"

Shang Ruyi was somewhat surprised; she hadn’t expected to find some significant markers so swiftly. Thinking it over, she said, "A tomb should be buried underground rather than built above ground."

"Oh?"

"That eave looks more like a dwelling."

Upon hearing this, Ashina Zhuxie frowned.

Shang Ruyi continued, "However, if Zuo Chen An’s mausoleum is indeed at Skytop Mountain, the inhabitants here would likely know some clues. We should check it out first."

After speaking, she used the stick in hand to clear the thick grass ahead, continuing onward.

The crowd could do nothing but follow her lead. Barely moving two steps forward, suddenly Wo Xue, who was trailing Shang Ruyi, cried, "Princess, be careful!"

In the flash of a moment, a slender dark shadow leaped from the grass, winding up Shang Ruyi’s stick and suddenly biting her hand!