Mo Li: I won’t be tricked.
Waiting for Ancestor Qingwu to appear was tedious.
Mo Li was somewhat puzzled because, by all accounts, Ancestor Qingwu should have already entered the imperial city.
They left Shangyun Mountain a step behind Ancestor Qingwu, entered the imperial palace through a secret passage, and were delayed in the Eastern Palace for a while. Ancestor Qingwu was just going to check on the Second Prince’s life or death; why was it taking so long?
“Perhaps Ancestor Qingwu is a bit smarter than we thought, using a more roundabout method,” Meng Qi said dully.
His voice came from above Mo Li’s head.
Given the small size of the blind spot, the Master, unwilling to transform into a sand rat or a chubby child, had to imitate a gecko.
Relying on his light footwork and deep internal energy, he pressed his body against the wall, supporting himself at a corner with one foot, awkwardly squeezing himself into that space.
This was possible only because the walls in the palace were very high; otherwise, there would be no place to hide.
Mo Li ignored him, lightly pinching the bridge of his nose where several acupoints were located. Stimulating these with spiritual energy could help clear the mind.
“I’m hungry, Doctor.”
“…”
“We haven’t eaten or rested for two or three days.”
Seeing Mo Li unmoved, Meng Qi changed his tone, coaxingly suggesting, “How about we take turns resting? Doctor, you lean against the wall and sleep for a while, and I’ll keep watch over any movement at Wanhe Hall.”
Mo Li remained silent, sensing Meng Qi had more to say.
Sure enough, Meng Qi’s next suggestion followed—
“Or shrink a bit, so I can hold you.”
Mo Li thought, absolutely not.
Whether carrying a chubby child to beat the emperor or transforming into one to do the beating, both would be undignified!
“Think about it, after shrinking, our martial skills remain, and we might even be more agile…”
“Why don’t you transform?”
“Lu Zhang is afraid of me,” Meng Qi stated as if it were obvious.
Nobody would be afraid of a child, so the Master’s face remains important.
“You can transform back when it’s time,” Mo Li couldn’t help but argue, “You’re asking me to do something you’re unwilling to do yourself; what are you planning?”
“Doctor, saying that really wrongs me,” Meng Qi sighed as if he were genuinely aggrieved.
Mo Li’s expression remained unchanged, utterly unmoved.
Meng Qi touched his nose, secretly thinking that Mo Li was indeed one of the most resolute individuals he had encountered.
His friends from the past, although firm in their beliefs, were either wise and clear-headed, analyzing carefully before not being swayed by benefits or temptations, or they wavered for a while before steadfastly returning to their original path.
Mo Li’s case was different; he was exceptionally patient.
This is undoubtedly a valuable quality in battle.
Warriors may fall by the sword, but the wise often succumb to schemes.
—A person always calm and composed might not become world-renowned, but it’s also difficult for them to suffer defeat.
Hmm, isn’t that just like me? Meng Qi belatedly realized, a smile appearing in his eyes.
Mo Li couldn’t see Meng Qi’s expression but sensed someone suddenly becoming happy for no reason. What was going on?
“You say I wronged you, yet… you seem pleased?”
“Oh, I was just reminiscing about the past, thinking of when I led troops in battle, never experiencing defeat. The history and documents of the Chu dynasty didn’t write about it? Even the crown prince doesn’t know!”
“…”
Mo Li’s mind conjured an image of an indignant fat mouse, its cheeks puffed up in anger.
Continuing to pinch the bridge of his nose to dispel this nonsensical vision, he corrected solemnly, “We are here to thwart Ancestor Qingwu’s scheme and incidentally give Lu Zhang a thrashing, not to engage in warfare.”
Meng Qi, observing Mo Li from above, thought to himself that some things are harder than fighting a war, such as how to bewilder and sway their person of interest.
“If I transform into a sand rat and stay with the Doctor, and Ancestor Qingwu shows up, would I then need to find a hidden corner to dress? Surely, we can’t just start fighting without clothes. What would Ancestor Qingwu think?”
Mo Li: “…”
The logic was sound, but on closer thought, something seemed off.
What does it mean to be with the Doctor and to need to dress hurriedly if someone arrives?
Meng Qi continued, “Transforming into a child wouldn’t work either; it would give us away.”
“How so?”
Mo Li, momentarily puzzled, remembered the earlier justification was about the significance of the Master’s face as a deterrent.
