Young Prime Minister, a Hermit

Chapter 55

Mu Shuangshuang withdrew her gaze from me, and the pull of her breath ceased. Qin Wu's previously stiff body immediately regained its freedom, and she helped me walk outside. From a distance, we shouldn't have been able to hear any sounds from inside the house, but Lin Yu's five senses were superhuman. I listened intently, and the two's conversation faintly drifted into my ears.

"...Where did this come from?" Mu Shuangshuang's voice was filled with unprecedented anxiety. "I'm asking you, where did this jade pendant come from?"

There was no sound, only coldness. Mu Shuangshuang asked again, "Is the inscription on that jade... like the fragrance of orchids, as beautiful as a pine tree?"

Yi Han's voice finally betrayed a hint of surprise: "How did you know?"

There was a long silence, until the sound was almost beyond my hearing range, before Mu Shuangshuang said, "Brother Feng, don't you remember me? I'm Ling'er... Back on Mount Wuji..."

The sound faded into the distance until it was no longer audible. But the clamor and shouting from the hall carried over. Zi Mo smiled and said, "Want to know their connection? I can go and find out for you."

I searched for a long time but couldn't find an empty table. Seeing a square table in the left corner with only one person sitting there, I asked Qin Wu to help me over. I lazily thought to myself, 'No need. Yi Han will tell me if he wants to. If he doesn't want to, there's no point in me knowing.'

"Young master, may we have a seat?" Qin Wu asked politely as he helped me up.

The seated man looked up, seemingly surprised, and met our gaze. I was slightly startled. A masked man? His face was covered by a silver-white mask, obscuring most of his features, leaving only a pair of dark gray eyes staring at me with a mixture of inquiry and scrutiny. And his expression, his eyes—they seemed so familiar.

I coughed twice more, feeling increasingly weak. He ignored me, focusing only on drinking his wine, as if we were air or didn't exist at all. My lips twitched, and I asked Qin Wu to bring me a stool. Just as I was about to sit down, a gust of wind swept past my feet. I felt the ground beneath me give way, and I found myself sitting on the ground with a thud.

"Cough cough...cough cough..." I sat down on the floor in a sorry state, holding onto the corner of the table with one hand, coughing incessantly. Qin Wu rushed to my side and helped me up, asking anxiously, "Young Master, are you alright?"

I shook my head and stood up, following his hand. Qin Wu suddenly turned around and glared angrily at the masked man: "My young master only asked to borrow your seat, why are you being so rude?"

The masked man glanced at me, his eyes clearly filled with a gloating smile, but his expression remained icy: "Did I say you could sit down?" His voice was as clear as ice and as pleasant as jade.

"You—!" Qin Wu's face turned pale with anger. I stopped him and said weakly, "Never mind. Help me to the stairwell."

Qin Wu's eyes were red, and she ignored my instructions, stepping forward and drawing a silver whip with a swift motion. She said coldly, "You've gone too far, so don't blame me for being impolite!"

I rubbed my temples, my head aching, and sure enough, I saw the disdain and murderous intent in the masked man's eyes. He casually pushed aside the square table in front of him, which was clearly full of wine, dishes, and soup bowls, but not a single drop of wine or soup spilled when he pushed it aside.

Qin Wu's expression shifted rapidly, first astonishment, then solemnity, and finally fearless challenge. The masked man smiled coldly and drew a sword from his waist: "So what if I'm going too far?"

My blood and qi surged, and I was about to stop Qin Wu when I heard Zi Mo shout, "Be careful!"

Almost instinctively, I tilted my head, feeling a gust of wind brush against my cheek. A snow-white figure gracefully landed, surrounding me. The gust of wind struck again, and I realized that they were sleeves concealing hidden power. I tried to dodge, but the unsteady footing caused me to stumble and fall forward.

Just then, Qin Wu and the masked man finished their first exchange. Seeing I was in trouble, Qin Wu tried to break free but was entangled by the masked man. In their fight, one appeared mad, fighting to the death, while the other remained calm, his eyes cold, parrying each move. At that moment, I stumbled into the center of their battle, feeling two completely different streams of true energy pouring into my body from two directions.

