459 Chapter 459
Yu Sui kept his word and burned all the poisonous air waves emanating from the mirror array.
Many people died in the underground city during the transfer of the orchid poison, all of them dying from exhaustion and being infected by the orchid poison, causing their bodies to explode.
Gu Gan finally breathed a sigh of relief when the raging wind and snow subsided.
It was a strange feeling. He felt as if he had returned to the time when he was still in Qingyang, and Yu Sui would always do whatever he asked her to do.
During those years, he relied on the sense of security that Yu Sui provided.
This further strengthened Gu Gan's resolve to persuade Yu Sui to return to his side.
Gu Gan's excessive use of the Five Elements Qi slowed down the operation of his light core, making his head feel dizzy. He shook his head, not having time to count how many people had died; all he wanted was to get out of there as quickly as possible and find Yu Sui.
However, Gu Gan did not have enough strength to leave the ground through the mirror array, so he could only go through the well.
After Gu Gan and the remaining men painstakingly climbed out of the well, they witnessed an absurd scene:
At the edge of the swamp, two groups of people faced off, the air thick with the stench of blood, and the traces of the chaotic battle between the nine groups of people were clearly visible.
Xun Zhiya was being held captive by Sheng Fei, who was using her to threaten the renowned sage Xuehe.
Jiang Chi was numb as he watched Gu Gan emerge from the well. He wondered which world this well connected to, as people he thought were all dead kept popping out of it. He wouldn't be surprised even if Madam Su crawled out of it later.
When Zhu Laosan first saw Xuehe with a missing hand, he felt as if the sky had fallen. Although Xuehe was injured, he still possessed the imposing aura befitting a renowned saint, bringing the chaotic situation to a stalemate.
But as soon as Gu Gan came out, Zhu Laosan saw hope and shouted to Gu Gan first, "Young Master!"
"That brat over there is courting death, actually kidnapping your woman, young master!" Zhu Laosan exaggerated his words, trying to provoke Gu Gan's anger so that he would do his best to solve the problem.
To everyone's surprise, Sheng Fei laughed after hearing this, his gaze sweeping meaningfully between Xun Zhiya and Gu Gan.
"Shut up!" Gu Gan snapped.
Zhu Laosan covered his mouth with one hand, but his small eyes revealed his grievance.
Gu Gan frowned and looked at Sheng Fei, asking, "Where is Sui Sui?"
These words caused the playful expression on Sheng Fei's face to freeze.
Sheng Fei replied coldly, "That's what I should be asking you. As far as I know, Nangong Sui should be underground with you."
Xun Zhiya stared at Gu Gan in disbelief; she was unaware of these things.
Gu Gan gave Xun Zhiya an apologetic look before saying, "Sheng Fei, release Zhiya first. You must know who you arrested."
“For Nan Jing now, capturing a former Holy Maiden who shouldn’t exist might be more valuable than capturing you,” Sheng Fei said. “Where is Nangong Sui?”
He wanted to use Xun Zhiya to threaten Gu Gan into revealing Yu Sui's whereabouts.
But Gu Gan was also out looking for someone.
Gu Gan clutched his chest and coughed violently several times, spitting out blood. Xue He and the others rushed forward, saying, "Young Master!" Gu Gan, coughing up blood, knelt on one knee, brushed aside the people surrounding him, and looked up at Sheng Fei: "What do you intend to do to Sui Sui?"
Sheng Fei wanted to laugh after hearing this.
“If she were still alive, I would of course bring her back.”
Gu Gan said, "As long as I'm alive, I won't let you touch her."
Sheng Fei stared at Gu Gan expressionlessly, not taking his words seriously at all. He turned to Jiang Chi and said, "Tie up Gu Gan and take him back. The prince will be very happy to see him."
Jiang Chi: "..."
Third Young Master, do I really have to do this job?
Before Jiang Chi could say anything, Gu Gan said, "I know you're going to Nanjing."
Upon hearing this, Sheng Fei and Jiang Chi's expressions became somewhat subtle. However, when Gu Gan stood up, he added, "I also know what you're going to send to Nanjing."
Sheng Fei became wary. He looked at Gu Gan; he didn't seem to be lying. This man had disappeared for several years without a trace, and given the power of his maternal clan, it was hard to guarantee that he might actually know something.
"Explain yourself clearly." Sheng Fei pushed Xun Zhiya forward. "Where exactly is Nangong Sui?"
Gu Gan reached out and pulled Xun Zhiya, who had been pushed out, into his arms. After confirming that she was not injured, he took a breath, closed his eyes, and fainted with relief.
