Chapter 74 Chapter 74 I can’t get up…
"You really didn't cry?" Xie Tingyu leaned in, his fingertips caressing Ji Lian's wrist. "Just now, the young prince told me that you cried when you heard I bought a male slave. Children generally don't lie."
"I wasn't crying for you, I was crying for myself."
Ji Lian put his other hand against her collarbone and said in a cold voice, "Stay away from me."
"Why are you crying for yourself?"
Ji Lian sneered, "I cried, but my true feelings were thrown away."
"Oh, you're still crying for me..." Xie Tingyu realized it belatedly, and the end of his words suddenly rose. "Hey, Your Highness, how can you curse me? How can I be a dog?"
"You're still just a sex-hungry ghost."
Ji Lian took the opportunity to pull her hand away, but the grip tightened. A dull pain spread across her wrist, and she feared it would leave a red mark.
He was even more embarrassed and annoyed. "It's only been three or five days, and you're already so impatient to go to a brothel and buy someone. Xie Tingyu, I'm afraid you're eager to cut off all ties with me."
"You said you never look back, then don't look back! What do you want to do by pulling me? Do you want to have your cake and eat it too? Xie Tingyu, do you have any shame?"
Xie Tingyu was stunned by this series of questions. After thinking carefully for a moment, he replied, "Didn't you want to draw a clear line between us first?"
"You're actually trying to turn the tables on me." Ji Lian's eyes instantly turned red. She stared at Xie Tingyu intently, wanting to hit her. "It was you who said you didn't want to marry me first!"
He took a deep breath, pushing back the tears. "Since you don't want to be involved with me, then stop trying to get me involved. Let's just be well."
"Okay." Xie Tingyu released the hand that was holding Ji Lian, and his fingertips brushed across his palm. "I'll wait for His Highness to take the initiative to tangle with me."
"wishful thinking!"
Ji Lian pushed Xie Tingyu away with both hands, but he didn't move at all. Quickly, she grabbed his wrist again and pressed lightly on his pulse point with her fingertips. "Look, Your Highness is touching me again."
He was so angry that he grabbed Xie Tingyu's hand and opened his mouth to bite it, but when he saw the bandage wrapped around the palm, he suddenly stopped and said in a daze: "Is the wound on your palm still not healed?"
"How can it heal quickly after being bitten by a little fox?"
"You asked for it." Ji Lian turned her face away, but her fingertips rubbed the bandage on her palm. "I'll have someone send a bottle of jade muscle ointment to your courtyard later."
"ah--!!!!"
Before he could finish his words, a clear and transparent child's scream suddenly cut through the air and came between the two of them.
Ji Lian's expression changed, "That's Xun'er's voice."
Xie Tingyu listened to the sound and determined the location. "It seems to be in the backyard in the west. Come with me."
When the two hurried over, they found that the shabby gate of the backyard was already open, with a lock hanging on the copper ring.
Looking inside, Ji Xun was covering his eyes with his hands, curled up in the arms of a palace maid, trembling uncontrollably. The officials around him had strange expressions on their faces, exchanging secretive glances. Several of the bodyguards had their hands on their swords at their waists, all with serious expressions.
Xie Tingyu looked around. The dilapidated rooms around him reeked of decay and mildew, overgrown with weeds and jagged rocks. Most striking was a dry well in the courtyard. Remnants of flowers could be vaguely seen in the surrounding soil, indicating that this was once a meticulously tended flower garden.
"What happened?" Xie Tingyu asked in a deep voice.
The officials looked at each other, and finally one of them quietly called out "Master Xie," motioning her over. Xie Tingyu frowned and walked over, listening to the man leaning in and whispering, "There's a dead body in this... deserted house on the outskirts of the city." A finger in his sleeve quietly pointed to the dry well, "In that well."
Someone nearby explained, "The young prince is playful. When he saw the lock on the backyard, he claimed that there must be a hidden treasure inside, so he asked the guards to chop the lock with a knife. As a result..." He did not continue.
