The Foolish Agent

Chapter 51

"You're awake! That's wonderful. I was worried you might have suffered a concussion or become a vegetable!" Leng Jie came in carrying a large bunch of herbs and saw Xuan Yuan sitting there in a daze with a smile on his face, and said excitedly.

"What is a vegetative state?" Xuanyuan asked casually.

"Uh! Why is she using modern terms again!" Leng Jie glanced at Xuan Yuan, who was waiting expectantly for her answer, and thought for a moment before replying, "It means 'living dead.' You didn't even have a pulse or heartbeat yesterday; it almost scared me to death."

"Then how did you save me?" Xuanyuan asked with a smile. "With internal energy, right? But I remember you said you didn't use internal energy to heal yourself!"

Leng Jie put down the herbs in her hand and sat down beside Xuan Yuan to take his pulse. Seeing that his pulse had returned to normal, all her worries disappeared. She then smiled and replied, "In that situation, I could only treat a dead dragon as a living one. Fortunately, your dragon is a real dragon, protected by the gods. You regained your divine power after a good night's sleep. It seems that all the herbs I gathered were useless."

As Leng Jie was about to release Xuan Yuan's wrist after speaking, he grabbed it back.

"Xiao Jie!"

"What a sexy voice!" Leng Jie trembled involuntarily. However, she quickly regained her composure, gracefully withdrawing her hand, and said seriously:

"Please speak."

"Would you like to come back to the palace with me?" Xuanyuan suddenly asked in a pleading tone.

This time, Leng Jie didn't just shudder; she froze completely. She remembered how they had fallen. After a long silence, Leng Jie swallowed hard and cautiously asked:

"Can you tell me when you found out? Did Qingfeng tell you?" Because it was something that happened after she became mentally unstable, only Qingfeng knew! She couldn't help but suspect that he was a traitor.

"Are you asking about your elopement? Qingfeng told you that the day Shi Yu proposed to you. But don't worry, I already said that. Your marriage is your own decision. No one can interfere." Noticing the surprise and confusion in her eyes, Xuanyuan paused, then gazed at Leng Jie and continued:

"However, I hope you will... you will choose me." Before she could finish, she was interrupted by Leng Jie's excited voice.

"Are you serious? I get to decide my own marriage? You're speaking in the name of the Emperor, right?!" Realizing what was happening, Leng Jie was so excited she almost hugged Xuan Yuan. However, now that she had discovered the abnormality of this body, she naturally wouldn't do anything that would cause trouble or get her into trouble. Instead, she rubbed her hands together excitedly and asked.

Seeing her happy, Xuanyuan felt very happy too. He replied confidently:

"Yes, I agree in the name of the Emperor. How could such a man be worthy of you! Don't worry, leave the matter of annulment to me and your senior brother."

"Ah!" Was he being modest? Did he think he wasn't good enough for her? Or did he simply not know the truth? Leng Jie turned her head and cautiously asked Xuan Yuan:

"Why did you just ask me to go back to the palace? Do you want me to become a princess again?"

Xuanyuan gazed back at her with deep affection. He raised his hand to take Leng Jie's hand, but she gently brushed it away with her hand. His confidence was shattered once more, and the words he was about to say remained stuck in his throat.

"What's so hard to say? You don't mean to make me come back with you to serve you as a palace maid, do you?" From Xuanyuan's reaction, Leng Jie already knew the answer. She didn't know what Qingfeng had told them, but he certainly hadn't mentioned that she was a fool. That was enough. So she reverted to her mischievous nature and asked:

"Xuanyuan, tell me honestly, why are there no palace maids in your Dragon Palace? Why did you give away the beautiful Consort Shui to someone else? Why are you so unwilling to take in a concubine?"

Xuanyuan shifted his piercing gaze from Leng Jie, staring blankly at the cave entrance. He was wondering whether to tell her the truth. Would she look down on him? Would she accept him?

To be honest, Leng Jie was really curious about this. She had asked several times but hadn't gotten an answer. Was he gay? He didn't seem to have that inclination. But seeing Xuan Yuan remain silent, Leng Jie didn't press him further, thinking he might have some unspeakable reason. Anyway, as long as he didn't know she was that foolish empress, that was fine. She got up to get something to eat. But seeing his dejected expression, she sat back down and casually comforted him:

"Actually, you don't need to feel inferior. Liking someone has no gender distinction. If you really like my senior, you can confess to him..."

Without warning, Leng Jie's delicate cherry-like lips were firmly sealed by two moist, thin lips. A jolt of electric shock instantly coursed through her body. Leng Jie stared in astonishment at the face looming before her, raising her hand to push him away. But he dodged first.