"Gu Gan!" Xun Zhiya called out urgently.
A hint of impatience flickered in Sheng Fei's eyes. Useless thing.
Xuehe stepped forward to investigate and, after confirming that Gu Gan had fainted due to exhaustion, breathed a sigh of relief. The tense atmosphere dissipated, and while waiting for Gu Gan to wake up, they inquired about the situation in the underground city from the person who came out of the well.
After learning that Gu Gan had used the Mirror Array to teleport the poisonous gas waves through the wind and snow to the wasteland outside the array, Xue He guessed Yu Sui's location: far away from them, in the direction from which the starlight had come from.
When Sheng Fei led his men to search, they only saw reeds swaying in the wind and could not find Yu Sui.
They searched for a long time without success.
When Sheng Fei remembered that Zhong Lique had taken Xing Chun away, he sent Jiang Chi with men to follow and keep an eye on him. Sheng Fei then took Qiao Yuande to explore the world beneath the well.
Seven days later, the Water Boat Saint learned of the news and led his men to the wasteland.
The boatmen arrived at midnight. The moon was bright and the stars were few. Torches were planted everywhere in the marshland and reeds, and a large number of people were stationed there.
Sheng Fei, representing the group, explained the situation to the saints from the water boat. Sheng Fei explained that he had heard that the third young master of the Ji family had been captured on the trade route, so he rushed over to rescue him and happened to encounter Xuan Kui and the others who came out of the well.
Ji Hongxing, standing next to him, had his head covered by layers of blankets, so he couldn't see or speak. He could only nod in agreement with Sheng Fei's words.
Sheng Fei fought a fierce battle with Xuan Kui's men, but the sudden burst of sparks obscured their vision, giving Xuan Kui's group a chance to escape.
In his explanation, Gu Gan and the others were all concealed, categorized only as the Xuan Kui faction, rather than any specific individual. He only happened to be there to rescue people and knew nothing else. Xing Chun omitted the existence of Mei Liangyu and Yu Sui when explaining to Shui Zhou, which made Sheng Fei's explanation seem reasonable.
When the Water Saints go to the underground city, they will find that Black Castle has long since collapsed and been destroyed, the Mirror Array remains, the workshop was burned down because of the lightning fire that ignited the Orchid Poison, and only the cold and hard mountain remains.
Apart from the scoundrels that Mei Liangyu had Xing Chun take away, there were almost no living people in the underground city.
The two water-boat saints who took over Xiangshan City this time are Zhuge Ling from the military school and Wei Xizhen from the legal school.
The two stood in the wind and snow, with the ruins of Black Castle to their left and the ravaged mountainside to their right, scarred by the workshop explosion.
Zhuge Ling and Xing Chun were both from the Zhou Kingdom and their families were old acquaintances. She first went to Xiangshan City to bring people out from Yulansi. After listening to Xing Chun's explanation, she learned that the reason for the devastating disaster that brought this underground city was the explosion of a large amount of orchid poison and the corrosive worm pool water.
She stared at the ruins before her and said, "It happened so suddenly, they seemed completely unprepared, and everything they had carefully arranged was destroyed."
Wei Xizhen stood in the wind and snow, examining the ruins of the Black Castle, and said, "But they handled the aftermath in a calm and unhurried manner."
Before Sheng Fei helped Gu Gan leave, the two groups of people cleaned up a lot of traces of the Nine Schools of Arts.
"We can put the matter of the Orchid Poison aside for now. Let the people of Nanjing handle the problems there. For us, the sacred stone in that mountain is the most important thing." Zhuge Ling turned around and looked at the mountain behind her.
The black mountain turned pitch black after being burned, with some reddish traces showing through the charred blackness.
The messengers from the water are collecting materials from the mountain, focusing on the crimson areas, and working with the mechanical experts' surprise attacks and the Nine Schools of Arts to excavate the mountain.
Wei Xizhen said, "Since this mountain is located here, the people who created the underground city may have known about the existence of the Sacred Stone long ago. The people of Xuan Kui may not be unaware of anything. You should not let it go, but capture them as soon as possible."
Zhuge Ling frowned and lowered his head in deep thought.
Wei Xizhen added, "Whether it's manufacturing orchid poison or vipers, they have violated the common laws of the six kingdoms."
It not only violated the common laws of the six countries, but also broke the rules set by various schools of thought.
"The laws of the six kingdoms?" Zhuge Ling murmured, savoring the words, and sneered, "Do you really think that all six kingdoms have a strict attitude towards Lan Poison? Now there are only five kingdoms left, otherwise why would they let you and me take over this matter?"
