Chapter 24: Still treating me like a child?

"Why are you showing off your affection in front of me?" Xiao Lin raised his eyebrows.

"Dang" Song Youning habitually gave Xiao Lin a slap.

"Ouch"

Xiao Lin covered his head, howled, and looked at her with a pout, "Your Highness, why do you always hit me?"

Song Youning said calmly: "I am happy to do so!"

Li Funing looked at the two people playing around, and a hint of smile appeared on his stern face.

For the first time, he felt that Xiao Lin's cynical look actually revealed a rare sincerity and was not so annoying.

"Your Highness, what are the plans for those pregnant women in the dark room?" Xiao Lin asked

Song Youning's expression changed and became serious.

"They are safe for now."

"Master Chen wants a live fetus to obtain medicine. He will take good care of them."

Song Youning raised a meaningful smile at the corner of his lips: "Since Master Chen is so obsessed with the art of immortality..."

"Then I will give him a chance, but I don't know if he will be blessed enough."

"What is Your Highness planning to do?" Li Funing frowned, feeling an ominous premonition.

Song Youning suddenly raised his eyes, a cold light flashing in his eyes: "Xiao Lin."

Xiao Lin was immersed in his grievances, unable to extricate himself, and he was about to cry: "What are your instructions, Your Highness?"

"Go and have a good talk with the sorcerer beside Grand Master Chen."

She curled her lips slightly and said softly, "Tell him."

"Ordinary placenta-based elixirs only extend life by ten years."

"If you can obtain three drops of the Emperor's daughter's heart blood... you can live for fifty years. However, the blood must be taken on the day of the Emperor's reign to achieve longevity."

“Your Highness, you can’t do that!”

Li Funing's voice was unusually out of control. "The princess is of noble status. If this plan is leaked..."

"Lord Li."

Song Youning interrupted him and chuckled, "Don't worry, do you really think I'll use myself as a hostage? I don't think I'll live long enough."

Li Funing looked at the sly smile on Song Youning's lips and was suddenly stunned.

Her eyes and brows were curved, like a fox that had succeeded in its plan, revealing a sense of ease as if she was confident of victory.

His tense shoulders suddenly relaxed: "Your Highness looks like this..."

"how?"

Song Youning raised his eyebrows. "What do you think, sir?"

Li Funing lowered his eyes, the smile on his lips deepening. "I am just suddenly...very worried about Grand Tutor Chen."

Song Youning: ...

"What if he doesn't listen to us?" Xiao Lin asked.

Song Youning suddenly smiled softly, "Then I will make you accompany him in the underworld..."

Xiao Lin panicked: "...I understand! I'll do it right away."

He turned around and looked back, the sword at his waist flashed, "This prince will make that sorcerer willingly serve Ningning, and will fight him until he is willing."

It usually takes fifteen days to travel from Lingnan to Bianjing by carriage. However, in order to avoid death, Xiao Lin rode his horse at full speed from Lingnan to Bianjing in just fifteen days, and three horses died in the process.

Ma: I am so innocent!

Grand Tutor's Mansion

Xiao Lin's boots rolled silently over the green tiles, and finally found a flat step. He stretched and lay down on his side.

While drinking a little wine, he waited for the sorcerer to return to the room.

"Da Da Da"

There was a sound of footsteps. Xiao Lin leaned over and saw a white figure appear under the eaves.

He cleverly turned over and jumped down.

He kicked the white-robed sorcerer to the ground and then stepped on his face.

The whole face was distorted, and the pale face was splashed with dirty water that had just been raised from the ground.

"I heard..."

"Are you helping Grand Master Chen refine the elixir of immortality?"

The sorcerer in white robes' Adam's apple rolled violently, cold sweat mixed with dirty water dripped down his face, and he stammered, "My Lord, please understand! I, I just..."

"Just what?"

