Why Chen Li should accompany him, is obviously, for the sake of that stupid prince . After offending the crown prince in such a manner, there would be no short of killers waiting for the duo . Although there is no great benefit for the princeās side, if Xing Yun tells the emperor of his knowledge and conspiracies, then it would cause much trouble . Therefore, he must kill Chen Li, and of course, Xing Yun secretly .
Yesterday, outlining it clearly, it was obvious that Xing Yun himself is rather a simple and defenceless figure . However, Chen Li is capable of causing a major threat to the Crown Prince . He is no fool, so the killer must pick off Xing Yun when he is alone as to avoid getting slaughtered by Chen Li . It is, after all better to remove the source, than die a needless death .
It would be impossible of Xing Yun to not understand this point- So naturally, he must always take Chen Li with him .
As Xing Yun dragged Chen Li out, she suddenly frowned as she looked at the name on the door . āRui Wangfu?ā
He nodded, āThe current emperor has 7 sons . The crown prince from earlier is the first born of the current empress whereas Rui Wangfui is born from a concubine . However, his mother is currently favoured by the emperor, and his family has very deep ties with the hidden power within this country . If you want to find someone that can oppose the Crown Prince, it can only be him . ā
Chen Li felt surprised-āYou usually are so indifferent to these things, yet you know so much!ā
āBefore last night, I really was clueless . ā Xing Yun smiled . āBut to clean up this mess, I have to make preparations . ā Just as he finished speaking, the sound of a whip sliced sharply through the air from the corner of the street . The trampling of hooves ran down through the road before stopping sharply at the edge of the house and soon, a grand carriage escorted by guards appeared . Xing Yun slowly walked forward and shouted loudly . āFortuneteller Xing Yun sees Prince Rui!ā
He kept silent for a moment before opening his mouth . āFortuneteller?ā His voice was not very nice, resembling a sneer as he said, āA brave fortuneteller . Currently, donāt you know that what the people loathe most are swindlers? This prince is no different . ā
Xing Yun only smiled . āIf your Highness takes me as your strategist, than I can present my next plan for you- One that could even help you succeed the throne from the Crown Prince . I do not know what Your Highness thinks?ā
āWhy should this King believe you?
āLast night, the Crown Prince came to my abode, just to request for my aid . Howeverā¦ . ā Xing Yun paused, not finishing his sentence . āYour Majesty, if you wish to continue our conservation, we can go inside . ā
The carriage curtain opens, revealing a handsome man dressed in an embroidered garnet robe . Although he could be considered as very good looking, a hideously deep scar sat on the left side of his forehead, extending all the way to his mouth . Even Chen Li couldnāt tell what the weapon which was used to create this was .
Chen Li secretly thought, that Emperor must have done something and offended the heavens, thus retribution went to his son!
The Prince examined Xing Yun and took a glance at Chen Li . Finally, he waved his hands, his husky voice sounding . ā Take them to the backyard . ā
Within the palace, there were many pavilions and courtyard . There were many warehouses, marketplaces and houses, it had everything! Where Chen Li was born, it was a desolate wasteland . It was constantly filled with scoundrels, fog, and the soul as well as remains of the deceased, haunting the place as evil spirits . It didnāt even have a single blade, nevermind here, where it is filled with countless flowers and glittering lakes . But despite itās beauty, Chen Li didnāt like the palace at all, and would still prefer her birthplace . The palace stank of vile depression, making her feel very sombre . The atmosphere was stiffened, as if bound by countless rules and overloaded by stress . Compared to Xing Yunās courtyard, although it was minor in comparison, the atmosphere was so free and relaxing . This place has even less freedom than the Demon World .
With the Crown Princeās attendant leading them to a pavilionās garden, they took a seat . Prince Rui was courteous as he too took a seat . They both did a ceremonious gesture to each other before starting to chat . From a distance, they looked just like 2 officials discussing politics together . Seeing this, Chen Li began to feel woozy with boredom . Luckily though, it seemed that both Prince Rui and Xing Yun are engrossed with their discussion, and her martial arts is quite powerful .
Thus, Chen Li left the courtyard and easily shook off the servants tailing her . Such a good palace, Chen Li decided to explore!
