Chapter 94 It's not enough for me to just talk about it.
Chi Li could hardly believe his ears and said urgently, "You...you clearly said back then that you would be a gentleman and would never treat me lightly."
Lu Jinlan smiled and said, "Silly! You Meizu people really have no sense of humor at all. Just kidding. Let's go."
Lu Jinlan led him to hide in an empty wooden bucket on the waterwheel. "This cart will go outside the palace to fetch spring water tomorrow morning, and we can sneak out without anyone noticing."
Chi Li nodded. "Where is that Overlord Gilded Spear you were holding?"
So it was called the Overlord Gilded Spear? Lu Jinlan said, "It's hidden under the carriage."
As Lu Jinlan spoke, he put the lid on the wooden bucket, took out a luminous pearl from his bosom, and its cool, clear light immediately shone on the faces of the two of them.
Although the wooden barrel was not small, it still felt quite cramped when it contained two adults and a large bundle.
The two squatted there close together, and even through their clothes, they could feel each other's warm body temperature.
Chi Li was not used to being so close to people, but at this moment there was nowhere to hide. The woman's aura was strong and domineering, quickly enveloping him. The faint fragrance invaded his nostrils, making him extremely nervous.
He swallowed unconsciously, his Adam's apple bobbing. Lu Jinlan looked at him and said, "What are you afraid of? We won't be discovered."
Chi Li glanced at her, silently replying in his heart: I'm afraid of you.
He could feel Lu Jinlan staring at him; her gaze seemed to have a temperature, burning hot. It made his face burn, as if he were being scalded.
He couldn't help but ask, "Why are you staring at me?"
Lu Jinlan was quite frank and did not deny it at all. She said, "I was watching you think about the problem."
"What's the problem?"
"A man of your unparalleled beauty is probably one of a kind in the world. No woman could resist such allure. The Emperor of Jiang has been married to you for so long; how do you think she has been able to resist?"
These words were blunt, but Chi Li smiled slightly and was not angry. He took the opportunity to reprimand Lu Hou, saying, "To be honest, we Meizu people are naturally beautiful, which inevitably makes us targets for lustful men. But our ancestors not only passed on our beauty to us, but also passed on the skills to protect ourselves."
"The Meizu people are born to befriend poisonous creatures, and as a holy man, my poison skills are naturally unparalleled. The poisonous creatures I raise can understand my will, and if anyone offends me, they will swarm and bite them to death."
Lu Jinlan didn't believe her, "What about when your poison isn't around?"
Chi Li curled the corners of his mouth, "I have a poisonous creature within me, it is one with me, it is never absent."
Lu Jinlan blinked. "What do you mean?"
Chi Li stretched out both hands, but Lu Jinlan saw that his hands were empty and was puzzled.
Chi Li then clasped his hands together, opened his left hand, and a bright red, highly venomous centipede appeared in his palm.
The venomous centipede was over a foot long, nimbly crawling and climbing on his wrist. Every now and then, it would raise its bright red head, and its legs would slightly extend and retract. The sight made Lu Jinlan's scalp tingle and goosebumps rise instantly.
She held her breath, her body stiffening as she pressed herself against the edge of the wooden tub. If the situation hadn't prevented it, she would have smashed the tub with her bare hand and jumped three zhang away immediately.
Chi Li whispered, "That's why the emperor doesn't dare to approach me; she's afraid."
Lu Jinlan thought to himself: Who wouldn't be scared if you had this thing on your body?
She had heard that the more poisonous something is, the brighter its color. This poisonous centipede was as bright as blood, and she was afraid that if she were bitten, she would die instantly, without even having time to take the antidote.
This multi-legged invertebrate is unsettling to look at, let alone being incredibly poisonous. No matter how strong one's lustful desires may be, just thinking about this creature would likely instantly purify one's mind and eliminate all distracting thoughts.
Lu Jinlan was also afraid, but she still cared about her image in front of Chi Li, so she put on a show.
She chuckled awkwardly, forcing a smile, "Haha, what's so scary about this? These... cricket pupae, aren't they cute!"
Chi Li said with delight, "You can actually appreciate the appearance of venomous creatures? That's truly rare. I thought that apart from us Meizu people, everyone was afraid of venomous creatures. Perhaps you also have the talent to tame venomous creatures? How about I let you have it and you experience it?"
