Yuro Minghua
unwanted affection." Just thinking about the times she had accompanied Xu Qingchen, Ye Li was grateful that she had married Mo Xiaoyao early and their love was recognized by everyone. Whenever they wa...235. Yuluo Nianhua Flower
For this southern trip, they had originally come with a playful mindset. As such, Mo Xiuyao and his group arrived earlier than most of the guests who came to attend the wedding. However, in addition to the frequent interactions between different ethnic groups, there wasn’t much entertainment in Nan Zhou’s capital city either. Seeing that Princess Anxi's wedding was still several days away, Mo Xiuyao decided to take Ye Li and travel around other places within Nan Zhou.
Because Mo Xiuyao had planned from the start to avoid others who annoyed him by only bringing Ye Li with him to go sightseeing, they left their inn before midnight. With his martial arts skills, nobody could detect where he went. Thus, when everyone else at the inn discovered that both the prince and princess were missing in the morning, there was a note on the table saying "We will return within several days; don’t worry." Only then did people understand that the prince had taken the princess out for sightseeing. Since they couldn't find them, everyone could only stay in the city and wait calmly. With Prince Mo Xiuyao and Princess Ye Li's abilities, there probably wasn’t anyone who could make trouble for them in southern Nan Zhou.
As for Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li, after leaving Nan Zhou’s capital city, they wandered around aimlessly at first. They would stay wherever the scenery was beautiful to admire it for a while. It was quite rare for them to be so relaxed and carefree in these past few years.
One day, they caught two wild horses in a forest and spontaneously decided to have a horse race. The newly captured wild horses weren’t very obedient; the one Ye Li rode ran wildly through the woods while Mo Xiuyao’s skills with riding were better so he followed on his own horse. After the wild horse finally slowed down after running around, Mo Xiuyao caught up from behind and glared at it fiercely.
Although this wild horse was temperamental, it was also somewhat intelligent. When it sensed Mo Xiuyao’s killing intent, it immediately started to move its feet in place but didn’t dare run away anymore. Ye Li dismounted and said with a smile: “You don’t need to be angry; the horse isn't completely trained yet. If it were obedient now, that would actually make it less extraordinary.” Mo Xiuyao knew very well that fine horses usually had rebellious temperaments, but as long as it related to making A Li feel better, a fine horse wasn't worth mentioning. Had he not been worried about injuring her, he would have directly killed the wild horse which ran wildly before.
Seeing Mo Xiuyao staring at the horse with a dark expression, Ye Li couldn’t help but smile gently. She pulled him back and told him that there was no need to look at the poor horse anymore. The forest around them was lush and green; small wildflowers of pink, light blue, white, and yellow bloomed on the ground in abundance, stretching as far as the eye could see like a vast carpet of flowers over green grass.
“It’s so beautiful! Xiuyao, where is this place” Ye Li had never seen such fresh and natural beauty, whether it was in the northwest or Chu Capital. Mo Xiuyao looked around and frowned slightly: “That wild horse ran for nearly two hours; adding to our sightseeing, we should be about five hundred miles away from Nan Zhou’s capital city now. This place… Should be near a holy site of Southern Nan Zhou.”
“Huh” Ye Li was somewhat surprised. Even for many people in southern Nan Zhou, the sacred sites were mysterious places. However, since Duke Ding had planned to pacify southern Nan Zhou several years ago, they wouldn’t avoid investigating such places; it wasn't too surprising.
Mos Xiuyao pulled Ye Li forward and said: “Since we’re here already, let’s take a look.” Ye Li frowned: “Is it not good for us to intrude on the holy site of Southern Nan Zhou” If Nan Zhou found out that Duke Ding and Princess Ding secretly entered their sacred sites, it wouldn’t only be bad for them but also bring shame upon Princess Anxi. Mo Xiuyao said coolly, “If we’re not caught, it’s not an intrusion; I promised Shen Yang to bring him a few Yuluo Nianhua flowers.”
Ye Li was very grateful towards Shen Yang as well. Not only because he had abandoned his reputation as a divine doctor for over ten years to help Mo Xiuyao with the poison, but also because Xiao Bao actually wasn’t strong when he was born. He could grow up so lively and healthy partly thanks to Shen Yang. Upon hearing that Shen Yang wanted Yuluo Nianhua flowers, Ye Li naturally felt obligated to help; besides, she was quite interested in these mysterious sacred sites of southern Nan Zhou.
