Wumeng Yunyou relied on his familiarity with the terrain and various hidden weapons designed in advance to shuttle through the dense forest like a dexterous ape. Seeing that the other party was fleeing farther and farther away, the guards of Xiao Wang Palace waved their hands and ordered everyone to bend their bows into full moons. For a time, the arrows were like heavy rain. Wumeng Yunyou’s steps seemed to stagger slightly due to this, but he did not stop, and instead quickly rolled down a short cliff.

He escaped without a trace once more.

Liu Xianche in the military camp also sighed upon hearing the news of Wumeng Yunle’s death. After a good while, he ordered: “Have her remains cremated, otherwise the Gu in her body will be buried deep in the ground, which will inevitably give rise to other poisonous Gu.”

Liu Nanyuan nodded: “Okay.”

The girl whose life was ruined by the Baifu Sect finally turned into a wisp of slim and graceful smoke. Swept by the summer wind, it disappeared into the dense forest in all directions, leaving no trace.

In the middle of the night, a heavy rain fell across the entire southwest. The rumbling thunder practically tore through the sky, and the loud noise rolled into Second Young Master Liu’s dreams. He trembled in shock, and the Three Thousands Worlds turned into dancing butterflies. Liang Shu tightened his arms. “Were you frightened awake?”

Liu Xian’an was semi-conscious, and replied without losing his principles, I wasn’t frightened awake. I can still sleep a bit more.

Liang Shu lowered his head and rubbed his chin, which rubbed his sleepiness away. The night rain in the dense southwest forests was actually very beautiful. It hit the roof of the bamboo building with pattering sounds, soaking the surrounding areas with moisture and greenness, and the air was also filled with the fragrance of flowers. But it was still not as fragrant as the beauty in his arms. He took advantage of his person’s sleep to pull open his robe bit by bit, like peeling a tender fruit hanging on a branch. It trembled when you poked it, and when you took a bite, even the skin and flesh were sweet.

Liu Xian’an somewhat reluctantly reached out to pull his sleeping clothes, but it was obvious that he couldn’t hold onto them. Liang Shu smiled and turned over to embrace him, whispering in his ear: “No sleep allowed.”

In the middle of the night, everything was quiet. Even the chirping of the insects had subsided, but he couldn’t sleep. Liu Xian’an felt that there was no such principle in the world, so he opened his mouth and responded with an “Mm, wu,” and at the same time crawled toward the corner with his hands and feet, trying to shake this person off him. However, Liang Shu leaned over and pressed him down, biting the small red mole on his snow-white neck with his teeth. Liu Xian’an was really sleepy, but he couldn’t sleep. Half-conscious, he had a dream full of philosophical thoughts about sacrificing his life to feed a tiger, and was finally bitten awake.

After waking up, the current situation was no better than the dream, because at least the tiger in the dream could not catch up with the white crane in the clouds thirty thousand li away. But in reality, there was only a thin, creak-creaking bamboo bed for the two of them. Its sturdiness was worrisome, but His Royal Highness Xiao Wang seemed to have taken the wrong medicine. He bit and licked, grasping that soft waist with his big hands, and there was also moist water vapor in his voice: “Don’t move.”

Liu Xian’an: “……”

Liang Shu rubbed the side of his face with his thumb: “Don’t close your eyes. Look at me.”

Liu Xian’an didn’t want to cooperate, mainly because if he looked again, he might not be able to sleep later. So he immediately closed his eyes, stretched his hand forward, and managed to deal with what must be dealt with. And because of this, he felt confident enough to sleep for an extra half hour the next morning.

He wanted to sleep more, but was unable to, because the entire military camp was currently pretending to be sick, and this required the cooperation of many doctors to pretend. Even Liang Shu himself held his chest and coughed twice. The aunt in charge of cleaning was frightened when she took out two bloodstained handkerchiefs.

“What illness does the prince have?”

“He isn’t ill, it’s just a cough!”

With a gloomy look on his face, Gao Lin ordered the aunt to burn the handkerchiefs and not say anything more in the future. But the news eventually spread, and even Yuan Yu heard about it. He asked probingly: “Why haven’t I seen the prince in recent days?”

“He’s ill.” Gao Lin didn’t hide anything from him. He sat on a chair and complained, “I don’t know where this strange disease came from. It’s not the plague, and it isn’t just the prince who is sick. Didn’t you notice when you were walking these past few days? There are coughs everywhere.”

“Is there nothing Baihe Mountain Village can do?”

“Baihe Mountain Village has doctors, not gods,” Gao Lin said. “I came to tell you that you should not go out in the next few days to avoid getting infected. I’ll get someone to spread lime around your house later.”

“Okay, I’ll stay here,” Yuan Yu said. “I’ll just stay here and wait.”

He thought he had successfully accomplished his goal, and was very proud of himself. He would just wait for Mu Zhe’s next move.

At the same time, the Holy Maiden of the Baifu Sect began to wander around the southwest lands. 

Different from the coldness and aloofness of the past, this time the saintess was finally willing to step down from that high platform and allow many believers to worship her amazing beauty more closely. They knelt on the ground, their faces flushed with excitement. Like loyal but stupid dogs, they crawled forward, vying to kiss those bare white toes.

The Nanyang woman giggled and raised the face of one of them with her toes: “Let me see your loyalty.”

The man quickly took a cloth bag from his sleeve, and after opening it, a heavy amount of silver rolled down all around. The Nanyang woman turned to look at the other person: “Where is yours?”

The other person also took two gold bars out of his sleeve. He offered them devoutly and nervously, saying: “This is, this is what I got for selling my wife, daughter, and ancestral property!”

“Good, very good. Gold.” The Nanyang woman stepped lightly on the gold and silver on the ground. “With such sincerity, the Baifu Buddha Mother will protect you from illness and disaster.”

As she spoke, she glanced around the room, but not every believer had gold and silver, and they feared punishment from the Baifu Buddha Mother. The Nanyang woman turned around to sit on the high platform, taking the initiative to comfort them: “It doesn’t matter. Without gold or silver, you can also receive blessings if you kill demons with only your strength. Who is a demon?”

“Liang Shu!” They shouted in unison.

The Nanyang woman covered her mouth and smiled. She reclined slightly and leaned her head on one hand. With her clothes half-undone, she pointed her polished toes at the man who sold his wife and daughter: “You, come up.”

The man was overjoyed, and climbed all the way up the steps on his knees, stretching out his hands tremblingly.

Wind filled the entire room, whimpering and wailing, like the sharp, wanton laugh of a demon.

. . . . . . .

Wumeng Yunyou removed the bandages and looked down at the wound on his shoulder. He was injured by a stray arrow that day in the forest and gritted his teeth, fleeing to a secret contact point of the Baifu Sect. However, he was no longer being tracked by the officials. After being nursed for so many days, the arrow wound had finally scarred over. 

He had no intention of going back. At least, not until he killed Liu Nanyuan.

“Uncle Qian.” Wumeng Yunyou asked the middle-aged man in the courtyard, “How is the matter I asked you to inquire about?”

“Everything is normal in the Dayan military camp.” The middle-aged man lowered his voice. “There is no news that anyone important has been killed, though there is a bigger fuss about the plague. I heard that even Liang Shu is ill. Doctors kept running to his room all day long, but nothing could be done. Those are doctors of Baihe Mountain Village.”

Wumeng Yunyou said leisurely: “Where is Liu Nanyuan?”

“Busy treating everyone’s illnesses.” The middle-aged man said, “But she will only practice medicine in the military camp now, and will not go to other places to visit patients. If Young Master Yunyou intends to kill her, I fear it will take a lot of effort. In my opinion, it would be better to just wait until she falls ill too, and save the trouble.”

“She provoked A-Le. I will definitely kill her.” Wumeng Yunyou glanced at his sword. “Never mind. Uncle Qian, help me send a letter to A-Le first.”

“This…..I’m afraid it won’t be easy to send, ah.” The middle-aged man felt awkward. “The Holy Maiden’s whereabouts have been uncertain recently. She is in this city today and will go to that city tomorrow. I have not received news for three to five days. My guess is that she went back to the sect.”

“Isn’t she in Shuhua City?”

“She was originally going to Shuhua City, but there was some trouble there.” The middle-aged man said, “It is said that there was a believer who wanted to stay at the Holy Maiden’s bedside, but couldn’t assemble the money, so he cut off his own finger to show his loyalty, which finally alerted the government—”

“Wait.” Wumeng Yunyou frowned. “What do you mean he wanted to stay at the Holy Maiden’s bedside?”

“That’s right, that’s right…..Young Master Yunyou, don’t you know?” The middle-aged man hesitated. “The saint’s touring activities this time are…..very different from the previous ones. I thought Young Master Yunyou had known this for a long time.”

“Those men stay in A-Le’s room?”

“Yes, yes, ah.” The middle-aged man nodded. “There are many people, including our shop’s Wang Zhu. He has worked hard for the holy religion for seven or eight years, and this was the Holy Maiden’s reward for him…..Young Master Yunyou, Young Master Yunyou!”

Wumeng Yunyou descended from the eaves of the back courtyard as leisurely as a vulture and grabbed the man by the collar: “Did you go to see A-Le?”

“Yes.” Wang Zhu grinned, looking a little simple and embarrassed. He said: “The Holy Maiden was very satisfied with me, and said she would reward me next time.”

Wumeng Yunyou stood there for a moment as if struck by a thunderbolt, then staggered and ran out.

He swung onto a fast horse, passing through the town and forest like lightning.

At that same time, the Dayan army was also ready to go. 

Liu Xian’an tried to place Liang Shu’s armor, but he was not very good at the job. The result was not a majestic general, but a dissolute prince who didn’t look like he could win a battle. In the end, he simply gave up and said: “Do it yourself.”

Liang Shu shook his head and sighed. Alas, I have a bad fate, and did not find a virtuous and capable person.

Liu Xian’an raised his leg and kicked him.

Liang Shu quickly ducked aside. He straightened his clothes and opened his hands again: “Come here and give me a kiss, one kiss before we leave. The army is still waiting.”

Liu Xian’an hugged his waist. His hands touched a part that was cold and icy, and he frowned slightly.

Liang Shu wanted to play the scoundrel: “How about it? Does it feel as good as it did last night? I say, I shouldn’t have put on clothes.”

Liu Xian’an’s eyelid twitched slightly. He didn’t want to think about last night. Liang Shu picked him up with a smile and told him softly: “The Imperial guards will protect you. Don’t run around, just stay with the team, understand?”

“I understand.” Liu Xian’an held his face, lowered his head, and kissed him. “There’s no need for you to worry about me. It is best not to use your attention on me.”

“En, I won’t get hurt, and I won’t worry about you.” Liang Shu led him out and said, “Just watch the fun and be a comfortable lazy person. But you must remember the details of our victory very clearly, so that when we return to the Three Thousand Worlds in the future, we can speak in detail to those white-bearded old men for three days and three nights.”

“They won’t want to listen.”

“Not listening is beyond their control!”

Liu Xian’an: “…..Okay, ba. That is also fine.”

In any case, you are the only one in that world who has a very long sword and a grumpy face, and no one dares to provoke you.

---

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Chapter One Hundred Nineteen << Table of Contents >> Chapter One Hundred Twenty-One

From this indirect and step by step approach, one could also catch a glimpse of Mu Nanqiao’s cunning in the business world.

In any case, the goal was achieved. Boss Mu still pushed and pulled reservedly, answering with slight hesitation: “Yes, do you want to see them? They’re not very good.”

Lu Qi held Xiao Sanhua and thought for a moment. Not very good.

If he had known, he would have taken a good look last time when Mu Nanqiao took off his clothes in the bathroom. He was too embarrassed back then, but now that he thought about it, he was regretful. He opened his mouth and was about to tell him to forget it, but Mu Nanqiao had already put his hands on the hem of his clothes.

Boss Mu, who almost lost his chance, remained calm on the surface: “If it’s just you, it’s okay.”

Since the other person said so, of course Lu Qi sat down in a well-behaved manner, bright-eyed and ready to “learn.”

Seeing him like this, the originally calm Mu Nanqiao became a little embarrassed. He coughed, grabbed the hem of his black housecoat with slender fingers, and lifted it up a little.

Lu Qi: Wow!!

First-rate male beauty! Golden quality!

He had never liked very deep and exaggerated muscle lines, which were very stiff, but the mermaid lines and abdominal muscles in front of him were just right, smooth and beautiful. The sweatpants hung loosely at his hips, and the lines that tucked into the waistband had an unspoken sex appeal.

Lu Qi found another red mole below the concave dimple of his belly button on that cool white skin. This spot was simply eye-searing, unable to be described…..

He had taken the initiative to ask to see his muscles, but now he was blushing. Xiao Sanhua in his arms was still nudging him, making coquettish little chirps, and seemed dissatisfied that his attention was trained on the canine.

Lu Qi quickly covered Xiao Sanhua’s eyes.

Xiao Sanhua: “Meow?”

But the clothes weren’t lifted up enough, and the muscles on the sides of the ribs couldn’t be seen.

Mu Nanqiao pulled them up a little more.

Lu Qi suddenly recalled that he had once cooperated with a Taobao store and drew several sets of game fanart. The store later mailed him a set of samples. On a palm-sized card, the silver-haired character was half-kneeling, hands tied behind his back, and he was wearing a sleeveless black high-collar outfit.

At the time this sort of card appeared, Lu Qi still didn’t understand. He had clearly not drawn a shirt for the character. Then he received a friendly reminder from the store that the specially-coated clothes were temperature changing, and could be “taken off” by using hot air from a hair dryer.

Why did he think of this thing?

Because the man in front of him was also wearing a black short-sleeved shirt, and the process of lifting up the black material really seemed to make it fade like the temperature change card.

The muscles on the sides of his ribs extended smoothly upward. Lu Qi pursed his lower lip and looked up at Mu Nanqiao: “Can…..I…..touch it?”

“That won’t work.” Mu Nanqiao looked down at him with slightly raised eyebrows: “That’s another price. It’s only for a boyfriend to touch.”

“Okay…..” Lu Qi glanced at it reluctantly a few more times and murmured softly: “En, it seems I do still have room for improvement.”

“Have you seen enough?” Mu Nanqiao put down his shirt and asked in a low voice: “Are you satisfied? Does it look good?”

Lu Qi nodded like a chicken pecking rice. “En, en, en, exceedingly good!”

He actually raised his hand and touched the corner of his lips. Of course there was no drool, but this small gesture was so cute that Mu Nanqiao’s Adam’s apple rolled and he looked away with difficulty.

Otherwise, he was truly afraid that he would lose control and push this person down on the sofa and kiss him.

It wasn’t time yet.

“As long as you’re satisfied. Remember to give me a five star rating.” Mu Nanqiao rubbed his soft hair. Refraining from touching him was like drinking poison to quench his thirst, and his voice became imperceptibly hoarse. “I’m going to change my clothes. You should get ready too.”

“Okay.” Lu Qi agreed and stood up.

Xiao Sanhua, who had her eyes covered for no reason, jumped away with a miwu sound, and her foot tripped over the cord of the desk lamp. With quick reflexes, Mu Nanqiao leaned over to hold the desk lamp and shook his head with a smile. “There are some decorations in the apartment that need to be put away. Let’s replace the desk lamp.”

This was indeed the case with cats. Xiao Sanhua loved to push things off the table. In these past two days, there was the paintbrush Lu Qi put on the table, the keys to Mu Nanqiao’s Maybach, and her own kittens…..none of them could escape the claws of this devil with pink footpads.

Lu Qi acquiesced to the idea of changing the desk lamp and nodded, but saw something extraordinary from the corner of his eye.

Mu Nanqiao’s ears were red.

They were really red. Because he had leaned down to adjust the lampshade, he was close to the light source. A bit of light shone through the shells of his ears, so his red-hot ears and earlobes were particularly obvious.

It was as if Lu Qi had discovered a comet that had never been recorded before, and he stared for a long moment. It wasn’t until Mu Nanqiao finished adjusting the lampshade that he exclaimed: “Mu Nanqiao! Your ears are red! You can also be embarrassed!”

Mu Nanqiao: …….

He couldn’t bear it, and raised a hand to flick Lu Qi’s forehead.

Lu Qi yelped and covered his forehead.

“What are you talking about, ah, Wife Xiao Lu? I have a thick face, not crocodile skin. You’ve been staring at my belly for so long, so why can’t I be shy?” Mu Nanqiao said: “Stop flirting with me, and change clothes quickly.”

Lu Qi: ? ? ? 

Who was flirting with whom? It was obviously him who was flirting!

But Mu Nanqiao didn’t give Lu Qi a chance to refute, and turned around to walk out in a hurry.

The door closed behind him and he exhaled, leaning his back against the cold outer door. The charming flash of heat moved by emotion was given a shock by the cold metal behind him, and finally ceased clamoring.

There was only his heart beating in his chest.

Across the door, Lu Qi hummed songs one after another, in a good mood. They gradually became smoother, like Tchiacovsky’s “Dance of the Reed Flutes.”

Bright, lively, like a little sparrow that disturbed people without knowing it.

Leaning against the door, Mu Nanqiao raised his head. Slender fingers lifted up the hair on his forehead, and his eyelashes halfway concealed his pupils.

They also covered the surging emotions in his eyes.

Silly little deer.

Having red ears was sometimes more than just shyness.

. . . . . . .

Fortunately, Sichuan cuisine was not just red peppers. Mu Nanqiao ordered carefully, and strategically avoided the peppers when picking up the dishes, ultimately saving his face as a Boss.

When he looked up at Lu Qi, there was a bit of sweat at the tip of his nose, and his cool white skin was flushed, but he continuously moved his chopsticks.

This Sichuan restaurant wasn’t too big, but the price was affordable and the menu was friendly. You could see the bright fire in the kitchen through the transparent glass, and the hygiene was relatively guaranteed.

Both Mu Nanqiao and Lu Qi were wearing casual short sleeves and sweatpants. The shopkeeper thought they were students from a nearby university and gave them a small cold dish as a gift.

Mu Nanqiao was not warm toward the aunt who served the food, but he still smiled politely and thanked her. He took the plate and put it down with both hands, then poured Lu Qi a glass of water and handed it to him.

Although it was a bit unlucky, Lu Qi still thought of Lin Yuan, who was also a company boss. That dog was very particular about ostentation when he ate. There were many times when Lu Qi went to take the drunk Lin Yuan home. He went to all those star-rated hotels, and even restaurants that refused to let people in casual clothes enter, and they had to show a membership card.

The last time, Lu Qi was treated as a substitute driver. En, the waiting room for drivers and others was also beautiful and luxurious, and there were unlimited fruit and drinks. Ignoring other people’s gazes, Lu Qi ate enough mangosteen before going home by himself, and never picked up Lin Yuan again from then on.

