Peerless Heiress - Chapter 85
"Yes. That man wasn't accompanied by any of Crown Prince Ke's secret guards, and his behavior was completely different from Crown Prince Ke's. He was very affectionate with Lord Lin Ran, repeatedly calling him 'Little Yan'er,' while Lord Lin seemed to call him 'Master.' I didn't see that man use martial arts, but he must have very high internal strength. I personally witnessed him combining several gold ingots and shaping them into a small rabbit, which he then presented to Lord Lin." At this point, the spy's voice trembled slightly. Such hard gold would require melting it into molten gold and then re-forging it in a furnace to make a golden rabbit, yet that man accomplished it effortlessly with his hands.
Lin Ye couldn't help but change color and looked up at his adult.
Mo Yu's expression remained unchanged, but after a moment of silence, his eyes flickered slightly. "Where is she?"
"Huh?" The spy didn't react immediately and looked at Lin Ye. Lin Ye explained, "What was Lord Lin's reaction?"
"Lord Lin seemed very happy and immediately jumped up to snatch it."
"Where did they go now?" Lin Ye glanced at his adult and turned to ask.
"Still on the street, on my way back to Zhongfangyuan."
Lin Ye waved, the spy bowed, stood up, turned a corner, and disappeared into the shadows behind the screen.
"Young Master, should we arrest him first and then discuss it further?" Lin Ye pondered for a moment before speaking.
Chapter 181: Destabilizing Factors
He knew a little about the young master's affairs. When the old master passed away, he urgently summoned the young master back and left instructions that the young master must do his best to protect Tianxing and that Tianxing should not be in great danger during the young master's lifetime. The young master has always been very filial, and because of this promise, he has been trapped in Huaicheng.
He had followed the young master for many years, and their friendship began when the young master was sixteen years old and single-handedly rode a thousand miles to save two hundred thousand border troops. At that time, he was just a junior officer under the old master who had not yet made a name for himself. The young master was weak and collapsed at the foot of the mountain when he rushed there, and he was rescued by chance. Later, in that battle, he was in danger on the battlefield several times, and the young master saved him each time. After the battle, he followed the young master.
Since the passing of the old master, the young master has devoted himself to maintaining the stability of Tianxing. The young master he saw was the same as the young master in everyone's eyes: elegant in demeanor, noble in bearing, and with a warm smile. He was like a spring breeze to those who saw him, and he was dazzling wherever he went, making people yearn for him.
Lin Ye had always been proud of this, but only in the quiet of the night would he occasionally think of the young master, and subconsciously feel a pang of sadness. This puzzled him, and it wasn't until much later that he suddenly realized it was because of the young master's eyes. The young master's eyes were always clear and cold, indifferent as if he didn't live among people, as if he wasn't a favored son of heaven surrounded by people, but rather as if he lived on a cliff at the ends of the earth. Especially the way the young master looked at the sky alone, so elegant and perfect, with a calm smile, yet it made him feel sad.
Fortunately, over the years, the young master has always been able to accomplish what he wanted to do, and he has always done an excellent job of keeping his promises to the old master. Under the young master's protection, even when the king was ill for many years and the crown prince was traveling the world, studying hard and having no time to attend to the country, Tianxing remained relatively stable and peaceful.
The young master is naturally lazy and unwilling to meddle in trivial matters, but everything in Tianxing has always been under his control. Except for one thing.
It was that girl. Thinking of her, Lin Ye couldn't help but recall the humiliation he'd suffered repeatedly, the greatest insults of his life. But what bothered him most wasn't himself, but the young master. With that one mischievous girl around, how much more trouble had the young master had to worry about? Ever since that girl appeared, all sorts of unsettling factors seemed to have gathered, and each one was connected to her!
First of all, she herself was a dangerous individual with an unknown origin, having seemingly descended from the sky. Although she later built a flying machine to take them into the air, which somewhat explained her sudden appearance, it still felt eerie. Then, the small gangs in Huaicheng merged, and the few that resisted were wiped out, forming some kind of "Xiaoyao Gang"—and that girl even dared to disguise herself as a man and become its leader?!
Then the whole city made a bet, wagering on whether her disguised identity as "Lin Ran" or the young master's charm was superior. Almost everyone in the city participated in the bet, almost causing chaos. Fortunately, nothing serious happened. Later, it was discovered that she had secretly orchestrated it. What infuriated Lin Ye the most was that that mischievous brat actually managed to tie the bet with the young master. The whole city agreed that the two were equally charming. Upon hearing the result, the young master laughed heartily, while he was so angry he almost twisted his nose.
After a couple of days of peace and quiet, this brat somehow dragged the Crown Prince into it. Humph, this Crown Prince, who just returned from his travels not long ago, seems to be under some kind of spell. He actually trusts this brat so much that he listened to her and wrote something about "mosquito meat, heron and quail meat," and even went so far as to stamp it with his personal seal, completely disregarding the situation in the court and the impact and turmoil his actions would cause. Even the young master was so angry that he didn't speak for days.
Chapter 182: The Green Shadows Moving By
As expected, chaos erupted, causing widespread panic and infighting within the court, nearly escalating into chaos. Fortunately, that wretched girl knew how to clean up the mess, otherwise the young master would have been in even more trouble. Although the young master is unwilling to concern himself with state affairs, only concerned with the national security he promised the old master, when internal strife is truly imminent, he may find himself unable to remain indifferent. Internal strife can indeed be a major event that could lead to national instability.
