Just as Lanxiang was weeping with joy, after so many people had gone through so much hardship to finally find Yi Shangyun, who had been missing for far too long, the young guard stumbled and ran towards the woodshed, shouting as he ran, "Something terrible has happened!"
Upon hearing this, Ruoxi and the older guard exchanged glances for a moment before stepping out the door together. The older guard grabbed her arm and stopped her outside, shouting, "What happened? Why are you in such a hurry?"
The young guard, with one hand on his hip, gasped for breath and said weakly, "N-no...no good...no good! The deputy leader has just arrived in the East Garden with his men, saying...that they want to search for a female spy sent by the King of Western Qin. They've already forced their way to the study and are...they're coming here soon."
Just then, a commotion broke out in everyone's ears. Upon hearing this, Ruoxi immediately turned back and asked Lanxiang with a determined look, "Are you a spy sent by the King of Qin to cause harm to the Xiaolong Society?"
Lanxiang stared at her, bewildered, and exclaimed in surprise, "Miss Yi, how could I be a spy? I just sneaked here with Yan'er, hoping to find you! Now, Yan'er has been captured and imprisoned; even the only man willing to help me was stabbed in the West Garden while trying to save me from danger, and his fate is unknown; if it weren't for this kind man's intervention and bringing me here, I... I'm afraid I would have already..."
So this was the truth. Ruoxi couldn't help but turn around and look at the face of the elderly guard who was standing silently to the side, and then at Lanxiang who was still confused and seemed to be at a loss, crying again. She suddenly realized that everything just now was just her impulsive act, judging others by her own petty standards.
Then, she took a deep breath, placed a slender hand on Lanxiang's still trembling shoulder, and comforted her, saying, "Alright, don't cry anymore. If you're upset, just stay here for now. Leave everything else to me. I won't let anyone hurt you again."
As soon as she finished speaking, Ruoxi suddenly turned around and hurriedly walked towards the corridor, solemnly ordering the two guards, "Lock her up!"
But as she passed the older guard, she suddenly stopped and looked at him apologetically, saying, "I'm sorry, I misunderstood you just now!"
The older guard seemed a little slow to react, staring blankly at her, wanting to say something, but when he saw her resolute eyes, he swallowed his words. Ruoxi then strode away on her own.
In the backyard, Long Ye arrogantly led a large group of men, each holding a gleaming sword, standing like fierce demons in front of Ruoxi's empty doorway.
"Witch, open the door!" When their knocking went unanswered, the two henchmen decided to force their way in.
Just then, a woman's loud shout came from behind the group: "Long Ye, how dare you bring so many people here? What do you want to do?"
Hearing the sound, Long Ye was startled and turned around sharply. His gaze fell upon a woman in a pale yellow dress, her figure graceful, her face veiled yet her strikingly beautiful phoenix eyes barely concealed. Her expression now held a hint of anger, making her alluring as she held a bouquet of colorful flowers. Instantly, his lust was aroused once more.
He walked leisurely toward the man, hands behind his back, a lecherous smile on his face. He circled the man a few times with interest, his shifty eyes darting around with ill intent. After a while, he suddenly stopped and exclaimed in admiration:
"Oh my, she's practically a fairy descended from heaven! How could she be a vixen? Tsk tsk tsk, I didn't expect my brother to have such good taste. Look at my sister-in-law's exquisite figure, her skin as white and smooth as snow and jade, so delicate it could be broken with a touch. I've been away from home recently, so I've come here specifically to visit my sister-in-law and see if she has any special needs. Long Ye greets my sister-in-law!"
Stared at by such a huge, disgusting fly, Ruoxi had already held her breath, her belly full of anger. Just as Long Ye finished speaking and was about to bow to him, she could no longer hold back and slapped him hard across the face with a loud "smack".
Upon seeing this, the men in the courtyard were stunned, staring at the two people before them. After a moment's reaction, they all hurriedly drew their swords from their waists.
Unexpectedly, Long Ye's expression froze on his face. He stood rooted to the spot, staring at Ruoxi's toes. After a moment of stunned silence, he suddenly burst out laughing. His cold, sinister laugh sent chills down one's spine.
After a while, the laughter stopped abruptly, and the man, still smiling, raised his hand to his men behind him and ordered, "Put down your weapons, all of you! Haven't you heard the saying 'A beating is a sign of affection, a scolding is a sign of love'? This is your sister-in-law showing that she's very satisfied with my arrival!"
Upon hearing this, everyone obediently sheathed their swords. Ruoxi, without even glancing at him, turned and angrily rebuked him, "Long Ye, stop spouting nonsense! Who's your sister-in-law? Watch your mouth! These past few days, while Chief Long has been away, how many shady things have you been doing in the Xiaolong Society? I'm sure you already know without me having to elaborate. Wait until Chief Long returns, and see how he deals with you!"
"Oh, my dear sister-in-law..." Long Ye said with a wry smile as he stepped closer.
"Hmm?" Ruoxi glanced at him sideways.
