Chapter 176 [Alien] Barrier

"Master, I was wrong, disciple..."

Soon someone pushed the door open and brought clothes and medicine.

"The host said that after applying the medicine, you should put on your clothes and leave quickly. This is not a place where you can stay for long." Then the beauty closed the door and left.

Hua Jin took the medicine and carefully applied it to Mu Chi's wound. After helping him put on his clothes, someone else carried him horizontally and returned to the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion.

The weather was getting cooler at this time.

The housekeeper was shocked when he saw Hua Jin running back hurriedly holding someone.

"What happened to the prince?"

"Go get some hot water, go!"

"good!"

The housekeeper went there in a daze, but later felt that something was wrong, so he ordered the servants to prepare water and send it to the Prince's Courtyard. Then he went to the main courtyard to report to the Marquis of Zhenbei.

"My Lord, the Crown Prince..."

"What's wrong with the prince?" Marquis Zhenbei drank his tea slowly, completely unaware of what would happen next.

"The prince seems to be injured. He...was carried back by the servant."

Zhenbei Hou closed his eyes and thought about what he had just said.

How fast...

"Go and have a look."

"yes."

The Marquis of Zhenbei walked in front and when he arrived at the Prince's Courtyard, he saw four servants carrying two buckets of hot water and heading towards the side room.

When he walked in, he saw another servant wiping the body of the person on the bed. He saw the kiss marks on the chest of the person on the bed from a distance and realized that the person had been bullied.

Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly noticed that there was a red spot under the hickey. Although it was covered, it was not difficult to notice.

The Marquis of Zhenbei stepped forward and pulled open the Huajin.

"What are you doing!" Hua Jin roared.

The Marquis of Zhenbei didn't care. The housekeeper signaled the four servants who were carrying water to control the man.

Marquis Zhenbei sat on the bed, his fingers gently stroking the red mark, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

"Go get a doctor!"

The housekeeper didn't understand for a moment, but went anyway.

After the doctor came.

"Don't worry, my Lord. The prince is fine. I'll prescribe some medicine for him to take when he wakes up."

"good."

The doctor went aside to write a prescription.

"If anyone spreads what happened today, they will be killed." The Marquis of Zhenbei said to the housekeeper.

"yes."

After sending everyone away, Marquis Zhenbei looked at the person on the bed with mixed emotions, and then questioned Hua Jin who was kneeling beside him.

"Who did it?"

“It’s me…”

The Marquis of Zhenbei almost suffocated. He staggered to his feet, used one hand to calm himself down, and slapped Hua Jin hard with the other.

"Evil beast! How dare you do this to your master!"

Hua Jin covered his face and glared at Zhen Beihe angrily. Who was worthy of teaching him a lesson? But when he heard what Zhen Beihe said, he retracted his gaze. It was indeed his fault. If it weren't for him, Mu Chi would not be lying in bed.

The Marquis of Zhenbei stepped forward and kicked the man, not wanting to give up until he reached the door.

Hua Jin struggled to get up. Just as the Marquis of Zhenbei was about to kick him a few more times and then drag him out and beat him to death with sticks, he heard a coughing sound from the bed.

Hua Jin quickly straightened his clothes and wanted to go forward but didn't dare.

Zhenbei Hou returned to the edge of the bed and sat down.

"Dad..." Mu Chi's mouth was dry and it was difficult for him to speak.

"My son, you have suffered."

Scenes flashed through Mu Chi's mind, and he was still frightened.

How did he come back?

Where is Hua Jin?

Mu Chi turned his head and saw Hua Jin kneeling there, staring at him. He was dazed for a moment, and those unbearable scenes flashed through his mind again. He trembled violently.

"What's wrong? Don't you want to see him?" asked the Marquis of Zhenbei. Seeing that Mu Chi was frightened, he had Hua Jin dragged away and locked up.

But Hua Jin didn't want to get up, and no one could drag him away. He knelt there, tears streaming down his face.

"Forget it, let him stay there." Mu Chi said after recovering from his shock.

"He bullied you, why did you speak up for him? Just beat him to death with sticks!" Zhen Beihai was very angry. How could his youngest son, whom he hadn't seen for many years, be raped by a servant as soon as they met, before he even recognized his relatives?

"Don't blame him, the villain is cunning..."

"That's because he failed to protect his master! What good words can you say for him?" Zhenbei Hou was silent for a while. Mu Chi also didn't say anything. The room was very quiet. "Xingzhou, when are you going to recognize your father?"

"father?"

"If I hadn't discovered it, would you never recognize me in this life? Huh?"

Mu Chi was surprised at how the Marquis of Zhenbei knew his identity. Was his acting really that bad? Well, it was indeed very bad, so he should have suspected that he was someone sent by someone else to impersonate Mu Xiuwen, with other motives, just like Ye Ying'er. He had already thought of a way to escape, but he didn't expect...

"Do you blame Dad for choosing you?"

"No, Dad is right. I understand the importance of family honor and status..." Mu Chi said.

"Dad didn't want you to die. After you faked your own death and escaped, Dad gave you a large sum of money, enough for you to live on for the rest of your life. Why did you come back?"

“…” What could he say? The servants who escorted him saw that he had no power, so they divided up his money, and he wandered for several months after that.

"There are disputes in the court and traps everywhere. You...should not have come back."

Seeing that Mu Chi didn't say anything, Zhenbei Hou calmed down and stood up.

"Forget it. Now that you're back, take a good rest. Leave Yandu in a few days." The Marquis of Zhenbei walked over to Hua Jin and said, "He's the one you brought with you. You have the final say on how to deal with him. Call the servants if you need anything."

"My Lord!" The butler hurried over, "My Lord! Zheng Hao is back!"

