Guidance and the Fragrance of the Agarwood Box

Yellow Springs Road is the sole entrance to the imperial mausoleum. After the Former Dynasty emperor died, the burial procession would carry coffins and grave goods along this road, entering the tomb—and remaining there forever...

Yellow Springs Road is broad—wide enough for four carriages to travel side by side without feeling crowded. On both sides of the road, just as legend says, rows of vivid two-world blood-flowers are planted, irresistibly eye-catching.

That dazzling, piercing red makes it impossible to ignore their presence. In fact, once you lay eyes on them, it's hard to look away...

The petals of these blood-flowers sway with a lifelike grace, shaped almost like countless human hands, silently beckoning travelers forward from both sides: Keep walking, keep walking...

Serena sat atop her horse, faintly sensing something was wrong—her mind growing hazy, her whole body feeling as if she might topple over. In fact, she really did start to fall, but Snow Wolf reacted instantly, let out a howl, and caught her steadily.

"What just happened?"

Snow Wolf's howl snapped everyone back to their senses. Only then did they realize they'd been dazed; Serena had already collapsed onto Snow Wolf, and as for the rest of them...

If not for Snow Wolf's howl, they might all have fallen off their horses—the consequences would have been unimaginable.

"Something's wrong with these flowers. Everyone, try not to look at them—hold your breath." Serena climbed down from Snow Wolf's back. Prince Nolan also dismounted and came to her side, asking, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, just a little startled." Serena took a deep breath, not daring to look at the flowers on either side again. She couldn't shake the feeling that these flowers were somehow alive—just a glance made her heart race and filled her with dread.

"Mm." Once Prince Nolan confirmed Serena was unharmed, he released her and stepped forward to inspect those unusual flowers.

The Eighteen Riders followed close behind, ready to protect Prince Nolan at any moment. Sean Xuan moved to Serena's side: "Serena, do you have that box with you? It might come in handy."

"I do, I've kept it on me all along." Serena took the small box from her waist and opened it...

The moment she opened it, Serena froze in surprise.

"What's wrong?" Sean Xuan, worried Serena might be dazed, quickly nudged her. Serena swayed but soon steadied herself, handing the box to Sean: "This box is made of agarwood, but before it barely had any scent—just a faint woody smell. Now, though, the fragrance is incredibly strong. It's not unpleasant, either. In fact, it's soothing, and it actually clears my head."

"It really is unusually fragrant." Prince Nolan caught the scent from the box and walked over.

Even though he'd taken medicine to prevent allergies to the flowers' pollen and scent, he was still extremely sensitive to smells. As soon as the box was opened, he sensed something was off.

"The material used for this box probably isn't ordinary agarwood. Its fragrance should be able to dispel the influence of these flowers, letting us pass safely without worrying about losing our minds." Prince Nolan took the box. "Let's test it first. If nothing goes wrong, we'll proceed."

"Let me try." Knowing Prince Nolan was sensitive to the flowers' scent, Sean Xuan volunteered, and Nolan had no reason to object.

Sean Xuan took the box and walked onto Yellow Springs Road. After ten-plus meters, nothing seemed wrong—his mind was still clear. But...

It was as if he couldn't stop—he just kept walking forward.

"Sean!" Serena sensed something was wrong and shouted. Sean Xuan jolted, instantly stopped, took a deep breath to suppress his shock, and turned back.

"Are you alright?" Sean Xuan was drenched in sweat—it was clear that even this short stretch of road hadn't been easy for him.

Sean forced a bitter smile. "I'm okay, just got a scare." He wasn't shy about admitting it: "With the box's fragrance, my mind stayed clear, but... my eyes kept drifting to the flowers on either side. Then it felt like something was pulling me forward—I just couldn't stop myself."

"Hypnosis—you were just hypnotized. It's what people usually call soul-capturing. These flowers use environmental hypnosis; anyone who sets foot on this road gets caught up in it." Serena's first thought was of hypnotic techniques.

She knew some master hypnotists could use objects to induce hypnosis, but she hadn't expected to encounter something this powerful—able to hypnotize anyone who set foot on the road.

"Yellow Springs No-Return Road—the deeper you go, the stronger the hypnotic suggestion. Under deep hypnosis, people can't get out at all. They become like puppets, controlled at will." Compared to this, Su Rou's soul-capturing technique was laughably weak.

"What do we do now?" Sean Xuan was still shaken—he'd just been hypnotized. If Serena hadn't reacted quickly, he would have kept walking and... never come back out, left behind to accompany the Former Dynasty emperor in death.

"Snow Wolf doesn't seem affected. If we let Snow Wolf lead the way and keep our eyes closed, avoiding the flowers, we shouldn't be vulnerable to the hypnotic suggestion." Since the hypnosis relied on objects, they'd just ignore the "objects."

Serena couldn't believe their luck—running into such an overpowering hypnotic suggestion. Just stepping onto the road meant falling victim. Of course, if they really had to face it, they'd just have to accept their fate. This kind of non-human phenomenon was beyond what mere mortals could resist.

"Let's test it first." After suffering twice already, Prince Nolan didn't dare take any chances. If the whole group were wiped out here, it would be a pointless death.

"I'll go." One of the Eighteen Riders stepped forward. Sean Xuan didn't say much and handed over the box—he needed time to recover and couldn't make the trip again.

"We need more people. If there are too few, the effect might not be clear. It's best to tie a rope—if you start rushing forward, we can pull you back." Serena didn't just tie ropes to the Eighteen Riders, but also to Snow Wolf, in case he wandered off.

Seven people and one wolf set out again onto Yellow Springs Road. Sure enough, Snow Wolf was immune to the flowers' influence. He kept turning back to bare his teeth and stick out his tongue at Serena, looking so smug that she couldn't help but laugh.

After about fifty meters, everyone was fine. Only then did Serena and Prince Nolan dare to continue forward.

Of course, when the whole group moved together, they didn't use the ropes. If danger struck and they were all tied together, it would be a disaster.

Twenty-one people held hands or grabbed onto each other's clothes. Serena held the rope tied to Snow Wolf, and just like blind people crossing a river, they followed Snow Wolf's lead and slowly moved forward...

"Never thought I'd get to experience what it's like to be blind in my lifetime," Sean Xuan joked, showing he wasn't affected by Yellow Springs Road. The Eighteen Riders chimed in now and then, proving they too were unaffected.

Still, no one dared talk much. Unable to see, they paid extra attention to every sound. Even with Snow Wolf there, everyone stayed highly alert, ready for anything unexpected.

Suddenly, from all directions came the sound of sharp objects slicing through the air...

"Watch out!" Prince Nolan and Serena snapped their eyes open, looking up—only to see...