CH 32

Chapter 32: If You Insist On Seeing Him.

But, you and I have different status, so don’t go beyond the rules.

When Bian Zhonghua stared closely at these words, his brow furrowed. Then he immediately raised his head, looked at Lin Baihu, and asked: “Qi-…. Cough. Did the Prince send this to me?”

Lin Baihu nodded his head.

At that, Bian Zhonghua sneered, waved his hand, and the letter was caught on fire, turning into ashes in the air: “So, he doesn’t want to see me?”

Lin Baihu stared at Bian Zhonghua and said: “His Majesty said that if you insist on seeing him, I shall take you into the Residence.”

Bian Zhonghua had completely restrained his smile and his expression was cold. With a sarcastic tone, he said: “Insist? That’s a good word. Alright, then I insist on meeting him.”

Lin Baihu simply nodded and led Bian Zhonghua into the Prince’s Residence, and towards the main hall.

A man was already waiting there.

Bian Zhonghua saw Qi Ci turning around. Bian Zhonghua was used to seeing him in green, short garments. But now, Qi Ci was dressed in a beautiful delicate brocade, making him look strangely distant.

Lin Baihu retreated to the side after saluting the Prince. Qi Ci first glanced at Lin Baihu and then looked at Bian Zhonghua, only to ask Lin Baihu to retreat. All of a sudden, only Bian Zhonghua and Qi Ci were left behind in the main hall.

Qi Ci looked at Bian Zhonghua calmly and said: “You came in a hurry, so you must have something important to ask for me, am I right? Now that I’m a Prince, it’s time for me to help you. So, tell me, what do you want?”

At that moment, the impulsiveness, confusion, and unanswered questions were blocked back into Bian Zhonghua’s throat the moment those light words were said.

For a while, Bian Zhonghua didn’t know what attitude to take towards the man in front of him.

‘Wasn’t he playing a joke on me, just like before?’

But, the letter was clearly written with a hidden meaning in mind, since some words were wrong. That couldn’t be for nothing.

‘A difference in status.’

Did this mean Bian Zhonghua should call him ‘Your Majesty’ from now on?

But, if Bian Zhonghua was supposed to come pay his respects, then why did Qi Ci want him to rashly try to barge in just now?

‘What do you want?’

In Qi Ci’s eyes, did he think that Bian Zhonghua was trying to curry favor with him through his teasing, since he knew of his status as the Prince?

So, in Qi Ci’s eyes, was Bian Zhonghua just a hypocritical villain who was greedy for vanity?

Bian Zhonghua looked at Qi Ci, who was still in front of him, for a long time. Until finally, Qi Ci frowned slightly with impatience, and Bian Zhonghua’s eyes turned indifferent. At that moment, Bian Zhonghua bent down and saluted: “There’s nothing to ask, Your Majesty. Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“If there’s something you need my help with in the future, don’t hesitate to ask.” Qi Ci said.

Bian Zhonghua didn’t reply, and after saluting, he turned around and left.

Qi Ci watched him leave and then turned around to enter the inner chamber. When he raised his eyes, he saw Lin Baihu, who had left not that long ago, inside the inner chamber.

‘Qi Ci’ wasn’t surprised to see him. Instead, he said softly: “He won’t come to see the Prince again.”

Lin Baihu nodded: “You know Lord Bian quite well, and know how to hurt his heart. Those weren’t evil or cold words, but unexpectedly, they were able to make Lord Bian’s heart cool down.”

‘Qi Ci’ slowly transformed into a black gas, and his voice became hoarse: “We’ll hand over the pure heart of a child, in exchange for the promised benefits. We’re in a disagreement with what Lord Bian wants. People who have different ambitions can’t work together.”

Lin Baihu said: “In a few days, when Lord Bian’s injuries are almost healed, send him away from the Capital to carry out some missions. Don’t let him get involved in this. When everything gets done, let him come back.”

The black gas said: “Yes, we should do that. Fortunately, Lord Bian has lost one of his three Immortal souls, and his Neidan1 isn’t inside his body. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to deceive him with this false skin. By the way, Empress Dowager Xianyi will summon the Prince in three days, so remember to instruct the Prince to not make any mistakes.”

“Alright.” Lin Baihu nodded and turned away.

…

At that moment, Qi Ci was rummaging through the cabinets in his wing room while the maids and servants stood aside, not knowing what he was looking for. They simply saw the objects scattered messily all over the ground, but they didn’t dare to say anything.

