Chapter Seventy-Two: Are You in Cahoots with Her?

Liu Ling'er shook her head, moved closer to the painting, and prepared to take a careful look, wanting to see if her eyes had deceived her. Then, something miraculous happened—the painting began to roll up slowly from the bottom, as if it were following an automatic command from a machine. As the scroll was lifted, a small space was revealed behind it, inside which rested an exquisitely crafted iron box.

Liu Ling'er took out the iron box, and with it came a small note that read: "Open this box with the Phoenix Jade Pendant; otherwise, if the box is forced open, everything inside will be destroyed."

Was this for real? Did Ma Ling'er somehow know she possessed the Phoenix Jade Pendant? It all seemed exactly as she had said. Could it be that she was truly gifted, not a charlatan, and could foresee the future?

Looking at the indentation on the iron box, it really did resemble the shape of the Phoenix Jade Pendant. Liu Ling'er removed the pendant from her neck, placed it into the slot, and pressed down firmly.

With two crisp clicks, the iron box opened like a lotus blooming on water, revealing several items inside: a golden token, a book, and what appeared to be a piece of hide.

But calling it a piece of hide wasn't quite right—it was actually a painting, a massive map made of leather, to be precise, a map of the Eastern Chu Kingdom.

On the map, every town, mountain range, river, and other geographical feature of the Eastern Chu Kingdom was clearly marked and meticulously detailed. What a precious find! Even though three hundred years had passed and the kingdom might have changed in some ways, the mountains and rivers would surely remain the same.

Such a finely crafted map could only have come from Ma Ling'er herself—Liu Ling'er couldn't believe anyone else in Eastern Chu had the skill to create something so precise. Obtaining this invaluable map was like receiving a timely gift from heaven for someone like her, empty-handed in a foreign world.

Liu Ling'er pressed her lips together in a smile, quickly collecting herself and tucking the map safely into her bosom. Then she picked up the golden token: on the front, the characters for "Master of Law" were engraved; on the back, eight words: "Law commands the world; the people of the law follow as one."

It did appear to be the Master of Law token Ma Ling'er had spoken of, that legendary token of the Heaven's Law Sect. No matter how she looked at it, it seemed incredibly important—and just the pure gold alone would be worth quite a sum.

A fine treasure—she put it away. Lastly, she picked up the book and leafed through it. Inside were diagrams and symbols, looking much like secret codes from a spy film. Liu Ling'er's face lit up with delight; it seemed this book was the key to reclaiming the Heaven's Law Sect.

She closed the iron box, returned the empty container to its original place, but before she could act, Ma Ling'er's painting automatically unfurled, concealing the hidden compartment once more.

Leaving through the secret passage, Liu Ling'er did not return the blue luminous pearl to its place. Instead, she slipped it into her pocket—after all, she was penniless now, and selling this would fetch a good price.

She had no idea where Ning Susu had gone. She had wanted to tell her about Xiaoshuangshuang, but after half a day, Ning Susu still hadn't returned. Liu Ling'er could only leave a note before finally leaving the cold palace.

Returning to the Golden Hall, she found Su Yun'yun, who had been waiting for her. Su Yun'yun informed her, "Just a short while ago, the Empress Dowager took her maids and went to the Prince Xian's mansion."

Liu Ling'er nearly fainted on the spot—Chu Mei'er's speed was astonishing! If only she'd gone with her, or at least let her go ahead to warn Bai Li Xian!

Just imagining Bai Li Xian's cold questioning sent a chill down Liu Ling'er's spine. Heart pounding, she hurried back to Prince Xian's mansion with Su Yun'yun.

As soon as she entered, Liu Ling'er saw two figures standing in the courtyard—Bai Li Xian and Tie Wula. Seeing Bai Li Xian's thunderous expression, Liu Ling'er immediately turned, thinking to escape while she still could.

Her turn was so abrupt she almost collided with Su Yun'yun, but fortunately, Su Yun'yun reacted quickly and twisted aside.

She hadn't taken two steps when a deep voice sounded behind her: "Stop. Where do you think you're going? Come back."

Only a fool would stop now—did he want her dead? Liu Ling'er desperately wanted to pretend she hadn't heard, but the icy gaze boring into her back made her scalp tingle. She dared not move forward, and turned back in resignation.

Bai Li Xian closed the distance between them. Liu Ling'er caught a look of sympathy in Tie Wula's eyes. She turned, hoping Su Yun'yun would help her, only to see Su Yun'yun give her a grand, sweeping view of her back and slip away without a second thought.

Damn it! That was a perfect example of "better you than me." Some friends she had! Liu Ling'er barely had time to bemoan her poor luck with friends before Bai Li Xian was standing right beside her.

His shadow loomed over her, and Liu Ling'er hurriedly took a step back, only to find that every time she retreated, Bai Li Xian advanced, pushing her until she was backed against the wall with no escape.

The guards at the gate kept their eyes fixed on their feet, inwardly chanting, "We see nothing; there is nothing here but air."

Bai Li Xian pressed his hands down on Liu Ling'er's shoulders, his voice low and dangerous: "My beloved consort, don't you think you owe me an explanation for today? Tell me the truth—why did the Empress Dowager come to Prince Xian's mansion? Are you in collusion with her?!"