The following morning, Chen Quan acted as a guide, accompanying Meng Zhelan and Tiantian to make purchases in Huangshi Town.
Meanwhile, Li Xi led Prince An to meet with Master Huang.
The group arranged to meet at a restaurant, and Master Huang specially reserved a private room.
When the three of them gathered together, Master Huang smiled and said to Prince An, "Young Master An, I have long admired your name. It is an honor to meet you today."
Last night, Li Xi sent a message to Second Master Huang and Prince An, informing them that the people from Yinxian Manor had arrived and had met with them early this morning.
Prince An nodded politely and replied, "Second Master Huang, you flatter me."
Seeing that the two had finished exchanging pleasantries, Li Xi got down to business: "Brother Huang, Young Master An is Brother Feng's right-hand man. He usually handles all the big and small matters, so he was in charge of choosing the location for the opium den this time."
Since Prince An has already taken on this matter, Li Xi no longer needs to interfere.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, she decided to have Huang Er cooperate directly with Prince An, which would both avoid conflict and achieve their goals.
But how could she extricate herself from this predicament? Li Xi couldn't find a suitable reason for the time being.
Upon hearing this, Prince An nodded politely and replied humbly, "The Master has entrusted me with an important task, so I will naturally do my best. I already have some preliminary ideas about the location of the opium den. I wonder if Second Master Huang has any suggestions?"
When these topics came up, Huang Er seemed to open up. For him, this was commonplace, and he could handle it with ease.
Li Xi sat to the side, serving them tea and water.
The man before her was a prince, of noble status, and she would never dare to treat him as an ordinary person.
Moreover, the prince's attitude towards her was somewhat subtle; he didn't seem to like her very much.
It was past noon when the three of them left the restaurant. Li Xi and Prince An strolled leisurely down the street.
He suddenly stopped and turned to Li Xi, asking, "Young Master Li, where did Doctor Meng go so early this morning?"
Li Xi couldn't help but reflect on whether she had ever had a grudge against Prince An, and worried that he might resort to underhanded tactics behind her back.
However, when Prince An suddenly mentioned Lan'er, she suddenly realized what was going on.
Could it be that Prince An has developed feelings for Lan'er and mistakenly believes she is his rival in love?
Li Xi was secretly amazed and annoyed at her own slowness. After all, she didn't have much experience in matters of the heart.
"Sister Meng has gone to Liangshi Village to make house calls." Considering the authority of the royal family, she decided to stop calling Lan'er so affectionately, even though she didn't want them to become a couple.
"Oh?" Prince An's voice sounded somewhat disappointed, but he quickly concealed his emotions.
Li Xi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and then heard him say, "Young Master Li, would you be so kind as to take me there? The long journey has left me feeling unwell, and I hope to find Doctor Meng to examine me."
"Isn't that a bad idea? Since you're not feeling well, why not have the guards find a doctor to come to your home? Wouldn't it be more tiring for them to travel all that way?" However, Li Xi simply nodded in agreement: "Yes, Young Master An."
My years of experience watching dramas in my past life have taught me not to argue, for commoners die from gossip.
Without hesitation, Prince An set off without any guards, and the two rode their horses toward Liangshi Village.
Li Xi guessed that Prince An must have secret guards protecting him.
After all, as a prince of noble status, he was unlikely to act alone. A wise man avoids dangerous situations; they have their own methods.
So she relaxed a lot and took him to Liangshi Village.
When they arrived at Old Master Gu's house, only Gu Cheng was home. "So it's Young Master Li."
He invited the two to sit down and served them tea. After two days of careful treatment, his health has greatly improved, and he is now able to walk around on his own.
Prince An seemed to be in a bad mood, so Li Xi quickly asked, "Where did Doctor Meng and Old Man Gu go?"
"They went to the back mountain to gather herbs," Gu Cheng nodded and explained to Li Xi.
Li Xi was relieved; Lan'er must have asked Old Man Gu to take her to find the Cold Grass.
"When did they set off?" Prince An suddenly asked him.
Gu Cheng gazed into the distance, pondered for a moment, and then replied, "They left about an hour ago. That place isn't far from here, so they should be back soon."
Seeing that Prince An was somewhat anxious, she said, "I'll go find them. Da Niu should know the way up the mountain, right?"
“Of course I know Brother Da Niu. He was the one who took my grandfather there before.” Gu Cheng’s eyes softened when he mentioned Da Niu.
“Alright, then I will go and find them. Young Master An, you can wait here in peace,” Li Xi gently instructed.
However, Prince An got up and walked towards the door, saying casually, "I'll go with you; the scenery in the countryside is just as worth seeing."
Da Niu was overjoyed to see Li Xi. "Brother Li, we didn't even get to chat much yesterday before you left."
As he spoke, he turned to the man beside Li Xi, "This young master is..."
“I am his business partner, and I just happened to be here to take a look,” Prince An explained.
Da Niu brought some tools and led them into the mountains. Li Xi also brought her sword this time, just in case.
Meng Zhelan and the others were heading to a place on the other side of the mountain. Da Niu led them along a small path, which was not easy to walk but was much shorter than the main road.
The mountain path was rugged and overgrown with weeds; in some places, it was only wide enough for one person to pass at a time. They had to be careful not to slip or get scratched by branches.
Although the ox was huge, it was exceptionally agile, like a monkey darting through the forest.
He moved nimbly through the mountain path, occasionally turning back to wave to them and signal them to keep up.
Li Xi followed closely behind Prince An, remaining vigilant about the surroundings at all times to ensure his safety.
Since she trained him, she must take full responsibility and not allow him to make any mistakes.
Surprisingly, although Prince An appeared somewhat weak, his breathing was unusually steady, and his steps were brisk and powerful, as if he showed no signs of fatigue and had no need to stop and rest.
The unique temperament of the royal children is truly breathtaking. The elite education they received from a young age undoubtedly laid a solid foundation for them.
This level of education is simply unimaginable for modern people like Li Xi. Lost in thought, she unknowingly arrived at her destination.
To everyone's surprise, the place was completely empty.
The three quickly searched the surrounding area, but found nothing; only Meng Zhelan's medicine box lay forlornly on the edge of the cliff.
A sense of foreboding welled up in Li Xi's heart, and she asked anxiously, "Besides this road, are there any other ways to get down the mountain?"
Da Niu's face also turned pale. He stammered, "Actually, there is another way down the mountain, but that way is longer and people usually don't choose it."
Prince An's heart pounded like a drumbeat, reminding him of the dream he had been having for a long time.
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