Zhong Li could hardly believe her ears. She stared wide-eyed at Lu Yuanfeng, afraid she had misheard a single word.
"Did Miss Zhong not hear clearly?" Lu Yuanfeng asked.
"I heard clearly," Zhong Li took a deep breath, trying her best to remain calm.
She thought of the small jar, which she considered her life, still kept in her room at the Dali Temple. Inside it were pieces of silver and copper coins, which she had meticulously cleaned. Suddenly, she felt like a complete joke.
Lu Yuanfeng sat opposite Zhong Li, gazing at her face, which was trying to appear nonchalant despite its unparalleled beauty. He had to admit, Lu Wuxie had excellent taste. Such stunning looks, coupled with such intelligent restraint of emotions, were rare.
"So, does Miss Zhong still intend to meet Cui Ningya to save Mo Cang?" Lu Yuanfeng inquired.
Zhong Li's hand, holding a teacup, paused. She looked directly at Lu Yuanfeng and said, "What does Your Sixth Highness mean? Are you not planning to let me save Mo Cang?"
Lu Yuanfeng shrugged and remained silent.
"Saving someone and him deceiving me are two different matters. Besides, where are you taking me?" Zhong Li asked.
Upon hearing her words, a hint of admiration appeared on Lu Yuanfeng's usually flippant face. He lifted the carriage curtain and glanced outside, saying, "Soon."
Zhong Li hadn't expected to revisit that hill in the woods near Yuxian.
She followed Lu Yuanfeng through the winding mountain cave. After about the time it takes to steep a cup of tea, they stopped in a sealed cavern. With the operation of a mechanism, Cui Ningya, bound to a cross-shaped wooden frame, appeared before them.
"Why is it so hidden?" Zhong Li asked.
Lu Yuanfeng sighed. He took a candlestick from a young servant accompanying him and walked on, saying, "I went through immense effort to rescue her."
"Rescue?" Zhong Li looked bewildered.
"You fainted, so you wouldn't know. After Cui Ningya was captured, my father was so enraged that he intended to execute her immediately. Knowing she was the only hope for Mo Cang's poison, I switched her out, bringing her here. As for the one executed, I simply found a female disciple from the Shennü Sect to take her place." Lu Yuanfeng explained.
Hearing this, Zhong Li finally understood and followed Lu Yuanfeng further into the cave.
After all, it was a cave in Yuxian, and it was quite damp inside. As soon as Zhong Li entered, she felt as if she had stepped into a tropical rainforest.
"You've still come?" Cui Ningya slowly opened her eyes upon hearing footsteps.
Zhong Li took the oil lamp from Lu Yuanfeng. As she watched him slowly retreat from the cave, she turned her attention to the woman opposite her and said, "Still? You must have anticipated that I would come looking for you?"
"Heh!" Cui Ningya let out a soft laugh. The expression made her thin face seem as if only a gaping maw remained.
Zhong Li was not in a hurry. She simply watched Cui Ningya until the latter felt bored and said, "Speak. How is Mo Cang's poison cured? Or do you have the antidote?"
"Yes!" Cui Ningya nodded. "Come a little closer, and I'll tell you."
Zhong Li rolled her eyes at Cui Ningya. "Do you think I would still believe you at this point?"
"Whether you believe me or not, it makes no difference. If you don't do as I say, I won't tell you. I'm already a dying dog and fear nothing, you know that." Cui Ningya looked at Zhong Li mockingly. Lu Wuxie's poisoning was her final trump card.
Zhong Li shot her a look and casually found a stone to sit on. "Ningya, you know, I've given you many chances."
Cui Ningya shook her head. "Zhong Li, you know, when it comes to saving Lu Wuxie, I also gave him many chances, but he didn't appreciate it."
"You like Mo Cang?" Zhong Li asked.
Cui Ningya remained silent.
Zhong Li knew her guess was correct. "But liking..."
"I know liking is a matter between two people, but I just want it. Is that wrong?" Cui Ningya interrupted Zhong Li with a counter-question.
Zhong Li did not answer immediately. She simply stared at the candlelight in her hands.
After a long pause, she said, "Once upon a time, there was a little girl who was raised as a boy by her parents. Because she had the bloodline of the previous dynasty's royal family, her father believed only a man could inherit the throne.
To train her, her father imparted all the methods of refining poisons and concocting medicines from the Shennü Sect. She thought the Shennü Sect would flourish under her father's leadership. Little did she know that ten years ago, everything about the Shennü Sect was stifled in its infancy by the Grand Secretary of the Dali Temple, Lord Chen, and her father was captured.
Helplessly, she had to rely on her own abilities to find the remnants of the Shennü Sect and continue its legacy. Thus, she found someone who followed her father back then, someone who bore a slight resemblance to her, Tang Yuanhua, whose Taoist name was Xuan Yangzi, correct?"
"Heh! This story is quite well-crafted," Cui Ningya said, looking at Zhong Li with a sneer.
Zhong Li shook her head. "It's not that I've crafted it well, but your plan was truly perfect, almost fooling even me.
When Xuan Qingzi was captured, Lord Chen rescued many disciples he had kept. One was particularly special. Unlike others who cried incessantly, this person was the most composed. He even followed Lord Chen, learned from him, and later achieved success, becoming the county magistrate of Yuxian. Everyone knew he was called Tang Yuanhua.
But this Tang Yuanhua is not that Tang Yuanhua. The person rescued back then was you, wasn't it? It was you, Cui Ningya, who followed Lord Chen, studied with him, and achieved success. You told Lord Chen your name was Tang Yuanhua, you played this role meticulously, and after returning openly to Yuxian, you found the real Tang Yuanhua, had him impersonate you as the county magistrate.
Then you retreated, reverted to being a woman, and became the divine maiden of the Shennü Sect. On the surface, Tang Yuanhua controlled everything, but in reality, you were the mastermind behind it all. To think your actions almost fooled me too."
After listening to Zhong Li's analysis, Cui Ningya pondered for a moment. It seemed she no longer intended to pretend. She nodded. "That's right. I impersonated Tang Yuanhua, and later returned the name to him.
To be honest, he was merely an infatuated follower of my father. After knowing my identity, he obeyed my every command. I needed someone like him, otherwise, how could I execute my plan?"
As she spoke, she took a deep breath. "Zhong Li, you are very intelligent. You could see through my perfect plan, but so what? I want to break you apart. The man I desire, no one can snatch him away! Lu Wuxie is destined to be buried with me!"
"Cui Ningya!" Zhong Li said with a cold laugh. She slowly stood up and walked to Cui Ningya's side. "There's one more thing I forgot to tell you. You were actually abandoned long ago. You were merely a pawn of your father."
"What do you mean?" Cui Ningya frowned, confusion and panic appearing in her eyes.
"Your mother, Ning Qing, was pregnant at the time. If there were no accidents, it was highly likely a boy. So, do you really think she left you to save your father and reunite your family?
If that were the case, why didn't she take you with her? Why leave you alone in Yuxian?" Zhong Li narrowed her eyes and spoke each word precisely.
"Impossible, impossible!" Cui Ningya flinched, shaking her head and mumbling.
Zhong Li asked, "What's impossible about it? Your father is still in the water prison. Why do we know your plan? Wasn't it because he told us?"