The Deposed Crown Prince had Three Lifelong Regrets - Chapter 10

Chapter 10

She didn’t get a chance to explain that the “possession” was fake, not only because she feared the other person might angrily kick her away, but also because, after a closer look, Lu Fengmian should have been able to discern the truth with her abilities.

There were indeed shape-shifting spirits that possessed people eighteen miles away, so she wasn’t exactly lying.

Only now did Lu Fengmian calm down to meticulously examine her appearance. Under the paleness, there was a faint bluish tint, her eyes were dim, and only her breath was vibrant and scorching.

Pulling down her lower eyelid, the blood vessels were faint, almost negligible, but the boundary between the whites and the iris was distinct, unlike the signs of possession.

Emotion was gradually consumed by reason, and Lu Fengmian slowly came back to herself.

The area around this Joyful God Inn was saturated with yin energy, yet the interior felt like a safe haven ten thousand miles away, undoubtedly the best place to spend the night and recover. Furthermore, out of necessity for finding someone, starting with abnormal places was common sense.

As for those corpses…

Lu Fengmian glanced at Mo Xianghao, then used the corner of her eye to scan the dead bodies on the ground.

Seeing that Mo still hadn’t grasped the mystery, she first pulled her over to the continuously sleeping Li Qinghuai, then strode over to the four corpses piled next to the table.

Pinching open a corpse’s lower jaw, a smell of decay wafted out. She expressionlessly brought her index and middle fingers together, driving them straight into the stiff skeleton’s throat.

When her two fingers pulled out a strand of sticky hair, and three corpses in a row yielded the same result, Lu Fengmian was thoroughly certain that these three were killed by the Corpse Mother.

All four people had pox marks the size of soybeans on their faces, and when their trouser legs were rolled up, they were covered in dark red sores.

Lu Fengmian made no sound. As she stood up, she subtly kicked the corpse closest to her. After a moment, five or six dark, small insects crawled out from beneath the covered clothing.

These insects crawled across the mud-like wooden planks, providing natural camouflage. Lu Fengmian stomped several times before she could confirm they were all dead.

Because she used skillful movements and her boots made little noise on the floor, her actions didn’t draw much attention.

“Do we really have to stay here? It looks sinister. Who can guarantee safety?”

The voice, surprisingly delicate, belonged to the only girl among the bodyguards. Lu Fengmian, who had a soft spot for her, walked over, pushed her shoulder, and led her to the table.

“Su Wushuang, relax. If you’re truly scared, I’ll sleep with you tonight,” Lu Fengmian said in a low voice to comfort her.

However, the female bodyguard clearly found no comfort in this. Her steps were unsteady, and her expression remained anxious.

Lu Fengmian reached her destination, stroked her chin, and “spoke to herself” at a moderate volume: “If only we had some quilts. It doesn’t matter if they’re moldy.”

Without regard for anyone’s reactions, she ran around inspecting the place, as if truly hoping to drag a stack of bedding from some corner to endure the cool, rainy night.

The coffin in the corner had no lid, and its bottom was lined with a large amount of straw.

The long silence was like the rainy night itself. The first to break the atmosphere was the dying corpse-driver. His incessant coughing kept pounding on the eardrums and hearts of the timid.

When traveling, it’s necessary to temper one’s overflowing sympathy. Birth, aging, sickness, and death are inevitable human affairs. Experienced and capable Taoist Masters were accustomed to encountering pitiful people in the wilderness and chose to ignore them.

Lu Fengmian, who had a considerable reputation in the martial world, was well-versed in this philosophy. She casually swept her hand along the coffin wall, her fingertip picking up a thick smear of grime.

At this moment, all notions of being a noble lady, or having a dignified and compassionate heart, were disregarded by Lu Fengmian.

She sat on the narrow edge of the coffin, bent her back, and gathered the straw into her arms, having a self-justifying monologue.

“My friend fainted here. I had no other choice, so I had to resort to this. I apologize.”

“Staying here for a day or two, I assume you wouldn’t mind.”

