In the evening, as the Cold King and his consort returned from General Leng’s manor, they were intercepted by Ming Jiuxiao.
“Li’er, I’ve been waiting for you at the manor all day. You’re finally back.”
Ming Jiuxiao was dressed in a vibrant crimson brocade robe, his raven-black hair styled with a white jade coronet, leaving only a few strands of ink-black hair to sway gently in the wind by his ears, like willows in spring, exuding a captivating charm and an elegant, ethereal grace.
“Are you looking for me for something?” Leng Ruoli asked directly.
“I want you to help me find the tracking蛊 (gu) on me,” Ming Jiuxiao said nonchalantly.
“You’ve been afflicted with a tracking gu? Who put it on you?” Leng Ruoli asked two questions in succession.
“It was that madwoman Lin Mengzhi, who placed it on me when I wasn’t paying attention,” Ming Jiuxiao replied calmly.
“Lin Mengzhi?” Hearing this name, Leng Ruoli’s expression became somewhat complicated.
“Yes, that crazy hag,” Ming Jiuxiao nodded at her. “But I’m curious, how do you know her?” Leng Ruoli looked at him with a gossipy expression.
“When my father was alive, Lin Zhenfei owed him a small favor. I interacted with the Lin family to honor my father’s promise and repay their kindness, but I ended up being pestered by that madwoman Lin Mengzhi,” Ming Jiuxiao said with a hint of dejection and helplessness.
“Kindness? Could it be that the Vajra dead warriors sent to assassinate this consort from the Duke Lin’s manor in the past were people from your Can Yue Lou?” Leng Ruoli stared intently at Ming Jiuxiao’s expression as she spoke.
Upon hearing this, Ming Jiuxiao raised a hand to his nose and replied somewhat awkwardly, “The first two batches of assassins were indeed borrowed from my Can Yue Lou by Lin Zhenfei. After I learned that Lin Zhenfei had instructed my people to commit murder, I severed ties with the Duke Lin’s manor. Therefore, the Vajra dead warriors who assassinated you later were from An Ye Ge, and had nothing to do with my Can Yue Lou.”
“That’s more like it? If those Vajra dead warriors were connected to you, I’ll see how I deal with you,” Leng Ruoli warned, glancing at him.
“Don’t worry, I, Ming Jiuxiao, am not that perverse. My father drove those people from An Ye Ge out back then precisely because he refused to train those Vajra dead warriors, and yet they still…” Ming Jiuxiao said with a hint of sadness in his expression.
“Enough, some things you cannot prevent. As long as those Vajra dead warriors who assassinated me have nothing to do with you,” Leng Ruoli waved her hand, not wanting to waste more words. She then turned and, along with Jun Mohan, headed back to Han Che Fan.
Ming Jiuxiao also trotted along behind the Cold King and his consort. Once the three of them entered the house, Leng Ruoli motioned for Ming Jiuxiao to sit down and took his pulse.
Immediately, she frowned. Ming Jiuxiao indeed had a gu worm on him. However, she needed to activate the instruments in her spatial dimension to determine the exact location of the gu worm. Thus, Leng Ruoli used her powerful willpower to activate the instruments in her spatial dimension and located the gu worm’s hiding place.
“Li’er, how is it? Can you find that gu worm? If you can’t find it, it’s fine. Don’t force yourself,” Ming Jiuxiao said, seeing Leng Ruoli frown. He thought the gu worm on him had stumped her and quickly comforted her.
“Who said I can’t find the gu worm? That gu worm is in your spine, on your back,” Leng Ruoli’s words made Ming Jiuxiao instantly astonished.
“My goodness, girl, you are too amazing! You just took my pulse and knew the exact location of the gu worm. It’s miraculous!” Ming Jiuxiao exclaimed with an exaggerated expression.
“Spare me. What do you want to do with that gu worm on you?” Leng Ruoli asked coldly.
“Alas, Li’er, find some time to remove it for me. If I continue to keep it, I don’t know if the person who gave Lin Mengzhi the gu worm has any other mature gu worms that can track me. It’s better to eliminate future trouble as soon as possible,” Ming Jiuxiao sighed and said solemnly.
“Okay, there’s no better time than the present. Since I have time now, I’ll remove the gu worm on your back tonight,” Leng Ruoli immediately decided on this matter, primarily because her usual schedule was very tight.
However, seeing Leng Ruoli in such a hurry made Ming Jiuxiao feel a little strange. But after thinking about it carefully, he felt he could understand. After all, he knew Leng Ruoli was always very busy.
Then, while Ming Jiuxiao was trembling with apprehension, Leng Ruoli injected him with an anesthetic. A few minutes later, Leng Ruoli moved Ming Jiuxiao into her spatial dimension and had him lie down on the operating table. Leng Ruoli located the exact position of the gu worm through an X-ray, took out a scalpel, made an incision, cut through the skin, flipped open the subcutaneous tissue, and found the white worm, as thick as a fingernail and as long as a finger. She then removed it.
Afterward, Leng Ruoli immediately sutured Ming Jiuxiao’s wound and then moved him out of the spatial dimension. She had a servant carry him back to the courtyard he was staying in at the Cold King’s manor to rest.
Jun Mohan, who had been sitting in the room reading and had remained silent, smiled happily after seeing Ming Jiuxiao being carried away.
“Li’er, you deliberately tormented Ming Jiuxiao to get revenge for me, didn’t you?” Jun Mohan looked up at Leng Ruoli, his lips curling into a smile.
“Huh? How did you figure that out?” Jun Mohan’s words surprised Leng Ruoli somewhat.
“Although tracking gu is mysterious and difficult to remove for others, it’s a piece of cake for you. Because you have a thousand-year-old snow toad on you, if you didn’t want to trouble him, you could have just made an incision and let your thousand-year-old snow toad suck the gu worm out. There would have been no need for surgery,” Jun Mohan pointed out directly.
Hearing this, Leng Ruoli raised an eyebrow. “You’ve guessed half of it correctly. However, I performed surgery to remove the gu worm for another reason: to preserve the gu worm and prevent it from being startled, because this gu worm has other uses for me.”
“Are you planning to put this tracking gu worm on Deputy General Yang?”
“Hehehe, the Cold King is indeed the Cold King. Your intelligence is exceptionally high; you understand immediately.” Leng Ruoli playfully winked at Jun Mohan twice.
Looking at her adorable demeanor, Jun Mohan smiled and gently pecked her lips, his face filled with adoration. However, Jun Mohan’s sudden action made Leng Ruoli blush profusely.
A moment later, Leng Ruoli murmured with her head bowed, “But… but, the gu worm removed from Ming Jiuxiao still needs some modification from me before it can be utilized better.”
“Alright, Li’er, you’ve worked hard,” Jun Mohan smiled again as he looked at her flushed cheeks. Didn’t Li’er say that girls from her side are free in their love and more open? Then why is her skin so thin?