"If you want to leave, it’s simple, but not now."

"Why... why not?"

Jiang Wen looked puzzled, his expression cautious.

He had said everything, so why wouldn’t they let them go?

"Some matters must be dealt with; we can’t just leave them hanging."

Li Qingmu’s tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable air.

"You two have saved us, and we are very grateful, but if we stay here any longer, I fear our lives will be in danger. Please, let us go!"

The woman was about to kneel before Long Yue and Li Qingmu, but Jiang Wen seemed unwilling and pulled her up.

"Since you saved us, you wouldn’t push us back into danger. So, what is it that you want us to do?"

Li Qingmu looked at Jiang Wen with surprise.

After staying in prison for a few days, perhaps interrogated by others, he had several whip marks on his body, which made him appear disheveled.

Yet, he remained calm, exuding a faint sense of nobility, suggesting he still retained some qualities of the previous dynasty’s Imperial Family.

By directly asking what they wanted him and his wife to do, it was clear he wanted to resolve the matter; he was a man with responsibility.

"Husband!"

The woman next to him was anxious and quickly tugged at the man, but Jiang Wen only lightly shook his head, "Some things must be faced; evasion is useless!"

"In that case, fine. My wife and I need to go to your ancestral home and open that entrance. When the time comes, I hope you’ll accompany us inside."

"Wait!"

Before Jiang Wen could speak, the woman stopped them, "That tomb, who knows how many years it’s been sealed, is full of poisonous gas. What if something goes wrong..."

"Ru’er, don’t worry." Jiang Wen pressed the woman’s hand and said calmly, "I believe they will make the right choice! After all, one look will tell whether that place is accessible."

Li Qingmu nodded slightly, his gaze at Jiang Wen one of approval.

He could have gone down with Long Yue, but since it was a mausoleum of Daxia, it needed someone from Daxia to accompany him.

This was to show respect for the deceased and prevent some potential troubles.

After making arrangements, Li Qingmu and Long Yue left; Jiang Wen closed the door, and Ru’er quickly grabbed the man’s hand: "Husband, don’t go..."

"It’s fine, it’s just an Imperial Mausoleum. I’m only going to see my ancestors, really."

"But... I’m worried about them... Actually, I feel that couple seems quite unusual and might be connected to the Great Zhou Imperial Family..."

Ru’er’s intuition had always been sharp. She didn’t disclose the situation not because she doubted the couple but because she didn’t trust their identities!

Because their demeanor and behavior were too elegant, making one feel they were long accustomed to high positions, she was very afraid that after revealing everything, they would really have no way out.

"Ru’er, trust me; this couple certainly won’t harm us because..." He paused, a bit of bitterness in his eyes, "They stand too high, like elephants to us ants. Do you think elephants would care about ants under their feet?"

"Husband..."

Tears welled up in Ru’er’s eyes, and she choked up.

This world, the truth is always so cruel.

Long Yue and Li Qingmu left Jiang Wen couple’s room and returned to their place.

Occasionally, Long Yue would listen to make sure they hadn’t left, so there was no worry about them escaping.

Upon returning, she saw Li Qingmu standing at the window, hands behind his back, gazing at the darkening sky, lost in thought.

Long Yue didn’t want to disturb him, so she prepared the brush, ink, and paper for him, understanding each other’s habits well after many years of marriage.

Since he was contemplating something, once he was done, he would certainly pick up the brush and start drawing or writing. The freshly ground ink was just perfect for him.

Speaking of which, this man had become quite particular.

The paper had to be the finest Yanshan Yunxuan, the ink the best truffle ink from Bai Town, and even the brush had to be handcrafted by Master Liu Yuanzheng. This man was truly...

Although Long Yue was annoyed by his newly acquired bad habits, she loved him all the more.

At this moment, Li Qingmu, having seen the sky darken completely, turned and stepped quickly to the desk, picked up the brush, and began to paint.

His paintings had grown more remarkable, no longer just resembling the subject, but capturing its essence, making one almost believe it could leap out of the drawing.

However, this time, Long Yue noticed he was drawing a map.

Oh?

She was slightly taken aback, puzzled, but refrained from asking, merely watching silently.

After a while, she recognized the map; it was of Liuzhou City, Jiangzhou City, and Ling’an City, along with Huaizhou City where they had visited the Nanyuan Palace a few years ago, and the cities along the way like Cangzhou City and Jinzhou City.

Li Qingmu was drawing the area of Jiangnan and the south of Central Plains, but what was his purpose?

Then, Long Yue saw him draw a line south of Liuzhou City, extending directly towards... Huaizhou City, where the Nanyuan Palace stood!

Long Yue, being swift-witted, became alert immediately. She stared at the line, compared it to the topography, and exclaimed: "How did they connect?"

Li Qingmu’s gaze sharpened: "Indeed they are connected, quite shocking, isn’t it? Yue’er, do you remember the Nanyuan Palace? The large pit unearthed the other year, filled with remains."

Of course, Long Yue remembered. It made her scalp tingle at the time, and the Tomb Miasma Poison emerged too, affecting both herself and Li Qingmu, until their master saved them.

"Also, this place you might have forgotten is Kaiyang. Kaiyang is within this Jinzhou City!"

Li Qingmu, while speaking, placed another point on the map.

Kaiyang?

This nearly forgotten place jolted Long Yue’s memory; it was her master’s hometown!

Back then, Kaiyang Guyang County suddenly erupted with fire, releasing a large amount of Tomb Miasma Poison, causing nearby residents to be displaced, and many succumbed to the Poison without treatment.

Now, years later, the area has somewhat recovered, though sparsely populated, much improved from being strewn with starved and deceased corpses.

"A Mu, do you mean..." Long Yue observed how the three locations formed a triangle, and this triangle, couldn’t it also form a circle?

"Is the tomb beneath their house connected with the underground of the Nanyuan site and the tombs at Kaiyang?"

"Yes, it’s highly likely that it’s one place!"

One place? That’s shocking, a mausoleum spanning several States?

What secret does it hold?

No wonder this needed to be discussed with Qi Yun, as it involves great matters!