Transaction Completed
this prince to remind you of two things. For example… secretly executing Southern Duke on his way back to the capital. Deputy Minister surely won’t forget Huh" Wang Jingchuan’s eyes widened in shock;...190. Transaction Complete
190. Transaction Complete
After leaving the dungeon, Mo Xiuyao walked side by side with Ye Li. Ye Li hesitated and asked, "Is it alright to release Tan Jizhi" Mo Xiuyao smiled faintly, saying, "What is there to be good or bad about If Ahli is happy, then let him go; if not, kill him." Ye Li glared at him helplessly and said, "Killing people isn't like chopping radishes. What's the point of being happy or unhappy It doesn’t matter even if I release him. After all, the conditions he proposed were indeed quite favorable. However, I have a feeling that something important has been overlooked." Although Prince Ding’s household was large and had significant business interests, their split with Mo Jingqi meant that they would inevitably suffer losses. Ten thousand taels of gold wasn’t much, but it certainly wasn't a small amount either. Moreover, with Tan Jizhi's influence cultivated over the past decade in both Northwest and the capital city, this transaction was clearly beneficial for them.
Mo Xiuyao shrugged as Ye Li usually did, noting that to him there wasn’t much difference between killing someone and chopping radishes. "If he’s not obedient later on, we can arrest him again." Ye Li smiled and said, "Is the Prince confident in capturing Tan Jizhi" If it weren't for his bad luck of being in Northwest when Mo Xiuyao learned about him, capturing him wouldn’t have been easy at all. He had managed to remain unnoticed while lurking near Mo Jingqi for so long; that alone demonstrated how capable he was. Mo Xiuyao said indifferently, "As the Prince, I don't know of anyone who can escape my grasp. Even if nothing happens now, there will come a day when his fate is sealed."
Ye Li reached out and held onto Mo Xiuyao's hand as they strolled down the corridor. This time around, Mo Xiuyao had changed significantly, but Ye Li couldn’t say whether this change was for better or worse. The previous Mo Xiuyao was too mysterious; even Ye Li sometimes struggled to fully understand him. She often wondered if what she saw was merely a facade he wanted her to see. However, the current Mo Xiuyao displayed more ease and unrestrainedness. Of course, there were still peculiar quirks like his dislike for Han Mingyi, causing him to unhesitantly emit killing intent whenever they met. Occasionally, Ye Li worried that Mo Xiuyao might one day kill Han Mingyi without her knowledge. She had discussed this with Mo Xiuyao when he was in a good mood, and he had solemnly looked at her and said that if she was unhappy about it, he wouldn’t kill him. Ye Li trusted his promise, but it made her sigh helplessly whenever he still emitted killing intent towards Han Mingyi. Now even Han Mingyi didn't dare provoke Mo Xiuyao; instead, he found other ways to avoid him.
Now that Mo Xiuyao had decided to kill Tan Jizhi, Ye Li felt that Tan’s life after being released would be quite difficult.
"Prince and Princess," Qin Feng appeared at the end of the corridor and bowed to them.
Ye Li nodded and smiled, asking, "Is there any news from Su Zuidie" Qin Feng frowned, looking dejected as he said, "Subordinate is useless. Apart from revealing Tan Jizhi’s identity, she hasn’t revealed anything else." Qin Feng realized that his previous underestimation of this woman was a mistake; no one could endure torture for so long. Especially since this woman was usually very delicate and would cry even when pricked by a needle.
"It's alright, as expected. Take your time, don't rush it, and be careful not to kill her." Ye Li said. If Su Zuidie were truly as weak as she appeared, she wouldn’t have had the courage to betray Mo Xiuyao for Han Mingyue and then leave him for Xiling’s emperor and Duke of Southern Xiling. A woman from a distinguished family who hadn't even left Chu Capital before now possessed such cunning and resourcefulness; it was truly astonishing. Therefore, if Su Zuidie had other abilities, Ye Li wouldn’t be surprised at all. However, she didn't want to kill her just like that because the strength with which she refused to confess indicated a massive secret.
"Servant accepts the order," Qin Feng bowed his head to accept the order. Mo Xiuyao lowered his head and looked at Ye Li, who was deep in thought with her head down. He said softly, "Why overthink things You shouldn’t be too tired."
Ye Li smiled slightly and said, "There’s nothing much. I just feel that Su Zuodie is acting a little strange." Indeed, although Su Zuodie was capable of enduring hardship, she wasn’t someone who could naturally bear hardships unless her future would be even worse.
Mo Xiuyao raised his eyebrows and thought for a moment before he said to Qin Feng, "Spread the word discreetly that... this king has found Old Su’s granddaughter, Su Zuodie."
