The Ice King's Little Trouble Maker-Chapter 642 - 604: Relax...

"What about the people who were drugged?" Mr. Gu asked.

"Initially, nothing happened, but none of them lived beyond three years," Qiao Yuxian replied. "Symptoms appear gradually, and there’s no treatment even if sent to the hospital."

"Has Qu Qingkong been sending people to find that place?" Mr. Gu asked again.

"Yes," Qiao Yuxian said. "He sent people based on his memory of the route, and none returned. Later, he focused all his energy on the map."

"When the things from the country were sent back, were the things in Qu Qingkong’s hands sent back too?" Mr. Gu asked.

"Yes. Grandma said they were sent back together," Qiao Yuxian replied, touching the Peace Pendant.

"The people who went there couldn’t find their way in without a map?" Mr. Gu asked.

"Hmm..." Qiao Yuxian thought for a moment and said, "Grandpa Nine said he once went with the map, couldn’t get in, and was severely injured, almost died there."

Mr. Gu’s eyebrow moved slightly.

Having a map doesn’t necessarily mean being able to get in.

Back then, how much danger did Grandma Xi and his grandfather encounter, and how much luck was involved when they entered?

In the years afterwards, they were the ones who led people in and brought them out safely.

"It’s not just a map; every spot on it is marked very clearly. But even so, it doesn’t guarantee finding the place," Qiao Yuxian said. "Grandfather and grandmother had a bit of luck on their side. It was as if the place opened its doors for them."

"Who said that?" Mr. Gu continued picking cat fur.

"Can’t it be something I said?" Qiao Yuxian said.

"Doesn’t sound like it," Mr. Gu replied.

"My grandma said it," Qiao Yuxian replied dryly.

Mr. Gu kissed her.

Qiao Yuxian said, "Qu Qingkong seemed a bit obsessed. All these years, he’s been searching incessantly, wanting to research further. What he discovered was only preliminary. He wants to further refine it—so people can live normal lifespans, be controlled by only one person, and not listen to anyone’s orders. It’s madness."

Mr. Gu thought: At such an advanced age, still so obsessed.

"To get the map, he poisoned my grandfather to threaten my grandmother, now he’s repeating the same trick," Qiao Yuxian said. "Even if he manages to research it, or fails, that thing unleashed could kill a group of people in a certain area over time, and the range would gradually increase."

The world is vast, and there are always things that are presently beyond understanding. What cannot be understood cannot be explained for the time being.

Mr. Gu understood this principle, knowing many things are naturally reliant on their environment, but he was still shocked.

A mysterious place, and an unfathomable substance.

"I once said the Peace Pendant represents power and wealth. To Qu Qingkong, that’s exactly what it means. Ambition..." Qiao Yuxian gestured forcefully, "is that big."

Mr. Gu pulled her closer into his arms, stayed silent for a while, then suddenly asked, "Is the map still in the hidden room?"

Qiao Yuxian looked at him and quickly understood his meaning, "When grandma gave me the Peace Pendant, Grandpa Nine took me to see it once in the hidden room. It’s still there. Actually, the hidden room has two doors: the outer one requires Grandpa Nine’s password, and the inner one requires my Peace Pendant."

"Do you know the password?" Mr. Gu asked.

"No," Qiao Yuxian said. "Grandma knows it, but she only gave me the Peace Pendant and didn’t tell me the password."

"Aside from Mr. Huo, who else knows the password?" Mr. Gu asked.

Qiao Yuxian was silent for a moment, her eyelashes fluttered, "The master of Yao Mountain Island."

"Yan Ting?" Mr. Gu said. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"Yes," Qiao Yuxian replied. "Yan Ting has managed Yao Mountain Island for several years. Grandpa Nine probably told him."

Mr. Gu looked at the Peace Pendant in her hand.

The password and the Peace Pendant are held by two individuals.

The incident back then was so significant, so many people died, and yet the news was completely blocked.

Tang He hadn’t been able to find out after investigating for so long.

Despite the uproar, the map was not handed over; it remained at Yao Mountain Island in the end.

The sheer fact that they retained the map is a testament to Xi Wanqing’s remarkable prowess back then.

In her teenage years, she established Yao Mountain Island, expanded it significantly, and its influence spread across the continents.

Even now, mentioning it instills a sense of awe and terror.

Handing over the map would’ve been a good choice.

Being under the protection of a country is the safest.

By not holding it themselves, they’d also be much safer, avoiding situations like what happened with Grandpa Qiao and the current issues.

And in the future, whether it’s the password or the Peace Pendant, they may be passed down, generation after generation, conceivably leading to unforeseen problems.

Grandma Xi undoubtedly considered all of this.

So why wasn’t it handed over and instead kept at Yao Mountain Island?

Because this way, it serves as a safeguard for Yao Mountain Island.

The presence of this object at Yao Mountain Island brings about a sense of dread from any other place.

Yao Mountain Island was built by her own hand, with painstaking effort.

There dwelled her loved one, her brother, her comrades-in-arms. All her best times were virtually spent there.

Even after choosing seclusion and leaving, not meddling again, she wanted Yao Mountain Island to remain revered and feared.

And hoped the descendants would always have protection.

These matters always have two sides. Where there is advantage, there is also disadvantage.

Providing protection, it simultaneously presents danger.

Grandma Lu Xi already paved the path; what the future holds depends on them.

"Is your poisoning related to that place?" Mr. Gu asked.

Qiao Yuxian looked at him, dazed for two seconds.

Mr. Gu’s eyes were still red, his complexion not good, no emotion visible apart from fatigue. Yet she discerned immediately from his words.

If her poisoning was related to that place.

No matter what, Mr. Gu would get the map and risk his life to find that place.

"To my knowledge, no," Qiao Yuxian said. "Anything related to that place, my grandma destroyed. The poison in my body is likely from what Qu Qingkong later researched. And the poison that enhances strength and speed at Old Sir Lu’s birthday party has nothing to do with that place."

Mr. Gu looked at her, verifying the truth in her words.

Qiao Yuxian blinked her beautiful fox-like eyes, looking innocently and helplessly, saying with a hint of grievance and shock, "You don’t believe me."

"No," Mr. Gu ruffled her hair.

"Hmph," Qiao Yuxian gave a small hum and said, "What do you think Zhao Shimeng will do if we remain inactive after she came?"

Mr. Gu watched her for a while, pinched her cheek, making her pout, then kissed her, saying, "We can’t just sit and wait."

"Mr. Gu, I think we can be at ease," Qiao Yuxian said. "Someone else is surely more anxious than we are."

Mr. Gu looked at her silently.

Right now, he wished he could turn the world upside down, find the person, and quickly get rid of the poison.

"Don’t be so serious," Qiao Yuxian poked his face with her fingers. "After sorting things out just now, I really feel we can stay put and wait for the enemy to walk into the trap."

"Qiao Yuxian!" Huo Yanxin’s voice suddenly came from the courtyard.