Mo Li

Just friends?

These few words made Xu Qingchen's refusal clear. Ye Li could only sigh inwardly with regret—it seemed there truly was no destined connection between her elder brother and Princess Anxi.

Ye Li set down the chess piece in her hand and looked at Xu Qingchen. "Since that's the case, Li'er won't press the matter further. However... if you truly have no such intentions, it would be best to make it clear to Princess Anxi sooner rather than later."

Xu Qingchen nodded. "I understand. Was there something else you wanted to say?"

Ye Li regarded him seriously. "Elder Brother, do you and Uncle still have reservations about Wang Ye and Prince Ding's Estate?"

Xu Qingchen was taken aback and likewise set down his chess piece. "Why would you think that?"

Ye Li smiled faintly. "Elder Brother, Li'er was raised in the Xu Family, after all. The teachings you and Uncle imparted to me in my childhood have never been forgotten. Both of you possess extraordinary talent—having even one such person in the world is rare, yet the Xu Family is fortunate enough to have two. These past days, you and Uncle have worked tirelessly on many matters in the northwest. But... given your abilities, such efforts shouldn't have been necessary, should they?"

Xu Qingchen lowered his gaze and smiled faintly. "Was it Prince Ding's intention?"

Ye Li shook her head. "If even Li'er can see it, how could Wang Ye not? But he hasn't said anything. If you and Uncle are deliberately holding back, is it because you don't fully trust Wang Ye and Prince Ding's Estate?"

Xu Qingchen was silent for a moment before shaking his head. "No. It's just that we're tired, that's all."

"Tired?" Ye Li was puzzled.

Xu Qingchen smiled. "Li'er, no matter how much hardship the Xu Family has endured over the years, the name 'Xu Clan of Yunzhou' has stood at the pinnacle of scholarly reputation for centuries. The Xu Family has weathered two dynasties and remained unshaken because of the generations who tread cautiously. The higher one stands, the colder the winds... If the Xu Family wishes its descendants to avoid the same fate as ours, then... allowing our reputation to gradually fade is the best choice."

Ye Li lowered her head. "Elder Brother, do you not trust Li'er?"

Xu Qingchen shook his head. "No. It's not that I don't trust you, nor is it that I distrust Prince Ding. But what about after you and Prince Ding? How will your descendants regard the Xu Family? Having served two dynasties with meritorious contributions, who would trust such a family? Who wouldn't be wary? Think of the deep brotherhood between Emperor Taizu and the first Prince Ding. How did that end?"

"Elder Brother..." Ye Li sighed. How could she not understand the Xu Family's precarious position? If the Mo Family Army truly contended for world domination and ultimately established a new dynasty, the Xu Family would inevitably become the greatest founding meritorious official. A family that had endured three dynasties unshaken. A family that had betrayed the previous dynasty to support the Great Chu, then betrayed the Great Chu to support Prince Ding—even with its reputation as the foremost of scholarly purity, it could never fully dispel the suspicions of the world and its rulers.

Xu Qingchen smiled gently at her. "Li'er, there's no need to worry. The Xu Family will remain in the northwest to support Prince Ding until he no longer requires our aid."

Ye Li frowned. "Elder Brother, do you mean as advisors?"

"Exactly," Xu Qingchen replied with a nod."No!" Ye Li firmly refused. "Elder Brother should know that throughout history, strategists have never met good ends."

So-called strategists, lurking in the shadows to advise rulers, were always the first to be discarded once their usefulness ended, precisely because they knew too many secrets. Even civil and military officials by the ruler's side generally held no goodwill toward such people. Too much wisdom invited suspicion, while incompetence led to abandonment. If such a role were forced upon Elder Brother and Uncle, Ye Li would rather they retreat to the mountains now and withdraw from worldly affairs.

Xu Qingchen raised an eyebrow with a smile. "Does Li'er believe Prince Ding is the type to discard his tools after use?"

Ye Li shook her head resolutely. "In any case, it won't do! Elder Brother, if you and Uncle trust Li'er, stay peacefully in the northwest. No matter what happens in the future, Li'er swears upon her life to ensure the Xu Family withdraws intact during her lifetime. If Elder Brother and Uncle don't believe me, Li'er will go beg the Prince to let the Xu clan retire immediately."

"Li'er..."

Ye Li shook her head, her bright eyes fixed on Xu Qingchen. "Li'er knows Elder Brother and Uncle are considering Li'er's situation—the sole favor of the Empress. If the Prince relies too heavily on the Xu Family, the original retainers of Prince Ding's Estate will surely resent Li'er. But Li'er absolutely cannot let Uncle and Elder Brother suffer such indignity. Elder Brother and Uncle are talents for governing the world, not strategists who scheme from the shadows."

