Chapter 126 (Chapter 126: An Old Friend Returns)
Chapter 126 An Old Friend Returns
The man smiled at the woman and said, "If you like, I'll come back with you anytime."
The woman glanced back at him, gave a soft snort, and said, "If I wanted to come back, I could do it myself. I don't need you to come with me." With that, she walked away.
The man, still smiling, caught up with her in a few steps. "I misspoke."
The woman didn't reply, but just smiled and glanced at him.
Two more people disembarked from the boat, and they exchanged a glance.
"Do you want to come along?"
"Am I stupid to follow them? No way, I want to go somewhere else to have fun."
"Then take me with you?"
"Alright."
So the two turned and went in another direction. The man and woman walking ahead knew they probably wouldn't follow, and didn't think much of it. With those two's martial arts skills, no one could bully them, so why worry?
In the Kyoto Imperial Palace, the Emperor looked at Gongzi Yu with some surprise, "You actually agreed to leave Ahao to come find me?" She glanced outside to make sure it wasn't raining blood today.
Gongzi Yu hesitated for a moment, but couldn't hold back any longer. "I was the one who called out 'Ah Hao'."
"But Ah Hao agreed to let me shout it." Did the Emperor understand what Gongzi Yu meant? Of course she did, but she deliberately wouldn't let him have his way. Hahaha, that's just how wicked she is.
Gongzi Yu: "..."
Everyone says his older sister is good to him, and of course she is, but he's been teased countless times since he was a child. It's hard to say whether his initial motivation for learning martial arts was partly to stop being teased.
"Alright, I won't tease you anymore." The emperor smiled. "So, why have you come to see me today?"
"I'll show you something." Gongzi Yu took out a paper package from his pocket. "I made this in the last couple of days."
"What is this?" The emperor looked at the paper package with some curiosity. She certainly didn't think it was anything good, because Gongzi Yu's expression was off.
Gongzi Yu then sent someone to catch a live chicken.
The emperor was completely bewildered. "You've wrapped it in paper and brought a live chicken. What, are you going to cook a chicken for me right here and now?" That couldn't be right. If she remembered correctly, he couldn't cook.
"I'm showing you something." Gongzi Yu waited for the palace servants to bring a live chicken. He grabbed the chicken by the neck, stuffed the contents of the paper package into it, and then threw it on the ground.
The palace servants had already prepared a basin of water and, with great foresight, handed it to Gongzi Yu. Another palace servant was holding a clean handkerchief.
Gongzi Yu slowly washed his hands and dried them.
In that short time, the live chicken tied up on the ground squawked a few times, and there seemed to be a hint of mournfulness in its cries. Then, it fell silent.
The emperor raised an eyebrow. "What? Are you going to show me your newest poison?" She knew that Gongzi Yu had always liked to study all sorts of strange things since he was a child, so it was only natural that he would start studying poison now.
“No, those are slightly purified poppies,” Gongzi Yu said.
"Poppy?" The emperor frowned. "Isn't that medicine? How has it become poison?"
Gongzi Yu said, "It's more potent and terrifying than poison. Sister, Zhuge Shenhou should have already told you what Sikong Zhaixing's attack looks like, right?"
The emperor nodded. "Indeed. I wonder what kind of poison it is, that it has such an effect..." Her gaze fell on the chicken on the ground. "Is it poppy?" She wasn't stupid. Gongzi Yu couldn't have mentioned Sikong Zhaixing for no reason, so there was only one possibility.
“Yes.” Gongzi Yu nodded. “Sister, this thing can not only poison people, but more importantly, it destroys people’s bodies, wills, and dignity. If a person is infected with this thing, he will become neither human nor ghost. As long as someone has this thing, he can control the will of many people.”
The emperor's face was extremely grim. "I understand what you mean. I will give the order."
Gongzi Yu nodded. "Then I'll be going." She was the emperor; she knew what was best to do and didn't need his guidance. Of course, he wouldn't be foolish enough to instruct an emperor on what to do.
"Why don't you stay for a meal?" the emperor said, trying to persuade them to stay.
Gongzi Yu turned around and looked at the emperor. "Are you sure?"
"Get out, get out." The emperor waved his hand, shooing away his utterly unlovable younger brother.
Gongzi Yu continued walking outside, waving his hand with his back to the emperor.
After he left, the emperor remained silent for a long while before speaking: "Summon several ministers to the palace." She didn't need to specify which ministers they were; the palace servants would know.
"Yes," replied a palace servant who had been attending to the emperor.
In the Divine Marquis's prison, Lu Xiaofeng looked at Sikong Zhaixing, who was chained up and wailing, his eyes filled with pity. He couldn't bear it, but he had to be ruthless, otherwise Sikong Zhaixing would be ruined. "You stinky monkey, just bear with it, it'll pass."
"Lu Xiaofeng, you treacherous, heartless bastard!" Sikong Zhaixing shouted as he rolled around, every word he uttered coming from the bottom of his heart, each word a knife stabbing into Lu Xiaofeng's heart.