Xie Tingyu leaned over to take a closer look. The edge of the dry well was dotted with brown bloodstains. The well was not deep, but he could vaguely see two or three male corpses lying within, a putrid stench wafting up.
"What's wrong?"
Ji Lian noticed her strange expression and moved closer to investigate. After seeing the situation clearly, he took several steps back in shock. Unexpectedly, the moss under his feet was slippery, and he stumbled and fell to the ground. His palm happened to press on the broken stem of the flower, which was stained with sticky flower juice.
In an instant, a strange burning sensation spread from the palm of his hand.
"Your Highness!" Jiangzhu hurried forward to support him.
"It's getting late today, so send the two princes back to the palace as soon as possible. You need to report truthfully what you just saw." Xie Tingyu frowned and gave the order in a stern voice.
"yes."
The officials responded in unison, exchanging confused glances as they wiped the sweat off their sleeves. They all knew in their hearts that this matter would not end well.
Firstly, the discovery of an unidentified body at the Imperial Palace's chosen location clearly indicates a lack of thorough inspection. Secondly, the young princess is frightened, and the explanation to the emperor will be difficult. Once the memorial is submitted, the emperor will be enraged, and punishment from higher authorities will be unavoidable.
When leaving, Ji Xun was still in shock and got on Ji Lian's carriage by mistake. Seeing this, Ji Lian turned around and got on the carriage originally prepared for Ji Xun.
After traveling only half a mile, the two horses in Ji Lian's carriage suddenly went berserk, neighing shrilly. This was a simple trip, with only two horses pulling the carriage, but now both horses lost control, careening across the dirt road outside the city, unexpectedly throwing the driver off and careening diagonally into the depths of the dense forest.
"Your Highness!"
"Your Highness the Emperor!!"
Seeing this, Jiangzhu and the guards cried out in surprise, but they couldn't catch up. Jiangzhu, the guards, the officials, and others who had been following the carriage were terrified and kept calling out "Your Highness the Emperor."
Xie Tingyu's expression froze, he tightened the reins, and immediately spurred his horse to chase after him.
The remaining guards pursued on foot, no match for the eight horses. They could only watch helplessly as the carriage rushed madly towards the dense forest on the southern slopes. Jiankang's outskirts were mostly covered in such pristine forests, towering pines and cypresses, tangled with vines. With only a sliver of daylight left, entering the forest was already difficult. If it were to become completely dark, escaping would be impossible.
When they thought of this, all the officials, guards, palace servants, etc. present felt as if there was a shining guillotine on their heads. If they couldn't find Ji Lian, they would be killed by the guillotine.
Hearing the sound, Ji Xun leaned out of the car window and shouted, "Uncle!"
Although she is still young, she remembers what the noble master taught her: to be patient when encountering problems.
Ji Xun forced himself to calm down, his childish voice carrying undeniable authority. "One team will quickly return to the city to report and dispatch the Jinwu Guards. The other team will immediately enter the forest to search for the person!"
"Your Highness, it's getting dark, please return to the palace first..."
"Shut up!" Ji Xun's face was tense. "I won't go back until I find my uncle! How can my uncle's safety be placed above mine? You guys go find him quickly, I'll wait here."
Ji Lian felt unwell the moment he boarded the carriage. It felt like a raging fire was burning inside him, waves of heat surging from his heart to his limbs. He slumped in the carriage, staring blankly at the intricate patterns on the roof, vaguely guessing it was the Gu worm within him at work.
Why is this happening? How did the parasite in my body suddenly break out?
Ji Lian wondered drowsily if it was the flower juice that accidentally stained her hands that had caused the trouble. What kind of flower was that?
It’s hot, so hot, I want to drink some water.
His throat was dry and sweat dripped down his forehead. He was trying to loosen his clothes, but at that moment the carriage suddenly started to shake.
The mad horses pulled the carriage recklessly, and Ji Lian struggled to get up several times but fell back to the ground. In a trance, he seemed to hear screams coming from outside the carriage.
What about the driver? Why did the horse suddenly lose control? What if the mad horse was allowed to run wild, hitting a boulder or falling into a ravine?
