"I picked it up in a cave."
Feng Yexuan stared at her suddenly pale face, his eyes narrowing slightly, his gaze deep.
"Why are you so nervous? Do you know Long Xiyue?"
Chu Qianli opened her mouth, but the words wouldn't come out clearly.
She couldn't possibly tell him that she was Long Xiyue's daughter.
She didn't have much of an impression of him, having lost all memory, only knowing that he was the God of War, Prince Xuan of the Northern Nether Kingdom.
Her affairs couldn't be known to him.
But...
"Why did you go to the cave?" she asked softly.
"When I saved you before, I found a portrait in the cave."
Feng Yexuan took a step forward, staring intently at her face. He suddenly said, "This King recognizes the person in the painting, it's your mother, Long Qianyue."
"What?" It was that painting! It really was a painting!
Something had been lingering in her mind. She had felt before that there should be two paintings, but she couldn't recall who was in them.
Now that he mentioned it, some scenes flashed back into her mind.
She had also seen a portrait in Consort Yu's Xianlan Palace.
And, she had indeed been led to a cave by Consort Yu, and there was a portrait in that cave as well.
Different portraits, painting... the same person...
Long Xiyue.
No, he said Long Qianyue...
"Ugh..." Chu Qianli suddenly clutched her head, her legs giving way, and she almost knelt.
Feng Yexuan strode forward and helped her up. "Why are you kneeling to this King? Do you want this token?"
Huh? She wanted the token, so she was kneeling to him?
Chu Qianli felt a bit disoriented and couldn't react for a moment.
Feng Yexuan, however, seemed unconcerned. After she steadied herself, he let go of her.
He glanced at the token she was tightly clutching and snorted, "Long Xiyue has been gone for many years, and the imperial court of the Long Teng Kingdom has long since changed."
"This token is of no use to this King. If you like it, take it and play with it. Why are you kneeling?"
He turned and walked forward, truly not wanting the token?
But, didn't he find it strange?
He saw a portrait of Long Qianyue in the cave, and then discovered Long Xiyue's token.
Wouldn't he investigate further? Or even ask her why she knew Long Xiyue?
Was his IQ declining, or had hers inexplicably dropped?
She couldn't quite understand...
"Still not leaving? Waiting for those imperial guards to come back and chase you?"
The man walking ahead spoke with a hint of impatience.
"Uh... I'm going, I'm going." He didn't even ask her why she was here?
Forget it, Chu Qianli decided not to think about it.
After all, she was already immensely grateful to have found Long Xiyue's token.
As for that cave...
"No, I have to go and see." She only took a few steps before stopping.
"There's nothing else inside, just a tomb where this token was buried. That empty grave must have been dug up and made unrecognizable by them by now. You won't see anything useful even if you go back."
An empty grave, where this token was buried...
Chu Qianli looked down at the token in her hand.
Long Xiyue...
Consort Yu really knew Long Xiyue, and even for so many years, she had been paying respects to Long Xiyue.
Before Consort Yu became Consort Yu, what was her true identity?
What was her relationship with Long Xiyue, and why had she been paying respects to her all this time?
Could it be that they were friends?
"Then I..."
"We'll talk about it when we get back." Feng Yexuan quickened his pace.
Chu Qianli had no choice but to take another look at Long Xiyue's token, then put it away and hurried to catch up.
The dense forest still had a somewhat strange aura.
Soon, she caught up with Feng Yexuan and whispered, "Your Highness..."
"Not calling this King Fourth Imperial Brother like Wuya?" Feng Yexuan snorted.
Chu Qianli almost rolled her eyes at him.
This man was truly petty.
She sulkily called out, "Fourth Imperial Brother!"
Feng Yexuan pursed his thin lips. Reaching the peak of his anger, he instead laughed coldly, "Good, from now on, call this King Fourth Imperial Brother. If you don't, this King will order someone to beat you!"
"..." He was utterly insane, wasn't he? Should someone prescribe him some medicine?
"Any objections?" Feng Yexuan suddenly stopped, turning to stare at her. "Hmm?"
He was clearly angry.
Chu Qianli was unwilling to yield and snorted, "No objections! Anyway, after marrying Wuya, I'll have to call you Fourth Imperial Brother, so I'm just calling you that in advance!"
She stomped her foot secretly, wondering why she was arguing with him, but she was just being willful, calling out several times: "Fourth Imperial Brother, Fourth Imperial Brother, Fourth Imperial Brother!"
This naughty child!
Feng Yexuan was amused and angry, and suddenly dashed back.
This move almost scared Chu Qianli to death!
Such terrifying speed!
In less than a breath, he was in front of her.
She wanted to retreat, but it was too late.
Feng Yexuan grabbed her. "Walking so slowly, do you want to implicate this King and be discovered by the imperial guards?"
"I... hey!" Not only did he lift her, but he actually slung her over his shoulder.
"Hey!"
"What are you calling this King?"
"Wang... Fourth Imperial Brother!" Damn it, my head is down and my butt is up, how unsightly!
"Put me down, I can walk myself."
"You're walking too slowly!" He strode towards the royal mansion.
"You're walking even slower now!" So this guy wasn't in a hurry at all, he was doing it on purpose!
"This King is happy!"
"Let me go..."
"Do you want this King to drag you by your legs?" Feng Yexuan stopped, lowering his gaze to her flushed face. "Hmm? Want to try?"
"You're a pervert!"
"Hmm?" He raised an eyebrow.
"N-nothing, I mean you're so handsome." She almost gagged herself.
However, walking with her legs dragged? No, no, that would be too ugly.
She had every reason to believe that this perverted and domineering Prince Xuan could definitely say it and do it.
It was better not to provoke him.
"That... Fourth Imperial Brother, can you put me down? I promise I can keep up with your pace, okay?"
She wrung her fingers pitifully, "Walking like this, my stomach feels so uncomfortable, I'm afraid I might accidentally throw up and get it all over you?"
Feng Yexuan instantly showed disgust and tossed her into the air.
Chu Qianli's heart leaped with joy. She finally landed steadily on the ground and immediately tried to step back.
"If you move three steps away from this King, this King will immediately carry you."
"Why?" She complained under her breath, but she had already obediently returned to his side, within three steps!
She didn't want to be carried like this again, it was hard on her head and stomach.
"Since you call this King Fourth Imperial Brother, you are this King's person. This King has the responsibility to protect you."
"I'm not..."
"Hmm?"
"Yes, Fourth Imperial Brother, you are right. Everything you say is right, hehe."
When her martial arts were better than his, she would also sling him over her shoulder like a sandbag and let him experience the feeling of his head down and his butt up!
Hmph!
As soon as this thought crossed her mind, the man walking ahead suddenly stopped.