Long Ye lightly slapped himself twice, then changed his tune, saying, "Miss Ruoxi, you mustn't just listen to one side of the story and wrong an innocent person! Those I arrested were all assassins and spies who plotted against my Xiaolong Society. I did all this for the good of the Xiaolong Society! By the way, speaking of which, I wonder if Sister-in-law... no... Miss Ruoxi, have you seen a female spy escape into the East Garden?"
Ruoxi gave him a cold glare, then sneered and said disdainfully, "What a joke! What kind of spy dares to come to Chief Long's courtyard? Isn't that just courting death? Don't cause trouble. Get out of here now and stop pretending to be all high and mighty in front of me."
Long Ye was startled upon hearing this, but his gaze suddenly fell on the bouquet of colorful flowers that Ruoxi was holding to her chest and gently caressing. He walked over and reached out to gently pluck a few delicate, slender purple flowers from the center, which had a faint fragrance. He brought them close to his nose and took a deep, interesting sniff.
Then, while holding it in his hand and gently stroking it twice, just like Ruoxi did, he played with it and admired it to himself, while giving Ruoxi a flirtatious wink and saying, "The lilacs in the courtyard of elder brother are blooming beautifully, just like Miss Ruoxi herself, they are simply a feast for the eyes!"
The beauty was still beyond his reach, neither to be touched nor eaten. As he spoke, he actually plucked a purple petal and put it in his mouth, chewing it slowly. He stared intently at Ruoxi's face, praising her repeatedly, "Hmm, not bad, not bad..."
At this moment, beneath the veil, Ruoxi's lips curled slightly, a barely perceptible smile of triumphant cunning appearing on her face. She thought disdainfully to herself: "Fool, she doesn't even recognize the daphne genkwa." Daphne genkwa, also known as the "fish-disturbing flower," "headache flower," and "sullen-head flower," is poisonous in its flowers, roots, and bark, causing vomiting and diarrhea. Although it resembles a lilac, it is not related to lilacs at all.
Distinguishing between the two is actually quite simple: lilac has a strong fragrance and rounder leaves; daphne has a very faint fragrance and slender leaves. Pharmacopoeia records that the dried flower buds of daphne are used medicinally as a good remedy for edema and phlegm. However, the entire daphne plant is poisonous, containing an oily substance that irritates the skin and mucous membranes, causing blistering. Internal ingestion can lead to vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. The flower buds and roots are the most toxic.
"This isn't..." Ruoxi suddenly exclaimed loudly at him.
"Hmm, it tastes good!" Unexpectedly, while Ruoxi was speaking, Long Ye turned around and walked to his subordinates behind her, saying to them.
Seeing this, Ruoxi deliberately lowered her voice and stopped talking.
Seeing Long Ye looking at her with obvious delight as he swallowed an entire daphne flower, petals and buds all at once, Ruoxi murmured, "Hmph...we'll see. We'll see how you continue to be so arrogant and domineering later..."
At this moment, a burly man in red stepped forward and whispered something in Long Ye's ear. Ruoxi felt that the burly man in red looked somewhat familiar, and then she suddenly realized that he was the leader who had boasted about slaughtering the village in Peach Blossom Village.
While he was pondering, Long Ye suddenly regained his senses and solemnly ordered, "Men, search this entire area, from the front yard to the back yard, every nook and cranny, thoroughly!"
"Anyone who dares to move will be in trouble!" Ruoxi hurriedly dropped the bouquet in her hand, stepped forward and used her entire frail body to block the crowd, loudly and defiantly stopping them.
"You brat, you're asking for trouble! If I don't teach you a lesson today, you'll think I, your leader, won't show my power, won't you? Guards..."
"Puff puff puff..."
"Gurgle..."
Just as his two subordinates stepped forward to await orders, Long Ye's buttocks and stomach suddenly emitted a long, strange sound, and he seemed to be gagging.
"Oh no, this leader looks like..." Just as Long Ye was bending down slightly, looking pained and puzzled, Ruoxi spoke up to explain, "You've been poisoned. I already said that it wasn't lilac. Didn't the vice leader hear me?"
"What? This leader has been poisoned? And that flower isn't a lilac?...Did any of you hear her mention it just now?"
As Long En spoke, he turned around and glanced at the crowd behind him. Sure enough, several people were nodding vigorously, but when they saw Long Ye's increasingly cold and piercing eyes, they all shook their heads.
At this moment, the strange noise was getting louder and louder, and the intervals between its attacks were getting closer and closer. Long Ye was furious and embarrassed, and shouted angrily with a tearful expression, "Hurry up and help this gang leader back! Hurry!"
"Remember to use licorice water, and drink a whole bucket of it for it to work! Hehehe..." Ruoxi covered her mouth and chuckled as she looked at his back.
The older and younger guards, who had been hiding in the shadows by the back garden entrance observing the situation outside, finally burst into laughter after holding it in for a long time.
"You vixen, you just wait! This gang leader will never let you get away with this! Ouch..."
And so, Long Ye led the group, clutching their stomachs and clenching their buttocks, as they fled the East Garden in a panic.
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