Something felt off, though she couldn't pinpoint what. Nan Shiying, unable to figure it out, decided to stop thinking about it. Seeing her avert her gaze, Ji Jinmo spoke, "The ones who understand each other best are always enemies."
Nan Shiying clicked her tongue. Fine, that made sense.
However, thinking of the Miao Jiang remnants hidden within the imperial palace, Nan Shiying felt weary. "If these Miao Jiang remnants aren't Ji Hong's people, it'll be even more troublesome."
"My Lord, if it weren't for the fact that Marquis Xunyang's wife exposed herself while trying to kill the Dali princess this time, would you have ever suspected she was a Miao Jiang remnant?"
Ji Jinmo's expression turned grim. His intelligence network spanned the entire capital, even the entire Lin Yuan Kingdom, yet even so, Miao Jiang remnants had been wreaking havoc right under his nose for so long.
Marquis Xunyang's wife… how could she be a Miao Jiang remnant? Wasn't she the legitimate daughter of the Grand Academician?
"The Grand Academician's legitimate daughter, did she ever go missing?" Nan Shiying asked.
Ji Jinmo thought for a moment. "No, never."
"So, that means she might not actually be a Miao Jiang remnant, but rather someone who was taught蛊术 (gu shu)?" Nan Shiying raised her voice in surprise.
Ji Jinmo nodded. "Yes."
"She is definitely the Grand Academician's legitimate daughter!"
There was no doubt about that.
"Could it have been a human skin mask?" Nan Shiying inquired.
Ji Jinmo glanced at her as if she were an idiot. "Do you think that kind of thing can be mass-produced?"
Nan Shiying was taken aback and shot Ji Jinmo an annoyed glare. "Just talk, what's with that attitude?"
Ji Jinmo cleared his throat and said, "To make a human skin mask so lifelike, you'd need top-quality materials and exceptional craftsmanship. Like the human skin mask on Qingyuan's face, there aren't more than five such masks in the world, and not everyone can obtain one."
Nan Shiying lowered her eyelids, too lazy to look at him.
"Then investigate Marquis Xunyang's wife's life before her death. Perhaps we can find something."
Ji Jinmo hummed. "Alright!"
Speaking of which, Nan Shiying was actually curious. Why did Marquis Xunyang's wife desperately want to kill the Dali princess?
If she wanted to instigate a war between Dali and Lin Yuan, wouldn't it be easier to have the people in the palace act? Why risk exposure by having a court official's family member do it?
Nan Shiying asked Ji Jinmo. Ji Jinmo pondered for a moment. "What if… it was for Zhang Silang?"
"Huh?" Nan Shiying blinked in surprise.
"Zhang Silang can officially enter the court this year, with a bright future ahead of him."
"That's it?" Nan Shiying's eyes widened. So the reason Marquis Xunyang's wife risked her life to kill the Dali princess was merely to secure a bright future for her son?
"That's it!" Ji Jinmo nodded.
Nan Shiying found it somewhat incomprehensible. She had reigned for decades and had no children, so she truly couldn't understand the feelings of a mother who would go to any lengths for her child.
However, if it was for Zhang Silang, she did gain a bit more respect for Marquis Xunyang's wife.
Of course, that didn't stop Nan Shiying from thinking she was foolish.
"Oh, right, where is Xuan Yi?"
Ji Jinmo mentioning Xuan Yi made Nan Shiying remember. She couldn't help but pat her forehead. "Yes, speaking of Xuan Yi, I just remembered. If it weren't for that蛊师 (gu shi) from the Nan Dynasty's Yin family, none of the subsequent events would have occurred. When Xuan Yi brings her back later, I'll make sure to crack her neck bone too."
"What do you mean, 'crack her neck bone too'?" Ji Jinmo's gaze deepened, and his eyes, fixed on Nan Shiying, seemed to churn with dark, surging water.
Nan Shiying shivered, feeling inexplicably guilty. "It's just, I… to stop Mu Baiyu, I…"
"So you had your neck bone cracked by him?"
Nan Shiying nodded. "But I… what are you doing!" Before she could finish, Ji Jinmo shot up from his chair and strode towards the door. Nan Shiying stood up and grabbed Ji Jinmo's hand, demanding.
Ji Jinmo's face darkened, and a phrase laced with chilling killing intent emerged from his tightly pressed lips: "I'm going to shatter every bone in Mu Baiyu's body."
"Come back!" Nan Shiying yanked Ji Jinmo's hand forcefully and said irritably, "Do you want to kill him!"
"He won't die."
"What?"
"As long as Poison Elder is there, he won't die!"
"Stop fooling around!" Nan Shiying stepped forward, blocking Ji Jinmo. Even if he wouldn't die, he'd be crippled. However, Nan Shiying didn't believe Ji Jinmo would actually shatter all of Mu Baiyu's bones; at most… at most, he'd break them.
Ji Jinmo looked up. In his eyes, usually filled with cold indifference, a hint of reddish mist seemed to well up. The redness beneath his eyes deepened, so much so that it seemed to stain his entire eye sockets. He abruptly pulled his hand free, drawing Nan Shiying into his embrace.
Only when her cheek pressed against his solid chest did Nan Shiying belatedly realize what was happening and struggle to pull away.
Ji Jinmo, however, held her tightly at that moment.
"Promise me, you won't get hurt again." Ji Jinmo's voice was somewhat hoarse. Perhaps it was due to the tightness of his embrace, but Nan Shiying thought she detected a choked sob in his voice.
A choked sob?
Him?
How was that possible!
The unique scent of Ji Jinmo enveloped Nan Shiying. The room grew warmer, and she found it difficult to breathe. Perhaps due to the lack of oxygen, her head felt heavy, and in a daze, she let her hands drop, ceasing her struggles.
She let out a soft "mm" from her nose.
Softly, gently, as if it would dissipate into the air with a gust of wind.
Ji Jinmo was genuinely frightened. Although he knew about the events in the palace, he didn't know the details. He only knew that the蛊虫 (gu chong) within Mu Baiyu had broken free from its seal, and that she had killed Marquis Xunyang's wife, who had intended to kill the Dali princess, in order to prevent the Dali princess from dying in the Lin Yuan imperial palace. This had led to her being reported to Ji Hong. But he hadn't known she was injured.
An injury like a cracked neck bone. The mere thought of her battling Mu Baiyu, who was controlled by the蛊虫 (gu chong), made Ji Jinmo's heart ache.
He truly couldn't imagine what would have happened if she hadn't trained in martial arts with Xuan Yi or learned medicine from Poison Elder. Would he be seeing her corpse today?
The mere thought of it made Ji Jinmo feel as though his entire world was collapsing.
He couldn't help but regret. He regretted why he had chosen this moment to have Poison Elder cure his蛊 (gu).