secret passage
"Um……"
Liu Xu answered absentmindedly, and then he saw Xie Lingxi's body sway as if she had stepped on a stone and fell straight forward.
"careful!"
He scooped Xie Lingxi up and, seeing that she was still in shock, said, "It's too dark, let me take you home."
The towering mountains behind me looked especially terrifying in the night, their peaks soaring into the sky, covered with dense forests, as if they might one day devour all human desires.
Xie Lingxi could only see the terrifying mountain peaks surrounding her head, covered with countless strange rocks that resembled distorted faces, as if people were being manipulated in their hands. At this moment, she couldn't help but feel fear. Upon hearing this, she pursed her lips and said, "Thank you for your trouble, my lord."
Tonight has truly been a night of great merit, yet she clearly never intended to get involved in such murky waters.
A hint of annoyance rose in his heart: "Why didn't you tell me before that you were a newly appointed scholar, or even the top scholar?"
Liu Xu had survived the ordeal, but having angered Yan Ji today, he was now worried about the future. Hearing this, he said helplessly, "What I wanted to say was that you told me to shut up."
Ah...it seems that's true.
Xie Lingxi was just pondering this when she heard the person next to her say casually, "Besides, 'top scholar' is just a title. Haven't I caused enough trouble since I came to the capital?"
“The situation was tense at the time. I thought that if we were to get married, I would only hope that the other person would accept me, not me because I was given the title of ‘top scholar’.”
Since Liu Xu was going to escort her, he needed to know the way first. He asked Xie Lingxi, but she hesitated and couldn't explain it clearly, only saying, "It can be understood but not explained."
Could it be that I got lost last time and ended up in that narrow alley in front of his house...?
Liu Xu chuckled: "Your wife looks to be from a wealthy and noble family, so why didn't you bring a maid with you?"
Xie Lingxi was tired from walking, so she stopped and leaned against something hard. "It's not like we're attending a grand palace event. Why bring a maid? In a situation like today, guards would be much more useful."
She rested with her eyes half-closed, then suddenly remembered something and explained, "What I said in the room today was just a temporary measure; you don't need to take it to heart."
Some glimpses of good fortune have scattered, "If it accidentally ruins your plans, you'll just have to accept your bad luck."
Liu Xu clearly knew this was a test. He looked at the jade-like face of the woman beside him, the shadows of her long eyelashes casting shimmering shadows on her eyelids. "I really thank you for your brilliant plan, Madam. However, I noticed that His Highness calls you 'Third Madam,' which is quite affectionate."
Upon hearing this, Xie Lingxi suddenly opened her eyes: "I don't like hearing that. Calling you 'Third Sister' means you're close, but if I call you 'A-Xu,' wouldn't I be forced to drown you in a pig cage?"
God knows, being told that someone is close to Yan Ji sounds like an endless nightmare.
After a moment, she reflected, "I'm sorry."
That last sentence was really vulgar.
Liu Xu didn't care much, but seeing a gust of wind blow by, causing her to shiver slightly, he spoke with concern: "What if the Fifth Prince misunderstands our relationship? I've implicated you, my lady."
Xie Lingxi also exchanged compliments with him, "What are you saying, Young Master Liu? Why should I care what he thinks? Even if he knew, he wouldn't go around spreading rumors. But you, Young Master, if he really thinks you're at my feet, you'll find it hard to gain his trust in the future."
Having said that, Liu Xu finally sighed, "My lady is joking. I'm not that desperate."
This can be considered as expressing one's true feelings.
Xie Lingxi propped herself up and patted the fallen branches of the spring mountain tree on her body. "My name is Xie Lingxi. My father is Xie Yuan, the Minister of Justice. If you have time, you are welcome to come and visit me."
Before she figured out her connection with Liu Xu, she should win him over first to avoid any mishaps later.
Liu Xu was taken aback. The Xie family was renowned, known to everyone in Chang'an. However, this Third Miss Xie was quite different from the rumored aloof and indifferent demeanor.
She is clearly a lotus flower, with a graceful form but a fierce spirit; she is meant to be admired from afar but not to be trifled with.
He glanced at Xie Lingxi's injured arm, touched his nose sheepishly, and said that thanks to Xie Lingxi, it was now practically a "withered lotus".
After resting for a while, the two decided to continue their journey. Although they didn't know the way, they could now enjoy the pleasure of a nighttime stroll.
Xie Lingxi was still thinking about her jade pendant, "If I lose it..."
Liu Xu comforted her, "It's lost now, but with Buddha's blessing, it will surely be recovered."
Xie Lingxi: "You really know how to talk..."
She straightened up to stand up, but then felt dizzy and lightheaded. Luckily, Liu Xu was quick-witted and prevented her from falling into the bushes.
However, although he managed to catch the girl, he lost his balance and, along with Xie Lingxi, fell into a daze. The two rolled around on the ground several times, and in their struggle, they bumped into something and violently broke through a stone door. Their center of gravity dropped, and they fell down rapidly.
"ah!"
This time, Xie Lingxi wasn't the one being held down. She fell onto Liu Xu, her wide sleeves and hem pressed down, several hairpins falling out of her hair, and her hair in a messy state.
Seeing that the person beneath her was motionless, she hurriedly pulled at her clothes and rolled off in a mess. Only then did she see Liu Xu lower his arms that were covering his head and sigh in pain, "Ouch, it hurts so much."
