As he leaped down, Li Ban kept his guard up against Yan Jiu, against potential dangers lurking underwater, and against any enemies that might charge into the tunnel. Yet, he completely failed to guard against the vine stairs beneath his feet.
His prior senses hadn't detected any spiritual rhinoceros in these vines; he hadn't realized they were alive.
The instant a vine seized his ankle, Li Ban suddenly remembered the shifting vines he had seen before entering Thousand Trees Hall.
It turned out those vines weren't enemies controlled by Assassin Hall and the city lord to attack Thousand Trees Hall.
Hoisted into midair by the vine, Li Ban immediately curled his upper body upward, gripping his Iron-Eating Sword to slash it apart.
However, the vine proved incredibly tough. Sharp as the Iron-Eating Sword was, it only sank halfway into the plant with a heavy thunk, failing to sever it completely.
Seizing the opportunity, more vines lashed out and wrapped around his legs.
Li Ban pivoted to unleash his flames, but the vines gave a violent thrash, slamming him directly down into the water.
Li Ban immediately abandoned the thought of using fire, swinging the Iron-Eating Sword once more.
Just as Li Ban struggled to break free, an iron cage suddenly descended from above, locking him underwater.
A second later, an immense pressure crushed down on him.
It was actually another cage forged from Sun-Obscuring Spirit Iron!
The vines that had been squeezing Li Ban tightly went slack, slowly slithering out through the gaps in the iron cage.
Evidently, the vines were also an element and were suppressed by the Sun-Obscuring Spirit Iron. They were only able to function because their source lay outside the cage.
The cage imprisoning Li Ban sank completely beneath the surface. He gripped the iron bars, struggling with all his might, but couldn't force it open at all.
"The more you struggle, the faster you die."
A raspy voice echoed out. The vines that had withdrawn from the water had unexpectedly twisted together to form a distorted human face, speaking in a human tongue.
Yan Jiu whipped her head around to stare at the vine face. Her hands, gripped tightly on the cage, were soaked pale from the water, the tips of her fingernails tinged with a sickly crimson.
"So you were watching me this entire time."
No wonder every one of her previous escape attempts had ended in recapture. If not for the need to catch Li Ban, these vines likely would have remained hidden.
Hurried footsteps echoed from the tunnel.
Lady Hua, Lady Rui, and Lady Kui all appeared at once.
Aside from Lady Hua, the other two wore expressions of absolute shock.
Lady Rui stepped forward and gave the sleeve of Lady Hua's silver robe a tug.
"What's going on? Why is Young Master Wen here? Didn't you take him to get something?"
Lady Kui grew even more frantic upon seeing Li Ban imprisoned underwater.
"Lady Hua, pull the cage up first, he's going to drown! Cat Girl is still out there performing assassinations for us right now. How can you kill her companion?"
"Exactly! If Cat Girl comes back and finds out, she'll want revenge. How could we possibly fend off a Gold Badge assassin?" Lady Rui chimed in, backing up Lady Kui.
Lady Hua pursed her lips, looking toward the vine face with a hint of hesitation.
"No!" the vine face rejected the plea without a second thought. "He knows too much. He must be killed. Letting him drown quickly is already a mercy on my part."
Lady Kui tightly gripped the hem of her dress, so nervous she nearly tore the fabric. "Pavilion Master, Young Master Wen and Cat Girl saved my life. Could you please show them some leniency?"
The face woven from vines was none other than the old pavilion master of Hundred Flowers Pavilion, who hadn't shown himself in a very long time!
"Misguided softness! Lady Hua, Lady Rui, do you share her thoughts?"
Lady Rui mumbled under her breath, lowering her head, not daring to speak out.
Lady Hua turned and spoke sharply to Lady Kui. "The pavilion master travels underwater year-round. How could he possibly fail to notice the colorless oil in the water?"
Seeing Lady Kui and Lady Rui freeze in shock, Lady Hua turned and walked to the edge of the tunnel. She gazed down at Li Ban, whose struggles in the water were growing more frantic by the second. Watching the bubbles escaping his nose and mouth, her face remained impassive, devoid of joy or sorrow.
"Tonight's attack was nothing but a ploy to lure the snake from its hole. Sacrificing a few pavilions and a handful of restless treants was all it took to force the enemy out into the open. Those treants are already under our control, and we've tracked down the source of the colorless oil. With this evidence in hand, we can report to the Imperial Court and finally retake control of Hundred Flowers City."
"After making such a massive blunder, the city lord appointed by the Imperial Court will have no face to keep holding onto Hundred Flowers City. They will have no choice but to return it to us."
Ever since the pavilion master from two generations ago lost control of Hundred Flowers City, the matter had remained a sore spot for everyone in Hundred Flowers Pavilion.
Hundred Flowers Pavilion's slow decline had also begun the exact moment they lost control of the city.
