A pair of apricot eyes looked at him, blinking with expectation, making it impossible to refuse.
Shen Muzhou smiled and said, "Alright, I'll help you pick a suitable weapon first."
Lin Yanxi actively gestured the kind of weapon she wanted, "It can't be too heavy, can't be too big, it must be pink and very good-looking, and it needs to have strong killing power. This is the most important part."
Xiao Liu grumbled from the side, "How can such a thing exist? Isn't this making things difficult for His Highness?"
Tang Chao nudged him with his elbow, and he shut his mouth and stopped talking.
Shen Muzhou listened quietly to all her requirements, then placed his hand on her head and stroked it, saying, "Okay."
As they were talking, the lotus leaf roasted chicken buried in the dirt pile was ready. The lotus leaves were peeled back, revealing the tender and juicy roasted chicken. Unlike ordinary chickens roasted directly over the fire that turned dry, this whole roasted chicken was glistening with oil, its aroma blending with the lotus leaves, leaving no gamey smell.
"Miss." Li Zi wrapped the bottom of the chicken drumstick with clean lotus leaves and handed a whole large drumstick to Lin Yanxi.
She took the steaming drumstick, held it out to Shen Muzhou, and said, "It's a deal. Here, my thank-you gift."
Shen Muzhou was stunned for a moment, but still took the drumstick she offered. Li Zi then got another drumstick for Lin Yanxi.
Xiao Liu watched from the side. His Highness had been lacking an appetite for a long time, and he worried that His Highness wouldn't be able to eat.
"Why aren't you eating?" Lin Yanxi, like a little glutton, took a small bite of the drumstick and chewed it carefully, taking small bite after small bite.
Under her gaze, Shen Muzhou took a large bite of the chicken leg. Unfortunately, the delicious and fragrant chicken leg tasted worse than chewing wax in his mouth. He forced himself to swallow and smiled, "It's indeed much tastier than what the cooks in the manor make."
Lin Yanxi had a look of 'of course' on her face, her eyes curving with a smile, as she continued to eat her drumstick in small bites.
The remaining parts of the roasted chicken were divided among Li Zi, Tang Chao, and Xiao Liu.
For a moment, the courtyard was filled with the aroma of roasted chicken and the laughter of several people.
She occasionally glanced at Shen Muzhou. He ate very elegantly, his robes spotless, and his face no longer sickly pale, but showing a hint of rosy complexion.
Perhaps it was because her talisman power had improved during this period, which had helped to slow down his illness.
After eating the lotus leaf chicken, Lin Yanxi infused her talisman power into his body to suppress his cold affliction, "It's still not working. Do you feel any better?"
She tried twice, but unfortunately, she could only use red talismans at most, and couldn't even summon purple talismans.
Shen Muzhou closed his eyes and hummed, then slowly said, "It's alright, I'm much better."
Lin Yanxi felt relieved and said, "Your complexion has improved a lot, but I see you seem thinner than before."
Shen Muzhou's eyes dimmed. She was behind him, placing her small hands on his back to infuse talismans into him, so she didn't notice the complex emotion in his eyes.
He said, "Perhaps the cooks in the manor make food that's too unpalatable."
Regarding the unpalatable food made by the manor cooks, she did consider hiring a new cook, but she didn't trust outsiders and feared spies might infiltrate. So, she had to put it aside for now.
It seemed it was time to find a new cook as soon as possible.
Lin Yanxi's small hands poured a continuous stream of talisman power into him. Unfortunately, his current body was like an ice cave. No matter how much talisman power was infused, it was of no avail, and there was no warmth.
The cold affliction was deteriorating faster than he had imagined.
She withdrew her palm and asked, "How do you feel? Is there any relief?"
The man's collar was half undone, revealing smooth and tight lean upper body muscles. Her gaze fell upon them, and her face flushed.
Shen Muzhou smiled, pulled his collar open further, raised an eyebrow, and teased, "Is it nice to look at?"