“Weird…. How could it be gone…..?” Qi Ci muttered depressed, as if a big stone was pressing on his heart.

At that, a bold maid, even though she didn’t know the temperament of this new Prince, couldn’t help but ask Qi Ci after seeing him looking for something so anxiously: “Your Majesty, what are you looking for?”

“Have you seen a token? The token of a Demon Slayer?” Qi Ci turned around and asked.

The maids and servants looked at each other, but in the end, all of them shook their heads.

Qi Ci frowned.

‘I’ve been carrying it close to me all this time, and I’ve already searched through all the places I visited. How could it disappear?’

‘Was it stolen?’

‘That’s impossible. It’s a token, not silver, so what’s the use of stealing it? Moreover, the Residence is now under strict control, and it’s unlikely there will be scheming people inside.’

Right when Qi Ci was about to turn the room upside down again, a maid suddenly rushed into the room. She ran so anxiously that she tripped over the door frame. Since she stumbled, she simply knelt down and shouted urgently: “Your Majesty! Miss Xu, she…. seems to be dying….”

Qi Ci’s face turned pale, and as he left the messy ground of his room, he hurried to the other courtyard in a panic.

Inside the wing room of the other courtyard, Xu Li was lying against the bed. Her breath was slow as she held onto the Longevity Pill Xu Run had exchanged his life for. She was looking at the warm sunlight falling down the window with a pondering gaze. She didn’t seem to have the intention of swallowing the pill, and when she heard the sound of footsteps coming from afar, Xu Li raised her head, only to see Qi Ci. With a smile on her face, she said: “Qi Gege, today…. is the seventh day2 after my brother’s death, right?”

Qi Ci felt as if there was a lump inside his throat, making him unable to know how to answer for a moment.

Right after hearing the news that Xu Run had exchanged his life for her medicine, the little girl coughed up blood for three whole days, worsening her condition.

Qi Ci didn’t tell Xu Li about Xu Run killing his father. After all, he wanted to preserve Xu Run’s good side in the living world. Preserve his last sacrifice. But Qi Ci didn’t expect that no matter how much he tried to persuade Xu Li, she wasn’t willing to take the Longevity Pill.

Qi Ci sat by the bed and gently advised: “A-Li, take the medicine….”

Xu Li smiled and shook her head stubbornly: “Qi Gege, I’ve been dreaming of my elder brother these past few days. He also wanted to persuade me into taking the medicine in the dream, just like what you’re doing now. Then, I would ask him why he would go without saying a word. But, every time, I would wake up before I could hear it. Do you think he’s afraid to answer me?”

Xu Run said that he had given his all to protect his sister, but wasn’t Xu Li the only family he had left?

Qi Ci clenched his fists and looked at Xu Li with sadness. Then he closed his eyes and finally made a decision: “A-Li, your brother asked me to tell you something before he died.”

Then, Qi Ci ruthlessly displayed Xu Run’s evil deeds to Xu Li.

He told her how Xu Run killed her father and stepmother, as well as how he betrayed his family and friends. He told her that he had done a lot of bad things, and that he was cruel and heartless.

Then he told her that Xu Run didn’t deserve someone to grieve for him.

Qi Ci finished his speech with difficulty and carefully looked at Xu Li, afraid that this little girl wouldn’t accept that her brother, who had been so good with her, could be such a bad person.

However, Qi Ci never expected that Xu Li would smile at him.

The little girl’s cheeks were sunken because of her sickness, and she was so thin that you could see her forehead bones, but when she smiled, she still looked as beautiful as blooming flowers: “Qi Gege, in fact, I already knew these things. I’ve always known…..”

Qi Ci eyes widened in disbelief.

Then, Xu Li bowed her head, while the corners of her mouth raised in a smile: “If there’s an afterlife, I don’t want to be his younger sister anymore.”

Xu Li clasped her hands and tried her best to crush the pill. Showing a powerful and chilling determination.

Qi Ci hurriedly reached out to stop her, but it was too late.

The broken pill fell from Xu Li’s palm and mixed together with the dust on the ground, just like the cotton Qi Ci pulled out of Xu Run’s clothes that day, showing a dirty and miserable sight.

However, the next second, Xu Li looked at the warm sunlight outside the window. As if she was trying to speak with the Heavens, she shouted with the loudest voice she could make: “In my next life, I want to be his elder sister. I want to protect my brother’s innocence and peace of mind, so that he wouldn’t need to do these silly things for me anymore!”