The meaning was clearly one of coercion.

The corpse-driver sneered, “What, taking advantage of my broken body?”

Lu Fengmian shook her head, “We are all adults. Why state the obvious?”

Mo Xianghao pursed her lips. This wasn’t the first time she had seen the other person’s mannerisms as a member of a prestigious family.

Since they had met many times in childhood and traveled extensively together, Mo often indulged her, even if she fundamentally disliked this behavior, choosing not to confront her openly.

She lowered her head to assist the physician whom Lu Fengmian had pushed over, observing silently, without a word.

Before anyone could fully settle down, piles of straw were laid out beside her. She instantly realized that this was likely not prepared for her.

“Isn’t this a bit improper?” Mo Xianghao’s mouth twitched.

Lu Fengmian curled her lip, “What’s this? You’re already embarrassed? How will you get by when traveling in the future?”

Although she agreed with the statement, out of jealousy, Mo Xianghao still whined, “There might not be enough straw here for everyone…”

Without a direct answer, Lu Fengmian simply tilted her head to indicate Li Qinghuai’s unconscious location.

A chill that had just subsided suddenly gave way to a fresh wave of dread, striking Mo Xianghao’s heart.

Why should she be so good to this second-rate woman?

What exactly did I miss? What caused your attitude to change so quickly?

Lu Fengmian gazed deeply at her, mumbling, “Hurry and sleep. We have to rush tomorrow.”

There were spare candles in her pack. Lu Fengmian arranged them one by one. The candlelight illuminated the pitch-black floor, making the entire Joyful God Inn look like a giant beast swallowing light from a distance.

Li Qinghuai’s face was flushed red, from the tips of her ears to the base of her neck, and her body was radiating heat.

She huddled on the damp straw, hands tucked into her chest. Just as she was about to become completely dull, she pursed her cracked lips, exhaled a large gust of hot air, and inhaled a few small sips of cold air.

The human body is strange. If you endure pain while standing, you can usually bear it, but once you lie down, the discomfort surges up from the soles of your feet. Her muscles were tense, and the cold sweat dripping down made her hair stand up, feeling like lying on a bed of needles.

The only time she had the energy to laugh and reply was when Lu Fengmian asked if she was willing to stay.

Of course, she was willing…

The brazen guest forced the severed-leg young man to compromise. He pointed out an open path: there was a well in the backyard that could be used for cooling.

However, after searching, there wasn’t a single usable basin in the inn. They were either broken or rusty, covered in dust and grime, making them repulsive to approach.

“There used to be a coal mine in the mountains, but after more than a decade of excessive mining, it couldn’t hold up. It collapsed half a year ago and crushed quite a few people.”

Lu Fengmian rested one leg on the table and lightly swung the other. She appeared leisurely, but was anything but. Zhao Pan’er’s fever was stubbornly refusing to break, and knowing the other person was not simple, she very much hoped for a serious conversation between the two.

Her fingertips lingered near the other person’s eyebrows and eyes. Because her thoughts were so tangled, her movements seemed infused with reluctance.

Mo Xianghao, who had already found a comfortable spot to lean, sucked in a breath. This was absolutely possession, damn it.

Her expression grew increasingly strange. She tried to speak several times, but eventually compromised with reality, turning away to avoid seeing and feeling distressed.

Time slowly crept by.

The candles were almost burnt out, and a faint snore could be heard from the person curled up on the ground. Li Qinghuai finally woke up.

“They are all asleep.”

The person next to her casually replied, “Mm.”

After waiting a moment longer, she realized, “Something’s off. In this ghostly place, those cowards shouldn’t be asleep.”

Lu Fengmian silently waited for her reaction, only to feel the other person’s right hand resting on her. The hand patted lightly, like soothing a baby in swaddling clothes.

“Let’s talk about it tomorrow… everyone is tired.”

The faint wind sneaked in through the tightly shut doors and windows. In the flickering candlelight, it seemed as though demons and ghosts were waving all around, watching in the dark.