"Because those without official status offer no benefit or opportunity to Xuan Kui, and pose no threat whatsoever to him."
"Who spread the rumor that Orchid Poison can prevent being burned by strange fire?"
Zhuge Ling said expressionlessly, "You should know the current situation in Nan Jing better than I do. Do you think He Xinsi will have the energy to deal with these matters?"
Wei Xizhen glanced at her, her calm and expressionless face remaining unchanged: "Were you talking to a junior from the Zhou Kingdom earlier?"
Zhuge Ling knew he was referring to Xing Chun, and said frankly, "Yes. His father was Xing Ji of the Legalist school."
Wei Xizhen added, "He asked you for help, and I thought you would agree."
"I promised him, and all those who deserve to die will die." Zhuge Ling rested one hand on the sword at her waist, her gaze coldly fixed on the mountain. The crimson light high above seemed to fall into her eyes, ignited by hatred into a raging fire. "However, in my heart, there is a sense of order."
Wei Xizhen did not take Zhuge Ling's advice. He spent time sorting out the events that had occurred in the underground city, and then sent the news to Taiyi and Nanjing a few days later.
Sheng Fei left Dan Kingdom and continued his journey towards Nanjing. At night, the group entered the mountain road, and he saw Zhongli's carriage parked by the stream. Zhongli Que came out to prepare to observe the celestial phenomena and make a painting, without glancing at Sheng Fei once.
The mountains and forests are so dense that only along this stream can one catch a glimpse of the stars in the sky.
People are busy building a painting platform for the magpie.
Zhong Lique bent down to wash her hands in the clear stream. When she stood up and looked up, she found Sheng Fei standing on the opposite bank watching her.
The man's expression was inscrutable, his aura cold and menacing. She pretended not to see him and turned to walk away.
Zhong Lique had only taken two steps when the person who had just been on the opposite bank of the stream suddenly appeared in front of her. Startled, she hurriedly retreated, tripping over her skirt and nearly falling into the stream. Sheng Fei reached out to stop her, but as soon as his hand was outstretched, Zhong Lique regained her footing.
The girl didn't seem angry or annoyed; instead, she looked puzzled.
Seeing this, Sheng Fei also felt bored and said, "I won't hold it against you for taking Xing Chun and Kong Yiyi away in the chaos."
Zhong Lique took another step back, creating some distance before saying, "I won't interfere with your decision to travel with Gu Gan."
Before he could even speak, Zhong Lique had already guessed. This surprised Sheng Fei somewhat.
“They are my brother’s friends, so I can’t just leave them alone,” Zhong Lique explained softly.
Sheng Fei then scoffed softly, "So you just let them be taken away by Yu Lansi and locked up for several days?"
Faced with his mockery, Zhong Lique showed no sign of weakness or anger, remaining calm and gentle. "This is my first time handling these things alone, so I'm a little inexperienced," she said with a smile.
Sheng Fei noticed, rather inappropriately, that she had shallow dimples on her cheeks when she smiled.
It wasn't the first time he'd seen a girl smile, but it was the first time he'd become aware of those dimples. This sudden feeling was like when he was a child learning the Thousand Character Classic, the strange characters catching his eye, their shapes etched in his memory, only to later understand their meaning and significance.
Sheng Fei suppressed this sudden realization, withdrew his attention, and walked forward, closing the distance between them again. This time, Zhong Lique did not move aside, remaining standing with her head held high, her eyes unblinking.
“Gu Gan knows we’re sending the fragments to Nanjing.” Sheng Fei lowered his voice, his husky tone only echoing in their ears. “He’s taking Xun Zhiya with him, and his return to Nanjing will definitely cause a stir. The newly appointed Holy Son of Nanjing is not good for Qingyang, but what Gu Gan is doing is good for us. However, taking him along will be quite dangerous. Before we set off, my second brother specifically came to me and asked me to take good care of you, so I’m making this clear to you in advance.”
After saying that, he took a step back and met Zhong Lique's clear, bright eyes with a look of surprise: "Second brother told you this before, why didn't you tell me from the beginning?"
Sheng Fei disliked her calling Su Feng "Second Brother," as it gave him the illusion that he had another younger sister. He disliked the term "younger sister" even more.
"Su Feng is the young master of the Nangong family, not your brother," Sheng Fei reminded him coldly.
The sudden cold and stern tone startled Zhong Lique.
In her memory, the third young master of the Nangong family was arrogant and complacent, with a bad temper and a sharp tongue, but he had never been cold or stern. In the past two years, her impression of Sheng Fei had changed quite a bit, but not for the good.