"Well said, A Li." Before Xu Qingchen could respond, Mo Xiuyao's approving voice came from behind. Turning, they saw Mo Xiuyao approaching leisurely, his white hair fluttering slightly by his side. As Xu Qingchen started to rise, Mo Xiuyao reached him and pressed him back down with a smile. "I didn't expect to find A Li and Elder Brother chatting here. Perfect timing—this Prince also wished to speak with Elder Brother. Don't mind me joining you, do you?"

The repeated use of "Elder Brother" made Xu Qingchen's lips twitch—Mo Xiuyao had once adamantly refused to address him as such. Xu Qingchen looked up with a faint smile. "Please have a seat, Wang Ye."

Mo Xiuyao sat beside Ye Li and addressed Xu Qingchen seriously. "This Prince cannot guarantee the Xu Family's prosperity for a hundred years, but as A Li said, I pledge to ensure your safe withdrawal during my lifetime. Does Elder Brother believe me?"

After a moment of silence, Xu Qingchen finally looked up with a smile. "How could this humble one dare distrust Wang Ye's word? But let's dispense with 'Elder Brother.' Wang Ye may address me by name."

Mo Xiuyao raised an eyebrow. Xu Qingchen shook his head with a smile. "Keeping public and private matters separate benefits Wang Ye, Li'er, and the Xu Family alike."

Understanding immediately, Mo Xiuyao nodded. "Then with tea instead of wine, this Prince toasts Qingchen Gongzi."

"My thanks."With the prescription provided by Sick Scholar, Shen Yang and Doctor Lin naturally found their medicine-making efforts twice as effective. Of course, Shen Yang and Doctor Lin first carefully verified that the prescription Sick Scholar provided was indeed an ancient formula passed down from a thousand years ago. Through various means and their knowledge of pharmacology, the two confirmed the authenticity of the prescription and the potential effects of the medicine once prepared. It took a full half-month before they finally refined what might be the last Underworld Flower in existence into medicinal pills, presenting them to Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao. The Underworld Flower was not small, and when combined with countless other rare medicinal ingredients, the final yield was only five pills. If it was confirmed that the Underworld Flower had indeed gone extinct, then these five pills would be the only ones left in the world.

Upon seeing the fragrant, dark-brown pills before them, everyone present couldn’t help but show joy on their faces.

Shen Yang smiled faintly and said, "Wang Ye may take one pill first, followed by another three days later. This will completely neutralize the severe poison in your body. As for this sickly young man, his constitution cannot handle a full dose. He should take only a quarter of a pill at a time, dissolved in water, once every five days. One pill will suffice, after which he only needs to find a skilled physician to properly recuperate."

Sick Scholar glared at him coldly. "Out of the five pills refined, I only get one?"

Doctor Lin sneered. "We only need two for our purposes. Why don’t we give you the rest, and you can try taking one like Prince Ding? If your body is weak, don’t blame the physician for prescribing a lighter dose." His words made it clear that Sick Scholar’s frail constitution couldn’t handle strong medicine—while a heavier dose might work faster, his body simply couldn’t endure it.

Ling Tiehan reached out and patted Sick Scholar’s shoulder, accepting the medicine bottle Shen Yang handed over with a smile. "Thank you, Shen and Doctor Lin. We appreciate your efforts."

The two renowned physicians finally looked somewhat appeased. Doctor Lin casually tossed out two prescriptions. "Use these as needed. With a year or so of recuperation, he should recover well enough. But he must take care to rest and cultivate his health, or there may still be lingering aftereffects."

Ling Tiehan carefully stored the prescriptions and solemnly thanked Doctor Lin. Though Sick Scholar said nothing, his eyes brightened slightly at the physician’s words.

The medicine personally refined by the two renowned physicians proved extraordinarily effective. After taking just one pill, most of the poison in Mo Xiuyao’s body had already dissipated. His complexion no longer looked as pale as before, and even his perpetually cold body temperature had normalized somewhat. Once the toxins were completely cleared, another year or so of recuperation would fully restore his health.

However, as the poison began to fade, the leg that had been healed for over a year started aching again. This forced Ye Li to drag Mo Xiuyao back to Shen Yang for another examination.

Shen Yang was unsurprised by this development. Stroking his fine beard, he said, "Last year, I mentioned that Wang Ye’s ability to walk freely was due to the Phoenix Tail Grass. The Phoenix Tail Grass carries an intense fire toxin, nearly comparable to the Cold Poison of the Frost Pool. It was this fire toxin that temporarily forced open the blocked meridians in Wang Ye’s legs, which had been severed by his severe injury. Now that the toxins in his body are being cleared, the original leg injury is naturally resurfacing."Ye Li frowned and asked, "Could it be that even after the poison in Wang Ye's body is completely cleared, he will still have difficulty walking?"

