Chapter 43 He Left
Xiao Sui reached out and pulled Ning Qi onto his lap. The sudden jolt made Ning Qi hug his neck tightly.
The two adopted an even closer stance.
“Princess…” Xiao Sui’s voice was low and hoarse, his hot breath blowing on her neck.
Ning Qi shrank her neck a little because she was ticklish, and Xiao Sui immediately kissed her lips that were so close to his. Then he tilted his head back and bit her round earlobe, gently twisting it with his teeth.
The slightly tingling sensation made half of her body go numb, and the burning heat moved downwards without her realizing it, reaching her collarbone.
She unconsciously leaned back, and Xiao Sui quickly supported her back to prevent her from hitting the edge of the table.
She dug her fingers into Xiao Sui's tied-up hair, pressing hard with her fingertips.
The ice chest in the corner of the room emitted a cold air. As soon as my skin came into contact with the air, I shivered slightly from discomfort and goosebumps quickly appeared. But then I was swept away and engulfed by the scorching heat, and became covered in the heat.
Her breathing and Xiao Sui's breathing both became rapid at the same time.
Ning Qi vaguely felt that it wasn't enough.
Xiao Sui pressed his palm against hers, his lips didn't stop, and his free fingers found their way up, bending his index and middle fingers.
A strange feeling spread over her, and Ning Qi bit her lip tightly. The unfamiliarity made her instinctively want to back away, but Xiao Sui held her back tightly, preventing her from retreating even a step.
Tears welled up in her eyes. She pointed her toes, barely managing to touch the ground, but still couldn't find a foothold. Her arms could only cling tightly to Xiao Sui's shoulders.
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
Xiao Sui noticed, tilted his head back and kissed away her tears, pausing slightly, "Are you feeling unwell?"
Ning Qi was in a dilemma, so she immediately grabbed his neck, her face flushed, closed her eyes shyly, and said, "Hurry up."
Xiao Sui then continued.
The sunlight outside shifted and gradually dimmed. The two of them were completely dry, and Xiao Sui carried Ning Qi to the bed.
"Please get some rest."
Ning Qi shook her head. "I'm not sleepy yet."
Actually, she wasn't that tired; she just felt pretty good.
After all, Xiao Sui was very gentle and took good care of her condition.
She pulled Xiao Sui to the bedside, her eyes bright and full of anticipation, and said, "Shall we go and see your old yard in a few days? Maybe I'll remember more then."
Xiao Sui remained silent for a while, then said, "I haven't been back for a long time. I'm afraid it's no longer in use, or it's been occupied by other fellow disciples..."
"You don't want me to see it?" Ning Qi frowned. "You didn't believe me at all, you're just going along with what I said."
Xiao Sui quickly shook his head, "No, I believe you, it's just that my place is really not suitable for you to go there."
Ning Qi looked at Xiao Sui suspiciously. Logically speaking, if he believed it, he should be overjoyed and take her back to see it now. Why would he refuse?
She feigned anger, "Could it be that there's some secret inside that you don't want me to know?"
"No, that's not necessary," Xiao Sui quickly replied. "If you want to go, please wait until you've fully recovered."
Ning Qi pouted, "Okay."
She collapsed onto the bed, staring at Xiao Sui, trying to figure out why he had rejected her.
The candlelight flickered on his cheeks, casting a warm yellow hue on his face, making him look very gentle. She traced the lines of his face with her hand, making them look clean, neat, and handsome.
She yawned. "I don't care, I'm going to go see it in a few days, that's an order."
Xiao Sui opened his mouth, "Okay."
"Come and sleep here." Ning Qi patted the blanket next to her, pulled Xiao Sui in, and easily found a comfortable position in his arms.
The person in his arms began to breathe steadily, and Xiao Sui stopped patting her back.
He carefully got up, tucked the princess in, and blew out the candles without disturbing her in the slightest.
The cold moonlight streamed into the courtyard from outside. Xiao Sui used his spiritual power to sense the princess's peaceful aura and closed the door.
Qianyu yawned as she came out of the small inner room, and looked at him walking out with some surprise, "Young Master Xiao, what are you going to do so late?"
Xiao Sui gave a wry smile. "Master Jingyan summoned me to continue working for him. From now on, I... will be unable to take care of the princess."
Qianyu was stunned. "You want to leave? Your indenture is still here. You cannot leave without the princess's order."
“Miss Qianyu, I am a wanted criminal, the culprit who harmed Prince Jing. Now that people know about me, it is best for me to stay away from the princess.”
"You've been threatened?" Qianyu immediately understood. "Why didn't you tell the princess?"
“I don’t want to involve the princess,” Xiao Sui said. “You should understand me.”
Qianyu paused, and after a moment said, "Now that you are leaving, you will have nothing to do with the princess anymore, and the crimes you committed in the past will have nothing to do with the princess."
Xiao Sui nodded, "I know."
He added, "If the princess asks about me, please tell her that I have returned to work under Master Jingyan and accepted a mission. I may not be back for a year."
Qianyu nodded.
"...If the princess wishes to visit my courtyard, please take her to the north slope of the west peak. Walk up three hundred steps and you will see a maple tree at the entrance."
"good."
"And here's my recipe for grilled fish, Princess, you'll love it." Xiao Sui handed her a piece of paper.
Qianyu held it in her hand; the words on it were actually difficult to decipher, but she didn't say anything and let him leave the courtyard.
Although she knew that this man was devoted to the princess and had no other intentions, and was even willing to risk his life to protect her, his past actions were ultimately a ticking time bomb, so it was better for her to leave.
——
Ning Qi opened her eyes and reached out to touch empty air.
