Chapter 384 Untitled (Two in One)
In the reeds by the lake not far from the national border, a head suddenly emerged from the slightly cold shallow water, with the lake water slowly flowing down along the hair. Haitang Duoduo, a disciple of a great master and revered as a saint by the people of Northern Qi, revealed her upper body that was completely soaked in the lake water and clung to her body, with a hint of anger on her face.
The suppressing effect of the cold lake water did not seem to be very good. At this moment, it was as if there was a fire burning inside her body. Even though the lake water was freezing cold, it could not dispel even a little bit of the spring that was quietly blooming in her heart.
Her white teeth bit her lower lip tightly, and her slender nose wings couldn't help but squeeze out a hint of enchantment, "hmm", which scared Haitang so much that she hurriedly covered her mouth and nose, her eyes filled with hatred, and she couldn't help but curse in a low voice.
"Shameless bitch, this is actually an aphrodisiac!"
Yes, even though her body had already shown some strange reactions, she still held on to the hope that the two treacherous men from Nanqing were just deceiving and scaring her. However, when she tried to force out the poison again with the cold lake water for more than half an hour, the more she forced it, the hotter her body became, her mind became more and more confused, and when she let out a soft moan that even she herself felt ashamed of, she finally faced the reality. These two world-renowned poets were actually so shameless!
With another seemingly painful grunt, Haitang dived to the bottom of the cold lake again, using her internal energy to "force out" the "poison". She knew that the more she used her internal energy to force out the poison, the faster the drug would run through her body, but she still chose to do so. Her idea was simple: the sooner it broke out, the sooner it would end!
Her idea is similar to what Fan Xian said when urging Mei Chengan to take the medicine: "Use it early and finish early." I don't know if she learned from it. If she did, it would be wonderful. If not, it would be even more wonderful!
Its body sometimes rolled, sometimes lay flat, and sometimes swam in the lake. Looking from the surface of the lake, Haitang's body was like a nimble fish dancing gracefully underwater.
After a long time, a white splash exploded on the lake surface. Haitang broke out of the water and flew to the lakeside. Out of nowhere, a strong wind blew up, blowing strongly on her coarse cloth clothes that were still dripping with water.
Haitang's face doesn't look very beautiful at first glance, but there is a unique flavor between her eyebrows that is a combination of wildness and rusticity. She gives people a very amiable feeling, especially her eyes, which are unusually clear. However, at this moment, those clear eyes that reflect the white birds and sandbanks on the lake are filled with two rays of anger.
"Fan Xian! Mei Cheng'an! I'm going to kill you!!!"
Obviously, her idea of ending the disease early ended in failure. She underestimated the durability of the drugs and also underestimated the limits of her own physical and mental endurance. In short, she gave up.
As for why the first person to be killed was Fan Xian instead of Mei Chengan who drugged Haitang, it was naturally due to the drama Mei Chengan put on before drugging her, which successfully transferred most of Haitang's anger to Fan Xian, who prepared the medicine, gave advice and urged Mei Chengan to use the medicine.
……
"Do you know Haitang?"
Mei Cheng'an closed his eyes tightly and suddenly asked softly.
"Begonia?"
Si Lili, who was leaning on the bed, patting the chest of the handsome boy who was lying in her arms with his head resting on her soft chest, paused, her brows slightly wrinkled, a trace of confusion flashed in her eyes, as if she was somewhat unfamiliar with this name.
Mei Chengan's low murmurs sounded again.
"The Saintess of Northern Qi."
Si Lili suddenly realized, her brows relaxed and she smiled.
"Ah~ Sir, you are talking about Duoduo. Of course I know her, but few people in the palace call her Haitang. They either call her Saint or Duoduo. So when I first heard the name Haitang, I didn't react for a moment. Why did you suddenly ask about her?"
"I met her today."
After responding softly, Mei Cheng'an then told her roughly what happened in Shilin today. Of course, the part involving aphrodisiacs was replaced with poisoning, and he added one more sentence at the end.
"She's so difficult!"
Upon hearing this, Si Lili looked at him with concern and fear, and she patted her chest more quickly, patting it several times in a row.
"I'm fine, I don't need comforting, thank you!"