Some people’s upbringing and temperament were not just about eating delicacies from the mountains and seas and wearing high-end, luxurious, limited-edition clothes.

Mu Nanqiao was sitting in the bustle of the mundane world with an upright look. When he saw him looking over, he smiled warmly. “Are you full?”

He couldn’t describe what it was, but he just seemed very at ease. This person could wear a suit and leather shoes, elegant and proud at a banquet, or he could dress casually and blend into the hustle and bustle of a roadside shop without being obtrusive. 

Well, not obtrusive, but his face was still a bit eye-catching.

Lu Qi smiled. There was a small corner of his heart that, after being soaked in warm water for a while, was actually very soft. It just needed an opportunity. If given a light touch, it would open up slightly and grow a small bud.

He smiled very brightly, eyes bent, and answered happily: “I’m done eating.”

“You really like this restaurant?” Mu Nanqiao gave him an amused look. “You’re smiling so happily after eating?”

He didn’t even know how beautiful his smile was. The pear dimple on his cheek was filled with sunshine.

“I’m not smiling just because I’m full, ah.” Lu Qi wiped his mouth with a moist tissue. He suppressed his smile slightly, but his eyes were still bright. “I’ll get the check!”

Mu Nanqiao didn’t argue with him about this. He asked the waitress for a to-go box and packaged the remaining dishes.

When Lu Qi returned from scanning his WeChat, he had everything packed up. Standing at the door of the restaurant with the to-go box in hand, he lowered his head and clicked on a WeChat message.

A woman’s voice came from the receiver. It was very gentle, but compared to the average woman’s voice, it was a little deeper, and it could be heard that she was not of the same age.

Lu Qi subconsciously stopped. Mu Nanqiao was a CEO, after all. Who knew if there might be any trade secrets on his phone? But it was already too late, and he heard the lady saying:

“Come home for your birthday next week, Mom has prepared a surprise for you. We’ll blow up the old house. The procedures for declaring it a dilapidated building have been completed. How about we enjoy the blasting together when you come back?”

Mu Nanqiao’s expression was dumbfounded.

Lu Qi: ……

Could Mu Nanqiao’s childhood composition be “My Mother From a Fighting Nation?”

But Lu Qi heard the key information. On the way back when they were walking to digest, he asked Mu Nanqiao: “It’s your birthday? Then I want to give you a gift. What would you like?”

Mu Nanqiao’s fox eyes looked at him with a smile that wasn’t a smile: “The gift I want is very simple. What you did to me today, I want to do to you. Is that okay?”

His original intention was just to make a small joke, so he kept walking forward carelessly and said casually: “Actually, you can give me anything. I’ll like whatever it is…..”

Realizing that Lu Qi hadn’t followed, he stopped and turned to look in confusion at the young man who was lagging behind.

Lu Qi had followed for two steps before stopping. As if he had come to a decision, he said with a knitted brow: “Then is it too late for me to exercise now?”

He gave a sheepish cough. “I seem to have gained weight recently.”

Lu Qi felt that this seemed fair. They were both grown men, and just looking at their bellies. 

Upon further thought, Mu Nanqiao was the one at a disadvantage. After all, the five-star scenic spot under his clothes and the small park next door could not be compared.

It was just embarrassing. There wasn’t much meat on his waist, but it was soft when pinched and a bit unpresentable, ah.

He waited for a moment, but Mu Nanqiao didn’t reply.

When he glanced up, the other person’s eyes were heavy. There was no smile on his face, and inexplicable emotions surged in his eyes. There was a hint of fierceness hidden in his already deep and handsome features, mixed with a bit of softness. 

Lu Qi blinked and instinctively wanted to run away.

“Lu. Qi.” He actually called him by his first name, and chuckled after calling him. Those complicated and turbulent emotions in his eyes vanished, as if it had all been Lu Qi’s imagination.

He said jokingly: “I’m not a good person. I can’t help but bully you when you’re so so sincere to me.”

He wanted to lock him up and bully him until he cried.

---

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Chapter Twenty-One << Table of Contents >> Chapter Twenty-Three

The four kittens were two months old in the blink of an eye. He fed the few little ones until they were chubby, and the price he paid was a pair of looming dark circles under his eyes. His skin was pale, so it was a bit obvious. Xu Hengxing was taken aback when he came to pick up the kitties. He crouched on the floor and stuffed them into a crate, asking: “Someone who didn’t know might think you have a fox spirit hiding in your house, sucking out your vitality…..”

As soon as he finished speaking, a tall man wearing an apron came out of the kitchen and asked while holding a spatula: “Will your friend stay for dinner?”

Xu Hengxing: ……

Fuck! A fox spirit!

Lu Qi lowered his head and asked: “Do you want to eat here?”

Xu Hengxing’s voice trembled. “Who…..who is this? You’ve been doing good deeds for more than twenty years,  so has a cat or dog finally transformed to repay your kindness?”

He picked up a kitten and said: “Transform! Transform for me!”

“……” Lu Qi lightly kicked him on the hip and coughed. “This is my neighbor. He…..he doesn’t have a kitchen, so he often comes here to cook…..”

His guilty eyes wandered, darting around.

Xu Hengxing whispered to Lu Qi, “Brother, aren’t you lying? The watch on his hand could buy a small restaurant, but he still lacks a kitchen?” After looking Lu Qi up and down, he suddenly hehe’d. “Is he pursuing you?”

Lu Qi couldn’t deny it, and muttered faintly.

“Then I must stay for dinner!” Xu Hengxing was eager to start. “Rich men play around a lot. I need to guard the pass for you so that you aren’t deceived!”

He gave Mu Nanqiao a meaningful look.

Mu Nanqiao was all smiles, and no matter how he looked at that smile, it seemed as if he had a card up his sleeve.

When it was time to eat, Xu Hengxing faced the six dishes on the table and swallowed his saliva. “I admit, I spoke a little loudly just now.”

When Mu Nanqiao chatted with him about the operation of the rescue center, Xu Hengxing became more serious. Mu Nanqiao listened attentively, and didn’t forget to peel shrimp for Lu Qi.

“I can fund the rescue center.” Mu Nanqiao said: “Mr Xu, you can contact my assistant later to confirm the relevant procedures with him.”

Mu Nanqiao had brought this matter up with Lu Qi two days ago, so Lu Qi was not surprised. He had a detailed discussion with Mu Nanqiao at that time and hoped that the other party wasn’t spending money just because of him. Mu Nanqiao said that Mu Group had a special expenditure every year that was used for public welfare. After Mu Chuansong came to power, all of the funds were given to Mu Rui for food and drink, prostitutes, and gambling.

He was just reusing this money in the right place.

Xu Hengxing’s eyes lit up when he heard that Mu Nanqiao was going to donate to the rescue center every month, and he reached out tremblingly to pat Lu Qi’s shoulder.

“Boss, he’s yours,” Xu Hengxing said. “I can also help you guard the door. No matter how loud he screams, I won’t open the door for him.”

Lu Qi almost choked. He kicked Xu Hengxing’s calf with burning ears, silently reprimanding him for neglecting their friendship over wealth.

Mu Nanqiao noticed his small movements and just chuckled, raising his hand to push a small plate of shrimp toward Lu Qi.

Xu Hengxing suddenly felt like he had been fed full of dog food.

The four kittens were taken away by Xu Hengxing. After finding suitable adoptive families, they would start new lives. The mother cat, Xiao Sanhua, was kept by Lu Qi and officially joined his family.

After sending Xu Hengxing away, Lu Qi went to the kitchen to wash the bowls. When he came out again, he found that Mu Nanqiao was still in the small living room and was teasing Xiao Sanhua with a cat teasing-stick. When he saw Lu Qi come out, he raised his eyes and smiled: “Your friend is quite interesting.”

“What’s so interesting about him? Isn’t he especially hypocritical?” Lu Qi couldn’t help but want to laugh when he thought about Xu Hengxing’s cheap appearance. “He was completely convinced by Boss Mu’s wealth…..but aren’t you going to work this afternoon?”

He himself didn’t notice the familiarity of this sentence, as if they were very close friends or a couple living together.

Mu Nanqiao knew that Lu Qi was just asking a question and had no other meaning, but he didn’t care, and was busy digging some sugar out of this simple question. His smile became more cheerful, and his fox eyes were shining brightly.

“I actually don’t have to go to the company on Saturdays and Sundays.“ He picked up the cat and put her on his knees, using his fingers to play with her ears. “Various departments in the company were in the handover stage previously, and things were inevitably a little more complicated. Everything is good now, so I plan to give myself a day off today.”

Mu Nanqiao looked at Lu Qi and grasped the cat’s front paw, shaking it. “Do you want to go out for a walk together? Hike a mountain? A picnic? Archery?”

Lu Qi was a little moved, and his round little deer eyes lit up. Then he thought of something again, and his raised eyebrows drooped. “Forget it, I’m afraid I can only take a half-day tour of my living room today. I took an urgent commission that needs to be handed in tomorrow. I have to concentrate on catching up with the progress.”

Mu Nanqiao nodded: “Oh.”

After waiting for a moment, Lu Qi blinked. “You’re still not leaving?”

“To go where?” Mu Nanqiao looked at Lu Qi, and he and Xiao Sanhua tilted their heads in unison. The big fox and little cat both gazed at Lu Qi with equally innocent eyes. “The place next door is damp and dark. Do you really want me to go back?”

“You…..” Lu Qi reached out and picked up the cat to prevent her from learning bad things. “If you don’t want to go, then don’t go. Speak politely and don’t act coquettish!”

Having achieved his goal, Mu Nanqiao took out freeze-dried cat food from the small drawer of the coffee table. He called Xiao Sanhua back and sat on the sofa to focus on feeding the cat.

Lu Qi went to the bedroom to take out his equipment, and shrunk into a small corner to draw. He clearly didn’t want Mu Nanqiao to know what he was drawing, and put his back to the wall while facing him, as nervous as a little hamster secretly collecting food.

But a prompt popped up on Mu Nanqiao’s mobile phone, and he paid special attention to a live broadcast. 

Mu Nanqiao: ……

He didn’t mean to peek, but as a qualified “captain,” wasn’t it right for him not to miss any of wifey’s broadcasts?

A lot of fur was rubbed onto his chest when he picked the cat up and nestled them both on the small sofa. Pretending to check his phone, he entered the live broadcast room.

As soon as he entered, Mu Nanqiao raised his eyebrows and reached out to cover the cat’s eyes.

Xiao Sanhua: “Meow?”

The drawing was nearly completed, and the final rendering was in progress. Mu Nanqiao didn’t recognize this character, and only after looking at the barrage did he realize that it was fanart for a certain game.

There were special effects when a captain entered the live broadcast room, and Mu Nanqiao heard Lu Qi’s soft gasp. After a moment, the barrage appeared slowly and Lu Qi typed out a welcome to him with his own hands.

[Why isn’t wifey speaking today? It always feels like something is missing when the wife doesn’t speak. I refuse to hand over my pants.]

[555~ Two of my favorite elements, wifey is drawing my favorite idol]

[This pixelation is a bit strange]

[Although, aren’t the abs drawn by wifey not so natural, ah?]

[Yes, it’s a shortcoming. Fortunately, most of the time wifey likes to draw more subtle things, so they usually have clothes]

[Today’s sponsor daddy specifically asked for no clothes]

[Hot, hot~ You are all experts, but I only know hot~]

Mu Nanqiao silently threw out two gifts, and heard Lu Qi huddled in the corner let out a small sound again, like a little frightened animal.

After a moment, the barrage appeared slowly: Thank you @Lionid for the tip. Just watching is enough, no need for gifts.

Mu Nanqiao thought and then sent a message.

[You can do it, wifey~ It will be even better with the abs drawn well~ I look forward to wifey’s progress~ (holding heart)]

“Meow~”

Xiao Sanhua licked her paws. She didn’t understand what this human was doing, but she could see that this man had a cunning smile on his face, almost like a fox wagging its tail. Cats and dogs were naturally incompatible with each other. She instantly forgot the friendship of being fed freeze-dried food and yelled at Mu Nanqiao, jumping away by stepping hard on his belly.

Mu Nanqiao: ? ? ?

What kind of ungrateful rebellious girl had he been feeding in vain?

However, Xiao Sanhua ran to Lu Qi’s feet in the blink of an eye, circling around him as she purred coquettishly and said in a soft and delicate voice: “Miwu~”

Lu Qi endured it for two minutes before he finally couldn’t resist the temptation. He leaned over and picked up the cat, stroking her in his arms. “What are you doing? I’m at work…..”

Mu Nanqiao hadn’t turned on the sound, so he heard this sentence directly, and the people in the live broadcast room obviously heard it too. The barrage stopped for a few seconds, and then a series of ahhhhs filled the screen.

[Wifey, you’re acting coquettish with me, I know it]

[I told wifey earlier to livestream and lull me to sleep. I’m sleepwalking so much that I could spin around thirty times. I’m so busy that I’ll put the donkeys in the fields out of work]

[Laughing to death. The more I listen, the more energetic I become. Finally, some unspeakable program has been opened]

For a moment, Mu Nanqiao felt sour.

He sat up and asked softly: “Do you want to go out to eat tonight?”

Lu Qi replied subconsciously: “What should we eat? Do you want to go to that Sichuan restaurant from last time?”

Mu Nanqiao: ……

He shouldn’t have asked this question, and simply said they would go eat seafood.

Who would have thought that this pale, clean person like a soft butter cake turned out to be filled with hot pepper flavor, but it happened that Mu Nanqiao couldn’t eat spicy food. He almost couldn’t maintain his dignity last time and cried in front of Lu Qi.

Nothing could make a boss shed tears, and if so, it was abnormally spicy.

But Lu Qi’s eyes were bright, as if he was looking forward to testing it. “No? Then let’s…..”

“Yes.” Mu Nanqiao smiled with difficulty. “We’ll just eat at that one.”

“Okay,” Lu Qi agreed immediately. “Then I’ll treat you this time.”

The barrage: ……

[Fuck~ A mysterious wild man]

[He hesitated, he hesitated! He’s not sincere! Let me go with wifey! I can show off my tolerance for chili seeds]

[It sounds so good that my ears are numb]

[Are they roommates? Is this the friend wifey mentioned last time? That super handsome one!]

But Lu Qi didn’t say anything else. In order to go to dinner early, he focused on completing his task, and successfully uploaded it before dinner.

After booking a seat, Mu Nanqiao planned to go back and change clothes. He stood up and stretched his stiff muscles, casually informing Lu Qi, but received no response.

When he looked down, Lu Qi was gazing at his waist, lost in thought. After a moment, he reached up and pinched his own waist.

Mu Nanqiao: ……

If he lifted his clothes to see if Lu Qi’s waist was red, would he be invited out by the Holy Sword of Physics? 

But he had pinched really hard and was cruel to himself.

“What are you thinking about?” He vaguely guessed the answer, but pretended to be puzzled and asked: “Why did you pinch yourself?”

Wife Xiao Lu sat on a small stool and held his chin, frowning in distress as he asked: “Do you exercise? I don’t seem to have seen you working out.”

“……” Mu Nanqiao said: “While you’re sleeping, I get up early for a run. Sometimes when I come back late, it’s not always because I’m working overtime. There is a gym downstairs at the company.”

Lu Qi: ……

My goodness, Boss Mu secretly one-upped everyone and stunned them.

“Then you…..” Lu Qi’s eyes sparkled with anticipation: “Do you have abs?”

Ah, the little fish took the bait.

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Chapter Twenty << Table of Contents >> Chapter Twenty-Two

T/N: Thank you once again to DashingRavens for the donation! I thought the bonus chapter was too short, so I tossed in an extra one!

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Lu Qi was quickly angry to the extreme at Mu Nanqiao. How could such a smart person be defenseless against the scumbag who bullied him? He watched as Mu Nanqiao took the glass of wine and began chatting with Lin Yuan, the golden liquid swirling in the glass with a clear light.

But Lu Qi had clearly seen what that bastard Lin Yuan put into the glass.

He watched the glass vigilantly, but unfortunately didn’t have time to take out his mobile phone and take a picture for evidence.

Mu Nanqiao held the glass and didn’t pay attention to what Lin Yuan was saying. He seemed to be chatting with Lin Yuan, but in fact, his thoughts were all on the little deer huddling in the corner.

He set down his wine glass and turned toward that baseball hat at the bar, then picked up the wine glass and turned his head back. He couldn’t hide the smile on his lips, and could only raise his hand to cover his mouth and cough.

The glass was switched twice, and Lin Yuan’s face darkened. “Did you hear what I said?”

Mu Nanqiao finally turned his eyes toward him.

“Does it matter whether I heard? It’s all nonsense.” In a good mood, he leaned back on the bar counter, a smile on his face and a gleam in his fox-like eyes. There was not enough time for the lingering sentiment to disperse, but faced with this eyesore, his tone was chilled. “Mr. Lin has motives other than drinking, and this ceasefire is a sham. Getting me to drink the wine you brought was your original intent, right?”

Lin Yuan’s eyes grew cold, and his feigned kindness just now was seen through and torn apart bit by bit. He was sure that Mu Nanqiao wouldn’t drink, so he sneered and was about to speak when Mu Nanqiao gave him a meaningful look.

Raising his hand, Mu Nanqiao pressed the glass of wine to his lips and actually drank it in one gulp. He drank a little hastily, and a bit of golden wine flowed down from the corners of his lips, moistening his Adam’s apple.

Lin Yuan was stunned. He didn’t know where this was coming from, but instinctively sensed that something wasn’t right and took a step back.

At the same time, a person suddenly appeared next to Mu Naniqao and slapped him on the back. “Spit it out, spit it out!”

Lin Yuan: ……

This person’s voice was quite familiar.

When he took a closer look, it turned out to be Lu Qi.

Lu Qi was so anxious that he turned the brim of his hat to the back of his head and patted Mu Nanqiao’s back: “Spit it out! I saw him throw a little white pill into it.”

Mu Nanqiao: “Cough, cough, cough…..cough cough…..”

He turned his head and gave Lu Qi an innocent look. His eyes were a little wet from coughing, and he opened his mouth to show Lu Qi.

His thin lips were a pale pink, and his tongue was red. He had actually swallowed it!

Lu Qi almost jumped on the spot. With such a short distance, he couldn’t even have run this fast in a hundred meter sprint! But he had already drunk it!

“Are you a child? Your mouth is so quick.” Lu Qi turned his head and glared at Lin Yuan. “What did you put in it? Did you drug him to do something nefarious?”

Lin Yuan was going insane. With no care for embarrassment, he shouted out: “I’m not interested in him! Who would be interested in someone who held him down and beat him, ah! I’m not a masochist! What I really want is you!”

