Just now, she was so flustered that she missed the coin. As she ran, she reached out her hand and caught the copper coin. Suddenly, she tripped and fell forward uncontrollably. A bottomless cliff appeared in front of her in an instant. Shen Lixue was shocked and quickly steadied herself, but she tripped too suddenly and was too close to the edge of the cliff. She couldn't stop at all!
"Watch out!" Just as she was about to fall, her slender body was tightly embraced and quickly pulled back. Her back pressed against a warm chest, and the faint scent of pine resin lingered in her nose. Through the thin clothes, Shen Lixue could even feel Dongfang Heng trembling: "What's wrong with you?"
"Do you know how dangerous this is!" A sharp glint flashed in Dongfang Heng's dark eyes, a fierceness Shen Lixue had never seen before: "If I had been a step later, you would have fallen into an abyss!"
"I didn't expect to trip over it!" Shen Lixue explained, glancing at the bushes. People often come here, and the grass isn't tall, so it shouldn't trip anyone.
"Who goes there?" Dongfang Heng shouted angrily, throwing two small pebbles in one direction.
"Prince An, spare us! It's us!" Two women, their hands covering their foreheads, carefully emerged from behind a large tree. They were neatly dressed, their hair styled in elegant buns, and their hands were bleeding from cuts caused by pebbles. They looked at Dongfang Heng with fear in their eyes.
"Zhuang Kexin, Su Yuting, what are you doing here?" They were even sneaking around behind a tree, as if afraid of being discovered. Shen Lixue's cold eyes narrowed slightly. Su Yuting was really strange; wherever she went, she followed.
"Kexin said she wanted to make a wish, so I came with her. Seeing that you and Prince An were there, I didn't want to disturb you, so I hid behind the tree. I didn't mean to eavesdrop on your conversation. Please don't blame me, sister and prince!" Su Yuting apologized in a few simple words and explained their purpose.
"Is that so?" Shen Lixue stared at Su Yuting and Zhuang Kexin with a half-smile. Just now, her ankle hurt and her body fell forward uncontrollably. On the surface, she was tripped by grass, but if she thought about it carefully, it was more likely that she was hit by a stone. And the place where Zhuang Kexin and Su Yuting were standing was the best angle to throw stones.
"Yuting wouldn't dare to deceive her sister!" Su Yuting's voice was gentle, her gaze sincere, and she was extremely frank.
Shen Lixue sneered. If what hit her just now was really a pebble, the force was so gentle that it was hard to detect. It was clear that Su Yuting or Zhuang Kexin were experts!
"I believe in you!" Shen Lixue smiled slightly, flicked her slender fingers, and the copper coin with a scarlet tail landed steadily on the top of the tree.
Su Yuting is very good at disguising herself and is wary of me. If I try to test her directly, I won't find anything. It's better to go along with what she says and lower her guard.
"Sister Chen is amazing! She threw it all the way to the top of the tree in one go. I tried many times last time, but I never managed to throw it that high!" Zhuang Kexin exclaimed in surprise.
“Yes, last time I tried my best, but I only managed to throw it to the middle!” Su Yuting chimed in, indirectly praising Shen Lixue.
Shen Lixue's cool gaze swept over Su Yuting and Zhuang Kexin, her smile radiant: "I and Prince An have already made our wishes, so I'll take my leave first. Yuting and Kexin, you can make your wishes slowly!"
She reached out and took Dongfang Heng's arm, and pulled him along the path quickly forward. After walking a long distance, she could still feel the 'intense' gazes of Su Yuting and Zhuang Kexin.
Shen Lixue raised her lips in a cold smile. Su Yuting had indeed chased after them all this way for Dongfang Heng. She wondered if Su Yuting would follow them after they left.
"Shen Lixue!" Walking along the grassy path, with no one around, Dongfang Heng suddenly spoke.
"What is it?" Shen Lixue looked up and gazed into Dongfang Heng's unfathomable dark eyes. Following his gaze, she saw her arm tightly clasped around his. She froze for a moment, then quickly pulled it back. Just now, she was only focused on getting away from Su Yuting and grabbed Dongfang Heng's arm to leave, forgetting that this was ancient times and that men and women should not touch each other.
Dongfang Heng coughed lightly, his gaze deep and unfathomable: "What do you think of what happened just now?"
"There must be something strange about Zhuang Kexin or Su Yuting. Didn't the Prince notice them?" In ancient times, there were martial arts techniques that could conceal one's aura. A master's breathing could be so faint as to be difficult to detect. It was normal for Shen Lixue, who had no internal energy, not to notice a top master. But Dongfang Heng was a peerless master. If he also didn't notice the two of them, things would be troublesome.
