After Wei Qingge finished brewing the medicine and feeding it to Li Qiongyu, she started boiling the wild eggs.
She watched Chi Yan, who had already finished roasting the wild chicken, and said, "As agreed, share half."
Chi Yan glanced at Xu Qing, who looked weak, and directly tore off half and handed it to her.
"Five wild eggs."
She didn't know how long she would be stuck in this place, and filling her stomach was a problem.
Wei Qingge hummed, acknowledging him.
"Here."
Li Qiongyu had just finished a bowl of medicine and looked much better.
He took the roasted meat and pulled Wei Qingge to sit down.
"How do you feel?"
Li Qiongyu pinched her nose and curved his lips, "It seems my time on the border was not wasted."
Wei Qingge huffed proudly.
The two of them were glaringly conspicuous here. Chi Yan averted his gaze, scoffed, and began to change Xu Qing's dressing.
His face was unusually pale, and his lips were almost bloodless.
"Feeling any better?"
Xu Qing lowered his gaze to her, but said nothing.
Chi Yan, not receiving a response, looked up and met his deep brown eyes.
She looked cautiously at the two people not far away and didn't dare to tease him.
No matter how stubborn he was, he had still jumped off the cliff with her, so he must still have feelings for her in his heart.
After applying the medicine, she propped herself up and leaned into his ear, whispering seductively.
"When we get back, give up monastic life."
Xu Qing's expression remained indifferent, and he leaned to the side.
"Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. It is my duty as a monk, you don't need to worry about it."
Hearing this, Chi Yan was so angry she wanted to bite his lips.
But she could feel the watching eyes of the two people nearby, so she resentfully turned back.
"What are you looking at?"
Li Qiongyu tutted, "This is the first time I've seen a monk in love. I'm just curious."
"You--"
Chi Yan gritted her teeth, enraged. She didn't know where she heard these past events from, but she kept stabbing them with their shared history.
Wei Qingge stomped her foot and stood up, hands on her hips. "It's none of your business that I like him. We can't compare to you, using a monk to destroy Lin Zhou and almost causing the Great Desert to fall apart."
"Oh, so after all these years, this monk still hasn't let go of you, the demonic woman? If it were me, I would have stabbed you to death long ago."
"You little brat, are you looking for a beating?!"
The two argued fiercely. Xu Qing was not interested in their verbal sparring. He leaned against the mountain wall and closed his eyes, remaining silent.
Li Qiongyu, on the other hand, listened with great interest.
------
At the post station.
Ye鸾 stood at the doorway, listening to the sounds from inside, her lips pursed slightly.
Northern Qi had mobilized an additional hundred thousand troops at the Xuzhou River. What did Xie Beihan intend to do? Was he still going to fight?
If Great Liang and Northern Qi were to truly go to war, the entire Nine Provinces would be engulfed in flames, and the common people would suffer greatly.
Why was this lunatic so difficult to deal with?
Just as she was about to turn and leave, Xue Ren emerged from the room. He saw her and quickly called out, "Miss Ye."
Ye鸾 turned back and beckoned to him.
"Come here."
Xue Ren approached respectfully and said, "Miss, why aren't you coming inside? His Highness is in there."
"Did you get the things I asked you to fetch earlier?"
"Your subordinate has already sent someone back to the capital to retrieve them. They should arrive in two days."
When Xiao Chi Zhan came out of the room, he saw the two of them talking in the corridor, and his expression immediately darkened.
Xue Ren felt a chill down his spine. He turned and saw his Prince looking at him coldly. He quickly bowed and retreated, leaving.
"What were you talking to him about?"
Ye鸾, holding up her skirt, ran over.
She smiled and tugged at his face, "Why the long face? You're scary."
Xiao Chi Zhan reached out and put his arm around her waist. "What did you say?"
"I asked him to have someone help me get something from the capital."
If she didn't appease this petty man, and he went to ask Xue Ren, she would be in trouble again.
Xiao Chi Zhan hugged her and walked inside. "What did you get?"