Xiao Lin suddenly leaned over, his warm breath spraying on the sorcerer's ear, but he spoke the coldest words: "An ordinary placenta can extend one's life span by ten years, but three drops of the emperor's heart blood can extend one's life span by fifty years... and the blood must be taken on the day of the emperor's arrival."

He paused deliberately, "If you find a chance to tell Master Chen about this, I will spare your life..."

The warlock's pupils suddenly constricted, and Xiao Lin's devilish smile was reflected in his cloudy eyes: "This... this will cost me my head!"

"oh?"

"Do you want your own head or the heads of your wife and children?"

Xiao Lin chuckled and slowly took something out from his arms.

A wave drum that looks quite old but has been extremely well-preserved. One look at it reveals that the owner of this drum must have treasured it very much.

There are four small words "Long Life" engraved on the inside of the rattle, which was the birthday gift the sorcerer gave to his youngest son two years ago.

The warlock's breathing suddenly stopped.

"I heard that your son loves playing Cuju in the south of the city..."

Xiao Lin was playing with the wave drum, and suddenly he folded his fingers together. "It just so happens that I've been going to the south of the city to buy some wine recently... I wonder if I can run into you..."

"I understand! I understand!"

The man kowtowed frantically, his forehead hitting the bluestone slab with a "bang", splashing blood all over the ground.

"My son...?"

"rest assured."

Xiao Lin suddenly leaned over and stuffed the worn rattle into the warlock's bloodstained collar. His voice was childlike, yet as venomous as a venomous snake's tongue, "As long as you cooperate, your son will naturally be able to..."

"Live a long life, if..." Before he finished speaking, he disappeared into the night.

Seeing the people leave, the warlock's legs went limp and he knelt on the ground...

Three days later at midnight, green smoke filled the alchemy room of Grand Master Chen.

A group of green-robed sorcerers knelt in the center of the Bagua formation, and the one kneeling in front was the white-robed sorcerer who was threatened by Xiao Lin that day.

His hands trembled like leaves in the wind as he raised the volume of "Southern Border Classics" above his head and presented it to the person in front of him.

"! Grand Master, please look..."

His voice was flustered, but he pretended to be calm.

"I finally found the 'Southern Border Classics' left by my master, which contains the secrets to longevity. I'm presenting this to the Grand Master."

"Okay, okay."

Grand Tutor Chen glanced at him and snatched the ancient book away.

When I opened it, there was not a single word on it.

Grand Master Chen suddenly grabbed the sorcerer by the throat and said, "How dare you tease me?"

The sorcerer in white robes turned purple in the face. He struggled to point to the jade bowl on the table and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Grandmaster... use water... use water..."

"snort!"

Master Chen shook off the sorcerer, grabbed the ancient book and dipped it into the bowl. The moment the clear water touched the pages.

“Swish!”

The paper suddenly burst into flames, and a few words appeared in the flames:

"The Emperor's daughter's heart blood can be used to refine a medicine that can extend life by fifty years."

"this..."

Master Chen staggered back.

The sorcerer stumbled forward, clutching his neck. "Grandmaster, this technique is forbidden in our sect. Since there has never been a female emperor in our dynasty, it has been sealed by our master."

"Now Princess Youning has been named the Crown Princess and will soon ascend to the throne. If the Grand Tutor wishes to achieve immortality, he must obtain the blood of the Emperor's daughter..."

A group of sorcerers knelt on the ground and kowtowed, "Grand Master, please understand! This technique requires the right timing. Only when the Empress takes the throne and the yin and yang are reversed can the "Emperor's Blood" manifest its heavenly power!"

Grand Master Chen waved his hand and said, "Forget it, forget it. Of course, I trust the classics left by Master Ziyang."

"Grand Master, His Majesty is in good health now. If we wait until Princess Youning ascends the throne, wouldn't it be..." A one-eyed servant beside the stove was hunched over with a worried look on his face.

The Grand Tutor slowly raised his eyes, a hint of sarcasm flashed across them, and a meaningful sneer appeared at the corner of his lips: "Your Majesty's mind has long been away from the court. He had long considered passing the throne to the princess, but unfortunately..."