Si Lili rolled her eyes seductively, revealing the whites of her eyes.
"Who comforted you? I was comforting myself, but my chest was occupied by someone else, so I could only take a photo of that person instead."
"Oh, are you worried about me or Haitang?"
"Of course it's Master. Duoduo is not an ordinary person."
"..."
Si Lili noticed his silence, smiled and spoke softly.
"Duoduo has been obsessed with martial arts since she was young. She has no interest in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, knitting, or the like. Instead, she has opened up a vegetable garden in the courtyard of Master Kuhe. In addition to practicing martial arts, she also grows vegetables and flowers every day."
Hearing this, Mei Cheng'an curled the corners of her mouth slightly. The vegetable garden and her country girl's outfit complemented each other very well.
However, he was somewhat surprised that Haitang was a martial arts fanatic. After all, in his impression, Haitang was lazy in every way, whether it was his walking posture or his behavior. It didn't seem to match the character of a martial arts fanatic. But on second thought, he realized that he was so lazy, yet so diligent and hardworking in practicing martial arts, so he deserved the word "fanatic".
The martial arts practice of the Ku He lineage follows the path of harmony between man and nature, and emphasizes being close to nature. It seems that growing vegetables and flowers is not just Haitang's personal hobby, but also coincides with her way of practice. She has the right path, is hardworking, and has talent, otherwise she would not be the youngest ninth-rank official in the world. Thinking about his own half-hearted practice of martial arts, Mei Cheng'an sighed in his heart.
One is pretending to be lazy, the other is really lazy, it’s not unfair for them to lose!
"Sir, please be careful. Duoduo is very powerful."
Si Lili's soft little hands clapped more and more gently.
"Although you managed to force her back with poison this time, I know her character very well. She will not give up easily until she achieves her goal."
It was well-intentioned, and that was indeed the case, but Mei Chengan felt inexplicably unhappy when he heard it, and raised his eyebrows in dissatisfaction.
"I'm about to make a breakthrough. When I face her again, it won't be as anticlimactic as it was today."
Si Lili nodded and glanced at the stubborn little man in her arms, her eyebrows curved, her eyes full of amusement and speechlessness, and she scolded softly.
"Once we enter Northern Qi territory, if Duoduo comes to kill you, I won't speak for you. You'll have to fend for yourself then, young master."
The corners of Mei Chengan's mouth curved up and then quickly calmed down. His eyebrows and eyes were calm, his breathing became slower and slower, and his voice became increasingly inaudible.
"Once we enter Northern Qi territory, if she dares to come and kill me, I will lie down and let her kill me. If she is not afraid of sparking another national war..."
Actually, there are two more words at the end: "words", but his voice was too soft and he swallowed them. Si Lili was stunned for a moment, then she lowered her head and looked at the boy who fell asleep in her arms, then smiled, sizing up his eyebrows and his tall nose, her eyes full of tenderness...
……
Mei Cheng'an did not sleep very soundly because he had a very tiring dream. In the dream, he was making a breakthrough, his true Qi surged and his meridians were torn. Not only did he have to endure the pain and practice the exercises to repair his veins, but he also had to constantly compress the surging true Qi. This surge of true Qi was different from the previous ones. The quantity alone was not of the same order of magnitude, and the time spent would naturally increase exponentially, which was really tiring.
Fortunately, hard work and rewards are proportional. The results after the breakthrough were very gratifying. Not only did the amount of true Qi increase to twice as much as before, but the quality of the true Qi was also more than doubled compared to before. However, before he could experiment with the effect of the increased strength on his swordsmanship and skills, as well as the power, he was awakened. The sound that came into his ears gradually became real and clear from vague and illusory. It was the sound of two people talking, one man and one woman, one near and one far away.
"Master, Master, are you awake?"
"The young master is still asleep, what's the matter?"
"Miss Lili, can you help wake up the young master? There's something outside that needs his attention."
The female voice responded a little slowly, as if she was silent and hesitant.
"Isn't Team Leader Fan Xian here? Can't he handle it?"
"Yes, but the situation is a bit tricky. Master Fan can't handle it alone, so he ordered me to call the young master. Miss Lili, please wake up the master quickly. The situation is urgent."
