Chapter 77 Chapter 77 Strategy (Two-in-One)...
Clean, ethereal, and not of this world.
This is Shen Qing’s general impression of Song Yuxi.
In this vast world, are there really people who are so pure and kind?
Chen Qing suddenly stopped and said, "Just drop me off here. Thank you, Wu Niang. I can walk the rest of the way by myself."
Song Yuxi said, "The road ahead is dark. You can use this lantern to illuminate the way. I'm familiar with the Zhou residence, so I can find my way back in the dark."
Chen Qing said, "No need. There's only a short distance left to go up the wooden ladder. You should take it." She handed a talisman to Song Yuxi with one hand.
Song Yuxi didn't understand and looked up in confusion.
"This is a peace amulet I got from a temple a while ago. I'm giving it to Wu Niang. I hope you'll be safe and sound in the future. This is also a way to repay Wu Niang for her kindness these past few days." Chen Qing said coquettishly, "If you don't accept it, I'll feel guilty—"
Song Yuxi had no choice but to hold the lantern and umbrella in one hand, freeing her hand to take her talisman. "Thank you, You'an."
"Yeah!" Chen Qing smiled brilliantly, his eyes casually sweeping over Song Yuxi's hand.
Song Yuxi folded the talisman paper into a roll and placed it in the brocade pouch she carried with her. The blood talisman remained perfectly calm throughout, showing no signs of abnormality, and her expression remained unchanged.
So Chen Qing lifted up her skirt with one hand and walked slowly upstairs.
"You'an." Song Yuxi called her.
Looking back with deep emotion.
“Are today’s pepper wontons delicious?”
Chen Qing thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "It tastes delicious and warms my stomach."
Song Yuxi said softly, "As long as it tastes good, we have plenty of pepper at home. You caught a cold tonight, so I'll have the chef prepare some pepper-based medicinal dishes tomorrow. You and your brother can eat more to keep the cold away."
Chen Qing's eyes curved as she said, "Thank you, Wu Niang."
Song Yuxi held the lantern, his eyes inadvertently sweeping across Shen Qing's back, and where his eyes fell was the sword in her hand.
After a while, she didn't go home until Chen Qing's figure disappeared from her sight.
Walking along the original path, Song Yuxi suddenly frowned, a trace of pain flashed across her pale face, her umbrella and lantern fell to the ground, she leaned against a osmanthus tree and vomited blood again.
The lantern could not withstand the rain, and the flame went out with a puff, leaving a wisp of green smoke floating in the air.
Song Yuxi's face was pale and he looked up at the sky.
The drizzle was like beads that had broken off the string, falling one by one on the hair, face, and shoulders.
At this moment, there was a sudden thunder in the sky, and the rain that had originally subsided gradually became heavier and even showed signs of getting heavier.
Song Yuxi lowered his head, raised his hand, and stared at his palm. He saw that the originally jade-like palm skin had turned black, and he could faintly see the pale pink flesh in the scar.
She silently dropped her sleeves to cover her palms, picked up the lantern and umbrella, and walked away. Her quiet figure gradually disappeared among the shadows of the branches.
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Returning to her bedroom, Song Yuxi pushed the door open gently. However, when she saw the person sitting at the table, she was stunned for a moment.
Zhou Zhishan raised his hand to light the candles. As the candles lit up one by one, the room suddenly became brighter. The flickering lights reflected in his eyes, making his gaze brighter and his mind clearer.
"Alang, you're awake." Song Yuxi's face was calm. He folded his umbrella, put down the lantern, and walked towards Zhou Zhishan.
Zhou Zhishan saw his wife approaching and stood up to greet her. His voice was still hoarse from waking up. "When I woke up, there was no one beside me. I was really shocked. Wu Niang, where have you been?"
Song Yuxi said, "The rain has subsided. I was worried about Jingui, so I went out to take a look."
Zhou Zhishan sighed, "It's very cold outside. If you go out, you should put on an extra layer of clothing."
He took off his coat and put it on Song Yuxi. He carefully examined her face and was relieved to see that her hair was dry and smooth and her shoulders were not wet.
"It's still raining outside, and you haven't fully recovered yet. Just rest at home for the next few days."
Song Yuxi's voice was tinged with regret. "If the rain doesn't stop, we'll miss the Mid-Autumn Festival the day after tomorrow."
"Don't worry, the rain will definitely stop." Zhou Zhishan comforted.
Song Yuxi pursed her lips, smiled, and nodded slightly.