"I'm sorry," Zhong Lique said softly, her eyes lowered.
"We will meet Gu Gan and his group at the plank road before sunset tomorrow," Sheng Fei said coldly before turning and leaving.
Zhong Lique paints every night, but because of a hand injury, he often has to stop and rest after painting for a while. He always finishes painting before dawn.
She fell into a deep sleep in the carriage the next day, and Zhong Lique was still asleep when the group met up with Gu Gan and his party on the plank road.
At the end of the mountain trail, Gu Gan and Xue He's group waited. Sheng Fei led the way and announced that the team would camp there for the night.
Zhongli's team didn't ask any further questions and began setting up the painting table.
Gu Gan looked at it for a while, then turned to Sheng Fei and said, "She knows?"
Sheng Fei hummed in agreement. “I thought you would keep it from her. The more people who know about this, the more…” Before Gu Gan could finish speaking, Sheng Fei impatiently interrupted him, “This is none of your business. There are several of you living people following her all the way. Unless she’s blind, she wouldn’t notice.”
Gu Gan: "We can wear platinum tiger masks and disguise ourselves as people from the Nangong Second Division."
Sheng Fei sneered, "Do you think Zhongli Que is stupid?"
Gu Gan: "..."
While I wouldn't consider the other person a fool, I also wouldn't think they were too clever.
In his memory, Zhongli Que was unable to cultivate the Nine Schools of Arts, and being gentle, polite, and unassuming, she didn't have many girls to play with at the Imperial Academy when she was young, and was often bullied by Princess Shangyang. She had a good relationship with Sui Sui for a while, but later lost contact due to the relationship between their families.
After Gu Gan left Taiyi, his memories of Zhongli Que remained from the time of the Imperial Academy.
Now that I know she has become Qin Shan's apprentice in painting, I feel a little surprised and puzzled.
“Since you’ve reached an agreement with Zhong Lique, I won’t think about it anymore.” Gu Gan chose to trust Sheng Fei.
Sheng Fei then asked him, "Where have you been these past few years?"
Gu Gan looked at the setting sun in the distance, a blood-red expanse. The magnificent clouds, it seemed, had devoured something to burn like the sea of fire that had once ravaged the Taiyi Sea.
"Do you know about the power of the Earth's core in Taiyi? The twenty-four saints of Taiyi were chosen by the power of the Earth's core. Their power in Taiyi was greatly enhanced, far surpassing that of other saints. They could even survive as long as they were within the protection range of the Earth's core power."
Gu Gan gazed at the burning clouds in the distance and said in a deep voice.
Sheng Fei was skeptical: "You mean the power of the Earth's core saved you and Xun Zhiya?"
“Perhaps.” Gu Gan shrugged, without going into details. “At that time, we didn’t know which sea area we were in, and we didn’t have the mind to contact the outside world. We found caves left by the mechanical experts on the seabed. Those caves were where they stored their goods, and they were also the dispatch caves where they bypassed Taiyi’s supervision and secretly transported goods to the outside world.”
Because it was a smuggling operation, the government officials, upon discovering that a large quantity of goods had been lost, dared not make it public or ask the Twenty-Four Sages of Taiyi for help in finding them. They could only conduct their own investigation privately.
Gu and Gan plundered a large amount of money from the government officials and left Taiyi by waterway.
"After barely recovering our strength thanks to the goods from the mechanical family, we left Taiyi and went with Jiang Fengyu to Fengling Valley in the North to recuperate. We only came out at the beginning of the year," Gu Gan said.
Upon hearing the familiar name, Sheng Fei recalled the three envoys from the three religions who came to the mansion when his grandmother passed away. At that time, He Yuan brought three juniors dressed in blue, one of whom was Jiang Fengyu.
They came not only for Gu Gan at that time.
"Why didn't you contact the Prince's residence?" Sheng Fei asked expressionlessly. "You should know how worried the Prince is about you."
Gu Gan had a faint, bitter smile on his lips: "I was too badly injured. I was unconscious the whole way to Fengling Valley and was only conscious for a few days. It took me almost a year to recover from my injuries. They didn't tell me anything about the outside world. By the time I found out what happened in Qingyang... it was too late."
Sheng Fei: "I'm asking why you didn't contact the Prince."
He knew that Gu Gan was referring to the matter of Yu Sui killing Madam Su, but he didn't want to go on that topic.
“I want to help Zhiya resolve the issue in Nanjing first before going back to see the Prince.” Gu Gan composed himself and said solemnly, “I know the plans of Qingyang, Nanjing, and Taiyuan. They want to use the fragments of the Floating Pagoda in Nanjing to break the oath of non-war between the six kingdoms. In addition to collecting the fragments of the Floating Pagoda, they also need the power of the Legalist school, which is why I plan to go to Nanjing first.”