"Beside the wishing tree, besides the two of them, there were quite a few others, each a master. I was paying attention to them, and my mind wandered, allowing them to sneak into Confucius Temple!" Dongfang Heng's eyes deepened. It seemed that the trip to Xiangguo Temple would not be peaceful.
"Who are those people?" Shen Lixue noticed them the moment they left, but she didn't know when they had arrived.
"I don't know. We arrived at the Wishing Tree not long after, and they arrived as well. They quietly lay in ambush. They didn't make any unusual moves while you were making your wish!" Since the people weren't targeting Dongfang Heng, but Shen Lixue, it was unclear whether they were friend or foe. Therefore, Dongfang Heng chose to remain still.
"After we leave, will those people do anything to Su Yuting and Zhuang Kexin?" Shen Lixue asked.
"I don't know!" Dongfang Heng shook his head again. He never cared about people who were unimportant.
"Why did you suddenly think of making a wish?" In Dongfang Heng's eyes, Shen Lixue was aloof and indifferent; she wouldn't like something as boring as making a wish.
"To help my mother fulfill her wish!" Shen Lixue's dark eyes sparkled with starlight. She never expected to encounter such a thing under the wishing tree, and she never expected that Su Yuting or Zhuang Kexin would know martial arts and be plotting against her in secret.
The image of Shen Lixue's beautiful, tearful face appeared before his eyes. Dongfang Heng's gaze deepened, and he asked no further questions.
"Dongfang Heng, who exactly did you come to Xiangguo Temple to see?" Judging from the serious expressions of Dongfang Hong and Dongfang Zhan, that person must be of extraordinary status.
"You want to know?" Dongfang Heng raised his lips, a faint smile appearing on his lips.
Shen Lixue nodded!
"Come with me!" Dongfang Heng grasped Shen Lixue's wrist and led her through the temple with lightning speed.
After many twists and turns, we arrived at a quiet courtyard. Inside the courtyard stood a two-story building, constructed entirely of green bamboo, which was very elegant. The courtyard was also filled with green bamboo, and a gentle breeze carried the fragrance of bamboo, which smelled wonderful.
The door to the Green Bamboo Pavilion was tightly shut. Master Yan Hui was nowhere to be seen. Shen Yingxue stood gracefully beside a green bamboo, her handkerchief crumpled in her hand, but her beautiful eyes flashed with impatience. Dongfang Hong and Dongfang Zhan stood outside the door, pleading.
Shen Lixue frowned. Dongfang Zhan and Dongfang Hong had been there for almost half an hour, but they hadn't even seen him yet. Judging from their appearance, they had been standing in the courtyard the whole time, and had talked a lot, so their mouths were dry, but they still couldn't persuade that person.
Who exactly is that person? They don't even give face to the Crown Prince and the Prince!
“Senior, we have come here on the orders of our father, the Emperor…” Dongfang Zhan announced the Emperor’s name.
"Go back, I don't want to see old friends!" A male voice rang out from inside the house, deep and sharp.
"You shouldn't stand idly by when Qingyan is in trouble..." Dongfang Hong said in a heavy tone.
"Mundane affairs are no longer relevant to me!" The man's voice was hollow, as if he had already seen through everything.
Dongfang Heng stepped forward, his white robes fluttering in the wind, his handsome features like a god: "Can't persuade him?"
Dongfang Hong nodded, looking somewhat tired. If he could persuade them, they wouldn't be standing here.
Dongfang Heng's dark eyes grew increasingly intense. He quickly took a few steps and arrived at the door: "I have brought a twenty-year-old Daughter's Red wine from the Holy King's Mansion. I wonder if Senior would be interested in sharing a drink?"
Dongfang Hong and Dongfang Zhan were both taken aback. They exchanged glances, wondering what Dongfang Heng was planning to do.
Shen Yingxue also frowned slightly. At such a crucial moment, why was Prince An still thinking about drinking? Shouldn't he be persuading that expert together with the Crown Prince and Prince Zhan?
Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow. Dongfang Heng was the cunning and ruthless god of the Azure Flame. He had a purpose in everything he did. This move was definitely an attempt to lure that senior out to help him!
The room was silent, silent, and even more silent!
Dongfang Heng, Dongfang Hong, and Dongfang Zhan stood quietly without saying a word. The courtyard fell silent instantly, with the wind rustling through the leaves.