Chapter 115 Viciousness: She really wanted to kill him.

After the carriage traveled through the city for a while, Jiang Yuhuo lifted the curtain to look at the street scene.

Teams of soldiers, fully armed, patrolled the streets from time to time, while smaller groups questioned passersby who resembled the portraits, resulting in a deserted street.

The soldiers guarding the city were right; Shannan County was determined to find her no matter what. After all, it was a crime of regicide, so it was no wonder they were going to such great lengths.

Jiang Yuhuo just couldn't understand why such a major event as the emperor's sudden death had not been leaked out at all. Were the people around Qin Yuqi so tight-lipped?

Do we have to wait a few more days until the news reaches the capital before the whole country takes action?

She still remembered the scene when the previous emperor died, with the funeral bells tolling and white mourning clothes everywhere.

She was so engrossed in her gaze that she didn't notice the people around her were also watching her.

After taking his medicine, Li Mengbai was listlessly leaning against her, trying to fall asleep. But when Jiang Yuhuo drew back the curtains and let the light in, he couldn't sleep anymore. However, he didn't want to get up, so he just leaned against Jiang Yuhuo, lazily looking at her with his eyes open.

She wore a jade crown, her face covered with a beard, and her slender frame was accentuated by her loose-fitting long robe, giving her a somewhat delicate, scholarly air. The morning light shone on her face, making her skin appear even whiter, so clean that it aroused a desire to defile it, to do everything in one's power to stain that fair face with red marks.

Li Mengbai unconsciously rolled his Adam's apple, which was hidden in his collar.

"Awake?" Jiang Yuhu moved her shoulders. "If you're awake, get up."

After spending the night at Golden Bough's manor, his fever finally subsided.

Li Mengbai closed his eyes again.

After a while, he lowered his voice again and said, "What kind of spell did you cast on that woman outside? Why would she be willing to risk helping you?"

Li Mengbai was completely unaware of Jiang Yuhuo and Jinzhi's conversation. In the middle of the night, Jiang Yuhuo woke him up and brought him a brightly colored dress to change into. He was puzzled but did not refuse. Only after putting it on did he realize it was women's clothing. Just as he was about to get angry, Jiang Yuhuo came in dressed as a man and said to him, "You and I will switch places and pretend to be husband and wife. Jinzhi will escort us into the city, and we will set off at dawn."

Although he was angry, Li Mengbai had to admit that it was indeed a good idea, and the facts proved that the method was feasible. However, he still did not trust people's hearts.

"I helped her many years ago, and now she's helping me."

Li Mengbai scoffed, "Did you explain the pros and cons to her?"

He lowered his voice to Jiang Yuhuo's ear, like a venomous tongue flicking its tongue, "You killed their emperor..."

Jiang Yuhuo disliked the disdain in his tone, and with a slight push, the person on top of her fell to the other side.

She didn't tell Jinzhi everything; she only said that the two people wanted at the city gate were them. Since the wanted posters didn't mention the regicide at all, she didn't need to reveal it and frighten Jinzhi.

Jinzhi was stunned for a long time after hearing this, but finally decided to help her. She came up with a way to pretend to be a married couple by changing clothes. She was familiar with the city gate guards, and with their help to cover up, it would not be difficult to get through the gate.

"Don't make assumptions, she's a good person."

The wheels rolled forward, and Li Mengbai didn't ask her any more questions.

The carriage stopped at Jinzhi's restaurant. Because Li Mengbai was unwilling to expose the Li family's contact point, Jiang Yuhuo and Jinzhi parted ways in front of the restaurant.

Before parting, Jinzhi gave Jiang Yuhuo the gold coins and horses she had prepared beforehand, and also gave him two veiled hats.

Jiang Yuhuo did not refuse, but bowed to Jinzhi and said, "I will repay your kindness today in the future."

Jinzhi smiled and said, "Alright, I'll wait for you here."

After riding for a while, Jiang Yuhuo looked back and saw Jinzhi still standing at the door watching her go. When she saw Jiang Yuhuo looking over, Jinzhi waved to her again. Jiang Yuhuo nodded slightly before finally spurring her horse and riding away.

Seeing her radiant spirit, Li Mengbai also became interested. He propped himself up and led the way for her, his long whip lashing down, his light robes fluttering, and a rare air of unrestrained freedom in his eyes.

However, when the two arrived at the Li family's contact point, Li Mengbai's expression suddenly darkened.

The liaison point was located in a bustling market town, where merchants and vendors concentrated their businesses. Passing through the lively alleys, one could see a three-story building at the far end of the bustling area. The pillars were engraved with golden chrysanthemums, which was the emblem of the Li family.

A quiet retreat amidst the hustle and bustle is a true luxury. Jiang Yuhuo recalled the mansion in Luoyue City where she met Li Mengbai; it was just like that.

The immortal families that have stood for hundreds of years are indeed deeply rooted in history.

Jiang Yuhuo waited for Li Mengbai to take her inside, but he didn't move for a long time.

Following Li Mengbai's gaze, she saw a woman in green descending a long flight of stairs not far away. She had snow-white skin, jet-black hair, dark eyes, and red lips. Though she appeared to be only a young girl, her eyes held a captivating allure, and every smile and gesture was breathtakingly beautiful. Several older men accompanied her, all respectfully waiting to hear her instructions.

Jiang Yuhuo recognized something familiar about that face.

"Let's go."

Li Mengbai took her hand, but instead of heading towards the small building, he turned back.

"Why don't we go in?" Jiang Yuhuo was very puzzled. They had come all this way, and they could have gotten to Yanling City very quickly if they had just gone in.

"Unless you want to die." Li Mengbai dragged her away without turning his head, his tone icy, "Or, you'd rather be dead."

