Un corazón puro en una vasija de jade

Capítulo 51

Li Yannian carefully pulled the blanket that was hanging to the ground over him and covered him up, saying softly, "This is not a question you should ask. However, Yuepo has come. Gu Li thought that you and Yuepo had a good relationship since childhood, and that you would cooperate well in your actions. From now on, the two of you are bound together. If either of you fails in your mission, the other will die."

When he uttered the word "death," his calm voice turned as ruthless as a wolf's.

"Oh? With my current status, would you be willing to do that?" Yongye's lips curled into a sneer.

“I misspoke. Yuepo doesn’t directly participate in any assassinations. He’s only responsible for providing you with intelligence and medicine, and assisting you. His other task is to prevent Prince You from being poisoned. If you make any unusual moves, he will die. If he betrays the valley, you will be the one to kill him.” A cold look appeared in Li Yannian’s eyes.

He had seen this expression on Yongye's face many years ago. When they staggered out of the building and stood in the snow waiting for him, Li Yannian looked down at them indifferently. Even his words, "Those who have left the building are all masters now," were devoid of emotion, merely a sigh, a sigh that from now on, they would be at the mercy of Youli Valley.

"Many years ago, when he stood up, when you stood up, I knew that there was an emotion that could overcome any weapon. And now, with this emotion in our hands, we will be invincible."

Li Yannian's voice, like a tongue with barbs, licked across Yongye's skin, bringing with it a bloody pain. In his reincarnation, he had sworn never to let his brothers stab him in the back, yet in this life, he was bound to them by the Moon Soul? But why did he still yearn for the warmth of their apprenticeship?

Yongye chuckled nonchalantly: "That happened so many years ago, when we were just kids. Do you think I would really care about his life or death?"

Li Yannian looked at him and said slowly, "I also have my doubts, but I trust the Valley Master's judgment. He once said that your only weakness is that you are too emotional."

"How did Prince You know I was going? Did Yuepo tell him?" Yongye was determined to pin the blame on Prince You. "Also, didn't you say that Minister Guo was actually from the Crown Prince's palace? Why would Prince You go to protect him?"

Li Yannian was speechless for a moment before answering: "Guo Qiran is the Emperor's man. Now that the Emperor has made the Second Prince the Crown Prince, Guo Qiran will naturally be loyal to the Crown Prince. If we want to support Prince You, we must get rid of him."

So that's how it is! I wasn't wrong, Youli Valley wanted to plunge Anguo into chaos and eliminate its talented people! Yongye suddenly broke into a joyful smile and said happily, "So I didn't mess up the job after all. In this way, Minister Guo will be grateful to Prince You for saving his life, so won't he side with Prince You?"

He watched as Li Yannian's pupils contracted little by little, feeling smug. "You'll get to taste the bitterness of swallowing a bitter pill!"

"Yes, it had an unexpected effect. Only Peony Courtyard and I know about this... In short, Moon Soul doesn't know you went. Don't suspect him." Li Yannian spoke hastily, revealing information about Peony Courtyard.

Yongye sighed: "I really wish he had said it. I don't want to be responsible for someone I don't know. His life or death is none of my business."

His expression made Li Yannian doubt whether the Valley Master had made a mistake in his move. If Moon Soul couldn't restrain Star Soul, only Feng Yangxi's move was enough to make him loyal in order to save his life. But what if he found someone who could rival Feng Yangxi? Li Yannian had always disagreed with the Valley Master's statement that human emotions were the most poisonous poison, and he only trusted his own methods.

This Star Soul had been an enigma to him since childhood. Although he had always been obedient and completed his missions over the years, Li Yannian still couldn't figure him out. Not wanting to take any risks, he decided to ask the valley for permission to cast a curse on the Star Soul.

"Are you badly injured?" After making up his mind, Li Yannian's voice became very gentle.

"Hmm. My internal energy is a bit turbulent. Also, I used up all my hidden weapons on Feng Yangxi, so I'm out of weapons. I'll ask the shopkeeper to get me some more," Yongye replied listlessly.

Li Yannian reached out to take his pulse, but Yongye pulled his hand away: "No need, I can still risk my life for the valley, I just need to rest for a couple of days."

Li Yannian pondered for a moment and said, "Alright. Take two days off. I'll share some of those people with others."

There were eight people on the list. Could it be that the assassins from the valley had really come to the capital? Yongye gave a nonchalant "hmm." He casually asked, "The Emperor suddenly issued an edict appointing me as the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and the chief envoy to negotiate with the Chen Kingdom. Does Master have any suggestions?"