I coughed heavily, my blood boiling like oil, a sweet taste in my throat, and blood slowly seeping from the corner of my mouth. My body went limp, and I fell towards the masked man.

The man was about to shove me aside and fight Qin Wu again without any mercy. However, the words of those barefoot girls in white robes made him stop. His thin lips pursed, and his dark gray eyes, like sharp swords, were fixed on me with a thousand doubts.

These girls in white were dressed exactly like Mu Shuangshuang, except Mu Shuangshuang wore green. They formed four groups of five, surrounding us. All twenty of them were girls no more than twenty years old, their hair styled in simple wooden hairpins, and even their faces bore a resemblance. They stood barefoot, their heels barely touching the ground, yet they moved gracefully, without any awkwardness or swaying. But for some reason, except for the four girls at the head of each group, the rest of the girls had blank expressions and lifeless eyes.

The first woman in white on the left shouted, "Qin Luo, now that Feng Yihan is no longer protecting you, what tricks do you have up your sleeve? Just surrender and come back with us."

I collapsed into the masked man's arms, utterly powerless. Had it not been for his strong arms holding me, I would have fallen to the ground long ago. Taking a deep breath, I listened to Zi Mo's words and looked around. Sure enough, there were terrified civilians and some fierce-looking martial artists with astonished expressions.

The masked man didn't let go, watching me with great interest. I spoke in an extremely weak and calm voice: "I am a citizen of Jinyao Kingdom, I eat the king's food, and I am loyal to the king. Although I have not been able to achieve anything to repay the king's kindness, how could I be a traitor? Your Fengyin Kingdom's Crown Princess, a high-ranking goddess priestess, has repeatedly tried to persuade me to betray the king and the country to serve your lord. When I refused, you chased me for thousands of miles. Tell me, is this the behavior of a dignified crown princess and goddess priestess? Moreover, this place is within the borders of my Jinyao Kingdom, outside the capital Luonan. To chase me in front of so many people of Jinyao, where is the dignity of my king? Where is the dignity of my people? Today, my death is a small matter, but I fear that when Fengyin Kingdom is cursed by thousands and even suffers the wrath of my king, it will also be the day your master is disgraced!"

Although I spoke these words calmly and casually, as if chatting, Zi Mo's tone was simply too sharp. It was a classic case of insulting without using any vulgarity, leaving you with no way to refute. Sure enough, the crowd who had initially been watching with amusement, especially the martial arts practitioners, showed indignation in their eyes, while the leading white-clad women's faces turned pale and then red.

"How dare a bunch of young girls look down on me, Jin Yaoguo!"

"I want to see just how powerful this Crown Princess of Fengyin Kingdom is, daring to cause trouble in my Jinyao Kingdom!"

"What goddess priestess? Bah! She's nothing but a slut chasing after handsome young men!"

The crowd indeed became agitated, and more than a dozen people drew their weapons and surrounded them. Although the four leading women in white were highly skilled in martial arts, they were, after all, just young girls around twenty years old. Now, firstly, they were in the wrong, and secondly, they were on someone else's turf, so they panicked. Seeing the formation break down, I knew that the opportunity Zi Mo had mentioned had arrived, and I quickly grabbed the sleeve beside me and said, "Quick! Charge out!"

After speaking, I found that the person beside me didn't make a sound. I looked up and suddenly met a pair of dark gray, deep eyes. Those eyes reminded me of the sky above Huaihai the day I left—gray and indistinct, yet that was the last time I saw the sky of the 21st century. I closed my eyes briefly, pushed him away slightly, and was about to call out to Qin Wu when I saw him, a slight smile playing on his lips, coldly say, "Fine."

As soon as he finished speaking, he grabbed me with one hand and Qin Wu with the other, and in an instant, they were outside the battle formation. The women in white changed their expressions and wanted to give chase, but the people in the inn, having heard my words, were filled with righteous indignation. Many even risked their lives to cover me, ultimately causing the women in white to fail in their pursuit. We rushed out of the inn, unsure of where to go. Zi Mo pondered for a while and said, "Let's go back to the room."