Mo Xiuyao clearly had the potential to be a special forces soldier, with such a good sense of direction that even Ye Li couldn’t help but feel jealous. He pulled Ye Li through mountain forests without hesitation and reached the outer perimeter of the holy site in less than two hours. They were agile enough to avoid the guards at the entrance; soon they entered the sacred grounds. Perhaps because it had never been invaded for hundreds of years, the security wasn’t very strict here, and with a little effort, they managed to sneak inside.
The moment they entered, a vast sea of blood-red flowers greeted them. Pure red without any impurities almost turned the entire valley into a bright red hue, creating an eerie and bloody scene.
"This is...," Ye Li frowned at the sight before her eyes. Mo Xiuyao remained calm, saying in a low voice, "This is the You Luo Minghua." Ye Li sighed softly, saying, "When I first heard that the You Luo Minghua was a sacred relic of the South Frontier and planned to bring some back to see if it could be useful for you, fortunately, I didn't waste my time."
"Hm" Mo Xiuyao looked puzzled, asking, "Do you know this flower, Li Ge"
Ye Li replied, "Looking at these large patches of flowers, they don't seem like a rare sacred relic. I actually know another name for them: Manjusha or Netherworld Flowers." There's also another name for it - Red Lily. If it weren't for the Bì Luò Flower distracting her attention back then, Ye Li might have really gone to the South Frontier's holy land in search of the You Luo Minghua. If she had seen that the so-called sacred flower was just a common red lily, she would have felt like crying.
"Manjusha, a name from Buddhism, one of the four flowers of heaven," Mo Xiuyao said. Ye Li sat lightly beside Mo Xiuyao; after her eyes adjusted to the blood-red color, it actually looked quite pretty. She laughed softly, saying, "Indeed, it is a name from Buddhism. Legend has it that Manjusha grows along the River of Forgetfulness and is the only scenery on the Yellow Springs Road." Mo Xiuyao wasn't very versed in Buddhist scriptures and asked puzzledly, "Why is it also called Netherworld Flower" Ye Li recited softly, "Flowers bloom without leaves, leaves grow without flowers. The Netherworld Flower blooms for a thousand years and falls for a thousand years; their petals never meet. Love does not follow cause and effect, fate determines life and death..."
Mo Xiuyao frowned upon hearing this, saying in a low voice, "I don't like such words."
Ye Li smiled gently at him with pursed lips, saying, "Neither do I. This flower does indeed have some detoxifying effects; however, it is also poisonous by nature. It's not rare either, but no one should be cultivating it on a large scale except for here now. Even in the Jiangnan region, if you look carefully, you might still find quite a few. Shall we pick some from here to give to Mr. Shen" Mo Xiuyao glanced at the vast red expanse below and said, "Since we're already here, let's take a bit back. Later on, I'll send people to Jiangnan to see if there are any differences." Ye Li nodded nonchalantly; with so many You Luo Minghua flowers in this holy land of the South Frontier, it wouldn't matter even if they took several bags away.
After picking a few Netherworld Flowers and storing them properly, the two continued to walk deeper into the valley. However, strangely enough, there seemed to be fewer guards as they went further in.
The endless red flowers gradually became less, and another kind of flower came into view—beautiful ball-shaped flowers in various colors: red, pink, white, blue, and yellow, dazzlingly beautiful. Ye Li's gaze tightened as she stared intently at the sea of flowers. Mo Xiuyao lowered his head and asked softly, "Li Ge, what's wrong" Ye Li looked up and took out the Netherworld Flowers she had collected earlier, pointing to the眼前的花海道：“修堯，咱們弄錯了吧。應該那個纔是幽羅冥花。”眼前的花海。“Xiu Yao, we might have made a mistake. That one should be the You Luo Minghua."
Mo Xiuyao was startled and asked, "What do you mean" Ye Li said solemnly, "I hope I'm wrong; if planting these flowers for觀賞就好。若是還有其他用處……"viewing is all they are doing, it's still good. But if there are other uses..."
Mo Xiuyao asked, "Is there anything wrong with this flower" Ye Li said softly, "This flower looks extremely beautiful; however, the consequences would be unbearable if used in evil ways. This kind of flower can be made into the best painkiller." Mo Xiuyao was puzzled and asked, "Isn't that good then" Currently, all countries use a mixture called Mafeisan for pain relief. However, its formula is complicated, and the ingredients are not common herbs. On battlefields, usually only high-ranking officers could use it; ordinary soldiers had to endure their pain or die from it.