The well-rounded Wife Xiao Lu could not be fooled, and his face said: that is not necessarily the case.

Lin Yuan felt dizzy. He did add something to Mu Nanqiao’s wine, but his original intention was to wait for the drug to take effect, and when Mu Nanqiao went to the private box to rest, he would send in a little duck. It would be best if Lu Qi arrived and happened to run into the two of them doing something.

But why had Lu Qi come so early? Now Lu Qi happened to be here when Mu Nanqiao drank. Wasn’t he spending money just to entertain others? He should just give them a room card!

What the hell was this injustice!

Lu Qi did see the text message from Lin Yuan about the car being sent to pick him up, but he was not a fool. Why would he get into the scumbag’s car? He could still afford the taxi fare! What’s more, he hadn’t seen Li Yimiao in a long time and planned to come in advance to see his cousin.

Before he set off, Lu Qi was a little angry.

No matter whether Mu Nanqiao was a driver or a CEO, there would be no difference in Lu Qi’s attitude toward him. The root of the problem was that Mu Nanqiao had lied. It should be known that he was really worried about Mu Nanqiao’s livelihood at first, but in the end, this guy clearly had no worries about food and clothing.

The little flame of anger burned brightly. When he came in, he saw Mu Nanqiao sitting in the corner.

The man was sitting at the intersection of light and shadow. He had a handsome profile, a tall, straight figure. His long legs were crossed, and two buttons on his black shirt were unbuttoned at the collar. The hair falling across his forehead covered his eyebrows, and his expression was full of a cold arrogance that Lu Qi had never seen before. He smiled and greeted everyone, but always stayed away from the crowd.

Lu Qi held his chin and admired this beauty. The more he looked at him under the lights, the more breathtaking he was. The little fire in his heart flickered in the breeze, swaying from side to side, and ultimately went out with a pop.

It couldn’t be helped. Lu Qi made a mistake that any man would make. Looking at that face, he couldn’t help but think that regardless of the facts, could it be that he was suffering some hardship?

He would wait until he heard his explanation.

And as a result, he saw Mr. Mu swallow the drink Lin Yuan handed him in one gulp!

Lu Qi nearly rushed over and grabbed Lin Yuan’s collar to ask what kind of drug it was, but Mu Nanqiao hugged his waist and rubbed his head, pushing him behind him.

“Be good.” Mu Nanqiao said: “What would you do if you bumped into someone while rushing in front?”

He rolled up his sleeves and raised his hand to pull off his tie, stuffing it into the small bag hanging against Lu Qi’s chest.

He blinked his eyes, smiling softly and cunningly. “Let me do it.”

When he turned around, he no longer looked so gentle. Stepping over the obstructive decorations on the ground, he walked straight toward Lin Yuan.

As soon as Lin Yuan saw his expression, he felt a dull pain in his newly-healed wrist and ribs. He turned around unthinkingly and started to run away, but the people around him had long been drawn in by the commotion here. The faces that looked familiar or unfamiliar were basically all well-known people in the circle.

He hesitated for a moment between being shameless or not, and missed his chance to turn around and run away. Seeing that Mu Nanqiao had already reached for a chair, he simply took the initiative to pick up a bottle of wine from the bar.

Lu Qi was a little worried, but Mu Nanqiao easily twisted his thin waist and dodged.

Watching this, Lu Qi felt relieved, and his eyes turned from worried to complicated.

He was a black hole when it came to sports, and was also a homebody, so he was not very good at them at all. But even a person who had never eaten pork had seen a pig run. Mu Nanqiao was not only good at fighting, but was simply an expert, and his steps were very methodical. In comparison, Lin Yuan really only had a bit of ruthlessness and nothing else.

Therefore, Lin Yuan didn’t last two minutes. After taking a beautiful side kick from Mu Nanqiao, he fell into a booth and knocked down a bunch of glasses with a clang.

The scumbag lay on the floor surrounded by a bunch of drinks and broken glasses, howling miserably.

Wu, this was the legendary white moonlight who was too weak to take care of himself? Lu Qi touched his chin and thought that there were still similarities between the two of them.

For example, the position where they chose to kick the scumbag was the same.

. . . . . . . .

When they came out of the bar, Mu Nanqiao’s assistant was still negotiating with Lin Yuan’s assistant. For some unknown reason, the Lin family didn’t have any intention of calling the police and were trying to keep it low-key.

One of the two parties entered the hospital once more, and the other walked down the road with Lu Qi.

Opposite the bar was a music square with a light show, along with a musician holding a guitar and singing. The two people walked slowly along the outer circle of the square. Disordered light and shadow fell on Lu Qi’s white short-sleeved shirt like smudged oil paint. It also fell on Mu Nanqiao’s black shirt, leaving little spots of light on the smooth, silky material.

“I’m sorry.” Mu Nanqiao apologized in a low voice: “When I saw you at the bar, I figured Lin Yuan told you about my identity. But it’s not that I deliberately hid it from you. I’m just a general manager, it’s not like I’m the emperor trying to go incognito. There’s nothing to hide.”

His attitude was pretty good. Lu Qi glanced at him, unsure if he was angry or not. Although Mu Nanqiao had lied, it hadn’t hurt him, but as a friend, he still didn’t feel good.

“So why did you do it?” Lu Qi took off his hat and gripped the hair that had been pressed down. “Can you tell me?”

He asked casually, but to his surprise, Mu Nanqiao nodded without any hesitation. His handsome face was filled with sincerity. “I can tell you.”

This time, Lu Qi felt a little awkward. The two of them walked to a relatively secluded corner and found a bench to sit down. 

The cicadas chirped and the night wind blew. Mu Nanqiao fell silent again.

Lu Qi whispered: “It’s okay if you don’t want to say it.”

“I was wondering where to start.” Mu Nanqiao turned his head to look at Lu Qi, some kind of emotion surging in his narrow eyes. “En, let’s start with my dad having a car accident and having to go to Sweden for treatment. The story is actually…..rather cliche.”

When Mu Chuanbai had a car accident, Mu Nanqiao had just graduated from middle school.

The situation was critical at that time. Talia asked around and found a Swedish expert who could operate on Mu Chuanbai, and had to immediately take him abroad for treatment.

At that time, Mu Chuanbai had been alienated from the Mu family for many years. He had opened a small company of his own and could be said to have an affluent life, but in the face of enormous medical expenses, it was inevitable that he was financially strapped.

Talia didn’t know when Mu Chuanbai would wake up, but her son was still underage and needed to continue his education, so it was not suitable for him to go to a foreign country with them.

Mu Chuanbai had once said to Talia that the Mu family were all relatives in the end. Because of this sentence, Talia made the wrong decision.

The young Mu Nanqiao was sent to his grandfather’s house. In name, he was a young master of the Mu family, but in fact, the junior members of the Mu family could bully him.

“I could have a full meal, but I had to be served last. Sometimes they took a long time to eat, and the food got cold.” Mu Nanqiao stared at a point in the void and suddenly smiled. “It’s rather funny, isn’t it? The Mu family, with assets in the hundreds of millions, used this method to squeeze out a child.”

Lu Qi didn’t think it was funny at all. He pursed his lower lip and quietly moved in Mu Nanqiao’s direction. He raised his hand and put it down with no place to rest it, feeling that it would be very misleading for him to rashly grab his hand.

But he really didn’t know how to comfort people.

As he hesitated, Mu Nanqiao reached over and gently grabbed his hand.

Lu Qi blinked and held it back.

With their fingers intertwined, Mu Nanqiao felt the warmth from his palm and continued: “As for me, at first I thought it was because I wasn’t good enough. Later, I found out that it had nothing to do with what I did. I had never been bullied like this as a child, and if someone hit me, I would definitely hit them back. Even if I won, I would be punished to kneel, but at least I was satisfied.”

“Later, that dog Mu Rui didn’t dare hit me at home, so he did it at school and relied on the power of numbers to win. After beating me, he would take photos to show his father. I didn’t want to see the disgusting faces of that father and son, so I wouldn’t go back to the Mu residence.” Mu Qi thought about that old warehouse and rubbed the back of Lu Qi’s hand with his thumb. “But the money my mom left me was still in his hands. Mu Chuansong refused to let me live on campus, so I had no choice but to work part-time and rent room 502. At that time, room 502 was still group rental housing, so the environment was very poor, but the rent was cheap.”

“I could rest there without having to worry about cold water being poured on me in my sleep.” Mu Nanqiao lowered his eyelashes and gripped Lu Qi’s clean, slender fingers. “This is why I moved back into 502. I have trouble sleeping elsewhere, and always feel like someone is going to jump out and attack me. In 502, the situation is much better.”

“So that’s why I’m in 502.” He exhaled a long breath. “After all these years, I’m still trapped there. As long as one of those people is still living a good life, I can’t get out.”

Lu Qi said nothing for a long time, and his voice was hoarse when he spoke. “So you didn’t say anything at first, because if you did, you would have to explain your…..”

Psychological trauma.

“I’m sorry, ah…..” Mu Nanqiao lowered his head like a little mushroom caught in the rain. “I shouldn’t have…..”

“It doesn’t matter,” Lu Qi said softly. “From the day I met you, I knew you had something to say.”

En, this……

If you met someone at a bar who treated you as a duck, could you really have a heart-to-heart relationship with him?

He hesitated to speak, and finally shut up in a well-behaved manner, with an “as long as you’re happy” look.

Mu Nanqiao knew what he was thinking by his tangled look and flicked his forehead, angrily amused.

He leaned back and raised their intertwined hands. Looking up at Lu Qi’s clean, slender fingers, he said with a sigh: “Sometimes I hope you pity me, so that I can take advantage of your weakness, but sometimes I don’t want you to pity me, so that it doesn’t influence your judgment……”

“I won’t stay with you just because I sympathize with you,” Lu Qi retorted in a low voice. “You’ve experienced a lot of terrible things, but now you’ve grown into a very good person. Of course there are things that are more attractive to me.”

“En?” Mu Nanqiao became interested and asked, “For example?”

Lu Qi didn’t realize that this was a trap to lure him to confess his affection, and thought about it seriously. “En, for example, your face…..”

Mu Nanqiao: ……

He was amused by Lu Qi’s frankness, and said while laughing: “I thank my parents for giving me the ability to serve others…..”

Lu Qi blushed and quickly interrupted him: “I haven’t finished speaking yet. Of course there are other things……huh? Mu Nanqiao? What’s wrong with you?”

The man sitting opposite him had suddenly gasped and frowned slightly.

“It seems…..I don’t feel very good.” His voice became hoarse as he spoke, his eyes misty, and he raised a hand to tug at his collar.

Lu Qi: ……

Why did he look like this, as if spring love was overflowing, ah…..

“Didn’t you say that the effect of the drug would go away if you went out and got some air?” Lu Qi panicked. If Mu Nanqiao hadn’t been holding his hand, he would have spun around in circles. “What should we do now? Do you need to go to the hospital? Should I call 120?”

“No need.” Mu Nanqiao shook his head and reached to push back the strands of hair over his forehead. The straight lines of his brow were exposed, and the long, narrow hook-like tips of his eyes were stained by a bit of crimson, making the small mole at the end of his eye even redder.

He glanced at Lu Qi with blurry eyes, and the Adam’s apple on his slender neck rolled, as if he was suppressing something.

Like a charming fox spirit.

Lu Qi patted his cheek with the other hand to keep himself calm. After some thought, he still needed to call 120. He had heard a lot about these messy things. The consequences of misusing such a drug could be large or small, and they couldn’t risk any problems.

He would quickly ask an angel in white^[1] to collect this evil-doer.

As soon as he took the mobile phone out of his bag, Mu Nanqiao reached out and pressed it back.

“Don’t make trouble.” Lu Qi smacked Mu Nanqiao’s hand away, but Mu Nanqiao pressed it back down again.

Mu Nanqiao closed his eyes and murmured, “I don’t want to go to the hospital.”

“Then what do you think we should do?” Lu Qi pulled out of his grip and smacked his hand angrily, using a bit of force. There was a slap, and a red mark appeared on the back of his hand. “Don’t lie or think about wicked things, I’ll sue you for sexual harassment! Get up quickly, we’re taking a taxi to the hospital!”

It could be said that Lu Qi was anxious, otherwise he would have seen the corners of Mu Nanqiao’s lips twitching as he obviously held back a smile.

“Okay.” Mu Nanqiao seemed to compromise: “Then my assistant must be informed. He has all my documentation.”

“Oh, oh.” Lu Qi felt a little strange. “It’s so troublesome for a general manager to be hospitalized? If your assistant asks why you’re going to the hospital, won’t it be a kind of social death? And which department should you go to?”

He glanced faintly downward.

Mu Nanqiao: “…..Does it look good?”

Lu Qi shifted his gaze, thinking that nothing had changed, ah. If it was Lin Yuan who drugged him, there wouldn’t be any change in Mu Nanqiao. Maybe it was because of…..

Mu Nanqiao took a deep breath and stretched out his hand, saying: “Let’s go. Help me.”

“Cough…..” Lu Qi reached out his hand to help him.

But it didn’t feel right. Mu Nanqiao didn’t seem to put any weight on him at all, only holding his shoulder loosely. The two took steps side by side, and Lu Qi frowned in confusion.

Just at this time, Mu Nanqiao lowered his head and spoke in his ear with a smiling voice. The sound was obviously not loud, but it made his ears slightly numb.

“En, although whiskey has a lot of stamina, there’s no need to go to the hospital over it. Which department would I be admitted to?” He finally couldn’t help but laugh. “Did I forget to tell you that I didn’t drink the wine Lin Yuan gave me? I exchanged it with one of the glasses on the bar.”

Lu Qi: ……

“Mu. Nan. Qiao!” He stomped on that stinky fox’s foot, and his sneaker left a distinct mark on the leather shoe. “You’re a big liar!”

This stomp was substantial, and Boss Mu reaped the consequences. He nearly jumped up on the spot, but regained his composure. He quickly caught up with the little deer he had offended, who was running away, and had to coax in a low voice: “I was wrong, there won’t be a next time. Do you want to go home? Mu-shifu drank today and can’t drive. How about we take a taxi back?”

Lu Qi finally returned to his senses.

Having been teased by Mu Nanqiao, the heavy sourness in his heart had faded a lot, as if it had been swept up into the night sky by the evening breeze.

Lu Qi slowed down and looked back at Mu Nanqiao.

This man was following him at a leisurely pace, his fox eyes constantly trained on him. The fog in his eyes seemed to have greatly dissipated, and his eyes were clear and focused.

He really wasn’t willing to let others pity him, let alone use other people’s pity to achieve his own goals.

Even though he was facing a person whose heart was easily softened, he didn’t bother to use this method.

He caught up with Lu Qi and walked side by side with him, asking with a smile: “Are you still angry?”

Lu Qi huffed and turned his head.

His ears silently turned red.

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[1] An “angel in white” is a an honorary title for a doctor or nurse. ⮐

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Chapter Nineteen << Table of Contents >> Chapter Twenty-One

Just as they were talking, a loud noise suddenly came from the third room in the small courtyard, which was supposed to be the room He Lan was staying in. They had originally thought that neither of them came back last night, so how could there be any movement?

When the three people heard this sound, they rushed over to take a look and saw He Lan being kicked out of the room by someone.

He fell with an aiyo in front of the three of them. Upon closer inspection, there was a big footprint on his chest.

They looked up in shock and saw Qin Yu flying out of the room with a sinister expression. The layers of his robes were still open, leaving only the inner garment fastened as he rushed out and stepped on He Lan.

He Lan stood up and quickly began to fight Qin Yu, but Qin Yu was so furious that He Lan couldn’t resist him at all, and was soon stepped on again. He could only look to Huo Fenglie, who was standing aside, for help.

“Zhanyuan, save me.”

However, Huo Fenglie shielded Liu Zhenqing and stood at a distance. Even Bai Su silently stepped back, refusing to save him.

In the end, amidst a burst of cries and howls for mercy, the one-sided beating ended. Qin Yu went to Bai Su’s room to change clothes with a sullen face.

He Lan lay on the ground and rubbed his legs silently, looking with resentment at the three people who had watched him being beaten.

“You’re not human, why didn’t you help me?”

“Will you tell us what you did first?” Bai Su rubbed his brow helplessly as he spoke, as if he was accustomed to this.

Liu Zhenqing’s face was full of curiosity. “This is the first time I’ve seen Brother Qin truly angry.” Although Qin Yu was a cold person, he could occasionally let loose with these few people and play around, and truly treated himself as one of their own.

He Lan let it be known that he was wronged. “I only pushed him down on the bed…..”

The three people: ? ? ?

“And tore off his clothes.”

The three people: ! !

“I wanted to see the tattoo on his body.”

Huo Fenglie frowned in disgust, while Liu Zhenqing looked curious. Tattoo?

Bai Su said with a sigh: “How is it different from the tattoo on your body? Didn’t you all get them with Zhanyuan when you were young?”

This being said, Liu Zhenqing indeed saw that He Lan, whose clothes were ripped and torn, had a tattoo on his body.

“I have an eagle, and he has a snake. I was just curious. I heard that the snake’s scales are different, and I wanted to take a closer look.” He Lan clapped his hands and said, “I failed again.”

Bai Su couldn’t be bothered to talk to him anymore: “I think you were simply itching to be beaten.”

Seeing He Lan’s unresigned appearance, Liu Zhenqing felt deeply that this fellow not only showed no introspection at all, but also still intended to keep trying.

Although he had never expressed anything and Liu Zhenqing never asked, Qin Yu came from the Dongchang. At this time, the Dongchang were all eunuchs, and this was a rather sensitive thing, so Qin Yu should have a taboo about others looking at his body, even his brothers. Then he happened to encounter this careless fellow He Lan, so Qin Yu couldn’t be blamed for beating him.

However, according to Liu Zhenqing’s observations, He Lan’s martial arts should be superior to Qin Yu’s. Therefore, He Lan was beaten at this moment because he knew he was in the wrong, and let himself be beaten. He was a typical fool who loved to create difficulties for himself.

Huo Fenglie asked a more important question: “Why did you sleep together?”

He Lan said: “We didn’t return until dawn, and didn’t want to disturb Yuzhou’s rest, so I just asked Lao Qin to come to my place.”

In fact, this fellow was trying to find a chance to see his tattoo. Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but have this conjecture.

This farce quickly broke up. Afterwards, Qin Yu came out to have breakfast with everyone and ignored He Lan, who gave an airy apology. But He Lan was thick-skinned, so the result didn’t matter.