Qin Feng was taken aback and looked at Mo Xiuyao somewhat puzzled. "Your Highness…" Mo Xiuyao played with Ye Li's hair on her shoulder and said in a nonchalant tone, "No need to make too much of an effort; just let the right people know. Understood"
Qin Feng understood his meaning and replied, "Understood, I will go about it immediately."
The next morning, Tan Jizhi brought news from the guards who were watching over him in the dungeon without Mo Xiuyao or Ye Li asking. He completely agreed to all of Ye Li's proposed conditions; as long as he could ensure Shu Manlin’s safety, he would agree to temporarily hold her hostage in Ruyang City until Ye Li found the Forget-Me-Not Flower. Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao were not surprised by this at all. Concerning their own lives, it was clearly a win for Tan Jizhi no matter what he had offered. After all, without their lives, those things would be nothing but trash. Tan Jizhi wasn’t someone who hesitated to act; he paid his debts boldly and immediately received 100,000 taels of gold from the secret forces within Tan Jizhi’s hidden power in Northwest territory that had his seal. This also indirectly proved how astonishingly powerful Tan Jizhi's covert forces were.
Mo Xiuyao hadn’t been in a particularly bad mood during this period, so he didn't intend to go back on their deal. He immediately ordered the guards to release Tan Jizhi from prison. As Tan Jizhi was eager to leave Northwest territory, he bluntly declined Feng Zhirao's sincere offer of staying one more day and stated that he would be leaving right away. Ye Li did not stop him but only had one last thing to ask for—the whereabouts of the Forget-Me-Not Flower. Tan Jizhi looked at Ye Li with a malicious smile on his face, "Your Excellency, you’ve been searching far and wide for the Forget-Me-Not Flower; in reality, it has always been right under your nose."
Ye Li frowned as she thought for a moment. "The Forget-Me-Not Flower is in Chu Capital"
Tan Jizhi arrogantly smiled and said, "That’s correct, the Forget-Me-Not Flower is indeed in Chu Capital. Moreover, it’s right there… in Mo Jingqi's hands."
"Why is it in Mo Jingqi’s possession" Ye Li frowned and asked. Mo Jingqi couldn’t possibly be unaware that the Bì Luò flower could cure Mo Xiuyao’s body, so if he got his hands on it, would he destroy it just to get rid of a potential threat Tan Jizhi seemed to have sensed her concern and smiled as he said, "Do not worry, Your Excellency. The Bì Luò flower is said to be capable of bringing the dead back to life, and someone who values their own life like Mo Jingqi would never destroy it. He will merely hide it carefully in a place no one could ever think of. To tell you the truth, since the Bì Luò flower came into his possession, even I have not been able to guess where exactly he has put it."
Ye Li gave him a cold glance and asked, "Did you hand over the Bì Luò flower to Mo Jingqi" Tan Jizhi did not deny it. He smiled somewhat smugly as he said, "Don’t you think that’s an excellent idea Actually, I didn’t originally intend to give him the flower either, but after learning that Your Excellency and the sick scholar from Hell Pavilion are also looking for it, I had no other choice. The Ding Wangfu and Hell Pavilion will definitely find out sooner or later that the Bì Luò flower is not in Liang’s hands, and then I might be in trouble too. Who would ever think that such a treasure of this world could end up in the hands of the emperor of Da Chu What the Ding Wang needs most, is right there with his greatest enemy. Ha ha…”
"You can leave now. Since I have already promised to keep my word, you need not worry about it. However, you might wish that the next time around, you won’t end up in my hands." Ye Li said coolly. Tan Jizhi put on a forced smile and glanced at Ye Li with a sinister expression as he said, "I will certainly remember Your Excellency’s words. I will never allow myself to fall into the hands of Ding Wangfu again. Farewell." He left, and Ye Li turned around without seeing him off.
After sending Tan Jizhi away, Mo Xiuyao immediately threw out the messenger sent by Mo Jingqi to demand his return. As for their demand to have him back… everyone in Youyang City had seen Tan Jizhi leave from the city gate and didn’t care about what the military forces of the Moxia family and Ding Wangfu thought about it. Regarding Tan Jizhi’s identity, Mo Xiuyao did not plan on telling Mo Jingqi but also didn’t intend to hide it deliberately. It was none of his business whether or not Mo Jingqi could figure out the truth.
In the room, Mo Xiuyao had just finished washing up and now he stood there with his white hair still damp. He gave a disgusted look at the silver-haired man in the copper mirror before turning his gaze to a small black porcelain bottle that was placed beside him. It was medicine for dyeing his hair that Shen Yang specially prepared for him. Mo Xiuyao thought that he had never been someone who cared about his appearance, but every time he saw himself in the mirror, he found it increasingly unbearable. His snow-white hair and the horrifying scar on his left face made an already pale face look even more bizarre and terrifying. He did not want to let Ah Li see him like this; he was not afraid of scaring her, but he didn’t want her to see how ugly he looked. His Ah Li was so perfect while he… a trace of hatred flashed across his dark eyes as he realized that he was incomplete and ugly. It was only now that Mo Xiuyao understood that it wasn’t because he had never cared about his appearance in the past, but rather that when he was seventeen or eighteen years old, he had already possessed an exceptional appearance which made him have no reason to envy anyone else. After turning seventeen, there has been no one who made him care about his appearance again. He could even imagine how bizarre it would look if he and Ah Li stood side by side now.
