School Beauty's Invincible Martial Expert

"A replica?" Xiao Han hastily looked up at the golden signboard within the Hall of Supreme Harmony, bewildered he said, "What's going on?"

"The original was taken down during Yuan Shikai's reign when he declared himself emperor, and it was never found again by later generations," Chen Xiaowu said with a face full of disappointment, "It's a treasure of our Chinese people, sadly lost in the chaos of war, never to be found again."

"Indeed!" Xiao Han nodded, then added, "What a pity."

"Let's go, keep moving forward." Chen Xiaowu grabbed Xiao Han's hand.

Xiao Han broke free from Chen Xiaowu's grasp, but to his surprise, the girl took his arm instead. Now, with no way to shrug her off, Xiao Han found himself flanked by girls on both sides, with Wan Yingying also taking his arm; both demonstrating unusual enthusiasm and attentiveness.

To outsiders, this might seem like an enviable situation, but Xiao Han didn't feel good about it, the pressure weighing heavily on him for fear of being recognized, especially by Wen Xiaobao.

Xiao Han, of course, wasn't afraid of Wen Xiaobao. But he was worried about getting Mo Shaocong involved.

Together, the three of them moved forward, heading deeper into The Forbidden City. Beyond lay the Zhonghe Hall, then the Baohe Hall.

Many areas within The Forbidden City are not open to the public, with only a few places actually accessible. This includes the Cold Palace and certain parts of the Imperial Household Department, which are not opened for visitors. However, Xiao Han was particularly interested in these off-limits areas.

"By the way, aren't there some places in The Forbidden City that aren't open to the public?" Xiao Han asked curiously, "Can we take a look at those places?"

"Ah?" Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaowu said, "I'd rather not; those places are said to be haunted. I'm too scared to go!"

"The really interesting parts of The Forbidden City are those areas," Xiao Han chuckled, then continued, "The other places aren't much fun, like the Zhonghe Hall; it's just where the emperor held court. How dull is that?"

"But we still shouldn't go to places like that," Chen Xiaowu said with a trace of fear, awkwardly adding, "What if we encounter something unclean? What then?"

"How could anything like that happen in broad daylight?" Xiao Han laughed.

"But still…" Chen Xiaowu seemed embarrassed, then said, "I'm still frightened."

"Xiao Han, let's just go!" Wan Yingying exclaimed, looking at Xiao Han excitedly, "If he's scared, let him be; we'll go."

"No way, I'm going too," Chen Xiaowu retorted, not to be outdone, "I'm not afraid."

"Who was it that just said they were scared?" Wan Yingying teased with a giggle.

"You!" Chen Xiaowu grew a bit angry.

"Alright, let's go!" Xiao Han said hastily, "But I don't know the way; do you have one?"

"I do!" Wan Yingying quickly said, "Come, follow me!"

Afterward, Xiao Han and Chen Xiaowu hurriedly followed her.

Wan Yingying led the two straight towards the back gate of The Forbidden City. They sprinted through the Imperial Garden and ran all the way across it, arriving in the blink of an eye.

Wan Yingying had played in The Forbidden City many times and had adventured there with friends. Thus, she knew how to sneak past the security into those mysterious areas. After entering the Imperial Garden, Wan Yingying led them to a very hidden corner.

"This is it!" Wan Yingying said with excitement.

The two looked and saw a pile of grass which, when parted, revealed a large hole.

"Crawl through here, and we can get to the other side," Wan Yingying said with a mischievous grin.

"Ah..." Chen Xiaowu shivered, then said, "It's dark inside… Are you sure we should do this?"

"What's the problem?" Wan Yingying grinned, then said, "It's fun inside. I think those closed-off places are much more interesting than this one."

Xiao Han smiled, "I'll go first to scout ahead for you."

As Xiao Han was about to crawl through, Chen Xiaowu quickly grabbed him, asking, "Are… Are we really going to go through?"

"Of course!" Xiao Han nodded, declaring, "The reason I came to The Forbidden City was to explore."

"Then be careful," Chen Xiaowu urged.

Soon after, Xiao Han immediately crawled through.

He passed through the dark corridor.

After crawling through nearly half a meter of the dark hole, Xiao Han entered a desolate world. The ground was covered with dry grass reaching to the sky, some of which stood half a meter tall. Not far away, a gazebo that looked far more faded compared to the rest of the open parts of The Forbidden City was in view. This gazebo lacked the colorful exterior and the imposing backdrop. It stood there, desolate in front of Xiao Han, almost entirely engulfed by the surrounding overgrown grass.

"Oh my god!" Chen Xiaowu shuddered when she saw the scene.