During this time, Liu Zhenqing realized that their tattoos were actually different. Huo Fenglie’s was usually not visible, and would only show up when his body heat reached a certain level. For example, when they bathed in the hot spring last time. And Qin Yu and He Lan’s were directly visible.

Although they had all gotten tattoos from the same person, they didn’t know what Huo Fenglie had tattooed on his body. They were only vaguely aware that it was very large and took up his entire upper body.

Liu Zhenqing gave Huo Fenglie a curious look, but Huo Fenglie still avoided talking about it and said: “It’s nothing special.”

Such concealment meant it must be very special. Liu Zhenqing’s curiosity was no lower than He Lan’s, and he intended to take a peek the next time Er-gou bathed.

After dinner, they split up. Liu Zhenqing first followed Bai Su to find Cheng Xi.

In the office hall, several officials transferred from local areas and officials from the investigation team gathered together. When everyone saw Bai Su and Liu Zhenqing arrive, they turned a blind eye. The local officials didn’t know them and only thought they were part of the investigation team, and naturally, everyone in the investigation team knew Bai Su and Liu Zhenqing. Although Liu Zhenqing had a special status, they had all received hints that he had come with General Huo, so they naturally didn’t dare to say anything and just kept their heads down to work.

Cheng Xi was the leader here, so he had a separate study. The two of them went directly to his study where it was more convenient to talk.

As soon as they entered, they saw the tall man with a slightly bloody cloth on his head standing next to the desk. He had a frown on his face and a frosty expression, carefully reviewing the information in his hands.

If it weren’t for a few coughs from time to time, the room would have been so quiet that it seemed like you couldn’t even hear him breathing.

The paperwork consisted of case files and newly obtained confessions, and sorting out each person’s charges was a huge workload. Who made this Imperial Examination fraud almost half the burden on the officials here?

Hearing a sound, Cheng Xi looked up. His face was covered in frost just now, but facing Bai Su, he looked like a delighted big brother.

“The two of you were given a fright today.”

“Cheng-daren, don’t say that. We’re here to help. Is there anything we can do for you?” Bai Su stepped forward with a slight smile, but his eyes remained on Cheng Xi’s wound with a hint of worry.

Just as Cheng Xi was about to speak, he suddenly coughed again. Bai Su quickly stepped forward to support him and pour him tea.

Liu Zhenqing listened carefully to the sound of his cough, and feared that he was going to cough up blood. Looking at Cheng Xi’s skin, there was no color to it. 

“Cheng-daren, do you really not need to see a doctor?” Liu Zhenqing said. Cheng Xi’s body looked like he had a long-term lack of rest, excessive worry, and exposure to cold. To put it bluntly, without proper treatment, his life would be short.

Bai Su also said with a frown: “It is better to rest. This case is not your responsibility in the first place, so there is no need to sacrifice yourself to such an extent.”

Cheng Xi waved his hand and said: “I’ve been sick for a long time and I’m well aware. I should take advantage of my ability to still work, and work harder.”

These words sounded as if he had no fear of his mortality.

As Cheng Xi spoke, he looked at Bai Su with a smile: “I promised Wangshu that I would be a good official who works on behalf of the common people, but I can’t live up to his expectations.”

Bai Su’s eyes flashed, and his breath caught in his throat.

Liu Zhenqing frowned slightly. Such “good officials” were very rare. And it seemed that Cheng Xi’s feelings for Bai Yu were very deep. If he didn’t have a wife and a mistress, he would have really believed Huo Fenglie’s analysis.

Bai Su helped Cheng Xi sit down and said: “I came to help you. Don’t worry, I won’t delay your progress.” He was already a top scholar, so it would be easy to deal with these matters. Before, he simply hadn’t wanted to get involved in such things.

Seeing Bai Su like this, Cheng Xi didn’t refuse. He held a hot tea cup to warm his hands and looked at Bai Su in a daze. “I’ll ask my servant to bring some snacks from Shu Ya Pavilion later. Wangshu liked them very much. He said the two of you had the same tastes, so I think you’ll like them too.”

Bai Su’s hand holding the brush paused, then he nodded and said, “Thank you, I’m looking forward to it.”

Liu Zhenqing took the opportunity to step forward and say: “Give me the list of jailed officials and I’ll sort it out.”

Bai Su was about to hand it over to Liu Zhenqing when Cheng Xi asked with polite curiosity, “By the way, has Young Master Liu also passed the Imperial Examinations?”

“That…..actually, no.” Liu Zhenqing was suddenly embarrassed.

However, Cheng Xi did not discriminate, and asked with a smile, “Then what is Young Master Liu’s name?”

Liu Zhenqing said directly: “My name is Liu Xiaozhu, courtesy name…..”

Before Liu Zhenqing could finish speaking, the teacup slipped from Cheng Xi’s hands and hit the floor with a bang.

Liu Zhenqing looked over and saw that Cheng Xi’s expression, which had been pleasant just now, was filled with shock, and then turned into an uncontrollable sullenness. 

Liu Zhenqing’s heart thumped, and he had a guess in mind.

“Oh, what is the relationship between Young Master Liu and the late treacherous minister Liu Zhenqing?”

As soon as these words came out, Bai Su also realized the problem and looked embarrassed, wanting to stop him.

“It seems that Cheng-daren already knows,” Liu Zhenqing said calmly.

“When I took over this case, I naturally knew that the Imperial merchant Liu family in the capital was also involved in the Imperial Examination case, and I also heard the name of their eldest son. Unexpectedly, Young Master Liu was not arrested, and even more unexpectedly, he is traveling with General Huo and Young Master Bai.” The hostility on Cheng Xi’s face was undisguised, and his unkind gaze even extended to Bai Su.

“Cheng-daren, the Liu family has been divided since their ancestors’ ancestors lived, and Brother Liu didn’t even know that person. We should not implicate innocent people,” Bai Su said firmly.

But Cheng Xi continued to look at Liu Zhenqing with gloomy eyes and said: “Apologies, I believe that General Huo and Young Master Bai can treat you fairly. They have clear grievances and can act normally, but I cannot. When I think of Wangshu’s tragic death, I just can’t understand it, and I don’t want to see anything related to that person. To avoid me losing my composure, Young Master Liu should leave.”

This was the first time Liu Zhenqing had felt such deep-seated hatred since his rebirth. He gradually lost all expression on his face and faced Cheng Xi’s anger in silence.

Although Cheng Xi was very restrained, he began to cough violently again right away. The coughing was even more severe this time, and it seemed as though he was about to cough up half his life.

It would be rude to stay any longer. 

Liu Zhenqing could only apologize and walk out.

Bai Su wanted to persuade him to stay, but he didn’t know what to say. Liu Zhenqing just gave him a faint smile and said: “Take care of Cheng Xi. He’s right. His behavior is only natural, and it was me who was insensitive. I’ll be fine, don’t worry.”

When Liu Zhenqing finished speaking, he turned around and left.

Bai Su sighed and looked back at Cheng Xi.

Cheng Xi also looked at Bai Su. “I know I am not qualified to say anything to you, but you are Wangshu’s younger brother. Do you know what he went through? Everything started because of Liu Zhenqing. Everything is his fault. How can you still have contact with his relative?”

Although Bai Su could understand Cheng Xi’s attitude, to be honest, Cheng Xi’s performance before was so perfect that the current Cheng Xi made Bai Su a little disappointed.

On the other side, Liu Zhenqing was thinking about where to go next. His steps got continuously slower, and his head went lower and lower.

Suddenly, he bumped into something. When he looked up, he saw that Huo Fenglie had appeared in front of him and was regarding him with a serious look.

Liu Zhenqing blinked. “What are you doing here?”

“Du Dongfeng is working. I was watching from above and saw you.” Then he heard Huo Fenglie ask in a slightly worried tone: “What’s wrong?”

Liu Zhenqing: “Oh, I didn’t find anything over there. I plan to go to Qin Yu’s place and have a look. There should be a list in the interrogation room.”

Liu Zhenqing was the best at acting. He confirmed that he hadn’t leaked out any emotion, but in the next second, Huo Fenglie grabbed his wrist.

Startled, Liu Zhenqing stared at Huo Fenglie with wide eyes. But Huo Fenglie didn’t say anything, and just forcefully pulled him toward the small courtyard.

“Yi? What are you doing? I’m not going back, ah, wait…..” Liu Zhenqing was pulled so hard that he staggered. Before he could regain his balance, he was picked up by Huo Fenglie.

It was difficult to comply with this kind of princess carry. Liu Zhenqing said with embarrassment: “Er-gou? What are you doing?”

But when he looked up, he only saw Huo Fenglie’s slightly gloomy face, as if he was sulking and blaming himself for doing something wrong. He didn’t dare to look at Liu Zhenqing.

Such an Er-gou made Liu Zhenqing shut up for a moment.

With a bang, Huo Fenglie kicked open their door. Liu Zhenqing didn’t realize what he was going to do until he placed Liu Zhenqing on the bed and removed his shoes.

Soon after, Huo Fenglie turned around and brought over a bunch of small mechanism toys he had bought on the road and spread them on the bed. Even a hidden Rubik’s Cube was included. 

Huo Fenglie looked up at Liu Zhenqing and said: “Stay here and don’t move. Wait for me for a while.”

Liu Zhenqing seemed to realize what Huo Fenglie was going to do, and said nothing.

Huo Fenglie hurriedly left. Soon, a circle of snacks he had said were delicious the day before were added to Liu Zhenqing’s bed. There were also new novels, as well as drinks that were not too strong, and Liu Zhenqing’s favorite incense was lit on the small table next to him.

Liu Zhenqing watched Huo Fenglie place them carefully and couldn’t help but smile: “What are you doing?”

Huo Fenglie looked up at Liu Zhenqing and said: “Qing-ge, you rest today. Don’t do anything. Just stay in bed.”

As he spoke, Huo Fenglie helped Liu Zhenqing put down the bed curtains to give him a small space.

In fact, he did this because it was what Liu Zhenqing used to do when he was unhappy and gave himself a holiday. Er-gou remembered.

Amused and helpless, Liu Zhenqing said: “Is there anything serious to be done?”

“There is…..nothing important, not at all,” Huo Fenglie said in a suddenly dark and cold tone.

Liu Zhenqing stared blankly at Huo Fenglie standing beside the bed, and suddenly felt that the person in front of him was no longer a child. He was grown up enough to shield him from some unpleasant emotions.

“I will keep an eye on Du Dongfeng,” Huo Fenglie said softly. “At noon, I will bring Qing-ge back the grilled fish from Wan Zhao Tower.”

As he spoke, he reached out and gently touched Liu Zhenqing’s head. “Qing-ge, have a good rest.”

Liu Zhenqing felt an inexplicable surge of sourness. Huo Fenglie’s tone of voice was a bit cold and unnatural, but he really felt the affection in his words.

It was strange. When Huo Fenglie said he felt sorry for him before, he only thought it was amusing, but now he felt very moved.

This person really felt distressed for him.

“Okay.”

Having received this response, Huo Fenglie left so as not to disturb Liu Zhenqing’s rest.

Lui Zhenqing took a deep breath and truly let himself go. He wrapped himself in the quilt and nestled in bed, eating snacks, playing with toys, and reading books when he was tired of playing.

When he was flipping through the pages, Liu Zhenqing came across a unique book.

The cover said “Album of Secluded Courtyard Paintings.”

Liu Zhenqing opened it curiously, and found that the first picture showed two figures sitting face to face on a bed, each of them using their hands to play with the other…..

Wait? What was he looking at? There were two men!!

Liu Zhenqing sucked in a deep breath and instinctively slammed the book shut.

Great Zhou was open to homosexuality, and even marriage was possible. This was not rare to Liu Zhenqing, and because of his appearance, he was often admired by men. So Liu Zhenqing knew some common sense things about it, but had no interest in his own sex, so he had never been curious to see any male erotic pictures. 

The scene just now shocked him hard.

It was so bizarre.

Why was this sort of thing mixed in with the books, ah?

Such nonsense. Liu Zhenqing tossed the book aside with no intention of looking at it again.

After a stick of incense, Liu Zhenqing closed the book again with a red face.

So ridiculous, how could that be possible? It must be an exaggerated depiction! Too unrealistic!

After another stick of incense, Liu Zhenqing felt that his soul had transcended, as if he had received incredible knowledge and the door to a new world had opened.

All those men who liked him wanted to do these things to him! He thought for a moment and really couldn’t accept it no matter what.

Er-gou had found this. Could it be…..

Several scenes suddenly flashed through Liu Zhenqing’s mind, including bathing in the hot spring pool, the Heaven’s Blessing Sect’s aphrodisiac, determining the scent on his body before…..all the drawings he had just seen became countless fragments and mixed together in his mind, as if they were about to condense into some kind of picture.

Liu Zhenqing’s mind went blank, and he wrapped himself in the quilt in shame and anger. He seemed to have accidentally thought of an incredible scene just now. It was simply crazy.

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Chapter Forty-Seven << Table of Contents >> Chapter Forty-Nine

T/N: Thank you so much to DashingRavens for the generous donation! Here’s a regular chapter and a bonus chapter!

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Du Dongfeng didn’t expect to wake up again. He touched his neck, which was already very painful, and truly felt that those people were crazy. They knocked him out three times in one night but didn’t kill him. What in the world did they intend to do?

Thinking of this, Du Dongfeng immediately groped for the jade pendant on his body and found that it was still there. He breathed a sigh of relief and then took out a piece of paper.

‘Like-minded person, we tested you many times and offended you.’

Du Dongfeng couldn’t help but frown. He was puzzled and could only go home in embarrassment, unaware that there was someone behind him.

At an ordinary house in an alley, Du Dongfeng looked around carefully and found nobody following him, so he went inside. In fact, there was no need to be cautious. The government knew where his house was.

When he entered, he saw that the lamps were still on, and there was a low coughing sound coming from inside.

Huo Fenglie observed for a long time on the roof and determined that Du Dongfeng’s father was indeed chronically ill. There were also a mother and younger siblings at home, truly an ordinary family. Just based on the calculation of his age, Du Dongfeng should be the oldest of his siblings, otherwise the age of his parents would be inconsistent. 

Not long after Du Dongfeng returned home, everyone also went to sleep. Only Du Dongfeng sat in the courtyard, holding the jade pendant in a daze, which made Huo Fenglie very unhappy.

Huo Fenglie kept watch all night without finding anything, full of displeasure. When he went back, he saw Liu Zhenqing sleeping peacefully with a pillow in his arms.

Since this person was nearby, he could only digest his anger silently.

The person on the bed suddenly turned over, and the quilt slipped off again. Huo Fenglie was about to step forward and cover him up, but when he glanced at him, his breath suddenly froze.

He saw that Liu Zhenqing had moved so much that his robes were all messed up. The top and bottom of his clothes were open, with only the middle belt barely holding them together.

A large area of fair skin was exposed. Delicate collarbones, a smooth chest, and a dot of red were accidentally revealed. That flat belly and belly button rose and fell slightly with his breathing.

Huo Fenglie felt his throat instantly tighten. Thinking of his brief suffering the previous night, his entire body felt bad. He quickly walked back to the table and took a sip of cold tea to extinguish the fire in his heart.

Likely because the teacup made too much noise, Liu Zhenqing woke up in a daze. When he saw Huo Fenglie sitting there, he got up with difficulty and took a deep breath, asking: “How did it go?”

Huo Fenglie briefly explained the situation.

Liu Zhenqing’s eyes gradually became clearer. “So cautious? He didn’t go find the people he follows?”

Huo Fenglie said with discomfort: “In short, apart from taking care of his parents and sleeping normally, he just stared at your jade pendant. Now, he has returned to the government office for his duties.”

Liu Zhenqing coughed at once, looking embarrassed.

It was true that he had been admired by men before, but wasn’t the age gap a bit high? Could it be that he was able to charm people from eight to eighty years old, with no scruples between men and women?

After thinking about it, he felt inexplicably proud. Liu Zhenqing touched his chin and said with a smile: “It’s my fault. It’s all my fault.”

Huo Fenglie was speechless.

Liu Zhenqing noticed that Huo Fenglie’s expression wasn’t good and thought he was tired, so he said: “Then you should rest quickly. He’s on duty during the day and can’t run around, so I can still observe him. You can keep an eye on him at night.”

Huo Fenglie said: “I’ll rest for a while and continue to watch him. You don’t need to look at him.”

Liu Zhenqing opened his mouth, feeling that there was no need to make Er-gou work so hard. But seeing that Huo Fenglie had really taken off his outer layers and went to rest on the other side, he didn’t speak further. When he got up and went out, he happened to meet Bai Su, who had also just gotten up.

Bai Su’s mood seemed to have improved a lot after a night’s rest, and he had returned to his handsome appearance with a leisurely smile. They said good morning to each other and planned to go to the kitchen together to find food.

“Did Brother Qin and the others come back last night?” Liu Zhenqing asked.

“No, they didn’t come back all night. Although the investigation is important, how can they do this without rest? But I don’t know what the physique of someone who practices martial arts is like. Perhaps they really don’t get tired easily,” Bai Su said.

Liu Zhenqing nodded along. Just as they were talking, they heard a commotion when they passed by the gate of the government office and some officials went to open the door.

When Liu Zhenqing saw that Du Dongfeng was there, he couldn’t help but shift his attention. Bai Su was also curious, so he followed him to see what was going on outside.

As soon as they opened the door, they saw a group of people blocking the door angrily and making an uproar. They were chased back by the government office guards, but they could only push them to the bottom of the steps.

These were the family members of imprisoned scholars and officials. It seemed that what Du Dongfeng said before about people coming to make trouble every day was true.

There was no point in arguing with them. Liu Zhenqing and Bai Su didn’t want to cause trouble, and were about to retreat.

At this moment, they saw a sedan chair approaching. It seemed that some people recognized Cheng Xi’s sedan chair, and they immediately surrounded it. Cheng Xi always traveled simply and did not bring a lot of guards. He was not originally the person in charge here, and had only come to handle the case and then return to his residence at night, so he could only rely on the government officials here to come forward and save him.

Seeing that Cheng Xi was in danger, Bai Su stopped and Liu Zhenqing could only watch along. Bai Su breathed a sigh of relief when the government officials escorted him over.

Cheng Xi was a local official, after all. After standing firmly on his feet, he faced the questions and immediately replied in a loud voice: “Where do you think this is? How can you be allowed to make a disturbance in front of the government office? Those who are not guilty should go home, and those who are guilty should face the law. The laws of Great Zhou will not bring injustice to good people, nor will they indulge evil people. You cannot change this just by making some noise. If you don’t go back, you can only be thrown into prison according to the law.”