"A lady's belongings. Why are you asking so many questions?" Ye鸾 huffed, and then added, "I'm not going in. It's all men."
Xiao Chi Zhan didn't listen. He tightened his grip on her waist and pulled her inside.
In the hall, there were many generals. On the lower right, Liu Rongruo was sitting and drinking tea. Seeing her enter, he smiled and gestured.
Ye鸾 nodded, saying nothing.
This Liu Rongruo, more scummy than Tan Taiye, and more ruthless than Li Qiongyu, was not someone to be trifled with.
That day, she heard that the young girl waited outside his door all night, but he refused to appear. In the end, she fainted without him even looking. His heart was truly hard.
Cold-hearted!
"Everyone, withdraw."
As soon as Xiao Chi Zhan spoke, the people sitting below respectfully withdrew.
At this moment, a guard entered from outside and bowed.
"Greetings, Your Highness, Prime Minister."
Liu Rongruo looked up and asked, "What is it?"
"The Saintess refuses to eat and insists on seeing His Highness."
Upon hearing this, Liu Rongruo's teacup paused, and his expression turned cold.
"Have the physician keep her alive, but don't let her die."
The guard said, "But she won't let the physician near her. She's wary of everyone and keeps shouting that she wants to see you."
Silence fell for a moment.
Liu Rongruo took a sip of his tea, his lowered eyes betraying no emotion.
Xiao Chi Zhan handed Ye鸾 a book and looked at Liu Rongruo, his blood-red, bewitching pupils flashing with amusement.
"Go and see her."
Liu Rongruo stood up and said, "Let's return to the capital after Li Qiongyu returns."
Ye鸾 lowered her eyes to read the book. She had heard that they had found the mark left by Li Qiongyu and had already sent people to search for them, and neither of them had died.
"Mm."
After Liu Rongruo left, Ye鸾 immediately pulled Xiao Chi Zhan and asked, "Aren't we still looking for Mu Rou and Tan Taiye?"
Xiao Chi Zhan sat down and pulled her into his arms, remaining silent.
Ye鸾 pursed her lips slightly and didn't ask further, changing the subject.
But before they could talk for long, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her, holding her very, very tightly, as if he wanted to merge her into his very bones.
Liu Rongruo emerged from the study and went directly to the courtyard where Chi You was staying.
Inside, Chi You was curled up on the bed, her eyes red from crying. She heard the sound of the door opening and spoke in a muffled voice.
"I won't eat. I want to see my brother."
Perhaps because she had been crying for a long time, her voice was hoarse and carried a hint of grievance.
Liu Rongruo stood quietly at the doorway, looking at her on the bed, his expression unreadable.
Chi You heard no response. She blinked and looked up, only to see the person she had been longing for.
She opened her mouth in surprise, looking stunned, and didn't react for a moment.
"Didn't you want to see me?"
A clear, cold voice sounded, and he slowly walked in.
"Brother."
Chi You instantly became excited. She kicked off her slippers and lunged towards him.
Liu Rongruo pressed down on her head and stepped back.
"Stand still."
Chi You immediately stood obediently, her eyes swollen red, curving into a smile as she looked at him.
"Where did you go? I've been looking for you for so long."
"Why were you looking for me?"
Chi You twisted her fingers and said aggrievedly, "They all say you're going to send me to the palace. I don't want to go to the palace."
Liu Rongruo looked down at her and smiled faintly.
"You are the Saintess of Southern Xinjiang. Southern Xinjiang is to form a marriage alliance with Great Liang, so you are to be sent to the palace."
Southern Xinjiang Saintess?!
A flicker of confusion crossed Chi You's eyes, and her head began to ache. She bit her lip and shook her head desperately.
"Is this where the family you were looking for is?"
"Mm."
Chi You's heart instantly filled with sadness. She grabbed Liu Rongruo's sleeve and looked at him with tear-filled eyes, "But I like you, Brother, and I don't want to marry anyone else."