Her eyes lit up- Not far, sat a pond and within that pond was a beautiful lotus amidst blooming . Her hand reached out to pluck it, but suddenly a feminine voice screamed behind her . āDonāt touch my lotus!ā
Chen Li heard her and moved back her hand before turning her head sideways to look at the caller . Suddenly though, the woman who was calling her had suddenly appeared next to her and leaned on the fence, anxiously staring at the lotus . However, the fence was short, and within seconds, more than half of her body was over the fence, about to fall! Hands moving quick, Chen Li grabbed the woman by the strap and pulled her back before she could fall . Despite her successful save though, Chen Li hadnāt controlled her strength, and her belt got caught, ripping away!
The girlās formal dress fell, almost causing her undergarments to rip as well . She let out a small cry of surprise, her hands moving crazily to stop it from falling . After trying to pull the top of her garment up to cover her chest, she quickly squatted down into a ball, her head down to hide as much skin as possible and took advantage of Chen Liās tall figure to hide herself .
How smart! What a good girl, even though she has lost her clothing, she has not lost her pride!
Chen Liās heart sank . As she held the torn piece of fine cloth, she felt quite embarrassed . ā Iām sorryā¦ . I did not think that this clothā¦ uh, would be so fragileā¦ . ā
Hearing this, the girl slowly raised her head out from her arms . Her eyes were staring piercingly at Chen Li . ā You are a woman?ā
Chen Li glanced down at her chest . āIs it not clear?ā
Although her power has recovered by a few percent, she was usually just lazing around in Xing Yunās courtyard, and never had to change . Although she was wearing Xing Yunās dirtied clothes, when she was in the battlefield, her garments were tens of times worse than her current ones . With such circumstances, she couldnāt care about how dirty his soiled robes were . But today, when Xing Yun forced her to accompany him to see the prince, he also pressured her to change and look presentable . As such, he flipped around the house, trying to find something for Chen Li to change into, only to find no such thing . In the end, she had just clapped her hands and decided to change into her normal dark clothing and bound her hair . No wonder, her hair was bound like a male, her robes were dark, strong and handsome enough, from behind, she probably really did look like a man!
The ladyās cheeks were still red as she shook her head shyly, her voice soft, ā No, still quite obvious, but not from the backā¦ā
To look at her figure from behind, it really must seem quite strangeā¦ .
The 2 maidens fell into silence, Chen Li noticed how the otherās skin seemed so soft and creamy, eyebrows arched gracefully like mountains, with a pair of beautiful peach eyelids . Her appearance was extremely adorable, making one unconsciously want to play with her . Chen Li moved slightly to one side and pulled lightly on the cloth . The girlās face reddened even further and shuffled a few steps closer to Chen Li . Chen Li couldnāt help but find that funny, and moved another 2 steps away, and she followed 2 more steps . Finally, the girl really couldnāt help it anymore and begged Chen Li,
āMi-ā¦ . Miss, please stop toying with meā¦ . . If you would kindly so, please help me find my beltā¦ . In this stateā¦ I cannot go up and walkā¦ . ā
āBelt, I have one, ah . ā Chen Li stood up, finding a solution . She is wearing a purple ribbon around her waist as a belt, but rather than actual utility, it was merely for decor . However, inside her outer robes, she had a thin belt tied to her underclothes . She taking off the outer belt urgently, but the girl was too busy covering her eyes as she cried out . ā Ah, nevermind, no need to take off!ā
āItās nothing, I just have it inside-ā Chen Li couldnāt finish her words before she got interrupted by a sudden shout . āThief is bold! To dare mess in the imperial palace!ā
At this ironic time, Chen Li had finally gotten her belt out and was holding it in her side . The delicate maidenās belt had ripped and was currently covering her body with parts of her dress . If one looked at it from the back, with Chen Liās filthy robes, it really did look like a dirty thief had come to violate the innocent lady . However, Chen Li herself did not have a clue and was very confused, turning her head back to look at the guards, puzzled . The two nannies rushed to the improperly dressed pink girl, who was hastily raising her hands in a flurry . ā Do not come, do not come!!ā
The two nannies footsteps slowed to a stop, āSuch a brazen thief, to dare to touch the young miss!ā
Chen Li twitched her mouth, āā¦Noā¦ā¦ . ā Without waiting for her to finish, the nanny started to run around and began to make a commotion to call more people . She felt a sour feeling within her heart, the girl currently had no way of wearing her dress- If the two servants were to call many guards over, and those big, brawny men were all staring at the young maidenā¦ . . Such an embarrassment, it would be better not to live!
