There was still no hope of seeing anything further ahead.
Chu Han felt a bit dejected. He looked down at the surging Dragon King River.
"Sect Leader, let's go back. Or we could try our luck at the steep slope again. Perhaps after so many days, they might have retreated."
In truth, the Lotus Sect Leader had also lost confidence. However, as the backbone of the team, she couldn't voice it. Chu Han's suggestion gave her an easy way out.
But it wasn't her style to agree immediately. She frowned and looked into the distance.
"Look, there's a giant rock by the river where we can stand. Let's go there and see if we can find a way to cross."
Upon reaching the riverbank, everyone stared at the turbulent waters of the Dragon King River in silence.
The Lotus Sect Leader surveyed the water, which was over ten feet wide, and then turned to look at Chu Han and the others.
"Who among you knows how to swim? Do you dare to swim to the other side?"
They looked at each other, and finally, they all shook their heads.
The Lotus Sect Leader sighed and took a rope from one of her companions.
She found a protruding rock, tied the rope securely, and then gauged its length, confirming it could reach the opposite bank.
Holding the rope, the Lotus Sect Leader took two deep breaths to compose herself. Then, with a sudden flick of her wrist, she flung it towards the other side.
The rope seemed to be pulled by an invisible hand, speeding towards the opposite bank.
The Lotus Sect Leader let out a soft cry, leaped into the air, and her toes landed on the rope as she flew forward at high speed.
This sight left Chu Han dumbfounded.
He knew the Lotus Sect Leader possessed extraordinary qinggong, but he never expected it to reach this level.
She could cross a river by stepping on a rope.
Like a bolt of lightning, the Lotus Sect Leader crossed the more than ten-foot-wide river in the blink of an eye, landing lightly on the ground.
At that moment, the rope was taut. The Lotus Sect Leader grabbed it and wrapped it around a nearby rock.
It was a seamless, fluid maneuver.
Moli, Chu Han, and the others on the opposite bank couldn't help but cheer.
Hearing their cheers, the Lotus Sect Leader did not turn back. She subtly opened her mouth and spat a mouthful of blood into a corner.
She then raised her sleeve to wipe the trace of blood from her lips. Only then did she turn around nonchalantly and wave to the people across the river.
With this rope, crossing the river became much easier.
Moli was the first to rush over.
"Sect Leader, are you alright?"
The Lotus Sect Leader waved her hand. "I'm fine. Don't let anyone see. Tell them I'm practicing my skills and need you to guard me."
The Lotus Sect Leader quickly found a large rock to hide behind and began to meditate, regulating her breathing.
Moli stood guard beside her, preventing anyone from disturbing her.
After all, with so many people, it would take a considerable amount of effort for each person to cross the rope.
Chu Han was the last to cross. Naturally, his qinggong was not as advanced as the Lotus Sect disciples. He simply climbed across the rope obediently, with nothing else he could do.
However, this brought up a problem: they couldn't take the rope with them.
Then again, having left Qingniu Mountain, the rope was no longer that important.
After everyone had crossed, the Lotus Sect Leader finished her meditation and her usual smile returned.
"Alright, let's hurry."
As the Lotus Sect Leader descended the mountain, Tian Wen continued to patrol the mountain.
He arrived at the iron chain bridge and saw many traces indicating that someone had gone towards it. However, there were also signs that someone had continued straight ahead.
At this point, Ma Han spoke, "I don't think we need to cross the bridge. Crossing this iron chain bridge leads to the summit."
"I don't think the Lotus Sect Leader would hide in the depths of the mountain if she wanted to conceal herself."
His words gave Tian Wen an idea.
Logically, the higher one went up the mountain, the smaller the area became, and thus the fewer places there were to hide. Therefore, the best course of action would be to pursue them straight ahead.
Just then, Princess Zhaoning and the young maid, along with twenty meticulously trained elites, departed from Bao'en Temple, stealthily heading towards Qingniu County. Following the old prime minister's plan, their objective was to assassinate Xiao Jingyun.
Shortly after her departure, the news quickly reached the capital.
The Imperial Advisor Sun Yuliang heard the report and couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Excellent, both of them are gone. This is a heaven-sent opportunity!"
Sun Qi looked confused. "Imperial Advisor, what do you mean?"
Sun Yuliang laughed heartily.
"If I'm not mistaken, the Princess is leading her men towards Qingniu County, not to have tea with her brother."
"Imperial Advisor, so you mean...?" Sun Qi was even more bewildered.
The peerless Daoist beside them, however, had begun to understand and gave the Imperial Advisor a thumbs-up.
"The Imperial Advisor is right. They're likely about to have a confrontation."
Sun Yuliang nodded.
"Yes, if I were the Princess, and I wanted to seize the position of Crown Prince, I would definitely eliminate the Crown Prince first."
The peerless Daoist cupped his hands to Imperial Advisor Sun Yuliang. "Why don't we use their plans to our advantage?"
Sun Yuliang smiled faintly. "That's exactly what I was thinking."
"I will immediately go to the palace to obtain an imperial decree, stating that there is a rebellion on Qingniu Mountain. I will order Zhu Meng to lead a large army to suppress it."
"Afterward, we will station troops at all the key routes into the city. As long as the Crown Prince cannot return to the capital, our grand plan will succeed."
At this moment, Xiao An was completely obedient to Imperial Advisor Sun Yuliang. Upon hearing of the rebellion on Qingniu Mountain, he issued an imperial decree without a second thought, ordering Zhu Meng to lead three hundred thousand troops to quell it.
Upon receiving the Emperor's decree, Imperial Advisor Sun Yuliang finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He immediately summoned Grand Marshal Zhu Meng.
After Zhu Meng entered, he respectfully bowed to Sun Yuliang.
Sun Yuliang raised his hand. "I have already secured the imperial decree. You will immediately lead three hundred thousand troops to Qingniu Mountain."
"Remember, the Crown Prince and the Princess are to be killed, not captured. Do you understand what I mean?"
"But, this might be without legitimate cause."
Sun Yuliang's lips twitched, and he let out a cold snort. "There's nothing to fear. After you leave, I will immediately take action to force Xiao An to abdicate the throne to me. Then, Xiao Jingyun and Xiao Jingfeng will be the rebels."
"You will then be cutting down rebels, making it all perfectly justifiable."
Zhu Meng couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this. "Yes, this will be much easier."
As Zhu Meng gathered his troops and set off for Qingniu Mountain, the news quickly spread. Prime Minister Fang Zheng's heart tightened upon hearing it.
The plan he had devised for the Princess was to go to Qingniu Mountain. He assumed she had already set out from Bao'en Temple.
And with Zhu Meng rushing after her, the implications were obvious.
This was not good.
Imperial Advisor Sun Yuliang was likely planning a major move.
With this thought, Fang Zheng quickly sent for his grandson, Fang Jun.
In the meantime, Fang Zheng quickly wrote a letter.
The letter was addressed to Princess Zhaoning, informing her that a major upheaval was likely in the capital and urging her to stop her actions and return immediately.
Fang Jun took the letter and hurried out of the city, but it was already too late to catch up.
And almost simultaneously, the atmosphere in the mansion of Duke Liunang, protector of the state, also became extremely tense.