"No need," Lu Jinlan refused without hesitation. "You should put it away quickly. We need to conserve our energy and get some rest."
"Okay." Chi Li looked at the poisonous centipede, as if communicating with it. The centipede spun in his hand and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Lu Jinlan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Originally, with such a handsome man beside her, she was feeling restless and itchy. Now, however, her mind was completely at peace. She no longer wanted to flirt with him and just wanted to sleep for a while.
But as she closed her eyes, she remembered the poisonous centipede and couldn't help but ask, "What if it crawls out on its own? Maybe into someone's ear or something?"
"No, it's driven by my will. I make it come out, and that's why it comes out."
"Okay." Lu Jinlan thought: Then I can rest assured.
The two closed their eyes to rest until dawn broke. The carriage swayed for a while before finally stopping by the mountain spring.
Lu Jinlan seized the opportunity to knock the woman unconscious, pulled the Overlord Gilded Spear from under the carriage, and knocked on the wooden barrel. "Let's go."
Chi Li jumped off the carriage and turned around to find three empty wooden barrels on it.
He couldn't see clearly last night because it was dark, but now he exclaimed in surprise, "There are three wooden barrels."
"Hmm, three of them, what's wrong?" Lu Jinlan asked in return.
"Since there are three barrels, why do you want to squeeze into one barrel with me?"
"Oh, I did it on purpose," Lu Jinlan said seriously, "so that I could protect you closely."
"Yeah?"
"Otherwise what? Did I take advantage of you? Don't wrong an innocent person!"
Lu Jinlan walked forward angrily, and Chi Li quickly followed, apologizing, "I was being petty, please don't take offense, Lord Lu."
Lu Jinlan waved her hand and said magnanimously, "It's alright, I'm often misunderstood, I'm used to it."
"So what do we do next?"
Lu Jinlan said, "Let's go to the city gate and check the situation first."
As Lu Jinlan had predicted, news of the intrusion into the palace had already spread.
With heavy checks at the city gate, Chi Li said with worry, "It seems we can't get out."
"What's there to be afraid of? At most, they'll investigate for a day or two, and if they don't find anything, they'll start looking outside the city."
Lu Jinlan calculated the time and figured that even if it took four or five days, she could still make it back by the night of the full moon. So she wasn't in a hurry to travel and took Chi Li to stroll through the market in Shangdu.
As Chi Li nervously looked around, a veil suddenly covered his head.
Lu Jinlan said in a low voice, "Don't be nervous, there are no pursuers here."
Chi Li said uneasily, "But I feel like someone is always watching me."
Lu Jinlan smiled. "Wear this and no one will look at you. Don't act like a fugitive, or the officers will only pay more attention to you."
Chi Li hurriedly asked, "Then what should I consider myself?"
Lu Jinlan smiled, her eyes hinting at something more: "What do you think?"
Lu Jinlan grabbed his wrist and swaggered into a silk shop.
The shopkeeper greeted her with a beaming smile, "Young lady, what would you like to choose?"
"Pick out some fashionable clothes for my husband, bring out all the best clothes in your store."
That tone told me he was a big spender. The owner said happily, "Please wait a moment, I'll go get it for you myself. Someone, bring the best tea quickly!"
As soon as the boss left, Chi Li said anxiously, "How could you say that?"
"What else can I say? That you're someone else's husband, and I stole you away?" Lu Jinlan put down her bundle and sat down, complaining in a low voice, "Can't I even have a little talk about it? I can't touch you or not."
Chi Li lowered his head and said nothing more.
The boss soon arrived with several employees, presenting more than a dozen new clothes.
She enthusiastically introduced, "These are all new styles this year, made entirely of the finest materials. These two pieces are highly sought-after items from Hua Kingdom. This crane robe was embroidered by more than a dozen embroiderers. Why don't you let your husband try it on first?"
Lu Jinlan nodded slightly, "Go ahead and give it a try."
Perhaps it was because the veil was too stuffy, but in this late autumn season, Chi Li's face was suddenly burning.
He carried a large pile of clothes into the dressing room, and several more tea snacks were added to Lu Jinlan's table.
