Six thousand funeral flowers

Mi Yun waited around the palace for half an hour, but still didn't see the princess.

She was a little puzzled. Judging from the place Su Yuanshan and Gu Jiuyu had gone to before, this gate should be the closest to them. But it was already this late, why hadn't they returned yet?

Mi Yun pondered for a while and decided to call it a day and go home to sleep.

You can't blame her; she's been racking her brains too much today and is really exhausted.

Inside the palace, Tu Xiao was unaware that a certain figure in the sect was slacking off again, working so diligently he was almost fainting.

"Auntie, what are we supposed to find in this pile of things?"

The young female doctor opened a bamboo scroll and then carefully put away the scroll that Tu Xiao had just finished reading.

Tu Xiao glanced at her, but didn't try to hide it. She smiled mysteriously and said, "It's about a legend from the martial arts world."

Hmm? The female doctor seemed to have been in the palace for too long and didn't immediately grasp the meaning of the term "jianghu" (江湖, the martial arts world).

“Aunt, the imperial court and the martial world cannot…” She quickly understood Tu Xiao’s words and wanted to say something ordinary like the others, but Tu Xiao stopped her with a seemingly smiling look in her eyes.

As a favorite of the Empress Dowager, how could Aunt Mo not understand these things, and realize that she had overstepped her bounds again?

However, while this is not a taboo, it is definitely not reasonable. But if I can see it, it shouldn't be anything particularly dangerous, right?

The young female doctor chose to obediently do her job.

"By the way, how's that strange illness you mentioned last time?"

Tu Xiao casually ran her index finger over the lines of text on the bamboo slip.

The young female doctor snapped out of her daze and exclaimed in amazement, "Auntie is truly amazing! I've tried that prescription. Adding those few herbs and reducing the time to decoct the medicine actually worked! Even the Palace Attendant praised my comprehension, but only I know that it's because you, Auntie, know so much more."

Tu Xiao smiled and said, "That's just a folk remedy from my hometown. As long as it works, that's good."

"By the way, Aunt, because I cured Lord Zhang, the Palace Attendant made an exception and promoted me. I can also participate in the Crown Prince's treatment plan this time, but..."

The female doctor glanced around, her brows furrowing as if she hesitated whether to speak.

Tu Xiao knew perfectly well that although she and Mi Yun hadn't discussed it, as members of Baiyue, how could she not realize who had planted the insidious burning scripture worm? Only a few people in the entire Baiyue were capable of creating such a worm.

It was precisely because of this curse that they were able to discover the Crown Princess's secret.

Now, the burned nerves have spread beyond where the Gu worms first started biting and are now affecting the whole body. The Crown Prince has been unconscious day and night, recuperating and resting. He claims it's because of the murders that happened in the Eastern Palace, but in reality, it's because the Gu worms have flared up, and he simply doesn't have the strength to wake up.

And this female doctor was someone she had recruited for this very moment.

The crown prince cannot recover now, but he also cannot die.

The blame lies with that little brat; he was too reckless with the poison. This Gu is extremely insidious. It doesn't show its effects at first, but once it takes hold, it becomes uncontrollable. Tu Xiao is now terrified that the Crown Prince might suddenly die, which would completely ruin the plan.

Tu Xiao raised her index finger to her lips, signaling the female doctor to be quiet: "If you do, just keep it to yourself. Be careful, the walls may have ears."

"yes."

The female doctor realized how serious the consequences of this matter were, and quickly suppressed what she wanted to say.

It's almost here, everything is almost here.

Tu Xiao looked at the bamboo slips in her hand.

As it approached midnight, the streets were much less crowded, and Mi Yun leisurely prepared to stroll back. However, before she could return safely, two groups of unidentified individuals started fighting in the street.

No, to be precise, it was two people fighting against a group of people.

One of them, Mi Yun, looks familiar. I think his name is... Jin Yi?

Mi Yun quickly remembered who that person was, but something was strange. Wasn't Jin Yi Gu Jiuyu's bodyguard? If he came here, who would protect Gu Jiuyu?

