Drei Mandarinenten und eineinhalb

Kapitel 97

"Hehe, so are you planning to wear those clothes specifically for wiping people's snot and tears from now on?"

Qingfeng and Ziying exchanged a smile. It seemed their mischievous Xiaojie was back.

"Ying, go check if the food in the kitchen is ready," Qingfeng said to Ying.

"I'll go check!" Leng Jie blurted out, breaking free from Qingfeng's embrace at the same time.

Qingfeng pulled her back abruptly, his gaze fixed on the bandage on her wrist. He said softly:

"You can't leave, I need to treat your injuries."

"I'll go."

Zi Ying wisely slipped away. However, this time he didn't disappear suddenly, but instead walked slowly towards the kitchen. As he walked, he silently mourned for his emperor. He thought that now that Xiao Jie was hurt, if Qing Feng didn't despise her and launched a fierce pursuit, even the coldest heart of Xiao Jie's would melt. Perhaps even if he brought Xiao Jie back to Jinghe, Xuan Yuan Yunli would have no chance. Looking at Qing Feng's guilt and sorrow for Xiao Jie, how could he possibly despise her?

"Alas! Your Majesty, if you could appear now, perhaps there would still be a sliver of hope!" Zi Ying sighed inwardly. After a moment, he sighed again: "Alas! Even if I came, what could I do? How could I, as the emperor, accept Xiao Jie being defiled? Rather than both of us suffering, it would be better to let Xiao Jie go with Qing Feng." Just like that, Ying easily betrayed his emperor master in his heart.

Although Leng Jie tried her best to tell Qing Feng that the wound was well bandaged, Qing Feng still stubbornly dragged Leng Jie to a well-equipped pharmacy, insisting on having it re-bandaged.

Seeing his insistence, Leng Jie didn't object. She let him lead her to the pharmacy. However, she was puzzled. Why didn't he or Zi Ying ask her how she escaped? Or who saved her? Did they know? That seemed unlikely! She pondered as they walked.

Qingfeng carefully unwrapped the bandage and examined the wound inside. His heart skipped a beat, and his hands trembled uncontrollably. The unwrapped bandage slipped gently off. His eyes were fixed on the neatly cut, about an inch long. He seemed to see Xiaojie, unable to bear the humiliation, committing suicide by cutting her wrists. His gaze was filled with astonishment and terror.

"Senior Brother! Senior Brother!" Noticing Qingfeng's strange expression, Leng Jie called his name several times before she could bring him back to his senses. Leng Jie asked, puzzled:

"Senior brother, what are you looking at? The wound was treated very promptly, and there's no redness or inflammation."

"Hmm, it was handled well." Qingfeng came to his senses and began to re-bandage Leng Jie. Only after he finished re-bandaging her did he unable to help but say in an almost pleading tone, "Xiao Jie, promise me that no matter what happens in the future, you will never take your own life."

She hadn't misheard, had she? She attempted suicide? This time, it was Leng Jie's turn to stare wide-eyed at Qingfeng in a daze. After a moment, it dawned on her. No wonder he had such a strange look in his eyes when he saw the wound. So he thought she had cut herself! Then what about the looks he and Zi Ying had given each other earlier? Could it be that they thought she had been... taken advantage of by those stinky men...?

"Ugh!...Ugh!..." Just thinking about those damned men made Leng Jie involuntarily start gagging again.

"What's wrong with you?" As he asked, Qingfeng's fingers were already on Leng Jie's other wrist. A moment later! Qingfeng's face darkened, and he incredulously withdrew his fingers, then placed his other hand on Leng Jie's wrist.

After a wave of nausea, Leng Jie looked up and met Qingfeng's astonished gaze. She couldn't help but wonder: Could he be so surprised because he thinks she's pregnant after being raped? Leng Jie asked mischievously, "..."

"Senior brother, do you not believe in your own medical skills? You can't even detect a pregnancy pulse, can you?"

