boyutpedia Chapter 78 The Emperor of Xijing Kingdom Faces Crisis; Gu Liuli Encounters Assassination Attempt Whi
Chapter 78 The Emperor of Xijing Kingdom Faces Crisis; Gu Liuli Encounters Assassination Attempt Whi
Emperor Jiang Liushen of Xijing Kingdom sent a letter to Emperor Nanzhao Kingdom by express messenger. Upon seeing the letter, Xiao Han immediately summoned Gu Liuli and Xiao Jingchuan to the palace. Gu Liuli and Xiao Jingchuan rushed to the imperial study, where they found Xiao Han sitting solemnly at his desk, holding the letter in his hand.
"Father, why did you summon us so urgently? Is something wrong?" Xiao Jingchuan asked first.
Xiao Han raised his head, his gaze falling on Gu Liuli. "Liuli, this is a letter from Emperor Jiang Liushen of Xijing Kingdom. It says that his father, your biological father Jiang He, has been poisoned and is in critical condition."
"At this critical moment, I hope you can immediately go to Xijing Kingdom to lend a helping hand."
Gu Liuli's heart tightened suddenly, and anxiety instantly flooded her face. "What? My father... how could this happen?" She took a few steps forward, took the letter from Xiao Han's hand, and quickly browsed through it, her brows furrowing more and more as she read.
At the same moment, a mechanical voice appeared in Gu Liuli's mind: "Ding! Emotional mission triggered! Rescue your father, whom you have never met! Reward: a clue about your mother!"
"Liuli, there's no time to lose. Get ready quickly, we'll set off immediately!" Xiao Han said.
Gu Liuli gritted her teeth, "Okay, I'll go right now." At this moment, the urgency to save her father and the desire for clues about her mother intertwined in her heart, making her even more determined to succeed.
Xiao Jingchuan looked at Gu Liuli and said firmly, "Liuli, I'll go with you."
Gu Liuli gave him a grateful look and nodded in agreement.
The two hurriedly returned to the Crown Prince's residence, packed a few things, and then embarked on their journey to Xijing Kingdom.
Along the way, Gu Liuli was extremely anxious, wishing she could fly to Jiang He's side immediately.
Finally, they arrived at the Western Jing Kingdom's palace. Jiang Liushen was already waiting at the palace gate. Upon seeing them, he hurriedly came forward, saying, "You've finally arrived. Father's condition is getting worse."
Gu Liuli and Xiao Jingchuan followed Jiang Liushen quickly to Jiang He's palace. Upon entering, Gu Liuli smelled a strong medicinal odor. She walked to the bedside, looking at Jiang He's pale face and weak breath, and felt a pang of pain in her heart.
Gu Liuli quickly placed her hand on Jiang He's pulse, carefully sensing its strength. The pulse was erratic and weak, exuding an eerie aura. She activated the system's diagnostic function, which prompted: "This poison is a mixture of several rare toxins, potent and complex. Only by gathering the Thousand-Year Ice Lotus, Deep-Sea Red Algae, Earth Core Fire Mushroom, and Forget-Me-Not Grass, and refining them into a special elixir, can the poison be neutralized."
Gu Liuli frowned and informed Jiang Liushen and Xiao Jingchuan of the system's prompt.
Jiang Liushen's expression was solemn. "The Thousand-Year Ice Lotus grows in extremely cold places, surrounded by ice and snow, and is guarded by divine beasts, making it difficult to obtain; the Deep Sea Red Algae grows in the deep sea, where the water pressure is enormous, making it extremely difficult to harvest; the Earth Core Fire Fungus grows deep in the earth's core, where the temperature is unbearable, and it cannot be approached; and the Forget-Me-Not Grass is a legendary immortal herb, and no one knows its exact location."
Xiao Jingchuan clenched his fist. "No matter how difficult it is, we have to try."
Gu Liuli took a deep breath. "Yes, we can't give up. Liu Shen, send people throughout Xijing Kingdom to search for clues about these herbs. Jing Chuan, use the power of Nanzhao Kingdom to help in the search as well."
I remained in the palace, partly to try other methods to stabilize my father's condition, and partly to research how to concoct an antidote.
The group quickly divided up the tasks and got to work.
Gu Liuli sifted through ancient medical texts in the palace, trying to find a way to temporarily alleviate Jiang He's poisoning. She prepared several herbs, brewed them into a soup, and carefully fed it to Jiang He. However, the effect was not obvious, and Jiang He's condition continued to worsen.
At the same time, the teams sent by Jiang Liushen and Xiao Jingchuan to search for herbs also encountered numerous difficulties.
The team searching for the Millennium Ice Lotus arrived in an extremely cold land, where howling winds raged, blizzards raged, and temperatures were so low that the soldiers' hands and feet were numb with cold.
The team tasked with finding deep-sea red algae is now facing even greater difficulties.
The teams searching for the Fire Fungus in the Earth's core were so scorched by the intense heat that they could not get close to the place where the Fire Fungus grew.
As for the forget-me-not, there's absolutely no clue; it's as if it's just a legend and doesn't exist in the world at all.
Several days passed, and Jiang He's condition became increasingly critical, causing Gu Liuli great anxiety. Just then, the guards in charge of investigating the attack on the herb-finding team brought news that they had discovered some suspicious signs, suggesting that a mysterious force was secretly manipulating these difficulties.
Upon learning this, Gu Liuli felt a chill run down her spine. "It seems someone doesn't want Father to be cured. We must not only find the herbs as soon as possible, but also investigate this mysterious force and prevent them from interfering any further."
Xiao Jingchuan and Jiang Liushen both expressed their agreement.