“You…” Lu Fengmian was unwilling to let it go.

Li Qinghuai closed her eyes and hooked her hands wildly around Lu Fengmian’s neck, delivering a kiss to her lips with lightning speed.

The icy touch caused Lu Fengmian to instantly crash. Innumerable fragments of sensual pleasures and extravagant memories flashed through her mind, familiar yet terrifyingly strange.

She latched onto one certainty, fiercely grabbing Li Qinghuai’s collar. Their two faces were forced extremely close, their noses practically touching. The scorching breath swept across her cheek and ear, compelling her to acknowledge her own roughness.

“Who are you? We’ve met before, haven’t we?”

Li Qinghuai opened her eyes to a slit, gauging the other person’s expression but not answering directly, “There are so many people here. Aren’t you embarrassed? Aren’t you afraid the host will kick you out?”

Her voice was artificially tender, which could easily be mistaken for coquetry.

“The host? Are you talking about the one with the severed leg? He’s not even fully a living person anymore, so what kind of host is he?” Lu Fengmian’s eyes were blazing.

Li Qinghuai pouted, “Then you don’t need to pity him. Just kill him when you leave.”

Her gaze wasn’t benevolent either, but her attitude remained gentle, wrapping a sharp sword in a soft, cotton-like manner, though she still had to get a playful jab in.

She wanted to lean closer but realized they were at the limit of close proximity. Any closer and they would be cheek to cheek, mouth to mouth. If she tried to be cheeky then, she might be slapped a meter away.

“While you’re at it, start a fire and burn all those little flying insects to death. Then you won’t have anything to worry about. You won’t have to worry about that fool next to you getting killed, and you won’t have to worry about her being targeted by ghosts.”

“Didn’t anyone teach you to mind your own business when you’re traveling?”

Lu Fengmian lowered her eyes, lost in thought. Her long, dark eyelashes concealed the emotions in her eyes. After a long pause, she gently said,

“My father left me with my uncle’s family when I was young. My discipline was indeed rather sparse.”

This sudden, soft attitude caught Li Qinghuai off guard. She slid backward, retreating repeatedly. After putting some safe distance between them, she covered her face with her sleeve, mumbled a few inaudible, vague words, and then feigned sleep.

“Your behavior really makes me uncomfortable. I never thought this was a wound…”

Snores of varying volume converged. Lu Fengmian fixed her eyes on the person, who was now opening and closing her thin lips exaggeratedly. The air she puffed out occasionally made the cloth covering her face puff up like a bubble.

Lu Fengmian’s face darkened, and she had no choice but to accept defeat.

A demonic wind suddenly arose, extinguishing half the candles.

The taut string in her heart would not loosen. She felt dizzy and sick. The short conversation, lasting less than an hour, had covered her back in a cold sweat.

She never wanted to stir up trouble while leading a group of ordinary people. Even if their fate dictated their death, she wished they wouldn’t die right in front of her.

Ask less, hear less, do less.

The Song family would not let them, the escapees from Tuo Mountain, go. Yet, Lu Fengmian couldn’t stay in Tuo Mountain forever. This trip was an attempt to do her part and accept fate. Second Young Master Song was, by now, essentially abandoned by his own family. She wanted to minimize the situation.

If there was anyone in the world who wanted Song Xuan Ye to return home the most, it was the bodyguards present.

It was already difficult for the young master to survive, let alone the respectable woman who was forcefully taken. She likely wouldn’t survive either.

Lu Fengmian was heartbroken. She currently had someone who could potentially awaken her memory, but this person was definitely not kind.

The observations she openly displayed were neither more nor less than what she already knew. In a short time, she couldn’t distinguish whether the person had, through her own skill, observed information identical to hers.

Or if the person was watching the whole situation, accurately calculated what she could observe, and only revealed the facts she already knew.

If this matter was settled and they parted ways, how would she then go about investigating the memory she had lost?

If she wanted to move forward, she would certainly have to rely on mutual benefit, but who knew what her goals were?

Was it truly just the ten thousand taels of gold?