Are you kidding me? How could Qingfeng, the self-proclaimed miracle doctor, not be able to detect a pregnancy? Not only could he detect her pregnancy, he could also determine the approximate stage of her pregnancy. He simply couldn't accept this cruel reality. Who could bear to see their beloved woman carrying another man's child? If the child truly belonged to those who forced themselves on her, he would have aborted it without hesitation! But now? What should he do? A cold, emotionless question escaped his lips:

Whose child is it?

Uh! It's been so long since I've heard Qingfeng speak to me in such a cold tone. So long that Leng Jie was almost taken aback at first. After a moment of stunned silence, Leng Jie shrugged slightly and replied indifferently:

"The child is inside my belly, so of course it's mine."

"You!" Qingfeng was speechless with frustration at Xiaojie's irrelevant answer. He truly didn't know how to express his annoyance. He could only silently accuse her with his wounded, starry eyes.

What kind of look was that? Why was he looking at her with such resentful eyes? It was as if she were his cheating wife. Leng Jie felt a chill run down her spine from Qingfeng's gaze! She couldn't help but shrink back and shiver.

"Senior brother! Why don't you ask me how I escaped danger?" Leng Jie quickly changed the subject.

Leng Jie's words did indeed divert Qingfeng's attention. This made him focus his attention back on the humiliation Xiao Jie had suffered today because of him. Thinking about this, his heart began to ache again.

If Leng Jie knew Qingfeng's current state of mind, would she regret bringing up this topic? The answer would likely be yes. Because she had already noticed the change in Qingfeng's eyes. His resentful gaze had been replaced by pain and self-reproach. Leng Jie quickly explained:

"Senior brother, don't blame yourself so much! I wasn't harmed by those guards."

But Qingfeng wouldn't listen. He was convinced Leng Jie was trying to comfort him. He hugged Leng Jie tightly again, his voice hoarse as he tried to stop her:

"Xiaojie, stop talking."

Seeing his agitation, Leng Jie knew he still hadn't listened to her. She gently pushed Qingfeng away and pressed his shoulders down with both hands, making him look at her. Then, very seriously, she said to him:

"Qingfeng, calm down. Let me finish. I don't know why you're all so sure I was bullied? But the truth is, I'm really fine. You checked my pulse just now, and you should know I'm perfectly calm. Do you think I could stay calm if I really encountered something like that? Although I may seem carefree and nonchalant, I'm someone who holds grudges. Do you think I could joke around with you after suffering so much humiliation?"

"Then why did you cut your wrists and torture yourself?" Qingfeng asked, completely disbelieving.

She knew she wasn't wrong; he indeed believed she had cut herself. Leng Jie shook her head and replied:

"I didn't cut myself. With my personality, even if I were really bullied, I would only hurt others. Those who hurt me. How could I help others hurt myself? Is the Leng Jie you know that stupid? Even if I really went back to my old stupid self, I wouldn't know how to hurt myself, would I?"

Good heavens! Why is it that she, the one who was clearly frightened, has to comfort others? Leng Jie thought resentfully. If it weren't for the heartbreaking sight of Qingfeng, she wouldn't have bothered to explain!

"You didn't cut her? They wanted to kill you!" He had always known the Empress wouldn't dare kill Xiao Jie, but now, hearing that they actually wanted to kill her, this realization made him even angrier and more unable to accept it than before. Or rather, it was shock! Qingfeng's gaze instantly turned terrifyingly violent and gloomy. His teeth gritted so hard they made a grinding sound. After a long while, he finally managed to squeeze out a sentence from between his teeth, a sentence cold enough to instantly freeze boiling water:

"These beasts! Letting them die like that was too easy for them. I will exterminate their entire clan!"

Leng Jie was truly speechless. Why had she told him it was impossible? However, she completely agreed with the first half of Qingfeng's statement. Therefore, she simply nodded in agreement:

"Indeed, they died too easily!"

