Mo Li

In the study of Prince Ding's Estate, Ye Li gazed calmly at Qin Feng standing before her and asked, "What are your thoughts on this matter?"

Qin Feng's expression remained composed as he lowered his eyes slightly. "This subordinate will defer entirely to Wang Fei's decision." When Ye Li had first mentioned Yao Ji volunteering to go to Chu Jing to assist Leng Haoyu, Qin Feng's face had momentarily gone blank. But he quickly suppressed the flicker of emotion and regained his composure. Observing his reaction, Ye Li understood that Qin Feng truly cared for Yao Ji.

Over the years, Qin Feng had served as the commander of the Qilin by Ye Li's side, earning her trust no less than Zhuo Jing or Lin Han. Though she generally avoided interfering in her subordinates' personal affairs, she didn’t want them to be emotionally troubled to the point of affecting their duties. Watching Qin Feng, she said, "I haven’t approved her request yet. If you don’t wish for her to go, I can reject it."

Qin Feng was taken aback but soon shook his head with a forced smile. "It was her own decision. This subordinate has no right to interfere."

Seeing his stance, Ye Li could only sigh softly. "Yao Ji’s journey will be fraught with danger. I just hope you won’t regret this."

Qin Feng remained silent for a moment before replying, "Thank you, Wang Fei." Ye Li didn’t press further. Instead, she picked up a document from the side, wrote a few words on it, and handed it to Qin Feng. "In that case, deliver this to Yao Ji. She will depart in seven days."

"As you command."

After Yao Ji’s departure, Qin Feng didn’t appear particularly despondent. He continued shuttling between the Qilin headquarters and Li Cheng daily, though he spent more time at the Qilin camp. Once the imperial examinations concluded, Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li personally oversaw the selection of a group of talented young men to replenish the ranks of officials in the Northwest.

Soon after, the grand annual merchant conference—Ye Li’s most significant event—arrived. However, this year, neither she nor Mo Xiuyao could attend, as they were preparing to depart for Nanzhao to attend Princess Anxi’s wedding.

The entourage heading to Nanzhao included Mo Xiuyao, Ye Li, Qin Feng, Zhuo Jing, and Feng San. At the last moment, Qingchen Gongzi, Xu Qingchen, was also added to the group. The original plan had been for Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao to travel to Nanzhao while Xu Qingchen and Xu Hongyu remained to oversee affairs in the Northwest. But just before departure, Xu Hongyu sent Xu Qingchen away and retained General Lyu Jinxian, who had also intended to accompany them. Mo Xiuyao, for reasons unknown, merely pondered briefly before agreeing.

Thus, the entire Northwestern delegation—a group whose appearances far surpassed the average—set off leisurely toward Nanzhao.

Over the past few years, Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li had been preoccupied with governing the Northwest, reorganizing the Mo Family Army, and other pressing matters. It had been a full five years since either had stepped beyond the Northwestern borders. However, the journey to Nanzhao required crossing vast stretches of Great Chu’s territory. The moment they left the Northwest, they were closely monitored by Great Chu’s military forces at every turn. Though no one dared intercept or attack them, the constant surveillance was undeniably irritating.

On this day, as the group stopped at a small town to rest and dine, Mo Xiuyao finally lost his patience with the relentless scrutiny.The small town wasn't particularly large, nor did it have a remarkable name. However, due to its proximity to the southwestern border, it was heavily garrisoned as part of the second or third line of defense for the region, capable of providing direct support to the border areas. On this day, Mo Xiuyao and his group arrived in the town at noon, when the weather was scorching hot. Seeing that Snowbreak Pass was still a day's journey away and Princess Anxi's wedding was over twenty days off, they decided not to rush and instead rest in the town for the night before continuing their journey the next morning. None of them were particularly picky, and since the town lacked any luxurious inns or restaurants, they simply chose a decent one and booked the entire place.

The innkeeper, observing that every member of their group was strikingly handsome or beautiful and dressed elegantly, naturally understood they were people of importance and served them with great enthusiasm. Though Ye Li's party wasn't large—consisting of Ye Li, Mo Xiuyao, Xu Qingchen, Feng San, Qin Feng, Zhuo Jing, and just over forty guards (half from the Black Cloud Cavalry and half from Qin Feng's Qilin unit)—they were more than capable. The Black Cloud Cavalry were formidable by default, but the Qilin members were a diverse bunch, skilled in everything from brewing tea to cooking meals. The inn's staff, including the chef, found themselves with little to do. Ye Li and the others sat upstairs, enjoying the exquisite dishes prepared by the Qilin's culinary experts, while the rest of the group were instructed to eat as well.