"I like you, not your senior brother. If you really are a man, then I'm willing to be gay!"

"Xuanyuan said with a roguish grin, touching his lips. His manner was both alluring and seductive. Leng Jie couldn't help but feel her cheeks flush and her body go hot. Heavens! Was this devilish devil seducing her? She thought, if he weren't the emperor, if he weren't this body's husband, she would definitely ravage him to her heart's content, devour him completely, and then abandon him. But there were no ifs. In fact, this was a man she couldn't afford to offend. Suppressing the heat in her body, she turned and walked towards the cave entrance. But she had only taken two steps when a pair of iron arms tightly encircled her from behind, pulling her into a strong chest."

Leng Jie tried to kick her leg to break free, but found that her body was not under her control at all. Her whole body was weak and powerless, and she involuntarily leaned against Xuan Yuan.

"You used muscle-relaxing powder on me?" Leng Jie asked in surprise.

"If my love for you is a weakness, then I won't deny it."

"That damned devil, is he deliberately trying to burn her with lust? All he did was say he was gay, did he have to treat her like this? But this damned body of hers is so uncooperative." Leng Jie thought bitterly. The heat in her body grew stronger and stronger. If she hadn't already experienced something like this last night, Leng Jie would have thought that Xuan Yuan had given her some kind of aphrodisiac.

She was now certain that there was something wrong with this body. No, she would never allow her brain to be controlled by her body. Since this body was now hers, it should belong to her completely. Without hesitation, she placed her tongue between her teeth and bit down hard.

"ah!"

The pain finally gave the body its strength.

The sudden scream startled Xuanyuan. He pulled her sharply, turning her around to face him. You's face darkened, and he roared:

"What are you doing? Do you hate me that much? To the point of biting your tongue and committing suicide!"

Leng Jie ignored his roar, chuckling as she wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth. Then, with a gulp, she swallowed the blood along with her saliva. She met Xuan Yuan's angry gaze with a challenging look and said casually:

"It's okay, I won't die! Besides, I don't want to die anyway."

If she didn't want to die, then she was deliberately warning him! I never expected that she, who usually seemed so carefree and unconventional like a man, would be so chaste in this regard. Xuanyuan immediately released his hands from Leng Jie's shoulders, lowered his eyes, and replied somberly:

"I understand! Don't worry, if you don't want to, I'll never touch you again."

"Actually, it's not your fault. I just don't like feeling controlled." Unable to bear Xuan Yuan's dejected expression, Leng Jie blurted out the truth. "But you'd better keep your distance from me! That way, we'll both be safe."

Unfortunately, Xuanyuan couldn't understand. Seeing the blood at the corner of her mouth, his heart ached. He raised his hand to wipe it away, but halfway there, he suddenly remembered he couldn't touch her, and abruptly stopped, asking with heartache:

"Does it hurt? I'm sorry! I shouldn't have acted so impulsively!"

He didn't know that for Leng Jie, being hugged or kissed in that situation was nothing special.

"Are you hungry? I found some food." To ease the awkward atmosphere, Leng Jie quickly changed the subject. She squatted down, grabbed a handful of houttuynia cordata, and handed it to Xuan Yuan, saying, "Here, these roots can be eaten raw. And they're very good for your wound healing."

She found some sour leaves that could stop bleeding and put them in her mouth. The sour juice irritated the wound on her tongue, causing her to wince in pain. Her face contorted in agony, looking as ugly as could be.

Xuanyuan imitated her, putting the grass in his mouth and biting into it, tasting nothing. His eyes remained fixed on her with deep affection and tenderness. The more he looked at her, the more beautiful she seemed, and the more he wanted to hold her in his arms. But having learned his lesson earlier, he dared not cross the line again.

He suddenly remembered that she had misunderstood him again, thinking he liked Qingfeng. He found himself afraid she would misunderstand. So, without thinking, he told her what she had just asked:

"From a young age, I couldn't bear to be touched by any woman other than my mother. The moment she did, I would burst into tears. Therefore, my mother never allowed palace maids to serve me. After my mother passed away when I was seven, my father made up for all his guilt by placing it on me. But my father didn't know that when he was gone, his concubines were also venting all their resentment towards my mother on me. From then on, I began to hate women. After I became emperor, the ministers said that the emperor's palace couldn't be without palace maids. Eunuch Fu arranged for some to enter the Longteng Palace. But they all tried every possible way to…"

"You want to get into your bed, don't you? So you chased all the palace maids away?" Seeing that Xuanyuan couldn't bring himself to say it, Leng Jie spoke up for him. Thinking it over, she added, "And what would your reaction be if you had contact with a woman?"

