Chapter 57: I Won't Rest Until You Are Dead

Pei Shangling, upon hearing that, felt happy but became even more wary.

Indeed, seven or eight out of ten Miao borderlands people know gu.

"What is this doll of yours?" It surely isn't a toy, right?

"That? It's a secret of our sect." The Qilin shook its head, not intending to say.

Pei Shangling furrowed his brows, thinking he needed to pay attention to that cotton doll.

The Qilin, having eaten its fill, rummaged in its sash and produced a pill, handing it to Pei Shangling: "Here."

"What is this?" Pei Shangling asked with a faint wariness.

"My specially made Hundred Spirit Grass pills can guard against gu poison; you are my senior sister's brother, thus my brother as well—take one, effective for three months. I didn't bring many this time; I'll tell you the recipe later." The Qilin said with a smile.

"Thank you." Pei Shangling solemnly put it away, "Ah Zhi's junior disciple is naturally also my brother; we are one family."

He would never take it; who knows if this is actually gu or not?

Hearing Pei Shangling say that, the Qilin smiled happily.

"I need to use the privy; wait a moment." He said and then slipped away instantly.

Pei Shangling felt uneasy, afraid that if he looked away even a moment this little imp would slip off, yet he couldn't say he was going along—it was strange.

"How come you're here, Brother Ling?" A strange, sarcastic voice suddenly reached Pei Shangling's ears.

Pei Shangling turned his head and saw it was indeed Mu Yuanzhi; he felt guilty inside but kept his composure: "Is there a problem with me drinking tea here?"

Mu Yuanzhi scanned the second floor, but didn't find the person she was looking for.

Strange, she clearly heard the Qilin's voice!

That voice is too distinctive; she couldn't possibly mistake it!

Could Pei Shangling have hidden the Qilin?!

That scoundrel wouldn't already be scheming against the Qilin this early, would he?

Just thinking of the Qilin being turned into a human pig by that damned scoundrel made Mu Yuanzhi's heart clench.

She couldn't let this happen again!

"Pei Shangling, where did you hide him?!" Mu Yuanzhi demanded with a stern face.

Pei Shangling was startled, not knowing how Mu Yuanzhi knew.

Could she possibly know mind-reading?

No, impossible; if she could read minds she wouldn't need to ask like that.

Pei Shangling stubbornly denied: "What him? Who are you talking about?"

"Don't deny it, Pei Shangling! You smell of Juechen Valley's Hundred Spirit Grass—you must have seen the Qilin!" Mu Yuanzhi, stepping closer, flared with anger.

Pei Shangling's anger rose too—was she really going to interrogate him over some little junior disciple?

How many days had she spent with that little junior disciple? And how many days with him?

Did she really think he was an incorrigible beast that eats people?

"I merely met a Miao borderlands maiden who sold me a Hundred Spirit Grass pill at a high price, and you're smearing your brother without distinguishing right from wrong?!" Pei Shangling flung his sleeve in anger.

The Hundred Spirit Grass pills are indeed for sale, but they're priceless in the market, hard to obtain, though not impossible to buy; Mu Yuanzhi clenched her lips.

Could she have really misheard? The Qilin didn't come?

In her previous life, the Qilin came because she sent a letter summoning it; because Pei Yunxi had given her gu poison, she couldn't dispel it, so she had no choice but to call the Qilin—otherwise, with her master absent, the Qilin wouldn't readily come down the mountain.

Seeing her hesitate, Pei Shangling pressed his advantage, snorting coldly: "All you know how to do is argue with me; you haven't even offered an apology."

The matter of the bell is also like that.

"An apology? What gives me the right to apologize to you? You should be kneeling instead!" Mu Yuanzhi snorted coldly.

Such a coincidence couldn't possibly exist in the world; she didn't believe it.

In her past life, she was just too stupid, which led to her utter defeat!

The Qilin must be here!

Mu Yuanzhi casually grabbed a shop attendant: "I'm asking you—where is the youth who was just with this person?"

The shop attendant glanced at Pei Shangling, then at Mu Yuanzhi, daring to offend neither.

People in their trade are accustomed to reading expressions; he naturally knew he couldn't speak of the Fourth Prince's expression.

But this person is also the Princess; if he lied, he'd surely not be able to get away with it!

Weighing the pros and cons, the shop attendant could only yield: "I, your humble servant, didn't see anything!"

Heh, didn't see?

Clearly there were two sets of bowls and chopsticks on the table—how could you miss such a big person?

Mu Yuanzhi also didn't want to make things difficult for the attendant; she let him go, then glanced around the teahouse—there were only two floors, no guest rooms—could the Qilin have gone to the privy?

"Then I ask you, where is the privy?"

"The privy, privy?" the shop attendant broke out in a cold sweat.

"What, you don't even know where the privy is?"

Pei Shangling's warning gaze fixed on the shop attendant.

At that moment, a child sprang to his feet: "I need to go to the privy!"

Mu Yuanzhi curled her lips and followed the child.

Pei Shangling's heart was about to jump into his throat!

He must not let Mu Yuanzhi and the Qilin meet!

He hurried after them.

The privy was behind the alley on the first floor, requiring many twists and turns; Mu Yuanzhi, visiting for the first time, searched for a while; the men's and women's privies were separate, and that child ran off quickly, disappearing in a flash—she couldn't catch up.

When she finally found the men's privy, both stalls had their doors shut.

"Qilin? Are you there?"

Mu Yuanzhi shouted, but no one answered.

"Qilin? I'm your senior sister!"

Mu Yuanzhi shouted again.

Still no one answered.

Not in the thatched hut?

Where did he go?

Pei Shangling hasn't yet thought of dealing with the Qilin; it seems there's really no need to hide the Qilin……

Mu Yuanzhi fell into another dilemma; the Qilin only became a thorn in Pei Shangling's side to protect her, and he believes the Qilin intends to harm Pei Yunxi.

Things haven't yet come to that point, so Pei Shangling probably won't do anything to the Qilin, right?

"I'm telling you, there's no such thing as a Qilin or White Tiger—who are you, getting so worked up?!"

Pei Shangling, who had come running, saw Mu Yuanzhi pondering alone here; the door of the thatched hut opened, and two unrelated passersby came out.

"Where's the Qilin?! Where did that little brat go?! Pei Shangling was also puzzled."

Mu Yuanzhi lifted her gaze, fixing him with a stare like that of a criminal, looking into his eyes to see if he was flustered from lying.

But his eyes seemed to show confusion?

Or had she misread him?

"Pei Shangling, you'd better not touch him, or I'll fight you to the death!" Mu Yuanzhi spat out fiercely, then turned and left.

She had to search nearby!

Pei Shangling couldn't believe that Mu Yuanzhi would, for a so-called junior brother she hadn't seen in nearly ten years and had met only a few times, actually say she'd fight him to the death!

What is this? He's protected her for sixteen years, doted on her for sixteen years, and she says such harsh words to him over a stranger whose current state she doesn't even know?!

Pei Shangling clenched his fists in resentment, veins bulging, and finally he couldn't help but punch the nearby banyan tree, its trunk instantly denting inward.

"Master, master……"

The approaching shadow guard was startled; he had never seen the master so angry.

"Speak!"

"Subordinate took it upon himself to bring that youth away."