Chapter 401: Locked Up

Pei Shangling stood alone, dazed, for a long time without coming to his senses; when he finally reacted, everyone had already left, and he hurriedly chased after them.

No one cared whether Pei Shangling was there; Mu Yuanzhi held Mu Yumo in one arm to comfort him, and with the other hand she tightly gripped Gu Yutong's hand.

She was now a little frightened, only feeling at ease after tightly gripping both children in her hands.

"Mother, don't worry, I'm fine!" Seeing that her mother was worried, Mu Yumo turned to comfort Mu Yuanzhi: "Little Mo, aren't I doing well now? This is what they call 'a virtuous person enjoys heavenly favor'!"

"Really good, our little Mo is a thoughtful little cotton-padded jacket." Mu Yuanzhi felt heartache that her son, only three years old, was so sensible.

Not noisy or rowdy; despite having just gone through such a shocking and moving event, they instead comforted themselves.

"Yes, Mother, when I go back I'll supervise Brother to train harder!" Gu Yutong said, "And next time I'll stick by his side to protect him well!"

Hearing that, Mu Yumo became displeased and, unwilling to show weakness, said: "How can a sister protect a brother? It should be the brother protecting the sister. Don't worry, Mother, I'll soon become as strong as Father and beat all the bad guys until they're looking for their teeth!"

Seeing her children so well-behaved, obedient, and ambitious, Mu Yuanzhi instantly felt immense relief.

"Good, you're both well-behaved and sensible; Mother doesn't worry anymore." Mu Yuanzhi laughed, rubbing her son's nose, which made little Yumo giggle nonstop.

"I want it too, I want it too!" Gu Yutong shouted jealously.

Mu Yuanzhi then wanted to pick up her daughter as well, but Gu Rongjin, seeing this, quickly stepped forward and used his other hand to lift little Yutong, saying, "How can you hold both by yourself? Let me do it."

Even after being picked up by her father, little Yutong still thought of Mother's nuzzling, reaching out her little hand to touch her.

Mu Yuanzhi flicked her little fingertip: "She really takes after her father, a little vinegar jar."

"I want to nuzzle too!" Gu Yutong was not satisfied.

"All right." Mu Yuanzhang directly gave a smacking kiss on her daughter's little cheek, and little Yutong instantly beamed with joy.

The Qilin had no choice but to interrupt their warm family moment, asking: "How should we deal with this Xiao Yichen?"

Once they stepped out of the teahouse into the bustling crowd, dragging Xiao Yichen along would be very conspicuous.

Mu Yuanzhi: "Should we let Ander Luo know that we've captured Xiao Yichen?"

Gu Rongjin: "Knowing or not knowing makes no difference; or knowing might be better. Let's first lock up Xiao Yichen."

Qilin: "Should we let His Majesty decide, or should we decide ourselves and discuss further when we return?"

Mu Yuanzhi and Gu Rongjin both nodded.

"Then let's do that," said the Qilin.

Xiao Yichen, arranged by them, seemed to have his soul sucked out, his whole body devoid of vitality; Gu Rongjin pulled him along with one hand, pushing him forward like a walking corpse.

No one knew what he was thinking, and no one cared what he was thinking.

Although they had come with an added carriage, they still attracted the attention of many passersby, who glanced sideways.

After all, they recognized this handsome bunch as the Valley Master and the Valley Master's honored guest from Jingcheng; now, seeing them escorting a person onto a carriage on the main street, naturally sparked gossip.

This scene was also seen by A Zi's spy, who silently retreated a bit and quietly watched the carriage depart, then depart again.

The group returned to the valley, and the Qilin pondered where to confine Xiao Yichen.

"Where would be safest to lock him up?" Mu Yuanzhi was unclear about the valley's defenses.

Qilin: "The safest place can only be the swamp beneath Back Mountain; historically, those expelled from the sect and exiled have been locked up there."

"Huh? Will Xiao Yichen undergo mutation?" Gu Rongjin recalled Ruohua, who was now no different from dead.

Qilin: "How could there be so many mutations? Ruohua herself practiced evil arts, and besides, she wasn't directly sunk into the swamp—ordinary people couldn't survive that, so naturally there is a special confinement place."

"As long as it's safe, we must not let him escape or be snatched away," said Mu Yuanzhi.

"If it's just temporary confinement, we don't need to go through all that trouble; why not just have Pei Si watch him?" said Gu Rongjin.

Mu Yuanzhi: "Do you completely trust Pei Si?"

"At least Pei Si is not an ally of Ander Luo." Gu Rongjin could be certain of that.

Qilin: "But if we openly let Pei Si know, isn't that equivalent to letting His Majesty know?"

"Anyway, those who ought to know will find out anyway," said Gu Rongjin.

After thinking, the Qilin finally nodded: "All right, let Pei Si watch him; after all, it's only temporary, and we'll discuss later how to dispose of Xiao Yichen."

They summoned Pei Si, who looked at the kneeling, head-down, dejected Xiao Yichen in the center of the hall and chuckled: "When you need bodyguards, you suddenly remember this palace."

Pei Si arrived, but Xiao Yichen showed no reaction; to those unaware, he seemed like a lifelike wooden puppet resembling a human.

Gu Rongjin just laughed: "Your Highness, you're overpraising us— isn't it precisely because we don't treat you as an outsider that we handed over the escaped criminal for you to guard? As the Third Prince, entrusting the fugitive to you is both proper and reasonable."

Pei Si neither affirmed nor denied: "Since this palace sincerely wishes to be friends with you, this small matter will naturally not be refused. A Ci, watch him; allow no slip whatsoever."

Cao Cixiu nodded: "Your Highness, please rest assured."

He walked up to Xiao Yichen and pulled him up.

Upon seeing Cao Cixiu, Xiao Yichen finally reacted; though he had never met Cao Cixiu, he instantly knew this person was not ordinary!

A feeling that made one's flesh creep.

Cao Cixiu gave Xiao Yichen a smile; the dragged Xiao Yichen sized up Cao Cixiu, and neither spoke until they were almost out of the hall doors, when he reluctantly turned back to look at Mu Yuanzhi.

Mu Yuanzhi naturally wouldn't give him a second glance; even when she looked over, her gaze was solely on Cao Cixiu.

Xiao Yichen dimly withdrew his gaze, his eyes returning to the earlier dazed and wooden state.

"All right, this palace should also be leaving; you probably have matters to discuss." After saying that, Pei Si nodded and took his leave.

"Take care, Your Highness!" Gu Rongjin waved at him.

After Pei Si left, they sat down to discuss Xiao Yichen's affair.

Gu Rongjin: "Do you think we should tell His Majesty?"

"I oppose!" the Qilin was the first to oppose: "Handing Xiao Yichen over to His Majesty doesn't necessarily mean he'll be beheaded; as long as he still has a breath, he might stir up trouble."

Letting Xiao Yichen go again, we truly don't know what mischief he might cause.

Mu Yuanzhi pondered for a moment, then said: "Let's not tell His Majesty for now; let's observe developments, first keep him locked up, and see how Ander Luo reacts."

"All right, lock him up; let's find a way to pry open his mouth— we might gain something." Gu Rongjin curled her lips, "Even if we don't intervene, Pei Si might still chat with him."