Zhenbei Hou frowned and said, "Hurry and have him come to see me!"

The yard soon became quiet. Mu Chi closed his eyes and rested for a while, then sat up and looked at Hua Jin, who was kneeling on the ground with her head lowered, wondering what mood he was in.

"Stop kneeling and stand up."

"Master, this is my fault. I was possessed by evil spirits and offended you!" Hua Jin knocked his head heavily to the ground. "Master, please punish me!"

Mu Chi didn't know what to say for a moment. He felt mixed emotions. He looked at the other person's messy hair and the footprints on his chest.

"Get up."

His voice was very low, but Hua Jin seemed not to hear it. He continued to kneel and kowtowed even harder.

"This disciple deserves death, Master, please punish me!"

Mu Chi sighed slowly and said, "What's the point of punishing you? Do you know where you went wrong?"

"I shouldn't have let lust blind me and do such an animalistic thing to Master." Hua Jin raised his head. His forehead was red and broken, and his eyes were filled with tears. "I am willing to accept any punishment. I only ask Master to forgive me and not drive me away."

"When did I say I was going to kick you out?"

After saying this, Mu Chi fell silent. He didn't know what to do.

This was not Hua Jin's fault. He was cast under a spell and became like that. He could feel that Hua Jin was usually so well-behaved.

He was silent for a long time before he slowly said, "We were once master and disciple. I shouldn't have treated you this way. But what you did truly pains me. Do you understand that this action not only hurts me, but also puts you in an irretrievable situation?"

"Master, I know I was wrong," Hua Jin's voice was filled with tears. "I am willing to atone for my mistakes with my life."

"Forget about what happened last night. Just pretend nothing happened. I won't pursue the matter further."

Hua Jin took a deep breath and kowtowed three times. He was afraid that Mu Chi would become estranged from him because of this incident, and that they would no longer be close friends, and that other disciples would take advantage of him.

"Master, if I don't punish you, I won't be at peace."

He moved closer, and Mu Chi said in horror: "Don't come over here! Cough cough cough——"

"Okay, okay, I won't go over there," Hua Jin knelt on the spot, "Master, please don't cough..."

"Go ahead and ask about the princess. She paid special attention to Yuanyu. The national teacher has also asked about her." Mu Chi now just wanted Hua Jin to leave quickly, but he didn't know that this would hurt Hua Jin's heart.

"Okay, Master, you should have a good rest." Hua Jin left disappointedly.

Mu Chi sat alone on the bed, then slowly lay down, hugging himself, his body shaking violently.

He closed his eyes, trying to calm himself, but the fear and anxiety in his heart surged like a tide. He hugged his arms and locked them tightly, his fingertips turning white, as if trying to dispel the unbearable images.

"Cough cough cough..." Mu Chi's coughs echoed in the silent room, and each cough seemed to tear his throat.

It was quiet for a while, and then someone outside the door said, "Prince, the medicine has been delivered."

Mu Chi sorted out his thoughts and said, "Come in."

After he drank all the medicine, he asked, "Where's my dad?"

"To answer the Crown Prince, the Marquis is in the main hall, Guard Zheng has returned, and the Crown Prince's Consort is also here."

"I understand, go down now."

"yes."

Mu Chi still had many questions that were unanswered. He couldn't ask directly before because they hadn't met, but now it was time to ask about what had happened in Yandu recently, and what about Zuo Qianqian...

He got out of bed, dressed himself, and went to the main hall.

The three of them looked at him at the same time.

Zhenbei Hou spoke first: "What are you doing here? If you are sick, go and rest."

Qiu Rou did not come forward, but looked at him coldly. It seemed that she already knew his identity.

"Dad is discussing Big Brother's affairs, right? I recognize Zheng Hao, Big Brother's personal bodyguard. Now that he's back, what about Big Brother?"

"He hasn't come back yet..." said the Marquis of Zhenbei.

"What happened? Why can't you come back?"

Marquis Zhenbei: "Seven days ago, His Majesty, for unknown reasons, sent Xiu Wen to the suburbs. Since then, there has been no news. Zheng Hao returned to say that they were in danger and Xiu Wen was seriously injured and missing. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that His Majesty is trying to seize power and is targeting the Mu family. Now I am the prey..."

Qiu Rou: "We can't just let others do whatever they want. If that's what Your Majesty did, would the civil and military officials agree? He's taking human life lightly!"

"If the ruler wants his subject to die, the subject must die. When water is full, it overflows; when the moon waxes, it wanes."

Although the Mu family coveted power, they had never harbored any intention of rebellion. If the emperor wanted to kill them all, they would have no choice but to resist.

"But I saw His Majesty yesterday, and he spoke to me a lot, and he didn't mean to kill me."

"Your Majesty's heart is unpredictable. You have been away from Yandu for many years and do not know the pros and cons. Your Majesty has been recuperating for many years. When you are fully grown, that will be the day when my Mu family will perish."

Mu Chi didn't understand, but he knew the secret of immortality. The emperor, Zuo Qianqian, and the princess were certainly involved. The safety of all the sects was involved. This was not a simple power struggle, but was likely to involve the safety of all people in the world.

"What about the prince? If we use the prince as a target, he..." Qiu Rou didn't say anything else. Only people close to Mu Xiuwen knew about this matter, but he didn't tell him because he was afraid that the Marquis of Zhenbei would worry too much.

"We can't rush Xiuwen yet. The more obvious our actions are, the more dangerous Xiuwen's situation will be. Let Xingzhou play the role of the Crown Prince for the next few days. Zheng Hao, you tell him what the Crown Prince usually does. Yesterday's performance was truly full of loopholes and unbearable to watch."

Zheng Hao: “Yes.”