The Deposed Crown Prince had Three Lifelong Regrets - Chapter 11 

Chapter 11

In the deepest hour of night before dawn, Li Qinghuai quietly opened her eyes. The person beside her was tossing and turning, making it impossible for her, the patient, to sleep well.

She stretched out two fingers and poked the other person’s shoulder, signaling her to lean closer.

“I don’t quite understand why we have to stay here. Are you very confident you can protect all of us?”

Lu Fengmian pursed her lips. The square silver bell at her waist was silent, and as far as her eyes could see, there was no black mist formed by resentment, indicating that no maiming or killing had occurred here.

Although demons generally weren’t good, there were some that were both good and evil.

“Then I must thank Miss Zhao Pan’er. You have a fondness for Yuan Dynasty opera and have extended your humanitarian spirit of rescuing the distressed to the realm of slaying demons and devils. Your presence here is like divine assistance to me.”

Lu Fengmian gave a gentle smile, speaking as if without a shred of sarcasm.

The words she spoke were difficult to describe as sarcasm. The listener couldn’t detect any mockery, sounding so sincere as if she truly felt that way.

“Since you invited Fox Immortal, I naturally benefit from the connection. If there are any ghosts or demons in this inn, they wouldn’t dare to act rashly.”

Li Qinghuai retorted without much weight, “You are gambling with the lives of ordinary people.”

“No, this is the balance that Taoists have maintained since ancient times. If it were to be broken by my carelessness now, I fear I would become an eternal sinner.”

“I don’t understand your roundabout way of speaking,” Li Qinghuai deliberately played the fool. Then, fearing she would truly be taken for an idiot, she added a correction, “Is it that hard to just say this is a rule between demons, like human etiquette, where you have to save face for the Fox Immortal?”

“If you won’t even save this face, then you’d be truly insane, killing recklessly wherever you go. You could even extend that to say—”

The voice lowered to a whisper afterward.

“The person in power is not tolerated by heaven and earth…” inciting both human and divine indignation, driving the demons to madness.

Just as Li Qinghuai uttered the third word, her mouth was gently covered.

Lu Fengmian offered a shallow, insincere smile, “Some things I don’t need to hear, and you don’t need to say.”

From the beginning in the forest, she felt this person was highly subversive. Now, no matter what she intended to say, Lu Fengmian would interrupt first to avoid unnecessary trouble.

“Stop pulling on me. If you don’t want to talk seriously, then don’t talk.” The already strained smile completely disappeared.

This smooth, impartial treatment only made her feel awkward. It was wise to try and placate intelligent people, but talking to this half-mad woman made one suspect their head might roll off the next second.

Li Qinghuai rolled her eyes, “Don’t worry. A beautiful girl like you won’t be harmed, even if I’m torn to pieces.”

Gazing at those eyes full of mirth, Lu Fengmian maintained a rational silence.

Every place burdened with deep resentment holds a complex story. If the area nearby is fraught with resentment, yet one specific spot is peaceful and serene, there must be something restraining them.

Optimistically, it’s Buddhist salvation. Pessimistically, it’s something more sinister that makes them afraid to approach.

There are no ghosts or demons stationed in this inn; there are only corpse-parasites living inside human bodies.

Corpse-parasites generally only bite and climb over the bodies of the dying. Those who are terminally ill die in an illusory dream, while their bodies, still holding a sliver of vitality, retain a faint consciousness.

The duration of this consciousness depends on the individual’s will. Although they can no longer be called living people and are incapable of joy, sorrow, anger, or grief, it is said that they still know their names.

However, they do not know their current state. They can answer short, easy-to-understand questions and recognize their relatives.

Once the base of their tongue is completely stiff, their saliva can be used as medicine, making it a good remedy for saving lives.

“These things are not powerful. The only reason they could restrain the lingering souls is that those souls were tormented by these things in life, suffered too much suppression, and despite their resentment after death, they are still afraid. Once bitten by a snake, one fears the rope for ten years.”

“You get what you fear. With the scale of death in the mountains, they’ve been nurtured to be plump and robust. Maybe they don’t even look favorably upon our paltry meat,” Li Qinghuai observed that Lu Fengmian seemed displeased. She yawned and continued, “What about your friend? Why isn’t she coming over to talk?”

The dark figure leaning above her finally spoke, “You were sleeping when we were talking. I really don’t know who you’re hinting at now.”

“You insisted on lying between the two of us. Why didn’t it shake you awake when we were talking?”

Li Qinghuai bared her teeth.

“Mo Xianghao, watch your language. Don’t use such vulgar words. But I forgive you, because you weren’t there when I was whispering with your friend Lu. You were busy strutting around, inspecting that damn environment and checking for hidden risks.”

Mo Xianghao was fuming, pulling her beard and glaring. She thought for a long time about what to say to retort, only to realize that the person bordering the topic refused to contribute a single word for her to use.

