"If they really fought, it seems like it would be difficult to determine a winner."
"Have you ever met the Ten Kings of Hell, Miss?"
Turning around, I saw Ah Yue, pure and innocent, smiling so sweetly and harmlessly.
I shook my head. Actually, I've only ever met the Nine Ministers and the Twelve Heavenly Kings.
"If I were to say that these people can only reach the City of the Wrongfully Dead of King Biancheng at most, would you believe me, Miss?"
"Is it really that powerful?"
Ah Yue smiled gently, a hint of pride in her smile.
"Thanks to the Heavenly Emperor."
I don't quite understand, what does that mean? "Heavenly Lord...which Heavenly Lord?"
Chapter 69
This person always manages to arrange everything without anyone noticing; he actually managed to subdue the Ten Kings of Hell three years ago. Only Tianqi of the Seven Star Tower and the Ten Kings of Hell knew about this, and when asked why, he mysteriously claimed it was a secret of heaven that could not be revealed.
"I was even worried about your position as city lord... and yet..."
"However, Shi Tian's people have received much kindness from him, and without your words, they might still waver."
"Are you referring to Jun Guan?"
"Although Feng Moru has some tricks up his sleeve, he ultimately suffers from taking over too late. As for Jun Guan... dealing with him will definitely require some effort."
"Don't tell me that he extended his reach into the capital a long time ago, even before you. Just how much effort did he have to put in to persuade the Wanshou Hall and the high-ranking officials?"
“Isn’t this what I already guessed?” He played with my fingers again, his long, drooping eyelashes like butterfly wings. “He actually passed through the Ten Kings of Hell, but unfortunately he could never get past Yama.”
"Below the city lord is the King of Hell. Jun Guan couldn't get through it, so he resorted to other means. If Minister Sima hadn't invited you here, I'm afraid the Ten Kings of Hell would be just a legend by now, wouldn't they?"
He lowered his head and smiled, his confidence radiating a dazzling light that inspired awe and reverence.
The morning mist dissipated, revealing a clear, mirror-like blue sky, with rolling clouds stretching into the distance. The river water was crystal clear, reflecting a transparent shimmer that shone on the azure blue ceramic tiles, creating a golden hue where water and sky merged into one, a picturesque scene where human figures appeared hazy in the distance.
I was lost in thought for a long time before I snapped back to reality.
"Are you going to abolish the Hall of Longevity? And who will you find to replace the Nine Dukes?"
In reality, the so-called secret was that there was a traitor within the city, and in order to eliminate the threat without alerting him, the fewer people who knew about it, the better.
"Wanshoutang, did Wu Fei bother you?" He raised his head, his eyes gentle as water.
"Hmm, I managed to get rid of him." He almost became addicted and couldn't extricate himself.
"Then let's just abolish it." He reached out and pulled me into the Cloud Pavilion. From the high vantage point, we could vaguely see a row of seventy-two Heavenly Realms outside the city. "We missed the time to go to the Gathering Righteousness Manor this year, so the positions of the Duke and Minister will be vacant for a while. But, Lian'er, don't you think the Four Protectors are a bit too idle?"
"The most idle one is Qionghua. Every time I see him, he's either admiring flowers or drinking tea. Xiao and Cang Xiaozhe are also very idle people with nothing to do."
"Oh, what about Qiongying?"
"Qiongying won't do, she has to play with me."
A-Yue and A-Qing set out the tea set and pastries, then lit the heater and placed incense balls inside, and the room quickly warmed up.
"Yunzhi, don't you feel hot?" After sitting for a while, watching the fierce fighting outside, I suddenly felt a surge of heat.
The person next to him sighed softly, with a hint of helplessness in their voice.
"You're only just realizing this?"
His voice was unusually hoarse. I looked over and saw that his fair face had been tinged with a bewitching red, but the redness was too eerie.
My heart skipped a beat, and something flashed through my mind, but I couldn't grasp it because of the unbearable heat in my body.
Looking closely at the person before him, his slender eyes narrowed into an ambiguous arc, a light red hue enveloping him like a wisp of smoke, and even his breaths exuded a lingering tenderness. Now, he only needed to flick his fingertips to bewitch all beings and make them worship him in every way.
A cold breeze blew through the window cracks onto my face, instantly waking me up.
Shui Meizi!