“I’m fat,” Meng Qi stated confidently. “You were also much chubbier in your youth. While the height here is sufficient, the width is not. The nooks that can conceal an adult may not necessarily accommodate a child, right?”
“…”
Mo Li gauged the size of the blind spot and thought that after shrinking, Meng Qi certainly wouldn’t be too bulky for the space, blatantly lying! How could he be that fat?!
He’s a cuddly chubby doll, not a little pig.
Mo Li looked up at Meng Qi, wanting to say something but ultimately found himself at a loss for words.
—Can the Dragon Vein afford to be so shameless after growing old?
If Meng Qi knew what Mo Li was thinking, he would definitely retort, “What does this have to do with being older? Nonsense, that’s not the case at all! What he says is all true!”
Mo Li searched through his bag and found a piece of osmanthus candy, which he had bought back in Yongzhou.
He tossed the candy upwards and said calmly, “This is all I have left, you eat it.”
Before meeting Mo Li, Meng Qi could go without food for five days without a problem, hunger was just an excuse for him. He didn’t want Mo Li to continue to dwell on the mess of the Qi dynasty.
Seeing that he couldn’t divert Mo Li’s attention, the doctor gave him a piece of candy and then started to worry and space out again. Meng Qi stuffed the candy into his pocket, pretending to have eaten it, and said in a muffled voice, “Before Lu Zhang dies, the Qi dynasty can still last a few more years, it won’t immediately fall into chaos. Doctor, you don’t need to think about it anymore, even if you cure the Crown Prince’s illness, the Crown Prince’s side still lacks capable and ambitious people, and the crisis of the Qi dynasty cannot be resolved. Didn’t your teacher tell you, a doctor cures diseases, not fate.”
“It’s just a pity.”
Mo Li said regretfully, “If he had met me earlier, or if those imperial physicians had dared to prescribe the right medicine, he wouldn’t have turned into a chronic illness. Even if he wasn’t the Crown Prince, but a commoner by the roadside, I would still feel melancholy.”
Doctors inevitably sigh over patients who are saved too late or can no longer be saved.
“Right, when we were in the Eastern Palace before, the Crown Prince said that the Lu family would not be able to hold onto the throne sooner or later. I noticed a change in the doctor’s expression, it seemed like… you had something to say?” Meng Qi asked inquisitively.
Mo Li was somewhat surprised. His emotional change wasn’t significant at that moment; that thought had merely flashed by, and Meng Qi actually noticed?
Mo Li felt complicated, not because of what Meng Qi mentioned, but because he realized that Meng Qi was always paying attention to his every word and even the subtle changes in his expression.
If this were an enemy, it would be quite terrifying.
If it were the person one cares about…
Then, seeing Mo Li show a thoughtful expression, Meng Qi felt pleased, it seems the doctor finally understands that feelings of admiration and fondness can make one’s mind and spirit firmly stay on the other person.
Look, even the doctor’s expression seems to have become a bit more serious.
“I haven’t done enough.”
Mo Li’s voice rose, and Meng Qi was invigorated.
Yes! That’s it!
“As a doctor, my care for patients doesn’t even compare to your usual attention to me,” Mo Li nodded earnestly, “It’s my fault.”
Meng Qi, finding things different from what he expected, was speechless.
Mo Li slightly lifted his head, admiring someone’s frozen expression.
The Imperial Teacher is indeed the Imperial Teacher, even a stupefied expression appears profound and unfathomable to others, at least now, to those who do not know Meng Qi, it seems more like a trance.
Unfortunately, if it were the golden dragon that looms over the capital, its suddenly stupefied look would undoubtedly be very amusing.
“Cough.” Mo Li cleared his throat.
“Doctor?” Meng Qi instinctively responded.
He came back to his senses, realizing Mo Li might be joking with him.
But he couldn’t find any sign of jesting from Mo Li and considering the doctor’s serious nature, not prone to joking, Meng Qi was extremely conflicted, forcing himself to forget that moment and carefully steering the conversation back.
“You disagree with the Crown Prince’s words because you thought of something?”
“…Hmm, I think the Crown Prince’s appearance resembles someone.”
“Who?”
Meng Qi asked because both he and Mo Li lacked the concept of beauty and ugliness in people’s appearances, usually not recalling whom someone resembles.
In the heart of the dragon vein, every person’s appearance is unique, unless they are as evidently similar as twins or blood brothers.
