As dusk approached, the carriage stopped at the edge of a secluded forest.

Towering trees pierced straight into the sky like sharp swords. The setting sun cast shadows onto the ground, perfectly dividing the earth and the carriages into two distinct halves, one in shadow, the other bathed in light.

Shen Buqi walked to the side of the carriage where the luggage was stored, knocked on the window three times, and woke up Li Er who was still napping.

Li Er yawned and said, “Is it time for dinner again?”

Shen Buqi said, “The Young Master requests your presence.”

Li Er was surprised: “Rare indeed. He’s actually willing to lower himself to speak to me.”

Shen Buqi made no comment and brought Li Er before His Highness, then retreated to the side to stand a short distance away with Zhou Huairang, waiting.

Shen Buqi remained constantly vigilant, listening in all directions and observing everything, while Zhou Huairang who couldn’t even kill a chicken, contentedly gazed at His Highness standing in the sunlight.

Today, the Crown Prince wore a brocade robe the color of persimmon red, like a wash of ink diffused in mist paired with a veiled hat of light gauze. The same color as the sunset, radiant and dazzling.

Few people could pull off such a luxurious and exquisite color, but the Crown Prince was one of them. Even though Zhou Huairang saw His Highness almost every day, he couldn’t help but sigh in admiration at the moment, “His Highness is truly handsome, inheriting all the virtues of both His Majesty and the Prime Minister.”

Shen Buqi glanced at Zhou Huairang: “Saying things like that, do you not want to live?”

Zhou Huairang covered his mouth: “I was wrong, I was wrong.” Fortunately, His Highness’s background was already a open secret in the palace; talking about it privately wouldn’t kill anyone. Zhou Huairang watched for a while longer, his expression gradually becoming complicated: “Old Shen, look, am I going blind? Just looking at him from the back, the fishmonger actually looks alright?”

Li Er and His Highness, one in coarse cloth, the other in Shu brocade and Wu silk, should have been worlds apart. But if one stood a little further away, unable to see Li Er’s face or clothing, one would only see a tall, straight dark figure with broad shoulders and long legs, standing opposite His Highness the Crown Prince.

The two, one in light and one in shadow, like the setting sun and the tree’s shadow, unexpectedly formed a complementary picture.

Shen Buqi: “Indeed.”

Zhou Huairang: “You think so too?!”

Shen Buqi: “Yes, you’re blind.”

At this moment, the two picturesque figures in the eyes of others exchanged glances that were far from friendly.

Zhao Mian’s suspicion towards Li Er solidified. It was normal for him to look at Li Er unfavorably, but for Li Er to look at him unfavorably was a big problem.

It was clear that Li Er  was approaching them merely hoping to use their strength to go to the capital and deal with Wan Huameng. Initially, to achieve his goal, Li Er’s attitude towards him could be described as respectful but ever since he made Li Er kneel, although on the surface there was no difference in how Li Er looked at him, he could feel a subtle sense of displeasure from Li Er.

In this world, most people live ordinary, unremarkable lives. Therefore, anyone with a bit of talent inherently possesses a certain degree of arrogance in their bones, which is something they cannot hide, no matter how hard they try.

Li Er’s kneel was admittedly done readily enough, but just how unwilling he was in his heart was something only he himself knew.

Li Er asked him, “What brings you here, Young Master?”

Zhao Mian said, “I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?”

“The bad news, I suppose.”

“The bad news is, you’re going to die,” Zhao Mian said lightly, “and I’m the one telling you.”

Li Er’s eyes twitched: “Why is that? Didn’t we discuss this yesterday? If I die, you won’t find the antidote and die too.”

Zhao Mian calmly lied: “The problem is, my people have already found a way to remove the Gu.”

Li Er was stunned for a moment: “Is that your good news?”

“Yes.” Zhao Mian looked at Li Er with eyes like cold arrows. “I have no use for you anymore. You must die.”

Li Er lowered his head to think, then shook his head, revealing a confused expression: “I don’t quite understand. You’ve found a way to remove the Gu, which is a happy ending for everyone. And it’s true that you have no use for me anymore, but I… ‘must die’?”

