Deep within the mist, Fan Li and his companions pressed forward. Though their pace was slow, their direction was true, and they had already traversed half of the Water Mist Labyrinth.
"The first formation," Fan Li thought, "went smoothly enough."
Suddenly, a cool breeze brushed past his head. It was faint, but distinctly different from the mountain wind.
Fan Li stopped and spoke in a low voice, "Everyone, be on your guard!"
As his words faded, a white butterfly landed on the compass cart. Upon closer inspection, it was made of paper?
"No good!!!" Zhuge Liang cried out.
A deafening explosion erupted, close at hand.
The group hastily channeled their Righteous Qi, forming a thin, film-like barrier that managed to shield them from the blast. Fan Li, with his weaker cultivation, barely had time to react. Yet, Yan Yuan and Lu Fubao simultaneously shielded him, each creating a barrier that protected him from harm.
"There are more, be careful!" Zhou Yu shouted.
Sure enough, seven or eight paper butterflies descended, attaching themselves to the Righteous Qi barriers.
A series of explosions followed, leaving Fan Li's figure swaying precariously. Then, a subtle golden light struck him, sending him flying ten yards away.
Ten yards! It was the precise distance at which the Water Mist Labyrinth activated its disorienting effect.
As Fan Li tumbled through the air, he felt as though his bones had been shattered by the golden light. To make matters worse, the world began to spin uncontrollably. When he finally crashed to the ground, he found himself separated from the group.
"Golden light... Sage Ruler Jin De!" Fan Li gritted his teeth, struggling to stand.
"Where's Fan Li?"
"He's gone!"
After the explosions subsided, Lu Fubao noticed that Fan Li was the only one missing.
"Duke Jin is truly not here?!"
Zhuge Liang, Guo Jia, and Zhou Yu exchanged glances, their eyes finally settling on Sage Ruler Jin De.
"Was it you?" Lu Fubao pointed at her accusingly. "Besides the explosions, I sensed a hidden force that suddenly attacked Fan Li!"
Sage Ruler Jin De scoffed. "Hidden force? What nonsense are you talking about?"
"The four kingdoms and the Pure Land are allies. As the representative of the Pure Land, why would I attack an ally? It's obvious that Fan Li's cultivation is too low, and he was blown away by the blast. What does that have to do with me?"
The truth was, Jin De had indeed launched a sneak attack. However, she relied on the thick mist and the chaos of the explosions, leaving the others with no evidence.
"You...!" Lu Fubao was filled with anger and shock, her fists clenched tightly.
At that moment, Yan Yuan stepped in front of her. "Junior Sister, please be patient. The attacker didn't want to reveal their identity, so the force used was limited. Duke Jin may not be in mortal danger. If he can navigate the Water Mist Labyrinth on his own, we will meet again."
Yan Yuan's words, as always, were calm and insightful, hitting the crux of the matter. At the very least, Sage Ruler Jin De hadn't managed to kill Fan Li outright.
"But can he really escape the labyrinth alone?" Lu Fubao worried. "Should we go look for him?"
Yan Yuan pondered for a long moment before shaking his head. "The labyrinth disorients one's sense of direction. We have no way of knowing where Duke Jin is, making it difficult to find him.
It's better to continue through the formation. Even if we give up on recruiting Guiguzi later, we can simply ask him to dispel the formation and rescue Duke Jin. I believe Guiguzi wouldn't refuse."
Hearing Yan Yuan's words, Lu Fubao finally relaxed. Unless Guiguzi wanted to become an enemy of the entire Chu Kingdom, there was no reason for him to let Fan Li perish in Mount Yunmeng.
"Senior Brother, let's do as you say!"
Sage Ruler Jin De observed them with a cold gaze, silently speculating about Lu Fubao's identity. She couldn't figure it out.
"Kong Ming, do you have any more compass carts?" Zhou Yu asked.
Zhuge Liang shook his head. "I only brought one. It's not like we're on a military campaign, why would I bring more?"
Zhou Yu smiled wryly. "Mechanics, formations, and astrology are not my strengths. I'm afraid I can't offer any assistance in this formation."
"I do have a way out of the formation," Guo Jia shrugged helplessly, "but it might take ten days to half a month. Time is tight, isn't it?"
Ten days to half a month? Everyone shook their heads. If they waited that long to escape the Water Mist Labyrinth, Guiguzi might have already followed Crown Prince Wanli to the Great Ming.
"What's going on?"
"Is this all you're capable of?!"
"The Great Ming only sent two people, and they've outdone all of us?"
Sage Ruler Jin De grew anxious. She possessed the highest cultivation level among them but had always considered mechanics and formations as unorthodox paths, never bothering to study them. Unless she resorted to brute force to destroy the labyrinth, she was helpless.
Suddenly, a familiar mechanical sound echoed through the mist, identical to the destroyed compass cart.
Sage Ruler Jin De turned towards the source of the sound, her eyes lighting up with surprise.
"A compass cart?!"
Though the design was slightly different, the large pointer on the cart confirmed its identity as a compass cart.
Lu Fubao stood beside it with a cold expression. She ignored Sage Ruler Jin De and spoke to Zhuge Liang and the others.
"Let's continue and get out of this formation as soon as possible."
"You built a new compass cart?" Zhuge Liang asked in astonishment.
"Yes," Lu Fubao nodded. "I brought plenty of mechanical materials with me. After observing the structure of the compass cart, I understood its basic principles."
Zhuge Liang fell silent for a moment before chuckling. "Since I left my humble abode, I have never encountered such a mechanical genius as you. To replicate my compass cart after just a few glances..."
Sage Ruler Jin De was filled with disbelief. She couldn't accept that a female Confucian cultivator could be more talented than her.
No! She hadn't lost!
In the entire world, she was the only female Confucian cultivator at the Great Vehicle Realm!
Meanwhile, on the other side of the labyrinth, Zhang Juzheng was forced to acknowledge an undeniable truth. Crown Prince Wanli's talent far surpassed his own!
A green dragon, formed from Righteous Qi, lay prone on the ground, forming a dragon path. Crown Prince Wanli walked upon it, heading towards the absolutely correct direction. The Water Mist Labyrinth could confuse one's senses, but it couldn't affect the Righteous Qi dragon.
Their pace was swift, quickly making up for the time lost with the paper butterflies.
"Those paper butterfly explosions were limited in power and could never cause casualties. Except for Fan Li, his cultivation is simply too low." As these thoughts ran through Zhang Juzheng's mind, he couldn't help but feel a chill.
Had Crown Prince Wanli intended to assassinate Fan Li? To destroy what he couldn't obtain? The Crown Prince was so young, yet his thoughts were so meticulous and ruthless.
"Well, at least this prevents Fan Li from joining the Great Ming and becoming my rival in the future," he thought, calming his own apprehension.
Zhang Juzheng recalled the Crown Prince's childhood, when he had been strict with his lessons. Would the Crown Prince seek revenge for that as well?
"Whew!"
"Got it!"
Fan Li wiped the sweat from his brow. He held a thin thread in his hand, the other end tied to a thin iron wire. The wire was balanced and suspended in mid-air, tied only at its center. He then rubbed a silk cloth along the wire in one direction, causing it to generate a magnetic force through friction.
The magnetic force was temporary and required frequent recharging through friction. But regardless, it was a compass.