She quickly turned her head away and said, "Who wants to look? That, that jade talisman, was it brought back to the capital?"
The topic shifted to the jade talisman, and his expression became natural. "Yes, it was brought back."
"Was everything smooth?" she asked.
Shen Muzhou's words turned back before they reached his lips. He was a dying man; even if he were imprisoned, he would only die in prison. He just feared he wouldn't have enough time to help her fulfill her wish.
"Smooth."
Lin Yanxi asked, "Was the descendant of the Zhenshan Blade captured? Did he say who was behind the black cloak?"
He was silent for a moment. Unable to bear seeing the young girl disappointed, he chose to tell the truth. "The descendant of the Zhenshan Blade was secretly imprisoned in the Dark Night Division. After several days of severe interrogation, he only said he didn't know. I think he truly hasn't seen the leader of the black cloaks."
"However, I found this on him."
A short flute attached with a spell. This short flute was only the size of a little finger and looked no different in appearance.
Lin Yanxi took the flute and carefully examined the spell on it, saying, "There's a spell talisman on the short flute, but I don't recognize this spell. Why don't I go ask Master? He will surely know."
After deliberation, the short flute was temporarily kept by Lin Yanxi, and then he left Moonfall Pavilion.
Xiao Liu waited in the courtyard. Seeing Shen Muzhou come out of the room, he looked at him nervously, wanting to go and support him, but was driven away by his cold gaze.
Shen Muzhou slowly left Moonfall Pavilion. Lin Yanxi stood at the courtyard entrance, watching his receding back. She didn't notice anything unusual and went to find Jiang Mingsheng.
He walked a few more steps, then leaned against the wall, involuntarily dry-retching several times, expelling everything from his stomach, with traces of blood.
Xiao Liu quickly came over to support Shen Muzhou's arm. He took a few breaths and asked with difficulty, "Did she leave?"
The courtyard entrance was already empty, with no one around.
Xiao Liu's voice trembled, and tears streamed down his face as he replied, "She left."
Only then did his brows slightly relax, and his suspended heart eased a bit.
Xiao Liu supported His Highness and slowly walked towards the main courtyard. He couldn't let His Highness be imprisoned again for the matter of the jade talisman. With His Highness's current physical condition, imprisonment meant death. By recuperating in the manor, he might be able to live a few more days and await a turning point.
As the sky began to darken, Lin Yanxi also returned to Moonfall Pavilion and locked herself in her room.
Jiang Mingsheng said that the spell on this short flute was used by spell casters to communicate with each other, but it required a special hand seal to make the other person's flute ring and notify them.
This short flute was now a locked door, and the hand seal method was like a key. There could be countless possibilities, and it would be difficult to decipher it in a short time.
"Knock knock—"
Tang Chao knocked twice on the young lady's door and said, "Second Miss, Xiao Liu is here to see you."
Lin Yanxi opened the door, looking at the person in the courtyard with confusion. Seeing his expression, she knew there was something important to discuss. She gestured to the side, "Come in and talk."
After Xiao Liu entered the room, he closed the door. Li Zi and Tang Chao waited in the courtyard.
Lin Yanxi asked, "Is there something you need me for?"
Xiao Liu's expression was somewhat dull, his head hanging low. As if making up his mind, he knelt on the ground with a 'thump' and kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Please, Miss, help His Highness."
"What happened?" She didn't understand Xiao Liu's words.
When Xiao Liu looked up, his forehead was slightly red. "The day His Highness went to the palace, he promised His Majesty to present the jade talisman within three days. But today, the jade talisman was stolen. It was the Crown Prince's men who stole the jade talisman. The Dark Night Division reported that the Crown Prince went to the Grand Tutor's manor."
"The jade talisman is very likely in the Grand Tutor's manor. If we don't retrieve the jade talisman immediately today, we might lose track of it again, and it will be difficult to find it again."
"And he also promised to present the jade talisman within three days, otherwise His Highness will be imprisoned again. With His Highness's health, imprisonment means death."