"On the day I came of age, my father forcibly threw a naked woman onto my bed, and I vomited for three days as a result," Xuanyuan replied, bowing his head.

Leng Jie stared at him in astonishment, asking distrustfully, "Don't tell me you're still......"

Xuanyuan knew what she wanted to say and immediately interrupted, "No, when I was five years old, my mother brought Yin'er back from outside the palace. She was two years younger than me, and my mother took her in as her disciple. We addressed each other as brother and sister. She was very innocent and lovely, and the only woman I didn't dislike at the time. Before my mother passed away, she told me to take good care of her and that we should get married when we grew up and then leave the palace together. I didn't know what marriage was at the time, so I agreed. Later, we grew up together..."

"And what about her? Did you get married?" Seeing that Xuanyuan seemed lost in memories, Leng Jie urged him.

"Three years ago, on my elder brother's birthday, my elder brother and I got drunk. When I woke up the next day, I found Yin'er sleeping next to me."

"Are you alright now?" Leng Jie asked curiously.

"No, I still vomited violently. Yin'er cried for a long time because of it. It broke my heart to see her like that, and I promised her that I would marry her no matter what. From then on, she would often throw herself into my arms. But every time, I would vomit violently. Later, I couldn't bear it anymore, so I told my father that I wanted to go to the martial world to gain experience. I only wanted to leave temporarily, planning to marry her as soon as I returned. But who knew…"

Leng Jie seemed to see his disgusting expression and, suppressing a laugh, asked, "This is a typical psychological problem. And then? How did you overcome it?"

Xuanyuan continued, "When I went out, I was chased and killed..."

"Stop! You can skip this part; I already know that from my senior. Just tell me about your voice and how she overcame the difficulties."

Regret and pain immediately flashed across Xuanyuan's face. After a long silence, he finally spoke, "I never saw her again. When I returned to the palace, I only found a letter she left in her room. In the letter, she said that Father Emperor knew she was pregnant with my child. But Father Emperor couldn't tolerate her and the child because he had already chosen an Empress for me. She said she didn't blame me, and that we would only be husband and wife again in the next life..."

"Just because of this, you hate the Empress and the Prime Minister? Do you think that if it weren't for her, your Yin'er wouldn't have left?" Leng Jie couldn't help but ask coldly.

“I hate the Empress and I hate myself. If I hadn’t left the palace, or if I had taken her with me as my mother wished, then she wouldn’t have been in this situation.”

"What about the Empress? Do you think this is fair to her? You can only blame your father for messing things up. Have you ever thought about deposing the Empress?" Leng Jie probed. "I think you should set the Empress free."

Xuanyuan looked up expectantly and said, "If I depose the empress, would you be willing to marry me? I know you can't accept me right now. But I'm willing to wait. Until you no longer dislike me."

"Cough!" Leng Jie nearly choked on her saliva. He wanted to marry her? His actions just now weren't impulsive, but serious. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Did this mean her charm was greater than the charm of her body itself? Or was it because she wasn't the deposed empress he hated anymore? Instead of answering, Leng Jie asked:

"So how did you overcome those difficulties? You've had physical contact with me more than once or twice. Why don't I see any reaction from you? Or do you still see me as a man?"

Xuanyuan stared intently at Leng Jie and said seriously:

"At first, I didn't dislike you because you were a man. But after I found out you were a girl, I not only didn't dislike you, I wanted to get closer to you. Don't you understand why?"

"So, you want to marry me because your body doesn't reject me. That girl, Yin'er, is the opposite. You want to marry her in your heart, but your body doesn't accept her. Is that right?" Leng Jie summarized for him. Then, very seriously, he said:

"Then I'll tell you very seriously. My body wants to marry you because you're really handsome. But my heart doesn't want to marry you because I don't want my body to control my mind. So, do you still want to marry me?"

What did she say? Because he's good-looking, she wants to marry him? What does "want to marry" mean? What does she take him for? And what does she consider herself to be? Xuanyuan stared blankly at Leng Jie, unable to utter a word for a long time.

Leng Jie knew he had nothing to say, so she continued, "Let's not talk about this anymore. What we need to talk about now is figuring out how to get out. I just went out for a walk and found that this is a very large valley. It's surrounded by mountains, and the scenery is quite nice. At this time of year, except for the frozen pool where we fell in, it's winter here, just like outside. The surrounding area is all spring and summer scenery."

"Then we won't be able to get out? But the one-month deadline is almost up. If we don't get out soon, the court will be in turmoil again," Xuanyuan said worriedly.