"As far as I know, Shui Zhou does not agree to lift the oath of non-aggression between the six kingdoms. If the news gets out, it will likely encounter more obstacles."
"After the strange fire destroyed the Zhou Kingdom, people became dependent on the water boats. Sometimes, the words of the water boats were more effective than those of their monarch. If the water boats intervened, it would be difficult to break the oath of no war even if all the fragments were collected."
“Shui Zhou has already noticed, which is why His Majesty has sent us to risk taking the fragments to Nanjing,” Sheng Fei said. “Nanjing is the birthplace of the oath, and we can only break the oath there.”
Gu Gan looked at him and said, "Gathering the fragments and breaking the oath in Nanjing are relatively easy, there's only one last condition..."
He didn't finish speaking, and Sheng Fei didn't respond either; they both understood each other perfectly.
After a moment of silence, Gu Gan suddenly smiled: "I never thought that one day we could talk about these things calmly."
He said with a hint of mockery, "Without the influence of the Unseen Serpent, you seem much more pleasing to the eye."
Sheng Fei didn't get angry, but instead mocked, "You finally have an excuse to think you're likable."
He has indeed become much calmer than before, and apart from his sharp tongue, his volatile temper is no longer easily revealed.
“Sheng Fei, believe it or not, I used to envy you.” Gu Gan didn’t argue with him like before, but calmed down and said in a low voice, “Because I witnessed my parents’ tragic death, when I saw you being cared for by Madam Sheng and the Prince, I felt envious, jealous, and resentful that it was my parents who died.”
“I used to hate your unreasonable harassment, but now I don’t want to continue being your enemy. I have things I have to do, and our goals will be the same.”
Gu Gan extended his hand to Sheng Fei, wanting to negotiate peace.
Sheng Fei turned and left without even glancing at him.
Zhong Lique was not surprised to find Gu Gan and the others when she woke up. She only glanced at them from afar before focusing on what she was doing.
Observing celestial phenomena also requires choosing a location. Today's painting platform is built on the edge of a cliff, which looks somewhat dangerous. However, with thirteen realm masters guarding it and the Azure Dragon Army protecting it, it doesn't seem so dangerous.
Zhong Lique walked to the desk and sat down. While he was still gazing at the stars, someone suddenly squeezed in next to him, picked up the inkstone and began grinding ink, pushing Xiao Tao aside and startling both of them.
"Sister Zhongli, it's been so long! You go ahead with your work, I'll grind the ink for you." With a slightly ingratiating tone, Zhongli Que looked up.
Ji Hongxing's face, swollen like a pig's head, had not yet recovered. At this moment, only one eye was visible, and it was smiling at Zhong Lique in a creepy crescent shape.
"Young Master Ji, you..." Before Xiao Tao could finish speaking, Ji Hongxing raised his hand and blocked her from behind. "I'm just catching up with your young lady. You don't need to take care of her. Don't worry."
Zhong Lique nodded to Xiao Tao, who then retreated to the back.
"What's wrong?" Zhong Lique asked Ji Hongxing.
Ji Hongxing bent down, his tone sincere and urgent: "You are out on a tour to record the stars, but I am not, so I feel a little embarrassed to be following you all this way. But as you know, my Ji family's caravans have all died at the hands of Xuan Kui, and this road is difficult to travel now. So I would like to ask Sister Zhongli for help. Could you lend me two Azure Dragon Army soldiers to take me back to Qingyang? I will definitely thank you handsomely when the time comes."
Zhong Lique was surprised: "Why didn't you ask Sheng Fei to lend you people? Given your relationship, I don't think he would refuse."
Ji Hongxing almost couldn't help but curse in front of Zhong Lique, and said sullenly, "He refused. Obviously, Sheng Fei is not as reasonable as you think."
Otherwise, why would he condescend to beg Zhongli Que?
If he were to return to Qingyang alone, Ji Hongxing was somewhat afraid, fearing that Xuan Kui's men would come looking for him.
Zhong Lique looked at Ji Hongxing with surprise and confusion. Although Ji Hongxing was also a little embarrassed, he did not want to take risks with Sheng Fei. So, he suppressed his shame and was about to continue pleading when he was suddenly grabbed by the back of his collar and lifted up.
"If I weren't reasonable, I wouldn't have changed course to save you," Sheng Fei said with a forced smile, tossing Ji Hongxing to the back. "Go and heal your injuries."
