Chapter 269

She nodded knowingly, "That's good, thank you, Master."

The monk bowed to her with his hands clasped together, then turned and left.

Tao Tao saw Leng Qiao finish her medicine and put the bowl on the table. She then brought over the white porridge that the monk had just brought and placed it by her bedside.

Besides the congee, there were four steamed buns and a small dish of side dishes on the table.

The group shared some of the food.

Since both of them needed to rest, Tao Tao returned to her room after a short while, closed the door, sat on a stool, and thinking of the relic, she took off the purse at her waist and took it out.

She gazed at the red relic in her hand and examined it carefully.

"Is this the relic you wanted?"

Before the system could respond, footsteps came from outside the door, followed by a knock.

Tao Tao looked up warily at the doorway, put the things in her hand back into her purse, tied them around her waist, and pretended to be nonchalant.

"Benefactor Tao?"

It was the abbot's voice. Why was he here?

She frowned in confusion.

But she didn't respond and waited for the people outside to leave.

Not hearing a response from inside, the abbot knocked on the door again, his brow furrowing and a hint of confusion on his face.

He clearly saw Tao Tao go in not long ago, it's impossible that she fell asleep so quickly.

So he knocked on the door again. "Benefactor Tao? This humble monk has something I would like to ask you."

Tao Tao rested her chin on her hand, gazing at the reflection of her figure in the doorway, remaining silent as she gently picked up the teapot and poured herself a cup of tea.

After a while, when there was still no response, the person outside left.

"Ding dong! Congratulations, dear host, on completing the mission."

I want life points, not items.

"Of course! Congratulations, host, on successfully increasing your lifespan by 20%. Keep up the good work!"

Tao Tao seemed to sense something, tore open the purse, and found that the relic inside had disappeared. Her expression became thoughtful.

………

The Privy Council Study.

A brilliant shadow streaked across the sky outside the window, and in the blink of an eye, it landed on the table.

The person kneeling on the ground looked up and then lowered their head imperceptibly. A moment later, they heard a cold voice from above.

"Keep an eye on the Prince Yong's residence. There's no need to intervene. Let him do whatever he wants."

The person nodded silently and vanished from sight in an instant.

Asu used its beak to open the teacup and gulped down the tea. It looked exhausted, and even the fat on its belly had shrunk considerably.

"Did you see her in Luzhou?"

Two days ago, someone reported seeing Tao Tao in Luzhou, the capital city. She seemed quite at ease, accompanied by Leng Qiao, and appeared to have made quite a few friends.

He was busy with many things in the capital and couldn't pay much attention to her. Besides, things would soon become dangerous here, so he thought he would go and bring her back to settle accounts once he understood the situation.

After so much time has passed, Duan Gan's anger has subsided considerably, but his obsession with and possessiveness towards her are growing stronger day by day.

Actually, she liked him, but she was still immature, too playful, and her mind was not settled.

Then have fun, and when you've had your fill, you should go back to him.

He understood that she was not satisfied with her current status as a county princess, and he also understood that she wanted to reach a higher position and be above others.

She has a bad temper, holds grudges, refuses to suffer any loss, and is also a little liar who lies constantly.

She may seem flexible and adaptable, but in reality, she secretly remembers all the bad things and people who have done to her, waiting for the right opportunity to retaliate.

He knew all along that she had been using him to gain more benefits from him, and he knew it from the beginning, and he was willing to let her climb up by stepping on him.

There's nothing wrong with that; there's no way around it, she really wins his heart.

I couldn't bear to scold her, nor could I bring myself to kill her, so I could only indulge her in whatever she wanted.

But that doesn't mean she can be teased at will, especially regarding her secret marriage to the Crown Prince, which he truly wanted to strangle at the time.

But it was just a thought.

Later, he realized that it must be because he hadn't given her the promise she wanted that she was seduced by Qi Heng with the promise of the Crown Princess position.

She was so naive that she was easily tempted by power and wealth.

Ultimately, he was in the wrong first, so she can't be blamed.

"Giggle! How fun! The kitten is playing! I've seen it! I've seen it!"

Asu flapped its wings, looking very excited.

Tao Tao gave it to Rong'er, but the next day it pecked off its leg chain and went back to the Prince's Mansion. It didn't see Tao Tao there, so it went to the Tao family again, but still didn't find her.

Finally, it flew towards the Privy Council.

When it encountered Duan Gan, who exuded a gloomy aura, and saw the murderous intent in his eyes, it was so frightened that its feathers stood on end. Just as it was about to turn around and run away, it was immediately stopped by him.

After spending two days in the Privy Council, he sent it to Luzhou to find someone.

Asu was initially very happy to see Tao Tao, and it also wanted to eat the round lotus seeds. However, when it remembered that Duan Gan had told it not to reveal its whereabouts, or else he would pluck all the beautiful fur off its body, it became worried.

Left with no other choice, it could only sneak behind and manage to steal a sweet lotus seed.

Asu watched them leave the city before flying back to the capital to report the news.

He missed her terribly. It had only been half a month since they last met, but the longing in his heart was like ants gnawing at him, driving him to madness.

The man lowered his head and stared at the purse in his hand. Even though he thought the fault did not lie with her, he couldn't help but complain like a jealous woman that she had so heartlessly abandoned him.

She's such a heartless ingrate.

He felt an urge to go and drag her back right now and punish her severely so that she would never dare to leave him again.

But reason told him that the capital was at a critical juncture and he couldn't go.

Let's wait a little longer; he'll eventually manage to bring her back.

Duan Gan gently stroked its head with his fingertips and whispered, "Go and stay by her side. You don't need to come back and report."

Asu nodded. "Okay, okay! Asu understands, understands."

He took a small wooden box from the side, opened it, and handed it to him; it was full of dried fruit.

It happily flapped its wings, finished eating, turned around, and flew out the window.

He leaned back in his chair, his gaze unfocused as he looked out the window. He reached into his robes and pulled out a small, light green undergarment.

She opened her lips and bit down, then reached her right hand down to her body.

Before long, a delicate blush rose on her beautiful face, and a look of both pleasure and pain appeared between her furrowed brows. Her breathing became increasingly heavy, and muffled groans of unbearable discomfort escaped from between her lips.

Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead, strands of hair clung to his fair face, and the veins on his neck bulged like thin snakes, giving him an inexplicably alluring appearance.

After a long while, it seemed to end. He emerged from the water as if his breathing was still echoing in the room.

The pale green fabric, soaked with saliva from being bitten, was stained with a darker color.

“…Tao’er…Tao’er…” His voice was hoarse as he murmured the two words over and over, filled with a deep sense of unfulfilled desire.