"Now you know to worry about the court? Why didn't you think about your status when you jumped down? I really don't know what to say to you. Although your father forced you to be emperor, you did it, so you have to be responsible for this job." Leng Jie couldn't help but lecture her again.

"Work?" Xuanyuan asked Leng Jie, puzzled.

Leng Jie explained, "You don't need to see the throne as a burden. Just treat it like an ordinary job. Think about it, doesn't everyone have to work? Just like you, the leader of the Dragon Gate, you did a pretty good job. And you didn't feel any burden, right? It's the same for the emperor. It's just that you have more things to manage and more people to deal with."

Chapter Eighty-Seven Heartwarming Moments

Those below the cliff faced life and death countless times, barely escaping with their lives. Those on the cliff were not idle either.

Seeing that the truth had been exposed, the Shangguan father and son tried to slip away while everyone was anxious to save the man. Qingfeng, preoccupied with saving lives, had no time to deal with them. He directly gave each of them a "tendon-exploding pill," causing the father and son excruciating pain that made them wish they were dead. Shi Yu then ordered soldiers to surround the Shangguan residence and the manor.

The grand martial arts gathering ended inexplicably. Shocked, the martial artists from all sects departed, except for the two leaders of the Dragon Gate who remained to await their arrival.

Everyone said that falling off that cliff would be certain death, but Shi Yu and Qing Feng refused to believe it. Shi Yu ordered all the ropes in the city to be collected, intending to weave them into two enormous, thick, super-long ropes. However, collecting and weaving ropes was not something that could be done overnight.

After eating two meals of grass roots, Leng Jie wanted to find some wild game like a pheasant or rabbit to fill her stomach. However, she searched the entire valley but couldn't find a single chicken feather or rabbit droppings. Besides plants, there wasn't even a mouse to be found. Leng Jie was really puzzled; this place should be perfect for small animals! How could there be nothing there?

Unable to find anything of value on land, she set her sights on the icy pool. The ice hole they had smashed open the day before had solidified again overnight. Leng Jie found a large rock and smashed it open, creating another ice hole. But to her disappointment, she couldn't see a single fish beneath the ice.

Finally, she had no choice but to resign herself to transforming into a little rabbit and returning to the shore to find grass to eat. The land was filled with green grass and wildflowers, but most of them were completely unfamiliar to Leng Jie. She wouldn't just eat anything she didn't recognize. She wasn't as noble as Shennong, willing to transform herself into grass. Besides, those incredibly beautiful flowers immediately reminded her of poppies. The more beautiful something is, the more poisonous it is—this is a natural law, and the first rule of survival in the wild.

Having already searched the area that morning, Leng Jie only found a small amount of edible grass roots this time. She carried the grass back to the bamboo grove and the clear stream she had seen earlier. She washed the grass with the stream water, then washed her face. She cut down a large bamboo stalk, made two small bamboo cups, and cut a long bamboo tube to fill a bucket with stream water before returning to the cave.

Xuanyuan, who was in charge of gathering firewood, was already waiting for her at the cave entrance. Seeing Leng Jie return looking dejected, he quickly got up to greet her and asked with concern:

"What's wrong with Xiaojie?"

"Looks like we've turned into herbivores," Leng Jie replied lazily. Then, she suddenly frowned and asked:

"Xuanyuan! Why is this place so strange? We can't find a single other animal besides the two of us. Look at this environment, it should be a paradise of birdsong and fragrant flowers, right? But have you heard a single bird call? I've circled around several times, and I haven't even seen a butterfly."

After looking around, Xuanyuan nodded in agreement:

“I also feel something’s not right. It’s too quiet here. It looks like spring or summer, but there isn’t even a croaking of frogs.”

"Forget it, let's just hope our senior brothers can find a way to rescue us soon!"

As she spoke, Leng Jie entered the cave and placed what she was carrying on a clean rock. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her lower abdomen, and she involuntarily clutched her stomach and groaned, "Ouch!"

Xuan Yuan, who had followed him in, saw Leng Jie suddenly clutch her stomach and crouch down, groaning in pain. Her face turned pale, and cold sweat poured from her forehead like raindrops. He was so anxious that he didn't care if she was offended; he rushed over, supported her shoulders, and asked:

"Is it a stomachache? Could it be poisoning?" He grabbed her wrist and began to take her pulse. There were no signs of poisoning in her pulse! Only her yin meridians were somewhat disordered. Xuan Yuan paused, looking at Leng Jie as if unsure how to speak.

"How are you? Are you really poisoned? I was being very careful!" Seeing Xuanyuan pause for a moment, Leng Jie asked through her pain.