Chen Li rubbed her forehead in frustration before turning to look to look at the young miss . āItās better for me to carry you to go run . ā
The young missās forehead was already beaded with sweat . āGoā¦? Go where?ā
Before Chen Li had time to ponder, the two nannies had come back, each with a squadron of guards! She sighed, the young miss pulled on her clothes desperately . ā Ah, what do we do?!ā
āRight now, the only thing we can do is escape!ā
āWhatās do you mean, cooking?ā
TL note: The young miss mistaken cooking and escaping since they sound similar in chinese .
The two who were talking in a panic suddenly heard a hoarse voice interrupt them . āWhatās the ruckus!ā
The young missusās face suddenly smiled, but then she realised her current state and bit her lips to prevent a sound from leaking out . Pulling Chen Liās robes slightly, she hid behind her as she gestured for Chen Li to look in front . Chen Li did as gestured and was surprised to see Prince Rui standing ahead of her with Xing Yun by his side .
Xing Yun caught Chen Liās gaze and sighed helplessly before shaking his head, as if to say, Youāve left my watch for only a few minutes, yet youāve already managed to stir up so much trouble!
Prince Rui approached, glancing at Chen Li before his stare fell onto the small squatting figure behind Chen Liās legs . His brow furrowed, but his tone was soft and gentle . āWhat happened?ā The young miss only remained silent, hiding behind Chen Li who spoke, ā Thereās no need for all the guards . Make them withdraw from here . ā The young miss echoed it with a nod .
Prince Rui waved his hand and the crowd dispersed . The young missās hand loosened itās grip on Chen Liās robes . In return, Chen Li shuffled slightly to the side and coughed twice . Yet still, the young miss did not speak . Suddenly, Prince Rui bent to his knees, lowering his ear to where the young missusās lips were able to reach . She softly whispered words into his ear, causing Prince Ruiās ferocious face to change . His lips were raised into a light arc, his gentle smile softening against the brutal scars on his face . He took off his outer robe and placed it gently on the young girl before bundling her and carried her into his arms . When he turned to leave, he suddenly turned around again to face Xing Yun .
āSir, your courtyard is not equal to the palace . ā The two had only chatted for a short amount of time, yet the king is already even polite enough as to use a honorific like āsirā to address Xing Yun . The intent of his words were to clearly take Xing Yun under his wings as his people .
Chen Li pondered, it seems that the Prince really does trust Xing Yun . If he joins the Princeās house as his people, then she can finally leave, assured of his safety . She didnāt think that Xing Yun would actually shake his head and say, ā Thank you, Prince Rui for your kindness . However, I have a strong sense of belonging to my courtyard and it gives me a peace of mind . Second, I am afraid my presence here may bring unwanted troubles to Prince, so I will leave here today . ā
The prince did not try to force him and just nodded his head . Xing Yun and Chen Li left the palace .
āYou really just canāt keep out of trouble for even a moment . ā After they walked a distance away from the palace, Xing Yun began scolding Chen Li . But today, Chen Li did not shout back, making Xing Yun almost choke with surprise . She continued to ignore him, only gazing in the direction of Prince Ruiās palace with a frown . After a while, he looked closely at Chen Li before asking hesitantly, āYou havenāt fallen in love for another manās girl, have you?ā
ā No, I am just curious about why the prince would want to raise a demon . ā
Xing Yun was startled, but then Chen Li just waved her hand . āAh well, it doesnāt matter to me . ā She turned to stare at Xing Yun . ā But you . Why didnāt you take advantage of the opportunity to stay at the Princeās palace? This wayā¦ . ā How could she escape? Opening his mouth, Xing Yun patted Chen Liās head .
āLetās not quarrel . Today, the prince was generous and gave me some coins . Today, we can buy some meat to eat . ā
Chen Liās mouth twitched, finally deciding not to say anything . Nothing more to do, seeing how so long theyāve already been together, might as well help him finish this problem and protect him for a few more days .