Chapter Forty-Two: An Unexpected Twist

The time of the fantasy scenario was the Spring Festival of 1947.

Through the use of their beguiling magical abilities, Zhao Nan and his companion finally managed to infiltrate one of the main locations within the scenario.

China—Shanghai.

It was currently the Spring Festival, two years since the city’s liberation, and the nation was still mired in civil war.

The so-called Dragon Emperor was, in essence, a mummy produced in China—though, naturally, that was a Western concept. Zhao Nan hardly believed any Western-classified mummy could compare to the true zombies of Chinese history.

The streets were teeming with people, neon lights blazed everywhere, and the traffic was packed to a standstill.

Despite the liberation, there were still many foreigners around. Now, Zhao Nan’s objective was to seek out one of the story’s key settings: the museum where the Dragon Emperor’s terracotta warriors were housed.

“The Dragon Emperor will awaken tonight.”

At this moment, the group was hiding in a narrow alley outside the museum. Zhao Nan had already briefed Finina on the general plot.

He’d also confirmed the existence of the fabled Fountain of Youth, hidden somewhere deep within the Himalayas, in a place called Shangri-La. But only the story’s heroine, Lin, knew the precise location.

As outsiders, there was no way they could earn Lin’s trust in such a short time. Thus, Zhao Nan’s plan was simple: find the heroine and, using their beguilement magic, extract Shangri-La’s location from her lips.

After all, there was more than enough of the Fountain of Youth’s water to spare—a little would suffice to complete their mission. The fate of this world beyond that could unfold as it wished.

A short while later, a black car pulled into the museum. Zhao Nan nodded and whispered, “Let’s move.”

Finina nodded in return, swiftly severed the museum’s lock, and pushed the doors open. The two guards on either side suddenly realized what was happening, and, wielding wooden clubs, swung them down to strike.

“Beguile!”

The guards barely knew what hit them before their heads spun, their steps faltered, and their eyes glazed over. In that instant, Finina spun her longsword and knocked both men unconscious with its hilt.

“Let’s go in,” Zhao Nan said, closing the doors behind them and pointing toward the inner building.

Once inside, Zhao Nan cast two abilities in succession.

“Lightfoot Wind,” a detection spell.

And “Listening Wind,” a skill with no offensive power but capable of eavesdropping on sounds within a hundred-meter radius—far greater than Lightfoot Wind’s thirty meters of perception.

Moving lightly down the corridor, “Listening Wind” began to relay voices to Zhao Nan. The family of adventurers was gathered before the Dragon Emperor’s terracotta statue, deep in conversation. Meanwhile, elsewhere, a faint set of footsteps hurried along.

Zhao Nan rubbed his nose and murmured, “Our luck’s holding—our target’s appeared.”

He pointed to the bend ahead in the corridor, and Finina immediately understood, activating “Ghost Shadow” and slipping forward in stealth.

Moments later, a black-haired woman in an embroidered black Chinese jacket appeared at the corner. This was Lin. She saw Zhao Nan, who beckoned to her.

Startled, Lin instinctively stepped back. The moment Finina made her move, “Ghost Shadow” dissipated, and she materialized before Lin’s eyes. Lin, surprised and unsettled, tensed.

As one of the story’s heroines, Lin’s true age was a mystery. Though she was skilled in martial arts, Finina, a Sky Sword Saint, was preternaturally fast. Lin could only fend off her attacks in a fluster.

Zhao Nan merely wanted to capture Lin, so Finina held back from striking with full force. Yet Lin’s reactions were swift, evading Finina’s grasp several times.

This surprised Zhao Nan, who had no choice but to intervene.

He tapped his staff lightly on the ground several times; as Lin spun to avoid Finina, several tendrils of vine shot out like lightning. Focused wholly on Finina, Lin failed to notice the movement at her feet.

With a swoosh, the vines instantly wrapped Lin tight.

“Who are you?!”

Staring at Zhao Nan, Lin’s eyes were filled with confusion and anxiety.

“We’re just travelers…” Zhao Nan replied calmly, in a soothing tone, “Don’t worry. We don’t intend to harm you. We only hope for your cooperation.”

“You…”

Lin’s eyes grew unfocused, her head lowering slightly.

The dark magic “Beguile” was clearly taking effect.

“Tell me… where is Shangri-La?”

“It’s in… Who are you!” Lin suddenly snapped back to alertness, looking at Zhao Nan in terror.

Had “Beguile” failed? Zhao Nan’s heart skipped a beat… No—it hadn’t failed; she’d broken free!

“Beguile!”

“Beguile!”

Zhao Nan cast the spell twice in quick succession, but Lin regained her senses both times, almost instantly.

Could it be that the secret of immortality, the passage of millennia, had forged in her a willpower far beyond that of ordinary people? Or perhaps his skill level was simply too low.

Zhao Nan muttered to himself; most of his abilities were newly acquired, their proficiency yet unrefined and their power weak, further diminished within the scenario.

Watching Lin, now on her guard, Zhao Nan realized he could no longer hope to extract Shangri-La’s location through ordinary means.

Just then, “Listening Wind” caught the sounds of a commotion. In the exhibition hall where the Dragon Emperor’s terracotta statue was kept, the villainous officer had made his move and taken the adventurer couple hostage.

This was to be expected, but what surprised Zhao Nan was the new voice he heard outside the museum.

Zuo Panglong!

After entering the scenario, Zuo Panglong had vanished—Zhao Nan hadn’t the faintest idea where he’d been teleported. Yet now, at this critical moment, he’d reappeared.

And his target was the miraculous Eye in the officer’s possession—the one containing water from the Fountain of Youth!

Quickly weighing his options, Zhao Nan made his decision.

With a swish, the vines binding Lin withdrew into the floor, though the cracks on the ground bore witness that it had all been real. Lin, visibly shaken, backed away step by step.

Zhao Nan spoke, “You probably don’t have time to worry about who we are… because while you hesitate, the Dragon Emperor may well awaken. Aren’t you going to check?”

Lin paused in alarm, then retreated hurriedly. Only once she’d rounded the corner did she topple a few hefty antiquities in her path before fleeing at a run.

“Nan, why did you let her go?”

“I’ll explain later… For now, we have an old acquaintance to meet.”

Zhao Nan’s lips curled into a cold smile. Outside the scenario, dealing with Zuo Panglong would have been troublesome with so many witnesses, but here things were quite different.