Chapter 542 - Chapter 542: Chapter 549: Frozen on the Spot (2/2)

The nights in Peach Blossom Valley were always quiet, where one could clearly hear the sounds of insects and birds. That night, Han Yu lit some rosemary, putting everyone in the courtyard to sleep. He then quietly took Su Wenyue and left the courtyard unseen. The rosemary was actually a special concoction made by Divine Doctor Mu for Han Yu, with effects far stronger than ordinary sleeping incense—just a fingernail’s amount was enough to keep everyone asleep until dawn, by which time they would have already left Peach Blossom Valley and been on their way to Feng Family Manor.

When Han Yu and Su Wenyue arrived, Zhai Li was already waiting for them at the valley entrance, which proved to be just the exit Su Wenyue had discovered.

“So, this is the place. I do have some smarts after all,” Su Wenyue said with some pride upon seeing the spot, considering she had managed to find this without having learned about array mechanisms.

“With your little ability, you’d better stay put. You found the right spot, but the arrays here aren’t as simple as you think. This is a chain array, an array within arrays. If you had broken the simplest one, you would have fallen into the chain arrays,” Han Yu advised.

“Ah?” Su Wenyue gasped softly, now truly grateful that Sikong Ling had arrived timely, otherwise she would have become trapped within the arrays, and certainly would have given herself away. Indeed, she had overestimated herself.

Seeing Su Wenyue’s crestfallen look, Han Yu naturally comforted her, “Don’t be disheartened. There are no simple things in this world. Peach Blossom Valley, as the forbidden land of the entire Jianghu, couldn’t possibly be easy to navigate. A heritage that has been passed down for hundreds of years wouldn’t allow you to break it so easily just because you have an Ancient Book.”

“I oversimplified things. There’s always someone better out there, and with my meager skills, even finding this place was a stroke of luck. But now that we’re about to leave Peach Blossom Valley, Husband, are you sure about this?” Su Wenyue, aware of the danger, looked at Han Yu with some concern. Although she saw Han Yu as very capable, he rarely dealt with array mechanisms before, and it seemed far-fetched that he could figure out the arrays from the Ancient Book’s contents she had described to him in such a short time.

Han Yu smiled confidently, squeezing Su Wenyue’s hand: “Do you take me for you? I wouldn’t act hastily without enough assurance. Just follow me quietly.”

Indeed, not everyone shares the same gifts. Han Yu, never one to boast, relied on his in-depth understanding of the Ancient Book’s contents these past days to lead Su Wenyue safely through arrays and mechanisms, until they finally left Peach Blossom Valley. The path didn’t seem long, but by the time they emerged, it was morning already.

Once they left Peach Blossom Valley, the outside scenery changed completely, and the temperature dropped considerably. Though close by, it felt like a different world. Concerned about Su Wenyue feeling cold, Han Yu draped his cloak over her as well.

Looking back, the path they had come through had disappeared, behind them was a misty expanse, with Peach Blossom Valley hidden among the mountains, out of sight. Without special methods or knowing the tricks, even the entrance to the Peach Blossom Valley would be impossible to find.

“The founder of Peach Blossom Valley was truly remarkable. No wonder it’s listed as one of the forbidden places in Jianghu. With just this skill alone, they deserve to be called a masterstroke, not to mention the various array mechanisms inside the valley. I felt quite proud having found the way out previously, self-satisfied, but now when I look back, I feel quite ashamed,” Su Wenyue said, looking back at the mountain range, feeling humbled. Only after leaving Peach Blossom Valley did she truly realize its exceptional nature.

“Master, you’ve come out,” Qi Yun and Qi Shen, the brothers, had been waiting not far from the valley entrance. They didn’t know the exact location of Peach Blossom Valley, but upon receiving Han Yu’s signal, they hurried over, their faces filled with excitement, especially upon seeing Su Wenyue being led by Han Yu—the brothers froze on the spot.