They finally reached a consensus. Qingfeng's gaze softened slightly. Leng Jie took a deep breath and then said:

"But they didn't inflict this injury. It was the person who rescued me."

"The person who saved you wants to kill you? Who is that person? Where is he?" Qingfeng's gaze turned violent and sinister once more, his voice becoming even more icy and sharp. Perhaps it was because he had finally found someone to take revenge on. He felt his blood boiling.

But fate had decreed that his blood would be frozen. Leng Jie's next words froze his boiling blood.

"He didn't want to kill me. If he hadn't saved me, if he had wanted to kill me, or if he had even the slightest intention to harm me, I probably wouldn't be here in front of you. The vicious old hag not only had my acupoints sealed, but she also took all my weapons and equipment. She even took off my life-saving ring that I never took off. You could say that I was like meat on someone's chopping board, at their mercy."

"I'm sorry! Xiaojie! I'm so sorry!" Qingfeng's emotions shifted little by little as Leng Jie narrated. In the end, he felt that he had no other words to express his remorse except to say sorry.

"Why are you apologizing! This has nothing to do with you, does it? You can only blame myself for being too confident and underestimating you." Leng Jie patted Qingfeng's shoulder a few times, pulling him out of his guilt. Looking intently into his eyes, she said seriously:

“I saw you use the ‘Paradise Pill’ on them. Although I felt a sense of satisfaction, you shouldn’t have done that. No matter how hateful they are, they are still your biological parents. You should have left them with me. Let me personally collect my debt. I have already cured them of the poison and had them taken to the guest rooms.”

"Why? Why give them the antidote?" Qingfeng asked in disappointment. Was it simply because he had the blood of those two beasts flowing in his veins? Did that mean he didn't even deserve to avenge her?

"Because I don't want them to die so easily! If I don't give them the antidote, they would have already laughed themselves to death. Then I won't have anyone to avenge my family. I won't let them die until the anger in my heart has subsided," Leng Jie replied coldly.

"Really not because of me?" Qingfeng asked, still somewhat doubtful.

Leng Jie said very seriously, "I just don't want you to bear the guilt of patricide and matricide because of me. But the crimes they committed cannot be offset just because you are his son, can they? Besides, they have no right to be your parents."

Qingfeng finally smiled. Though it was so slight it was almost invisible to the naked eye, Leng Jie could sense it.

A gentle breeze caressed Leng Jie's hair as she spoke tenderly:

"Xiaojie, thank you!"

"So now you believe what I said, right?" Leng Jie asked helplessly. She should be the one being comforted, but instead, she's the one comforting others. Both Gao and Leng Jie felt a pang of self-pity, wondering if they were being too understanding.

"I've always believed in you!" Qingfeng replied sheepishly.

Leng Jie didn't expose him, but smiled and said, "Now can you calmly listen to me finish telling the whole story?"

While Leng Jie was recounting her ordeal of being murdered and rescued to Qing Feng, Xuan Yuan and Yang Pu had already arrived at the palace.

One hundred and twenty-six double-faced Xuanyuan

Xuanyuan and Yangpu both entered the palace by leaping over the wall. In their haste, they didn't have time to search slowly like Xiaojie and Ziying had done. He grabbed a eunuch, held a sword to his neck, and forced him to reveal the location of the First Prince's residence. The two quickly found Qingfeng Hall. They leaped over the side courtyard wall, and as soon as they landed, Xuanyuan knew they were in the right place. He couldn't help but mutter under his breath:

"That wretched Qingfeng, setting up an array in his own yard!"

But at the same time, I was also worried about what trouble he had encountered, that someone as capable as him would need to protect himself like this.

"Have we entered the formation? No wonder the artificial hills and trees in this courtyard seemed to be moving," Yang Pu exclaimed in surprise. He then asked:

"If we can't break the formation, does that mean we can't get out?"

Xuanyuan returned his gaze with a look that said, "You're not too stupid," and then began to look around, hoping to find a way to break the formation.

