Wei An Mountain.
Wei An squatted on the mountainside, looking at the livestock whose blood had already run dry.
For several consecutive days, the monster in Wei An Mountain seemed to have disappeared. These livestock, used as bait, not only had their blood drained but some were already attracting flies.
What about the monster?
Dead?
Or gone?
Or had it hibernated like a bear?
Wei An frowned slightly. Due to the sudden change in the peace talks between the two countries, His Majesty had issued an ultimatum. Now, regardless of what had happened to the monster, they could no longer afford to wait passively.
"Guards, issue a decree. Starting today, form small teams of ten to patrol the mountains until the monster is found or its departure is confirmed."
"Yes!"
...
Deep into the night, Nan Shiying quietly left the princely mansion.
Instead of going to the cave in the outskirts, she sneaked into the Nan manor.
She had received a letter from Nan Chaoyin.
"Your subordinate Qing Yuan greets you, Master."
Nan Shiying knelt on the ground, her head lowered, hiding her unwilling expression.
"Rise!" Nan Chaoyin's voice descended from above. Nan Shiying slowly stood up and stood respectfully before the desk.
"What exactly happened at the palace banquet today?" Nan Chaoyin asked directly, without any preamble.
Nan Shiying replied, "At today's banquet, the princess of Da Li wished to meet with 'Nan Shiying,' which is why your subordinate left the banquet after dealing with Qin Yushan."
Nan Chaoyin raised an eyebrow slightly but did not interrupt. Nan Shiying continued, "She confided in me about the loneliness and hardship of being in a foreign country, but in reality, she seemed to want to connect with the Regent, Ji Jinmo, through 'Nan Shiying,' the Regent's consort."
"While we were talking, we saw Mu Baiyu with a maidservant wearing a green dress. Mu Baiyu's state was somewhat strange, so the princess of Da Li and I went forward to investigate. As a result, when that maidservant saw the princess of Da Li, she suddenly attacked her."
"Your subordinate knew that the princess of Da Li absolutely could not die in the imperial palace of Lin Yuan, so I had no choice but to intervene. Since the place where we were fighting blocked the princess of Da Li's path back to the main hall, she could only run towards the rear."
"That maidservant..."
Nan Shiying recounted everything to Nan Chaoyin, word for word.
Nan Chaoyin listened, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper, until finally, he slammed the table. "That scoundrel! As expected, none of the Miao Jiang蛊师 (gu masters) can be trusted?"
Nan Shiying's eyes showed a timely surprise, and she hesitantly asked, "Master, that maidservant..."
"Yes, she is mine."
"Then, what about me?"
Nan Shiying widened her eyes in feigned shock and trembled, as if she had ruined Nan Chaoyin's great plan.
"It's not your fault."
Nan Chaoyin did not blame Qing Yuan, as Qing Yuan was unaware of the matter.
It was just a pity... He had intentionally let the Miao Jiang蛊师 enter the palace, and that person turned out to be so useless that they couldn't even kill a princess of Da Li.
Useless!
But if what Qing Yuan said was true, then there were really Miao Jiang蛊师 in the palace? Heh, the country of Lin Yuan was practically riddled with holes.
A cold smile appeared in his eyes.
Qing Yuan thought for a moment, then continued, "Master, how could there be a Miao Jiang蛊师 in the palace? Was it you?"
Nan Chaoyin shook his head. "How is that possible?"
If he had such ability, then Lin Yuan here... He instantly suppressed his thoughts and waved his hand at Qing Yuan. "Alright, you go back. Be careful."
"Yes!"
...
After Nan Shiying left the Nan manor, she went to the Wei mansion.
Wei Yuan, with his brows furrowed, squatted beside Mu Baiyu, his fan almost creating a blur. Regarding the Miao Jiang蛊虫 (gu worms), he was completely at a loss, unable to do anything. He could only seal several major acupoints on Mu Baiyu with silver needles, putting him into a coma.
Poison Elder couldn't help but glare at Wei Yuan a few times, finding this fellow extremely irritating. Why the sighing? It was just a love蛊, not fatal.
Look at this person here; the蛊 poison on him was a hundred, even a thousand times more severe, yet he acted as if nothing were wrong. Poison Elder knew how potent the 蛊 poison of the Yin clan was. If Ji Jinmo's 蛊 poison couldn't be resolved, his fate would be far more miserable than that of the person who had been tortured into a monster by the 蛊 worms.
Nan Shiying pushed open the door and entered the room, glancing at Mu Baiyu lying on the bed.
"Sister-in-law, you're finally here!!!"
Wei Yuan jumped up from the ground and rushed to Nan Shiying's side. If he hadn't been afraid of being sliced in half by Ji Jinmo's sword, he would have dragged Nan Shiying towards the bed.
Nan Shiying ignored him and walked slowly to Ji Jinmo and Poison Elder, asking about Mu Baiyu's condition. "How is it?"
Poison Elder stroked his chin and said, "Control is the priority. After all, it's not serious, just a love蛊. He won't die. Keep an eye on him at all times. Perhaps we can also trace the blue family's little girl."
"That's right!"
Nan Shiying nodded.
Wei Yuan's eyes widened, and he turned to look at Ji Jinmo.
Ji Jinmo pondered for a moment and said, "If that's the case, then there's no need to control him."
Wei Yuan: "..."
What, was that even human speech?
Poison Elder glanced at Ji Jinmo and then winked at Nan Shiying.
Aren't these people childhood friends? Is this how your beloved treats his dear friend?
Nan Shiying twitched her lips and glared at Ji Jinmo.
She knew why he was like this but couldn't say it. What could she say, and how could she say it? Say it was because Mu Baiyu had hurt her, and Ji Jinmo intended to retaliate?
Seeing Nan Shiying's strange expression, but she seemed unwilling to say anything, Poison Elder shrugged and put the medicine he had just taken back into his怀.
"No, Ji Jinmo, you..."
Wei Yuan glared at Ji Jinmo. If he couldn't beat him, he would have punched him in the face long ago.
Ji Jinmo slowly raised his eyelids and glanced at Wei Yuan. Wei Yuan immediately deflated, gave a few awkward laughs, and then nodded in agreement, "What you're saying makes sense, it makes a lot of sense."
Poison Elder: "..."
What kind of people are these!
...
For several consecutive days, the Ji Yang army had almost turned Wei An Mountain upside down. Finally, they confirmed that the monster had truly disappeared. Upon receiving this news, the Ji Yang army, the Ministry of War, and the Jingzhao Yin Office all breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that it had disappeared; if the monster hadn't disappeared, their official hats would have.
The Ji Yang army, the Ministry of War, and the Jingzhao Yin Office jointly submitted a memorial. After receiving it, Ji Hong decreed that the winter hunt would officially commence on the twenty-fifth of this month.