A person with a clear conscience would naturally go home obediently after hearing such upright words, but these people all had evil intentions in their hearts. Not only did they disobey, but they also made worse trouble and picked things up to throw at people in an ignorant and unreasonable manner. They also specifically focused on the three people who were not wearing official uniforms, perhaps thinking that they were officials like Cheng Xi.

The government officials instinctively protected Cheng Xi and disregarded Liu Zhenqing and Bai Su.

Bai Su was standing next to Cheng Xi, and when Cheng Xi saw him get hit, he stepped over and used his slightly taller body to shield this person completely behind him.

Liu Zhenqing watched rotten vegetable leaves and rotten eggs flying toward him. He tried to dodge, but was not that agile, and was about to lament the suffering of his clothing when a figure blocked him.

“Be careful, my lord, and retreat inside.”

Liu Zhenqing took a closer look and saw that it was Du Dongfeng.

The matter came to an end with a few leaders being arrested, and everyone returned to the main hall.

“Hurry, the medicine kit,” Bai Su called out.

“Should we invite a doctor?” An official asked nervously.

Cheng Xi covered the bleeding wound on his forehead and said: “No need to bother. It’s only a scratch. Just use the medicine kit to treat it.”

The medicine kit was soon delivered, and Bai Su took charge of it himself.

“Don’t trouble yourself…..” Cheng Xi raised his hand to block Bai Su’s wrist, attempting to stop him.

Bai Su said in an unusually firm tone: “If Cheng-daren hadn’t protected me just now, I would have been injured. Let me do it. I can handle it.”

Cheng Xi looked at the extremely familiar gentleness revealed in that firm expression, and did not refuse. Instead, he stared blankly at Bai Su and let him deal with the wound on his forehead.

The wound was indeed not serious, but it left a mark. Bai Su felt increasingly guilty as he looked at it. He should have known better than to watch the fun.

Suddenly, a hand reached out and rubbed away the wrinkles on his brow.

Bai Su was startled, then lowered his head to see Cheng Xi staring at him intently. The affection in those eyes made Bai Su’s heart tremble.

“Don’t frown, you look good when you smile.” As he spoke, Cheng Xi held Bai Su’s face in his hands.

Suddenly, in a flash, Bai Su saw a clear look of aggressive encroachment in Cheng Xi’s eyes and couldn’t help but step back, his heart beating wildly.

And Cheng Xi seemed to sober up in an instant. He quickly apologized, “Young Master Bai, I’m truly sorry. I was distracted for a moment and thought you were…..Wangshu. You brothers look so much alike.”

Bai Su raised his head to look again. The way Cheng Xi looked at him was completely different, as if he was looking at a favored younger brother.

Cheng Xi looked at Bai Su almost lovingly and said: “You are Wangshu’s younger brother, so it is right for me to protect you. Don’t take it to heart. If his little brother got hurt on my territory, he would be angry with me.”

Bai Su had countless thoughts in his heart at this moment, as if there was something lodged in his chest. In fact, he was aware of his brother’s affection for Cheng Xi. During his tenure here, at least half of every letter he sent home praised Cheng Xi, speaking of Cheng Xi’s kindness and the things they did together. Bai Su had known from a young age that there was such an outstanding person who was very well-liked by his brother. He didn’t understand it before, but when he read them after he grew up, he clearly understood their friendship and his brother’s unrequited love. Because his brother knew that the other party was engaged and liked women, he could only be a confidant and not cause offense. But at this moment, Bai Su really wanted to ask Cheng Xi what kind of friendship toward his older brother he had seen in his eyes.

He distinctly felt that they were more than confidants.

At the same time, Liu Zhenqing also quickly told Du Dongfeng to take a break and go down to change clothes. His robes were just like jianbing pancakes, containing everything. He was the most miserable among the government servants.

“My lord is not injured.” Du Dongfeng actually cared for him honestly. Although he was responsible for his duties and didn’t dare let a distinguished guest be hurt, it still made Liu Zhenqing a little embarrassed. After some thought, he told Du Dongfeng to change his clothes and come to his place. Then he turned around and rushed back to the courtyard.

Entering the room, he looked for the money bag next to Huo Fenglie’s clothes.

Huo Fenglie naturally woke up when Liu Zhenqing came in. He turned around and was about to speak, when he saw Liu Zhenqing running out in a hurry.

Du Dongfeng came over after a while and Liu Zhenqing directly gave him ten taels of silver. He had heard before that Du Dongfeng’s family was generally poor, and he wouldn’t sell his jade pendant, but now he tried to protect him from disaster. Liu Zhenqing didn’t have anything to give him, so he wanted to give him some more money as thanks. 

“My lord, this is unnecessary.” Du Dongfeng quickly refused. “I did what I should have done.”

“I’m not an official of the investigation team, so I’m not under your protection. You helped me, so you deserve it. Don’t think about it too much. Just take it and treat this as making a friend,” Liu Zhenqing said firmly.

Du Dongfeng still tried to refuse, but Liu Zhenqing forced it into his hands.

While the two of them were holding hands, Huo Fenglie had gotten dressed and was going out. Upon seeing this scene, he immediately froze.

Du Dongfeng finally accepted it with some embarrassment. He hesitated, then asked Liu Zhenqing’s surname.

“My surname is Liu,” Liu Zhenqing said frankly.

Du Dongfeng was stunned, and his expression softened for an instant. “What a coincidence. Young Master Liu is a kind-hearted person, very similar to someone I knew. You are both good people.”

Liu Zhenqing smiled and said: “Really? Thank you very much for the compliment.”

Du Dongfeng nodded firmly and looked at Liu Zhenqing for a moment. His cheeks suddenly turned red and he gave a quick salute, turning around to run away.

Liu Zhenqing’s eyes became inquisitive as he touched his chin. When he turned his head, he was startled.

He saw a demon standing in front of the door with a gloomy face that dripped with ink.

“Eh, did I wake you up? Do you have a bad temper right after waking up?” Liu Zhenqing looked in confusion at Huo Fenglie’s novel terrifying expression.

Huo Fenglie’s piercing gaze turned from Liu Zhenqing’s face to his hands.

Liu Zhenqing thought he was looking at the money bag, so he explained the situation in front of the government office doors.

Hearing what had happened to Liu Zhenqing, self-blame flashed across Huo Fenglie’s face, but it was immediately replaced by displeasure.

“You and him were so close. Did you have an ulterior motive?”

Huo Fenglie still knew Liu Zhenqing, and there must be an explanation for his extraneous behavior. The most likely reason was that he felt compassion for a person who admired him.

Liu Zhenqing was taken aback for a moment, and then chuckled. He walked to Huo Fenglie on his own initiative and said softly: “Actually, there was a point, but not a major one.”

His originally fluctuating heart calmed down somewhat, and Huo Fenglie listened carefully. Judging by Liu Zhenqing’s tone, he must have something to say.

“Du Dongfeng is very sharp. When he was protecting me just now, I could just see his face. It was normal at first, but at a certain moment, his expression froze and he secretly observed me. I wondered if there was some scent on my body that reminded him of his captors, such as the ink he brought last night or the incense on my clothes. In fact, I didn’t smell anything, and only suspected it, so I took advantage of the situation to send a gift in order to get closer. Judging from his reaction just now, he shouldn’t be suspicious.”

Liu Zhenqing was not a naturally emotional person, and he was extremely sober when faced with such a petty quarrel.

After Liu Zhenqing explained, he wanted to say that Er-gou looked down on him.

As a result, his arm was pulled by someone in the next second, and he suddenly hit a solid chest. By the time he reacted, Er-gou had already lowered his head and moved closer, almost nose to nose. Liu Zhenqing was so alarmed that he couldn’t help but hold his breath as he stared blankly at the aggressive Huo Fenglie before him.

“Er…..gou?”

“Did you get this close? That’s why you saw him so clearly, and why he could have smelled something?”

Huo Fenglie’s deep voice and peculiar questioning tone made Liu Zhenqing inexplicably ill at ease, as if he was being invisibly suppressed. He instinctively reached out his hand to push this person. “It wasn’t this close.”

“Really?” Huo Fenglie’s eyes darkened, and he suddenly buried his head in Liu Zhenqing’s neck, taking a deep breath. Liu Zhenqing felt Huo Fenglie touch his neck, and didn’t know if it was his nose or lips that touched it.

He could feel the cool breath being passed across his skin and then inhaled away.

Liu Zhenqing was stunned, and before he could react, Huo Fenglie had already stood up straight, saying seriously: “There is a faint scent of ink, but he would have to be as close as I was to smell it, so he probably didn’t. No matter how good his nose is, his suspicion would be very shallow.”

Liu Zhenqing lifted his hand and put it on his neck in astonishment. It seemed that he had teased Er-gou not long ago, but now it was the other way around. Somehow, he felt like Er-gou was flirting with him.

But he was Er-gou, ah, how could that be possible?

The strange feeling flashed through his heart, and under Huo Fenglie’s calm gaze, Liu Zhenqing automatically answered: “In any case, it’s better to be careful. Do I really smell like ink? Should I take a bath?”

“No need, it’s very light. Just don’t let people get so close.”

“If someone else got as close as you did, I would have reflexively used my killing move.”

“Is…..that so?”

“Of course. I’ve been taking care of you since you were a child, so I instinctively have no defenses against you.”

“Oh.”

Just as he was speaking, Huo Fenglie looked up and seemed to catch sight of someone. Liu Zhenqing turned around and saw Bai Su returning in a dazed manner.

Liu Zhenqing asked: “Brother Bai, is Prefect Cheng still okay?”

Bai Su was taken aback, and said with an unnatural expression: “Oh, he suffered a cut on his forehead. It has been treated now and he’s back to work.”

“Aren’t you going to lend a hand?” Liu Zhenqing asked curiously.

“I…..I’ll go later, I haven’t had breakfast yet.” 

Liu Zhenqing thought for a moment and said: “Then I’ll accompany you later?”

Bai Su didn’t think too much of it, and nodded in agreement.

Liu Zhenqing turned his head and glanced at Huo Fenglie, who gave a nod. He wanted to go watch Du Dongfeng, so Liu Zhenqing naturally had to check on the situation with those officials who were involved in the embezzlement of tax money.

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Chapter Forty-Six << Table of Contents >> Chapter Forty-Eight

Liu Xian’an was so sleepy from being massaged that he lay on the couch and watched through the window as a few white butterflies descended. Liang Shu followed his gaze and said: “There are more and more butterflies in the army these days.”

“En,” Liu Xian’an replied lazily. “There will be more in the future. It would be great if A-Yuan were here. She loves butterflies the most.”

There were many butterflies in the southwest, so it was not a strange thing. The person with Ku You’s face constantly walked around the military camp on crutches. Gao Lin followed beside him, complaining endlessly, you look half-dead, so why do you have such good physical strength? It won’t do to measure the entire radius of one hundred and ten li with your feet. Is this illness real or fake?

Yuan Yu ignored his chatter and continued to walk across the wet ground, watching the white butterflies flutter high and low in the shadows of the grass and trees under the moonlight. He thought he had successfully attracted poisonous Gu, but in fact, the white butterflies were attracted by disciples of Baihe Mountain Village using nectar. The two looked roughly the same, but there were some subtle differences. With the interference of nighttime and the silver gauze, they were almost unnoticeable.

In addition, Gao Lin complained about dizziness and weak legs from time to time. They also met a few soldiers along the way who had to go to the hospital for treatment because of a severe wet cough, which was a sign that the plague of poison was spreading. Everything was going according to Yuan Yu’s plans.

And as more and more soldiers developed symptoms, the demand for heat-clearing and detoxifying herbs in this area also surged. Medicinal supply dealers often asked one or two questions when delivering herbs, and the news spread like this. But it did not cause a panic—after all, the southwest was heavy with humidity and miasma. It was common to have headaches and fever if one was not careful during the summer.

. . . . . . .

Feng Xiaojin stroked his sore temples and tried to sit up in bed, only to feel that his muscles and bones were weak. He realized something was wrong and turned his head to glance at the antidote on the cabinet, then gritted his teeth and tried to get out of bed, but he only moved less than two cun.

When he tried to perform exercises, his qi dispersed without gathering. Feng Xiaojin clenched his fists, his face turning blue. He had thought he still had time. He had thought that as long as Liang Shu was still alive, his martial arts would be valuable to Mu Zhe, but now it seemed the madman was much crazier than he had imagined.

Feng Xiaojin rolled over and fell to the ground, crawling toward the cabinet little by little.

And the Nanyang woman, disguised as Wumeng Yunle, had already walked into Wumeng Yunyou’s room with a medicine bowl. When the witch doctors standing guard saw her, they stood up, bowed, and then left. Wumeng Yunyou turned his head and smiled: “What’s wrong? You look unhappy? Is Ku You ignoring you again?”

“No.”

“Then don’t scowl miserably. Everything’s ready, right? When do you leave?” Wumeng Yunyou sat up and reached out to pinch his sister’s face, but she dodged. The Nanyang woman turned her head and said softly: “Master asked me to visit twenty more cities this time.”

“Twenty?” Wumeng Yunyou frowned. “This is too many. And Liang Shu is always watching your movements. The longer you stay out, the greater the danger. Why would Master arrange this?”

“Because of Liu Nanyuan. She is highly sought after by the entire southwest now. Liang Shu wants her to take my place.” The Nanyang woman said hatefully, “He wrote many beautiful stories for her, comparing her to a goddess who can resurrect the dead, and pushing her to the top of the clouds full of shining golden light. He also spread rumors to trample me into the mud, saying that I am not the successor of the Baifu Buddha Mother. He says I…..that Ku You and I had a private affair, and that I’ve already fled to the Valley of Ten Faces while pregnant.”

“Nonsense!” Wumeng Yunyou held her arm and said, “Ai, don’t cry, ah. This is why Master asked you to go to twenty more cities?”

“Yes. In order to make the rumors more credible, Liang Shu even found someone to pretend to be me and pay homage to Liu Nanyuan.” The Nanyang woman looked at Wumeng Yunyou, her eyes red with grievance. “Ge, kill her for me. Kill Liu Nanyuan. I don’t want to wait one moment, do it now.”

“Okay, okay,” Wumeng Yunyou agreed. “I’ll kill her for you.” He nodded in a light and airy way, because in his heart, it was just one life. Whether her name was Liu Nanyuan or Liu Beiyuan, it was just the flick of a blade.

A witch doctor came in with a bowed head, holding a porcelain jar in his hands. The Nanyang woman took his hand and warned: “Uncle will not allow you to use the Embroidered Spider Lady. You must not tell him.”

Wumeng Yunyou hesitated a bit, but couldn’t resist his sister’s plea in the end and said: “Okay, but if Uncle gets angry because of this in the future, you have to speak for me.”

He lay back on the bed and watched the witch doctor pour the huge spider out of the porcelain jar. When this black and red monster scented blood, it immediately stabbed its hairy claws into flesh with excitement, then slowly wriggled forward and bit the skin cun by cun with venom-containing teeth.

The Nanyang woman stood outside the bed canopy, gazing at the pale cheeks of the young man inside. She smiled brightly: “Thank you, Gege.”

Wumeng Yunyou’s consciousness gradually blurred, but after some brief sleep, he soon woke up again. He looked down at the wound on his waist. Although the surrounding area was shining with a strange black sheen, it had been completely “sewn up,” and his movements were unimpeded. He took the sword beside the bed and left the dense forest without stopping.

The Nanyang woman asked: “What if he fails to complete the task?”

“He is more than capable of killing Liu Nanyuan.” Mu Zhe gazed after the young man’s back in the jungle. “Taking a step back, even if he fails and is killed by Liang Shu, there is nothing to regret. If I keep him here, sooner or later he will have to fight against me for his uncle and sister. It is better to send him out to fend for himself.”

The Nanyang woman shook her head: “It’s just a shame about that face.”

“You are pretending to be A-Le, the last thing you will lack in the future is a man. It is a pity that you are so short-sighted.” Mu Zhe turned around and walked back. “Since the reward has been collected, start working tomorrow.”

The Nanyang woman raised her hand and examined the newly painted black nails: “That’s easy to say.”

By the time Feng Xiaojin finished his movement and breathing exercises and arrived at Wumeng Yunyou’s residence, the courtyard was already empty.

Although Ku You was certain that Feng Xiaojin would cooperate with him, he did not expect that the other party would stumble all the way to the dark room. There was darkness all around, and Ku You relied solely on his ears to hold his arm and ask: “Mu Zhe—”

“Mu Zhe hasn’t discovered this place.” Feng Xiaojin was covered in cold sweat. He bit off his words forcefully and slapped a thick pile of paper into his arms. “Yunyou is missing. I suspect Mu Zhe has sent him to the Valley of Ten Faces. These are the things you wanted. I’ll let you go if you promise to spare his and A-Le’s lives.” Feng Xiaojin’s eyes darkened. He continued after a moment, “Both he and A-Le have been poisoned. I have been searching for an antidote for many years, but I haven’t been able to find one so far. I wrote down the few things I have. You…..perhaps Baihe Mountain Village can find a way to keep them alive, or at least let them suffer less.”

Ku You helped him sit in the corner. He reached out to check his pulses and asked: “Bone erosion powder?”

“Mu Zhe wants to turn me into a puppet. He only needs this face. It’s best if I can move, but better for me not to be able to move than to lose it.” Feng Xiaojin raised his head and leaned against the stone wall with a bitter smile. “But he underestimated my skills. You go, don’t worry about me. There are masks and pills in the bag, which can reduce the poison of the forest miasma. Go toward the direction of the Northern Wolf Star. At the end is your Dayan’s military camp.”

Ku You raised his hand and sealed two of his acupuncture points, which would delay the spread of the poison. “You know I can see?”

Feng Xiaojin didn’t answer, and only said with all his strength: “Remember what you promised me.”

He groped for the mechanism, pulled hard in his direction and flipped the latch, sending Ku You out.

Outside was soft, moist woodland.

At midnight, Mu Zhe walked into the courtyard carrying a tray and tools. He planned to do it himself and keep the other person’s face forever, but when he opened the door, he saw nothing but a mess. The person had long since vanished. If Wumeng Yunle’s disappearance had made him furious, then Feng Xiaojin’s disappearance filled his heart with panic and fear. The tray in his hand immediately fell. Various utensils clattered and shattered to pieces. The disciples outside the door followed the sound and rushed over, only to receive a furious roar: “Go, get him back for me!”

Silver-white torches lit up most of the dense forest.

But in the end, nothing came of it.

Mu Zhe waited anxiously at first, then sat blankly in the room, crying, cursing, and then crying again, pacing back and forth like a trapped animal. Thinking that he might lose the lover in his memory forever, his blood receded and his face turned as pale as paper. 

“How dare you,” he repeated over and over again. “How dare you!”

