"The Immortal Villa, that's the number one villa in the world. It's rumored that all the rare medicinal herbs in the world are there, many of which are extinct."
Hearing the name, Cheng Yi Chen couldn't help but show a hint of admiration in his eyes.
Back then, Medicine King Valley and Immortal Villa were both renowned. Valley Master Rong Zhi and Villa Master Liu Yun Xi were also very close.
He looked at Rong Zhi suspiciously, "You're not planning to team up with Immortal Villa to do something bad, are you?"
Hearing this, Xia Yun Ting's eyes showed a cold wariness.
Rong Zhi sneered, "All the disciples of Medicine King Valley are in your hands, and even my life is in your hands. What else do you have to fear?"
Although it was true, Cheng Yi Chen felt it was not impossible for her to make a desperate move.
"You'd better not try any tricks."
Cheng Yi Chen sent people to Immortal Villa to find the Yun Lin Flower. Although Immortal Villa was hundreds of miles away, with the royal family's swift horses, it would only take three to five days for a round trip.
During this period, Rong Zhi was personally guarded by Xia Yun Ting.
The Ministry of Justice's prison was somewhat humane. They provided water and food daily, but she was tightly bound, as if they were afraid she would escape.
Xia Yun Ting stood guard outside the cell, his eyes seeming to be fixed on her, unmoving.
Rong Zhi tried to avoid his gaze, but the cell was so small that no matter how much she dodged, it was useless.
"Have we met before?"
"No."
"I always feel a sense of familiarity with you."
"You're overthinking it."
"You seem to have a lot of issues with me."
"If I whipped you, you'd have issues with me too."
"..."
For every word Xia Yun Ting spoke, Rong Zhi would retort, her words laced with gunpowder.
If it were anyone else, Xia Yun Ting would have found a way to shut them up long ago. But today, he seemed to have an unusually good temper.
After a while, Xia Yun Ting left.
Rong Zhi felt a sense of relief all over.
Being stared at like that was truly unbearable.
She could no longer describe her feelings for Xia Yun Ting.
Perhaps her eyes were blinded by resentment, but deep down, she couldn't help but wonder what he had been through.
The cell door opened, and the sound of rustling footsteps approached. The person who had just left stood before her again, holding a bottle of medicine.
Rong Zhi: "?"
What did he want?
The next moment, her clothes were suddenly lifted.
"Xia Yun Ting, what are you doing?"
In full view of everyone, he was being so hands-on?
"I hurt you before, and now I'm here to apply medicine."
"I'm a woman!"
Rong Zhi emphasized through gritted teeth.
Even without her previous memories, would he casually touch any woman?
Xia Yun Ting ignored her and lifted her clothes to apply medicine.
The wound was located from her chest to her abdomen. As he applied the medicine, everything was visible.
Rong Zhi's face flushed with shame, but her hands and feet were bound, and she could do nothing.
This feeling was worse than killing her.
Xia Yun Ting, with no distractions, looked increasingly grave.
Strange, this feeling was familiar, yet he couldn't recall it no matter how hard he tried.
What had he forgotten?
"Help! Xia Yun Ting is a pervert... cough cough..."
She cried out loudly, but halfway through, she coughed up a mouthful of blood.
The wound on her throat had just healed, and now it was aggravated, spewing blood onto Xia Yun Ting's clothes.
Xia Yun Ting stopped his movements, lifted her chin, and took a look.
Although the light was dim, he immediately saw the scar on her neck.
It was clearly a stitched mark.
"What's going on here?"
"Pah! Get lost!"
She spat another mouthful of blood onto his face, Rong Zhi both ashamed and indignant, "Shameless!"
Xia Yun Ting paused. Although her scolding wasn't harsh, he felt as if he had been punched, and suddenly felt his actions were very inappropriate.
His face slowly turned red.
What was he doing? It seemed like an unconscious action, and because of the familiar feeling, he couldn't help but continue.
Awkwardly, he adjusted her clothes and retreated outside.
Fortunately, there was no one else here besides him.
It was a joke; a place personally guarded by Xia Yun Ting would hardly need anyone else.
But Rong Zhi didn't know this. She thought everyone had witnessed her being molested by Xia Yun Ting, and the more she thought about it, the angrier she became.
She had even tried to find a way to help Xia Yun Ting get out.
Fine, fine. Once she was released, she would never have anything to do with Xia Yun Ting again.
Before, it was because she wanted to reclaim Medicine King Valley that she had no choice but to be with Xia Yun Ting. Now that the entire royal family knew her identity, as long as Liu Yun Xi came, there would surely be other ways to return.
Immortal Villa was famous for its medicinal herbs. Although they weren't on good terms with the royal family, for such a big business, Liu Yun Xi shouldn't refuse.
The result was unexpected. Liu Yun Xi refused, and refused quite unceremoniously.
The news was delivered by flying eagle, as a horse would not be fast enough to return.
After all, Rong Zhi could wait, but the Emperor's life could not.
The flying eagle message was handed to Xia Yun Ting.
It stated that Villa Master Liu Yun Xi had ordered that any business related to royalty was strictly forbidden.
The signature was Liu Yun Xi. From the powerful strokes that penetrated the paper, it seemed he had strong opinions about the royal family.
"What's going on here?"
He brought the letter to the prison and questioned Rong Zhi.
Rong Zhi glanced at the familiar handwriting, as if she could see Liu Yun Xi gritting his teeth as he wrote the letter through his handwriting.
"People of the martial world naturally have opinions about the royal family. You must have offended them first."
Just like the incident with Medicine King Valley before, wasn't the envoy always arrogant when he went there, as if the whole world owed them something?
Xia Yun Ting fell silent. He felt there was some truth to it.
"Give me paper and a pen. I'll send a message."