I was taken aback and looked at him, puzzled. Zi Mo explained, “Don’t be fooled by the fact that those twenty women may not seem particularly skilled individually. When they form a formation, their power increases exponentially. And have you noticed that, apart from the leader, the other women in each group have blank expressions, yet exude a murderous aura? They’ve clearly taken some kind of drug or are under control. These people feel no pain and don’t know fear, making them the most terrifying. Let alone Qin Wu and this stranger, even if Feng Yihan himself were here, he might not be able to easily defeat them. That’s why I had you distract the leaders and create an opening in their formation, giving them a chance to escape. But those martial artists are no match for them, and they’ll probably catch up in no time.”

“Furthermore, the reason I sent you back to the guest room is because both Feng Yihan and Mu Shuangshuang are extremely skilled in martial arts. They can't possibly use their full strength in the room, so they'll definitely find another open space to spar. Therefore, the so-called most dangerous place is also the safest place. No one is paying attention to that room right now. Even if they're not sparring right now, but just catching up…” Zi Mo paused, a cold smile creeping onto his lips, which startled me. “In short, being with Feng Yihan is safer than dangerous.”

"Young Master," Qin Wu said anxiously, supporting my weakened body, "we must leave here quickly. Master said that the Four Sunflowers and Five Lotuses Sword Formation of Fengyin Kingdom evolved from the Kui Yin Formation, one of the three great formations in the world, and its power is beyond imagination. I'm afraid..."

I coughed lightly twice, covering the taste of blood in my mouth with my sleeve, and nodded, saying, "Let's go back to our inn room."

A flicker of surprise crossed Qin Wu's eyes, but it was only for a moment. He lowered his head and said, "Yes, young master."

I smiled helplessly. This wasn't the first time in the past six months that I'd witnessed Liu Sha's unquestioning obedience to Lin Yu and Yi Han. It was as if he was utterly convinced that any decision made by these two, no matter how absurd, was perfectly justified. On the other hand, while Sanxing admired Lin Yu and respected Yi Han, he wasn't necessarily entirely loyal. Suddenly, Qin Wu shouted sharply.

"You must come with us!" Qin Wu pointed his sword at the masked man and said coldly, "Otherwise, if you reveal the young master's whereabouts..."

"Do you think you can stop me?" The masked man looked at him with a sneer, and instead took a step closer to the sword tip.

As Qin Wu approached, a strange smile suddenly appeared on her lips. Her free left hand shot out, and a flash of white light appeared. I heard a furious shout, followed by the nausea of powder choking me. I coughed uncontrollably, feeling like my lungs were about to burst. Opening my eyes, I saw the masked man gripping Qin Wu's neck tightly, his face sinister: "You despicable scoundrel, how dare you poison me!" Even at this moment, his voice was inexplicably melodious, as if possessing a husky, magnetic quality.

Qin Wu was so enraged by his grip that she blushed and couldn't utter a word, but the look in her eyes was one of smugness and madness.

I suppressed the tingling sensation in my throat and said in a deep voice, "Let him go. Otherwise, your life will be in danger too."

He looked at me coldly, his dark gray eyes burning with what seemed like fire: "I'll kill you all first, then I can search for the antidote."

I looked at him calmly and said in a cold voice, "The antidote is in my wife's hands."

He frowned and increased the pressure on his hand, and it looked like Qin Wu was about to die.

I reached into my belt and took out a gold medal, holding it up in front of him: "I am Qin Luo, the Prime Minister of Jin Yao Kingdom. You surely know that my wife, Chu Yunyan, is... cough cough... the daughter of the legendary physician Chu Feifan and the poison master He Minjun, isn't she? Her poison requires bloodletting with golden needles... cough cough... no one in the world can cure it except herself!"

The masked man's eyes flashed with a sharp light as he struggled, but in the end he slowly released his grip and said coldly, "What kind of poison is this?"

Qin Wu coughed twice, and once he caught his breath, he rushed over to support me as I continued to cough. He took out a jet-black pill from his pocket, peeled off the outer layer to reveal a translucent jade-green inner core, and fed it to me. He asked anxiously, "Young Master, Qin Wu was reckless. Are you alright?"