Li Yi unfolded the imperial edict that had just been delivered from the capital by express courier yesterday, and couldn't help but smile. He thought to himself: Although we lost some manpower this time, being able to take advantage of Father's anger to stay in Jiangnan and thoroughly investigate this matter is actually a win-win situation. First, once we return to the capital, Father will likely strip me of my military power, so it's good to delay things for now; second, Jiangnan has always been controlled by my seventh brother and has always been a monolithic entity, so this is a good opportunity to break through. Although I don't expect those incompetent officials in the Ministry of Justice to find anything, as long as I get into the local government office, I can make those local officials wary and unable to act for the time being, and that will be enough.
Author's Note: The final chapters are progressing slowly, and with all the recent chaos of moving, I'll try my best to update. Please forgive me, everyone. I'm also planning my next project. One thing I'm sure of is that if it's set in ancient times, it will still be a strong female lead story. Hehe.
Reunion
A light spring rain was falling as Mo Xi walked through the drizzle to pick up Xi'er from school. She didn't use her light-footed skills, but instead walked steadily on the damp blue brick pavement. Looking at the green moss that lined both sides of the street, she couldn't help but feel a dampness in her heart. Indeed, it was truly a time of drizzling rain during the Qingming Festival, a time when travelers on the road felt their hearts break.
As soon as she turned into a secluded alley, she immediately sensed something was wrong.
The gentle spring breeze carried a faint scent of blood.
Suddenly, the door of a house not far away creaked open, followed by a thud as a man in black clothes collapsed in front of the door and lay motionless.
After confirming that no one was around, Mo Xi leaped over and, from a distance, pressed two acupoints on the man to guard against a trap. She then pressed his sleep acupoint before approaching and gently turning him over. The man had sword-like eyebrows, thin lips, and a high nose—he was none other than the man in the carriage who looked exactly like Gu An! His eyes were closed, and his face was deathly pale; clearly, even if Mo Xi hadn't pressed his sleep acupoints, he was very likely already unconscious.
Mo Xi hurriedly examined his injuries. The only external wound was a small, bloody hole on his right shoulder; the blood loss wasn't significant, only staining a small patch of fabric. She decisively drew her dagger and slashed at the man's shoulder, digging out the deeply embedded arrowhead. It was indeed exactly the same arrow that had struck Shuidaosi in the back that day—the "Iron Bone Cone Arrow." However, he was somewhat lucky; the wound was within his reach, and his reaction was extremely quick. He had immediately used acupressure to seal the blood and qi flow around the wound after being poisoned, thus slowing the spread of the poison and allowing him to hold on until now. Seeing his severe injuries, yet his right hand still tightly gripping the sword hilt, Mo Xi couldn't help but fall into reminiscence.
Once, she and Gu An braved a challenge together in a wild forest, escaping various traps, snares, and pursuits. By the end, they were both exhausted, barely able to grip their swords, but they finally passed the test. That night, they rested together by a campfire. Fearing wild animals, Gu An insisted on sitting and keeping watch for her, but eventually fell asleep from exhaustion. Mo Xi wanted to secretly take his sword and let him lie down so she could take over, but she found him gripping the sword tightly even in his sleep. A slight pull woke him. In the firelight, his eyes were faintly glistening with tears, but he smiled and said, "It's good that you're alright." Then he pulled her into his arms and sighed, "It's good that you're alright." Mo Xi knew he had had another nightmare and didn't know how to comfort him, so she simply wrapped her arms around him tightly. That cold night was warmed by Gu An.
She snapped back to reality in a flash. Ignoring the danger of being discovered in broad daylight, Mo Xi carried him on her back, scaling walls and rooftops as they headed towards the Ingenious Pavilion. She had only one thought in her mind: Regardless of whether he was Gu An or not, I cannot bear to watch someone like him die in front of me again.
Green Cloud was watering the flowers in the yard when she suddenly saw Mo Xi carrying a man on his back jump into the yard, which startled her. She quickly dropped the watering can and asked anxiously, "What happened?" while leading Mo Xi inside.
Mo Xi placed Li Yi on the couch before briefly explaining, "He has been poisoned with an extremely potent poison. You must find a way to save his life first."
Seeing Mo Xi's solemn expression, Lü Yun dared not be negligent and immediately used the Tang Clan's unique poison testing method. She cut open Li Yi's finger, dripped a drop of blood into a small transparent bottle, and then added different medicinal solutions. After a moment, she frowned and said, "The poison he has seems to be from a foreign race. Even I cannot guarantee that I can cure it. Let's give it a try."
Mo Xi nodded. She watched silently from the side.
Green Cloud skillfully pried open Li Yi's mouth, fed him five pills of different colors, and then forced water down his throat to administer the medicine. Seeing Mo Xi step forward to wipe the water from the corner of his mouth with her sleeve, she couldn't help but feel a jolt of surprise and asked, "Miss, who is he to you?"
Mo Xi said calmly, "Perhaps he's an old friend, perhaps an enemy. Or perhaps both." Back then, she was young. The training she underwent, though inhuman, was ultimately just a test of physical strength and endurance. She had never truly been on a mission, and her on-the-spot adaptability was far less agile than it is today. Furthermore, the scene of Gu An deliberately running into the tip of her sword was so shocking that she felt frozen, her actions afterwards becoming dazed and lifeless, driven only by instinct. She had completely forgotten even the most basic requirement of an assassin: confirming whether someone was alive or dead. Although she clearly remembered returning to the arena under cover of darkness that day, dragging Gu An from the corpses of her many former comrades, and carrying him on her back, she could clearly feel his stiff and cold body. But perhaps because she saw someone who looked exactly like him, subconsciously hoping he wasn't dead, now, desperately trying to recall, she felt that she hadn't been 100% certain that Gu An was dead back then.