Seeing that the sect leader did not reply, Yang Pu thought for a moment and said:

"Then let's shout! As soon as we shout, Young Master Qingfeng and the others will hear us!"

Xuanyuan turned around and glared at him, then said coldly:

"Then why didn't you just go through the main gate and have someone announce your arrival? Did you want to attract a large crowd of eunuchs?"

Yang Pu pursed his lips and muttered under his breath, "That's still better than being stuck here!"

"Where are the signal flares I asked you to bring? Now is the time to use them?" Xuanyuan's voice remained icy.

"Oh right! How could I forget!" Yang Pu slapped his forehead, suddenly realizing what he had done. He then quickly untied the bundle he was carrying and found a signal flare they had made based on the handwritten instructions left by Leng Jie. He carefully pulled the fuse.

With a "whoosh!" a spark rose into the sky above Qingfeng Palace. Little did people know that these two rising sparks were later interpreted by popular enthusiasts as the succession of two new emperors. As a result, signal flares were fired every time a new emperor died or ascended the throne in Beifeng.

Zi Ying, who had just come out of the kitchen, suddenly saw another signal flare going off. He naturally assumed it was Xiao Jie and Qing Feng playing around. He unconsciously shook his head and sighed.

"Alas! Your Majesty, even if you skin me alive, I still can't help you."

He then headed towards the side courtyard; he needed to call them for dinner! None of them had eaten all day. When he slowly arrived at the side courtyard, one glance at what he saw almost made him collapse.

Good heavens! Who did he see? Was he delirious? He rubbed his eyes in disbelief, then shook his head. It was true! Who else could those two people trapped in the formation, yet so unperturbed, be but the Emperor and Yangpu?

Shouldn't they be on the battlefield? Why are they here? I can't think about that now. Purple Shadow has already charged into the formation.

"Second Master!" Yang Pu exclaimed in surprise.

"Where is Xiaojie?" Xuanyuan asked anxiously.

"Why is the Emperor here?" Zi Ying asked in surprise.

The three men spoke almost simultaneously, then paused for a moment, all waiting for the other's reply! In the end, the emperor was still the supreme ruler.

Xuanyuan stared intently at Ziying and asked again:

"Where are Xiaojie and Qingfeng?"

Zi Ying's heart skipped a beat. Trouble was brewing. Should he tell the Emperor about Xiao Jie's accident? Could the Emperor accept what Xiao Jie had gone through? If he couldn't, would he do something to harm Xiao Jie?

"Shadow!" Xuanyuan shouted, pulling the distracted Ziying back to reality.

Zi Ying's eyes flickered involuntarily; he dared not meet Xuan Yuan's sharp phoenix gaze. He realized that in this matter, the person he most wanted to help was Xiao Jie, not the Emperor. He needed to figure out how to minimize the harm done to Xiao Jie.

"Has something happened to them?" Xuanyuan seemed to glean something from Ziying's evasive gaze. Before Ziying could think of a response, he guessed first. Seeing that Ziying didn't refute him, he knew he was right. Xuanyuan placed his hands heavily on Ziying's shoulders and anxiously questioned her:

"Where are they? What happened to them? Tell me!"

"Second Master, please speak quickly!" Yang Pu urged as well.

Zi Ying looked up and met Xuan Yuan's phoenix eyes. He decided to let the Emperor know the truth first. If he couldn't accept it, he would let him leave while Xiao Jie was unaware of his arrival. He had long seen that Xiao Jie had feelings for the Emperor. He thought this would minimize the harm to Xiao Jie. Zi Ying finally understood, and he replied decisively:

"Qingfeng is bandaging Xiaojie's wound."

"You hurt Xiaojie!" As Xuanyuan spoke, he swung his fist and smashed it into Ziying's chin.

"Smack!" Zi Ying took the punch head-on without dodging. A lot of bright red liquid immediately seeped from the corner of her mouth.

"Take me to see her now!" Xuanyuan coldly commanded.