[TCFO] Arc 3 – Chapter 151

The Vicious Princess Wants to Reverse Fate (45)

The valley's width was too vast. If Zhou Min were alone, she could have used her lightness skills to cross the river, but the water offered no foothold. And it was more complicated to cross while carrying Shangguan Qi, who had no internal energy.

If they were to turn back and head towards the source of the river, where the giant snake was slain, they could use the numerous dark reefs as footholds. However, they couldn't afford the time it would take to navigate back through the long journey, especially with over a hundred assassins on their trail.

Zhou Min stood at the highest point of the valley, looking down at the turbulent river below. The water converged at the cliff's edge, forming a horizontally reclining dragon that plunged, sending pearls of spray across the valley. The misty water, falling with the momentum of a lightning bolt, was an unstoppable force.

The thunderous roars echoed throughout the valley.

The waterfall veil formed at such a height was several hundred metres long. Aside from crossing the valley to the other side, falling into the river would be a death sentence.

Just as Zhou Min felt trapped, she spotted an old, thick log spanning across a section of the valley cliff. Although it was old, it provided a landing point. She was confident she could fly across with Shangguan Qi. However, this was only possible if Shangguan Qi's body could handle it. After all, what lay ahead was unknown. They needed to be fully energised to face whatever came next.

Just as Zhou Min was lost in thought, she heard a sudden voice, "Little Min, quickly return to the cave. The time cloak is about to expire. I feel several dozen people rushing towards us, about a hundred metres away."

Startled, Zhou Min instantly turned and leapt away, disappearing into the jungle. As Zhou Min vanished, dozens of men in black quickly pursued her. "Captain, there are footprints here!" one of them exclaimed.

The one called Captain hurried over, studying the footprints in the dirt. After measuring them with his hand, he fell into silence. "It should be Princess Zhou's. The master should be nearby! Split into two teams. One team should cross the river and wait, while the other should carefully search. Don't alert those people!"

"Yes!" The group immediately dispersed. The Captain concealed the footprints in the dirt and turned to look at the valley's exit on the other side of the river. He suspected that Zhou Min and Shangguan Qi had already discovered the exit. The situation was complicated. They had started searching for their master after he fell into the jungle and only entered it recently, ten days later. The jungle was vast, and their group was split into multiple teams. They had followed a specific direction, and if they hadn't discovered the giant snake corpse stuck in the narrow valley with silver needles, they might have thought they were going the wrong way.

Once they knew they were on the right track and saw the river, they realised their master might follow it to find a way out. However, they also discovered the dead bodies of the men in black and hidden weapons in the jungle. Those men were poisoned to death, which was not the master's usual method. They concluded that the person using poison was Zhou Min, the infamous princess of Zhou country.

This realisation worried and frustrated the Captain. If their master was injured and unable to use his martial arts, it would be troublesome. Even if their master was close, they couldn't act recklessly. If they weren't careful, they might alert the enemies.

With both parties yet to encounter each other and unfamiliar with each other's strengths, the safest strategy was to remain still and discreetly search around. After thinking it through, the Captain wasted no time, ordering his subordinates to relay the information to the other teams once they were far enough away. Upon returning to the cave, Zhou Min found that the time cloak had expired. She began piling up leaves and grass at the entrance to conceal their location. It was still midday, but the cave was already pitch-dark due to Zhou Min's efforts. She lit a campfire, confident that no one would discover them, thanks to the thick grass and dense branches outside the cave and the spider silk that could serve as camouflage. They were safe for the time being.

The cave was dry and shallow, just six metres deep and around five metres wide. Over time, moss and grass had covered the rocky cliff outside, making it blend in with the surroundings. The cave, therefore, seemed more like a grotto, providing an elevated view of the ancient trees, grass, and nearby river.