So, Mo Li was also uncertain; the appearance of others was one of the rare uncertainties for Mo Li, who could only rely on his eidetic memory to piece together the faces of suspected individuals.
“To be precise, two people resemble the Crown Prince, both of whom we have met.”
“One of them is the Sixth Prince?”
Meng Qi asked naturally since they had only met two princes of the Qi dynasty.
Then he frowned, remembering when they encountered the Sixth Prince in the Yongzhou imperial tomb, Mo Li had said something similar, stating the Sixth Prince looked somewhat familiar, not in the sense of having met before and not recalling where, but familiar due to resemblance or blood relation.
“It’s Yan Cen.” Mo Li stated decisively.
The second-in-command of Shimo Mountain, whose eyes and brows somewhat resemble the Sixth Prince, though not much.
The similarities between the Crown Prince and the Sixth Prince are more, but these similarities subtly overlap with Yan Cen.
“Is it a coincidence?”
“I don’t know, when we were at Shimo Mountain, I felt something odd about Yan Cen. He claimed that he was almost killed at birth because a servant, who owed a great favor to his mother, secretly took him away and entrusted him to a high monk, and then he grew up in a monastery, learned martial arts, roamed the jianghu, and later ended up at Shimo Mountain. It’s not strange to learn martial arts in a monastery, but where did he learn military strategy?” Meng Qi said seriously, “The day those people tried to break into Shimo Mountain, Yan Cen led the defense. The orders he issued were not those of a jianghu outlaw.”
Mo Li quickly correlated what Yan Cen said that day with the Qi imperial family, and the recent information about Lu Zhang, shuddering internally.
If this is true, Yan Cen might be a prince without a place in the succession.
His extraordinary birth, a prince born looking like this, is neither a demon nor a monster, something that absolutely cannot be kept, not even known. Because his father seized the throne by usurpation, having such a son, wouldn’t it be feared as divine punishment?
Not being killed on the spot, truly, Yan Cen is lucky.
“…Do you think the Crown Prince knows about this?”
As soon as Mo Li finished speaking, a thunderous boom came from Wanhe Hall.
Ancestor Qingwu has appeared.
Mo Li: I won’t be tricked.
Waiting for Ancestor Qingwu to appear was tedious.
Mo Li was somewhat puzzled because, by all accounts, Ancestor Qingwu should have already entered the imperial city.
They left Shangyun Mountain a step behind Ancestor Qingwu, entered the imperial palace through a secret passage, and were delayed in the Eastern Palace for a while. Ancestor Qingwu was just going to check on the Second Prince’s life or death; why was it taking so long?
“Perhaps Ancestor Qingwu is a bit smarter than we thought, using a more roundabout method,” Meng Qi said dully.
His voice came from above Mo Li’s head.
Given the small size of the blind spot, the Master, unwilling to transform into a sand rat or a chubby child, had to imitate a gecko.
Relying on his light footwork and deep internal energy, he pressed his body against the wall, supporting himself at a corner with one foot, awkwardly squeezing himself into that space.
This was possible only because the walls in the palace were very high; otherwise, there would be no place to hide.
Mo Li ignored him, lightly pinching the bridge of his nose where several acupoints were located. Stimulating these with spiritual energy could help clear the mind.
“I’m hungry, Doctor.”
“…”
“We haven’t eaten or rested for two or three days.”
Seeing Mo Li unmoved, Meng Qi changed his tone, coaxingly suggesting, “How about we take turns resting? Doctor, you lean against the wall and sleep for a while, and I’ll keep watch over any movement at Wanhe Hall.”
Mo Li remained silent, sensing Meng Qi had more to say.
Sure enough, Meng Qi’s next suggestion followed—
“Or shrink a bit, so I can hold you.”
Mo Li thought, absolutely not.
Whether carrying a chubby child to beat the emperor or transforming into one to do the beating, both would be undignified!
“Think about it, after shrinking, our martial skills remain, and we might even be more agile…”
“Why don’t you transform?”
“Lu Zhang is afraid of me,” Meng Qi stated as if it were obvious.
Nobody would be afraid of a child, so the Master’s face remains important.
“You can transform back when it’s time,” Mo Li couldn’t help but argue, “You’re asking me to do something you’re unwilling to do yourself; what are you planning?”