"Qin Feng, your subordinates are truly a gathering of talents," Feng Zhiyao remarked as he savored the dishes on the table, which rivaled those made by top-tier chefs.

Qin Feng smiled faintly. "Third Master Feng flatters me. These are just trivial skills." Feng Zhiyao couldn't help but feel envious—though they were indeed trivial skills, mastering them to such perfection marked these individuals as true experts. Feng Zhiyao had seen Qilin members who were culinary masters, bookish scholars, craftsmen excelling in various trades, and even those skilled in tailoring and embroidery. More impressively, all of them also possessed fearsome combat abilities.

Xu Qingchen sipped his tea with a faint smile, listening to their conversation. Feng Zhiyao, ever the troublemaker, couldn't stand seeing anyone left out and immediately turned his attention to Qingchen Gongzi. "Speaking of which, Qingchen Gongzi, you've been unusually quiet since we left the northwest. Are you feeling down?" The others quickly recalled Princess Anxi's affection for Xu Qingchen and their past interactions. Could it be that Xu Qingchen hadn't been indifferent to the princess but was merely too reserved to express his feelings? And now, with Princess Anxi marrying someone else, was he silently grieving?

The group immediately conjured up a series of unspoken stories between Xu Qingchen and Princess Anxi, their gazes filling with sympathy. Even Xu Qingchen's handsome face twitched slightly as he sighed helplessly. "I was just thinking... these people have been following us all this way. Could something go wrong?"Everyone turned their gaze toward the window. Below, across the street, at the corner, and under the large tree, stood various people. They appeared to be chatting, setting up stalls, or merely passing by, but to the trained eyes of those in the room, their disguises were painfully clumsy. Feng Zhiyao narrowed his eyes and remarked, "You know, the number of watchers seems to be increasing. Do they really think we haven’t noticed them?" Xu Qingchen sighed, "What they think doesn’t matter. What worries me is..."

Mo Xiuyao set down his wine cup and looked at Xu Qingchen. "You’re worried Mo Jingqi might resort to killing?"

Xu Qingchen nodded solemnly, his sword-like brows furrowing slightly. "For the past few years, the northwest has coexisted peacefully with Great Chu. Borrowing passage to Nanzhao shouldn’t provoke Mo Jingqi into action against us. But... he’s always been an unpredictable factor. Given the recent developments, we can’t rule out the possibility of an attack." Ye Li asked, "Brother, if they do decide to act, where do you think they’d strike?" Xu Qingchen shook his head. "That depends entirely on when they feel they have enough manpower. We’re standing on Great Chu’s soil—Mo Jingqi can justify anything he does." Feng Zhiyao sneered, "Apart from Western Liang, the only border we share is with Great Chu. Are they expecting us to take a detour through Western Liang? Or just stay put?" Xu Qingchen raised an eyebrow. "Just because we think that way doesn’t mean Mo Jingqi will."

Mo Xiuyao smiled faintly. "In that case, let him try. It’ll give this prince a chance to see how much Mo Jingqi has improved over the years." Feng Zhiyao scoffed, "What improvement? He’s already ceded part of the northeast to those barbarian tribes. The mighty Great Chu can’t even handle a few border tribes, yet he’s happily locked in power struggles with Mo Jingli in Chu Jing." Though they no longer had any ties to Great Chu, hearing that part of its northeast had been occupied by tribes still left a bitter taste. Especially for the soldiers of the Mo Family Army, who held particular disdain for Mo Jingqi. Back then, you blamed Prince Ding’s Estate and the Mo Family Army for holding you back. Now that we’re no longer involved, why don’t you show us your so-called brilliance and ambition?

"If he hasn’t improved, this prince can always help him clean up the trash under his command," Mo Xiuyao said calmly. The others exchanged glances at his words. The prince’s tone carried a hint of... lethality. But was it really auspicious to kill people on the way to a wedding?

However, they didn’t have to wait for Mo Xiuyao to seek trouble—it came knocking before they could even finish their midday meal.

"Men! Surround the inn at once!" A haughty male voice rang out from below. Feng Zhiyao stood up and peered downstairs, then chuckled. "Well, well, Wang Ye, an old acquaintance of ours." Mo Xiuyao glanced down at the man directing troops to encircle the inn and raised a puzzled brow. He had met many people, but this one didn’t ring any bells as an "old acquaintance." Feng Zhiyao grinned. "Wang Ye, take a closer look at that face—just begging to be slapped—and that distinctively lame walk. Doesn’t it seem familiar?"At his remark, Mo Xiuyao suddenly remembered, "That Guan Ting who got trampled by a horse? How did that horse miss stomping him to death with its blurred vision?"