“I was just about to tell you this. The Valley Master’s opinion is that we need someone.” Li Yan whispered in Yongye’s ear, then straightened up and said, “As you know, it’s absolutely impossible for Chen to cede that hundred li of land, and the gold and silver compensation is just inanimate objects. If you bring this person, it will only benefit your position in Anguo.”

Yongye stared at Li Yannian with a half-smile and said casually, "As long as it's not something you gave me, it doesn't matter."

"That's natural."

As Yongye gazed at the falling cherry blossoms, he thought of Yuepo again. Should he see him?

---------------- ...

Night slowly descended, and the eyes of the eternal night gradually cleared. He looked up and saw that tonight there was not only the moon but also stars scattered like shards of silver across the sky.

At that time, eight-year-old Yuepo protected him as he fought his way out of the small building, and then risked being sent to the Peony Courtyard to stand up for him.

At that time, ten-year-old Yuepo was pulled to lie on the grass by him to watch the three masters fight. It was he who stepped forward.

The Moon Spirit gave him medicine to put the purple-robed child to sleep, and medicine to disguise him. She also stole the antidote pills from the Soul Returner and gave them to him.

Moon Spirit said he would definitely recognize him.

Moon Spirit said they were brothers.

"Can I trust you?" Yongye murmured to himself. His eyes, gazing at the night sky, flickered with hesitation. He was severely weakened after the detoxification, his internal energy remaining unstable, but he couldn't afford to be without Yuepo. Yuepo, residing in the Prince You's residence, could access information he couldn't easily obtain and could also provide him with the necessary medicine.

He changed into his night clothes and glanced at Yihong and Yin'er's room. Whenever he went out, he never forgot to give the two maids a sleeping potion so they could sleep more soundly.

It silently slipped into the night, moving through the quiet city of Kyoto in the eternal darkness.

Moonbeam's thatched cottage stood in a corner of the Prince's garden, meticulously constructed to resemble the one in Wandering Valley, with various medicinal herbs still growing around it. Looking at it, Yongye couldn't help but recall the time in the valley when Moonbeam taught him to identify medicinal herbs. During the poetry gathering, he knew at a glance that it must be Moonbeam's residence. Was he so attached to Wandering Valley? Had Moonbeam's feelings for Wandering Valley deepened now? Yongye pondered, not daring to enter rashly. He adjusted his inner energy, sensing the movements around him.

Having learned his lesson, he dared not underestimate Li Tianyou again.

A person's presence emanated from the thatched hut. It should only be Yuepo there. Yongye still took the antidote to revive her soul, gently landed outside the hut, looked around, and saw a throwing knife stuck to her palm before pushing open the door and entering.

The moonlight shone through the cracks in the window, and Yue Po, dressed in a wide, moon-white robe, sat in a chair, staring at him without blinking.

Eight years had passed since they last met. Yue Po's handsome appearance now carried an air of otherworldly elegance, and his eyes beneath his sword-like brows gleamed with wisdom.

Yongye sheathed his flying knife, slowly took two steps closer, and removed his face mask. He saw Yuepo's eyebrows twitch, and chuckled, "You've already seen me before."

Yuepo stood up, walked to Yongye, reached out and lifted his chin, frowning as she said, "Injured or poisoned? Your face looks so pale."

Yongye turned his head away uncomfortably, touching his chin with a strange feeling. The man was lifting his chin? This gesture… he used to do it often in his past life. What would the effect be if he did it now? He stared at Yuepo, his hand itching slightly.

What are you thinking about?

Yongye chuckled dryly; he didn't intend to tell Yuepo about being poisoned at Prince You's residence. He plopped down in the chair Yuepo had just sat in, looked up at him, and slowly said, "What would you do if the person who came in was there to kill you?"

"I was wondering, what would you do if a centipede crawled on you?"

Yongye looked down, slapped his hand over his mouth to stifle the scream, and pointed at Yuepo, sweat beading on his forehead and goosebumps rising on his skin. A centipede a foot long was slowly crawling out from under him, its tiny tentacles wriggling in the darkness, and in the blink of an eye, it crawled to Yongye's chest and stopped.

Yuepo couldn't help but laugh. He reached out his hand, and the centipede gently stroked his hand with its tentacles, a gesture that was both intimate and eerie. Yuepo looked up and smiled, "Its name is Xiaoxing." With a flick of his finger, the centipede slithered up his body and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Yongye released his grip, panting, so angry he felt like vomiting and wanted to punch someone. He pointed at Yuepo and said in a trembling voice, "If I ever see those disgusting things on you again, don't even think about me coming within three zhang of you."