But Lady Kui and Lady Rui had never imagined that their pavilion master would make such a cruel choice just to take back Hundred Flowers City.
Lady Hua kept speaking, almost as if trying to reassure herself. "Thank you, Young Master Wen, for helping us minimize our losses. I will find a fine coffin and give you a proper burial. Rest assured, the Art of Awakening Life I gave you is not a fake. Let it be buried alongside you."
Lady Hua had long since memorized the entire contents of the Art of Awakening Life by heart.
When she handed the silver hairpin key to Li Ban, she had already received a signal from the pavilion master to trap the man first. She simply hadn't expected the pavilion master to immediately choose to kill him the moment he showed his face.
He could only blame himself for not falling into the original trap properly, insisting on running all over the place instead.
Lady Hua suddenly recalled the trade between Lady Kui and Li Ban. She turned her head and asked, "Did you give anything to Young Master Wen? If it wasn't a one-of-a-kind item, we can just let him keep it."
Hundred Flowers Pavilion was a merchant organization, and merchants valued their promises.
Lady Kui bit her lip and shook her head without a word, her mind racing. 'Should I tell them about Young Master Wen cultivating the Cyan Silk Algae Seed? No. With the pavilion master's temper, if he knew, he would torture Young Master Wen into handing it over. But even after he hands it over, Young Master Wen will still die. It's the same for Flesh on White Bones. If they find out about it, they would rather kill him and try to dissect his corpse for its elements than let him walk away with it.'
Lady Kui was as frantic as an ant on a hot pan.
Only now did she curse herself for living so aloof from worldly affairs, completely failing to build up any authority or influence. It meant that now, when she finally wanted to speak up, no one cared to listen.
Mimicking Lady Hua, she stepped to the edge of the platform and leaned over to look down at Li Ban in the water.
His thrashing had already grown weak; it looked as though he was on the verge of losing consciousness.
She didn't have the key to the iron cage; such things were kept strictly in Lady Hua's hands. However—
Lady Kui stealthily drew two slender silver needles from the back of her left hand. Then, using the motion of turning around to hide her actions, she flicked them into the water.
The silver needles hit the water without a sound.
Yet, propelled by Lady Kui's clever application of force, they shot straight toward the iron cage holding Li Ban.
At the same time, Lady Kui turned around, drawing the attention of Lady Hua and the pavilion master.
"Pavilion Master, your physical condition is poor. You shouldn't be using your abilities so intensely right now. Let me examine you again once we get back."
Sure enough, everyone immediately looked her way.
The features on the vine face shifted. "Perfect timing. I've been meaning to look for you anyway. The Cyan Silk Algae has sprouted by now, hasn't it? Hand it over."
Lady Kui's face paled slightly. She had only been trying to casually divert their attention; she never expected it to prompt the pavilion master into asking about the Cyan Silk Algae.
"I have been incompetent. It still hasn't fully—"
"Lady Kui!" Lady Hua suddenly interrupted, her eyes issuing a stern warning not to lie to the pavilion master. "The pavilion master only asked for the algal sprouts, not the fully matured Cyan Silk Algae. Think carefully before you answer."
Lady Kui's face turned completely white. She knew Lady Hua was warning her that the pavilion master very likely already knew the truth, and that she shouldn't lie.
But it wasn't that she was unwilling to use the algal sprouts to treat the pavilion master. She merely wanted to stall for a little more time to cultivate more sprouts. The current yield was only enough to save the pavilion master alone; there wouldn't be anything left for Miaomiao.
Moreover, once the sprouts were force-ripened and harvested, the remaining main stalks of the Cyan Silk Algae would be rendered useless. It would become impossible to ever cultivate a new batch of sprouts from them.
She only wanted to buy a little time to let a few more sprouts germinate!
Seeing her expression, the pavilion master gave a cold snort. "Hand the sprouts over to Lady Hua right now! Don't force me to search you myself!"
Lady Kui was certainly carrying something so important on her person.
Lady Kui clamped a hand over her sleeve, looking at the pavilion master with pleading eyes.
Taking in the scene, Lady Hua knew that if this continued, the pavilion master would inevitably hand down a vicious punishment. So, she stepped right up and snatched a long, finger-thick box from the hidden pocket of Lady Kui's embroidered robes.
She popped the box open to take a look. A smile spread across her face as she told the pavilion master, "Pavilion Master, she's already cultivated enough sprouts. There's even a little extra."
Lady Kui broke into desperate sobs, pleading, "Pavilion Master, could you please leave that little bit of extra for me? Leave it for Miaomiao? His body can't hold on much longer, either."
Yet, without a shred of sympathy, the pavilion master reached out with a slender vine and snatched the box right out of Lady Hua's hands.
