The north wind blew, and the faint fragrance of osmanthus permeated the courtyard.
Lu Feibo, clad in a blue silk gown and a dark cloak, had eyebrows reaching his temples, a chiseled profile, and long, gentle eyes that flashed with a hint of cold light as he looked at Xie Beihan.
He sat in a wheelchair, yet his posture was as straight and proud as a green cypress.
A smile flickered across Xie Beihan's sinister face. "Jingzhi, your illness has worsened. Why come out in such cold weather?"
Hearing him speak, Ye Luan couldn't help but look at Lu Feibo.
His handsome face was pale, the fatigue beneath his eyelids impossible to conceal. Especially his thin lips, which held a sickly deathly white hue.
"What are you doing?"
Seeing his friend question him, Xie Beihan smiled and licked his lips.
"Didn't you see?"
Lu Feibo's usually gentle eyes flashed with a sharp glint. "Stop playing, and know when to quit."
Hearing this, Xie Beihan said nothing and shrugged.
Lu Feibo no longer paid him any mind and offered a gentle smile to Ye Luan beside him.
"Aluan, long time no see."
Ye Luan had only intended to greet Lu Feibo and leave, but they had been in a tense exchange, and she hadn't been able to interject.
Seeing Lu Feibo speak to her directly now, she stepped down from the covered walkway and asked with concern.
"How is your illness?"
"Still the same."
The wind here was too cold, and Lu Feibo couldn't help but cough, his handkerchief stained with blood.
Ye Luan frowned. "Did you find the medicine?"
Upon hearing this, a hint of loneliness flashed in Lu Feibo's downcast eyes.
Those medicinal ingredients were rare in the world. He had traveled to many places, and his trip to Zhongzhou this time was also for one of them.
"Thank you for your concern, Aluan. I'm close to finding it."
As he finished speaking, a scoffing sound suddenly rang out.
Both of them frowned, looking towards the man on the covered walkway with confusion.
Xie Beihan stood with his arms crossed, his toes lightly touching the ground, leaning against a red pillar. A hint of a sneer played on his devilishly handsome face.
Despite the lazy posture, there was an undeniable elegance to him.
"Those ingredients can't be found completely. Why lie to her?"
As soon as he spoke, Lu Feibo's face showed displeasure, and he cast a warning glance at Xie Beihan.
Ye Luan, however, sighed inwardly.
The most difficult ingredient to find among them was the legendary Han Dan Zhu, the medicinal lead. It was irreplaceable. Without it, the medicine could not be refined.
Moreover, this prescription could only delay the onset of frost illness, not cure it.
"Little girl, you speak so politely to Jingzhi, but you seem impatient with me?"
Ye Luan was too lazy to deal with him and directly said to Lu Feibo, "Han Dan Zhu grows in extremely yin and extremely cold places. Perhaps you might find some in the thirteen states of Mobei."
Hearing her concern, Lu Feibo smiled faintly. "Alright."
"Mhm."
Ye Luan, fearing that Xiao Chizhan would be furious if he couldn't find her, said a few more words before bidding Lu Feibo farewell.
As she walked away, she could clearly feel Xie Beihan's eyes, like snakes, fixed on her back, staring at her.
The biting cold wind was desolate and bleak.
Lu Feibo coughed heavily a few times, his pale face etched with displeasure. "Come back to your senses."
Xie Beihan turned back and smiled faintly, "Why did you come out?"
"Don't have any ideas about her. She doesn't want to be involved in your conflicts."
"Tsk." Xie Beihan shook his head, walked to his side, and lightly patted his shoulder, "Brother, I've taken a liking to her."
A sharp glint flashed in Lu Feibo's gentle eyes. "Stop playing, and end it here."
Xie Beihan remained silent, a pale, sinister smile on his face.
----
Ye Luan returned to the inner chamber and frowned at the red marks on her wrist, which Xie Beihan had left.
If Xiao Chizhan found out about this, she would be done for.
She quickly found the medicine Xiao Chizhan had left in Yueya Garden earlier from her bag and applied it to her wrist. Before long, the marks gradually faded.
"Phew~"
Thank goodness the medicine was effective, or she would surely have been in trouble.
Just as she finished, the beaded curtain was lifted, and a man radiating coldness strode in.
"Your Highness."
Ye Luan's cold expression quickly turned into a smile, and she walked over, wrapping her arms around his.
Seeing her in the room, Xiao Chizhan's stern expression softened slightly.
"Where did you go?"
"Just wandered around." She smiled and poured him a cup of tea.
He said nothing, sitting in a chair, his deep red eyes staring at her.
Ye Luan's heart skipped a beat, but she maintained a calm expression.
Xiao Chizhan must have planted spies around her. If the spies were entangled with Xie Beihan's men just now, did he know she had met Xie Beihan?
Thinking of this, a sharp gleam flashed in her downcast eyes.
Xie Beihan wanted to use her; why not play along with his scheme?
Her jade arm was suddenly gripped, and he pulled her whole body into his embrace, forcing her to sit on his lap.
Ye Luan naturally looped her arms around his neck and said seriously, "Do you know who I just met?"
'You want to tell me you met Xie Beihan?'
Ye Luan: "-----"
Why wasn't he playing by the rules?!
She feigned surprise. "How did you know?"
Xiao Chizhan's rough thumb rubbed her chin, his bewitching red eyes looking at her indifferently.
Ye Luan's heart tightened, and she put on a wronged expression.
"I was admiring the flowers in the garden just now, and he suddenly appeared. He scared me to death."
"Mhm, and then?"
A faint scent of medicine emanated from her. His eyes scanned down her face inch by inch, finally settling on her hand.
Ye Luan naturally noticed this, and her body stiffened for a moment.
She said directly, "I wanted to leave, but he wouldn't let me. He grabbed my hand and spoke ill of you. He just wanted to use me to pass him information and frame you."
"Then how did you get back?"
He gazed at her face, as if not missing a single expression on it.
Ye Luan buried her head on his shoulder and complained, "I just played along with what he said and muddled through."
"Oh?" Xiao Chizhan suddenly reached out and lifted her chin, forcing her to face him. "I thought Lu Feibo went to save you."
Her heart trembled violently.
Ye Luan remained silent, feigning distress as she looked at him.
Her rosy, fair face, trembling eyelashes, alluring fox eyes, small nose, and tender red lips like a budding flower.
She was seducing him.
Xiao Chizhan suddenly smiled, the strange red lips curving into an arc.
Her bones were filled with stubbornness, refusal to yield, and fierce pride. She had reined in her capricious sharpness and cruel claws, showing him weakness and acting spoiled, wanting him to lower his guard.
He enjoyed, liked this side of her.
But he could see the complete lack of love for him in her eyes.
"You want me to deal with him for you?"
Ye Luan looked at him and smiled, unable to help but let out a cold laugh.
It seemed her first impression on him had been too deep.
He had long seen through her nature.
He had always known that her temper was nothing like the facade she was putting on now. She would never truly know how to show weakness.
The pretense was all false.
But she had to continue the act.