Long Feiye had no reaction to Tang Li’s report, but Han Yunxi was different. She had to call Gu Qishao into account for wronging a girl like Linger. If he didn’t like her, why didn’t he cut to the chase and have her give up? One moment of agony was better than a lifetime of hurt, wasn’t it? Linger was still young and still unmarried. In the future, she would definitely find someone who doted on her. Why did she run into a demon like Gu Qishao of all people? Her adoration was wasted on him.
In truth, Gu Qishao had never considered Mu Linger’s feelings for him. He was simply heartless to begin with, so he wasn’t interested in those things. Rubbing his nose, he quietly waited to be scolded without defending himself. Now if it was Long Feiye asking the question, he’d have a thousand excuses. But Han Yunxi could use him to vent all she liked. Naturally, she would be angry and mad that Mu Linger went missing.
He quickly changed the topic and said, “Bai Yanqing is really a Poison Gu human?” What else could he do? Long Feiye threatened him to come, but was still playing pretend. He could only play along. Who told the other man to have one over him?
“Has there been no news of the kidnappers?” Han Yunxi wanted the facts first.
Tang Li and Gu Qishao had offered the Tang Clan’s a.s.sa.s.sination weapons and Pill Fiend Valley as bait, so the kidnappers should have moved!
“None. Either those two have already fallen into other hands, or Jin Zi and Ol’ Cheng have other uses for their kidnapping,” Gu Qishao got to business.
“It must be other uses. At least for now, their lives aren’t in danger. All we can do is wait,” Gu Beiyue remarked.
Han Yunxi recalled Uncle Cheng’s face and Manager Jin’s sinister gaze with a vicious thought. They better not fall into my hands, or else I’ll make them suffer a fate worse than death!
How dare they kidnap Ning Jing while she was pregnant? And Mu Linger, who was completely innocent? It’s unforgivable!
“You lot couldn’t have come to the Poison Sect’s forbidden grounds to find secrets on the Poison Gu Human, right?” Gu Qishao asked next.
“Could it be, you know something?” Long Feiye asked coldly.
“I do know some things about the Perplexing b.u.t.terfly Illusion, but as for Poison Gu humans…” Gu Qishao pretended to s.h.i.+ver. “I’m afraid of them too!”
Long Feiye’s disdain for him had reached its limit. He looked at him with a cold, expressionless air. “Then you can just scram.”
Gu Qishao walked to Han Yunxi’s side instead, still grinning. “Poison la.s.s, you’ve annoyed a Poison Gu human yet still have the guts to run about. If that guy Bai Yanqing comes looking for you…” At this, he shot Long Feiye a scornful glare before continuing, “If that guy Bai Yanqing comes looking for you, who can save you then?”
Han Yunxi was in no mood to joke with him. “We’re going to the Poison Sect’s sacrificial altar right now to see if we can open a door in the wordless stele. Are you coming?”
“Door in the wordless stele?” Gu Qishao grew doubtful. He didn’t even know that existed.
“Are you coming or not?” Han Yunxi pressed. They would be safer if Gu Qishao came along because 1) he was familiar with the Poison Sect’s forbidden grounds and 2) his poison skills were better than any poison guards under her command.
“You’re all going, so Qi gege will naturally come along. If anything happens, Qi gege can s.h.i.+eld you!” Gu Qishao grinned. It seemed like he was joking, but his every word was sincere. Perhaps Long Feiye was the only one who understood the implications. Gu Qishao had already decided to follow Poison la.s.s in the future in case Bai Yanqing came back seeking revenge. As someone with an undying body of his own, he could still keep the man in check even if he couldn’t kill him.
Long Feiye’s gaze darkened until even Han Yunxi didn’t dare to meet his eyes. She didn’t waste any more words, but urged, “It’s getting late, let’s go. Everyone be careful.”
So speaking, she took Long Feiye’s hand and headed to the front. Gu Beiyue and Baili Mingxiang followed behind, while Gu Qishao stood still for awhile before chasing after them. Unlike Gu Beiyue or Baili Mingxiang, Gu Qishao was free and unrestrained with his feelings for Han Yunxi. He even dared to voice them in front of Long Feiye. Although he snorted at the sight of them holding hands, he didn’t bother them. As the rear of the party, he was rather far from the group. While walked, he plucked a blade of gra.s.s and placed it in his mouth, his narrow eyes lost in thought. Yet it wasn’t long before Gu Beiyue stopped to wait until he caught up.
Without a word, Gu Qishao ended up walking shoulder-to-shoulder with him. He knew that Gu Beiyue would tell him all about the wordless stele. As expected, Gu Beiyue spilled the beans about both what happened last night and the mysterious man they’d run into. He also described Long Feiye’s account of Han Yunxi’s dream. Gu Beiyue had full faith in Gu Qishao. As for Long Feiye, Gu Beiyue mused, since he hadn’t really kicked Gu Qishao out, he must want the man to know the full situation and join them too.
After listening to it all, Gu Qishao’s gaze grew complicated. “I’ve never seen any mysterious figures appear in the Poison Sect’s forbidden grounds. However...I don’t go to the sacrificial altar often.”
After some thought, he added, “It’s an 80 to 90 percent that anyone who shows up there belongs to the Poison Sect. It’s extremely difficult for outsiders to get in! Nor would they dare!”
