A reunion with family was Tan Yue's greatest wish in this life.
However, when he looked up at Mu Changxi, his eyes were still filled with confusion. "Reunion? Our family fell apart long ago, how can we reunite? Don't be foolish! It's impossible!"
He was in pain, but clearly also struggling. "It's impossible, no one can do it. I'm destined to die here. Once they discover us, they might even seal off this entire village. We can't do anything!"
"Brother, can you calm down?"
Seeing Tan Yue like this, Tan Xing's heart ached as well.
But compared to Tan Yue, although he was younger, he seemed calmer. "Brother, no one can cover the sky with one hand. Will you trust us? Since Brother Han and Sister Han promised us, they will definitely do it!"
Tan Xing saw things more clearly. "Anyway... according to your wishes, even if Brother stays here, he might not be able to escape. Why not try? Perhaps we can survive?"
He took Tan Yue's hand and whispered, "Brother, I've already lost you once, I really don't want to lose you again."
Clearly, this statement was effective on Tan Yue.
He suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with complex emotions as he looked at Tan Xing, his hand gently stroking Tan Xing's cheek. "Xiao Xing, you've grown up, you've truly grown up! Perhaps... we really should fight for it this time? Xiao Xing, but if we fail this time, you will die!"
Tan Xing, however, smiled. "Brother, with you, I fear nothing! Besides, if we fail this time, can Brother guarantee that those people won't target me? My surname is Tan too, isn't it?"
Tan Xing's considerations seemed to be even further ahead than Tan Yue's.
Tan Yue's breath hitched, knowing he had no other choice.
Ultimately, he still raised his head resolutely and looked at Mu Changxi and Song Chaoyu. "Perhaps you are right, I probably never had any other choice, did I? So, what do you want me to do?"
Tan Yue was a smart man.
He naturally knew that Mu Changxi and Song Chaoyu had a purpose for coming here.
Now that he had decided to take a gamble, Mu Changxi and Song Chaoyu also decided to trust Tan Yue this once!
Mu Changxi gestured for everyone to sit down and talk, then he spoke first. "Zhu Xuri, why did he come here?"
Tan Yue was surprised that Mu Changxi knew Mr. Zhu's identity. He said, "He is the... steward here. He stays here all year round, but he goes out occasionally. It seems he goes to see his master behind him. This time, he has also returned with a new mission."
Mu Changxi nodded. "He brought two people with him, one is someone following us, and the other is from the Southern Kingdom. We want to take these two people away together. Do you think you can find a way?"
Tan Yue was stunned, then gave a bitter smile and muttered to himself, "Yes, when you come to this place, you won't be ordinary people. Naturally, what you do won't be ordinary things."
After a moment of thought, he said, "If he brought people, they would probably be locked up in the cages at the bottom of that cave. It's not easy to get them out, but I do have a way."
Tan Yue's status here seemed to be quite high, as he could do many things.
Mentioning the cave, Tan Xing became even more curious. "Brother, what exactly is in that cave?"
"Shh—"
However, regarding the cave, Tan Yue was extremely secretive. "It's best that you don't know what's inside."
If this place was created by Mu Hansu, then Song Chaoyu could probably guess what would be in that cave.
Clearly, Mu Changxi thought the same.
Mu Changxi then asked Tan Yue, "You know Zhu Xuri uses蛊毒 (gu poison), right? Do you know the antidote?"
Tan Yue was stunned and looked at Mu Changxi with confusion. "You don't sound like you're asking me, it's as if you're certain I know how to cure the蛊."
He really knew!
However, there was no need for Mu Changxi to explain; Song Chaoyu understood. "Tan Yue, you are a very meticulous person with your own ideas."
She smiled. "Since you've thought about leaving, and you are a person with a meticulous mind, then after all these years here, your ambition couldn't have been to be a puppet just obeying them. You must have learned something, at least... hidden something without them knowing."
Song Chaoyu pointed to the furnishings around the room. "Looking at your usual interests, you should only be interested in medicine. I imagine your current achievements have probably surpassed Tan Ye's. As someone who loves studying medicine, how could you not be interested in the unique蛊毒 of the Zhu family?"
"Exactly!"
This time, Tan Yue seemed to be convinced, looking at Song Chaoyu with admiration. "You really are not ordinary people. You guessed that I can indeed concoct蛊. I pretty much know all of Zhu Xuri's skills. He's not a talented person either. I've read all his medical and poison books. However... the person who can make him use蛊 poison is probably someone who will die nine times out of ten. It seems I've gotten involved with you all in an unfathomably deep vortex, haven't I?"
Mu Changxi lowered his head and smiled faintly. "If it weren't for us, would you be outside the vortex?"
"You're right."
Tan Yue seemed to have let go of everything, determined to follow them. "Then, you must hide well. Tomorrow, change into the clothes of the guards by my side, and don't let anyone discover you, otherwise, none of us will be able to get out of here."
He didn't forget to point at Song Chaoyu. "Especially you, there are no women here except for the cooks. Be extremely careful."
With that said, it was already late at night.
Indeed, the sounds of guards patrolling could be heard outside. They temporarily hid in the corner of the room, not letting the guards discover them.
When dawn broke, they changed into the guards' clothes. Taking advantage of the shift change, Tan Yue personally "arranged" for them to stand outside his door, which did not arouse suspicion from others.
Tan Yue said that to prevent people here from interacting with each other, the guards were on rotation and no one stayed here for more than three months.
Therefore, most of the guards did not know each other and no one would notice them.
This method was safe, but also dangerous. However, it was enough to show how cautious Mu Hansu was.
During the day, this Taoyuan territory became even busier.
People were constantly entering and exiting the cave, as if transporting things.
However, all the items were covered with black cloth, making it impossible to see what they were.
At dawn, Zhu Xuri indeed arrived here with Cong Fei and Dong Shuang!
Although Dong Shuang was injured, she seemed alright.
But Cong Fei was almost at death's door, his face pale, looking not so good.