Zhou Zhishan saw that her face was pale, her spirit was depressed, and her Adam's apple was rolling, so he suddenly hugged her tightly.
"I will definitely find the best doctor to cure your illness." Zhou Zhishan said with a firm look.
Song Yuxi sighed softly, "Alang, the doctor also said that there is no other way to treat this old illness except to take good care of it. The old illness is difficult to treat, but it is not fatal. Why bother to cling to something that has no hope?"
Zhou Zhishan's eyes were filled with pain and self-blame. "This illness is caused by me. You love rain the most, but every time it rains, your old illness relapses and you stay in bed coughing up blood. How can I not be obsessed with this kind of pain?"
"I will definitely find the best doctor to treat you." He said firmly again.
Song Yuxi gave a bitter laugh. "Even the Medicine King He Chong, whom you sought out for treatment, was helpless. So where can we find the best physician?"
Zhou Zhishan said, "The world is vast, and talented people abound. There's always a place to find it." If there's nothing in Weinan County, look outside of it. If there's nothing among the common people, there's always another place. He lowered his eyes and gently rubbed his chin against the top of Song Yuxi's head.
After Song Yuxi lay down, he tucked in the quilt for her and left the lights on in the room.
"Ah Lang, are you going out again?"
Zhou Zhishan paused in his attempt to open the door. He turned around and saw darkness outside the house. The light from inside the house made his face half bright and half dark.
"Recently, people have been dying at the ferry crossing in the middle of the night. Young Master Wang just knocked on the door. I think someone else has died. I have to go check it out."
The Duhuaqiao Ferry in Weinan County was an important grain transport crossing during the Li Dynasty, often bustling with cargo boats, their cargo holds overflowing. Brocade, silk, tea, salt, millet, and beans all converged at this ferry.
During the day, the port is bustling with activity, merchants flocking like bees. Wine flags flutter in the wind, restaurants are filled with aromas, and the cacophony of voices fills the air. It is a prosperous place, yet also a place that is extremely difficult to manage.
There are often undocumented vagrants who sneak here on merchant ships. These people are like night millstones, hiding in dark places during the day, and at night, they come out in droves and sneak quietly in the shadows of the ferry.
In the past, the Jinwu Guards who patrolled at night were always able to catch these people accurately. However, since a few days ago, the stateless vagrants who fled to this place suddenly disappeared.
Later we found out that it wasn’t that the illegal immigrants were gone, but that they were all dead.
It was not noticeable at first, until a few rains fell and there were several days of strong sunshine, a strange stench of decay and decay came from the merchant ship docked at the ferry. The night watchman followed the smell to the stern and discovered that the entire bottom of the merchant ship was surrounded by rotten and smelly dead bodies.
The dead were not locals, so in order to avoid causing panic, Zhou Zhishan chose to deal with the bodies late at night.
During the day, he handled the county's pending official cases as usual and was still a good official praised by the people.
The door closed gently, and the wind caused the fire to flicker. Song Yuxi looked at the closed door and fell into deep thought for a long time.
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Chen Qing's doubts were still in her mind. Just as she was about to go back to the house, she suddenly stepped on something cool and soft. She lowered her head and looked carefully, and found that it was two black things. Chen Qing bravely picked it up, and saw a pair of snake eyes in her palm reflecting a faint green light, and she was shocked.
Ignoring her foot injury, she pushed the door open, lit a candle, and used the firelight to see the two pieces of objects in her hands. They were Qiu Ren's body.
Qiu Ren was bitten by something, and a small part of his body was broken into two. He was lying lifeless in Shen Qing's palm.
Chen Qing felt dizzy and dizzy for a moment, and even his standing was unstable.
Tears welled up in her eyes. She hurriedly drew aside the bed curtains and ran to the bed, her voice trembling, "Li Daoxuan, Qiuren, Qiuren is dead!"
After spending several months together, Chen Qing's feelings for Qiu Ren could not be faked.
Li Daoxuan, who was still resting with his eyes closed, slowly opened his eyes and looked at the person with tears on her face. Her brows were full of panic, and her eyes were anxious and self-blaming.
"It's all my fault. I shouldn't have let Qiu Ren go out. What should I do? Can he be saved?!" Chen Qing was so anxious that she was turning around in circles under the quilt.
Two drops of tears fell on the fingertips. Li Daoxuan's fingers seemed to be burned. His knuckles curled up slightly and he wiped away the tears with his fingertips.