Lu Xiaofeng was very sad, not because Sikong Zhaixing had insulted him, but because the current Sikong Zhaixing was no longer the same person he used to be. He should have been a person who could laugh, swear, and scold, and even if he was occasionally timid, he should have had his own backbone.
Unlike now, when he was wailing, cursing, and begging, just wanting a bite of that thing. This wasn't Sikong Zhaixing; this was a devil in Sikong Zhaixing's skin. Lu Xiaofeng couldn't bear to watch his miserable state, but she forced herself to look.
Because he was worried that acupuncture would harm Sikong Zhaixing, whose blood and qi were surging, he had no choice but to untie his acupoints and chain him up. Even with the chains, Lu Xiaofeng was still worried that Sikong Zhaixing would hurt himself. So even though he couldn't bear it, he still had to watch over him.
Wuqing watched from the sidelines, and if Sikong Zhaixing calmed down or fell into a deep sleep, he would take his pulse.
Seeing this, Zhui Ming, who was standing at the cell door, shuddered violently. "That thing is too terrifying." He and Sikong Zhaixing were not friends, but they were both highly skilled in light-body techniques and knew each other, so he naturally knew what kind of person Sikong Zhaixing was.
No matter who they are, they are not the person in the prison cell. It's terrifying. A complete person has been destroyed, their dignity obliterated, their backbone broken. It's truly horrifying.
Iron Hand, standing to the side, said with a serious expression, "I've never seen anything like this in all my years of wandering the martial world."
Although he remained silent, his attitude was the same.
Everyone in the Divine Marquis's Mansion shared the same thought: that thing absolutely could not be allowed to circulate in the Great Xia Dynasty, otherwise it would be a catastrophe.
In the small garden of the Kyoto villa, Linghao squatted in front of the flower bed, looking at the poppies, and let out a long sigh.
"If Ah Hao doesn't like it, just shovel it away."
Ling Hao stood up and turned to look at the person who had come. "Ayu, you're back." She glanced back at the poppy again. "No need. Poppies are still very beautiful." She just thought of opium poppies when she saw them, and then she remembered the tragic scenes she had witnessed.
Thinking about those things, she couldn't help but sigh, but the fault did not lie with Yu Meiren.
"Ah Hao, I just managed to get a letter from Shici's hand." Gongzi Yu took out a letter and waved it at Ling Hao. "Want to read it together?"
“You don’t necessarily have to show me your letter,” Ling Hao said.
“There’s no secret, and besides, I was going to tell you anyway.” Gongzi Yu opened the letter and raised an eyebrow. “Just as I thought.” With that, he handed the letter to Ling Hao.
"What? It really is so?" Ling Hao took the letter. She had to admit, he had indeed piqued her curiosity. She looked down and her voice suddenly rose, "Your master and mistress are coming to the capital?"
Who are A-Yu's master and mistress? They are Shen Lang and Zhu Qiqi. Are they coming to Kyoto?!
"It's not that they're coming, it's that they've already arrived," Gongzi Yu corrected Ling Hao's statement. "Based on my guess, Master and Mistress probably sent me a message right after they left, so..."
"So what?"
“So, Master and Mistress may be arriving in Kyoto soon,” Gongzi Yu said.
Ling Hao immediately panicked, "Then I..."
Gongzi Yu stepped forward and grasped Linghao's hands in his own. "Why do you look so flustered, Ah Hao? You've never been like this since I met you."
"Who is this because of?" Ling Hao immediately rolled her eyes at Gongzi Yu.
Gongzi Yu smiled, "I know, it's because of me." Because she cares about him, she also cares about his master and mistress, which is why she was a little flustered by their arrival.
Just like him, if he knew Feng Qingyang was about to arrive, he would definitely be a little flustered. Because he cares about Ahao, and because he knows Ahao cares about her master, he would care as well.
Ling Hao withdrew her hand and poked Gongzi Yu's brow with her finger. "Someone seems quite smug?"
"No," Gongzi Yu denied.
"Hmph!" Ling Hao snorted. "If my master comes too, you'll see how powerful he is."
Just as they were talking, Shici came over carrying a pigeon. "Girl, you have a message delivered by pigeon." She pretended not to see the two people's actions. Although they hadn't overstepped their bounds, she felt it was too clingy, so she didn't want to look.
Thinking of this, Shici felt miserable again. Had she become a crow? The timing of her appearances always seemed rather annoying. Oh no, would the young master go crazy and deduct her monthly allowance? Just thinking about that possibility made Shici feel utterly hopeless.
"Thank you." Ling could not see the fluctuations in her emotions beneath Shici's seemingly normal expression. She took the carrier pigeon and glanced at it, then raised an eyebrow and looked at Gongzi Yu slyly, "This really is, what goes around comes around, no one escapes the wrath of Heaven."
Gongzi Yu's body stiffened abruptly. "Ah Hao, is your master coming to Kyoto?"
"No." After seeing that Gongzi Yu seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, Ling Hao mischievously added, "Based on my understanding of Master, he should be arriving in Kyoto soon."
Amidst a moment of panic, Gongzi Yu blurted out, "Then can we talk about our marriage?"
Ling Hao: "???"
No, is this right?
-----------------------
Author's Note: Ah Hao: Huh? ??
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com