She quickly realized that this fight was definitely not simple, otherwise Jin Yi would never have abandoned Gu Jiuyu and come to delay this group of people.

Mi Yun quickly concealed herself, jumped onto the rooftop she loved, and observed the battle below.

This is bad. Jin Yi's companion looks like he can barely lift his sword anymore, and the enemy's forces seem to be converging on this side.

Could it be that someone knows Gu Jiuyu's identity, which is why they went to such lengths to kill her?

Who would dare to mess with the royal family like this, doing something that seems like it would cause them a lot of trouble?

Mi Yun sighed inwardly at the recklessness of the people behind that group, then her head started to ache again. Gu Jiuyu couldn't die now, at least not until she got news of the Broken Jade.

So now we need to find her. Luckily, I had previously placed a tracking worm on her, so finding her is relatively easy now.

Mi Yun took out a strange-looking insect from her pocket. The insect first moved its body for a moment, then adjusted its direction. Mi Yun followed the direction of its head and soon found Gu Jiuyu and Chu Lan, who were trapped in a corner of the alley by several men in black.

However, she arrived a little late.

A man in black stabbed Chu Lan in the chest with a sword, but Chu Lan shielded Gu Jiuyu from the fatal blow.

"Chu Lan!"

Gu Jiuyu looked at Chu Lan lying in a pool of blood in a panic. She wanted to escape, but this was just a small alley, and apart from the entrance blocked by the men in black, there was no way to escape.

It's happening again. What terrible luck.

Gu Jiuyu leaned against the wall, clenching her fists.

From the day he started investigating Yu Yangxian, he had never succeeded in front of her even once, and now it was even worse; he was about to lose his life.

She realized she had been too reckless, jumping into the fray, but the unexpected happened even faster than she had imagined.

Gu Jiuyu rarely made a self-deprecating joke, but he didn't intend to give up so easily.

Mi Yun, who had just arrived, was about to rescue the troublesome princess when she discovered that things seemed to be getting a little strange.

Gu Jiuyu didn't shout or make a scene, nor did she squat in the corner and cry, nor did she close her eyes and resign herself to fate—she seemed not to believe that anyone would come to save her.

She was negotiating with that group of people.

Mi Yun stopped in her tracks, looking at Gu Jiuyu below with a rather bewildered expression.

"Since you are all people of the martial world, what you want is nothing more than fame and fortune. Your employer can give you these things, and so can I. In fact, I can even give you what she can't."

Gu Jiuyu stepped away from the wall, took a step forward, and stood with a calm and fearless gaze.

The group of people looked at each other, seemingly hesitating about something.

Gu Jiuyu breathed a sigh of relief. She noticed that their actions were not very coordinated and guessed that they were not from the same organization. For assassins with no faith, money was undoubtedly the most tempting thing.

Mi Yun watched with even greater curiosity; this didn't seem to be the Gu Jiuyu she knew.

“The people behind me are more complicated than your employers. If you kill me, I will die too, but it could cause you unimaginable trouble. I’m not threatening you; I just hope we can get what we want smoothly.”

Gu Jiuyu took a jade pendant from his waist, raised his hand, and the words "Ju Rong" faintly appeared on the jade pendant.

"This is my token from Jurong Money Shop. With this, you can take as much money as you want."

Gu Jiuyu looked into the eyes of the leader and said.

Jurong Money Shop was the number one money shop in the world. It wasn't just a matter of money; without a certain status and position, you couldn't deposit anything there.

It seems Gu Jiuyu wasn't lying to them; the forces behind her might really cause them trouble, and their employer here...

"Then we might as well just tie you up, why bother with all this trouble?"

The leader looked at the jade in her hand, seemingly considering the feasibility of this approach.

"You won't."

Gu Jiuyu sneered, "Before that, I will smash this jade and swallow this poison."

She took out a red pill, put it to her lips, and said, "You can try to see if you can take me hostage faster or if I can swallow this pill faster."

The group exchanged glances, seemingly reaching a consensus.

