Chapter 19 The Southern Border Holy Son Obsessed with Gu Poison 19
Normally, these secret guards from the Dark Guard Camp would be no match for Lu Yi.
Even the fiercest lone wolf, without its claws and fangs, is outnumbered and outmatched; what chance does it have of winning?
Lu Yi's knife had been thrown into the lake to feed the fish the day he was captured and imprisoned in the Misty Valley.
[Protagonist's Pain Level +3]
Xie Rong lowered his eyes and gently stroked the little green snake's head. The system notification sound in his mind did not make him turn his head to look at Lu Yi.
He heard the man being attacked by the group, heard the sound of sharp blades cutting through flesh, and heard the man being forced to kneel down and slammed to the ground with a thud.
"Lord Lu, in the entire Xiaoling Division, the Empress Dowager's most favored person is you. Do you know why?" The head eunuch flicked his whisk and sneered, "Because you are straightforward, don't like to cause trouble, and are an honest, dutiful, and useful minister. Now the opportunity to succeed as commander is right in front of you, so don't displease the Empress Dowager and let someone else benefit!"
Lu Yi gritted his teeth and gasped for breath, staring intently at the detached figure inside the prison cart, his eyes slowly reddening.
To prevent Lu Yi from causing trouble again, he was tied up and thrown onto a horse.
The chief eunuch rode a horse alongside the prison cart, personally escorting it, with several junior eunuchs from the Empress Dowager's palace following beside him.
"My godfather has accomplished another great task this time. The Empress Dowager must reward him handsomely!" a young eunuch said with a fawning smile.
The head eunuch slightly raised his chin, his eyes crinkling into deep furrows, and feigned humility, saying, "I don't ask for any reward. I only ask that when the Empress Dowager meets the Holy Son of Southern Xinjiang in the future, if she really obtains the method of immortality, she may also reward me with a little bit of the dregs of the medicine to drink."
"If we capture this wicked sorcerer, will we really be able to wait for the Holy Son of Southern Xinjiang?"
The chief eunuch snorted coldly: "The people of the Southern Frontier hate traitors the most. I heard that two years ago, a sorcerer from the Southern Frontier fled to the Central Plains and leaked the sorcery of the Southern Frontier to others without authorization. The Empress Dowager received the news three months ago that the Holy Son of the Southern Frontier had also left the Southern Frontier and come to the Central Plains. He probably came to capture the escaped sorcerer."
"What a coincidence! The Empress Dowager had just received the news when this sorcerer appeared and started harming people right under the Emperor's nose. It's as if even the heavens are on our side!"
The prison cart was sent back to the capital overnight, and the people inside were temporarily imprisoned in the imperial prison to await their fate.
The powerful and wealthy in the capital were overjoyed, because everyone who had been captured and taken to the Misty Valley had been rescued without exception. They were all healthy, except that they were a bit darker and stronger, and had a few more whip marks on their bodies, but they did not suffer any incurable injuries.
"But Father, we've been poisoned by a Gu curse. If all else fails, why don't we release him first? Maybe if we treat him well and coax him, he'll cure us," said the young master of the Zhao family, who was lingering at the entrance of the prison, refusing to leave.
Enraged, Vice Minister Zhao slapped him on the forehead. "Fool! Did you go crazy from being a slave to that sorcerer in the Valley of Mysteries? The fact that you all came out unharmed means that someone has already removed the curse from your bodies!"
"Who is it?" Young Master Zhao asked, covering his head.
A young man dressed in a flying fish robe dismounted and walked towards the imperial prison. Vice Minister Zhao turned to greet him and said with a smile, "Vice Envoy Liu, we owe you a lot for removing the curse this time."
Vice Envoy Liu was a tall and handsome man with an aura of coldness that made him unapproachable. Upon hearing this, he merely nodded indifferently, walked straight past Vice Minister Zhao, and strode into the imperial prison, as if he were in a great hurry to see someone.
