421: Chapter 421 My Own Value

Arriving at the Yangquan Dungeon, the smell of charcoal still lingered in the air.

Lin Xiao led the women to the lowest level, where he saw Liao Meier, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

The woman wore a purple fur robe with a white fur collar, which made her look more delicate than a flower.

"This humble servant pays respects to the Prince of Zhenbei and the Princesses!"

Liao Meier's face was full of joy. Since she finished mourning for Prince Bai, she had been left in neglect.

Having finally caught an opportunity this time, she had mustered all her strength to prove her value.

Lin Xiao sensed that Liao Meier's cultivation had advanced significantly, and upon closer inspection, it was indeed the case.

With the death of the Great Elder, the Soul-Gu Poison that had been suppressing Liao Meier had also lost its effect.

The seal on her "Hundred Poison Sacred Body" had been broken, and her Heaven Grade aptitude was now showing.

Her "Ten Thousand Poison Art" had reached 53 years of cultivation and had advanced to a Heaven Grade technique.

Given time, she should be able to advance to a Martial Arts Grandmaster in her forties.

Although she followed the Demonic Path, which was not considered respectable, one had to admit that Liao Meier's talent was top-tier.

"Your strength has advanced greatly. It seems the Soul-Gu Poison's restriction on you was indeed not small," Lin Xiao said playfully.

Liao Meier's face flushed with excitement as she hurriedly knelt and said, "It is all thanks to the Prince for killing Great Elder and avenging me. I am willing to sacrifice my life to repay your grace!"

"You know I killed Great Elder, so you must have seen Kong Sen?"

At the mention of her old lover, a flash of annoyance appeared in Liao Meier's eyes. She forced a smile and said, "He did come by, but I have long since had nothing to do with him, so I sent him away."

Lin Xiao didn't bother to ask about her messy affairs. "Speak then, why did you ask me to come here? What did you find?"

Liao Meier knew the man's temperament; he wouldn't show her much tenderness, so she didn't dare waste time.

She hurriedly turned around and used a small bamboo sliver to scrape something off a stone.

"Please look, Prince. These are some powders I found in the dungeon."

Lin Xiao took it and looked closely at the yellow powder, finding it had a pungent smell.

"Sulfur?"

"The Prince is truly knowledgeable. Indeed, it is sulfur!"

Liao Meier said excitedly, "The reason the person who snuck in, killed Liu Qihai, and set the fire could ignite it so quickly was that they used some kind of accelerant made from sulfur."

"Sulfur isn't common; it's usually only found near volcanoes and hot springs. Among commoners, it's mostly used to repel snakes and insects."

"But the Northern Border isn't as humid as the south, so there's no need for snake repellent. Therefore... whoever purchased sulfur and knew how to use it to create fire..."

Liao Meier paused intentionally, waiting for Lin Xiao to ask for the answer.

But Lin Xiao had already understood. He grinned and said, "Are you referring to... the 'Subduing Fire' method used by Taoists when refining pills?"

Liao Meier was stunned, her eyes seemingly saying, 'You even know about that?!'

In fact, the moment Lin Xiao saw the sulfur, he guessed it was gunpowder.

But if this stuff were really gunpowder, its power would be much greater.

Moreover, if First Prince Li Chengqi and Venerable Fire had invented gunpowder, they wouldn't have been so low-key for so long.

Thus, most likely, they just knew how to make some crude gunpowder, which was about as effective as Kong Sen's 'Poison Fire'.

"Yaner..." Lin Xiao called out.

"Husband, I will go investigate all the Taoist temples in the Northern Border that practice alchemy right away!"

Leng Bingyan already understood the man's meaning and turned to run out.

"Su Wansha, ask your father if he has any existing clues on his end."

"Yes, husband," Su Wansha nodded.

Seeing there was nothing else, Lin Xiao turned to leave.

As for finding First Prince Li Chengqi, it would be best if he could, but it didn't matter much if he couldn't.

Seeing the man about to leave, Liao Meier suddenly became anxious.

"Prince! Where should I go?"

Lin Xiao looked back and said indifferently, "Now that Great Elder is dead, you are free. You can decide for yourself where you want to go."

"But my life was saved by the Prince. I only want to repay the Prince for the rest of my life..."

Liao Meier knelt on the ground, looking pitiful.

Seeing this, the other women's eyes showed a hint of coldness. A woman from a clean family would be one thing, but you, a concubine of Prince Bai—even if your 'Yin Essence' is still intact due to your special constitution—are still tainted.

You want to enter the Zhenbei Princes Mansion? You're dreaming!

If Lin Xiao hadn't been present, the women would have wanted to take action directly.

"You want to repay me? You're willing to do anything?" Lin Xiao asked.

Liao Meier nodded vigorously. "Please give your orders, Prince. As long as I am serving you, I am not picky..."

Lin Xiao had a thought and said, "In that case, go back to the Million Mountains first and revive the Ten Thousand Poison Cave."

"Ah?!" Liao Meier almost slumped to the ground.

It shouldn't be like this!

"If you can't even take control of the Ten Thousand Poison Cave without Great Elder, then what use do I have for you?"

Lin Xiao said with a cold, proud face, "If you want to stay by my side, you must prove your value."

Liao Meier's eyes shifted, and she suddenly thought that Lin Xiao might lead his army south in the future.

So, going to the south first... perhaps she was to be the vanguard?

At this thought, Liao Meier's spirit revived. She hurriedly prostrated herself and said:

"I will definitely retake the Ten Thousand Poison Cave as soon as possible and contribute my humble efforts to the Prince's great cause!"

Once they left the dungeon, Xiao Qingxuan asked:

"Husband, did you let Liao Meier retake the Ten Thousand Poison Cave to help General Leng?"

"My wife knows me well," Lin Xiao laughed. "Liao Meier is extremely ambitious. Instead of leaving her be, it's better to give her something to look forward to."

"If she can take charge of those large and small sects in the Million Mountains and coordinate with the Black Dragon Cavalry, it should be a formidable force."

Xie Juner giggled and said, "Husband is so wicked. Aren't you just using Liao Meier's desire to cling to you and using her as a tool?"

"You're wrong about that, Juner. Husband didn't intend to use her, but she just loves being ordered around by him," Zhao Caiwei joked.

Lin Xiao said with emotion, "In this world, some people like to be free spirits, while others naturally want to climb the social ladder and stand out."

"I am merely respecting her choice. How far she can go depends on her own destiny."

The women also agreed. In fact, for them, as long as Liao Meier wasn't allowed into the family, anything else was fine.

The investigation into the alchemy Taoists wouldn't yield results immediately.

Lin Xiao took the women and headed straight for Baishui City first.

On the way back, he learned that the first batch of potatoes had arrived at the trading hub between Western Qiang and Baishui City, and he had to go inspect the goods.

On the other side.

After watching Lin Xiao's group leave, Liao Meier exited the dungeon and boarded a carriage.

Returning to the temporary relay station where she was staying, she was about to go to her room to pack her things when she saw a man squatting by her door, waiting.

"You, surnamed Kong, why haven't you left yet!?"

Liao Meier's face was full of disgust. "A grown man, sticking around like a piece of dog-skin plaster—don't you find yourself disgusting?!"