A faint smell of blood wafted around her. Xie Lingxi pushed herself up and touched something sticky.
Suddenly, a bright light appeared ahead, a faint glimmer finally allowing her to see clearly—
The stench of blood was coming from Liu Xu's arm. His coarse cloth clothes had been torn into several pieces by the gravel on the ground, and a broken branch was sticking out of it. The branch was mixed with flesh and blood, and it was not hard to imagine how sharp it was.
"Someone's coming."
Xie Lingxi was about to help him pull the broken branch off when Liu Xu struggled to cover his mouth and whispered, "Go behind the screen."
Xie Lingxi couldn't tell where the screen was, so she was led by Liu Xu. Just as she moved haphazardly behind the screen, she saw a door slowly open in the southwest. A gaunt man came out, stroking his hair in confusion: "What happened? There was a loud bang just now."
Immediately, a shrill voice rang out from behind, tinged with a hint of irritation, "How could someone have come in from outside? Lord Mo... I advise you not to play such tricks. We don't have time to waste with you."
He's a father-in-law!
Vast clusters of crimson peonies bloomed magnificently in the night, perfectly complementing the carved pillars that supported them.
Xie and Liu held their breath and listened to the two bicker for a few more minutes before Lord Mo gasped, "How could I dare to say such a thing, sir! It's just that the defense map you requested... it's not that I don't want to give it to you, it's just that I really can't get my hands on it..."
The eunuch sneered, "That's none of my business. I'm here to collect something. If you can't hand it over and it ruins His Highness's important business, even the Heavenly King himself can't protect you!"
"this……"
"Lord Mo" looked extremely anxious, frantically pulling at his hair with both hands. Xie Lingxi looked through the screen, feeling that this person looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn't quite place him.
Seeing the two about to enter the stone gate, she tugged at Liu Xu's sleeve, her meaning obvious.
There is no way back. If the door in front is blocked, what way is there to survive?
But these "Lord Mo" and "eunuch" were clearly not to be trifled with, let alone the fact that they were discussing the matter of exterminating nine generations of their families!
Xie Lingxi suddenly remembered that this Lord Mo was none other than the censor who had spoken out against injustice to the death in his previous life. It was said that he died under mysterious circumstances, and his body had been soaking in the river for several days before being pulled out by a fisherman.
They all said it was done by a powerful family, but today's observation proves otherwise.
Liu Xu reluctantly pulled out the broken branch and found that its tip was indeed as sharp as a blade. He then exchanged a glance with Xie Lingxi and gathered his strength to lie low.
Xie Lingxi was actually quite uneasy. This top scholar looked so frail, could he really be a thug?
But the arrow was already on the bowstring and had to be released. She deliberately made a sound as she stepped on a pebble with a "plop." Lord Mo immediately cried out as if grasping at a straw, "There's someone here!"
Before the eunuch could respond, he stepped forward. Just then, Liu Xu rushed forward, pulled the man in, and pressed the sharp object against his back.
"ah--"
The exclamation was cut short as Liu Xu brought the branch closer, threatening, "Don't speak!"
Upon hearing this, Lord Mo fell silent, spontaneously covering his mouth and nodding like a chick pecking at rice.
Seeing that Lord Mo had stepped forward without saying a word, the eunuch wondered what he had discovered. After a while, he tentatively asked, "Lord Mo...?"
He was clearly timid and cautious, and dared not step forward without receiving a reply. After a while, he heard Mo Shen say happily from the other side, "Father-in-law, come quickly, we've caught a big fish!"
The eunuch, unsuspecting, said as he walked, "Don't try anything funny with me..."
The man approached, and Liu Xu was about to throw the man in his hand aside and kill the eunuch first, but unexpectedly, the eunuch was quite capable, nimbly bending over to dodge. Realizing it was a trap, Liu Xu angrily shouted, "Mo Shen! You—"
Those words were spoken by Liu Xu imitating his voice, but his mouth remained completely still; this is what is known as "ventriloquism" in folk tradition.
No matter how much the eunuch cursed, the two wrestled together, and Liu Xu clearly had the upper hand. Taking advantage of his size, he grabbed the eunuch and pinned him down. However, the eunuch had a knife hidden in his sleeve and stabbed Liu Xu without hesitation.
While struggling, he shouted, "Where did this country bumpkin come from? His tattered clothes are killing me!"
Liu Xu, quick-witted, dodged the knife and, upon hearing this, said fiercely, "It's your grandfather!"
The eunuch accidentally had his wrist stabbed by Liu Xu, and enduring the burning pain, he stabbed again, yelling, "You heartless butcher! Let me kill you—"
Before he could finish speaking, a sudden chill ran down his neck, and a surge of blood rushed to his throat, silencing him instantly.
Upon seeing this, Liu Xu snatched the knife and flipped the man over, only to find that the eunuch's eyes were wide open and blood was trickling from the corner of his mouth; he was clearly dead.
He looked up as if by telepathy and saw that Lord Mo was cowering in the corner, covering his mouth and refusing to speak. Xie Lingxi stood in front of him expressionlessly, holding a blood-stained hairpin in her hand.
Xie Sanniang looked down at her and said, "It's your turn."
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