Lin Yanxi looked at him in shock. She had just asked about the jade talisman, and Shen Muzhou had told her everything was going smoothly.
In her previous life, it was her father who recovered the jade talisman, so it was truly the Grand Tutor's manor that had sought to ruin Shen Muzhou in her previous life.
She helped Xiao Liu up from the ground and said, "I will get the jade talisman back."
---
Grand Tutor's Manor.
Lin Yanxi arrived alone at the gate of the Grand Tutor's manor. She noticed that the guards at the main entrance of the Grand Tutor's manor were still four people, not increased, but they were all unfamiliar faces. The guards at the side gates had doubled in number.
A sedan chair was parked at the side gate.
Lin Yanxi decided to return to the manor through the main gate, but was stopped. "Halt."
The leader among them said, "The Grand Tutor's manor is not receiving guests."
Lin Yanxi's gaze swept over the faces of these four people and she said angrily, "I am the legitimate daughter of the Grand Tutor's manor, are you blind?"
The unfamiliar faces looked at Lin Yanxi, then said, "So it's the Second Miss returning. Please wait a moment, and we will inform someone."
Lin Yanxi, disregarding their obstruction, continued to push forward, saying, "I am returning to my own home, whom do I need to inform?"
The guards refused to let her pass. Two of them crossed their swords, blocking the manor gate, and said impatiently, "Second Miss, it's best to wait here, don't make a scene and embarrass us by refusing you."
Who in the capital didn't know that this Second Miss had repeatedly rejected the Crown Prince's marriage proposals, causing the Crown Prince to lose face, and then turned to embrace the Ninth Prince? They were the Crown Prince's personal guards, all of whom had received favors or even their lives saved by the Crown Prince.
In their eyes, Lin Yanxi was a woman who had betrayed their Crown Prince, so even though she was the legitimate daughter of the Grand Tutor, they didn't have a good attitude towards her.
Lin Yanxi retorted directly, "I am returning to my own home, do I need you to give me face? You are just a watchdog kept by someone else, and you dare to block me here?"
Feeling the malice from the other party, she was like a baring kitten, immediately counterattacking to protect herself.
These guards were all the Crown Prince's personal guards, who had been accustomed to being arrogant and overbearing while working under the Crown Prince. They didn't take her seriously at all.
The guard glanced behind Lin Yanxi. Seeing no one else, he threatened with a fierce look, "Miss Lin, out of respect for the Grand Tutor, I address you as Miss Lin. We've said that the Grand Tutor is not seeing guests today, and no one can pass through this gate."
Lin Yanxi didn't want to argue with him and wanted to try her luck at the side gate. Before she turned to leave and walked far away.
The guard deliberately spoke a few casual remarks, "Tch, see? She called us watchdogs. This legitimate daughter's status in the manor is even lower than ours, the watchdogs. She's really putting on airs. Ptooey."
"She betrayed His Highness and climbed into the Ninth Prince's bed. Her reputation has already stunk throughout the entire Moon You."
As soon as he finished speaking, he was immediately met with the laughter of several guards.
Lin Yanxi's footsteps instantly froze. She slowly turned her head and stared at them coldly.
The guards were inexplicably startled by her gaze, swallowed, and said fiercely, "What are you doing? Do you know who our master is? I advise you not to bring trouble upon yourself!"
Lin Yanxi looked at the street. It was already night, and besides them, there was no one else in front of the Grand Tutor's manor.
She looked at the man and said with lightly parted crimson lips, "You're dead."
The guards didn't understand what she meant and scoffed, "Hahaha, what can you do? Go back and complain to your father and cry? I'm afraid the Grand Tutor doesn't have the time to support you, his legitimate daughter, right now."
Lin Yanxi instantly conjured four yellow talismans, which were burning with crimson flames.
The guards stared blankly at the flames igniting at her fingertips, raising their swords defensively. The one who had been shouting the loudest had half his imposing manner reduced. "Spell? No, no, no, Talisman Art! You, how do you know Talisman Art?"