The reason for bringing Ji Hongxing along was to have him testify about Xun Zhan's collaboration with Xuan Kui in researching vipers.
Ji Hongxing had tried everything to get Sheng Fei to change his mind, from cursing to pleading, but nothing worked. Compared to before, this man had become exceptionally cold and ruthless.
Sheng Fei chased away the cursing Ji Hongxing, then turned to look at Zhong Lique, who was still by the desk. "You're not letting Young Master Ji go back because you want him to testify?" Zhong Lique asked.
Seemingly surprised by her response, Sheng Fei paused for a moment before asking, "Is that what you think?"
Zhongli Que laughed and said, "Am I wrong?"
Sheng Fei glanced at Ji Hongxing, who had walked away, then returned to Zhong Lique and looked down at the serene woman with lowered eyes: "Do you know what their family does?"
“He’s probably afraid that the Ji family will get involved in Xuan Kui’s alchemy scandal. They are a prominent family of doctors and also medicine merchants.” Zhong Li Que said selectively, “Those who are in the medicinal herb business are not afraid of problems with their own herbs, but they are afraid that the higher-ups will have a reason to say that they have problems.”
"The Ji family's reasons are quite valid now."
Sheng Fei said mockingly, "The Zhongli family didn't teach you the arts of the lowly, but instead taught you the arts of business?"
His eyes were full of mockery, as if to say, "You know all this stuff?" He thought Zhong Lique was showing off his limited knowledge.
Zhong Lique remained unperturbed. She was already immune to Sheng Fei's bad temper. She didn't care about his arrogant words and sarcastic remarks. She would only be afraid if Sheng Fei started to take action instead of talking.
“The Ji family matter can be a big deal or a small deal. If you don’t let Young Master Ji leave and make him go to Nanjing to testify, you can help Gu Gan and also let Young Master Ji take the opportunity to clear his name from Xuan Kui and extricate the Ji family from the situation.”
That's exactly what Sheng Fei thought.
But perhaps the Ji family has other shady dealings, so Ji Hongxing couldn't figure it out for the time being and was even thinking of running back to his grandmother to make the decision. How old is he? If he continues to be so irresponsible and indecisive, he can forget about becoming the heir.
Ji Hongxing now only has one option: to confess to Sheng Fei.
You've even collaborated with Xuan Kui to refine the Orchid Poison, what else can't you say?
Zhong Lique's words revealed all of Sheng Fei's thoughts, yet he remained unmoved, his eyes conveying, "This is just your conjecture." In the past two years, following his father, he had developed the ability to conceal his emotions.
Sheng Fei wanted Ji Hongxing to reveal the secrets of the Ji family. Zhong Lique met Sheng Fei's unfathomable gaze and softly asked, "Do you want me to help you persuade Young Master Ji?"
“No need,” he refused outright.
Zhong Lique smiled and said, "I knew you would refuse if I asked you that."
Sheng Fei said coldly, "Don't act like you know me so well."
Zhong Lique pursed her lips. As her divination skills improved, so did her perception of all things. Sometimes, she could know other people's emotions and thoughts with just a glance, whether she wanted to or not. Even with her eyes closed and ears covered, too much information rushed in, mostly useless, but she had no choice but to accept it.
At this moment, Sheng Fei appeared cold and aloof, but he was not actually angry or upset.
"Give me your second brother's and Su Feng's contact information, and I'll help you persuade Young Master Ji." Zhong Li Que raised her face to look at Sheng Fei.
She looked serious. She didn't seem to be joking.
Sheng Fei asked indifferently, "Why did you contact my second brother?"
“I want to know how he’s doing,” Zhong Lique said. “He’s lost contact with me for the past two years.”
Sheng Fei stared at her for a while, then suddenly smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes: "Do you like my second brother?"
Zhong Lique did not answer.
Sheng Fei added, "If you don't like it, there's no need to contact me."
He did want to help Su Feng break off this ill-fated relationship. In Sheng Fei's view, there was no possibility between the two of them. If it weren't for Zhong Li Que, Su Feng wouldn't have broken with his father, causing their relationship to sour.
Once the problem of Zhong Lique is solved, Su Feng's rebellion against Nangong Ming for Yu Sui's sake will be no big deal.
Besides... Sheng Fei believed that Zhong Li Que had no feelings for Su Feng at all. They had just grown up together since childhood, and Su Feng always hung out with Zhong Li Shan's group, so he was somewhat close to him.
Now that we've grown up, it's time for this relationship to drift apart.
Sheng Fei turned around to face Zhong Li Que directly. He was standing while Zhong Li Que was sitting, making him appear superior and arrogant, exuding a strong sense of oppression.
