Who to Drug?

Returning to the manor, the three of them went straight to Ye Ling's room.

Ye Ling was no longer the foolish, charred mess she had been. She was neatly dressed in a loose garment that concealed her now smaller wings. On the surface, she looked like a child wearing adult clothes, her small hands tucked into her sleeves, sitting on the stone steps with her knees hugged, waiting for Qin Yi.

Seeing Qin Yi and the Li siblings approach, Ye Ling's expression brightened, then quickly subsided, returning to the indifferent and taciturn demeanor she had shown when they first met.

In front of Li Qinglin, she always acted very reserved, like a little adult.

Because if she showed even a hint of childishness, Li Qinglin would tell her, How can you get revenge like that? How can you accomplish anything?

Being a taciturn, indifferent, and hateful demon by his side seemed to be a necessary state.

Qin Yi was better. Whether she was sitting on the ground or crawling around, Qin Yi not only wouldn't scold her, but his eyes would become even more benevolent, and his voice when telling stories would soften a few degrees.

Li Qinglin didn't mind her attitude. He entered the room, looked at the hole in the ceiling, and frowned. "Is that outsider cultivator really that powerful? To be able to kill someone from a distance... This truly exceeds the scope of what we can anticipate."

Qin Yi said, "Shouldn't your first concern be Ye Ling's condition?"

Li Qinglin smiled. "You are a physician."

The implication was that he only needed to focus on that matter.

Qin Yi shook his head helplessly and sighed. "You don't need to worry about Minghe for now, but you absolutely must not provoke her."

Li Qinglin chuckled. "In fact, I have already met her. It was this morning during the King's funeral. She was watching me from a distant mountaintop. I felt something, turned my head, and our eyes met. At that moment, I knew this was the outsider cultivator Ye Ling spoke of."

Qin Yi was somewhat interested in the outcome of their meeting and asked, "And then?"

"There was no 'then'." Li Qinglin said, "Perhaps she originally wanted to say something to me, but after seeing me, she didn't feel the need to; I had also thought about talking to her earlier, but after seeing her, I knew there was no need to talk. We rode past each other, and in an instant, we were far apart."

"Why?"

"Talking to the stars in the sky won't yield any results."

Qin Yi was thoughtful. This meant both sides knew their paths were absolutely different, and both were firm in their beliefs, not easily swayed by words. Therefore, there was no point in even talking.

It was better to be like himself, without any firm beliefs, swaying like seaweed, able to chat with anyone.

Li Qingjun asked curiously, "Are you talking about... the Daoist nun we saw that day?"

Qin Yi was greatly comforted. "You're getting smarter."

Li Qingjun playfully reached out and pinched his waist. Qin Yi grabbed her hand. She tried to pull away but couldn't, so she lowered her head and let him hold her hand, her cheeks flushed.

This was openly showing affection in front of her brother... Li Qingjun felt a little uneasy in her heart.

Li Qinglin looked at their clasped hands and laughed. "Seeking immortality, seeking immortality, but instead you found a husband and brought him home. In the end, you only envy mandarin ducks, no longer envying immortals."

These words were quite interesting. Li Qingjun thought about it and found it somewhat amusing. Was this what they called the unpredictability of life?

"But..." Li Qinglin's tone changed, becoming serious. "Do you really think everything is settled?"

Qin Yi's heart tightened. He asked, "Has something else happened with your father, the King?"

"This morning when you entered the palace, we were attending the funeral. It seemed unrelated, but in reality, almost every word of your conversation with the King was relayed to my ears, and of course, to Dong Huazi's ears as well." Li Qinglin said, "Perhaps you think the King will favor you... Originally, that might have been true, but you weren't there, so you can't imagine the extent of the King's trust in Dong Huazi."

Li Qingjun said angrily, "What other tricks is he pulling?"

"He went into the palace to see the King." Li Qinglin cleared his throat and imitated Dong Huazi's voice in a hoarse tone: "'Although Qin Yi's pill is miraculous, it only treats common ailments. This is merely a minor mortal technique, not the Yang Soul Great Dao. If the King truly appreciates it, then grant him a residence and appoint him as an Imperial Physician to look after him at all times. Young people are merely infatuated with beauty, momentarily moved by the princess's appearance. When high officials and generous rewards are placed before them, they will know how to choose. At that time, Qin Yi can treat the King's illness, and the princess can still have a marriage alliance with the Western Wilderness. Isn't this killing two birds with one stone?'"