No disciple dared to approach the leader again, and everyone in the forest was in a panic, fearing that if they were not careful, they would lose their heads. And just at this moment when anxiety was spreading, someone suddenly discovered that Liu Hengchang had also disappeared mysteriously. No one could tell whether he had fled by himself or with Feng Xiaojin. In any case, he had vanished completely.

There was a boom, like a heavy object falling to the ground.

Feng Xiaojin listened distractedly, and then there was a slight call: “Young Master Feng, Young Master Feng!”

Liu Hengchang followed a rope and slipped down nimbly. He picked up the bag on the ground, patted it clean, and put it on the table. Then he lit a fire stick. “Young Master Feng, Commander Ku asked me to come over.”

Feng Xiaojin didn’t speak. He also had no energy to speak anymore. Liu Hengchang checked his pulse and quickly opened the needle pack, prepared ointment, and helped the man lay down on a small bed.

. . . . . . .

In this land, it seemed that only Liu Nanyuan and many of the common people in the southwest were completely happy.

Just like Second Young Master Liu said, she was so happy that she didn’t even remember to write a letter, so he relied on Chang Xiaoqiu and Cheng Suyue to send letters back. Liu Xian’an read them over and over again. Liang Shu asked: “What, can’t you memorize it the first time?”

“Isn’t it possible that A-Yuan met a sick man she likes?” The more Liu Xian’an thought about it, the more he felt that this possibility was not low. 

Liang Shu said: “I don’t think so. And based on Chang Xiaoqiu’s letter overflowing with joy, it doesn’t look like he’s fallen out of love.’

Liu Xian’an still sighed. Ai, ai, ai, he really had somewhat of a brotherly appearance.

Liang Shu took this person back into his arms: “You really miss A-Yuan. I’ll ask Gao Lin to send you there so that you can take some time to relax by the way. You won’t have to be bored in the military camp and be disciplined when you laze around for a while.”

“Da-ge has had no time to teach me these past few days,” Liu Xian’an said. “Wumeng Yunle is enough to give him a headache.”

One headache was the antidote, and the second headache was the other person’s mental state. Mu Zhe had used a lot of Gu to give her a normal appearance even though her body was full of poison, and now that the medicine had stopped, all kinds of negative consequences were appearing one by one. The most obvious one was that she was no longer beautiful. Her fair skins seemed to have been sprayed with a layer of black and yellow dye, and ugly speckles had appeared on both sides of her nose.

Wumeng Yunle screamed and broke the mirror in front of her.

Liu Xianche frowned: “Calm down.”

“You, you are jealous of me!” Wumeng Yunle tried to rush forward, but was stopped by the soldiers. She continued to curse, “Your sister is jealous of me!”

“A-Yuan has never seen you at all.” Liu Xianche said, “I am a doctor. As long as you are willing to cooperate with treatment, this face—”

Before he could finish speaking, Wumeng Yunle lowered her head and bit the hand in front of her. The soldier hurriedly broke away and accidentally bumped into her face in his haste. The blow he gave her was neither light nor heavy, but it stimulated Wumeng Yunele to lose control even more. No one had ever dared strike her in the face, and no one had dared question her beauty. She struggled desperately, and her clothes and hair were scattered. Liu Xianche turned his head and considered what the woman responsible for guarding her had said: “Young Master Liu, she will not listen to advice, and only look at herself in the mirror all day long. What if…..she really is insane?”

“You let me go!” Wumeng Yunle was still screaming. “I want to stand with Liu Nanyuan, I want to stand with her for everyone to see! Don’t even think about ruining my face!”

Her voice was pitched so high that it pierced the roof. The soldiers held her down, all of them panting from exhaustion. They were extremely puzzled. How could this madwoman’s eccentric personality attract tens of thousands of followers to be enthralled by her? Where was she beautiful, ah? But though they thought so, they could never say it, and she had to be comforted from time to time. Yes, ah, you are the most beautiful woman in the world.

Wumeng Yunle looked at her black nails and the ugly face in the bronze mirror and cried again. She could hear the perfunctory tone in their voices, but she felt that his kind of perfunctory treatment was justified, because her appearance was nearly ruined and she wouldn’t get any preferential treatment if she lost her beauty.

Liu Xian’an also stood outside the courtyard and listened. He felt that there was no solution to this matter, because his elder brother would never use Gu to save someone, but without Gu, Wumeng Yunle’s face would not be restored to its original state. And if her face was not restored, she would remain crazy.

A-Ning suggested: “Young Master, why don’t you tell her about the vast and beautiful Heavenly Dao and the universe?”

“I have told her.” Liu Xian’an clasped his hands. “I said that everything will age, and that ‘not being beautiful’ is actually a method of self-preservation. As a result, she wouldn’t listen at all, and even yelled at me and asked why I didn’t ruin A-Yuan’s face.”

A-Ning: “……”

Liu Xian’an said: “She has been clamoring to see A-Yuan. But I feel that even if she sees A-Yuan, her symptoms will not be relieved, but will only become more out of control.”

“Because she is indeed not as beautiful as the Third Young Lady. She can still comfort herself now, but after seeing her, even her last justifications will be lost,” A-Ning said. “But if she is not allowed to see the Third Young Lady, it is not an option for her to continue to make trouble like this, not eating or drinking. She will die.”

Liu Xian’an said: “Da-ge came up with an idea.” He thought for a moment. “Tell Aunt Liu to cover the windows of this house with gauze, and remove the candles at night to make the light as dim as possible. Then send some nice new clothes, rouge, and cosmetics, especially powder, which can cover those spots to some extent.”

Facts proved that this method was indeed effective. The dim light blurred the flaws on her face, and Wumeng Yunle’s mood finally calmed down a little, but the recovery was very limited. Liu Xianche asked: “When will A-Yuan return?”

“Three or four days,” Liu Xian’an said. “It’s almost time.”

The “poisoned” atmosphere in the garrison camp was already in place, with the appropriate fainting and vomiting. It was a time when doctors were in short supply, so no matter how smoothly Liu Nanyuan’s journey to win the peoples’ hearts was going, whether for sentiment or reason, Liang Shu “must” call her and the other disciples back in order to make the act more realistic. Liu Xian’an asked: “Does Da-ge want Wumeng Yunle to see A-Yuan?”

“Mu Zhe’s Gu medicine is dangerous. Her physical condition is deteriorating rapidly, and she refuses to cooperate with treatment. Her inner demons are also at work, making it difficult to treat her.” Liu Xianche said, “When the time comes, let A-Yuan dress more simply and less glamorously.”

Liu Xian’an nodded: “Okay, I will pick her up personally when the time comes and give her your instructions in advance.”

That the lazy fellow was willing to take the initiative to walk around camp showed that he truly missed his sister. On the day of departure, Liang Shu grabbed his hair tie behind him and asked sourly: “Why have I never seen you miss me this urgently?”

“I miss you too, miss you too,” Liu Xian’an said perfunctorily, and got into the carriage with the clothes in his arms. 

He ran extremely fast.

Liang Shu: “……” Spoiled!

Liu Nanyuan’s team had already marched near the Valley of Ten Faces. The trip had gone very smoothly, and the assassination attempts they had been worried about didn’t happen. Every day was uneventful. The biggest dispute was simply some people fighting over their places in the queue, and they were stopped by soldiers on the spot. Chang Xiaoqiu said: “With more than a hundred guards, as well as the Imperial guards sent by the prince, if Mu Zhe isn’t stupid, he must know that sending assassins would be in vain.”

“Not only the guards and Imperial guards, but also you. Your performance is pretty good.” Cheng Suyue turned her head and asked, “How is it going? Is there any progress?”

Chang Xiaoqiu replied: “Yes, I don’t blush anymore.”

Cheng Suyue was puzzled: “This can only mean that your face is growing thicker, right?”

Chang Xiaoqiu: “…..That’s also correct.”

Cheng Suyue sighed deeply. Aside from the prince, why were there only bachelors in the Xiao Wang Palace team? They weren’t the very intelligent sort.

Just as she was troubled, the most intelligent person in Xiao Wang Palace came to trouble her: “Er-ge!”

Cheng Suyue and Chang Xiaoqiu also stepped forward to greet him, but considering the recent emergence of a group of disguised Nanyang people, Liu Nanyuan stopped not far away and asked: “Give an example. The dao is in the world, but what happens next?”

Liu Xian’an replied: “It is like creeks and valleys are to the rivers and seas.”

“What is in the trance of the dao?”

“Images.”

“What else is in the trance of the dao?”

“Objects.”^[1]

Liu Nanyuan let down her guard and was very happy. This was her amazing Er-ge!

Cheng Suyue and Chang Xiaoqiu both stood there with dispassionate expressions. Won’t ask. We won’t understand if we ask.

A-Ning had already roughly told her the story of Wumeng Yunle in his previous letter. Liu Nanyuan asked: “As long as I’m uglier than her, it’s okay?”

“It can calm her mood somewhat,” Liu Xian’an said. “I’ve brought you all the clothes. Da-ge prepared them himself.”

A-Ning took over the bundle and opened it. They were plain, even plainer than the clothes the disciples of Baihe Mountain Village wore when seeing patients, and similar to Second Young Master Liu’s usual robes. But since the wide robe couldn’t conceal the lazy egg’s immortal bearing, it naturally couldn’t conceal his sister’s beautiful face. On the contrary, the poor clothing and thorn hairpin made her look more delicate and pitiable.

Liu Xian’an said: “Forget it, I’ll change your appearance when the time comes.”

Although it was very troublesome, Wumeng Yunle was currently his elder brother’s patient, and everyone from Baihe Mountain Village must fulfill their duties as a doctor.

Liu Nanyuan was full of curiosity about this rumored “Holy Maiden,” and Wumeng Yunle also wanted to see her without waiting for one moment. Jealousy was like poison ivy winding tightly around her heart. Such was the case that she groomed her face carefully at all times, meticulously applying layer after layer of rouge and dying her nails the most gorgeous red.

The woman asked worriedly: “Isn’t this behavior already crazy?”

“Let her see A-Yuan more quickly. I will ask the prince to send troops to escort her.” Liu Xianche said, “If she sees A-Yuan and gets rid of her inner demons, perhaps she can still be saved.”

So that night, a group of carriages secretly drove out of the Valley of Ten Faces.

Wumeng Yunle held a mirror and looked at her reflection. She had put on the most beautiful dress and placed hairpins in her hair, like a butterfly alighting on the clouds. The thick cosmetics covered her unhealthy complexion. She admired it, entranced, and felt that she was still beautiful.

And Liu Xian’an also put a disguise mask on his sister. He pinched her almond-shaped eyes like black grapes and shaped them into inverted triangles. Her lips were dark, her hair was yellowing, and the most important thing was to carelessly wear a big skirt. He asked: “Do you feel comfortable?”

Liu Nanyuan said: “What is so comfortable about this? It’s uncomfortable to death. If not for treating people’s illnesses, it would be impossible for me to dress this sloppily in my life.”

Liu Xian’an: “But the prince—”

“The prince likes you, so of course it’s fine no matter what, but these clothes are so ugly.” Liu Nanyuan jumped off the carriage. “I’m not saying that one’s appearance comes from the heart, but you should know what I mean.”

Liu Xian’an: “Oh.”

While the two were talking, Chang Xiaoqiu ran over and said: “Wumeng Yunle has arrived.” As he spoke, he couldn’t help but look at the disguised person a few more times. Liu Nanyuan asked: “What, do I not look good?”

“N-n-no, you look good, I don’t think you’ve changed much.” Chang Xiaoqiu hastily waved his hands. “The clothes also look good.”

Liu Nanyuan: “……”

Liu Xian’an cough cough coughed next to her. Did you hear that? He said you look good. He likes you.

Liu Xian’an felt that her brother was very silly, and didn’t want to talk to him, so she picked up her ugly skirts and went to see Wumeng Yunle at the front.

In the forest clearing, Wumeng Yunle had been waiting for a long time in a daze. Perhaps it was because she had stayed in a dark room for too long or perhaps because of the poison, but she had been a little afraid of the light lately. So she wrapped herself in a bright red cloak and wore a hat to block most of the dazzling sunlight, leaving only a shadow on her face that made her red lips look even brighter.

Cheng Suyue alerted her: “Third Young Lady Liu is here.”

Wumeng Yunle immediately returned to her senses and looked up at the end of the path.

Liu Nanyuan said, natural and poised: “Yunle-guniang.”

Wumeng Yunle’s eyes widened, as if she couldn’t believe that the ordinary-looking woman in front of her was the legendary most beautiful woman in the world. She simply stared at her without blinking. Her mind went blank at first, and then she was filled with the ecstasy of victory. She knew that no one in this world could be more beautiful than herself. 

Liu Xian’an stood behind Liu Nanyuan and watched the changes in Wumeng Yunle’s expression. Knowing that his brother’s method was effective, he breathed a sigh of relief. And at this time, perhaps because she wanted to take a closer look, Wumeng Yunle rushed at Liu Nanyuan. The guards would naturally not allow her to get close. Just as they were about to stop her, a silver light flashed in the forest!

“Be careful!” The Imperial guards were the first to react. Two of them protected Liu Nanyuan, the other dragged Liu Xian’an away, and Chang Xiaoqiu took A-Ning and flew out of the way. Cheng Suyue instinctively went to pull Wumeng Yunle away, but when she stretched out her hand, her pupils shrank and she quickly took two steps away. 

The silver light was not a sword, but a venomous snake with its mouth wide open! Cheng Suyue drew her sword at once and chopped it into two pieces. She had already seen the face of the attacker clearly. It was Wumeng Yunyou. Thus, her first reaction was that he was here to save his sister, so she held the sword backhand and placed it across Wumeng Yunle’s neck to threaten the other party, but another silver flash had already arrived like lightning!

With a thud, it penetrated into Wumeng Yunle’s heart.

Everyone was shocked in an instant by this turn of events. Cheng Suyue grabbed Wumeng Yunle’s limp body and the bright red cloak fell down, revealing the girl’s face smeared with countless layers of cosmetics. Under the dazzling sunlight, it looked a little stiff and mottled, as if she was wearing a poor-quality mask.

Wumeng Yunyou saw the other party’s appearance and gave a slight frown, but he didn’t think it was his sister. He just remembered the sentence from before he departed, “In order to make the rumors more credible, Liang Shu even found someone to pretend to be me and pay homage to Liu Nanyuan.” Therefore, he didn’t experience any grief, just a little annoyance. Annoyance that he had prepared so hard for so long, but in the end he only killed a substitute.

He hadn’t met Liu Nanyuan, and based only on the intelligence he had received before, he killed the most beautifully dressed person he saw in the crowd who loved butterfly hair pins. Although he had killed the wrong person just now, there was no time to correct it, so he turned around and ran deep into the forest, preparing to look for the next opportunity.

The guards rushed to catch up.

Liu Nanyuan pressed a large piece of gauze to Wumeng Yunle’s wound, but it could not slow the speed of her life passing. The abnormally-colored blood soon soaked completely through the gauze and dyed the grass dark, and the fishy smell soon attracted many filthy flying insects.

Wumeng Yunle was still looking at her face. She said hoarsely: “You’re not beautiful.”

“En, I’m not beautiful,” Liu Nanyuan said. “You are the most beautiful.”

Wumeng Yunle slowly moved her gaze above her head, looking at the sun through the shadows of the trees. She looked for a moment, and suddenly smiled: “I am the most beautiful. My gege said so.”

She raised her hand and struggled to wipe the blood from the corners of her mouth before she died, trying to make herself cleaner, but her face only became more and more smudged. Liu Nanyuan wrung a clean handkerchief and helped her wipe her face then closed Wumeng Yunle’s wide eyes and sighed deeply. 

Liu Xian’an said: “At least before she died, she still felt that she was the most beautiful.”

Liu Nanyuan asked: “Who killed her?”

Cheng Suyue replied: “Her brother.”

Liu Nanyuan was extremely shocked: “How can there be such a brother?”

“Who knows,” Cheng Suyue said, upset. “I didn’t expect it and even tried to use her as a hostage. As a result…..the people of this evil cult are truly insane.”

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[1] This back-and-forth about the dao comes from the classic Chinese text “Tao Te Ching,” a foundational text of Taoism. ⮐

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Chapter One Hundred Eighteen << Table of Contents >> Chapter One Hundred Twenty

How about it…..

He had never expected such an answer, and Lu Qi was stunned by this question. He stared dumbly like a little hamster that suddenly had its melon seeds taken away and was holding its little paws at a loss.

His original intention was really just to remind Mu Nanqiao to pay attention. He knew that many straight men looked more gay than gay men, and boys might not feel that it was a problem to horseplay like this, but Lu Qi was a little concerned about it. 

When he was a freshman in high school, he was short, with pale skin and big eyes. Even with short hair, he looked a bit like a girl, and some boys in class would come over and touch him intentionally or unintentionally. At the age when hormones were exploding, they didn’t dare to be blatant about their love for girls, but were unscrupulous with him because he was a boy of the same sex.

Unlike Mu Nanqiao’s sense of proportion, Lu Qi didn’t like that kind of touching. He was sensitive to the ill intentions of those boys. After a harsh rebuke, the boys in class who loved to make dirty jokes about girls pointed at Lu Qi’s nose and called him a sissy.

One also said in an ill-mannered way that perhaps Lu Qi didn’t have that thing growing down there after all, so he should go to the bathroom and take off his pants for him to check.

That was the closest Lu Qi had come to violence in school, but as soon as the boy finished saying this, a girl slapped him in the face with a duster.

Before the boy could curse, many people in class stood up, boys and girls included. One of the boys said: “You guys have a lot of free time, do you? Let me tell you, Lu Qi is my buddy. Do you want me and your father to take off our pants too?”

Someone said: “Lu Qi, let’s go together to eat at my house after school. Thanks to you giving me a little bit of tutoring, I did well in the physics exam this time. My mom said she would make sweet and sour pork ribs for you.”

Someone else said: “Lu Qi, have you finished that portrait you’re painting for me? Once you’ve finished it, I’ll treat you to a seafood buffet…..”

The girl who slapped someone with a duster pointed her middle finger at that boy and shouted: “Don’t even try to compete with me! After school, Lu Qi has to go with me to do makeup and cosplay Zhuang Zhou with me like he promised last week.”

Lu Qi: “When did that happen…..”

However, no one listened to what he said. When they heard that he wanted to cosplay Zhuang Zhou, the boys and girls all made a racket. The atmosphere inside and outside the classroom was filled with joy, and no one gave those bedbugs another look.

The matter ended just like this. In the next two years, he suddenly started to grow taller. When he met the male classmate who had humiliated him, he had dropped out of school and dyed his hair yellow. Lu Qi realized that the other person hadn’t grown taller, but had gotten shorter due to his hunchback.