He touched the jade ring with his bony fingers. "The princess is traveling with Prince Xiao, and several important officials in the court are strongly opposed. This matter has to be put on hold."

"Now..."

The Grand Tutor chuckled softly, his eyes gleaming with a gleam of light. "Since I have agreed, all we need to do is use a little trick to lure the princess back to the capital. This kingdom will change hands..."

The voice stopped abruptly.

"Grand Master is wise" then the servant will feel guilty.

Song Youning estimated that Xiao Lin should have finished his work, so he began to look for ways to save the group of pregnant women.

Before, there was no other way to achieve immortality, and the Grand Tutor would have pursued her relentlessly. Now that she has given him a better choice, he will naturally not take those women seriously.

At noon that day, after lunch, Song Youyou opened her "Da Gan Fengwu Zhi" and wrote in the latest travel notes:

Zhou Mansion Strange Stories: A Pool of Fresh Water Changes Destiny

This young man was visiting Lingnan when he happened to encounter a banquet hosted by Governor Zhou. His residence, nestled against Qinglong Mountain and surrounded by a flowing stream, embodies the ideal of "storing the wind and gathering the energy." After the banquet, all his long-standing ailments vanished, and even the doctors were amazed!

At the end of the article, a carefully drawn "Feng Shui Diagram" is attached, marking the rockery and waterside pavilions of the Zhou Mansion as "auspicious locations for longevity."

Signed: Lingnan, the Golden Branch Prince, who has just recovered from a long illness

Song Youning finished writing in one go, nodded and boasted: "This princess is worthy of being the number one script writer in Dagan."

"Chun Tao!"

Song Youning admired it for a while, finally put down his pen, picked up the rice paper in front of him and blew on it.

"The servant is here"

Song Youning instructed, "Tell Xiao Liuzi not to send it back to Bianjing. Instead, have him go to Lingnan and find a few more bookstores to copy and print it together. Then, find the most reliable one among them and make it a branch of Zuixianzhai."

Song Youning reached out and touched the ink stain on the paper to make sure it was dry before handing it to Chuntao.

"yes"

Chuntao took it, rolled the paper into a roll, and carefully put it into the paper tube.

Song Youning looked slyly at Li Funing, who was handling official documents nearby. "Lord Li must have stationed people in many places to protect me. Could you do me a favor and spread the word about the blessing at the Zhou residence?"

Li Funing's hand holding the pen paused slightly, and the ink cast a small shadow on the document.

He raised his eyes and met Song Youning's eyes which were flashing with cunning.

"Who is your highness trying to plot against now?"

He put down the wolf-hair brush and looked at her quietly.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, how can it be called calculation?" Song Youning shook his head.

She approached Li Funing, leaned forward, and faced him face to face: "Master Li, those 'storytellers' hiding in teahouses and taverns, and the 'embroiderers and doctors' kept in embroidery workshops and pharmacies..."

She lifted a strand of Li Funing's hair and asked, "Can I borrow it for a while?"

"Your Highness knows all this?" His voice was tense and a little nervous.

Song Youning suddenly tugged at the hair in her hand, raised her eyebrows, and looked at him with a half-smile: "What do you think... I know that Lord Li has been following me around for many years..."

"Why... Lord Li still treats me like a baby?"

"Lord Li..." She parted her red lips slightly, her breath as fragrant as orchid, "Don't forget, not only are you twenty-four, I'm twenty too."

Her fingertips slowly slid down the collar of his clothes and drew an ambiguous circle on his chest. "In an ordinary family, the children should be able to recite the Thousand Character Classic."

"now……"

Li Funing's breath hitched, and she suddenly sat on his legs, her skirt covering his knees: "I know everything I need to know..."

She lifted his chin with her fingertips, her eyes sparkling: "You know everything you shouldn't know..."

"Even as much as Lord Li knows..."

She put her red lips close to his ear, breathing sweetly: "Do you want me to teach Master Li?"