Wan Yingying crawled over and laughed, "The grass is even taller than when we came before."

"Let's go!" Xiao Han curiously walked towards the pavilion.

The pavilion looked very desolate, having aged over the years and thus appearing very old and faded. The wooden structure inside was exposed, and some parts were even rotting.

Not far away was a low-rise building. Although it was not clear what purpose the building served, one could tell that it had once been a beautiful place.

Xiao Han quickly led the two forward.

The pair walked through the weeds, passed a palace with mottled walls that seemed very abandoned. In the broad daylight, and with the sun shining brightly, an eerie chill swept in from behind.

Chen Xiaowu shivered and said hurriedly, "There's... there's a ghost!"

"How can there be ghosts in broad daylight?" Wan Yingying replied irritably.

"Why do I feel so creepy?" Chen Xiaowu shivered.

"This place is deserted and ancient, so it's normal to have some yin qi," Wan Yingying said boldly.

Xiao Han now firmly believed in the existence of Bull Ghosts and Snake Gods. He didn't believe in them before, but now it was different, as he himself was in possession of several Yin Spirits. What are Yin Spirits? Yin Spirits are forged from the souls of fierce ghosts, stripped of their resentment and malice, preserving their strength, and thus a Yin Spirit is created.

Yin Spirits are like wild horses tamed by humans. Before being tamed, wild horses are very temperamental and do not allow strangers to approach. If a stranger gets close, they'll immediately become angry. Just like Yin Spirits, once tamed, they become obedient and sentient.

Xiao Han led the two through a series of dilapidated palaces, where not only were the colors old, but the walls were also severely mottled, basically in a state of disrepair. Unlike the refurbished parts open to the public, this area was authentically original. The Forbidden City that was open to the public had been fully restored and repainted by craftsmen, hence the colorful Forbidden City one saw was different from its original appearance.

The plaques had fallen to the ground. Written on them was Jingren Palace.

In the deserted area, the yin qi was heavier, and Chen Xiaowu clung tightly to Xiao Han's arm, fearing she might fall behind and get lost in this place, which would be worse than death.

Xiao Han also held Chen Xiaowu's hand tightly, moving quickly.

Wan Yingying was very excited, this girl had always been courageous since she was little, and she was full of curiosity and interest in adventures. For her, there was no place in the world she dared not go, so she was full of excitement.

"Xiao Han, we've reached the alley," Wan Yingying suddenly stood still.

Not far away was an alley-like passage, and Wan Yingying seemed a bit apprehensive when she saw it.

"What's wrong?" Xiao Han asked curiously.

"There are many eerie legends about The Forbidden City..." Wan Yingying glanced at Xiao Han, then said, "At midnight, the Lonely Souls who died unjustly in the palace come out to wander, and in the Western Six Palaces' alley, there's a ghost that specializes in strangling victims."

"Is that here?" Xiao Han asked.

"Yes!" Wan Yingying nodded, "It's said that just after liberation, people who stayed overnight in The Forbidden City would often mysteriously disappear. However, there have been sightings during stormy summer nights of shadows on the walls, like a woman bending down to pick something up. And in the wee hours of the night, people often hear a woman's cry."

"Ah!" Suddenly, a sharp cry rang out.

Xiao Han and Wan Yingying both jumped in fright.

But they quickly realized the sound came from Chen Xiaowu.

"Xiaowu, what happened to you?" Xiao Han asked.

"I got... got scared by Yingying!" Chen Xiaowu said tremblingly, her face pale.

"I'm telling the truth!" Wan Yingying looked at them seriously and said, "I've heard that Eastern Tube Alley is the most notorious Yin Yang Path in The Forbidden City. There are also various versions of the legend of the Yin Yang Path."

"What's the Yin Yang Path?" Chen Xiaowu asked curiously, her fear mixed with fascination with the strange and supernatural.

"The so-called Yin Yang Path refers to moonlit nights, where on the ground of the long passage, one side is yang and the other side yin, creating two realms. It's said ghosts wander at night but avoid people. If people walk on the yang path, ghosts will take the yin path, and if people walk on the yin path, ghosts will switch to the yang path. But if a person steps on both the yin and yang paths or walks on the dividing line, then ghosts have nowhere to go, and within a hundred steps, they'll cause the person to tumble," Wan Yingying explained, her expression dark and chilling, heightening the eerie atmosphere.

"Stop... stop talking," Chen Xiaowu quickly covered her ears.

Xiao Han laughed and said, "These are all just superstitious beliefs. It's fine to just listen."

"You don't believe?" Wan Yingying asked urgently.

"Of course, I don't believe!" Xiao Han shook his head. He said this because he wanted to give the two girls some courage.