"Alright, we'll let you go." The leader held out his hand. "Hand over the jade to us."

Gu Jiuyu raised an eyebrow and said, "Until my safety is confirmed, I think it's best to keep me here for now."

The leader gritted his teeth and said, "Then what do you want?"

“It’s very simple,” Gu Jiuyu said calmly. “You all throw your weapons here, step back ten steps, and when I get to the alley entrance, I will put the jade there. Then you can turn around.”

"How do we know you won't leave the jade there? What if you take it and run away?"

Gu Jiuyu looked at him and smiled: "Because once you get the jade, you won't chase me anymore. Why should I risk being hunted down and keep this jade, which is only good for my survival, on my person?"

She made a good point, but the leader was still not entirely at ease, so he demanded that she step back ten paces and turn around so that he could watch her place the jade there with his own eyes. Gu Jiuyu agreed.

She had deliberately set her expectations too high before, so it was expected that the other party would try to bargain.

Mi Yun watched as Gu Jiuyu walked to the alley entrance, put down the jade, and then quickly turned right.

As expected, those people kept their promise and did not chase after them; they simply picked up the jade.

However, they also had a backup plan. The leader looked at the rest of the group and said, "If they ask where the person went, just tell them what you saw."

Although they wanted to keep the jade to exchange for her and not have to chase after her anymore, others might not be so sure.

But... Mi Yun watched as Gu Jiuyu went around in circles and finally ran down the left-hand road.

This princess... is no ordinary person.

However, she has now become separated from her bodyguards, her personal maid is dead, and she has lost her life-saving jade pendant. Where should she go now? Should she go find her imperial brother?

Mi Yun was wide awake, only wanting to know where Gu Jiuyu was going next.

By the way, that woman told her to get close to Gu Jiuyu. A few days ago, she couldn't make a move because of the guards around Gu Jiuyu. Isn't now the best time?

But how to get close to him? If it were Gu Jiuyu from a few days ago, it would be fine, but this one is so shrewd, she has no confidence in dealing with him at all.

As she was thinking, Gu Jiuyu suddenly slowed down, took out a handkerchief to wipe her face, then let out a long sigh and slowly walked into an inn.

It happened to be the same place where Mi Yun was staying.

That makes sense. This inn is neither too close nor too far from where we just left, but it's close to the Prince Lin's residence. If anything happens, she'll have some room to maneuver.

But since it's already so dangerous, why not go home? Mi Yun was a little confused.

Never mind that, let's think about how to get closer to him in the first place.

Mi Yun was once again engaged in a brainstorming session.

Gu Jiuyu found her room and, without bothering to tidy herself up, collapsed onto the bed.

I'm so tired.

Watching Chu Lan die before her eyes, she was not as calm as she appeared.

Having struggled to negotiate with that group of people and then desperately made her way here through twists and turns, even a princess who had been pampered since childhood, no matter how intelligent she was, was still somewhat overwhelmed.

Fortunately, it's safe here for now. Tomorrow, I just need to change into the clothes I just got from the shopkeeper.

Gu Jiuyu closed her eyes, wanting to rest quietly for a moment.

But before she could drift off to sleep, she suddenly felt the room darken and a dagger was pressed against her neck; it felt cold.

She suddenly opened her eyes, but couldn't see anything.

What do you want?

She tried to forget her exhaustion and wanted to negotiate again.

But the person on the other side was clearly different from the group from before. He didn't care about money and was even too lazy to say much.

"die."

Gu Jiuyu suddenly felt uncertain: "If you find those things unacceptable, I can offer you something else—connections? Intelligence? With my..."

Before she could finish speaking, the chill on her neck vanished, and the sound of clashing swords filled the room, followed by the sound of tables and chairs being struck.

After a while, a muffled groan came from the man, and the sounds of swords clashing temporarily ceased.

The room lights came on; someone had turned on the lights.

Gu Jiuyu covered her eyes with her hand and saw the face of the person standing in the room.

A pretty young woman, dressed in black, holding a long sword, with an icy expression.