“I only hope it’s not Bai Yanqing. There still hasn’t been news of him yet,” Gu Beiyue sighed.
Gu Qishao remained silent, but he had a good idea already. When they entered that patch of woods, he’d have to be extra vigilant. Bai Yanqing was too weird. Heaven knows what he was thinking?
As the group sauntered on, Long Feiye told Han Yunxi, “I’ll go ask Gu Qishao about Golden Wing Hall.”
Undoubtedly, Han Yunxi was curious too. She stopped and turned to yell at Gu Qishao. “Gu Qishao, come here for a sec. There’s a question for you!”
Delighted, Gu Qishao ran right over and was about to show off to Long Feiye when he asked, “When did Golden Wing Hall fall into your hands?”
Only then did Gu Qishao realize they wanted him for that, so he told them all about his story. Han Yunxi listened carefully, but Long Feiye wasn’t interested at all. In fact, he wasn’t even listening.
“If not for Golden Wing Hall, we wouldn’t have gotten control of Myriad Merchant Hall,” Han Yunxi was telling the truth.
Gu Qishao grinned. “If you like it, I’ll give it to you!”
Han Yunxi rolled her eyes at him. She didn’t even know what to say, but Long Feiye managed to make things difficult for Gu Qishao instead. “When are you going to clear your debts with Kangan Private Bank?”
Gu Qishao had been busying himself all year, so he hadn’t looked after Golden Wing Hall’s medicine business. Thus, profits weren’t as huge as before. Moreover, ever since Three-Way Black Market’s casinos went kaput, Golden Wing Hall had suffered the most losses. Although they hadn’t reached the negatives, their capital had decreased. Naturally, that affected auction sales too. Auction dealers needed to buy a supply of goods, which cost ma.s.sive money! Before Gu Qishao returned to Three-Way Black Market, Golden Wing Hall had borrowed some money from Kangan Private Bank as turnover, but had yet to return it.
Gu Qishao didn’t answer Long Feiye. Clearly, he was pretending not to hear the question. But he also had the foresight to shut his mouth and stop spewing nonsense. Long Feiye was more or less his unlucky star. Han Yunxi secretly chuckled to herself. Gu Qishao might end up tripping on his own words one day. If he could speak decently, then she and Long Feiye should be thanking him for Golden Wing Hall’s contributions.
Gu Qishao hung his head with a gloomy look as he walked to the side. Long Feiye shot a look at Xu Donglin, who immediately scurried over. “Princess, this subordinate would like to ask for guidance on something.”
“What is it?” Han Yunxi asked.
“This subordinate heard that there’s a type of poison that make one’s limbs tremble. Does it really exist?” Xu Donglin asked modestly.
When it came to professional inquiries, Han Yunxi was all about business. She carefully began to explain, “There is such a poison, but its types are limited. It’s generally divided into four types. The first is…”
As Han Yunxi began to disseminate details with Xu Donglin, Long Feiye had soundlessly appeared by Gu Qishao’s side. Lowering his voice, he asked, “You dare to go back on your words with this crown prince?”
Gu Qishao knew he was wrong, but didn’t regret a bit. He muttered back, “So what if I do if it’s for Poison la.s.s’s sake?”
When he exposed Mute Granny’s fate, it was because he feared that Long Feiye had tricked his Poison la.s.s.
“Bring her up less often!” Long Feiye hissed.
Gu Qishao didn’t quarrel, but grew serious. “Count it as a favor I owe you. I’ll keep helping you break through the Perplexing b.u.t.terfly Illusion.”
“Just guard well against Bai Yanqing!” Those were Long Feiye’s true terms.
Gu Qishao glanced at him. “I don’t need you waste words. I’d protect her anyways!”
But Long Feiye’s next words all but made Gu Qishao spit out blood. “Not just her, but this crown prince and Gu Beiyue too. From now on, you and Xu Donglin will both be in charge of protecting us.”
F**k! Long Feiye wants me to be a...bodyguard?!
Gu Qishao halted as he realized he’d been played! What kind of good faith was this? He was simply using a different way to threaten him!
“You’re allowed to refuse,” Long Feiye shrugged.
Gu Qishao wished he could bark and bite him!
Meanwhile, Han Yunxi was still explaining things to Xu Donglin and completely clueless. Gu Beiyue and Baili Mingxiang could only see the two men’s backs from behind and didn’t know what they were talking about. However, it was obvious they were arguing in low tones. Both of them couldn’t help but chuckle to themselves, thinking the same thing. Only His Highness was capable of making Gu Qishao’s hairs stand on end, and only Gu Qishao was capable of making Long Feiye talk more than usual.
Since Gu Qishao didn’t stalk off, Long Feiye took it as an agreement. He lowered his voice and asked, “How did he turn into…”
He didn’t finish, but Gu Qishao knew what he meant. The subject made him twitchy. He didn’t even know how to explain it. After a while, he managed to say, “Long Feiye, I really don’t know whether I’m a Poison Gu human or now. Maybe...maybe I was just a freak from birth.”
Long Feiye’s heart jerked in his chest, but he didn’t express a thing. Instead, he asked coldly, “Just what happened?”
Gu Qishao could only tell him the truth, leaving Long Feiye very surprised. He was about to ask more questions when Han Yunxi finished her conversation with Xu Donglin and turned back…