Feng Zhiyao grinned, "Should I find another horse to give him a couple more stomps?"

While the people upstairs were still joking around, those downstairs couldn't hold back their clamor. Guan Ting, limping on one leg, hobbled back and forth across the street, shouting toward them, "A bunch of rebels dare to set foot on the land of Great Chu! By the Emperor's order, I am here to eradicate you traitors! Surrender now!"

Upstairs, Feng Zhiyao couldn't help but mock, "If it were me, I'd start by showering the inn with arrows, turning it into a porcupine. Not much skill, but plenty of nonsense." Qin Feng laughed, "That's why Third Master Feng will outlive him." Feng Zhiyao beamed and cupped his hands in thanks, "I appreciate the auspicious words."

Qin Feng stood up, casting a disdainful glance at the arrogant figure below, then turned to ask, "Wang Ye, Wang Fei, shall we kill him first?"

Mo Xiuyao rose to his feet, "No need. Let's go down and take a look first. Oh, and have someone escort Qingchen Gongzi away." Among them, even the least capable could defend themselves—only Xu Qingchen was truly powerless. If a fight broke out, protecting him wouldn't be difficult, but accidents could still happen in the chaos. Xu Qingchen knew he was a burden and nodded in agreement, but said to Ye Li, "Li'er, be very careful." Ye Li smiled gently, "Don't worry, elder brother."

After seeing Xu Qingchen off, the group followed Mo Xiuyao downstairs to watch the commotion. The guards who had been dining in the main hall had already risen and taken positions at the entrance. Outside on the street lay the corpses of several Great Chu soldiers who had recklessly tried to storm the inn. Guan Ting clearly hadn't expected the guards of Prince Ding's Estate to be so bold as to kill so casually despite being surrounded by his troops. His already unpleasant face twisted into a livid, grotesque mask of fury.

"You have some nerve! Facing death, you still dare to act so arrogantly! I swear I'll crush your bones to dust to vent my hatred!" Guan Ting, shielded by layers of soldiers, continued to shout at the guards by the door. The guards, especially those from Qilin, couldn't help but twitch their lips, looking at Guan Ting as if he were both an idiot and a dead man walking. Did this fool really think hiding behind his men made him invincible, hence his bravado? One Qilin guard couldn't resist and flicked his wrist toward the crowd opposite. With a sharp whoosh , a streak of green light shot straight at Guan Ting.

Guan Ting, startled by the sudden projectile, scrambled to dodge. But wedged among his soldiers and having grown fat and sluggish over the years, he couldn't move fast enough. Before he could even crouch, the object was already upon him. Panicking, he shrieked, "Hidden weapon! Hidden weapon! Save me! Save me!"The object hit him, causing a piercing pain in his shoulder, though it wasn’t enough to be life-threatening. Everyone, including the soldiers Guan Ting had brought from Great Chu, couldn’t help but look at the man screaming and flailing as if he were an idiot. Someone muttered under their breath, “Moron!”

After a while, Guan Ting himself realized something was off. Opening his eyes, he was overjoyed to find himself completely unharmed. Then he noticed some strange, damp substance with a faint fragrance staining his elegant clothes. “What… what is this?”

“Reporting to the General, it’s a cucumber!” a soldier beside him dutifully announced.

Only then did Guan Ting spot a half-eaten, tender cucumber lying on the ground not far away. Realizing he had been tricked, he flew into a rage. “I’ll kill you all! I’ll kill you all! Charge! Slay these traitors!”

“Guan Ting, whom do you intend to kill? Why not share it with this prince?” A cold, clear voice drifted unhurriedly from the inn. The guards immediately stepped aside to clear a path. Mo Xiuyao, his hair still snow-white and dressed in white robes, appeared before the crowd, leading Ye Li by the hand.

－－－－－－Author’s Note－－－－－－

Well… I really didn’t plan to write **, so those who dislike ** can rest assured~ As for Qingchen Gongzi’s CP, I’ve got a little idea, but I won’t tell you what it is, so no need to ask in the comments. Once it’s decided, hehe… no changing CPs, or else… I’ll make sure Qingchen Gongzi never gets a wife! Humph!