Qin Yi sneered, "Then he's blind."

Li Qingjun also smiled sweetly. Of course, Qin Yi wouldn't be that kind of person.

Li Qinglin said coldly, "The key is not whether his proposal is useful, but that the King will choose to do so. This means the King and Qin Yi will be in a stalemate, and this matter won't be settled in the short term. Sooner or later, things will change."

Both of them understood. Li Qingjun said angrily, "Why does Dong Huazi have to cause trouble and push me towards the Western Wilderness?"

"From their actions, it seems they don't want you to marry now, but just to get engaged first." Li Qinglin smiled slightly. "Because there is no precedent for a collateral relative inheriting the throne in this country. If something were to happen to me one day, you would be the only legitimate heir of Nanli."

Li Qingjun's eyes widened.

Qin Yi's heart also suddenly skipped a beat.

They hadn't even thought about this problem...

"So your good fortune has now become the core of all these events." Li Qinglin smiled. "Brother Qin, put in some effort."

Qin Yi rubbed his head. So, these politicians were truly disgusting. Couldn't they just let people fall in love properly?!

Liu Su suddenly instigated, "Idiot, just push her down. Once the rice is cooked, won't it be over?"

It wasn't that he wasn't tempted, but it wouldn't actually help. What the other party was plotting wasn't about this. Let alone pushing her down, even if she got pregnant, it wouldn't affect the other party's strategy.

Li Qingjun suddenly turned around with her spear and walked away.

Qin Yi quickly grabbed her. "What are you doing now?"

Li Qingjun said expressionlessly, "I'm going to kill Mang Zhan."

"You can't kill him, unless I mobilize troops to surround his residence." Li Qinglin said, "If I openly mobilize troops in the Capital City, then I would be no different from a rebel."

Li Qingjun said angrily, "Then let's elope!"

Elope? That sounded good. Qin Yi had wanted to do that for a long time. He really didn't want to stay in this broken place. Dong Huazi could do whatever he wanted. Could he just not bother him? Look at his pathetic state, filled with lead and mercury, he didn't have many years left to live anyway...

Li Qinglin said, "Things haven't reached the worst point yet, why be so drastic? Do you know what I was doing just now?"

Li Qingjun looked at him expectantly.

"Raising Brother Qin's importance, I'm not sure I can do that, but lowering Mang Zhan's importance, I do have a way." Li Qinglin said slowly, "Perhaps the King doesn't care who the real murderer is, but as long as it's confirmed in public opinion, that's enough. The princess absolutely cannot marry the murderer of her brother. So just now, I led a team to shout curses at Mang Zhan's doorstep, demanding that the murderer of my brother come out for a decisive battle. The Capital City has probably heard about it by now, and it won't be easy for Dong Huazi to clear his name."

Li Qingjun said happily, "As expected of my brother."

Li Qinglin looked at her for a while and slowly said, "Qing Jun, I have some matters to discuss with Brother Qin. Why don't you return to the manor for now? There's no rush for your affection."

Li Qingjun said, "You've already said this much, is there anything I can't hear?"

"If I were to ask Brother Qin to drug you, would you still listen?" Li Qinglin blinked. "That wouldn't be very good."

Li Qingjun's face turned red, and she said angrily, "You're being improper!" But she no longer insisted on staying to listen. She just warned Qin Yi, "Don't listen to him do anything bad."

After saying that, she ran away as if fleeing for her life.

Watching her figure disappear into the distance, Qin Yi sighed slightly. "Your shouting at Mang Zhan was just for show, it's actually useless. Tricking her away wasn't to talk about how to drug her. Who do you want to drug... Just say it clearly."

Li Qinglin's eyes became deep, and the two looked at each other in silence. The autumn wind swept through, and the withered leaves on the ground danced like a vortex. Ye Ling, who had been sitting silently beside them the whole time, looked at their expressions and suddenly shivered.