Chapter 240: Must See You One Last Time

Xiangcheng.

The imperial troops are stationed there.

Pei Shangyan still hasn't received any reply from Lijun, let alone see Pei Shangnian.

"How absurd!" he shouted, slamming the table in anger.

These rebels don't take him seriously at all!

The scout reported that Nian Di indeed entered Lijun.

He doesn't believe that with Nian Di's ability, he could have gone undiscovered by Gu Rongjin and his men for several days in Lijun.

Nian Di must have been captured by them!

"Report!"

"Speak." Pei Shangyan had little patience.

Every report brings bad news; he's sick of hearing that word!

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, the rebels have set out from Lijun and are advancing toward our army!"

"What?!" Pei Shangyan sprang to his feet, incredulous.

They actually dare to attack?!

"Prince Jia used the pretext that Lijun is threatened to raise his forces and march north with great fanfare!"

"Damned traitor!" Pei Shangyan gritted his teeth.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, should we let the Right General lead the vanguard to meet them?"

"We must not act rashly; Father Emperor said we need his approval before opening hostilities. Once we fight, we must win, not lose."

But Qi Shihuai is coming with great force; if they lose their heads and really start fighting, wouldn't we be walking into a trap?

Pei Shangyan immediately wrote a letter and sent it off at eight-hundred-li express speed to Jingcheng.

"Report!"

"What now?!" Pei Shangyan's temper has visibly flared lately, unlike before.

His subordinates are all trembling with fear.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, someone reportedly saw Pei Yunxi in Xiangcheng."

Although Pei Yunxi has already been demoted to commoner status, after thinking it over, he still felt this should be reported to the Crown Prince.

"Now that the Crown Prince's military affairs are busy, such trivial matters need not be reported!" Pei Shangyan snapped.

The man quickly lowered his head, fearful of incurring his wrath.

Just hearing Pei Yunxi's name made Pei Shangyan even more irritable.

He only wants to know how his younger sister Zhi is doing; irrelevant people can go die as far as he's concerned.

Pei Shangyan gazed toward Lijun and sighed.

Younger sister Zhi, are you also traveling with the army?

At this moment, Mu Yuanzhi is not with the army; they remain stationed in Lijun, and she and Gu Rongjin stay here to tend to the Qilin. The monk said tomorrow he can definitely remove the Symbiotic Gu from the Qilin, full of confidence.

Even so, she still worries.

"You little brat, why are you so disaster-prone?" Mu Yuanzhi wiped the Qilin's face with a damp towel.

Just like her.

Did their master foresee when he took them as disciples that they would be kindred spirits in misfortune?

"You cannot enter!"

"Get out! Don't get in the way!"

The noisy voices outside the door included a sound familiar to Mu Yuanzhi; she then remembered that Pei Shangling is also the master of the Symbiotic Gu, and since his return she has not inquired about him.

He can still jump around lively?

With a bang, the door was rudely pushed open.

The guards outside looked at each other; they dare not move against Pei Shangyan, because Gu Rongjin ordered that Pei Shangling must not be harmed now, although they themselves don't know why.

So facing the dying Pei Shangling who insists on barging in, no one dares to stop him.

"Ah..." Pei Shangling, having exerted all his strength, stumbled in and collapsed on the floor; the breath he had held dissipated upon seeing Mu Yuanzhi, and he lay there completely, whispering, "Zhi..."

Mu Yuanzhi seethed: "Even if you want to die, don't harm the Qilin!"

She commanded the dazed guards: "Quickly help him up!"

"Yes!"

"Ah Zhi..." Pei Shangling, helped up by many hands, clung to calling Mu Yuanzhi's name, expending all his strength, looking as if his oil was about to run out: "Ah Zhi, I fear I... cough cough... am going to die, I must see you one last time..."

He strained to etch Mu Yuanzhi's image in his mind with his gaze, imprinting her deeply in his brain.

"Shut up! If you dare die, I will surely tear you limb from limb!" Mu Yuanzhi grabbed Pei Shangling's collar fiercely, "Even in death you must die after the Symbiotic Gu is undone, otherwise I will surely reduce you to ashes and scatter them—did you hear me?!"

Pei Shangling managed a bitter, strained smile; he was placed in the imperial concubine's chair, his whole body so weak he might faint at any moment, yet he still struggled to reach out to Mu Yuanzhi: "Ah Zhi, even if you... say... such heartless words... I still... still cannot bear to be angry at you for giving me life..."

She did not want him dead; even if only for the Qilin's sake, she did not want him dead, so he would not die!

Pei Shangling suddenly found a powerful resolve, and finally fainted in peace...

Mu Yuanzhi hurriedly checked his pulse; like the Qilin, his pulse was chaotic.

But for now he won't die!

"Is it appropriate to lay him in the imperial concubine's chair?" Mu Yuanzhi worried that any mishap to Pei Shangling would implicate the Qilin.

Yet moving him recklessly is also bad.

So Mu Yuanzhi had the guards lay Pei Shangling beside the Qilin to lie down.

No matter what, two big men lying together won't cause gossip!

It's just that seeing another annoying face upsets her mood!

The next day, when the monk came, he had already recovered to his usual state; seeing this, Mu Yuanzhi felt much more relieved: "Master, are you all right?"

"It's a small matter, Miss Mu, you worried for nothing." He entered, saw the strange sight on the bed, and fell silent for a moment.

Mu Yuanzhi: "There's nothing I can do; I can't just throw him on the ground—if he dies, it'll harm the Qilin."

"After today, there won't be this kind of worry." The monk walked over, full of confidence.

Mu Yuanzhi also stepped over.

"Miss Mu, could you trouble yourself to be my assistant for a moment?" the monk said.

"No problem, do you need anyone else?"

The last time they rescued Pei Shangnian, Rong Jin was also there.

"No need, you just need to keep an eye on Pei Shangling; otherwise if he suddenly spasms and hits the poor monk, that wouldn't be good." The monk smiled.

Mu Yuanzhi nodded.

She asked, not understanding: "Master, after you took the medicine, how do we dispel their gu poison?"

"The poor monk can simply transfer his own blood to the Qilin young master."

"This works too?" There's such a healing method?

The monk gave a mysterious smile: "This is our sect's secret art."

Mu Yuanzhi didn't know whether the secret art he spoke of referred to the Zangyue Sect or the school he had joined through his cultivation.

This person has many secrets, but his vast supernatural powers are reassuring.

She bound Pei Shangling's hands and feet with the golden silk thread used for taking pulses; the fine, thin golden silk thread, though light as four taels, could move a thousand catties, allowing her to suppress Pei Shangling under her control so he wouldn't move recklessly.

The monk gave the Qilin a blood transfusion and transferred inner energy; Mu Yuanzhi could see the Qilin's complexion visibly improve considerably, and she couldn't help but smile.

Indeed, this Master Yuan Yan really has some skills!

At that moment, Pei Shangling suddenly began to convulse; Mu Yuanzhi quickly pressed down on the golden silk thread, and Pei Shangling spat out a mouthful of blood. Mu Yuanzhi used her sleeve to block it, but it almost splashed onto her face.

"Master, is the Qilin all right?" Mu Yuanzhi asked anxiously.

Pei Shangling has actually vomited blood!

The monk said: "It's fine; Pei Shangling is vomiting blood because one of the Symbiotic Gu has died."

"Is it the one inside the Qilin that died?"