When he passed by Lu Qi, he wished he could make himself smaller. Lu Qi had to lower his head slightly to look at him.

Therefore, this unpleasant episode during high school left no psychological shadow on him. He didn’t object to the intimacy of same-sex friends, but Mu Nanqiao was really…..

En, he was so handsome, a male Bodhisattva. It was hard for his imagination not to run wild.

Lu Qi cherished this friend, and didn’t want to misunderstand Mu Nanqiao and end up causing an ugly situation. 

Now, Mu Nanqiao was saying that he hadn’t misunderstood.

Lu Qi blinked, slowly coming back to his senses. “But, it seems that we just met not too long ago…..”

They had met for the first time at a bar on a summer night. Now the leaves hadn’t even turned yellow yet, and at most had a small edge of it.

But as Mu Nanqiao knew, they had known each other for a long time. It was only that the little sun shone every day, and the sunshine warmed many people. He, the cunning fox who secretly treasured the sunlight in his dark cave, was only one of them.

“Some people are still strangers after spending a lot of time together, and some feel like old friends as soon as they meet…..” Mu Nanqiao raised his hand and touched the corner of his mouth where the cotton swab had just rubbed. “The heart can’t be measured by the length of time we have known each other, right?”

If he was still probing just now, then this sentence was almost a confession. Lu Qi pursed his lower lip, and was about to say something when Mu Nanqiao asked again: “Do you hate it when I touch you?”

“No, no, no…..” Lu Qi shook his head repeatedly, like a kitten that had just climbed ashore.

Mu Nanqiao laughed in spite of himself and raised his hand to hold his head. “Okay, I get it. Why did you suddenly enter vibration mode?”

Lu Qi gave a sheepish cough. Lowering his head to avoid Mu Nanqiao’s gaze, he explained in a low voice: “I really…..haven’t wanted to fall in love recently. As you know, the matter with Lin Yuan has consumed a lot of my energy…..”

Mu Nanqiao suddenly felt that he had been too benevolent today.

But he was in no rush. Only trash like Lin Yuan would call in a favor for such a trivial matter as delivering food and hurry to establish a relationship.

There was no trace of disappointment at being rejected in his tone, and he gave a lazy shrug as he said, “I understand. You’ve been so tired lately. I didn’t plan to say anything, but it seems that my bad intentions were a bit obvious, and since you asked, I’ll certainly admit that I like you. There is no need to be secretive about it.”

He confessed repeatedly with sincere eyes. It was as if there was a river of stars in those eyes, but the only magnificent star was Lu Qi.

“I, I…..I…..” Lu Qi was tongue-tied, feeling that he couldn’t bear it anymore.

“You said you don’t hate it when I touch you.” Mu Nanqiao pinched his hot earlobe and laughed softly. “I really hope it’s not my finger that lands here next time…..”

. . . . . . .

“Ahhhhhh—” Lu Qi rolled around on the bed, holding Xiao Sanhua, his cheek pressed against the kitty’s soft belly. He complained in a whisper: “Why won’t you nurse the babies? You irresponsible scumbag cat…..”

“Meow~” Xiao Sanhua’s paw pressed against Lu Qi’s cheek, pressing a little plum blossom mark into the human’s soft face. Her green eyes looked at this unreasonable human with contempt, and she seemed to ask Lu Qi: 

Is it really the problem with the babies that has you so upset?

She broke away from Lu Qi with a meow, jumping off the bed lightly, and left the little human to continue rolling around. 

After that day, Mu Nanqiao never brought the matter up again. He went to work early and came back late as usual, occasionally coming over for a meal or to feed the grown cat and the kittens in the apartment.

It was just that this person was very good at playing to his own advantages. Every day when he walked in, he looked like he had just come from a fashion show. Those broad shoulders, long legs, and narrow waist were clad in an abstinent three-piece suit. And when he undid the buttons with one hand, the veins on the back of his hand flexed. It was simply…..

Naked seduction.

“Wu…..” Lu Qi put a pillow over his head and groaned in shame. He felt that he was actually a sanctimonious pervert. Otherwise, why would he have dreamed about Mu Nanqiao last night? Nothing too extreme happened in the dream, but Mu Nanqiao kept taking off his clothes. His beautiful fox-like eyes were mesmerizing, and he said as he removed his clothing, “Do you want to draw the human body? Totally nude?”

What kind of perverted thought was this? He was actually just a pervert who coveted a person’s body as soon as he rejected them. He was so despicable, ah, wuwuwu…..

From a certain point of view, Mu Nanqiao’s goal had been achieved. He was like a thousand-year-old vixen who had seduced a little scholar, and finally brought out some reveries in the little scholar who was full of the teachings of sages.

Lu Qi finally escaped from his embarrassing state of digging his toes into the ground. While he was washing up, his mobile phone buzzed with a message.

It was from an unknown number, and the content read: Xiao Qi, you still don’t know Mu Nanqiao’s true identity, do you? Have you ever thought about why a man of his worth insists on getting close to you? Why he stays in such a trashy apartment with you? He’s doing this just to take revenge on me.

Lu Qi: Bad luck! I can’t have my mobile phone anymore!

But immediately after, there was a multimedia message.

These days, it was really not common to still receive picture text messages, but that trash Lin Yuan probably couldn’t help it. After all, he couldn’t add Lu Qi to WeChat.

The picture he sent was of a ribbon-cutting ceremony, with a group of men and women in suits and ties standing on a red carpet. The crystal ornaments behind them were dazzling, and the light of a golden champagne tower created a halo. The high-hanging banner read: Groundbreaking ceremony of Longwan Yi City Elegant Garden.

There was a man with a tall figure who stood out from the crowd. He wore a low-key muted black suit with dark patterns. The exquisite tailoring was perfectly tight around his waist, and this tall and handsome appearance formed a sharp contrast against the bald old man with a big belly next to him.

But this young man was standing in the front position, eyes lowered and face stern as he cut the ribbon. Even though the temperament was completely different, nobody could fail to recognize the person they saw almost every single day. Not to mention that Mu Nanqiao had come to his apartment in this suit last night to spread his peacock tail.

A new text message came in:

Let me introduce him to you again: Mu Nanqiao, general manager of Mu Group and the rightful crown prince of the Mu family.

Lu Qi: ……

Oh! No wonder. That suit last night was really not something that a driver could afford.

The final message said: If you don’t believe me, come to this place to verify it. Tonight, everyone here knows who he is.

Lin Yuan gave him an address. Lu Qi felt that something about it was familiar, and thought for a while before coming to a realization. Wasn’t this the bar where he and Mu Nanqiao first met?

. . . . . . .

Making an appointment with “old friends” at the bar where he first met Lu Qi didn’t seem so annoying anymore. Mu Nanqiao greeted every flattering face, but was in fact bored with this sort of entertainment. 

But what could be done?

He couldn’t let his dad come to a club in a wheelchair.

However, he didn’t expect that Lin Yuan would also be there.

Lin Yuan’s condition was obviously not good to the naked eye. People who were unlucky in love couldn’t hide their low mood no matter how they faked it. What’s more, he had not only been unlucky in love recently, but he had also been beaten by Mu Nanqiao in the business field. Several bids had fallen into Mu Nanqiao’s hands, one of which was Longwan No.1.

Unexpectedly, Lin Yuan actually walked toward Mu Nanqiao with a glass of wine in his hand.

He came to a stop in front of Mu Nanqiao, and the arrogance in his tone was all-encompassing. “Nanqiao, the Mu family has been targeting our family everywhere these days. Is it really worth making such an ugly fuss over a man?”

Their location was not a private room, but a semi-open booth. When others saw these two come together, they thought they were reminiscing about old times. Mu Nanqiao even heard someone say with a smile that he had the best relationship with Mu Nanqiao when he was in school.

However, only those involved knew the truth. Mu Nanqiao couldn’t be bothered to say a word to Lin Yuan. He crossed his long legs, and his toes swayed impatiently. Just when he wanted Lin Yuan to go away, his wandering eyes inadvertently caught sight of someone.

It was very odd. In the dazzling lights and bustling crowd, he caught a glimpse of a little friend shrinking his head. He was also wearing a baseball cap to conceal his face. When he looked over, that person immediately lowered his head and pretended to drink.

Aw, cute.

Mu Nanqiao felt his teeth itch. He brushed his tongue over his canine teeth and suddenly had a change of mind.

He raised his hand to take Lin Yuan’s glass of wine, then glanced with satisfaction at the round eyes under the baseball cap.

En, the way he bit the hook so easily was also cute.

---

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Chapter Eighteen << Table of Contents >> Chapter Twenty

Liu Zhenqing could only see the person’s back through the gap in the boxes under the moonlight. They were wearing night clothes, so it was impossible to tell whether it was someone he knew. 

He could only keep adjusting the angle, trying to see his face.

As he adjusted, his waist became straighter and straighter, and the body of the person under him became increasingly stiff.

But Liu Zhenqing still couldn’t see. He didn’t give up, and couldn’t help but raise his lower body, crane his neck, and look over the top of the boxes.

The man moved his neck a little and Liu Zhenqing shrank in fright, sitting down.

At once, Liu Zhenqing felt like something was poking him where he sat. Could it be Huo Fenglie’s belt buckle?

Just as he was about to move away, he felt Er-gou take a sudden breath.

The next second, Liu Zhenqing was flung away by a strong force, and a figure flashed in front of his eyes. The person standing by the bookshelf focusing on looking for a book felt the strong gust of wind behind him. When he looked back, he saw a pair of fierce, savage eyes flash through the dark night. Before he could get a better look, there was pain in his neck and he lost consciousness.

Liu Zhenqing was shocked by this turn of events. “Er-gou, what are you doing? Shouldn’t we have observed and followed him?”

Having said this, he came forward, but Huo Fenglie kept his back turned to him, which was convenient for Liu Zhenqing to look at the visitor who had fallen into their hands.

He used the moonlight to sweep his gaze over him, and was even more surprised. It turned out to be Du Dongfeng? The government office boy?

And at this time, Huo Fenglie also found a good justification. 

“I…..I thought it was him based on his body shape and footsteps. Since it’s someone we know, there is no need to follow him. And I feared it would be unsuitable to bring you to follow, so it is more appropriate to arrest him first.” Huo Fenglie’s hoarse voice was difficult to hear clearly in the dark night.

Liu Zhenqing thought for a moment. He didn’t think it would be a big problem for him to go with Huo Fenglie based on his martial arts skills, but when it came to martial arts, he absolutely trusted Huo Fenglie’s judgment. “En, what you say makes sense. But what should we do now?”

“I’ll take him back to the room first, and pick you up afterward.” Huo Fenglie said in a slightly urgent tone, “Very quickly.”

“Okay, you go ahead. I’ll take a look at the account books here.” Liu Zhenqing approached a bookshelf and picked up the brush and paper left by Du Dongfeng, which was convenient for him to make notes.

Huo Fenglie quickly ran back and forth, and waited for Liu Zhenqing to read all the ledgers before taking him back to the room.

Liu Zhenqing was able to confirm the fact that the tax deposits and withdrawals were indeed inconsistent. Although they had tried their best to conceal it in the accounts, this was not a problem for Prime Minister Liu, who once took charge of the entire Ministry of Revenue alone.

But the troublesome thing was that these account books were re-registered account books. The original accounts and the copies submitted to the court were not here. Even if these books were handed over, it could only be regarded as suspicion without proof, and in the end, it would be regarded as a bunch of bad debts and amount to nothing.

Liu Zhenqing murmured: “So that’s why these people put the account books here so generously. It seems it will be necessary to identify the officials involved and then obtain the evidence in the hands of each official.”

Huo Fenglie frowned as he looked at the names of counties and prefectures written down on the paper by Liu Zhenqing.

“Don’t worry, it’s just a suspicion. In fact, there shouldn’t be so many. After all, some of them really do have bad debts, so their accounts will be abnormal.” Liu Zhenqing patted Huo Fenglie on the shoulder and said, “Let’s go.”

Liu Zhenqing stretched out his hand. In the past, Huo Fenglie would embrace him and fly away, but this time he hesitated for a moment, then put one arm around Liu Zhenqing’s waist and flew out with him in a way that minimized their contact surface.

However, Liu Zhenqing was not used to such an unstable holding method, so he directly reached out and hugged the other’s body. Feeling Huo Fenglie’s stiffness, Liu Zhenqing gave him a strange look. It wasn’t until they descended back to the ground that Liu Zhenqing said: “What’s wrong? Do you feel uncomfortable somewhere?”

Huo Fenglie calmly denied it, which made Liu Zhenqing think he was overthinking things.

When they entered the room, they saw the tied up Du Dongfeng, who had his eyes and mouth covered. He was already awake, and could only turn his head when he heard a sound.

Liu Zhenqing walked up to Du Dongfeng and signaled Huo Fenglie to grab his neck.

As soon as Huo Fenglie moved, Du Donfeng immediately felt the threat to his life, and his body tensed up.

Liu Zhenqing pinched his nose to change his voice and said: “Kid, I’ll let you speak later, but if you yell, don’t blame us for being cruel. Do you understand?”

Du Dongfeng hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement.

Huo Fenglie removed the gag, and Du Dongfeng took a breath. “Who are you, and why did you arrest me?”

It seemed that he hadn’t seen clearly what Huo Fenglie did.

“Isn’t it right to arrest you? Who told you to look for something you shouldn’t be looking for?”

Du Dongfeng immediately said: “You misunderstand. I’m a government servant here, and I patrol occasionally.” 

“You patrol wearing night clothes, carrying paper and a brush, and specifically search for tax and bank-related account books?”

Du Dongfeng understood at once that these people must have been watching him for a long time.

“You two, I was just curious. I wanted to see if there were any secrets I could dig up to make a bit of a windfall.”

Liu Zhenqing found it interesting that he remained calm in the face of danger. 

“Kid, if you want to dig up secrets, now is the best time to dig up things related to the Imperial Examinations, not tax money. If you still refuse to tell the truth, we don’t mind going to your home to ask your family for details.”

This threat indeed hit Du Dongfeng’s weakness.

“W-Who are you working for?”

Liu Zhenqing sat leisurely on a chair and played with the small toys placed next to him, which were all bought by Huo Fenglie.

“This is what we should be asking you. Who are you working for?”

“I’m not working for anyone. I’m just an ordinary citizen who suspects that officials in Tongmao Prefecture are embezzling tax money. This has nothing to do with my family, they’re ordinary people and know nothing. If you are subordinates of Magistrate Yao, then just kill me. Don’t trouble my family!”

Huo Fenglie looked at Liu Zhenqing, who shook his head and slewed his gaze. “We were indeed sent by Yao-daren. Since the investigation team arrived recently, Yao-daren was worried and sent us to observe just in case. But Yao-daren said he had someone in a low position here as well. It is a pity that person is not you. Do it.”

Huo Fenglie used force at a moderate speed, giving Du Dongfeng enough time to beg for mercy, but Du Dongfeng only used his tied hands to touch something on his chest and then raised his head high. “The loser becomes the villain. Dad, this child can no longer fulfill his filial piety. May heaven have eyes to punish these dog officials who oppress the common people! May Great Zhou be purged!”

In the next moment, Du Dongfeng was choked unconscious.

“It seems there really has been a misunderstanding,” Liu Zhenqing said while touching his chin.

“You believe him?” Huo Fenglie frowned.

Liu Zhenqing chuckled and said: “Of course I don’t believe him entirely. Although there are indeed people with lofty ideals, the fact that he didn’t read those account books on the spot but prepared to copy them and take them away shows that there is someone behind him. But he is someone who would rather die than reveal them, so what he said is half true and half false. At the least, he wants to investigate the truth about the embezzlement of tax money as much as we do. And that Magistrate Yao is likely behind this matter. I think we can cooperate with this person, but we need to let him know our identities…..”

Huo Fenglie let Liu Zhenqing think, but his hands had already begun to search through Du Dongfeng’s belongings.

“What are you doing?” Liu Zhenqing asked, confused.

“He touched something on his chest when he thought he would die. It must be something important.”

Liu Zhenqing became interested at once and came over. “Right, could it be identification? A token? Or evidence?”

Huo Fenglie felt around for a moment and then pulled out a delicate red rope from around Du Dongfeng’s neck. Following the red rope, a green jade pendant emerged.

The two of them were unavoidably stunned for a moment, and took a sharp breath at almost the same time.

Huo Fenglie looked at Liu Zhenqing with dark eyes, and Liu Zhenqing gazed at the unconscious Du Dongfeng with question marks on his face. 

Why? 

How could his jade pendant appear in this kid’s hands?

It was a piece of jade of excellent quality, carved into the shape of a willow leaf. When Liu Zhenqing was still the heir of a noble house, he often wore it around his waist. But because it was an ordinary type of jade, it was actually relatively common. Liu Zhenqing’s pendants, however, all had special symbols that were Arabic numerals. This one had a ‘5’ faintly engraved on it.

Therefore, even if Huo Fenglie didn’t know the meaning, he knew that this was indeed Liu Zhenqing’s pendant.

Funnily enough, there was actually more than one. When Liu Zhenqing got a whole piece of good jade, he intended to ask the jade carving master to carve a small willow tree for his grandfather. But there was an accident and only the willow leaves were left, so he simply strung them together as jade pendants and hung them around his waist. For fun, he engraved Arabic numerals on them. There seemed to have been fifteen in total.

And there were basically two fates for these jade pendants. One was that they were pawned when there was a need for money, and the other was that they were given away.

Yes, when Liu Zhenqing was young, he was famous all over the country. He was extremely handsome, and was naturally a wanton romantic, with many beauties and confidants. Women were often attracted to him, but the young master had no intentions toward them. He would just treat her as a friend and behave like a gentleman as he pleased.

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t stand to see a woman’s sad and tearful look. Seeing that the other party wanted to keep him in her thoughts, the best thing he could use was a jade pendant. There was no tradition in Great Zhou of gifting jade pendants as a token of love, so there was not much pressure when giving one over.

The first time he gave a girl a jade pendant, her tears turned into laughter. Only Li Xingruo rolled her eyes and called him a scumbag and a prodigal son who didn’t take people’s sincerity seriously. But Liu Zhenqing felt that he was being wronged. Was it a bad thing that he had a natural instinct to treat women well?

In short, because of these jade pendants, he left behind many so-called romantic affairs. Every last one of the fifteen were gone, and what he carried with him was the simple Rubik’s Cube-style jade pendant given to him by Huo Fenglie.

“It’s yours.” Huo Fenglie’s tone suddenly turned gloomy. “You gave it to him?”

Liu Zhenqing laughed dryly: “I…..have no impression?”

“Did you ever give one to a man?” Huo Fenglie’s tone became even colder.