Green Cloud was startled and asked, "Who exactly is he?"
"If I'm not mistaken, this person is Prince Rui, Li Yi."
Upon hearing this, Green Cloud was greatly surprised and exclaimed, "How could you possibly know Prince Rui? And how could Prince Rui have been ambushed while alone!"
Mo Xi sighed and said, "It's a long story. Is he alright?"
“I can guarantee he’s safe for now, but I’m not sure if the poison can be completely eradicated.” After a moment’s hesitation, Green Cloud continued, “This matter still requires Fourth Young Master’s intervention.”
Mo Xi nodded and said, "Lu Yun should pick Xi'er up from school first; she must be getting impatient. I'll stay here and watch over her."
Green Cloud nodded in agreement, then hesitated before leaving. She thought to herself: This girl treats this person differently. If he truly is an old friend, how will Fourth Young Master conduct himself?
Mo Xi stared quietly at the face that seemed so close to her in her midnight dreams, without moving an inch, and sat there for a full hour.
When Lüyun returned with Xi'er, she was secretly alarmed to see Mo Xi looking so dazed. Xi'er, being very sensible, went off to practice her calligraphy on her own, not wanting to disturb her.
Another hour passed, and Green Cloud couldn't bear to watch any longer, so she brought in a bowl of beef noodles and urged, "Miss, have something to eat."
Mo Xi then turned her head and smiled faintly, saying, "Okay. Thank you."
Green Cloud shook her head and said, "Even if we don't consider Fourth Young Master's feelings, Miss once saved Green Cloud's life, so it's only right that Green Cloud do these small things." After hesitating for a moment, she swallowed the rest of her words and quietly withdrew.
While eating his noodles, Mo Xi kept a close eye on the person on the bed. The man's eyes remained tightly closed, showing no sign of waking up.
Half an hour later, Li Yi finally awoke. Before him stood the face of an extremely ordinary young woman, whose eyes, though calm, held a hint of concern. A sudden sense of relief washed over him. He calmly surveyed his surroundings and asked in a hoarse voice, "Where am I?"
Mo Xi smiled slightly and said, "I found you on the road. I hired a sedan chair and it wasn't easy to get you to my friend's house. I even found a doctor to treat you. I waited for several hours and you still didn't wake up. It was quite frightening." Before he could speak, Mo Xi asked again, "What's your name?"
"My name is Lin Qing. I encountered some villains by chance, and I thank you for saving me, young lady. May I ask your name?"
Mo Xi said, "My surname is Mu." Then she shook her head and said, "That doctor said the poison you were afflicted with was terrible, and he didn't know how to cure it. I guess the medicine he gave you was just a last resort, a random prescription. You were able to wake up entirely thanks to your own good fortune." As she spoke, she got up and poured some warm tea.
When Li Yi saw this, he tried to get up, but Mo Xi helped him up, held a teacup to his lips, and said softly, "Don't push yourself, get some rest. I'll cook you some porridge later."
Li Yi drank the tea and said softly, "Thank you, young lady." He thought to himself: This young lady doesn't seem to come from a wealthy family, and her behavior is completely unreserved between men and women, yet she doesn't seem frivolous at all. She must have acted expediently in this emergency. When asked her name, she only gave her surname and not her given name, which shows that she is a person of good manners.
Mo Xi said, "No need to be so polite. I'll go get you something to eat, you can sleep a little longer." With that, she went out.
Li Yi gripped Zhanlu tightly in his hand, trying to struggle to his feet. He thought to himself: I must find Feng Shao and the others first, no matter what. After struggling for a while, he felt dizzy and weak, completely unable to move, and could only collapse back down.
After a while, he could no longer hold on and fell into a deep sleep again.
When Li Yi woke up again, the room was pitch black.
Mo Xi, being so perceptive, naturally noticed it, but only muttered softly, "Why isn't he awake yet? The porridge is getting cold. It's driving me crazy."
In the darkness, Li Yi couldn't help but smile slightly and said, "What time is it? Sorry, I fell asleep again."
Mo Xi chuckled as she lit the lamp and said, "I don't know either. Drink your porridge first and then rest."
She lit the lamp, turned around, took the bowl and spoon from the table, and handed them to him, saying, "It's not hot anymore."
This time, Li Yi struggled to sit up, but this one movement seemed to have exhausted him, and he couldn't even hold the bowl.
Mo Xi quickly took it and said softly, "Let me do it." She then sat on the edge of the bed and fed him bite by bite.
Although the Prince had many concubines, Li Yi had been leading troops in the field for many years, so he did not have any special favors. In addition, he was of noble status and had always been somewhat strict, so no one dared to be presumptuous in front of him. This was the first time in his life that someone had fed him.
He felt slightly embarrassed and hesitated before opening his mouth.
In this way, one person fed him while the other ate. After eating more than half a bowl, Li Yi felt warm in his stomach and had a little more strength, so he said, "I'll do it myself."
Mo Xi handed him the bowl and watched him eat silently.
Seeing that he had finished the whole bowl of porridge, Mo Xi smiled slightly, took the bowl, and said softly, "Rest well here." After saying that, she blew out the lamp and went out.