“If…” Long Feiye trailed off when he saw that Han Yunxi didn’t seem interested in the bite mark legend.
“You don’t believe it?” he asked.
Long Feiye was a cold man. How hard must it be for him to share such a romantic legend? But Han Yunxi really wasn’t interested, so it was all a waste! If the women of the world heard of this, all of them would stomp her one by one until her soul flew away and never reincarnated again.
But Han Yunxi could afford to be wasteful.
For one thing, she wasn’t interested; for another, she didn’t believe it. As a doctor and Long Feiye’s wife, she was more concerned with whether his injury would get infected and leave a scar. She wasn’t surprised that Tang Li would know such lies designed to trick women, but Long Feiye actually listened to and believed these things? That was too inconceivable.
“Long Feiye, you believe legends like those?” she asked.
Long Feiye slowly ma.s.saged the marks on his tiger’s mouth as he chuckled. “Since you bit me, I’m willing to believe it.”
“If what, then?” Han Yunxi grew curious.
But Long Feiye suddenly stopped talking. “It’s a secret!”
Han Yunxi was only a little curious at first, but when Long Feiye whet her appet.i.te, she grew more anxious to know. “Tell me, if what?”
Long Feiye didn’t answer, but he took the gauze and rebound the bite marks before warning her, “Don’t think of touching it again!”
“If what?” Han Yunxi was all grievance. How was she supposed to sleep for the rest of the night after he left her hanging? Long Feiye ignored her to lie down again. Han Yunxi wouldn’t let him off, and turned with difficulty on her side to tickle him. “Speak!”
Long Feiye allowed her to tickle him with a wordless smile. Han Yunxi’s scratching grew more intense until he finally pressed her hands against his body. “If you move any further, I won’t let you off.”
His warning was too effective as Han Yunix immediately turned docile. Long Feiye held her in his arms as he asked, “Han Yunxi, do you like boys or girls?”
Han Yunxi gave a light sniff. “It’s a secret!”
Long Feiye burst out laughing. “Are you telling or not?”
Han Yunxi pursed her lips and remained firm, so Long Feiye immediately started to tickle her. She grew desperate. “You can’t treat the injured like this! Long Feiye, hey…!” She couldn’t move her legs, but managed to sit up and avoid him with difficulty. He pushed her back down and tickled her until she was laughing so hard that she turned breathless.
“Are you telling or not?”
“Not even if you beat me to death!”
Long Feiye grew resolute and bit her s.h.i.+rt collar, alarming Han Yunxi. Then he stopped tickling or attacking her as his movements grew gentler. Han Yunxi realized that she could still move her legs a little bit. Under his guidance, she obediently followed along until she sank into his warmth and forgot everything else. Han Yunxi had no idea how she managed to sleep that night. After Long Feiye had started his meat diet, he was really a little more than she could bear.
Perhaps she was too exhausted, but she ended up sleeping until noon the next day. By the time she woke up, Long Feiye had already prepared everything. Zhao mama was waiting to serve her on the side as there were some things that Long Feiye could neither understand nor help with conveniently.
“Your Highness, leave it to this servant. We’ll be done very soon,” Zhao mama said while chuckling by the door.
But Long Feiye only gave her a cold look before he muttered, “Let her read less of those trashy things in the future.” What else could he mean but those two little black books? Zhao mama had almost thought that His Highness liked them too. She stood stunned until he left and the princess was calling for her.
For the sake of disguising her ident.i.ty, Han Yunxi was still dressed as a soldier. She didn’t know whether Long Feiye had gone to visit Baili Yuanlong this morning, nor did she want to know. After leaving the camp, she felt like a freed bird--much lighter.
The carriage was stopped at the northern camp. Aside from the shadow and poisons guards following them in secret, there was only their driver Uncle Gao and a single Baili Mingxiang. Uncle Gao stood next to Long Feiye’s personal carriage, while Xu Donglin and Baili Mingxiang stood by a smaller carriage. Han Yunxi glanced at it and saw that it was holding a wheelchair. There shouldn’t be many chances for me to use it, though.
Han Yunxi quickly accompanied Long Feiye into the carriage, not wanting to see Baili Mingxiang cry apologies at them again. Fortunately, Baili Mingxiang simply bowed her head respectfully without approaching them. After setting out, Xu Donglin drove the carriage while speaking in a low voice.
“Miss Mingxiang, His Highness wanted me to confirm that you’ve brought the item. That’s the most crucial bit.”
Baili Mingxiang grasped the thing in her sleeve and said seriously, “I’ve brought it. May His Highness be at ease, Mingxiang will definitely fulfill the mission.”
After a moment, Xu Donglin sighed. “Miss Mingxiang, the princess is broad-minded. She didn’t punish you, but rewarded you instead. If you do well for His Highness this time, perhaps you’ll even rise in rank when you return. When that time comes, you can avoid marriage just by staying in the army. You’ll have an easy time for the rest of your life too, unlike your older sisters.”
Baili Mingxiang fell silent for a long time before she replied, “For Mingxiang to meet the princess is fortune cultivated from multiple lives.”
“It’s good that you know. No one else in the army knows the truth behind you staying by His Highness’s side. They’ll yell whatever they want, but you shouldn’t take it to heart,” Xu Donglin added.