"Snap!" With a light yet forceful slap on the desk in front of him, the rosewood table groaned in pain as cracks quickly spread across its surface.
"Xiuyao." Ye Li’s voice sounded from outside the door. Mo Xiuyao stiffened; if he hadn’t known who was outside clearly, he would probably have struck her out with one palm. He felt like hiding but there wasn’t anywhere suitable for a tall man to hide in this room, not to mention Ah Li obviously knew that he was inside, how could she possibly really hide Ye Li stepped in slowly and walked past the screen to look at the silver-haired man sitting before the copper mirror. She didn’t seem to notice Mo Xiuyao’s stiff posture as she went over and picked up a towel from beside him to gently wipe his hair dry for him. "Why is your hair still wet Although it’s quite hot now, you should be careful not to get a headache."
"Ah Li…" Mo Xiuyao turned around and looked blankly at the gentle-looking woman before him. After several days of recuperation since she returned, Ye Li was clearly looking much better than before. She did not look as plump as many women who were eight or nine months pregnant but she still appeared healthy and beautiful. While wiping his hair dry with her hands, Ye Li asked softly, "What’s wrong" Mo Xiuyao shook his head. "Nothing." Ye Li smiled faintly. "Good to hear that everything is fine. I will help you fix your hair."
The room was quiet as Ye Li gently dried his hair and then skillfully tied up the snow-white locks into a knot with a silver ribbon she took from an open box beside her, nodding in satisfaction afterwards. "Very good.
Mosiusiao hugged Ye Li and pressed his face against her round belly, listening to the lively movements of the baby inside. Occasionally, he would get kicked by the baby's foot. "Ahli, even though I have become so ugly, are you not disgusted by me" Ye Li was taken aback and couldn't help but smile gently. However, seeing the person in front of her being so cautious made her eyes water almost to tears. Gently stroking Mosiusiao’s silver hair, Ye Li softly asked: "If I were to become ugly, would you be disgusted by me"
"Of course not, Ahli will always be the most beautiful." Mosiusiao said solemnly.
Ye Li smiled and said, "That's how it should be. Besides, you've never been handsome anyway." Handsome men were not uncommon to Ye Li; there was Xu Qingchen who seemed otherworldly like a celestial being, the Gentleman of Full Moon with his elegance reminiscent of the full moon on a clear night, Hany Milei whose good looks and seemingly mischievous personality belied his sincerity, as well as Feng Zhiyao, known throughout Jingcheng for his beauty. In comparison, no matter how exceptional Mosiusiao's appearance was, he still had half of his face disfigured by scars. Therefore, in Ye Li’s eyes, Mosiusiao did not count as a handsome man. Seeing the bewildered look on Mosiusiao's face, she smiled and said, "Since you are aware of your own ugliness, why don’t we let Dr Shen and Master take a look at your injuries"
Mosiusiao hesitated; he hadn't treated his facial injuries not because it couldn't be healed but because back then, with the virus severely weakening him and daily suffering from immense pain, Mosiusiao didn't want to bother with treating his scars. He had even lost a healthy body and leg, so what difference did it make if his face was disfigured Moreover, Shenyang had several times thought that he would not be able to save Mosiusiao's life, making him have no time to deal with the issue of his facial injuries. When Mosiusiao’s condition stabilized later on, Shenyang remembered this matter and was promptly rejected by Mosiusiao in an unhesitating manner.
He touched the scars on his face, "It's been so many years..."
Ye Li smiled and said, "What harm is there in trying I heard that someone had no ointment applied to their injuries back then and relied entirely on natural healing. Really... impressive! If such is the case, why did Your Highness suddenly become concerned about his appearance today" Being teased by Ye Li made Mosiusiao feel much lighter in heart. Holding her waist tightly against him, he grumbled, "Even if you were disgusted by me, it's too late now. Anyone who dares to compete with me will be torn apart!"
Ye Li helplessly patted him and said, "You're becoming more childish every day, do you think I'm a golden ingot that everyone wants"
Mosiusiao snorted lightly; his Ahli was far more precious than gold. However... she could only belong to him! Anyone who coveted his treasures would all die!
—— Excerpt —— happened to be the first day of the lunar month; despite the martial arts conference being imminent, it didn’t seem to deter Miss Mu from this habit. As a result, many martial artists and nobles rece...