The prison was perpetually dark, and even the echoing footsteps sounded like geckos stuck to the wall, damp and cold.
Liu Zhanyi stopped outside the only cell with a candle lit.
Following his gaze, one could see that the haystacks that prisoners used to rest in the cell had been replaced with soft couches. Xie Rong sat on the couch, holding a snake, while another man stood beside him, combing his hair and carefully tucking silver ornaments into his temples.
After combing her hair, she brought over a basin of hot water and silently wiped the ash off Xie Rong's face, hands, and legs. Then she changed the water, placed the basin on the ground, and bent down to hold Xie Rong's delicate feet, placing them in the wooden basin to wash them.
Liu Zhanyi clenched and unclenched his fists at his sides, then calmly walked into the cell.
"Junior brother, how have you been?"
Xie Rong pinched the tip of the green snake's tail. "I heard you cured those idiots of their curse?"
As he spoke, he suddenly laughed, "You're still the same as before, not presentable enough to be seen in public. You can fool others, but don't fool yourself too."
"In your eyes, am I always this worthless?" Liu Zhanyi said coldly.
“You’re wrong,” Xie Rong smiled, tilting his head. “I’ve never taken you seriously.”
“When have you ever taken anyone seriously?” Liu Zhanyi said to herself, “Fine, you’ll understand some things in the future. I never intended to betray Southern Frontier, much less betray…”
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Staying there would only make things more awkward for him, so he turned and left without saying a word he had prepared.
Lu Yi was still serving Xie Rong by washing his feet, just like when they were in the Misty Valley.
[Host! Waaah, what do we do? We haven't racked up enough pain points, and the plot is all wrong! We should be killed by the protagonist right now, getting our revenge and happily completing our mission to move on to the next world—but why is the protagonist washing your feet?! How annoying!]
Xie Rong's eyelids drooped, and he carefully hid the little green snake in his bosom again, as if it were a precious treasure.
This snake is his only child, and he will protect it at all costs.
Lu Yi got splashed with water by his restless feet, wiped his feet clean without saying a word, and then took out two oranges from his pocket and said in a hoarse voice, "I have transplanted those two orange trees to a safe place."
Xie Rong seemed not to hear him and continued to ignore him.
"Lord Lu, the Empress Dowager summons you. Please enter the palace immediately."
"Xie Rong, what do you want me to do before you'll talk to me?"
Xie Rong slapped him across the face, rubbing her numb palm, and asked softly, "Is this how you treat me, Commander Lu?"
Lu Yi glanced at him, then silently carried the basin of fragrant hot water out of the cell.
Xie Rong nestled on the soft couch, holding the snake, and gently hummed a lullaby to lull it to sleep. He accidentally fell asleep halfway through.
...
Three days later, a victory celebration banquet was held.
To celebrate the capture of the villain, the Empress Dowager granted a special pardon for the banquet, firstly to reward the meritorious officials who had contributed, and secondly to appease the frightened scions of noble families.
"Your Majesty, I heard from Eunuch Liu, who was escorting us back to the capital, that the sorcerer is actually a very young lad?"
The Empress Dowager, dressed in a phoenix robe, sat upright beside the Emperor. Although she was nearly sixty, there was only a trace of wrinkles at the corner of her eyes. She smiled faintly when she heard this, "He is just a prisoner. If you ministers wish to see him, just have him brought up."
About an hour later.
Several guards carried a square iron cage into the main hall.
The iron cage was covered with a red cloth, obscuring the people inside.
There was a moment of silence at the table, then some people gradually became restless, until the red cloth was lifted.
The iron cage was empty.
The Empress Dowager abruptly stood up, scanned the seats on her left, and, seeing no one there, angrily demanded, "Lu Yi, where is the person I asked for?!"
"Your Majesty, Lord Lu is unwell today and has not attended the palace banquet."
The Empress Dowager then looked towards the other side of the seats.
"Your Majesty, today Madam Jin is seriously ill, and General Jin took leave early and did not attend the palace banquet."
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