Ye Li shook her head and said, "Because of this, one might easily become addicted, making it very hard to quit. Once long-term use begins, the person will wither and lose strength; if they stop abruptly, they'll suffer excruciating agony as though going mad. It's the best drug for controlling puppets, more effective than any poison. If such a thing spreads widely, even destroying an entire country wouldn't be surprising."
Mo Xiuyao stared at the sea of flowers before him with deep thought for a long time before looking up to Ye Li and smiling faintly, "Even though I don't know how you learned all this, I always believe in your judgment. Let's go inside and see." Seeing the white-haired man holding her hand and leading her forward, Ye Li's heart skipped a beat. She had never really guarded herself around Mo Xiuyao. If she started out of curiosity, later on, it became more habitual. Habituated to Mo Xiuyao’s endless tolerance, she revealed many things that shouldn't be known by her, but Mo Xiuyao never asked about them and even helped cover up some times. Perhaps... she understood what had always been troubling Mo Xiuyao.
Turning around the valley, they still saw an infinite sea of flowers. After walking for a long time, they finally reached the end of the valley where they saw a magnificent palace.
"Someone is here." Mo Xiuyao quickly pulled Ye Li into his arms and hid behind a pile of stones nearby. Soon, he heard voices approaching. The voice was familiar to both Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li: "Have you prepared what I asked for"
A cold male voice came from不遠處，墨修堯和葉璃對視一眼，看向那個跟在幾個穿著南疆服飾的女子身後漫步而來的男子——墨景黎。墨景黎身邊站著的是那位嬌豔動人的南疆棲霞公主。這幾年來，顯然他對她非常好，雖然比葉瑩還要年長幾歲，但看起來依然嫵媚動人。
站在他們對麵是一位五十多歲的老夫人，手裡拄著一根外形猙獰的蛇頭手杖。她看著墨景黎笑道：“黎王儘管放心，我們聖地的所有醫者經過多年研究，終於研製出了您想要的神藥。我保證效果絕對比您想象中的還要好。”
墨景黎冷然道：“是嗎？那本王拭目以待。希望長老不要讓本王失望。
"那位長老自信滿滿地笑道："當然，既然是合作，我們自然要雙方都滿意才行。隻要黎王遵守承諾就好。來人，帶藥人上來。”
不久後，幾個身體狼狽的人被人扯了過來。從墨修堯和葉璃的位置上看並不清楚，但可以看到一個身形和麪貌應該是中原人的男子。隻見他眼神渾濁渙散，麵色憔悴彷彿渾身無力的樣子，整個人神情呆滯，嘴角流著口水，更像是個天生的癡呆傻子。
隻聽那位長老笑道：“黎王看如何？為了保證藥效，我們還專門找了幾個你們大楚人來做藥人。”墨景黎仔細觀察了一番那些藥人，似乎十分滿意地問道：“不錯，這些人餵了多久？”長老笑道：“不到一個月。” 墨景黎更加滿意地說，“很好。關於你說的事本王同意了。”那位長老也顯得非常高興，並說：“黎王果然爽快。聖女一定會感激黎王殿下的。”
墨景黎輕哼一聲，淡淡道：“各取所需罷了。將藥給我吧，本王還要去南詔王城一趟。”那長老也不囉嗦，取出兩個瓷瓶遞給墨景黎說：“這是三個月的藥量，足夠黎王用了。吃這些藥物並煉製起來極為不易，在我們穀中這麼久也隻煉製了這麼多。” 墨景黎收好藥後道：“多謝長老，本王告辭。” 那位長老笑道：“我讓人送黎王出穀。
等到墨景黎帶著棲霞公主離開時，那位長老身邊的女子才問道："長老，黎王求這藥是要給誰用的？”
那長老冷笑一聲道：“還能給誰用？這些中原人心腸一貫歹毒無比，連自己的親人都不肯放過。也不知道大楚皇帝和黎王到底有什麼深仇大恨，他要如此折磨自己的兄長。你們這些丫頭可不要跟中原人牽扯太深，哪天被他們害了都冇處哭去。
幾個女子咯咯笑了起來，“咱們纔不怕那些中原人呢。我們可以用毒蛇咬死他們，或者像黎王那樣給他們服一些忘憂散，看他們還敢不敢乖乖聽話。”長老一邊含笑訓斥著幾個女子，一邊帶著人往宮殿裡走去。
殿門外，聲音漸漸遠去。墨修堯和葉璃站在石堆後麵將目光轉向那一片美麗的花海，“忘憂散？墨景黎要拿給墨景祈用？”
葉璃輕歎道：“這一招可真夠毒的。如果墨景祈真的中計，這輩子算是完了。你們看剛纔那些人，一個月前他們肯定都是正常健康的。”
"璃兒有何打算？" 墨修堯低聲問道。 葉璃看了看眼前宏偉的宮殿，低聲道：“咱們進去看看吧。” 墨修堯點頭，抱起葉璃輕點腳尖便一掠而起飛上了宮殿的屋頂。落地時冇有發出任何聲響，就連殿外守衛也冇有聽到絲毫動靜。兩人悄然落地，葉璃皺眉不解道：“南疆聖地應該是戒備森嚴的地方，為何一路過來守衛如此鬆懈？”墨修堯想了想說，“這裡高手隻怕現在都出去了。”
Ye Li's heart stirred, "You mean the capital city of Nanzhao"