Then came the words that followed, sharp as a sword piercing the heart: "Zhong Lique, do you really not know why my second brother fell out with the family? You pretended to be blind to his good intentions towards you, or did you pretend to be completely unaware in order to keep Su Feng hanging, using your ridiculous brotherly affection to cover up your intention to use Su Feng?"
These words were quite unreasonable to Zhong Lique.
Yet she remained unperturbed by Sheng Fei's words, maintaining her composure and looking directly at him with her head slightly raised. Zhong Lique's position was near the edge of the cliff, and the camp lights flickered behind her after nightfall. Because of stargazing, it was necessary to stay away from these sources of fire, so her slender and frail figure resembled a blade of grass growing on the cliff face, possessing both resilience and a dangerous aura.
For the past three months, Zhong Lique has maintained a gentle attitude in the face of Sheng Fei's sarcasm, as if she has the patience to tolerate everything, which often makes Sheng Fei feel like he is punching cotton.
The same applies now.
Zhong Lique blinked at Sheng Fei in confusion, as if it took her a while to understand the meaning behind his words, and her gaze gradually revealed a trace of pity and understanding.
Sheng Xun: "..."
What's the meaning?
Zhong Lique said with a slightly helpless expression, "You've never been liked by anyone, so naturally you'd think that way."
For a moment, Sheng Fei doubted his ears. These words actually came from Zhong Li Que, a well-behaved girl from the capital. The man who had stood arrogantly before Zhong Li Que now wore a slightly subtle expression.
“Whether Brother Su likes me or not, I will not ignore him after so many years of friendship,” Zhong Lique said solemnly. “Besides, this is a matter between Brother Su and me, so I will not respond to what you just said.”
Sheng Fei sneered: "So grand and dignified."
Zhong Lique added, "I will send two Azure Dragon Army soldiers to Young Master Ji first thing tomorrow morning."
"You dare?" Sheng Fei narrowed his eyes.
Zhong Lique generously replied, "If you don't want to have a bumpy and troublesome journey, then find a way to make me give up this idea."
Sheng Fei thought to himself, "What a joke."
He appeared cold and resolute: "Zhong Lique, give up now. I won't tell you anything about Second Brother."
“That’s not what I want right now,” Zhong Lique shook her head.
Sheng Fei scrutinized her for a long time. In silence, Zhong Lique had already picked up her paintbrush and started sketching. After a while, she stopped to rest, rubbing her wrist and looking up at the sky. The inkstone was dry, and it looked like it was about to run out of ink.
Zhong Lique's gaze swept over the inkstone, then rose to look at the man who had been standing beside it for a long time. Sheng Fei received her gaze, but merely raised an eyebrow, standing there like a stone statue, utterly cold.
Zhong Lique spoke up, "Should I call Young Master Ji over to grind the ink?"
Sheng Fei wasn't buying it: "You can try and see if he can come over."
Zhong Lique extended her right hand to him, her five fingers slender and long, her skin fair and delicate, but there was a faint scar on the back of her hand: "This hand of mine was done by the eldest daughter of your Nangong family, so I can't draw for long before I have to stop and rest. Even this simple star chart takes me from night to dawn."
Sheng Fei glanced down at the fair hand and said indifferently, "I have never acknowledged Chu Jin's identity, so there's no point in you telling me this."
He will not feel the slightest guilt or pity for this.
“Whether you agree or not, it is the Nangong family that has been humiliated and is in the wrong.” Zhong Lique withdrew her hand and picked up her paintbrush again. “Since you drove away Young Master Ji, then I can only ask you to do what Young Master Ji should do.”
Zhong Lique stopped writing after using up the last bit of ink, and looked at Sheng Fei with gentle and polite eyes.
Sheng Fei stood still for a moment, then took two steps forward and kicked the table that required him to kneel beside Zhong Lique to grind ink. The table moved, making a crisp sound like porcelain clashing. Zhong Lique's eyelids trembled slightly. Just as he reached out and placed his hand on the table, about to speak, he saw Sheng Fei turn around and shout to Jiang Chi, "Bring me another table."
He moved to a taller table so he could grind ink while standing, and even called Jiang Chi to wait beside him. He then moved the inkstone from Jiang Chi's table to Zhong Li Que's side, without taking another step forward.
Caught between the two, Jiang Chi dared not utter a word, inwardly rolling his eyes in the quiet atmosphere. He thought something serious had happened, but it turned out he had been summoned by the Third Young Master to be a "laborer," carrying the inkstone from one table to another. It was only a distance of two or three steps, but the Third Young Master seemed to have gone mad. "You've already ground the ink, and you still won't walk those two or three steps? Isn't this just deceiving yourself?"