"The enemy knows the situation well, but we don't. We shouldn't rush out without knowing the situation clearly," he said.
She didn't expect that Li Daoxuan still had the mind to preach at this time. She was anxious and angry, like a cat with its fur standing on end.
"Qiu Ren is dead! Your sword spirit is dead! Did you hear that?" Chen Qing shook his shoulders frantically.
Li Daoxuan had not expected that she would react so strongly to Qiu Ren's death. She seemed like someone who had experienced many separations and deaths, and would be frightened and at a loss at the slightest sign of trouble.
After recovering a little, his hands were gradually able to move, so Li Daoxuan pinched her shoulders and slowly pushed her away, "Give Qiuren to me." His tone was calm and extremely orderly.
Shen Qing was influenced by his calmness and handed over two pieces of Qiu Ren.
Li Daoxuan took Qiu Ren and threw him away, saying, "Bad snake, don't scare her."
Hearing these words, Shen Qing's tears immediately withdrew and she looked down blankly.
The originally "lifeless" Qiu Ren suddenly spit out his snake tongue, dragged half of his body to crawl to Chen Qing's fingertips and rubbed them, then climbed down from the bed and drilled back into the sword in the distance. The remaining half of his tail also turned into a ball of black mist and drilled in.
Chen Qing didn't know how to express her feelings. She said dully, "It's broken, but it can still be alive?" Sword spirits are extremely rare, and she didn't know much about them. When she heard that a sword spirit could be alive after it died, she was very surprised.
Li Daoxuan lowered his eyes to hide his smile, "Of course, as long as the main body is there, the sword spirit will not die."
Chen Qing recalled her embarrassing situation just now, and suddenly felt a heat rushing to her ears, and her heart felt cold. She wiped away her tears casually and said "Oh".
Li Daoxuan glanced at her feet, then suddenly frowned and said, "Calm down and go down."
His mood changed inexplicably. He looked down in the direction of his gaze and remembered that he had just run around barefoot outside and had gone to bed without washing his feet.
But Li Daoxuan's attitude really made her unhappy, so she curled her lips and took advantage of the chaos to stomp on the bed a few times, "This is my bed, you tell me to get off, so I should get off? You should be the one to get off!"
The man in front of him went from tearful eyes to fierce and aggressive in a short period of time. His expression changed faster than anyone had ever seen before. Li Daoxuan half-closed his eyes and threatened in a cold voice: "Don't forget that your life is still in my hands. If you want to live, get out of here obediently."
In response, he was kicked in the abdomen. Chen Qing retorted to him without hesitation: "Don't forget that Liuli Heart is still in my hands. If you want to live, shut up!"
When their eyes met, sparks could be vaguely seen flying, and the two men confronted each other, neither of them willing to give in.
Finally, it was Li Daoxuan who broke the deadlock. He whispered softly and slowly, "Come here."
Chen Qing narrowed his almond-shaped eyes dangerously and said, "Humph, you tell me to come over and I'll come over? Your purpose is too obvious, Li Daoxuan." It was as if he was telling her clearly that he was holding back some bad intentions and was ready to use them on her.
She was not satisfied, so she stepped on his stomach again.
Li Daoxuan groaned, sweat oozing from his neck, but his eyes showed the satisfaction of his plan succeeding.
"Don't pretend, your injury is in your chest, not in your stomach—" She was stopped mid-sentence when her ankle was suddenly grasped by someone, followed by a fierce pull.
She rushed forward almost defenselessly and fell right on Li Daoxuan's firm chest.
Chen Qing rubbed her head which was hurt by the collision, and suddenly felt a chill on her neck. His recovered hand had come to her neck and held it lightly.
"Shen Youan, it seems that you really like to step on people with your dirty feet." After several twists and turns, his patience was almost exhausted.
There was a murderous look in Li Daoxuan's eyes. In contrast, the curve of his lips was even more terrifying.
How could she not understand what was happening? So Chen Qing scolded: "You are so dark-hearted, you even want to cheat me!" He even calculated how many times she was going to step on him.
"All's fair in war," said Li Daoxuan.
Maybe it was because she had been treated so well these days that she learned to take advantage of the situation and pluck the hair off the tiger's head without restraint.
With her lifeblood being grasped, Shen Qing quickly compromised and admitted defeat. She lowered her stance appropriately and said softly, "Your Highness, I was wrong."
Li Daoxuan looked at her quietly, his eyes dark, "I have given you a chance."
