Mr. Tao
Chapter Twenty-Six
I finally fell asleep that night, but a sliver of clear consciousness lingered in my mind.
In a daze, I felt as if I were in a furnace, with raging flames engulfing my body, causing unbearable pain.
I wanted to open my eyes, but my eyelids felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. I wanted to speak, but my throat hurt like it was being scraped by a knife. I even tried to clench my fist, but my ten fingers felt like dough with too much water, soft and mushy, and I couldn't lift them at all.
But my ears were still surprisingly sharp. In the midst of the chaos, I heard voices. Two people were talking. One of them was clearly Lan Feiyu, and the other's voice seemed to belong to a young man. I vaguely remembered hearing it somewhere before, but I just couldn't remember who it was.
The man said, "You're really going to do this?"
Lan Feiyu paused for a long time before sighing and replying, "Look at her now. If she's forced to go on her journey, she'll either die or become a cripple."
My heart skipped a beat. Were they talking about me?
Where is Lan Feiyu taking me this time?
“…I’m afraid things might get complicated if we wait too long, and they might become suspicious.” The man advised, “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and the Prince of Dongchu is still here. If he finds out that Zhao is missing, he will definitely investigate to the end. At that time, the entire Bozhou will be under martial law, and even if we take her away from here in the deep mountains and forests, it will be difficult.”
Lan Feiyu fell silent again. My heart pounded wildly because of her silence, making my ears ring. I swallowed quietly to calm myself down so I wouldn't miss their conversation.
The man continued, “I know you like this girl, but Master, don’t forget that you are burdened with the hatred of your father and brothers, and you also have to consider the safety of all the people of Bozhou. If you are not careful, Bozhou will either fall into the hands of those two beastly princes, or it will be annexed by Dongchu. Your family’s century-old royal enterprise will be completely ruined. A woman’s kindness will only make things worse!”
Master, Master!
Suddenly I remembered who this person was. He was the "Mr. Tao" who appeared at the clinic with the beggar who died a violent death!
It's him!
How did he end up here? Could this dense forest be the legendary "Green Forest," hiding dragons and crouching tigers?
While waiting for Lan Feiyu's reply, I found that my eyelids were no longer heavy, and I could slightly open them to peek into the hut. I saw Lan Feiyu and the man sitting opposite each other around the campfire. Lan Feiyu had her head down, staring at the ground, and was not moving.
"Master..." That hateful Mr. Tao called out again, as if he wouldn't give up until Lan Feiyu agreed to sell me by weight.
“I understand. I will take Xi’er with me, but we will be two days later than Yuanzi… By the way, what about Prince Zhao of Dongchu? What methods do you have to hold him back?” Lan Feiyu finally raised her head slightly and asked softly.
Mr. Tao seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, his voice no longer as impatient as before: "Hunting in the mountains always takes three to five days. As long as you hurry, there should be no accidents."
After a short while, Lan Feiyu asked again, "Does that fellow Asa already know about Amuyue's matter?"
Mr. Tao sneered: "The eldest prince has brought this upon himself, so he has no one to blame but himself."
“Indeed.” Lan Feiyu’s voice instantly turned icy. “He is too audacious. It’s one thing for him to harm innocent women in Bozhou, but he actually tried to harm Xi’er. I really wish I could chop him into mincemeat with my own hands!”
Despite the unpredictable situation, the anger in her words was genuine, and I felt an incurable warmth in my heart, which brought tears to my eyes and made me close them involuntarily.
However, Lan Feiyu's loss of composure clearly displeased Mr. Tao. He remained silent for a moment, then his voice turned cold: "Master, although this woman is indeed a member of the Xie clan and should have an irreconcilable feud with the Emperor of Eastern Chu for killing her father, she was raised by the Zhao family since childhood. I'm afraid she won't risk her life for her biological father, whom she has never met, and bring harm to her maternal clan. Master, it would be best not to place too much hope in this woman."
Lan Feiyu didn't speak. I lay to the side, unable to hold it in any longer, and secretly peeked again. To my surprise, I found that Lan Feiyu was also staring at me. I was startled and quickly closed my eyes. After a long while, I heard Lan Feiyu sigh bitterly: "I know. Mr. Tao, my duty is only to safely send her back to her real family. As for how she chooses, I cannot interfere."
These words stirred my thoughts again: true family?
Does this refer to the Xie family?
But I seem to recall hearing a rumor that although the emperor spared the Xie family from extermination, the Xie family was completely wiped out after Xie Lian died on his way to exile in Lingnan, leaving no direct descendants. If I were a member of the Xie family, then where would this "real family" come from?
Before I could think it through, Mr. Tao sneered again, his tone sarcastic: "Master, do you really think that the Prince of Dongchu, on behalf of the Emperor, made a special trip to the south with a troublesome young girl by his side, just to show her the world? This girl is pretending to be crazy, do you really believe that, Master?"
I was furious when I heard this. If I hadn't been thinking about how I was still pretending to be unconscious, I would have jumped up and confronted him.
Lan Feiyu sighed deeply and said nothing more.
The two then fell silent, the silence lasting so long that I almost fell asleep again. Just then, I heard a rustling sound, and when I quietly opened my eyes, I saw that Mr. Tao had already stood up, bowed to Lan Feiyu, and said, "Master, I must take my leave now. I need to get to the clinic before dawn."
Lan Feiyu also stood up with Mr. Tao: "Okay, I'll call Zhizha to see you out of the forest."
Mr. Tao had just taken a step when he suddenly stopped and said to Lan Feiyu in a deep voice, "The Second Prince's medicine man... I'm afraid he has already achieved something."
I saw Lan Feiyu visibly shudder, and heard her gasp. Then Mr. Tao said earnestly, "Master, hurry up, time is running out!"
"I have my own plans." This was Lan Feiyu's final answer. Then, the room was suddenly filled with "squeak, squeak." As the sound of the door opening and closing, and the squeak fading away and disappearing, Lan Feiyu finally moved her feet and came in my direction. I quickly closed my eyes and relaxed before she noticed anything amiss.
A short while later, I felt a warm sensation on my face. It must have been Lan Feiyu's palm stroking my cheek. Then, her breath touched my face, making it feel wet and itchy.
This made me feel extremely uncomfortable. If I was in a furnace in the mortal world just now, it felt like I had been thrown into the alchemy furnace of Venus.
"Xi'er," Lan Feiyu murmured in my ear, her voice a mix of sigh and lament, "you silly child, what am I going to do with you?"
I had no energy left to answer. The energy I had just gathered dissipated because of Mr. Tao's departure. Before I finally sank into unconsciousness, I felt Lan Feiyu lie down beside me, gently placing her arm around my waist and embracing me.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
