The carriage was too slow.
Halfway through the journey, Yan Li abandoned the carriage and rode on his horse. The further he walked, the darker it became, as if he was walking into an abyss.
Around five o 'clock in the evening, a small town suddenly appeared in front of him.
The people on the road were in a hurry, looking very busy and fulfilling.
Leading the horse into the town, it was as if he had suddenly stepped into a warm stove from a dark and cold environment. Although no one came up to ask about his well-being, Yan Li could smell a human scent.
He knew he had come to the right place. He could already smell Ji Zhiyuan's scent.
The houses and streets here were all so characteristic of her style. There was no doubt that this was her new kingdom.
She fell down, but stood up without hesitation.
Yan Li's mood was complicated. He led the horse and walked on the street that was only covered with a layer of hay.
The town was too small. In a moment, he had reached the end of it.
He didn't have much time to think. He didn't want to go back again. He knew that if he did that, he would hesitate even more.
Now was not the time to hesitate.
"Guest, are you from outside?"
At this moment, a gentle voice sounded in his ears. He turned around and saw a woman in her thirties standing at the entrance of a brand-new inn. Behind her was a ten-year-old girl who timidly poked her head out and looked at him curiously.
"Yes," Yan Li replied briefly.
"Are you staying? There's hot water and food, "the woman said with a smile.
"I'm looking for someone." Yan Li shook his head. "Do you know where Ji Zhiyuan lives?"
"You're also looking for Master?" the woman asked in surprise.
"Is there someone else looking?" Yan Li asked with a frown.
The woman nodded, then instructed the little girl behind her, "Little Lian, take him to Master's place."
The little girl, Song Xiaolian, timidly stood up and said, "Uncle, come with me."
Yan Li's appearance was a little too mature. He looked like a veteran of Jianghu. His bamboo hat covered his face and he deliberately lowered his voice.
He shook his head and followed closely. Not long after, they arrived in front of a low house.
Song Xiaolian knocked hard on the door and shouted, "Xiao Hu, Xiao Hu, come out quickly. Someone is looking for Daren again."
The door opened, and a tiger-looking child poked his head out. He looked at Yan Li foolishly. "Do you want to see the adults? Then come in, "he said as he stepped aside.
Yan Li walked in. Suddenly, his body tensed up almost instinctively. There was someone else in the small living room. A handsome young man sat on a chair to the left, looking around in boredom. Behind him stood two bailiffs in black and red uniforms.
These two bailiffs almost made him think that it was an ambush.
However, the two bailiffs didn't even look at him. Instead, it was the young man who glanced at him. His eyes were so cold that it didn't seem like he was looking at a person. Then, he looked away.
Who was this person?
Why was he looking for her?
He began to feel uneasy.
Without batting an eyelid, he sat down on the opposite side.
The young man glanced over again and said, "Are you here to seek refuge with Ji Zhiyuan?"
Yan Li nodded in agreement.
"Stupid!" The young man raised his head proudly. "This place will be destroyed very soon. If you seek refuge with her, I'm afraid you'll be in big trouble."
"What do you mean?" Yan Li said in shock.
"The owner of this place will die very soon," the young man said coldly.
"Why?" Yan Li narrowed his eyes, concealing his murderous intent.
The young man said disdainfully, "My Daren doesn't need a reason to kill. If you know what's good for you, get out of here. "
Yan Li suddenly turned to look at Xiao Hu and said, "Where did your Daren go?"
"She went out." Xiao Hu said foolishly.
The young man said impatiently, "I know she went out. When is she coming back? Are you messing with me?"
"Daren went to look for the spirit vine. I don't know when she will return." Xiao Hu said foolishly.
"What spirit vine?" The young man said.
The eyes of the bailiffs behind him flashed. He lowered his head and said softly, "I'm afraid it's from the Wei Kingdom …"
The young man's expression changed. He stared at Xiao Hu coldly, "You're courting death!"
It was as if an invisible hand had strangled Xiao Hu. He made meaningless sounds and kept scratching his neck.
The two bailiffs looked on coldly, as if they were watching a small animal being abused by its owner.
Song Xiaolian said timidly, "Uncle, can you save Xiao Hu?"
One of the bailiffs laughed coldly, "Brat, I advise you to mind your own business. This is Master Boyue's subordinate. If you offend him, you won't be able to bear the consequences!"
"Is that so?" Yan Li suddenly pulled out the long sword from his waist. The sword light flashed, and when the young man heard this sound, his complexion changed greatly. Zhen Qi surged out from his body, but it was too late. With a muffled sound, one of his ears was cut off by the sword light.
The sword did not stop there. It directly chopped the bailiffs behind him into pieces.
Xiao Hu escaped. He ran to a corner and trembled in fear.
The young man covered his ear and cried out in pain, "How dare you provoke the Great Corner Academy!"
"Does Great Corner Academy only teach you how to torture and kill children?" Yan Li sat still. He slowly moved his wrist, and the long sword shone brightly.
The young man looked terrified. He let out a strange cry and dashed out of the door. He did not even care about his bailiffs.
His speed was extremely fast. It seemed that he had a technique to hide his tracks. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared.
Yan Li frowned. His gaze fell on the other bailiffs.