"I know you did it for Miaomiao, and my heart aches for the boy as well. All of you possess rather average aptitude, but Miaomiao's is quite outstanding. I even have thoughts of letting him inherit the position of pavilion master in the future, so naturally, I wouldn't just abandon him."
The vine-faced pavilion master's words sent another shock through the women. They stared at him as if they were meeting him for the very first time.
"Pavilion Master?" Still harboring a bit of naivety, Lady Kui wondered if the pavilion master was actually going to spare some of the sprouts for Miaomiao. If so, wouldn't her days of keeping secrets make her the villain?
"But, Pavilion Master, right now you are also—"
"The Priest visited a couple of days ago," the pavilion master said. "Before he left, he taught me a new method. Not only will it help Miaomiao recover, but it will also allow him to grow even faster."
The pavilion master paused for a moment, the face of vines swiveling toward Yan Jiu on the sidelines. "Man frequently feeds upon plants. Naturally, plants can also change their diet to feed upon man."
Yan Jiu met the pavilion master's gaze without shrinking back, but internally, panic was beginning to set in.
'No wonder they managed to find me so quickly. It turns out I hid right in the enemy's lair.'
If a priest stepped in, her body-protecting dragon qi might not be enough to keep her safe.
The hopeful look on Lady Kui's face instantly vanished. Gritting her teeth, she said, "Pavilion Master, feeding on humans leads to bloodthirsty madness! If he turns out like a normal treant, his cultivation will be permanently capped at the second tier for his entire life!"
She didn't actually care if Miaomiao was capped at the second tier, but she knew the pavilion master absolutely did.
But to her surprise, the pavilion master dismissed her concern. "The method provided by the Priest is naturally completely different from the norm. The materials are different, too. Miaomiao will be able to reach at least the 6th Tier."
He could see Lady Kui's apprehension, but he couldn't be bothered to explain any further.
A slender vine, its tip split to resemble fingers, extended right in front of Lady Kui. "Give Miaomiao to me."
Lady Kui's immediate reaction was to stumble backward, nearly falling off the edge of the platform as she hid her left hand behind her back.
She was refusing him.
"Lady Kui!" Lady Rui, who had been too afraid to speak this whole time, called out in worry for her friend.
As a non-combatant 3rd Tier cultivator, how could Lady Kui possibly resist the 5th Tier old pavilion master?
Just as she feared, seeing Lady Kui's subconscious act of defiance made the old pavilion master lose all his patience.
Without another word, he whipped one vine around Lady Kui to bind her. A second vine savagely tore open her sleeve, snatching away the shivering Miaomiao from within.
Forcibly ripped from Lady Kui's arm, Miaomiao burst into loud, wailing sobs.
Hearing his cries, Lady Kui's heart seized in agony.
But bound tightly by the vines, she couldn't break free no matter how hard she struggled.
Having obtained Miaomiao, the old pavilion master tucked the boy away into the center of his vines before retreating deep into the tunnel and vanishing from sight.
Lady Hua cast a worried glance at Lady Kui, who had been left behind. Leaving no time for words, she hurriedly chased after the old pavilion master.
Lady Kui tried to run after them, but Lady Rui grabbed her to hold her back.
"Lady Kui, the pavilion master won't hurt Miaomiao," Lady Rui urged softly.
Lady Rui shot a glance at Yan Jiu, who was silently watching the two of them from the water. "We'll go back and figure out a plan," she whispered.
With that, she dragged the limp and exhausted Lady Kui out of the cave.
Only after everyone—and the vines—had completely gone did Yan Jiu finally release her white-knuckled grip in exhaustion.
She hadn't forgotten the look the old pavilion master had given her. He had looked at her as if she were a corpse, or rather, as if she were food.
'Which Priest would hand out a method that feeds on mid-level Spirit Practitioners? Could it be... could it be a black-robed priest?'
Yan Jiu gave a full-body shudder, no longer able to suppress the terror rising in her heart.
The black-robed priests were entirely different from the white-robed priests. They absolutely wouldn't care about her status as the Ninth Princess.
She absolutely refused to become someone else's food.
Murmuring to herself, Yan Jiu uncurled her fingers. Resting plainly in her palm were two silver needles, as fine as hairs.
"He certainly is good at charming women."
Just to save him, Lady Kui had actually managed to slip him two silver needles right under everyone's noses.
In capable hands, two silver needles were more than enough to pick a lock.
"Once I unlock this cage, if Li Ban is still alive, I'll take him with me. He seems to have the Art of Awakening Life and some other treasures on him. We might even be able to have him persuade Lady Kui to help us escape."
Of course, taking Li Ban with her hinged entirely on the premise that he hadn't already become a corpse.
With that thought, Yan Jiu peered toward the submerged cage holding Li Ban.
And immediately froze in shock.
The inside of the cage was completely empty!