Mosixiao nodded. "If this so-called secret of Southern Border is really about this Yulong Mengliflower, it doesn't matter whether there are experts guarding it or not. Even if someone enters the valley, they probably won’t be able to find which one is the Yulong Mengliflower." The Yulong Mengliflower was a legendary sacred item in Southern Border. No one would believe that such a precious item could grow all over the place. Moreover, even if a few plants were pulled out by others, it wouldn't have much of an impact on the sanctity of this Sacred Place.
"It seems that Shumanlin and Tan Jizhi had big plans in the capital city of Nanzhao. We should return early to avoid worrying Brother." After leaning against Mosixiao's chest until a group of patrolling guards passed, Ye Li whispered.
Mosixiao couldn't help feeling jealous when his beloved wife showed so much concern for Xu Qingchen, even though he knew that they were just siblings. He pouted and said, "Young Master Qingchen is unmatched in wisdom and strategy; why should you be worried"
Ye Li pinched him and無奈地說道：“大哥哪裡招惹你了？彆以為我不知道你是故意誤導我，讓他以為大哥喜歡男人。”Mosixiao snorted softly, muttering, "I'm just speaking the truth. Even if I say so, you still blame me, Ahli. You're really biased..."
When a man acts childish, he can be utterly without restraint, something that Mosixiao had learned over these years. Ye Li rolled her eyes and decided to ignore him completely, carefully moving forward.
A hoarse voice suddenly echoed from the palace: "Who are you, sir Why don't you show yourself!" Ye Li internally cursed but did not move a muscle; even her breathing slowed down. Mosixiao silently moved close to her side and shook his head at her. Raising an eyebrow, she looked around them — they had been very good at hiding along the way, so it was unlikely that someone in the palace would have detected them.
The room was quiet for a moment before the hoarse voice sounded again, this time with added anger: "Sir, you擅自闖入我的南方聖地，還不出來是想讓我親自來請嗎？"
On top of the opposite roof, a shadow jumped down and laughed loudly: "I am Lei Tengfeng from West Ling. I apologize for disturbing you, esteemed senior."
The person inside the palace snorted coldly and said, “So it's Prince Leizhou Wang. I was wondering who would be so bold as to擅自闖入我南方聖地。”
Lei Tengfeng smiled: "I'm forced to intrude here. Please forgive me, esteemed senior. I have something urgent to ask of you." After several years, Lei Tengfeng had grown much more mature and steady. His few words also calmed the anger inside the palace somewhat: “Prince Leizhou Wang actually has a request for this old man This is truly rare. Come in and let me listen…”
Lei Tengfeng said with a smile, "Of course it's mutually beneficial. I would never make you suffer a loss."
Ye Li leaned against Mosixiao’s chest and quietly pointed at the palace opposite and Lei Tengfeng in the courtyard. Mosixiao nodded and, after seeing Lei Tengfeng enter, released Ye Li. With a light step, he silently landed on the roof of the main hall like a graceful wild goose.ked at him with a mocking sneer and laughed coldly. "Who said that because this king is satisfied it means I have to take her on In consideration of the fact that she has some real skill, this king wi...