As she turned over, she groggily thought, "Xiao Sui is so diligent, getting up so early every day."
But the area under my arm was cold, as if no one had slept there.
She woke up abruptly, asked Qianyu to bring in some hot water, and asked while washing up, "Where is Xiaosui?"
Qianyu paused, then handed her mouthwash. "He was summoned away by Master Jingyan overnight, who said he had a complicated mission and wouldn't be back for about a year."
"How long?" Ning Qi's eyes widened. "A year?"
Qianyu nodded. "I saw him leave yesterday. That's what Master Jingyan said."
“That’s not right,” Ning Qi said. “Since this mission will take a year to complete, it means it’s not urgent. Why would Xiao Sui leave without even saying goodbye?”
She looked at Qianyu: "Tell me the truth, why did he leave?"
Qianyu swallowed nervously. "That's what he told me. I don't know anything else."
Ning Qi squinted, unable to accept his departure without saying goodbye.
"Where is he now?" she asked.
Qianyu shook her head. "He didn't say."
Ning Qi put down her cup. "Since it was Master Jingyan who sought him out, Xie Jingyan must know. I'll go ask him."
“Princess,” Qianyu pulled her back, “Do you really want to get involved with someone like that? Aren’t you afraid that others will suspect you and your siblings are at odds because of him, and use him against you? Isn’t it good that he’s gone?”
Ning Qi frowned deeply. "Who would use him as leverage against me? Didn't Master Jingyan say he wouldn't pursue this matter?"
Qianyu remained silent.
"Oh, I see," Ning Qi said. "Xie Jingyan still doesn't intend to let him go, does he?"
Qianyu lowered her voice, somewhat apprehensive, "Please don't ask anymore."
"Of course I have to ask. He's my man, and he needs my permission to leave." Ning Qi pushed away Qian Yu's hand and walked straight out of the house. She was going to find Xie Jingyan.
——
"I've delivered the person you requested." Xie Jingyan tightly bound Xiao Sui's hands and feet, dragging him into the reception room of the Prince Jing's mansion by a rope.
Ning Xuanzhou's abdominal injury has mostly healed, but he can no longer eat meat or greasy food and can only eat soft, mushy food. In addition, after being bedridden for a long time, his originally strong body has become weak and his limbs are powerless.
But the most serious thing was that his eyes were pierced and he could no longer see.
He sat crookedly in the main seat, a sinister smile on his face. "Xiao Sui? You really are still alive."
He told his servants, "Take Master Jingyan to my treasure pavilion and let him choose whatever he likes."
"What should we do then?" Xie Jingyan declined.
"Are you looking down on the treasures in my pavilion?" Ning Xuanzhou feigned anger.
"I wouldn't dare," Xie Jingyan said, and was led away by the servants.
Ning Xuanzhou's attention returned to Xiao Sui. "Why aren't you saying anything? I don't even know if you're in the room."
He said to his servants, "Beat him until he makes a sound."
The sound of a stick hitting flesh rang out, but no human voice could be heard.
Ning Xuanzhou raised his hand in dissatisfaction and was helped by a maid to stand in front of Xiao Sui. He pressed his fingers down on Xiao Sui's head and shoved his face to the ground.
All I could hear was breathing.
“Shutting him out won’t do.” He stood up, stepped on Xiao Sui, shooed him away, and a pleased expression appeared on his face. “Drag him to the dark room. I have plenty of ways to make him speak.”
Ning Qi rushed to the main peak and quickly found Xie Jingyan, asking him about Xiao Sui's whereabouts.
"I sent him on a mission," Xie Jingyan said. "The princess will probably have to wait a while to find him."
It was exactly the same thing that Qianyu told her.
"Why didn't you inform his master about the mission, or even bring a communication talisman?" Ning Qi questioned.
“This mission requires us to disconnect from the outside world,” Xie Jingyan replied.
It seems they're not going to tell her any useful information.
Ning Qi was just about to put on her princess-like airs when Yan Chongyan entered the room. He was somewhat surprised to see her. "What brings you here to see Master?"
"Asking about cultivation..."
"The princess came to ask me about the whereabouts of her male lover," Xie Jingyan said with a smile.
Ning Qi glanced at Xie Jingyan and immediately heard the system notification, "Ding, your infatuation value has decreased by 5 points, and your current score is 1760. It is recommended that the host stop asking about the villain's whereabouts. The more the host seems to care about the villain, the lower the infatuation value will be."
Ning Qi lowered her head thoughtfully. It seemed that Yan Chongyan also knew about this matter, otherwise he wouldn't have reduced her infatuation value so decisively. He should have at least found out the whole story first.
She smirked. "Anyone would ask questions if their male concubine disappeared in the middle of the night, right? You've been vague, so naturally I have to ask a few more questions. Otherwise, wouldn't the money I spent on him be wasted?"
"Does the princess still care about such a small amount of money?"
“That cost a hundred times more than an ordinary slave.” Ning Qi pretended to have a headache. “Of course I care.”
Yan Chongyan said, "Princess, he harmed Prince Jing and has been sent to Prince Jing's residence for Prince Jing to deal with. Next time you... when you buy servants, you should choose slaves with clean backgrounds."
"It's all because he looks like Brother Yan that I lost my mind," Ning Xi said, pouting.
"Ding, Devotion value increased by 10, current score 1770."
Having obtained Xiao Sui's whereabouts, Ning Qi stopped playing along with them and immediately left with Qian Yu.
As she guessed, Xie Jingyan used him to curry favor with Prince Jing. She dared not even imagine what harm Xiao Sui might suffer during this time.
She had to stay calm and think of a way to protect Xiao Sui.
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