Zhao Mian nodded: “That’s right.”

Li Er’s features gradually crumpled into a knot: “I say, young master, you and I have no feud, so why are you always trying to kill me? The real culprit is Wan Huameng, who enjoys toying with the world and treating other people’s struggles as entertainment. What does it have to do with me? I didn’t want to be infected with the Gu either. I’m innocent, you know. You wouldn’t be so cruel as to target an innocent fishmonger, would you?”

Zhao Mian said: “Wan Huameng’s male and female Gu are born as a pair, and they die when separated. The so-called method of coupling between two infected people to remove the Gu is merely to combine the two Gu into one. Therefore, if I can cut you open and extract the living Gu from your body to use as medicine, and then feed it to the Gu poison within my body, it will achieve the same effect.”

Li Er crossed his arms, remained silent for a moment, then sighed like a teenager forced to play with a child: “Impressive, impressive. Which brilliant doctor told you all this? Such intelligence and wisdom is comparable to Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong.”

Of course, Zhao Mian wouldn’t tell Li Er that the brilliant doctor was himself. Actually, he also felt that this explanation was too outrageous to be believed, but it didn’t matter, all he needed was just an excuse to kill someone.

He asked, “In any case, do you understand?”

Li Er said faintly, “Your way of curing the Gu… I don’t even know how to comment.”

Zhao Mian stubbornly said, “Every man is for himself, or heaven and earth will destroy him. I am not a good person. You also said, ‘A great man would rather die than submit,’ and you, Li Er, would rather die than marry. Since that’s the case, my killing you to protect myself can be considered fulfilling your wish.”

Li Er looked at Zhao Mian for a long time, then suddenly his eyebrows relaxed, as if giving up resistance, “Alright, go ahead then.”

Li Er said it so calmly,  as if certain that Zhao Mian wouldn’t actually make a move, that he was just talking.

“You seem to think I’m joking with you?” Zhao Mian said coldly.

Li Er raised an eyebrow, “Otherwise? You’re not capable enough to find a solution to the male and female Gu in just a few days. If the Wan Huameng’s Gu was really that easy to break, those Dongling nobles forced into marriage by Wan Huameng wouldn’t have to fear for their lives.”

Exposed, Zhao Mian not only didn’t panic in the slightest, but even scoffed, saying, “Li Er, even if you want to pretend to be a fishmonger, you should pay attention to the details. An honest and reliable fishmonger constantly mentions ‘Wan Huameng’ without even a hint of reverence.”

Li Er also laughed, “First, Wan Huameng has committed many evil deeds. Even with his overwhelming power, not every Dongling person respects him. There are plenty who want his life. Second, I haven’t paid enough attention to details? Does it matter? You’d suspect me anyway. Pretending is tiring.”

Zhao Mian didn’t expect Li Er to admit it so readily. He had indeed suspected Li Er from the beginning, but he couldn’t find any definite evidence. Especially after Li Er showed off his skill of killing fish with his eyes closed, he was even more hesitant to make a judgment. It wasn’t until Shen Buqi discovered they were being followed that he gained a rough certainty.

Zhao Mian said coldly, “Finally willing to admit you were pretending.”

Li Er said, “I admit it, I admit it. But I’m a little curious, when did you start suspecting me?”

Zhao Mian generously gave the truth, “Very early, before I even met you.”

Zhao Mian thought Li Er would ask something like “How could you suspect me if you’ve never met me?”, but unexpectedly, Li Er said without hesitation: “Because I didn’t show up at Qinghui Tower in time?”

Zhao Mian gave Li Er a genuine look of surprise.

He had a habit, which wasn’t exactly a flaw: he only liked to talk to people with beautiful appearances.

This wasn’t an innate flaw; it was because he grew up in an environment full of beautiful people – his father, the prime minister, his younger brother, and his many teachers, were all handsome men of different styles. After spending more than ten years living with these people, his tolerance for ugly men was extremely low. Looking at them even for a further moment would make him feel suffocated and nauseous, and would also affect his appetite.

For the past few days, this was the first time he had scrutinized Li Er so seriously, and the conclusion he reached was almost the same as the first time he saw him.

