Of course Long Feiye suspected!
When he saw Han Yunxi's open look and heard her playful tone, he not only suspected, but looked more complicated than before. This was the first time Han Yunxi had seen this fellow with something so obviously weighing on his mind. Han Yunxi had no interest nor ambition to revive some lost dynasty. Moreover, Long Feiye wasn't even the emperor of Tianning. If she really was a scion of West Qin, she wouldn't be any threat to him. Perhaps she'd even be a source of strength.
She thought that Long Feiye would be interested in such things, but all he said was, "Perhaps he really was aiming for the poison beast."
"It didn't seem like it to me," Han Yunxi replied seriously.
But Long Feiye didn't seem like he wanted to continue that topic. Instead, he shifted to other things. "What did you come here to do?"
She brought Lil Thing here to eateateat, but also for the Perplexing Butterfly Illusion. "I came to find some plants," Han Yunxi answered.
"Did you find them?" Long Feiye asked.
"Mm," Han Yunxi nodded. It was as if their argument from before had never happened. The two of them spoke naturally until they unconsciously fell silent again. A long time later, Han Yunxi spoke up first. "That Aunt Ru is…"
Instead of hiding anything, Long Feiye replied, "My mother's little sister."
So it was his biological aunt. No wonder she dared to lecture Long Feiye. "Then she's from the Tang Clan?" Han Yunxi asked again.
"Branch family. Tang Li's father is the clan head," Long Feiye replied.
"Is your father from the Tang Clan as well?" Han Yunxi asked next.
Han Yunxi didn't notice the flash of hesitation in Long Feiye's eyes before he nodded. "Yes."
Han Yunxi accepted his words as is. That makes sense, the Tang Clan doesn't marry outsiders. Was this guy in a good mood today? Or was something else up? He actually answered all my questions. It really was rare for them to talk so calmly. Han Yunxi seized the chance to toss out a few more questions. Though Long Feiye was sparse with his words, he still answered each and every one.
"Is the Perplexing Butterfly Illusion something from the Poison Sect?"
"Mm."
"The Perplexing Butterfly Illusion is related to the Tang Clan's poison arts, right?"
"Mm."
"Does the decline in the Tang Clan's poison arts have any connection with the destruction of the medical academy's Poison Sect?"
"A bit."
"You…want to gain the strength of the Poison Clan? To revive the Tang Clan's poison arts?"
"….mm."
As Han Yunxi asked away, a sudden, irrelevant question from the past popped up in her head. She raised her head to look at him, her eyes still clear as she asked, "Long Feiye, why did you save Duanmu Yao?"
Not expecting this, Long Feiye glanced at her and even stopped walking.
"Hm?" Han Yunxi looked into his eyes as if trying to see through him. Long Feiye looked at her as well, his lips drawn into a thin line. He seemed to be hesitating about something, but Han Yunxi didn't press him for an answer. She simply waited. Now she'd answered all the questions she avoided since their argument. Shouldn't he give her an explanation about Duanmu Yao by now? Even if he didn't explain anything, he should at least say something to answer her question. As they stared at each other, Long Feiye kept silent until Aunt Ru caught up to them. He didn't explain a thing or even say anything to reply.
When Aunt Ru saw them standing like that, she made to urge them on. "Still not leaving?"
In the end, Long Feiye didn't give Han Yunxi any answer. He avoided her eyes and kept moving forward. Han Yunxi didn't ask him again, but stared at their intertwined fingers. She didn't struggle from his grip, but a cold smile had crept onto her lips.
Long Feiye, you said that I was the one who provoked you. But between us both, who's provoked whom more?
When they left the secret passage behind them, it was already daylight outside. The afternoon forest was very quiet. They'd been lucky enough to avoid the nightly feeding swarms. Han Yunxi didn't go to look for Gu Beiyue and the rest. Since Lil Thing had rescued Gu Qishao, those two should be fine by now. Perhaps they'd already left this place. She quietly allowed Long Feiye to take her back to an inn. It was the same one as before, and the same top-class room as the first time. Aunt Ru followed them inside before examining the room closely. It wasn't clear what she was looking for, but after a look around, she said, "Ye'er, come with me for a bit."
Han Yunxi could tell that they were avoiding her, so she spoke up, "I'll go back to the medical academy."
"No need, return with your lordship to Tianning tomorrow morning," Long Feiye answered in a domineering tone.
"I still have things to do," Han Yunxi's tone was even. She'd never spoken to him so calmly since the day they met.
"What things?" Long Feiye asked.
"Packing my luggage. My things are still there," Han Yunxi replied mildly. She had plenty of business to take care of!
"Have the servants go over later to help you. You should rest first," Long Feiye hesitated for a moment before adding, "I'll be right next door."
Han Yunxi didn't care a whit about where he'd be. Her expression was serious. "I like to pack up my own things. There's a lot of medicinal ingredients that the servants won't understand."
Long Feiye was about to go with her when he heard Tang Li's pained cries coming from next door. He couldn't help but furrow his brows at Aunt Ru.