Ji Lian didn't dare to think about it anymore.
Will he die here?
He clung to the side of the carriage, his whole body pressed against the board. Suddenly, he heard the sound of rapid horse hooves approaching from afar, and his heart began to beat wildly.
The moment the strong wind blew away the car curtain, the figure of the person in my heart jumped into my eyes.
Ji Lian turned her head slightly and called out the man's name in a low voice, "Xie Tingyu."
The heart that had jumped into my throat suddenly fell back to its original place the moment I saw that profile.
Xie Tingyu lowered herself to the horse's back, the wind slicing across her face like a knife. She calmly urged her horse to a gallop, closing in on the out-of-control carriage. As the curtain fluttered, her eyes met with the occupants', then she quickly looked away.
The road ahead grew increasingly rugged, with ancient cypresses tangled in their gnarled roots. If the horses were allowed to run wild, they would sooner or later crash, destroying the carriage and killing everyone. Through gaps in the trees, a long slope emerged. Though rocky and craggy, there might be a glimmer of hope if one could roll down the slope. At its bottom lay a stream.
We can't delay any longer.
Xie Tingyu exerted her strength from her waist and abdomen, tapped the stirrup with her toes, and leaped towards the carriage. She slammed the door open and reached inside: "Lianlian, come here!"
Ji Lian threw herself into Xie Tingyu's arms without hesitation, wrapping her arms tightly around her waist. The two of them rolled down the steep slope in each other's arms, their bodies constantly scraped by broken rocks and dead branches, leaving rips on their robes.
He held Xie Tingyu tightly, and her suppressed moans filled his ears.
There was a dull thud as Xie Tingyu bent his knees and pressed against the protruding tree roots, finally stopping his fall.
Ji Lian leaned over Xie Tingyu, his hands groping around her waist. He heard the voice of the person underneath him, "Look, are you touching me again?" She held his wrist, "Have you touched me enough?"
"Do you think I'm as lecherous as you?"
The touching skin is like a prairie fire, and the lingering threads spread out from the place where they hold each other.
Ji Lian hurriedly propped herself up, suppressing the throbbing sensation. "Where are you hurt? I heard you groan in pain several times just now."
"Just some minor scratches. How about you?"
"I'm fine."
At this moment, a loud bang suddenly came from the front, followed by the shrill neighing of horses.
Following the sound, they saw the out-of-control carriage crash into the trunk of an ancient tree, its shaft broken and the wreckage tumbling down the slope. The two mad horses were thrown several feet, struggling painfully among the rocks.
Seeing this tragic scene, the two of them breathed a sigh of relief at the same time, feeling quite fortunate to have survived the disaster.
Ji Lian suddenly turned her face and looked straight into Xie Tingyu's amber eyes.
She placed the back of her hand against his burning cheek, "Lianlian, why is your face so red?" Her fingers pinched his burning earlobe, "It's here too."
He looked down, his fingertips sliding towards the side of his neck, "Why is your neck red too?"
"I...why do you care so much?"
"Then Lianlian, please get up quickly. You are pressing on me." Xie Tingyu pushed him gently.
Ji Lian did think about it, but the insect in his body was restless. The fragrance of Xie Tingyu's body, the warmth of his body, and the close breath all stimulated the love insect in his body.
The strength in my body was rapidly being drained away, and my hands and feet were so weak that I couldn't move them.
"I... I can't get up..." Ji Lian's voice trembled.
Xie Tingyu peered at him intently. Ji Lian's eyes were red, his cheeks flushed, beads of sweat dotted the tip of his nose, and his breathing, though carefully suppressed, was still rapid. She placed her palm against his chest, feeling his unusually rapid heartbeat, wondering if it was from shock or something else.
It was exactly the same as what happened that night at Xie's Villa.
"Lianlian, has the love poison struck again?" Xie Tingyu asked softly.
"Shut up." Ji Lian glared at her fiercely, "If you dare to use this as an excuse to do something to me, I'll bite you to death."
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