I Was Forced To Marry The Phoenix Empress

SLAM!

Xie Rou smashed her head on the marbled floor and declared loudly.

"I’ll never forget the great favour Madam Gao and Brother Chen have shown me today. I vow on my life!"

As she said that, she tilted her head up so the two of them could see the conviction in her eyes.

"Mhm. Go then." Gao Zhen nodded at this gesture, making Xie Rou end her kowtow and stand up.

Meanwhile, Yi Chen couldn’t help but look at her bleeding forehead with great concern on his face.

Seeing the blood dripping down her face onto her robes, he said in a worried tone, "Senior Sister... your forehead... it’s bleeding heavily."

Already aware of her state, Xie Rou smiled warmly upon hearing Yi Chen’s words and decided to thank him again, "I’ll forever remember your help, Young Master Chen."

With that said, she walked next to Zhou Lan’s figure and lifted her in her arms.

"I’ll be going then, Madam Gao, Brother Chen. I hope the tomb clearing will be a success."

At those words, both Gao Zhen and Yi Chen nodded, and a second later, the Void Traversal Pearl suddenly shone and expanded outwards, engulfing Xie Rou and Zhou Lan within.

SWISH!

Not even a second had passed, and it vanished into nothingness.

As the lingering sound faded, Gao Zhen said with a relieved expression, "There was no fluctuation in the surrounding space during the initial process. They must have safely reached outside by now."

"I’m glad..." Yi Chen smiled while exhaling in relief.

The next second, he suddenly chuckled and, turning towards Gao Zhen, said, "Madam Gao deliberately hid the presence of such a life-saving artefact from us all this time, didn’t you?

You wanted us to give our best and not get distracted by the possibility of retreating."

Hearing the convenient explanation which Yi Chen came up with on his own, Gao Zhen saw no reason to refute and said with an impressed smile, "Young Master Chen is right. I wanted everyone to give their all, that’s why I didn’t reveal it."

Seeing that he hit the correct spot, Yi Chen couldn’t help but feel flattered and, light-heartedly, asked the next instant, "Then it must mean that Madam Gao possesses another such artefact, right?"

He asked despite knowing that she was going to answer affirmatively.

However, to his surprise, Gao Zhen shook her head in denial.

"No, does Young Master Chen think Void Traversal Pearls are so easily accessible? Just getting my hands on that one had taken not only my entire lifetime’s worth of savings but also a three-month wait."

Gao Zhen chuckled as she said those words.

"This..." A trace of hesitation appeared on Yi Chen’s face when he heard this, and he asked the next moment, "T-Then what will we do if we encounter any life-threatening danger later?"

Hearing this question, an expression of amusement appeared on Gao Zhen’s face as she said with a meaningful tone, "Shouldn’t I be the one asking that of you, Young Master Chen?"

Seeing Yi Chen’s confused expression, Gao Zhen chortled and continued, "Even though it’s extremely difficult to get one’s hands on the Void Traversal Pearl, with Young Master Chen’s identity, you must have several of them in your possession, right?"

"W-What? Why would I have such valuable artefacts?" Yi Chen couldn’t help but frown at the absurdity of her claims.

Seeing the genuine expression of confusion on Yi Chen’s face, which even she would have believed if not for the obvious evidence she had, Gao Zhen couldn’t help but feel impressed.

"You don’t need to act so adamant, you know?" Gao Zhen chuckled and continued, "After you took out those Golden Firmament Pills, it was quite easy for me to connect the dots and figure out your true identity, Young Master Chen... or should I say the Yinyun Clan’s Hidden Heir..."

"???"

’What the hell is she even talking about...and who the hell is this Yinyun clan?!’

Yi Chen thought with a baffled expression and tried to refute her nonsensical claims.

"M-Madam Gao, I think you’ve got something wrong...I really don’t possess such an artefact...and as for the Golden Firmament Pills, it was gifted to me after I helped a wounded cultivator in my hometown..."

’Given to you by a wounded cultivator? Sure!’ Gao Zhen couldn’t help but grow more amused at Yi Chen’s clumsy attempt at lying and finally said with an understanding smile.

"It’s alright, Young Master Chen. I understand." She said with a meaningful glimmer in her eyes.

’...You clearly don’t.’ Yi Chen thought, but before he could say anything else, Gao Zhen interrupted him.

"Because of your circumstances, it’s understandable that you would want to keep it under wraps. You can feel relaxed now as I won’t pry any further." She lightly chuckled and gestured with her hands, "So, let’s go and see what this black temple has for us now, shall we?"

’Since I’m certain that you possess the artefact, your identity really doesn’t matter for now.’ Gao Zhen thought to herself and started walking towards the small pillar at the centre of the hall.

"Madam Gao, I think you’ve got some serious misunderstandings...we should clear it up first." Yi Chen said while following after her.

"It’s alright, Young Master Chen," Gao Zhen just gave a meaningful smile and said, "as I’ve said before, your secret’s safe with me."

As she finished her words, she winked at him, leaving him all the more speechless.

"This..."

Meanwhile, Gao Zhen shifted her attention to the black gem on top of the small pillar.

It had been glimmering since the moment Zhou Lan was flung out of the gate.

’I wonder what the next trial would be?’ she thought curiously and placed her hand on top of the glimmering black gem.

BROOOM!

The entire floor shook, and seeing this, both Yi Chen and Gao Zhen tightly grabbed onto the small pillar, expecting the floor to descend once again.

However, the next second, the entire floor, along with the small pillar, started shaking even more vigorously as large cracks began to form on it.

"This!"

Both Yi Chen and Gao Zhen glanced towards each other and, with a nod, were about to jump towards the wall, but just then the floor turned to fine dust, revealing a dark, despairing abyss underneath them.

An expression of horror instantly took over their faces as their bodies plummeted straight down.