Once her attention was pulled back to Lu Fengmian, the suppressed emotions surged up again. She was instantly transported back to the scene of someone desperately weeping a few hours ago, and it frightened the hair on her skin into standing up again.

Even now, she didn’t know how to ask about the situation then.

She chose to believe that it was due to inhaling the mind-confusing scent produced by the corpse-parasites in the air, and refused to delve deeper into the rest.

After all, the matter couldn’t withstand scrutiny. Why were only the two of them affected while others were fine?

She tentatively decided it was a plan Lu Fengmian hadn’t told her yet, and patiently waited, but only disappointment followed.

“You’re from Qilu. You’re skilled with poisons and hidden weapons. Did you take any measures to protect your own people?” Li Qinghuai propped up her head, staring straight at Lu Fengmian, though her words were directed to Mo Xianghao.

Lu Fengmian had grown unconsciously used to this scrutiny. She subtly raised her hand to push the person’s face farther away, and pre-emptively said as others tried to interrupt:

“Whether I did or not, I can’t tell you. It’s only our second day of acquaintance after tonight. We have to wait until three full days have passed before discussing private matters.”

This was the third tactic in her roundabout strategy, a variation of giving a sweet date after a slap. It was a retreat to advance, subtly pulling outsiders into her own camp.

Mo Xianghao frowned, a vein in her head tightening, yet she couldn’t make any sense of the words, only finding them unpleasant to hear.

She glanced at the giggling Li Qinghuai, then back at the still-composed Lu Fengmian. Seeing no change in either of them, she had no choice but to temporarily suppress her strange feeling.

Putting aside prejudice and contention, she said, “This could very likely be artificially cultivated. The mother parasite is kept in a box and fed to the dying.”

“Of course, these ‘dying’ people are the result of human harm, specially selected and tormented, their bodies used to cultivate the parasites. And the hosts will feel like a dull knife is slowly cutting their flesh; the pain is gradually numbed, but because the parasite is medicinal throughout, it can prolong the death cycle to some extent.”

Li Qinghuai was very willing to play along at this point, nodding vigorously.

“Then escape at daybreak. Don’t stay in this troubled place.”

The quiet dawn bloomed like a flower, painting the contours of the mountains with a layer of pink. A shaft of sunlight slanted in, scattering like water ripples across the room.

“Actually, you definitely won’t find the person. The body has probably been eaten by jackals and tigers. If anything remains, you’ll only find it in the pile of dead people.”

She tucked her messy hair behind her ear, “I knew you weren’t doing this for money. You go, and I’ll stay.”

This infuriated Lu Fengmian. She immediately grabbed her wrist and said urgently, “You’ll leave whether you want to or not!”

After a moment’s consideration, Li Qinghuai leaned against Lu Fengmian, allowing silence to replace her answer.

Not getting a reply, the body she was leaning on started to swell. Lu Fengmian’s instep unconsciously arched due to the awkwardness. Lu Fengmian thought, If you don’t speak, I’ll take it as agreement.

She raised her hand to push the person away, but halfway, she worried if she was still delirious from the fever. Her warm fingertips gently stroked the top of her head, catching seven or eight strands of hair, only then did she realize she shouldn’t and drew back her fingertips with a hint of sadness.

After a while, the sound of a spring hitting a stone rang out again.

“I can’t leave. I really can’t.”

Seeing the other person’s expression uncontrollably souring, Li Qinghuai merely avoided her gaze and didn’t change her mind.

The delicate balance was broken. The brief friendship that had existed apart from hostility, the ambiguous tolerance, was shattered by her in an instant.

Lu Fengmian pinched her knuckles until they turned purple. Her breathing became unavoidably heavy. Finally, she gritted her teeth and pulled out an object.

It was the soft whip she had pointed with earlier, finely made and valuable.

“Take this. Go to the Zhao Manor and find me then. I will give you a big welcome gift.”

Li Qinghuai had visited the Zhao Manor many times long ago, so she knew her way around.

She calmly accepted it, “It’s a deal.”

Over the next two days they stayed, Lu Fengmian never gave Li Qinghuai a kind expression.

Although she felt she was being meticulous, anyone with eyes could see that compared to before, when the other person was just as insistent on staying close, she was much colder now.

The outer skin of the severed-leg young man gradually developed black markings. His nerves, thoroughly destroyed after being eroded, were completely broken. He leaned woodenly against the table corner, silent.

Li Qinghuai accompanied Lu Fengmian as she interrogated this “living dead.” The voice of the young man, after only a day, sounded like a broken bellows leaking air in a gale—a horrid, raspy sound.

What useful information was obtained, she had no way of knowing.

She watched, she listened, but her mind wasn’t there. She was thinking entirely of the scheming within the imperial palace.

These parasites were well-fed for now, but in a few days, that might not be the case.

Just as Mo Xianghao was about to advise her, a man claiming to be Zhao Pan’er’s friend arrived. After a quick negotiation, he overturned all potential dangers with a few words.