“Absolutely not.” Liu Zhenqing was also puzzled. “Based on the age…..could it have been his sister? I don’t remember being here, ah. It seems…..that I don’t know a girl named Du either? Let me think again…..”

Seeing that Liu Zhenqing seemed to be counting in his mind the girls with unclear intentions toward him, Huo Fenglie’s expression turned even uglier.

“Maybe he bought it after it was pawned? Or it was transferred to him by somebody else.” Liu Zhenqing really had a headache. How could this have something to do with him?

“Then question him again!” Huo Fenglie decisively woke Du Dongfeng up, startling Liu Zhenqing. He felt that Er-gou was particularly aggressive at this moment.

Once Du Dongfeng woke up, before he could figure out what was going on, he felt the jade pendant pass across his hand and his expression immediately changed. “My jade pendant, what are you doing? Aren’t you going to kill me? Why did you take away my jade pendant! Do you intend to steal a dead person’s belongings? Give it back to me!”

Huo Fenglie looked toward Liu Zhenqing and signaled with sharp eyes for him to ask. Liu Zhenqing swallowed and asked cooperatively: “This jade pendant is quite special. Perhaps it holds some clues.”

“Nonsense, this jade pendant was given to me by my lover. It has nothing to do with anything else!”

Liu Zhenqing choked. He could feel the burning gaze coming from Huo Fenglie.

He stopped beating around the bush and said directly: “Liu Zhenqing? It turns out you’re a remnant of his defeated party?!”

Liu Zhenqing’s tone changed, and Du Dongfeng understood at once that the other party had a lot of background and actually recognized the jade pendant. He struggled wildly. “Bah, how are you worthy of mentioning his name!”

Liu Zhenqing was a little surprised. The protective intent in these words was obvious. Could it be that he really was a member of his party?

And then Huo Fenglie suddenly said, “Lover?”

Liu Zhenqing looked at Huo Fenglie in astonishment, worried that he would be exposed. And what kind of question was this, ah? It was clearly an excuse that Du Dongfeng made up.

But at this time, Huo Fenglie’s cold and murderous voice was more like an assassin in the dark night, very different from usual. And Du Dongfeng was so agitated that he couldn’t hear it. He replied directly: “Yes, Prime Minister Liu was my lover, can’t this be so? I’m not a remnant of his party, I just admire him. That is the jade pendant that he gave me. It has nothing to do with your investigation. If you want to kill me, then do as you wish, but return the jade pendant to me. Otherwise, I will not let you get away with it even if I’m a ghost!”

Liu Zhenqing’s expression was utterly amazed when he heard this, and he was completely speechless.

Huo Fenglie chopped down with his hand and poor Xiao Du fainted again.

“Lover?” Huo Fenglie asked, looking at Liu Zhenqing expressionlessly.

“Eh…..”

“You personally gave it to him?”

“This…..”

“Heh.”

Huo Fenglie was obviously unhappy, which inexplicably made Liu Zhenqing feel that he had done something wrong. He wanted to coax him quickly, but was really full of questions.

Liu Zhenqing said quickly, “I swear I never gave it to him. I don’t even know him. How old is he now? He was probably not as old as you were back then, just a little kid.” 

Huo Fenglie’s expression remained unchanged, and he gripped the jade pendant tighter and tighter. 

Suddenly, he said in a low voice with a hint of grievance: “You never gave one to me.”

Liu Zhenqing instantly couldn’t laugh or cry. It turned out that this kid had a temper because of jealousy over his different treatment as a child, ah.

“Aiya, my god, didn’t I love you dearly when you were a child? Did I not give you everything you wanted? I remember asking you if you wanted one, and you said no. If you wanted one, I would have given you fifteen pieces,” Liu Zhenqing practically swore.

“There is a difference between asking for something and being given something.” Huo Fenglie turned his head and continued in a low voice, “And it would still be something that others had.”

Liu Zhenqing took Huo Fenglie’s arm, inexplicably anxious to explain: “What is all this, ah, the child I loved the most was you, and I treated you as my own little brother. But I really didn’t ever give one to a man. Do you think I’m Liu Xiaozhu? I don’t like men at all, let alone have any tender feelings for them. How could I give a man a jade pendant for no reason, even a little boy?”

Huo Fenglie froze at once, and the expression on his face changed again and again as if he was experiencing several fluctuations. In the end, he could only acquiesce to this statement. “So where did his come from?”

Seeing that Huo Fenglie was willing to discuss properly, Liu Zhenqing finally breathed a sigh of relief. But after breathing this sigh of relief, he inexplicably felt that something was wrong?

It was strange. Why did he try so hard to coax Huo Fenglie? Just like coaxing…..coaxing an angry little girlfriend. Although he had never had a girlfriend, Huo Feihan had coaxed Li Xingruo like this.

This…..A flash of strangeness zipped through Liu Zhenqing’s heart, and was interrupted by Huo Fenglie’s question.

“Do you want to press him further?”

Liu Zhenqing thought for a moment and said: “I’m sure we won’t get anything out of him if we press him. Let’s pretend to be like-minded people and let him go to see what he’ll do next. I never knew him, and I didn’t have such a little subordinate at that time, but the people he answers to might be acquaintances.” As he said this, he went to put the jade pendant back on the person.

“You still want to give it to him?”

“Yes, yes, to win his trust, ah.” Liu Zhenqing had a headache. What was wrong with this kid? Why had he suddenly become so childish? “Let’s go to the jade shop later, and I’ll buy you whatever you want, eh? Wait, I have no money, so you’ll still pay for it.”

Liu Zhenqing put the jade pendant back on Du Dongfeng. When he looked up, he saw that Huo Fenglie was aggrieved at his perfunctoriness, looking gloomy and cold. Liu Zhenqing could only say helplessly: “I really have no money, you know.”

. . . . . . 

In the palace of the Empress Dowager.

The blue smoke from an incense burner curled up and drifted behind a screen. On the Imperial Concubine’s couch, a beautiful woman was lying on her side with her eyes closed in meditation. Her pale hands held a willow leaf-shaped pendant with a “1” faintly visible.

Suddenly, the jade pendant’s string slipped from her hand, and the woman woke up with a start. She was just about to reach out to catch it, when a hand that was even more beautiful reached out. This hand that looked like top quality mutton-fat jade caught it, and the faint aroma emanating from the person’s body also permeated the entire room.

“Sister?” Empress Dowager Yao Hua looked at the beautiful woman in front of her who looked like a goddess from a painting. She said awkwardly, “You came?”

“Sister, you miss him, but you must be careful.” Taifei Jian Shuang helped the Empress Dowager stand up, and returned the jade pendant. “You were practically asleep. If a servant saw it and spread the news, how could you stay in the palace as the Empress Dowager? It would not be easy for the emperor to explain.”

“This sort of jade pendant is so common that others would not be able to tell it apart.” The Empress Dowager smiled lightly and hung the jade pendant back around her neck again, putting it under her clothes. “I just had a dream. It was about this jade pendant.”

“Oh? Did you dream about that person too?” The Taifei asked with a half-smile.

“I didn’t see that person. Probably because I heard about General Huo going south, I dreamed about General Huo when he was a child. Back then, he often followed that person around.” The Empress Dowager touched the jade pendant on her chest with a smile: “When that person gave me the pendant, General Huo looked straight at me. He couldn’t hide the emotions on his young face, and was full of displeasure. That person asked him if he wanted one too, but General Huo shook his head firmly and said no. He obviously…..wanted one very much.”

“Children, they want everything.” The Taifei smiled, and suddenly began to cough while speaking. The Empress Dowager quickly called the palace servants to put out the incense burners and open the windows for ventilation.

“You aren’t in good health, and you shouldn’t stay in such an enclosed space. Before you come next time, please send someone to notify me so that I can ventilate the room in advance.”

The Taifei’s eyes were soft. “It is still Sister who treats me well.”

---

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Chapter Forty-Five << Table of Contents >> Chapter Forty-Seven

Feng Xiaojin took Ku You to a dark cave with a remote entrance. After the mechanism was closed, even if disciples of the Baifu Sect excavated the ground cun by cun, it would be difficult to detect any abnormality. Ku You listened to the chaotic footsteps above his head and said: “For Miss Yunle, there is currently no safer place than the Dayan Military Camp. The real danger for her is here.”

“The laws of Dayan will put her to death.”

“Those men who kneel before her would also kill her, and do so in the filthiest and cruelest way in the world. That is true brutality.” Ku You gazed at the silent darkness in front of him. “She couldn’t sit cleanly on a high platform and play the role of the beautiful mute statue forever. Young Master Feng should know this better than I. Peoples’ desires expand unceasingly, and cult followers are no exception. If there is one, they want two. If there are two, they want hundreds of millions more. No matter the time or place, as long as Mu Zhe wants to win peoples’ hearts, she will be sacrificed at any moment.”

Feng Xiaojin suppressed his anger: “But she is poisoned, and without Mu Zhe’s antidote, she will certainly die!”

“So, Young Master Feng, why don’t you join forces with me quickly and destroy this den of thieves before the poison spreads? Now that it is impossible for Miss Yunle to be sent back, the only option is to pry open Mu Zhe’s mouth as soon as possible.”

“What do you want, a map of the dense forest, the hiding place of the gold, or the spies the Baifu Sect has everywhere?”

Ku You replied: “I want it all.”

Feng Xiaojin turned to look at him, a small breeze stirring up his clothes.

Ku You sat without moving, because he felt that this request was very reasonable. Maps were needed to fight a war, and to eliminate weeds, the roots must be dug up. As for the gold, it was something that belonged to the common people of Dayan, so it certainly must be taken back. Although the prince had people from the Scimitar Silver Moon Tribe helping him outside, there were not so many helpers. Also, Feng Xiaojin’s martial arts were extremely strong. Even if Ku You couldn’t win him over, he at least couldn’t be allowed to side with the Baifu Sect when the two sides were fighting.

After a long time, Feng Xiaojin said: “All right.”

. . . . . . .

The disappearance of the Holy Maiden brought a shock to the Baifu Sect that was no less than the collapse of heaven and earth. Although Mu Zhe had commanded for the news to be suppressed, news was the most difficult thing to suppress in the world. In just one afternoon, everyone in the entirety of the dense forest was in a panic, saying that Ku You had taken the Holy Maiden away.

Later, the rumors became tinged with romance. After all, the Holy Maiden’s fascination with Ku You had been witnessed by many people. Now that the two of them had vanished, there were really too many details to speculate upon. The disciples who went to pursue them returned empty-handed. Wumeng Yunyou lay in bed, listening to the cacophonous sounds outside the window. He frowned and said: “What happened?”

“Nothing,” the witch doctor said. “They’re just rehearsing in advance for the Yan army’s future invasion.”

Wumeng Yunyou lay back on the soft pillow and stretched out his hand to touch the wound on his waist. Liu Hengchang came in with a medicine tray. Seeing this scene, he hurriedly said: “Young Master Yunyou, don’t touch it.”

“What kind of poison is on Liang Shu’s sword?” Wumeng Yunyou was unhappy, and pressed harder, causing him to gasp in pain. “Such a small wound opens over and over again. Is it really going to take a year and a half?”

This was not the first time he had lost his temper. As usual, Liu Hengchang went on to clean the pus and blood from the wound. Wumeng Yunyou breathed out and lay flat on his back. After lying there for a while, he felt bored and asked again: “Hey, why hasn’t Uncle come to see me today? Did he go to see A-Le off?”

Liu Hengchang was taken aback when he heard this, surprised that he didn’t know what was happening outside. Just as he was about to speak, the witch doctor next to him gave him a fierce look and said first: “Yes. Young Master Yunyou, don’t worry. The Dayan army has been eyeing the Holy Maiden recently, so Young Master Feng will protect her along the way.” Wumeng Yunyou gave a leisurely response, not suspecting anything. With the witch doctor around, Liu Hengchang couldn’t say much. He started to go back to his room, but was stopped by the two other witch doctors, who coldly commanded: “Doctor Liu, from now on, Young Master Yunyou’s injuries will be treated by us without your intervention.”

“But—”

“The herb fields in the west need maintenance, and there is not enough manpower. Bothering Doctor Liu to take the trouble these days.” When the witch doctor finished speaking, he waved his hand to summon two disciples, who went back to his room to pack up his clothes with him. Liu Hengchang didn’t dare to show his dissatisfaction on his face, but thought quickly that in this situation, it should not be that he had exposed his identity as an undercover agent. Otherwise, he wouldn’t simply be sent to a remote flower field. In all likelihood, Mu Zhe wanted to deal with Feng Xiaojin, so he would target the people around him first.

The disciples didn’t leave Liu Hengchang much time. He had only packed two pieces of clothes when they urged him to go faster.

Feng Xiaojin’s residence was empty when he returned, with only Mu Zhe standing in the courtyard. Hearing the sound of footsteps, Mu Zhe turned around and said: “I thought you were going to find A-Le.”

Feng Xiaojin’s eyes hidden beneath his mask were cold: “Can I go?”

“You cannot.” Mu Zhe stepped forward and put his palm on the mask. “This is obviously a trap set by the Yan army. I will never allow you to be in any danger, so it is best to quickly put away all the thoughts you shouldn’t have.”

“Without the Leader’s antidote, I can’t even leave this forest, so why does it matter whether or not I have the intention to save her?” Feng Xiaojin stood there with no emotion in his tone. “I’m tired.”

“All right.” Mu Zhe placed a porcelain bottle on the table. “One more thing. Yunyou doesn’t know that Yunle has disappeared. His injury has not healed yet, and I feel it is best for him not to be stimulated. Otherwise, I’m afraid I will have to sew up the wound with the Embroidered Spider Lady again when he rushes out to find her.”

Feng Xiaojin said: “I thought you would immediately instigate him to sacrifice his life.”

Mu Zhe smiled: “But I assumed you wouldn’t agree. Since you don’t agree, I will consider letting him off.” 

He turned around and walked out. “So for Yunyou, A-Feng, you had better be good. Just like your mother.”

Feng Xiaojin closed his eyes slightly, reached for the antidote on the table, and turned back to the room.

A swatch of red clothing floated down the courtyard wall and followed Mu Zhe quickly. The Nanyang woman said with a giggle: “It turns out that Leader Mu is still a compassionate person. It is a pity that he is willing to raise a peerless master in vain and not have him work on behalf of  the Baifu Sect. The way I see it, perhaps Young Master Feng can find the saintess girl and bring her back.”

“That isn’t necessary. He does not need to do anything.” Mu Zhe said, “He only needs to stay by my side.”

He had lost the first one, and would never lose the second one. Recently, he didn’t know if it was because he was getting older or because he felt excited about directly taking the royal city, but he had become increasingly eager to stay with his young lover at all times. In short, he could not accept any possibility of losing the face beneath that mask, even if the cost was to sacrifice the Holy Maiden who had worked hard for many years.

“Name a price,” Mu Zhe said. 

The Nanyang woman covered her mouth and laughed again: “Then I must calculate carefully. It must not be less than the Island Master’s.”

When she spoke, she used Wumeng Yunle’s voice.

In the Valley of Ten faces, Liu Xian’an asked: “How is she today?”

“Not very good,” Liu Xianche said. “She didn’t even know she was poisoned, so she refuses to take my medicine.”

“But her nails have turned black.”

“She only feels that black nails are not beautiful enough.”

Liu Xian’an sighed: “Life and death are determined by fate.”

He had three thousand worlds in his mind, and it stood to reason that he could come up with a profound truth anytime and anywhere, but this time he had no idea what to say. Or to be more precise, he knew what to say, but it was easier said than done to reshape a person’s inherent three views. For the time being, he couldn’t figure out where to start.

For the first time, Liu Xianche did not scold his younger brother for being lazy. There were too many things to be done in the army right now, and each of them was more important than having a heart-to-heart talk with Wumeng Yunle. He asked: “How is it going on A-Yuan’s side?”

“The prince has sent three batches of troops to protect her, as well as the Imperial guards. There is no need to worry about safety issues.” Liu Xian’an said. “I feel she must be having a lot of fun, otherwise she wouldn’t have forgotten to write us a letter.”

This was the first time in Liu Xianche’s life that he had heard a trace of concern and complaint in his brother’s tone. It was new and novel, so he reached out and patted him on the shoulder, inviting: “Come play a game of chess with Da-ge in the evening.”

Liu Xian’an waved his hand in refusal: “But I still have something to do.”

“What is it?”

“I want to get some sleep.”

Liu Xianche: “……”

Liu Xian’an felt his brother’s sudden gloom and unconsciously stood up straight. Then a game is also fine.

The chessboard was brought by Liu Xianche. It was his favorite way to relax. The servant boys quickly made tea for the two young masters, lit the incense, and brought a few pots of flowers out of nowhere, trying their best to decorate in a quiet and elegant flowery shade in this iron-blooded camp.

The atmosphere was just right.

But Second Young Master Liu’s chess-playing method was not quite right. He didn’t need to think much. Liu Xianche concentrated for a long time before gently dropping a piece. Then there would be a pop sound on the chessboard as a piece of a different color fell. This technique was as urgent as if he was anxious to go to someone else’s house to eat, or rushing to vacate his bowels.

Liu Xianche thought at first that he was messing around again, rushing to finish so that it would end quickly. Thus, he deliberately pressed for time and slowly ground down his temper. As a result, he suffered a big loss and was utterly defeated.

The servant boys standing on both sides: “Ai?”

Liu Xian’an said: “I won.”

Liu Xianche said expressionlessly: “One more game.”

Liu Xian’an’s smile froze. After thinking for a moment, he said: “If Da-ge wins, can I leave? If this is the case, the next game can be faster.”

Liu Xianche: “……”

In the end, Second Young Master Liu ran away without receiving punishment. Liang Shu was reclining in a tree outside to rest in the breeze. From the corner of his eye, he glimpsed his sweetheart walking very slowly along the path. He jumped down and reached out, accurately taking this person into his arms. He asked curiously: “I heard you were playing chess. I thought I would be waiting here for a while, but instead, you ran out in a hurry.”

“Because it’s already finished.”

“Did you win or lose?”

“I won. So I had to run quickly, otherwise Da-ge would drag me to continue. He plays chess very slowly.”

And the lazy fellow no longer wanted to continue. He was tired, and felt uncomfortable sitting down. After returning to his residence, he lay down on the couch and pointed at himself. I’m sore here and here.

Liang Shu washed his hands and massaged him cun by cun. “It’s only a sore waist and sore legs, so why are your fingers sore too?”

“From taking the chess pieces.” This was very reasonable and well-founded.

Liang Shu nodded: “That makes sense.”

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Chapter One Hundred Seventeen << Table of Contents >> Chapter One Hundred Nineteen