It was too dangerous. I wanted to call out to Aqing, but before I could even open my mouth, I was silenced by a pair of hot and soft lips and tongue.
In the midst of his tossing and turning, his usual gentleness was replaced by urgency. How much medicine would it take to make Nangong Ling lose his composure?
"Yun... um..." He only managed to utter one word before biting my collarbone.
Even at this moment, he still thought of biting back, really, just like a child.
A tingling sensation spread uncontrollably from the places he had kissed.
"Lian'er, give it to me..."
Warm breath sprayed on my ear, and a soft tongue curled up my earlobe, gently licking and biting it little by little, arousing a slight tremor throughout my body.
Looking into his misty, moist eyes, even without Zhong Shui Meizi, who could resist? How could I disagree?
Under a clear blue sky, in the chilly early winter wind, the magnificent pavilion was filled with a beautiful scene, as if spring had returned.
Chapter 70
This world has always been unfair. Why can he look so refreshed while I feel tired even moving a finger?
However, as the saying goes, you can't have everything. From the moment I got up to when I dressed and ate, Nangong Ling took care of everything for me. It must have been really hard on him, young master.
The moon was bright and clear tonight, a rare sight these past few days. I gazed out the window for a long time, and only after drinking a bowl of lotus seed soup did I slowly regain my composure.
"Aqing," I called out, without turning around.
Soft footsteps could be heard outside the curtain, but they would have been hard to hear if the night hadn't been so quiet.
"Miss."
He nodded subconsciously, "Outside..."
No, that's not Aqing's voice!
Turning around, I saw Shao You with an exceptionally charming smile and a woman beside him with a gentle, frost-like smile. It turned out to be Xiao Man, Yun Zhi's personal maid in the Nangong family.
I wouldn't be surprised at all if Shaoyou were here, but Xiaoman...
"This is the Lesser Fullness of Grain, the 36th day of the lunar calendar."
It turns out that the Nangong family had already arranged for Shui Tian's people to be there. This person was as meticulous as a net, and once it was laid out, no one could escape.
"Oh, where's Aqing?"
A fleeting look of embarrassment crossed Xiaoman's face. "Sister Qing and Ayue, um, are kneeling outside."
"Kneeling? What's wrong?"
"To fail to detect poison in the tea is a grave offense."
I touched my nose and then a question came to mind: who has the ability to poison someone without them noticing right under the noses of two Shitians?
"What did Yunzhi say?"
"The Palace Master instructed that Miss can handle this as she sees fit."
"Hmm... So Xiaoman, you've now completed your mission and returned to Shuitian?"
"Because something happened to the Nangong family after the Heavenly Lord left, the Heavenly Lord said that the leader of the Tianjue Sect was too shrewd and was afraid that his subordinates would expose their secrets if they followed him, so he summoned his subordinates back. This time, when Sister Qing committed a crime, he transferred his subordinates here to serve the young lady."
"Come here, help me across."
When I went to the outer room, Shaoyou brought out a soft chair and placed it at the door for me to sit on.
Aqing and Ayue knelt upright outside, their wide sleeves billowing in the evening breeze like floating white clouds.
The moonlight was torn in two by the eaves, casting shadows on their faces, one side dark and the other pale.
"Think carefully about who is most likely to have poisoned the person, and what their motive would be."
Ah Yue raised her head, her smile as gentle as ever.
"Only the Medicine King He Xiuqi has this ability, but as for the reason, I can't guess."
As soon as he finished speaking, I heard the sound of swords clashing, faint yet clear.
I could hear the air jumping around me, and in the blink of an eye, Aqing and Ayue were standing in front of me with their backs turned.
"Lian'er." Her voice was clear and gentle, like the first snow melting, filled with tender affection.
Looking through the gap between Shaoyou and Ayue, a clean and refined face came into view.
"It's the middle of the night, so it's Young Master Feng. What important business brings you here so late?"
His eyes suddenly changed, and a thick, bloody look seemed to burst forth from the black shell.
Aqing had already taken out the golden ring lock, fastened it with both hands, and was ready to fire at any moment.
Shui Meizi couldn't possibly have been released by Feng Moru through He Xiuqi. This is what's called a double-cross, and Jun Guan wanted to use Nangong Ling to swallow up the Feng family.
"Come with me."
I raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"It's too dangerous here."
"...What danger?"