Chapter 169: Hate? It Doesn't Matter

Qing Shan furrowed his brows tightly and instinctively drew his sword to meet the attack.

In the blink of an eye, dozens of exchanges had passed.

Mo Junyan unhurriedly blocked his relentlessly pressing sword strikes using only one hand — which, to Qing Shan, was nothing short of humiliation.

He gritted his teeth and slashed at Mo Junyan faster and harder, until in the end he was nearly spent, whereas Mo Junyan had only a faint sheen of sweat on his forehead and his breathing hadn't even changed.

Finally, Mo Junyan lost patience somewhat, flipped his wrist to sheathe his longsword, and kicked him in the knee.

Unable to match him, Qing Shan dropped to one knee, eyes blood-red as he glared at him.

"Mo Junyan, you're not actually crippled! You lied to me."

Mo Junyan sheathed his longsword, gave him a cool glance, and scoffed: "What, you're disappointed?"

"Aren't you afraid I'll spread the word that you're not crippled?" He stood up from the ground, eyes fixed dead on Mo Junyan, wishing he could bore holes straight through him.

"What benefit would it be to you if This Prince were crippled?"

"Even if there were no benefit, I still want to see you become a stray dog!" The veins on Qing Shan's neck stood out starkly, like a maddened beast: "My grandfather sacrificed the entire Bai family to protect you! Do you deserve it? Tell me, do you deserve it? Can you face the people of the Bai family who died for your sake? I was born a stray dog, hiding everywhere, my maternal grandfather's entire family perished, and what about you? You remain the exalted prince, Prince Li of Daqi, the god of war in the hearts of the people! And my grandfather? My father? Did they die for nothing? They were meritorious officials who made tremendous contributions to Daqi! Yet now they've become traitorous scoundrels whom everyone denounces and anyone may execute!" Qing Shan's voice carried a tremor as he said furiously: "How can I not hate? I hate you — the Bai family died to protect you — and I hate your father too, he's a foolish ruler!"

Standing behind him, Yun Shan and Yun Shui's expressions changed drastically: "Young Master, how could you speak of the Prince like that? He…"

Before Yun Shan could finish, Mo Junyan raised a hand to interrupt.

"If these reasons and hatred can sustain you in living on, then hate away!" He looked at Qing Shan, who seemed like a small wild beast, and ultimately sighed: "Someday, you will understand."

"Understand? Understand what?"

"Young Master, the Prince is not as you say," Yun Shui couldn't help but explain: "These years, the Prince has been investigating the old general's cause of death — he hasn't been living in comfort as you think."

"That's what he owes the Bai family, what he owes me!" Qing Shan clenched his fists tightly: "I can't beat you now, but one day, I will make you my defeated foe. Mo Junyan, I said it before — sooner or later, I'll cross blades with you, and when that time comes, don't blame me for showing no mercy."

"This Prince awaits that day."

Qing Shan threw the letter in his hand onto the ground: "This is from Chi Nan Yi." With that, he pushed past Yun Shan and Yun Shui and turned to leave.

"Young Master."

"Let him go." Mo Junyan took the letter Yun Shui handed over, and upon seeing its contents, his heart stirred.

How did she know about Lu Qing?

Chi Nan Yi — rebirth — this thought once again filled his mind.

"Prince, are you just going to let Young Master Yunfan keep misunderstanding like this?" Yun Shan said with deep concern: "Young Master Yunfan doesn't know the truth and has always hated you, nor is he close to you."

"What does it matter?" Mo Junyan was entirely indifferent to this; in his view, as long as he could go on living, no matter what reason sustained him, being alive was enough.

"If he were close to me, it would surely make people suspect his identity. Now that he hates me to the bone, it will instead dispel their doubts."

"What if Young Master Yunfan storms the Palace again…"

"He won't. At the very least, for the next year, he won't have the chance to storm the Palace." Mo Junyan looked at the letter in his hand, a smile rising at the corner of his lips — with that clever girl around, even if he wanted to storm the Palace, it would be difficult.

In Mo Junyan's view, Chi Nan Yi was someone who could keep him in line, but he had underestimated Chi Nan Yi.

In truth, the reason Chi Nan Yi kept him by her side was only partly to protect her own safety — what she truly wanted was for him to take her into the Palace.

Ji Bai had never entered the Palace and was unfamiliar with its layout, and she couldn't ask Mo Junyan for a map of the Palace interior, so the best candidate was Qing Shan, who had both entered and escaped the Palace.

"What?" Qing Shan stared at her with wide eyes: "What did you say? Say it again!"

"I said, draw me a map of the Palace interior. You've been in and out of the imperial palace — don't tell me you don't know it."

"What do you want this for?"

"Did you forget again? I'm the master, you're the servant — you do what I tell you to do. Why so much nonsense? Do you not want the antidote to the Stretch Leg Stare Eye Pill anymore?"

"Why do you keep bringing up the Stretch Leg Stare Eye Pill? Just hearing it gives me the creeps." Qing Shan looked at her suspiciously and couldn't help asking: "You're not going to the Palace to steal, are you? Let me make this clear first — I don't do thieving and pilfering, and don't even think about making me your accomplice. This young master…"

"Forget it, I'll take the antidote and feed it to a dog instead!"

"Hey, hey, hey!" Qing Shan grabbed her arm: "Why are you so impatient! You want me to draw it, fine, but there should be some reward!"

"What reward do you want?"

"You said before that you're skilled in medicine and poisons — do you have any more poisons like the Stretch Leg Stare Eye Pill? Can you give me one?"

"What do you want it for?"

"I… I just want to keep one, in case someone provokes me, I'll give it to them." Qing Shan unconsciously rubbed the tip of his nose. Seeing that he was lying, Chi Nan Yi didn't expose him and took out a pill: "This pill's effects are potent — don't use it on anyone lightly, understand?"

Potent effects?

Perfect! That was exactly what he wanted — one with effects so potent that a few breaths after swallowing it, the victim would bleed from all seven orifices and die.

Having gotten what he wanted, Qing Shan leaned over the desk and quickly began drawing the map.

Chi Nan Yi used this time to go out into the streets and look for a shop suitable for opening a beauty parlor.

She walked along the street for a while, and just then, a figure lying in an alley looked somewhat familiar. She stepped forward to take a look — it was actually Ji Wen Yu, already unconscious.

Why would he be here?

At this moment, Ji Wen Yu was covered in wounds all over his body and face, his eyes tightly shut, looking very much like someone taking in more air than he was letting out.

"Miss, are we going to save him?"

"No." Chi Nan Yi refused flatly, without hesitation. The fact that she wasn't stabbing this beast right now was already letting him off easy.

After walking around the streets a few times without finding the shop she wanted, just then, a little beggar came up to Chi Nan Yi, stuffed a wooden token into her arms, and ran off.

Upon seeing the characters engraved on it, Chi Nan Yi's heart leapt with joy and the corners of her lips rose high.

She truly hadn't expected her to be this fast.