How could Xu Donglin be so detail-oriented? These were words that Zhao mama had told him to pa.s.s on before he left. Although Baili Mingxiang was sitting inside the carriage, her face still flushed at his words. She had kept calm on the raucous bonfire banquet night, but now it felt like her final little secret had been exposed to the world. It was overreaching to like His Highness! But despite this, she couldn’t help it or control herself. If anyone could control their feelings like that, they probably wouldn’t count! She had planned to hide this secret for the rest of her life, but who knew that His Highness would trust her enough to keep her by his side as bait? Who expected all those shouts and exclamations on the night of the bonfire banquet? And who would have thought her father, who had always wanted to marry her off, now wanted her to take the position of empress since Han Yunxi was the West Qin princess?
Everything had come too suddenly and with too much coincidence. Now the situation only made her feel exposed in front of everyone else--and ashamed! Why couldn’t she like him secretly? She had already steeled her heart to hide her feelings. Why couldn’t she even like him in secret anymore? She really, really didn’t have any other thoughts. She had a sincere wish to serve the princess by staying at her side as well. Even if the princess hadn’t had her conferred with a rank, she wouldn’t have stuck around anymore after completing her mission. When her deepest secret had been exposed, how was she supposed to face her or His Highness?
Baili Mingxiang felt so miserable that she wanted to cry. She suddenly missed her days at the Duke of Qin’s estate and Pill Fiend Pharmacy. The princess had personally taught her poisons and medical skills. Despite being the younger one, Han Yunxi felt like the older sister in their relations.h.i.+p.
The tragedy of Baili Mingxiang laid in the fact that she saw Long Feiye and Han Yunxi as her everything. But Long Feiye never had her in his eye, while Han Yunxi didn’t keep her in her heart as she used to anymore. Currently, the two of them were discussing ways to lure out Bai Yanqing. Long Feiye had long received definite news from the shadow guards that the one of them would be able to reach the girl within three days and make contact with her.
As long as that was possible, it’d be easy to lure out Bai Yanqing as well.
“You’re saying that Bai Yanqing isn’t with Su Xiaoyu?” Han Yunxi asked.
“Mm, Su Xiaoyu is being locked up within Tianning Country in a village in the outskirts called Blacktower. It’s near the Three-Way Black Market. The shadow guards have been following her trail for ages, but never saw signs of Bai Yanqing,” Long Feiye said, before adding, “Perhaps he’s visited, but the shadow guards didn’t catch him. They’ve only approached Blacktower recently.”
“You want to use Su Xiaoyu’s lips to expose the secret of the Perplexing b.u.t.terfly Illusion, thus luring Bai Yanqing to Blacktower?” Han Yunxi was surprised. She always a.s.sumed that Baili Mingxiang would be the primary bait.
Long Feiye had been waiting for Bai Yanqing to make his move first, but since he hadn’t done anything personally, he’d given up on that idea.
“Yes. The Perplexing b.u.t.terfly Illusion is the possession of the Poison Sect. My imperial mother made a huge sacrifice to find it in its forbidden grounds. If Bai Yanqing is a direct descendent of the sect, he should know it exists,” Long Feiye explained. “He must be looking for it as well, so as long as Su Xiaoyu says something, he’ll come in person.”
Only then did Han Yunxi understood his trap. She asked, “Then Baili Mingxiang…”
Long Feiye’s eyes flashed sinisterly. “No matter how many sacrifices we need to make, we can’t let Bai Yanqing escape this time if he comes! We don’t have any more time in Northern Li. Bail Mingxiang is key to killing Bai Yanqing!”
Han Yunxi understood!
When Bai Yanqing saw Baili Mingxiang, he’d fear the fact that she was Long Feiye’s dual cultivation partner and target her first. As long as he did, the item in her hands would have a chance to target Bai Yanqing.
“It’s a good idea!” Han Yunxi murmured to herself.
Long Feiye and Han Yunxi headed north in secret while waiting for the shadow guards to bring back news of Su Xiaoyu. Han Yunxi trusted that the girl was clever enough to get things done as long as the shadow guards could get close enough. They had already started their journey, but on the other side Ning Cheng had just reached Tianning’s capital city to meet with Gu Qishao.
“It’s a dangerous trip, so Miss Linger shouldn’t come,” Ning Cheng’s tone was more like a command than a suggestion.
Gu Qishao’s eyes flashed chillingly before he grasped Mu Linger’s shoulder with a chuckle. “Aiya, this la.s.s of this young gentleman’s is a stickler. She follows me wherever I go, so I’ve gotten used to it. I feel unwell all over when she’s not around.” He gave Ning Cheng a pointed look. “Tell me, what should we do?”
“I never knew that Qishao doted on this la.s.s as well as Poison la.s.s,” Ning Cheng forced a smile in suspicion. Gu Qishao hadn’t spared Mu Linger a glance last time when Ning An was on the verge of killing her.
Gu Qishao grew serious as he suddenly released Mu Linger to pat Ning Cheng’s shoulders. “Hehe, her older sister told me if anything happened to her, she’d never have the end of it with this young gentleman. I’ve got no other choice either!”
Ning Cheng’s doubts faded somewhat. He had his men bring Bai Yuqiao over and prepare for departure. Mu Linger’s fl.u.s.tered heart sank in disappointment after hearing Gu Qishao’s words. It took her a long time to calm down and realize there was something wrong with Qi gege, even if she didn’t know what.
That day, Ning Cheng and Gu Qishao headed north towards the Three-Way Black Markets as well. It seemed that they’d reach their destination before Long Feiye’s group…