“Doctor, saying that really wrongs me,” Meng Qi sighed as if he were genuinely aggrieved.
Mo Li’s expression remained unchanged, utterly unmoved.
Meng Qi touched his nose, secretly thinking that Mo Li was indeed one of the most resolute individuals he had encountered.
His friends from the past, although firm in their beliefs, were either wise and clear-headed, analyzing carefully before not being swayed by benefits or temptations, or they wavered for a while before steadfastly returning to their original path.
Mo Li’s case was different; he was exceptionally patient.
This is undoubtedly a valuable quality in battle.
Warriors may fall by the sword, but the wise often succumb to schemes.
—A person always calm and composed might not become world-renowned, but it’s also difficult for them to suffer defeat.
Hmm, isn’t that just like me? Meng Qi belatedly realized, a smile appearing in his eyes.
Mo Li couldn’t see Meng Qi’s expression but sensed someone suddenly becoming happy for no reason. What was going on?
“You say I wronged you, yet… you seem pleased?”
“Oh, I was just reminiscing about the past, thinking of when I led troops in battle, never experiencing defeat. The history and documents of the Chu dynasty didn’t write about it? Even the crown prince doesn’t know!”
“…”
Mo Li’s mind conjured an image of an indignant fat mouse, its cheeks puffed up in anger.
Continuing to pinch the bridge of his nose to dispel this nonsensical vision, he corrected solemnly, “We are here to thwart Ancestor Qingwu’s scheme and incidentally give Lu Zhang a thrashing, not to engage in warfare.”
Meng Qi, observing Mo Li from above, thought to himself that some things are harder than fighting a war, such as how to bewilder and sway their person of interest.
“If I transform into a sand rat and stay with the Doctor, and Ancestor Qingwu shows up, would I then need to find a hidden corner to dress? Surely, we can’t just start fighting without clothes. What would Ancestor Qingwu think?”
Mo Li: “…”
The logic was sound, but on closer thought, something seemed off.
What does it mean to be with the Doctor and to need to dress hurriedly if someone arrives?
Meng Qi continued, “Transforming into a child wouldn’t work either; it would give us away.”
“How so?”
Mo Li, momentarily puzzled, remembered the earlier justification was about the significance of the Master’s face as a deterrent.
“I’m fat,” Meng Qi stated confidently. “You were also much chubbier in your youth. While the height here is sufficient, the width is not. The nooks that can conceal an adult may not necessarily accommodate a child, right?”
“…”
Mo Li gauged the size of the blind spot and thought that after shrinking, Meng Qi certainly wouldn’t be too bulky for the space, blatantly lying! How could he be that fat?!
He’s a cuddly chubby doll, not a little pig.
Mo Li looked up at Meng Qi, wanting to say something but ultimately found himself at a loss for words.
—Can the Dragon Vein afford to be so shameless after growing old?
If Meng Qi knew what Mo Li was thinking, he would definitely retort, “What does this have to do with being older? Nonsense, that’s not the case at all! What he says is all true!”
Mo Li searched through his bag and found a piece of osmanthus candy, which he had bought back in Yongzhou.
He tossed the candy upwards and said calmly, “This is all I have left, you eat it.”
Before meeting Mo Li, Meng Qi could go without food for five days without a problem, hunger was just an excuse for him. He didn’t want Mo Li to continue to dwell on the mess of the Qi dynasty.
Seeing that he couldn’t divert Mo Li’s attention, the doctor gave him a piece of candy and then started to worry and space out again. Meng Qi stuffed the candy into his pocket, pretending to have eaten it, and said in a muffled voice, “Before Lu Zhang dies, the Qi dynasty can still last a few more years, it won’t immediately fall into chaos. Doctor, you don’t need to think about it anymore, even if you cure the Crown Prince’s illness, the Crown Prince’s side still lacks capable and ambitious people, and the crisis of the Qi dynasty cannot be resolved. Didn’t your teacher tell you, a doctor cures diseases, not fate.”
“It’s just a pity.”
Mo Li said regretfully, “If he had met me earlier, or if those imperial physicians had dared to prescribe the right medicine, he wouldn’t have turned into a chronic illness. Even if he wasn’t the Crown Prince, but a commoner by the roadside, I would still feel melancholy.”
Doctors inevitably sigh over patients who are saved too late or can no longer be saved.