Hearing this, Mo Xiuyao tightened his grip on Ye Li's right hand. She turned her head slightly and gave him a faint smile.

Shen Yang replied, "It won't be that bad. The fire poison from the Phoenix Tail Grass was originally introduced through Wang Ye's legs, and it had some effect in unblocking the completely obstructed meridians. However, Wang Ye's injuries back then were severe, and a decade-old wound is bound to leave some lingering issues. Right now, it's just a matter of adjustment after the detoxification. Once the poison is fully cleared, I'll prescribe some medicine to treat the old injuries. At most, there might be some discomfort during overcast or rainy weather. Many people have this issue—it's not a big deal."

Relieved by Shen Yang's words, Ye Li nodded. Indeed, even in her previous life, severe physical injuries often left some aftereffects despite long-term rehabilitation, let alone Mo Xiuyao's decade-old wounds. If the only consequence was occasional leg pain during bad weather, it was already a favorable outcome. "Then we’ll trouble you, Shen," she said.

As he packed his things, Shen Yang smiled. "Wang Fei needn’t stand on ceremony. After all these years, Wang Ye’s recovery finally puts my mind at ease." Ye Li understood that Shen Yang had stayed in Prince Ding's Estate all these years solely because of Mo Xiuyao’s condition and his past friendship with Mo Liufang. Expressing further gratitude would only seem insincere—Shen Yang’s dedication to Mo Xiuyao and the estate went beyond mere words.

The trusted aides of Prince Ding's Estate secretly rejoiced at Wang Ye’s impending full recovery. Yet beneath the surface of the Northwest, undercurrents of unrest were stirring. When Tan Jizhi’s whereabouts and the news of the Imperial Jade Seal were suddenly leaked from unknown sources, the region appeared calm on the surface, but countless covert clashes had already taken place in the shadows. Among them, the unluckiest figure was undoubtedly Tan Jizhi.

Originally, Tan Jizhi had only intended to retrieve Shu Manlin from the Northwest and perhaps cause some trouble for Mo Xiuyao. But ever since entering the region, nothing had gone right—not only had he failed to even catch a glimpse of Mo Xiuyao or Ye Li, but his identity and movements had also been exposed to the world. Now, he was swamped dealing with factions demanding the Imperial Jade Seal and the rumored treasure, leaving him no time to bother Mo Xiuyao.

Tan Jizhi knew full well that Prince Ding's Estate had a hand in his current predicament. But since he had been the one to first frame them by falsely accusing them of possessing the Imperial Jade Seal, he had no grounds to blame them for kicking him while he was down.

In the dead of night, Tan Jizhi calmly regarded the black-clad figures blocking his path and said coolly, "Might I ask which faction you gentlemen belong to? Have I somehow offended you?"

The leader of the group sneered. "Tan Jizhi, drop the act. Hand over the Imperial Jade Seal and the location of the treasure, and we might spare your life."

Tan Jizhi scoffed. "You’re not the first to demand this from me, nor will you be the last. I don’t know where you heard about this so-called Imperial Jade Seal and treasure, but my answer is simple: I don’t have it."The black-clad man sneered, "Lin Yuan, the last descendant of the former imperial clan. If we hadn't verified your identity, why would we be here? You'd better obediently reveal the location of the treasure, or don't blame us for being impolite."

Tan Jizhi closed his eyes in irritation while sizing up the black-clad men surrounding him. He had grown numb to their harassment over the past few days. The identity of being the last descendant of the former imperial clan had indeed made the rumor about him knowing the treasure's location much more credible. Tan Jizhi himself was truly in a predicament—if he had known the treasure's whereabouts, he wouldn't have been wandering around the northwest. Initially, he had managed to kill off the previous groups, but now he was alone, and the black-clad men encircling him were clearly more than he could handle alone.

After a moment's thought, Tan Jizhi spoke, "Want to know the treasure's location? Fine. But how do I know you won't kill me to silence me once you have the map?"

The black-clad man chuckled darkly, "Young Master Tan need not worry. We're only after wealth, not lives. As long as you hand over the treasure's location, you're free to leave anytime." Tan Jizhi raised an eyebrow, "And what if what I give you is fake?"

"Unless Young Master Tan plans to disappear forever. You should know that while the world is vast, there aren't many places where someone like you can hide." Tan Jizhi nodded, "Fine, here you go!" With that, he flicked his sleeve, sending a rolled-up map flying out. The black-clad man caught it and unfolded it, confirming it was indeed a map with special markings.

"I trust Young Master Tan. Farewell." With a wave of his hand, he led the group of black-clad men away silently. Standing alone in the clearing, a cold glint flashed in Tan Jizhi's eyes. He smiled faintly, "Since one treasure map has already been given out, what's the harm in giving out a few more? Right?"