The bailiffs wanted to escape, but under Yan Li's intense gaze, his legs turned to jelly. He trembled and said, "Spare, spare my life …"
"Come here," Yan Li said.
The bailiffs walked over, trembling. "What, what do you want …"
"Who are you? Why are you looking for Ji Zhiyuan?" Yan Li asked.
"Yes, Master Boyue sent us …" the bailiffs said.
"Who is Master Boyue?" Yan Li asked.
The bailiffs' eyes widened. "Don't you know Gongsun Boyue?"
Yan Li impatiently shouted, "Don't talk nonsense with me! Why did he send you here? "
"Master Boyue doesn't want to step into this filthy place. So he sent us to summon Ji Zhiyuan to see him," the bailiffs said.
"See him for what?" Yan Li asked again.
"I, I don't know …" The bailiffs put on a long face. "We're just insignificant people who run errands. That's all we know …"
"Then what's the point of keeping you alive!" Yan Li swung his sword and ended his life.
"Uncle, are you Master's friend?" Song Xiaolian mustered up his courage and asked timidly.
"Me?" Yan Li felt complicated. "I'm not."
"Then why do you care about Master so much?" Song Xiaolian asked.
Yan Li laughed at himself but didn't reply. Instead, he said, "I guess you're used to seeing blood in this place. I'll have to trouble you to clean up this place. I have to rush back to Luojing."
"Thank you, uncle, for saving Xiao Hu," Song Xiaolian said gratefully.
…
The next day.
Yuchi Zhenjin walked into a single courtyard of Yue Lai Restaurant in Luojing. He saw Ji Zhiyuan coming out. He cupped his hands and asked, "Master, is there any reply to the visitation card?"
Ji Zhiyuan shook his head.
Yuchi Zhenjin shrugged. "See what I said? That guy won't care about a normal visitation card." He acted as if nothing had happened yesterday.
Wei Ran pushed open the door and said calmly, "Don't you understand? The main problem now isn't seeing him, but how to get him to give us the spiritual vines."
Yuchi Zhenjin smiled mysteriously. "I have an idea."
"Oh?" Ji Zhiyuan said.
"Master, may I have a word with you?" Yuchi Zhenjin said as he walked to the pavilion in the courtyard. They sat down before he said, "In a few days, it'll be the crown ceremony for Prince Wei's sixteenth birthday. According to the customs of the royal family, before the crown prince is crowned, he has to go through a trial. I heard that Prince Wei plans to recruit people himself. "
"What do you mean?" Ji Zhiyuan said.
Yuchi Zhenjin blinked and said, "We can't deal with Prince Wei, but we can deal with Prince Wei. We can disguise ourselves as a hunting group and join his team to help him complete the trial. He'll definitely be grateful to us. Won't it be easier to get the spiritual vines? "
"What do you think, Master Wei?" Ji Zhiyuan looked at Wei Ran.
Wei Ran pondered and said, "This idea is feasible. I heard that Prince Wei spoils Prince Wei to an unbelievable extent. He can even pick the stars and the moon. What about the location of the trial? "
Yuchi Zhenjin said, "The Desert Plain."
Wei Ran frowned and said, "Is it necessary?"
Yuchi Zhenjin said plainly, "Luojing is too big a cake. If the heir can't handle it, I'm afraid the holy court will make other moves. I guess that kid is also aware of this, so he didn't object. "
Wei Ran's eyes flickered and he said, "He's in such a hurry to pave the way for the heir. Is it true that he was seriously injured 20 years ago?"
…
Yan Li's prediction was right. That young man was indeed rushing to Prince Wei's territory.
He followed him secretly and returned to Luojing not long after dawn.
That young man seemed to be in so much pain that he went to the Medicine King Yard first. Yan Li could only wait patiently.
It was already noon when the young man finished treating his wounds. He followed Wei Ran to the Dragon Emperor's residence but soon came out. A constable led him to the entrance of a restaurant.
Yan Li looked up and saw four words on the golden signboard: Pleasant Arrival Restaurant.
The young man walked through the lobby.
Yan Li was about to follow him when a shopkeeper came over and stopped him. "Sir, you don't live here. How can you just barge in?"
"Give me a courtyard." Yan Li said and was about to walk around him.
The shopkeeper insisted on making things difficult for him and asked suspiciously, "Sir, are you going to stay for yourself or are you going to book a room for someone else?"
"I'm staying for myself!" Yan Li was getting impatient. "Get out of my way!"
"We have a superior private room." The shopkeeper said slowly, "It's much cheaper than a single room. Won't you consider it?"
"What's wrong with me staying in a courtyard?" Yan Li lowered his voice.
"You'll have to pay first." The shopkeeper chuckled, "Don't blame me for not reminding you, our Pleasant Arrival Restaurant is one of the best in the city. You'll have to go to the hunting grounds several times to earn back the money you've spent here."
Yan Li scolded himself for being muddle-headed. He quickly took out a banknote worth 100 taels and threw it over. "Stop talking nonsense. I'll pay if it's not enough. Now get out of my way!"
The shopkeeper's eyes lit up. He smiled and made way for Yan Li. "Alright, I'll get someone to pack it up for you."
The backyard was a completely different world. It was a row of courtyards that were connected together.
Yan Li entered the backyard, but the young man was nowhere to be seen.
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