There was silence.
Mei Cheng'an was in a daze for a long time before he could figure out who the two voices belonged to. The female voice closer was Si Lili, and the male voice a little further away that sounded dull and anxious was Wang Qinian.
"Son..."
Si Lili's gentle voice sounded again, followed by a gentle push on his shoulder, and Mei Cheng'an slowly opened his eyes.
"what happened?"
The voice was low and filled with the confusion of someone who had just woken up.
Si Lili opened her mouth but before she could say anything, Wang Qinian's voice was heard outside the tent.
"Master, there are people outside the camp, Lord Fan is alone..."
Mei Chengan rubbed his brows and interrupted.
"Who?"
"Um... you'd better come out and take a look. It's hard to say."
"understood."
Two fingers were placed on Mei Cheng'an's temple and rubbed slowly. Mei Cheng'an closed his eyes and enjoyed it quietly. After a while, when the feeling of swelling in his brain gradually disappeared and his mind gradually became clear, Mei Cheng'an raised his hand slightly.
"Okay."
Si Lili silently withdrew her hand, and Mei Chengan got up from the couch, stretched and yawned.
"How long have I slept?"
Si Lili frowned slightly, sat up straight with a slightly stiff movement, and replied softly.
"Less than two hours."
"So long? I thought I just fell asleep."
Mei Cheng'an shook his head and lowered his hands. Suddenly he remembered something, turned around and looked at her, then frowned slightly.
"If you feel uncomfortable, why don't you put me on the couch? I have to stay in the same position for two hours. It would be strange if my body didn't feel numb."
Si Lili forced a smile.
"I don't want to wake you up."
Mei Cheng'an opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.
"stupid!"
After saying that, he walked out, leaving behind a very quiet sentence.
"I'll come back and give you a massage after I finish my work outside."
Si Lili's body stiffened, her pretty face turned red, and she rolled her eyes seductively at the figure that disappeared at the tent door.
The more you press, the more numb it becomes, right?
……
Huh? Why do I feel so much lighter?
As he walked, Mei Cheng'an gradually realized that something was wrong. After careful consideration, he confirmed that it was not his illusion. He subconsciously looked inside his body to see the condition inside his body. When he saw it, he was stunned.
hiss~
Just took a nap and had a dream, and then you achieved a breakthrough?
Is this true? Why does it feel so unreal?
With a crisp "pop" sound, Wang Qinian was stunned.
"Master, you..."
"Does it hurt?"
Wang Qinian covered his face in confusion, nodded, and then shook his head.
"It hurts or not, the question is... why did you hit me? It was Master Fan who asked me to call you, not me..."
The more he spoke, the more aggrieved he became.
Mei Cheng'an paused and frowned.
"It doesn't hurt? Is this a dream? Inception?"
"what?"
"Bang!" Another kick caused Wang Qinian to stagger and almost fall to the ground.
"Does it hurt this time?"
Wang Qinian covered his butt with one hand and his face with the other, looking very miserable.
"Master, I was wrong..."
Mei Chengan clicked his tongue.
"Answer the question, does it hurt or not?"
Wang Qinian's mouth twitched and he waved his hands repeatedly.
"It doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt, Master, I'm really wrong, I shouldn't disturb..."
Mei Chengan hissed, crossed his arms and touched his chin.
"It doesn't hurt yet. Is this really a dream? That's not right. Can I realize that I'm dreaming in a dream? No way. That's not right."
As he was about to attack again, Wang Qinian dodged very quickly this time, and was ten feet away in a flash, then quickly changed his words.
"It hurts! Master, I just lied. That kick hurts my butt a lot. It hurts so much!"
He had discovered that as long as he said it didn't hurt, the young master would first say some nonsense, and then attack him and ask him if it hurt.
Mei Chengan raised his eyebrows.
"Does it really hurt? Are you lying to me?"
Wang Qinian immediately raised three fingers with a sincere look on his face.
"I swear, it hurts!"
In fact, it didn't hurt that much. Mei Cheng'an didn't use much force in this kick or the slap.
But in order to avoid getting beaten, you have to feel pain even if it doesn’t hurt!
