Chapter 158

The black-clad person touched his own throat, glanced at them in shock, and had to nod.

"After you finish your mission, this little gu will undo itself." Qilin said, curling his lips into a smile, "Get lost!"

The black-clad person scrambled away in a sorry state.

After the thief left, Gu Rongjin, Mu Yuanzhi, and Qilin naturally gathered together; Pei Shangling, an outsider here, seemed out of place, and he naturally wanted to join in: "Ah-zhi!"

"Why haven't you left yet?" Gu Rongjin crossed his arms displeased, "Don't you realize you're not welcome at all?"

Pei Shangling didn't care about others; he only cared about Mu Yuanzhi, and it was obvious she was the last person who wanted to see him.

"I'm going to sleep." Mu Yuanzhi said.

A pretty clear order to leave.

Pei Shangling opened and closed his mouth, swallowing a thousand words, but he just stood there unmoving, unwilling to budge.

"Come on! My senior sister doesn't welcome you!" Qilin shoved Pei Shangling out.

Pei Shangling looked back every few steps, but in the end Qilin kept pushing him all the way to the outside and shut the door.

"You've seen the Fourth Prince yourself; this place doesn't need you at all—go back to the palace!" Qilin said, "Here we have the National Teacher, me, and my brother-in-law!"

When Qilin mentioned his brother-in-law, Pei Shangling's eyes flickered.

"Hey, you better not go back and leak the news!" Qilin's eyes instantly turned sharp.

"I won't leak the news."

Pei Shangling certainly wouldn't do such a thing; he now even refrains from making things difficult for Gu Rongjin, not wanting to upset Mu Yuanzhi.

Qilin gave a cold snort, "Trying to win over my senior sister is the bare minimum, but she won't pay you any mind—don't waste your efforts, Fourth Prince!"

Before leaving, Pei Shangling glanced once more at the room and finally couldn't help saying to Qilin, "Do you really trust that so-called brother-in-law of yours that much?"

"What else? Do you expect me to believe you?" Qilin sneered, "I don't believe a word you say!"

He waved his hand impatiently, "Alright, you can scram—don't bother my senior sister and brother-in-law!"

Qilin finally managed to drive Pei Shangling away, sat down again, and readied himself to stand guard.

In the room, Mu Yuanzhi was about to sleep, looking at Gu Rongjin who lingered unwilling to leave, she said, "Your Highness, what are you waiting for before you go?"

Gu Rongjin pursed his lips, dissatisfied, "Princess, why are you rushing to drive your husband away?"

"If people find out you left the capital, it'll be trouble—hurry back!" Mu Yuanzhi said worriedly.

"It's fine, no one will know." Gu Rongjin said confidently.

"……" Mu Yuanzhi was speechless, "Now me, Qilin, Pei Shangling, and that black-clad person all know!"

"You are my wife, Qilin is my disciple, as for that black-clad person he's nothing to fear, so only Pei Shangling remains."

"Is Pei Shangling not enough?" Mu Yuanzhi thought more and felt uneasy, "If he goes back and tells Xiao Yichen, and ends up like before when he barged into Pingnan Wangfu, we'll be done for—Gu Rongjin, hurry back!"

Gu Rongjin: "Call me 'Brother Rongjin' and I'll go back."

He said this shamelessly.

"Brother Rongjin."

"You call me so unfeelingly..." Gu Rongjin complained.

"You sure have a lot of demands." Mu Yuanzhi had no choice; she suddenly leaned in and lightly kissed Gu Rongjin's lips like a dragonfly touching water.

Gu Rongjin swooned on the spot, but he quickly reacted, turning passive into active, grabbing the person who wanted to flirt and run, and kissed them fiercely.

Early the next morning, Mu Yuanzhi stretched and came out of her room, seeing the National Teacher emerge from the opposite room, she inexplicably felt a bit guilty for no reason.

The National Teacher probably doesn't know that Gu Rongjin came over, right?

But they made such a commotion catching the thief last night—did the National Teacher really not notice?

"Good morning, National Teacher." Mu Yuanzhi greeted first, "Did you sleep well last night?"

The National Teacher smiled and nodded, "Good morning, Princess. I slept very soundly last night."

He then asked, "And you, Princess—did you sleep peacefully?"

"Pretty good." Mu Yuanzhi observed the National Teacher's expression without leaving a trace.

I don't know why, but even though she knows the National Teacher and Gu Rongjin are in cahoots, she subconsciously doesn't want too many people to know that one more person knows Gu Rongjin left the capital.

Probably just being extra careful, like "a cautious sailor gets a ten-thousand-year voyage."

Qilin, who had been awake for a while, now his stomach growled with hunger, "We should go get breakfast!"

"You go ahead; I have other matters to attend to. Let's regroup after an hour and set off again." The National Teacher said.

Qilin was curious what the National Teacher could be up to, but it's fine if he's not here interfering with his conversation with his senior sister.

"Go on, Master—I'll have breakfast with my senior sister!"

Qilin shouted "Master" over and over in a slick way.

"Let's go, senior sister."

The two left the inn, and Qilin then said to Mu Yuanzhi, "Senior sister, should we use this time to look for Madame Huang in the village east of the county town?"

"No need to look; I've already looked for her."

Pei Shangling suddenly appeared before them, his face full of fatigue, as if he hadn't slept all night.

Mu Yuanzhi furrowed her brows, "Did you go find her to silence her?"

"Why would you think that of me?" The disappointment in Pei Shangling's eyes was obvious, "What would I gain by killing her?"

"No dead men tell tales—better not to harm your little sister." Mu Yuanzhi sneered.

"Ah-zhi, I wouldn't do that!" Pei Shangling exclaimed, "I know she's repeatedly tried to harm you despite repeated warnings—how could I possibly help her?"

Mu Yuanzhi: "Fine, what did you do after finding Madame Huang?"

Pei Shangling's brows furrowed deeply as he looked at Mu Yuanzhi and said, "I found that Madame Huang looks very familiar..."

Qilin crossed his arms, "Can you speak more promptly?"

"That Madame Huang seems to be the foster mother who raised Pei Yunxi..." Upon seeing her, Pei Shangling recognized her at first glance, didn't step forward, didn't verify further, and fled as if escaping.

He also doesn't know what he's running from; clearly he already knows that his biological sister is not a good person.

He seems subconsciously unwilling to see her other hidden sins, fearing he couldn't bear it.

After all, she really is his biological sister!

Mu Yuanzhi's eyes narrowed: "Where is she?!"

If we catch that old woman Huang, we might be able to find all of Pei Yunxi's evidence!

"I just took a distant glance and left it at that; I didn't look for her," Pei Shangling said.

Mu Yuanzhi rolled her eyes and gritted her teeth: "She might have already heard the news and run away!"

"Senior sister, let's go quickly!" Qilin said anxiously.

Mu Yuanzhi nodded.

"Ah Zhi!" Pei Shangling called out to them, but then had nothing more to say.

Mu Yuanzhi didn't stop her steps, unwilling to hear Pei Shangling's indecisive nonsense; after all, she never expected anything from Pei Shangling.

Pei Shangling thought it over and still decided to catch up: "I'll go with you!"