Dark-skinned, extremely ugly.

However, this dark-skinned man’s eyes… were surprisingly well-shaped. His pupils seemed to shimmer with a clear breeze, containing a hint of freedom and unruliness.

A fishmonger who had been killing fish for twenty years should have eyes that were cold and detached. How could he possibly have such a gaze?

He watched Li Er raising his hand to stroke his chin, saying, “Ah, is the reason ‘I didn’t notice the red string on my wrist because I’m too dark’ really that unbelievable?”

Knowing he wouldn’t get an answer, Zhao Mian still couldn’t help but ask, “Li Er, who exactly are you?”

Li Er slightly sneered, “I was just about to praise you for being clever, why are you being foolish again? Is that question meaningful? Do you think I’ll answer it?”

Zhao Mian’s expression faltered for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure: “Indeed, it’s meaningless.”

A question that couldn’t be answered was naturally meaningless. If Li Er asked him who he was right now, his laughter would only be louder than Li Er’s.

Li Er had never asked about his identity, not even his name. Even though he hid his face behind a veiled hat all day, Li Er hadn’t shown much interest in his appearance.

Because both he and Li Er knew that answers were always found by oneself, not asked for.

“I’m curious, where would Wan Huameng plant the male and female Gu worms in your body?” Zhao Mian’s gaze fell upon Li Er’s chest, “Left or right, above or below, the heart or the dantian?”

Even now, Li Er was still in the mood to answer his question: “I don’t know, you’ll have to ask Wan Huameng about that.”

“How about this, we’ll go from top to bottom. First your eyes, then your chest, your heart…” Zhao Mian took a step forward, approaching Li Er closer, and said softly, “Tell me, at which cut will those people hiding in the shadows finally reveal themselves?”

It was the first time the two were so close, the elegant tea fragrance mixed with the scent of books wafted over. The light gauze of the veiled hat lightly brushed against Li Er’s nose, feeling strangely itchy. He raised his hand to scratch the side of his nose, saying: “Hm? I don’t understand.”

Zhao Mian sneered and turned around decisively: “Come.”

Shen Buqi, who was waiting nearby immediately rushed over: “Young Master.”

“Make your move.”

Shen Buqi replied “Yes,” and the sword at his waist was unsheathed in response.

The sword was like its owner, stern and upright. Li Er lowered his eyes to look at the tip of the sword almost touching his throat, and finally frowned. The frost-like blade reflected his increasingly cold eyes.

Zhao Mian appreciated the serious expression on the fishmonger face and said happily: “Getting scared now?”

“Not exactly afraid, just…” Li Er squinted, looking into the distance behind Shen Buqi, “Not too happy.”

As his words fell, the quiet dense forest suddenly “stirred,” and the wind became sharp. With a whoosh of a sharp weapon, a cold gleaming dart shot through the air. The sword flashed like lightning, and with a “clang,” it knocked Shen Buqi’s sword aside.

At the same time, two figures, one red and one blue, leaped from the shadows, landing lightly on the ground, their clothes fluttering gracefully.

 Just as Shen Buqi had anticipated, they were two women with light figures, approximately seventeen or eighteen years old. One was pure and beautiful, the other charming and alluring, both possessing adequate beauty.

The two women looked directly at Li Er, calling out anxiously: “Master!”

“Master, we’re here to save you!”

The corners of Zhao Mian’s mouth curved upwards slightly.

Even if these people knew that this was a trick to lure the snake out of its hole, what could they do? With their master’s vitals threatened with a sword right in front of their eyes, a slight mistake could mean death, who would dare not to rescue him? They couldn’t risk it.

Rather than calling this a conspiracy, it was more like a calculated move in broad daylight. Sometimes, such a move is more infuriating to the victims than a secret plot. Even knowing it’s a trap, they have no choice but to jump into it.

Li Er tsked softly, his tone revealing a displeasure that delighted Zhao Mian: “So, I hate it most when people play these obvious games with me.”

Author’s note:

Li Er: Revealed, no longer pretending.jpg

Li Er: The cards are on the table, no more pretending.jpg