Everyone was caught off guard by the Scholar's heartfelt shout.
"Wife... Wife..." Liam Willow, who had zero martial skills, was dragged aside by Caleb Miles and could only anxiously yell from the sidelines.
"Liam Willow, Caleb Miles, what are you two doing here?" The sudden appearance of these two surprised not just Ivy, but also Adrian Night and Lucian Vane, who were both confused—what was Liam doing joining the chaos?!
"Hello, I'm this year's martial champion, Colin Kerr." A man in armor stepped forward and addressed Adrian Night.
"Are you from the court?" Judging by their outfits, Adrian Night had already guessed a bit, but what puzzled him was that, in previous years, only martial artists fought for this, while the court never got involved. So why was the court stepping in this year?!
"We are here under the Crown Prince's orders, entering Poison Peach Valley to seek peace for the realm and ask Master Xuanluo how to reduce disasters so the people in remote areas don't have to suffer so much," Colin Kerr declared with complete seriousness.
But here, aside from straightforward Colin Kerr and pure-hearted Liam Willow, not even Ivy Shen believed the Crown Prince was that nice—let alone Adrian Night and Lucian Vane.
"Why is he even here?" Ivy Shen's tone was always gentler with Liam Willow than with anyone else—after all, the kid was just too innocent.
"He's this year's top scholar. Everyone knows that making it through Poison Peach Valley isn't just about martial arts—the Crown Prince believes his intelligence will help us solve the puzzles." Colin Kerr finished and glanced at Liam Willow, his eyes full of respect.
"Heh, whatever the Crown Prince wants is none of our business. But there's only one bottle of Peach Immortal Elixir, and it only allows three people into Poison Peach Valley. You guys..." As he spoke, Adrian Night's eyes flashed with killing intent—anyone thinking of stealing the elixir could forget it!
Seeing the killing intent in Adrian Night's eyes, Colin Kerr hurriedly explained, "No need to worry, hero—we won't try to take your things. The Imperial Medical Institute has developed pills to counter the peach blossom poison, and we've all taken them. The Crown Prince had us wait here because anyone who reaches Poison Peach Valley is no ordinary person. So, we'd like to travel together." With that, Colin smiled and called for the hundred guards and Liam Willow to lead the way forward.
"Stop!" Ivy Shen quickly shouted and rushed to Liam Willow's side. "You can't go in—Poison Peach Valley is way too dangerous!" She'd never been in herself, but judging by Adrian Night and Lucian Vane's preparations, she knew just how deadly it was. Liam was totally defenseless; going in was basically suicide! At least she had two poison snakes to protect her—what about him?!
Hearing this, Liam Willow broke into a huge smile, grabbed her hand, and said, "Wife, are you worried about me? Don't worry, I'll be fine. Trust me—even though I can't fight, I believe in my own smarts. I promise I can protect you." He was absolutely determined.
"He's the Crown Prince's chosen scholar. Do you really think he can escape?" Caleb Miles strolled over, slow as ever.
"Didn't you leave? Why are you here?"
"I failed, so my employer sent me along too. Sigh, after all these years of business, it's my first flop." Caleb Miles didn't look the least bit upset as he said this.
"You've got some impressive clients!" Adrian Night stepped up and mocked him. He'd always known Caleb's clients were big shots, but he never expected the abacus guy's business to reach all the way to Draken City! Still, only the Crown Prince himself knew what scheme he was really plotting.
"Alright, let's go in. Anyway, it's been ages since this peach blossom grove had fresh corpses for fertilizer!" Lucian Vane yawned, sounding absolutely sinister. Looks like this trip to Poison Peach Valley was going to be anything but boring!
And so, the whole group grandly marched into the legendary Poison Peach Valley, with all its unsolved mysteries waiting for them...
****
PS: Hey, everyone! This story is going VIP soon and will be paywalled in a few days. I know that's a bummer for lots of you, but honestly, it's super cheap—just skip a pack of chips and you can read on! Writing isn't easy, so I hope you understand. On launch day I'll update with 10,000 words (that's five days' worth!), and I promise things will get even more exciting. Just imagine: seven husbands fighting for Ivy's favor, seven husbands figuring out how to get along, and most importantly, seven husbands falling in love with our heroine! Plus, there's a huge mystery coming up. So get your coins ready and join me on this mysterious journey! Are you ready? Love you all~!