Mei Chengan's brows finally relaxed and a smile appeared on his face.
"Look at you, the pain has healed earlier, you scared me and I thought I was in a dream. Now you're fine, where's Fan Xian?"
"..."
Wang Qinian pursed his lips and pointed outside the camp.
Mei Cheng'an turned his head and glanced over there, nodded, and his figure flashed, appearing five feet away again. Wang Qinian, who was still standing in the original place, widened his eyes instantly when he saw this scene, was stunned for a moment, and quickly followed, shouting in surprise.
"Master, have you made a breakthrough?"
……
About sixteen or seventeen feet away from the camp, there were two groups of people facing each other silently. One group had only one person, a woman wearing coarse cloth and with her hair tied up and not yet dry. She was Haitang. The other group had six people, including five tiger guards led by Gaoda, who were blocking the way with swords. Fan Xian hid behind Gaoda with only his head exposed.
Gaoda and the others had already gone to rest, but Haitang suddenly came to the camp. Fan Xian quickly called them up, and then ordered Wang Qinian to quickly call the fellow villagers, and then a confrontation began.
Wang Qinian's shout was so loud that both sides heard it. Fan Xian was stunned for a moment, then his face lit up with joy. He quickly turned around and saw his fellow villager flashing twice, rushing forward once, and then approaching him again. Fan Xian's eyes widened in surprise. "A breakthrough?"
Mei Cheng'an nodded lightly. At this time, Gundam and another tiger guard automatically made way for him. Mei Cheng'an raised his foot and walked forward, followed closely by Fan Xian.
Mei Cheng'an glanced at Haitang's wet hair and greeted her with a smile.
"Hello again, Duoduo."
Haitang, standing with her hands behind her back, glanced at him coldly, said something coldly, then turned and left.
"Follow me, just the two of you!"
She left decisively and elegantly, but just like the words she left behind, they were also unreasonable!
Mei Cheng'an raised his eyebrows and then smiled.
Fan Xian was stunned for a moment, then he also laughed.
"She is very confident. Her confidence is kind of cute."
After making a comment, he shook his head and looked at his fellow villager.
"Walk?"
Mei Chengan shrugged and turned back to give an order.
"No need to follow me, go back and take a rest."
Wang Qinian looked worried.
"Master, this..."
Mei Cheng'an waved his hand to interrupt him and said softly.
"It's okay, go back."
Gundam was also worried.
"Sir, that woman's martial arts skills are extremely strong. What if..."
Fan Xian raised his hand to interrupt.
"There is no such thing as a safe bet. She won't attack us. Even if she does, it will be useless even if you follow her. If you can't beat her, you can't beat her. So there is nothing to worry about. Go back and rest."
Gao Da and Wang Qinian looked at each other, both feeling helpless.
"Let's go."
Mei Chengan took the lead and walked in the direction Haitang left.
"Okay, stop standing there and go back."
Waving his hand and saying something, Fan Xian followed.
Wang Qinian and Gaoda stood there in silence, watching the three people walk away, and Gaoda suddenly spoke.
"Brother Wang, I think we should still follow."
Wang Qinian thought about it and shook his head slowly.
"Since Master Xiao Fan and my young master are both certain that the Saintess of Northern Qi will not take action, then this trip should be fine. We should not act on our own. Do you know what we should do now?"
Gundam wondered.
"doing what?"
Wang Qinian turned and walked away, patting his lips and yawning.
"Follow orders and go back to sleep!"
"..."
……
"Is this a breakthrough? Aren't you going to sleep?"
"I went to bed."
Fan Xian sneered.
"Should I say next that you didn't do anything, and you broke through after waking up from a sleep?"
Mei Chengan was shocked.
"Yeah, that's it. How did you know?"
"..."
Fan Xian stared at him for a long time, and seeing that his expression had not changed, his heart skipped a beat and the corners of his mouth twitched involuntarily.
"Are you serious?"
Mei Chengan spread his hands and said.
"To be honest, I don't know what's going on. It's really inexplicable. Don't tell me you don't believe it. I didn't believe it at first either."
Fan Xian was unhappy.
"Tell me you're lying to me!"