Chen Qing secretly cried out in alarm, thinking that he only had one hand that could move, what could he do to her? So she secretly lowered her body, and the muscles between her legs tensed, like a cat waiting to run away.
Li Daoxuan was very perceptive and naturally noticed that the person under his control was restless. His patience was exhausted again, and he laughed meaningfully.
Like a mockery, mocking her arrogance.
When Chen Qing heard the laughter, she felt a chill down her spine. The sense of danger that had been suppressed in her heart for a long time surfaced again, making her scalp numb in an instant.
She immediately covered the back of his hand with one hand, wanting to use the same trick again, but he grabbed her five fingers with his backhand and twisted them hard.
"Hiss—" Chen Qing cried out in pain, and then the thin ring on her thumb was taken off. Chen Qing wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to escape, but halfway through, a hand grabbed her waist and pushed her down. This hand almost nailed her firmly to him.
The two men stood face to face, nose to nose, confronting each other for a long time.
She wanted to struggle, but the hand on her waist pressed down tightly, and Shen Qing was forced to support herself with her hands to avoid touching her nose with his.
Shen Qing bit her lower lip tightly, her face gloomy, and her whole body exuded resistance.
Li Daoxuan sensed a strong resistance, and with a thought, he raised his eyebrows and said, "Don't you like me? Now that I'm giving you a chance to get close to me, why are you resisting so much?"
The strength in his hands grew stronger.
The insect fell into another round of sleep and finally no longer affected his mind.
In response to his intimate behavior, Chen Qing half-closed her eyelids and said with a forced smile, "I like him, but that doesn't mean I can accept such frivolous behavior from Your Highness."
"Fraudulent." Li Daoxuan chewed the word, a fierce look rising in his eyes. "I am just that frivolous. Now that you are acting like this, I don't necessarily look pleased at all."
His hand was slightly cold, like a snake crawling along Chen Qing's thin back all the way to the back of her neck, tightening and gripping. Chen Qing's breathing slowed down, for fear of disturbing this "snake".
"No matter who you are or what your purpose is, keep it secret. If you reveal your true identity, I don't mind finding a second glass heart." Li Daoxuan suddenly said this.
Chen Qing was startled, and suddenly she saw through his eyes and saw the wariness hidden in them. Only then did she realize that even though they had known each other for such a long time, she had never been able to get into his heart, make him trust her completely, and let down his guard.
Even when he was in a state of confusion in the cave, he only put down his sword because her "life" was in his hands and he could subconsciously trust her.
Shen Qing thought, if he hadn't fed the poison with his own hands, he probably wouldn't even let himself get close to him.
The reason why he was angry now was probably because something suddenly touched his bottom line and made him put up his defenses.
Chen Qing didn't try to guess what it was, but just nodded along with his words, trying her best to obey him.
"Go down."
Chen Qing raised her head tentatively, and the force on the back of her neck relaxed. She pulled away expressionlessly, got out of bed and walked out.
The flames in the house were extinguished one by one, and there was a loud noise of the door opening and closing at the door. It was her who left the house.
Li Daoxuan stared at the silver bell on the bed curtain, his expression not looking good.
If she hadn't acted so violently today, he wouldn't have noticed how much his patience with her had grown, allowing her to easily get close and poison him. Normally, he wouldn't have been able to fall for such a trick. The reason was that he was always subconsciously less defensive around her.
When did it start?
It seemed that ever since he made an exception and sucked her blood in the underground palace of Mount Li, the poisonous insect had been at work, causing him to always be unconsciously swayed in his mind and affected by her.
She never spoke a word of truth, and Li Daoxuan still didn't understand her motive for agreeing to get married.
But after a slight probing, her true nature was revealed, showing resistance, vigilance, and even - disgust towards him.
She was clearly on guard and resisting, yet she chose to do something against her will. Li Daoxuan felt that she was like a tangled mass of threads, twisted, contradictory, and confusing.
Someone was sent to check her background, and the result was normal. Apart from her unusual and delicate personality, she was just an "ordinary" noble lady.
What's unusual is that she also has the identity of a female crown priest.
But the more there was nothing wrong, the more vigilant Li Daoxuan became.
It was true that someone wanted to kill her, or that they wanted to deal with the Shen family. It was also true that she would not live past nineteen according to the hexagram. However, her statements about agreeing to the marriage kept changing.
He never understood the reason, and it felt like a thorn in his heart, making him suspicious and wary of her. There were many people who wanted to kill him, and perhaps Chen Qing was one of them.