"You're sending a message?"
"What? Afraid I'll tamper with it? Now, the only one who can persuade Liu Yun Xi is me. And you found me for those martial forces, didn't you? If Liu Yun Xi submits to Tian Que Kingdom because of this, wouldn't that be exactly what you want?"
Xia Yun Ting was somewhat bewildered. He had only heard that the former Valley Master of Medicine King Valley had been found, but he was somewhat unclear as to why they were looking for her.
It seemed that this memory and the lost memory were becoming blurred.
Xia Yun Ting reported to the Emperor, and the Emperor quickly agreed.
The illness was urgent. The Emperor, the concubines of the harem, and several princes were all showing signs of deterioration. If it weren't for the tight blockade of information, the entire imperial city would likely have fallen into chaos by now.
Xia Yun Ting brought paper and ink to Rong Zhi. Rong Zhi only wrote a few words: "Yun Xi, I need a thousand catties of Yun Lin Flower."
"That's it?" Xia Yun Ting was somewhat disbelieving. Could those few crooked words really make the Villa Master of Immortal Villa change his mind?
Rong Zhi ignored him.
Xia Yun Ting released the flying eagle. When he returned, he saw Rong Zhi idly kicking dry grass on the ground with her foot.
"Everyone, leave."
He glanced back and motioned for the few prison guards present to leave as well.
Rong Zhi looked up.
What did he want now?
Xia Yun Ting walked up to Rong Zhi, and Rong Zhi suddenly felt enveloped by a powerful sense of pressure.
This man, even standing still, exuded a sense of pressure.
His voice, however, was somewhat powerless.
"I feel like I've forgotten something. Tell me, have we met before?"
He asked so earnestly that Rong Zhi felt her anger was somewhat unreasonable.
But Rong Zhi didn't know what he had been through.
Was he genuinely seeking to know, or was he being used to trick her into revealing information?
Considering her previous experiences of being tricked by Xia Yun Ting, Rong Zhi still hid the truth.
"We haven't met before, and I don't know what you've forgotten."
"Is that so..."
Xia Yun Ting's eyes showed disappointment, but he quickly regained his indifference.
He was a very cautious person. To ask so directly now was something even he himself might be surprised by.
He clearly wouldn't have done this before, because he wasn't sure if what the other person said was true or false.
Immortal Villa.
Cheng Yi Chen was anxiously waiting outside.
Suddenly, someone handed him a flying eagle message.
"National Master, there's news from the imperial city."
"Bring it here for me to see."
The person below handed him an envelope. It only said to deliver the slip of paper to the Villa Master.
Upon opening the slip, Cheng Yi Chen's mouth twitched.
"With just a few words, what use can it be?"
Even if Rong Zhi and Liu Yun Xi knew each other, they should at least have found some distinctive token. With just these few words, in a handwriting that anyone could imitate, after more than ten years, could he still recognize it?
He handed the note in, as a last resort. The disciple who delivered the message held his nose high, not giving him, the National Master of Tian Que Kingdom, any respect.
However, not long after, the disciple rushed out in a panic.
"Our Villa Master requests your presence."
It actually worked.
Cheng Yi Chen was somewhat surprised. At the same time, he affirmed in his heart that Rong Zhi and Liu Yun Xi's relationship was truly extraordinary.
He did not meet the Villa Master himself, but was received by a young man in white.
"How much do you say you want?"
"A thousand catties."
"A thousand catties? Are you eating it as rice?" Wen Yu's eyes widened. He remembered the surprised look on the Villa Master's face when he saw the note just now, and swallowed back the complaint that was on his lips.
"The prices at our Immortal Villa are very high. Do you have money?"
Who were they looking down on?
Tian Que Kingdom lacked everything, except money.
He smiled and took out a small package, placing it on the table and opening it. Inside was pure, gleaming gold.
Wen Yu's eyes lit up, and he let out an uncultured gasp of "Wow," but quickly composed himself.
"In that case, please follow us to the back to collect your goods. Oh, and if you add double the payment, we can consider delivering it to your door."
Was this robbery? The delivery fee was as much as the goods?
However, thinking of the patients in the imperial palace who were waiting urgently for treatment, he gritted his teeth and nodded.
"Alright then!"
The convoy transporting the goods left Immortal Villa in a grand procession.
The villa was situated on high ground, and the mountain road down was winding with narrow and steep steps. Looking down from the highest point gave one a dizzying sensation.
Each disciple carried two sacks on their backs, lightly stepping like dragonflies on water as they leaped down the mountain. They looked quite effortless, and their movements were quite aesthetically pleasing, like a performance.
Wen Yu led the way. Cheng Yi Chen, looking left and right, couldn't help but ask the question in his heart.
"Young sir, may I ask, are you the Villa Master's...?"
"Me..." Wen Yu cleared his throat.
"I'm the boss here. Liu Yun Xi owes me a lot of money and can't repay it, so he lets me eat and drink here for free. When I've eaten and drunk enough to cover what he owes me, our debt will be settled."
After speaking, he saw a disciple next to him slow down, and kicked him.
"Hurry up. Dawdling like this, you might not get dinner tonight."
The disciple stumbled, falling to the side with his sack. He quickly steadied himself, revealing a face so handsome it was breathtaking.
His skin was as fair as a freshly bloomed flower bud, his eyes were moist, and his lips were red, making him even more enchanting than a woman.
He glared at Wen Yu and then put the sack back on his shoulder, continuing down the mountain.
Cheng Yi Chen was secretly amazed, not expecting the disciples of Immortal Villa to be so good-looking, even if they were a bit unruly.
"Wait a minute. You're here as a creditor, eating and drinking for free, and you have to help escort goods. Are you sure you're not working?"
Wen Yu: "..." Do you want to die?