Having no choice, the two Taoist Masters had to lead their people to leave early.

As she was leaving, Lu Fengmian’s anger peaked. But after stepping across the threshold, she seemed to have calmed down and regained her composure. She turned around to exchange pleasantries with Li Qinghuai, bidding her farewell with a cordial attitude.

It was not fake, nor was it the calm before a storm; it was genuinely gentle and serene, even giving the impression of benevolent kindness.

“It’s been so peaceful these past few days,” Li Qinghuai returned the smile, “But peace is a good thing.”

“Miss Lu has the heart of a Bodhisattva, being willing to look after me for so long.”

Lu Fengmian’s expression was open and graceful, with the refined air of a scholar. “I am merely emulating Second Miss Duan.”

“Are you referring to ‘Little Bodhisattva’?”

In the teahouses of the capital, and among the young ladies at the Hundred Flowers Banquet, Miss Lu Fengmian of the Zhao family was occasionally discussed. However, pure praise was rare; she was mostly a side dish for people’s amusement and sighs.

Her father who married into the family, her mother who died in childbirth with the second child, and the rarely mentioned matter of her marriage.

And the scandal of emulating Second Miss Duan.

Like a clumsy mimic.

Second Miss Duan, Duan Jingci.

“I heard Miss Duan’s name is taken from the line, ‘The Phoenix flies over the capital, its substance is not in its words.’ Not only is she stunningly beautiful, but her nature is also gentle and honest; she is truly intelligent and beautiful both inside and out.” Li Qinghuai shook her head slightly, praising her.

“That is correct,” Lu Fengmian replied.

She watched Li Qinghuai, while out of the corner of her eye, observing the man behind her.

That man had argued that following her was not beneficial and that staying at the inn for a few days was harmless. When interrupting, his eyes were sharp and his eyebrows slanted dramatically. Yet, now, following Pan’er, he kept his eyes lowered and his demeanor was respectful and compliant—like a subordinate.

It was hard to say they were lovers. Brother and sister or older sister and younger brother felt too distant.

Looking at them, they resembled master and servant.

“She is born like a Bodhisattva—a graceful lady with a vermillion spot between her brows, having transcended the mortal world.” Li Qinghuai raised her hand to her eyebrow, checking her fingernails for dirt as she spoke.

“But what does that have to do with our nation’s beauty, Chengmei? In terms of learning and looks, while they may be comparable, they are not the same.”

“How can you say you’re emulating her? Are you learning her tender affection for distributing congee outside the city on rainy days—oh no, her compassion?”

She finished checking the dirt in both hands. She placed one hand on the doorframe for support and touched her chin with the other. After a moment of thought, she said, “Could it be that you are imitating her being sickly from childhood, so you must visit lively places every day, month, and year to soak up good fortune?”

“That doesn’t seem right either. That person’s health should be fine.”

Li Qinghuai’s tone had reverted to the lazy indulgence brought on by fatigue, like when they first met. Yet, it was surprisingly without a hint of impatience, as if she was telling an amusing story, which was somewhat humorous and kept people hooked.

“Are you still feverish? I think you’re getting confused,” Lu Fengmian’s voice was soft. The morning glow gilded her with a pink light. Her every movement seemed truly like a Bodhisattva reborn.

Li Qinghuai suddenly didn’t find the comparison to “Little Bodhisattva” repulsive anymore. What if she was born alluring and beautiful?

Must a Bodhisattva be transcendent? Can’t a person immersed in this vast mortal world, seeking wealth among the world’s flowers, be a Bodhisattva?

“You know the capital very well. Whether you heard about it or otherwise, it seems you enjoy learning about it.”

Mo Xianghao stood a short distance away, watching their flirtatious exchange. Enduring the fearful gazes of the many ordinary people, her mood was extremely complicated.

She couldn’t glimpse a single hint of who was testing whom, who was revealing everything, or who was subtly guiding the conversation.

“The Zhao Manor has many more strange and interesting stories. I’ll wait for you,” Lu Fengmian finally said, waving goodbye.

The group of people walked toward the distant chimney smoke. Only after they had completely vanished into the depths of the forest did Li Qinghuai adjust her leaning posture.

The hazy fog enveloped her and the others, like an uncrossable gulf. She was unfazed by this, only waving away the mist in front of her face before turning and walking back into the inn.

With her first step inside, she kicked the corpse at the corner of the table. Her second step, after the corpse fell, landed directly on its neck, severing the head from the body in less than a moment.

A swarm of black insects crawled out.

These parasites living inside the human body were only larvae. Their complex wings hadn’t dried yet, so they couldn’t fly.

Their nest destroyed, the corpse-parasites, which should have been enraged, did not attempt to attack Li Qinghuai. They unanimously bypassed her and scattered, trying to escape.

She quickly took a few steps and casually stomped on two of them, making the soles of her shoes feel sticky.