“Right, when we were in the Eastern Palace before, the Crown Prince said that the Lu family would not be able to hold onto the throne sooner or later. I noticed a change in the doctor’s expression, it seemed like… you had something to say?” Meng Qi asked inquisitively.
Mo Li was somewhat surprised. His emotional change wasn’t significant at that moment; that thought had merely flashed by, and Meng Qi actually noticed?
Mo Li felt complicated, not because of what Meng Qi mentioned, but because he realized that Meng Qi was always paying attention to his every word and even the subtle changes in his expression.
If this were an enemy, it would be quite terrifying.
If it were the person one cares about…
Then, seeing Mo Li show a thoughtful expression, Meng Qi felt pleased, it seems the doctor finally understands that feelings of admiration and fondness can make one’s mind and spirit firmly stay on the other person.
Look, even the doctor’s expression seems to have become a bit more serious.
“I haven’t done enough.”
Mo Li’s voice rose, and Meng Qi was invigorated.
Yes! That’s it!
“As a doctor, my care for patients doesn’t even compare to your usual attention to me,” Mo Li nodded earnestly, “It’s my fault.”
Meng Qi, finding things different from what he expected, was speechless.
Mo Li slightly lifted his head, admiring someone’s frozen expression.
The Imperial Teacher is indeed the Imperial Teacher, even a stupefied expression appears profound and unfathomable to others, at least now, to those who do not know Meng Qi, it seems more like a trance.
Unfortunately, if it were the golden dragon that looms over the capital, its suddenly stupefied look would undoubtedly be very amusing.
“Cough.” Mo Li cleared his throat.
“Doctor?” Meng Qi instinctively responded.
He came back to his senses, realizing Mo Li might be joking with him.
But he couldn’t find any sign of jesting from Mo Li and considering the doctor’s serious nature, not prone to joking, Meng Qi was extremely conflicted, forcing himself to forget that moment and carefully steering the conversation back.
“You disagree with the Crown Prince’s words because you thought of something?”
“…Hmm, I think the Crown Prince’s appearance resembles someone.”
“Who?”
Meng Qi asked because both he and Mo Li lacked the concept of beauty and ugliness in people’s appearances, usually not recalling whom someone resembles.
In the heart of the dragon vein, every person’s appearance is unique, unless they are as evidently similar as twins or blood brothers.
So, Mo Li was also uncertain; the appearance of others was one of the rare uncertainties for Mo Li, who could only rely on his eidetic memory to piece together the faces of suspected individuals.
“To be precise, two people resemble the Crown Prince, both of whom we have met.”
“One of them is the Sixth Prince?”
Meng Qi asked naturally since they had only met two princes of the Qi dynasty.
Then he frowned, remembering when they encountered the Sixth Prince in the Yongzhou imperial tomb, Mo Li had said something similar, stating the Sixth Prince looked somewhat familiar, not in the sense of having met before and not recalling where, but familiar due to resemblance or blood relation.
“It’s Yan Cen.” Mo Li stated decisively.
The second-in-command of Shimo Mountain, whose eyes and brows somewhat resemble the Sixth Prince, though not much.
The similarities between the Crown Prince and the Sixth Prince are more, but these similarities subtly overlap with Yan Cen.
“Is it a coincidence?”
“I don’t know, when we were at Shimo Mountain, I felt something odd about Yan Cen. He claimed that he was almost killed at birth because a servant, who owed a great favor to his mother, secretly took him away and entrusted him to a high monk, and then he grew up in a monastery, learned martial arts, roamed the jianghu, and later ended up at Shimo Mountain. It’s not strange to learn martial arts in a monastery, but where did he learn military strategy?” Meng Qi said seriously, “The day those people tried to break into Shimo Mountain, Yan Cen led the defense. The orders he issued were not those of a jianghu outlaw.”
Mo Li quickly correlated what Yan Cen said that day with the Qi imperial family, and the recent information about Lu Zhang, shuddering internally.
If this is true, Yan Cen might be a prince without a place in the succession.
His extraordinary birth, a prince born looking like this, is neither a demon nor a monster, something that absolutely cannot be kept, not even known. Because his father seized the throne by usurpation, having such a son, wouldn’t it be feared as divine punishment?
Not being killed on the spot, truly, Yan Cen is lucky.
“…Do you think the Crown Prince knows about this?”
As soon as Mo Li finished speaking, a thunderous boom came from Wanhe Hall.
Ancestor Qingwu has appeared.