Unexpectedly, that brat's mess-tidying up actually produced a Left Prime Minister! Ha! When Lin Ye heard the news, he almost fell over. His hands, which were holding onto the table, were trembling uncontrollably. His mouth opened and he forgot to close it, muttering to himself. Only one thought was running wild in his mind: This girl seems to have really gotten into dressing up as a man. Thinking about it, he couldn't help but sigh. It seems that the young master will not be at ease again. With such a troublemaking girl as the Left Prime Minister, how can the young master be at ease?
And so, after only a few days as Left Prime Minister, he's already offended the Great Wei's Marshal, and suddenly a guy with astonishingly high internal strength has appeared by his side—someone who can mold gold ingots into golden rabbits—and what's more, this guy looks exactly like the Crown Prince...
He was actually her master?!
This girl's sect has always been shrouded in mystery, filled with strange occurrences, the flying device being the most bizarre of them all. Lin Ye had always imagined her master to be a white-haired, otherworldly elder, but who knew she would turn out to be such a remarkably handsome young man! It's unbelievable... Just what kind of sect are they...?
Lin Ye shook his head violently, trying his best to suppress the strange feeling that suddenly arose in his heart. He raised his head and asked again, "Young master, should we arrest him?"
Although the young man appeared frail, as the girl's master, he commanded respect. Even if his martial arts skills weren't exceptional, he must possess unpredictable and mysterious abilities. The more impressive this was, the higher the danger level. Who knew what they were up to? Therefore, as long as the young master gave the order, he would lead all his brothers, risking their lives, to capture that guy and interrogate him thoroughly to find out who he was, why he had suddenly descended the mountain and what his purpose was.
The young master remained silent for a long time. When Lin Ye looked up, he saw the young master pursing his lips, his expression somewhat cold, his eyes deep and unfathomable, staring intently at a certain spot outside the window.
Following the young master's gaze, three people were walking on the street: the girl, the one who looked very much like the crown prince, and Xu Youzhi, the son of a noble family—the one who was said to be extremely fond of painting, but whose paintings were somewhat terrible, and who was so angry with his father that he was almost kicked out of the house.
The three chased each other, running and playing in the street, attracting the attention of passersby. Only they themselves were oblivious, acting as if no one else was around. Especially the girl, who darted about like a green shadow, her clear laughter echoing all the way.
Chapter 183: First Test of Skill
As soon as we left Huaihu and turned into the street, I immediately let go of my master, reached out my hand, and said, "Give it to me."
"What?" Master looked bewildered and even winked at me.
I rolled my eyes and scoffed dismissively, "Stop pretending, hurry up and give it to me."
Although I didn't see anything, I might not know others, but is there anyone I don't know about this damn monster? This damn monster has always been a germaphobe. Why would he pat someone on the shoulder for no reason? Pfft, don't make me laugh. I don't need to guess to know that Cheng Jue is probably only wearing clothes right now.
My master, having been seen through, chuckled and pulled a stack of silver notes, a few jade pendants, and finally a few loose gold and silver ingots from his sleeve... That's it? I stared wide-eyed... The silver notes weren't anything special; although there were many, I was quite wealthy in this time and space, so this stack was nothing to me. The loose gold and silver ingots were even less of a concern.
Only those few jade pendants... I took them and examined them repeatedly against the light, then handed them one by one to my master. The Gate of Time and Space could pierce the void, so it must carry unique spiritual power; my master, an ancient demon, could sense it. I stared intently at my master, watching him shake his head at each one. I couldn't help but feel extremely disappointed.
It's not a portal to another time or space. It's neither.
I pushed my master's hand away and complained, "Master, how come you couldn't even steal the portal to another dimension? And you brag that no one in the world can catch you when you steal things?! Pshaw!"
The master looked completely innocent, pouting her red lips in grievance, "How could you say that, little Yan'er? It makes it sound like your master often steals things from others..."
The dead monster kept babbling on, and when it saw me glancing at it sideways, it awkwardly touched its nose. "Uh, if he doesn't carry it with him, there's nothing Master can do."
That's true... I listlessly lowered my head and kicked at the pebbles at my feet.
My master was muttering something to himself. Suddenly, I remembered something. "Master, why haven't you shown up for so long? Could it be that Yuwen Ke really sealed you into your blood?" If that's true, it'll be troublesome. Your disciple doesn't know how to break the curse, and I don't know any experts in this time and space. I might not be able to save you.
My master rolled her eyes at me and flicked my forehead. "You brat, do you really want me sealed away? You even want to find a powerful expert to break the curse? That kid's blood is strong, but who am I, his master? How could I be so easily controlled and sealed? Although I only have less than a tenth of the spiritual power I can use in this time and space, it's more than enough to protect myself. Don't worry. I was just too lazy to risk showing myself in the palace. That brat just came out today, and I knocked him out and ran away myself, didn't I?"
I covered my head and glared at my master, but hearing what he said relieved me completely. The next second, I jumped up again, angrily grabbing my master's neck and yelling, "You damned monster, who gave you permission to read my thoughts again?"
My master exaggeratedly rolled his eyes, looking like he was about to die. I snorted and withdrew my hand.
"Hehe, Little Yan'er, are you angry?" Master shrank back, sticking his head out in front of me, then shrank his neck again, looking pitiful. "I forgot."
Suddenly, I was about to slap him, but I stopped involuntarily just before he reached my master's face. My master blinked his beautiful yet bewitching long, slanted eyes, his pupils filled with misty, dark, and ethereal light. His eyelashes were long and black, his features were exquisite and beautiful, and his skin was fair with a slight rosy glow, smooth and lustrous, without a single pore visible.
Hmph! This damned monster, no matter who it possesses, makes them a hundred times more beautiful. It's almost unbearable to ruin that beauty; it's truly perverted. Is being ordinary really that unbearable? This guy just has a vain obsession. Oh well, I can't be bothered with him. Back to kicking pebbles.