"Liu Shen, arrange for skilled palace guards to secretly protect the team searching for herbs, preventing them from being attacked again. At the same time, continue to intensify the investigation into the mysterious force," Gu Liuli said.
"Okay, I'll go arrange it right away." Jiang Liushen immediately turned and left.
Xiao Jingchuan looked at Gu Liuli and said with heartache, "Liuli, don't worry too much, we will definitely find a way."
Gu Liuli nodded slightly, a resolute glint in her eyes. "I will not give up. No matter what, I will save my father."
"Ding! Based on the information provided by the host, Jiang Liushen is to investigate the people around him!" A crisp, mechanical voice exploded in Gu Liuli's ears. Only then did Gu Liuli realize that someone knew she had come here. Sesame Paste had suddenly leaked information, which must be suspicious!
"Brother," Gu Liu turned to Jiang Liushen and asked, "Who knows that I'm here?"
"Ding! Based on the information provided by the host, Jiang Liushen is to investigate the people around him!" A crisp, mechanical voice exploded in Gu Liuli's ears. Only then did Gu Liuli realize that no one knew she had arrived, so how could the information have been leaked? There must be something wrong!
"Brother," Gu Liuli turned her head to Jiang Liushen and said, "Who knows that I'm here?"
Jiang Liushen frowned, looking at Gu Liuli with a puzzled expression. "What do you mean?"
Gu Liuli said with a solemn expression, "Brother, our team searching for herbs has been attacked one after another, and not many people should know that I came to Xijing Kingdom, but now the news has been leaked. There must be a mole behind this. We have to start by investigating those who knew that I came here."
Jiang Liushen suddenly realized, his expression turning serious. "You're right. Thinking about it carefully, besides my and my father's confidants, only a few important ministers in the palace knew you would come. Could it be that one of them..."
Xiao Jingchuan also came over and said, "No matter who it is, we need to find out as soon as possible. Liu Shen, you should investigate these people's recent movements as soon as possible, and see if they have been in contact with any suspicious persons."
Jiang Liushen nodded, "Alright, I'll arrange for someone to investigate right away. But, Liuli, the search for herbs can't be delayed. What are your plans?"
"Brother, I'll go there myself. I'm afraid no one can find me except me. Don't worry, I'll be back as soon as possible!" Gu Liuli packed a few things and set off.
"Ding! Host has triggered a hidden quest—find the antidote yourself; it will be more convincing!"
Knowing that time was of the essence, Gu Liuli spurred her horse onward, galloping towards the frigid land. As they approached their destination, the temperature grew increasingly cold, and even the horses began to slow down.
Finally, they arrived at the edge of the frigid land.
The scenery here is extremely spectacular, with towering snow-capped mountains reaching into the clouds and vast ice fields stretching as far as the eye can see.
However, behind the beauty lies endless danger.
As soon as Gu Liuli stepped into the icy plain, she felt a powerful sense of oppression. She knew that the divine beast guarding the thousand-year-old ice lotus was nearby.
Meanwhile, the ice lotus that has been guarded for thousands of years is protected by a huge savage beast, no wonder the people sent here have not been able to find it.
"Ding! Mission triggered—Host, please subdue the giant python guarding the ice lotus!"
Suddenly, the ground shook violently, and a gigantic python leaped out from beneath the ice. Its entire body was covered in crystal-clear ice armor, radiating a chilling aura, and its eyes gleamed with wariness.
The guards beside Gu Liuli immediately drew their weapons and shielded her. However, the giant python was too powerful; with a single flick of its tail, it sent several guards flying.
Gu Liuli's heart tightened; she knew she couldn't let the guards die in vain any longer. She activated the system's hidden auxiliary function, and a powerful force instantly surged into her body. Holding her longsword, she flashed forward and charged towards the giant python.
Seeing that Gu Liuli dared to attack first, the giant python roared and opened its mouth, spewing a blast of icy air at her. Gu Liuli, relying on her enhanced agility, skillfully dodged the attack and, seizing the opportunity, thrust her sword towards the Ice Scale Beast's leg.
The giant python, in pain and fury, roared and launched a frenzied attack on Gu Liuli. Ice shards flew across the icy plain, flashing with cold light. Gu Liuli dodged and weaved under the Ice Scale Beast's attacks; despite the system's assistance, she still faced constant danger.
While Gu Liuli was engaged in a fierce battle with the giant python, Jiang Liushen, far away in the palace, also encountered obstacles in his investigation of the mole. The suspicious minister seemed to have noticed their investigation and suddenly died.
The imperial guards frowned as they looked at the minister's corpse. "It seems that the forces behind this are willing to kill to cover up the truth."
Jiang Liushen's face was grim. "That's right, and it also proves that our investigation is on the right track. But the trail has gone cold. What should we do next?"
The two fell into deep thought, unsure how to continue their investigation. Meanwhile, Jiang He's condition worsened, and he was on the verge of death.
Gu Liuli gradually felt that the time limit of the system's hidden auxiliary function was constantly expiring, and she had to end the battle as soon as possible to obtain the Millennium Ice Lotus.
She concentrated, carefully observing the Ice Scale Beast's attack patterns, and finally found an opening. With all her might, she thrust her sword at the giant python. The python let out a painful roar and collapsed to the ground, but it didn't die; Gu Liuli then stored it in her spatial storage.
Without taking a break, Gu Liuli immediately began searching for the Thousand-Year Ice Lotus in the vicinity. Finally, in an ice cave, she discovered the Thousand-Year Ice Lotus that emitted a soft blue light.
She carefully plucked the ice lotus and placed it in her bosom. However, just as she was about to leave, she found herself surrounded by a group of men in black and her guards.