Jiang Yuhuo glanced back again. "That person looks a lot like you. Isn't she your sister?"

She was confused and didn't want to leave. "If they are sisters, shouldn't we ask her for help? Why should we avoid her like the plague?"

Li Mengbai sneered, led her to a secluded corner, and released her hand. "A viper? She's even more vicious than a viper! If she finds out I've lost all my spiritual power, I'm finished." Fearing she wouldn't give up, Li Mengbai added, "Even if you stay with me, you won't escape."

"Is she your enemy? Not your family?" Jiang Yuhu recalled the face she had seen, which was undeniably very similar to Li Mengbai's.

A short, mocking laugh escaped his nostrils. Li Mengbai's eyes were filled with hatred as he slowly uttered, "In the Li family, family members are enemies."

Jiang Yuhuo was stunned, not understanding for a moment why these two words were put together.

Li Mengbai seemed to realize that he was emotional, so he took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.

“She’s not my sister, she’s that old man’s sister.” When he said the word ‘old man,’ the hatred in his eyes intensified. “Seriously, I should call her ‘aunt.’”

Jiang Yuhuo was increasingly confused. The woman who looked even younger than Li Mengbai was actually his elder?

She sorted things out and understood their current situation—the contact point in Nanjun of Lijia Mountain was controlled by Li Mengbai's enemies, and he could not go in, otherwise he would expose his loss of spiritual power and bring disaster upon the two of them.

"So what should we do now?" Jiang Yuhuo asked.

Li Mengbai frowned. He had only been away from the Li family for a few months, and that old woman Li Yanluo had already begun to encroach on his power. The people he had just seen beside Li Yanluo were all from her faction. She had even purged everyone in the stronghold.

That's a brilliant tactic.

"We can go to the next city."

That's what they said, but Li Mengbai wasn't entirely sure. Not only was the next city hundreds of miles away, but he also couldn't be certain that the stronghold there hadn't been infiltrated by Li Yanluo.

He finally began to feel agitated, and truly hated his current situation of having no spiritual power and being restricted at every turn. But he quickly focused his mind; having obtained the essence of the Heavenly Pillar, he would never be defeated.

Jiang Yuhuo turned around and went to fetch the horse.

"Where are you going?" Li Mengbai instinctively tried to grab her.

"Go find Jinzhi and ask her to escort us out of the city."

As Jiang Yuhuo was about to mount her horse, Li Mengbai stopped her.

What do you mean by this?

Li Mengbai took the reins from her and gripped the horse in his own hands. "Don't go."

Jiang Yuhuo sensed something unusual amidst her confusion. She looked into Li Mengbai's eyes and asked, "Why don't you want to go?"

Li Mengbai's eyes flickered twice, but she ultimately avoided her gaze. "You said you didn't want to drag her down, so why did you go back to her?"

Jiang Yuhuo recalled the probing tone in his voice inside the carriage, and her heart sank. "Li Mengbai, did you do something to her?"

The beautiful face turned away. "I'm only doing this for our own good."

But Jiang Yuhuo clearly wasn't going to listen to him. She turned the person in front of her around, forcing him to look her in the eye, "What exactly did you do to her? Tell me the truth!"

Li Mengbai was already irritable, and seeing that she insisted on pressing him for an explanation over such a trivial matter only made him more irritable. Her persistent attitude added a touch of unease to his irritation. He angrily said, "Yes! I poisoned her, but it was all for our safety."

Jiang Yuhuo felt a buzzing in her head. She stared intently at Li Mengbai and asked, "Say it again, what did you do?"

Her gaze was filled with shock, sorrow, and... disgust.

That hint of disgust finally shattered his composure, and anger made Li Mengbai's eyes redden. "What did I do? I rendered her mute and blind, she's now a blind and mute cripple, so she won't betray us, won't reveal our whereabouts to anyone! Is that clear enough?"

"Bang!" A sound like something exploding rang out, silencing the world.

Li Mengbai fell to the ground and found that the silence wasn't in the world, but in his ears. He couldn't hear the sounds around him, but he could hear a distant buzzing. Half of his face and ear hurt, and after a long while, he finally heard Jiang Yuhuo's voice.

"...How dare you treat her like this?" Jiang Yuhuo's face flushed crimson with anger, her voice trembling. "She's finally made it this far, she's just starting to feel a little better..."

"How dare you... how dare you destroy someone so easily? Why won't you even let her go? She's just an ordinary person trying to live, she didn't do anything to wrong you!"

Li Mengbai wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth where she had hit him, and covered his swollen cheek with one hand. He sneered, "You haven't seen each other for years. How well do you know her? You really believe she won't betray you? Even if she's loyal to you at heart, how can you guarantee she won't accidentally let something slip and be noticed by someone with ulterior motives..."

Jiang Yuhuo interrupted him, "Just for your so-called peace of mind?"

She looked at him as if he were a pile of rotten flesh, filled with utter disgust. "I know you are naturally suspicious and spoiled. When you cried and said sorry that day, I thought you had changed... Ha, you will never change. You have always been a vicious and ruthless person."

Give me the antidote.

Li Mengbai had been watching her the whole time, not missing a single expression. He watched the anger in her eyes turn into indifference, like a fire that had burned out, leaving only cold ashes. He stood up from the ground, brushed the dust off his clothes, and straightened his slightly disheveled hair.

There is no antidote.

The longsword pierced through, producing a crisp, clear ringing sound.

Jiang Yuhuo pointed her sword at him, her gaze stern, "Don't force me to hurt you."

For a fleeting moment, he saw the killing intent in Jiang Yuhuo's eyes.

She really wanted to kill him.