He closed his gorgeous eyes, a voice in his heart constantly reminding him: This person, Chen Qing, cannot be completely trusted. What happened tonight will never happen again.
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Chen Qing went all the way back to the next room without turning on the light, letting the darkness swallow and drown her.
Instead of calling the system, she shouted, "001, I want to check Li Daoxuan's favorability." After several months, she finally took the initiative to inquire about his favorability.
A cold electronic voice suddenly rang in my mind, "Current Male Second's Favorability: 10."
After reporting his favorability, 001's voice visibly weakened. "Host, don't be sad. This is the nature of the second male lead. Keep up the good work."
Shen Qing's thick eyelashes trembled, and she said calmly: "Tell me, what is Li Daoxuan's personality like? If I don't understand it clearly, I think it might be difficult to conquer him."
001 said: "Actually, the second male lead is also very pitiful. In short, many people want to kill him. Apart from his childhood playmates and relatives, he will not easily open up to strangers, nor does he dare to do so."
"It's pitiful, but he doesn't look pitiful to me."
001 suddenly fell silent, as if realizing it had said too much, so it said, "Anyway, host, keep up the good work. 001 is leaving."
Chen Qing raised his half-closed eyes. If 001 had night vision, it would have discovered that there was no trace of sadness hidden in Chen Qing's dark eyes, only deep exploration.
Perhaps it was exploring it, or perhaps it was exploring Li Daoxuan's "pitifulness" and the pitifully small favorability of "10" that it mentioned.
Not knowing what he had seen, Chen Qing covered his face and laughed softly in the darkness. The laughter was melodious and crisp, with a hint of irony, but it was particularly creepy in the silent night.
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On the second day, the heavy rain finally stopped.
The clouds are billowing and the ground is covered with golden fragments.
Li Daoxuan had not slept all night. When he was finally able to move, he immediately stood up and landed on the ground, pulling open the bed curtain.
His eyes swept across the room, and then his gaze stopped on the medicine bags scattered on the ground.
The medicine bag was thrown to the ground in a frustrated manner, and the green medicine mud was scattered all over the ground. It seemed as if one could imagine the girl's tearful and pouting face as she threw the medicine bag to the ground.
The Qiu Ren sword was placed quietly on the edge of the round table, with the hilt hanging in the air. It was very convenient to pick up the sword with a light grip.
Just as he was about to push the door open, he caught a sharp glimpse of five blood talismans stuck on the doors and windows. Before she followed that thing out last night, she had not forgotten to stick half of the blood talismans on.
The image of the girl in Yuanchun Tower resolutely stuffing all the blood talismans and half of the talismans into his mind flashed unconsciously.
In order to successfully capture the monster, she bent over the table and made talismans day and night. Fearing death, she spared no effort to make ten blood talismans for extra safety. In the end, the blood talismans could not protect her because she stuffed them all into her own hands.
Li Daoxuan tapped the hilt of the sword with his fingertips and walked out of the house without looking around.
However, just as she took a step, she turned around and was met with a look of astonishment and fear. The maid who came to help Chen Qing wash and dress was shocked when she saw a grown man opening the door and walking out of the house. Many thoughts flashed through her mind.
The man in front of me is obviously Madam Li's brother. Why did he walk out of Madam Li's room just after dawn?
"Mr. Li, you——" The maid spoke unclearly and stuttered for a long time.
Li Daoxuan glanced at her indifferently, and the maid only felt a chill all over her body, and a strong oppression came over her, almost frightening her limbs and bones to the spot.
Just as she was at a loss and in a panic, a voice suddenly sounded behind her, indirectly saving her from the siege:
"Yesterday there was a thunderstorm and heavy rain. The wind blew the windows of my room constantly, and I was scared and couldn't sleep well, so I asked my brother to change rooms to sleep in at night." Chen Qing's eyes were dark and blue. She comforted the maid, "Let's go in. I want to wear my hair in a bun today. Do you know how to do it?"
The maid heaved a sigh of relief after hearing Chen Qing's explanation. She bowed to Li Daoxuan and followed Chen Qing into the house.
"Of course I will, ma'am, don't worry."
Chen Qing and her maid were chatting and laughing as they passed by Li Daoxuan. They didn't even say hello to him, as if they didn't even notice the existence of such a person.
Li Daoxuan ignored it and went back to his room with his sword.
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The sudden rain stopped, the clouds cleared and the sun came out, and what followed was a shocking and strange story.
"People died in the Wei River! So many people died!"
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