Sheng Fei was grinding ink with his back to Zhong Lique, unaware of Jiang Chi's subtle disdain for him.
When Zhong Lique stopped to rest, she would get up and move around for a while. Every time she got up, Jiang Chi would remind her to be careful. The painting table was close to the edge of the cliff, and he was afraid that Miss Zhong Li would be so tired that she wouldn't see clearly and would fall off. If that happened, he would be in a terrible situation.
At these times, Sheng Fei would turn around and glance at Jiang Chi with disdain, as if silently asking: Why are you trying to curry favor with her?
Jiang Chi would feel that life was really hard at this point, wondering when this trip to Nanjing would finally end.
The two groups had been traveling together for almost three months when Sheng Fei accompanied Zhong Li Que to paint until dawn for the first time. When Zhong Li Que finished the last stroke, Sheng Fei immediately turned and left, followed closely by Jiang Chi, who began to try to get information out of the Third Young Master, asking him why he was so distraught as to spend the whole night standing on the cliff edge in the cold wind.
Zhong Lique pursed her lips as she watched the two leave, suppressing the faint smile on her lips, and turned to have Xiao Tao put the drawing paper away.
Dealing with Sheng Fei is like training a dog.
It's also quite interesting.
As Sheng Fei left the cliff edge, he saw Ji Hongxing, who had tried to go find Zhong Lique early that morning. When Ji Hongxing saw Sheng Fei, he turned around to avoid him, but Sheng Fei walked away as if he hadn't seen him at all.
This puzzled Ji Hongxing. Why didn't he stop him? When he saw Sheng Fei return directly to the carriage of the Nangong family's entourage, and learned that Sheng Fei hadn't slept all night and had been grinding ink and painting for Zhong Lique on the cliff, Ji Hongxing was shocked and gasped.
Oh no, Sheng Fei must have been possessed by a ghost last night.
Ji Hongxing rushed to find Zhong Lique, and after confirming the matter, the shock in his eyes was amusing. "Did he threaten you, forbidding you from lending me someone?" Ji Hongxing asked tentatively, thinking that Sheng Fei was really ruthless, actually threatening someone all night.
“Young Master Ji, you’ve guessed wrong.” Zhong Lique shook his head and said to Ji Hongxing in a helpless yet comforting tone, “We all misunderstood last night. He wasn’t trying to stop you from leaving, but he was worried that you would encounter danger on your way back to the city.”
Zhong Lique rephrased the benefits of going to Nanjing to Ji Hongxing, but if he left now, he would have to bear the risk of being captured by Xuan Kui. Regardless of whether he cooperated with Xuan Kui or not, being captured now would certainly not end well.
It would be better to go to Nanjing with Sheng Fei and discuss countermeasures with him properly, so as to avoid angering Grandmother by returning to the capital alone.
"The old lady is getting on in years. If she knew about this, she would definitely worry too much about the dangers of the journey, which would only harm her health."
Ji Hongxing was persuaded by Zhong Lique.
It wasn't that he thought his mother would worry to the point of falling ill, but rather that he was afraid she would be disappointed in him. So he immediately turned to Sheng Fei, wanting to have a frank discussion with him.
Unfortunately, Sheng Fei went back to the carriage and fell asleep immediately, ignoring him.
When Sheng Fei woke up and saw Ji Hongxing's ingratiating smile, he knew that Zhong Lique had persuaded him.
He looked towards the direction of Zhongli's entourage but didn't see Zhongli Que; she must still be resting in the carriage, not yet awake.
As Sheng Fei listened to Ji Hongxing's complaints, he tapped lightly on the carriage window frame with his fingers and glanced outside out of the corner of his eye.
From whence did he begin to develop a strange tacit understanding with Zhong Lique while working together?
Even after the negotiations broke down last night because of Su Feng, Sheng Fei didn't leave immediately. Instead, he knew that Zhong Li Que would definitely have something to say next.
Zhong Lique made Sheng Fei grind ink all night, but never explicitly said so. Sheng Fei accepted, but knew that she would definitely persuade Ji Hongxing the next day to end this conflict and continue to travel peacefully to Nanjing.
Over the past few months, they've had their share of conflicts, big and small. They've either compromised or worked together to resolve the issues, which is how they've come this far.
Sheng Fei had to admit that the girl who used to be timid, weak, and prone to crying, just like his younger sister, had now become intelligent and composed.
It makes people want to be on guard.
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