A short while later, the officers conducting the investigation arrived at the shop, grabbed the owner, and asked, "Has anyone suspicious come here?"
The innkeeper hurriedly said, "We only have customers here, there's no one suspicious here. Ladies, why don't you look elsewhere?" The official said, "Something has been stolen from the palace, so you all need to be careful. Remember, if you see someone carrying a large bag of treasures, report it to the authorities. By the way, that person might also be accompanied by a handsome man."
As she was speaking, she suddenly caught sight of Lu Jinlan behind the boss. Lu Jinlan met the officer's gaze, chuckled, and took the initiative to speak.
"Ladies, you don't suspect me, do you? I do have a bundle with me, and I also have a handsome husband with me inside trying on clothes. How about I call him out so you can see him?"
When the officer saw that Lu Jinlan was dressed like a wealthy young master, with a smile in his eyes and a carefree and charming demeanor, he didn't think he looked like a thief at all. So he said unhappily, "Don't get involved and cause trouble. This is none of your business."
Lu Jinlan asked curiously, "This palace is heavily guarded, how could something be stolen?"
The officer said, "It's none of your business, stop asking questions."
With that, he led his men away to another place.
Chi Li overheard the conversation outside while in the changing room, her heart pounding with tension. She finally felt relieved when she heard the officials leave.
He had to admire Lu Jinlan; she was always calm and composed, as if there was nothing in the world that would make her panic.
The male employee in the shop came in smiling and helped tidy up the clothes, casting an envious glance at Chi Li.
“My dear husband, your wife is so good to you. She just bought all these clothes and picked out a few more for you, which cost a total of one hundred and eighty taels of silver. She asked us to help you pack them. We serve so many customers every year, and we rarely see such a generous wife. You are truly blessed.”
Chi Li said hesitantly, "She...is very good."
*
The two men left the silk shop with two more bundles on their backs.
The streets of Shangdu were filled with a dazzling array of goods. As the two strolled through them, Chi Li exclaimed from the bottom of his heart, "Shangdu is truly prosperous."
Lu Jinlan was startled. "You didn't know before?"
Chi Li said, "When I entered Shangdu, I was in a sedan chair and went straight into the palace. I haven't come out in the past ten years."
Lu Jinlan then asked, "What about your home? Isn't there a market there?"
Chi Li shook his head. "My home is in a mountain stronghold."
Lu Jinlan sighed, "Well then, I'll go all the way and show you around today."
The two entered the most bustling restaurant in the capital, ordered a table full of food and drinks, and had a big feast.
When Lu Jinlan returned after paying the bill, she frowned and said, "I have bad news."
Chi Li hurriedly replied, "I don't have any either."
Lu Jinlan was taken aback. "You're not alright?"
"Money? Weren't we out of money? I didn't bring any with me when I left. Are they preventing us from leaving? Maybe I should release a poisonous snake and we can escape in the chaos."
Lu Jinlan laughed and said, "No need! You don't know, I've suffered from being broke before, so I'm never short of money when I travel. The bad news I'm talking about isn't that we're broke, it's that you need proof of identity to stay at any hotel here. I was originally planning to take you to the best inn, but now we can only go to the mountains and become a homeless couple."
Chi Li did not refute the words "wife and husband," but instead chuckled and said, "It's alright, I've always liked living in the mountains."
The two climbed the mountain as dusk fell. Lu Jinlan exclaimed happily, "We're lucky! Look, there's a thatched hut over there."
Chi Li said gently, "Because you are a good person, Heaven sees all the good deeds you've done. So, good people are always rewarded. Do you believe that everything is arranged by Heaven in the unseen world?"
Lu Jinlan chuckled but remained silent.
Chi Li excitedly pushed open the dilapidated wooden door, only to freeze in place. The shabby and worn-out appearance was one thing, but the problem was—there was only one bed.
Lu Jinlan took a deep breath, agreeing wholeheartedly with what Chi Li had just said.
He's right, good people do indeed get good rewards.
Lu Jinlan tried hard to suppress the upward curve of her lips and patted his shoulder. "I believe everything is God's arrangement. Let's rest here tonight."
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Author's Note: Sorry to keep you waiting! Here I am!
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