"Really not. If you don't believe me, ask Lao Wang. In order to confirm whether it was a dream or reality, I slapped him and kicked him."
"Fuck! I won't ask. I don't believe it anyway."
"..."
Fan Xian said through gritted teeth.
"If what you said is true, and it is so easy, then what is the point of my breakthroughs that are surrounded by dangers and take a long time?"
"emmm..."
Mei Chengan thought about it.
"You're awesome?"
"roll!"
Fan Xian went up and hit him with an elbow.
Mei Cheng'an took the hit, but it didn't hurt at all.
"It's not like this every time I break through. The previous breakthroughs were pretty much the same as you described. This time it might be because I broke through in my dream, and the dream and reality intersected. Hiss~ Why is it getting more and more fantastic? I should say that on the surface I was dreaming, but in fact I was breaking through, but I was just lying down. I think you can understand what I mean."
Fan Xian thought about it, and his expression visibly improved.
"That's pretty much it. Is there danger in the dream as well?"
"Does it matter?"
"important!"
Mei Chengan was speechless.
"ring!"
Fan Xian's state of mind returned to being relaxed.
"Oh, that's okay."
Mei Cheng'an shook his head and looked him up and down.
"It's time for you to break through."
Fan Xian exclaimed and laughed.
"I'm almost done fighting Sean, but I'll be completely done fighting Uesugi Tora. But I'm not in a hurry. I'll wait until tonight."
Mei Cheng'an said "oh" and stopped talking.
"By the way, I talked to Guo Baokun about your breakthrough while sleeping."
Fan Xian suddenly said.
Mei Chengan glanced at him.
“Why do you want to emphasize sleep breakthroughs?”
"Because of jealousy!"
"..."
Mei Cheng'an's mouth twitched and he looked at Haitang in front of him.
"Go on."
"I added two conditions. One is to testify against Yan Xiaoyi, and the other is that his father must form an alliance with me after he is released from prison."
Mei Cheng'an was not surprised to hear this.
"Did Chen Pingping's transfer of the Black Knights make you feel insecure?"
Fan Xian nodded, then shook his head.
"Yes and no. Actually, before I went to see Guo Baokun, I also talked to Sean. He deliberately pointed out to me that the Black Knights had not shown up, and told me not to trust Chen Pingping too much and to find more allies."
"..."
Fan Xian smiled.
"I just think it won't hurt to find more allies. As for that old bastard Chen Pingping, I'll settle accounts with him when I get back."
Mei Chengan shrugged.
"I can see it."
Fan Xian suddenly said.
"You seem to care whether I believe in Chen Pingping or not."
"That's pretty sharp. It's okay to tell you."
Mei Chengan smiled.
"Before he left, this old man secretly asked me to say a few good words for him when you misunderstood him and felt he was untrustworthy."
Fan Xian narrowed his eyes and chuckled.
"Is this old guy so afraid that I will misunderstand him?"
Mei Cheng'an thought about it and shook his head.
"I don't think so."
"Oh?"
"You may not want to, but he's not that scared. You should know how he treats you. Time will tell. Explaining with words would be cliché."
Fan Xian's eyes flashed and he sneered.
"Then he also let you..."
Mei Chengan glanced at him.
"I think he thinks you are impulsive and have a lot of inner thoughts. He is not worried that you will misunderstand him, but he is worried that you will misunderstand him and make a wrong decision."
"..."
Fan Xian was silent for a moment, then suddenly rolled his eyes.
"Is this his idea or yours?"
"That's what I guess he was thinking!"
"how about you?"
"That's what he thought. Otherwise, why would we help him?"
"Li mua!"
After Fan Xian cursed with a smile, he fell silent. There was a thoughtful look in his eyes, and no one knew what he was thinking about. After a moment, he suddenly spoke something.
"By the way, Guo Baokun will not return to Kyoto. He will go to Northern Qi with us."
Mei Cheng'an nodded without asking any more questions.
"Where are Zhao Da's others?"
"Together, they are quite skilled. I will examine their personalities on the way. If they are suitable, I plan to admit them to the Overwatch Council."
Mei Chengan raised his eyebrows.
"Oh."
……
(End of this chapter)
