“Come, seize them all!” Tang Yuanhua’s voice echoed, and a profound silence fell.
Tang Yuanhua frowned and roared again, “Seize them all!”
“…”
A sense of unease washed over Tang Yuanhua. Just as he turned to investigate, a dagger was pressed against his throat. A rogue voice sounded from within the cave, “County Magistrate, I’d advise you to behave.”
Upon hearing the voice, Zhong Li froze for a moment. As she looked closer, Lu Wuxie’s head appeared beside Tang Yuanhua, followed closely by Lin Jin and A Wu, all clad in yamen runner uniforms.
“When did you…?” Tang Yuanhua, seeing the numerous Shennü Cult members silently taken down nearby, asked in confusion.
Lu Wuxie stated, “Tang Yuanhua, you’ve ultimately made a miscalculation.”
“You… Lu Wuxie! Mmph…” Tang Yuanhua’s words were cut short as he felt a sharp pain in his neck. His eyes rolled back, and he fainted.
Lu Wuxie rubbed his arm, muttering, “Too much talk!”
Zhong Li looked at the man before her. Observing his swift movements and the apparent recovery of his strength, she stepped forward and asked, “Why are you here? Are you alright?”
Lu Wuxie looked at the woman before him, her face etched with concern. “I took a Brain Clear Pill. I’m fine for now. But you…”
He narrowed his eyes and continued, “Sneaking out behind my back. Believe it or not, if you anger me again like this, I’ll spank your bottom?”
Zhong Li, caught off guard by Lu Wuxie’s sudden remark, blushed and didn’t know how to respond.
Lin Jin and A Wu stifled their laughter behind their hands.
Cui Ningya felt a fleeting sense of loss as she watched Lu Wuxie gaze tenderly at Zhong Li.
Lu Wuxie glanced at the reactions of those around him and then at Zhong Li. Knowing she wouldn’t be comfortable with public displays of affection, he smirked and leaned close to her ear, whispering, “A small punishment. If you do this again next time, there will be even more spectators than there are now!”
“Lu Wuxie, you…” Zhong Li puffed out her cheeks, unsure how to scold the scoundrel before her.
“Here!” Lu Wuxie, knowing when to stop, pulled something from his sleeve and handed it to Zhong Li.
Zhong Li shot him a playful glare. Under the firelight, she examined it closely. “Is this Lan Heng’s letter?”
“Yes!” Lu Wuxie nodded.
“Then what do we do next?” Zhong Li inquired.
Lu Wuxie’s gaze fell upon Tang Yuanhua lying on the ground. “According to Lan Heng’s letter, Tang Yuanhua’s objective isn’t simply to disrupt Jincheng and incur the Emperor’s wrath; there must be something else.”
“Yes, I think so too,” Zhong Li agreed, her body swaying slightly from exhaustion.
Lu Wuxie caught her in his arms. As he walked, he said, “Since we have the leader of the Shennü Cult in our hands, these followers are nothing more than a rabble. Lan Heng is also hurrying this way. Before he arrives, we must extract the Shennü Cult’s true objective from his mouth!”
He gave Lin Jin a look.
Lin Jin understood and, with A Wu, hoisted the unconscious Tang Yuanhua onto their shoulders and headed out of the cave.
“By the way, who is she?” Lu Wuxie asked Zhong Li as they walked, noticing someone following behind. He turned and saw a woman.
Zhong Li glanced at Cui Ningya and, after a moment’s thought, replied, “I think you can guess.”
Lu Wuxie took a deep breath and withdrew his somewhat cold gaze. “You can follow us, but don’t let me discover any ulterior motives from you again. I’m not one to dote on beauty.”
Cui Ningya startled. Her face, which had been shy upon seeing Lu Wuxie, instantly turned ashen.
Zhong Li rolled her eyes at Lu Wuxie and turned to Cui Ningya. “He’s just trying to scare you. When we go out, you stay with me, and everything will be fine.”
“Okay!” Cui Ningya nodded.
Lan Heng and Hua Yao arrived the next day.
Upon arriving at the inn, Hua Yao immediately embraced Zhong Li, looking at her anxiously. “Li’er, you have no idea how worried I was all the way here.”
Zhong Li pulled away from Hua Yao’s embrace, placing one hand on Hua Yao’s forehead and the other on her wrist. “Instead of worrying about me, you should worry about yourself. Lan Heng’s letter said you were ill, why did you come?”
“It was just a fever. The official brewed medicine for me on the way, and I’m better now,” Hua Yao replied.
“The official… brewed medicine?” Zhong Li raised an eyebrow, looking at Hua Yao.
Hua Yao blushed, lowered her eyes, and adopted a demure posture. “I fell ill while accompanying the official on his investigation, so he probably took care of me out of guilt.”
Hearing this, Zhong Li glanced at Lan Heng, who was speaking with Lu Wuxie at the doorway. She had interacted with Lan Heng quite a bit and knew his personality well. Why would he be so hands-on with someone irrelevant?
“Li’er, don’t misunderstand!” Hua Yao waved her hand, explaining again. “The official said I’m like his sister, and he took care of me out of consideration for you.”
“Is that so?” Zhong Li casually poured Hua Yao a cup of water and handed it to her. “He’s just unclear about his own feelings.”
“Ah, what?” Hua Yao took a sip of water, not hearing Zhong Li’s words clearly.
Zhong Li waved her hand and continued with her tasks.
“What are you looking at, Li’er?” Hua Yao leaned closer to see Zhong Li reading a book.
“*Pianmen*. It’s a medical book from Yuxian County,” Zhong Li replied.
“Why are you reading a medical book now?” Hua Yao asked again.
Upon hearing this, Zhong Li’s eyebrows knitted slightly. “Mo Cang’s poison hasn’t been cured yet.”
“Not cured yet? That’s impossible. The official and I brought plenty of smallpox powder, all imperial grade,” Hua Yao said, perplexed.
Zhong Li sighed and was about to reply when a bowl of clear porridge and a small dish of side dishes were placed before her. The person who brought the porridge spoke, “The heir is also poisoned by Gu. There’s no immediate antidote.”
Hua Yao heard the faint voice and looked up. A woman wearing a light, revealing shirt stood beside them, her features delicate and charming, her appearance like a lotus emerging from water. If not for her meekness and apparent timidity, she would indeed be a peerless beauty.
“Who is this…”
Zhong Li closed her book and said to Cui Ningya, “Sit down.”
Cui Ningya nodded and pulled over a chair to sit.
“This is Cui Nan’s daughter, Cui Ningya,” Zhong Li introduced.
“You’re Cui Ningya?” Hua Yao asked, looking Cui Ningya up and down again.
“Ningya, greetings, Miss!” Cui Ningya stood up, curtsied to Hua Yao, and then sat down.
Hua Yao blushed. She had learned many rules growing up, but she had never adhered to them in the Hua Manor. Being greeted with such politeness made her feel a little unaccustomed.
“H-hello, I’m Hua Yao!” she said, extending her hand to Cui Ningya.
Cui Ningya smiled and also extended her hand.
“I heard you’ve just arrived, Miss Hua. Traveling can be tiring, so I specifically made some thin porridge. You can have it to tide you over,” Cui Ningya offered.
“Oh, okay, thank you!” Hua Yao said, taking the bowl to drink.
“I won’t disturb Miss Zhong and Miss Hua’s chat any further. I still have some porridge to deliver to the heir, as he’s not feeling well,” Cui Ningya said, curtsied to Zhong Li, and quickly walked away.