"I'll wait for you next door," Aunt Ru said with a smile before she turned to leave.
"Someone, escort wangfei to the medical academy. Leave and return quickly!" Long Feiye didn't have time to look after Han Yunxi now as he hastened after Aunt Ru. Soon enough, Tang Li's wretched cries rose up again, as if he was tormented beyond belief! Han Yunxi was utterly bewildered. It looked like Aunt Ru had done something to Tang Li. Of course, she didn't have much interest in such things anymore.
She gave a long look at the guard that arrived and asked, "You're going with me to the medical academy?"
This was the very guard that Han Yunxi had lectured before, and he trembled with fear as he nodded. "This subordinate will escort esteemed wangfei there."
"Mm, then I'll have to trouble you," Han Yunxi was very polite. The guard only felt chills down his back. He was still debating how to reply when Han Yunxi's hand reached for his chin, as if trying to tease him.
Scared to death, the guard gradually backed away. "Esteemed wangfei, dont…"
"Don't what?" Han Yunxi smirked as her finger twitched. The guard's eyes rolled into the back of his head before he slumped against the wall and sank to the floor. It was all too easy for Han Yunxi to stun someone who wasn't guarding against her. She took out the Perplexing Butterfly Illusion and placed it on the table. As the terrible cries continued from next door, she simply strode away with large steps…
—
Next door, Tang Li had been trussed up on the bed for four entire days. He was so hungry that it felt like his chest was sticking to his back, but more than that, he desperately needed to relieve himself. Now he was at his breaking point!
"Aunt Ru, I've already said everything I needed to say. Just let me go!"
Tang Li should be calling Aunt Ru his paternal aunt, but he'd gotten used to using maternal aunt after following Long Feiye around.
"Long Feiye's right here, so you can ask him directly. Why are you tormenting me?"
"Aunt Ru, if you don't let me go right now, I'll definitely tell my mother when I go back!"
"Ah…I can't hold it in any longer!"
… …
Aunt Ru calmly allowed Tang Li to clamor and shout as he wished as she settled to sit by the bed with a smile. "You said that girl's poison arts were average at best?"
Tang Li could see Long Feiye out of the corner of his eye, and didn't dare to answer. He was supposed to join Long Feiye in the poison ground, but that crazy guy had decided to go ahead of time. He was left behind in the inn, where he managed to oversleep and ran into Aunt Ru. As soon as she showed up, it was to tie him up and interrogate him about Han Yunxi. He'd basically demoted Han Yunxi into a tub of wastewater and the source of all of Long Feiye's troubles.
"You said she was delicate, rude, and picky, a brat who liked to throw temper tantrums?" Aunt Ru asked again.
Tang Li's lips twitched as he remained silent. He even forgot about his urge to go to the bathroom.
"You said she was wastewater that bewitched Ye'er until he was infatuated with her? And that Ye'er even gave her the Perplexing Butterfly Illusion?" Aunt Ru asked again.
Tang Li dearly wanted to see Long Feiye's expression at this moment, but he didn't dare to look.
"You even said she was a wanton and easy woman with liasions with multiple men?" Aunt Ru laughed, but Tang Li almost started crying. That was because Long Feiye had already walked to their side, his face like a stormy cloud, dark and terrifying!
Long Feiye slowly pressed down until his face was almost touching Tang Li's, before asking word for word, "What else did you say?"
Cold sweat streamed down Tang Li's back as he kept his lips shut firmly and refused to say a word. Long Feiye pressed even closer, until the side of his head was pressed against Tang Li's ear. "The Shadow Clan incident…"
Before he finished, Tang Li immediately denied it. "I didn't!"
The only reason he'd ruin Han Yunxi in front of Aunt Ru was because of the Shadow Clan. If Han Yunxi really was the person that the Shadow Clan had to protect, then that meant she could never coexist with them. Long Feiye would have to get rid of this woman. That day at the medical academy, he personally witnessed Long Feiye's abnormal behavior. Long Feiye had been that close to approaching Han Yunxi until the sight of the white robes on her shoulders made him regain his cool. When faced with Han Yunxi's questions, he still didn't explain the matter with Duanmu Yao. Tang Li knew that Long Feiye was still holding reservations when it came to Han Yunxi.
Ever since they were little, he'd known Long Feiye as someone who rarely picked up anything. But once he did pick something, he would never let it go. Once he was sure he wanted it, he would never abandon it. He had to grab the chance while Long Feiye was still undecided to preventing anything else from happening. Thus, Aunt Ru had arrived just in time. Of course, he didn't reveal Han Yunxi's connections with the Shadow Clan outright. Otherwise, Aunt Ru would rather kill Han Yunxi to be safe rather than sorry. She wouldn't have a chance of living at all!
When Aunt Ru saw Long Feiye and Tang Li whispering to each other, she grew unhappy. With a chortle, she asked, "What kind of whispers are you brothers talking about? Why can't I hear?"
Long Feiye didn't reply, so of course Tang Li didn't dare to, either.
"Could it be that Han Yunxi has some sort of secret that I can't know?" Aunt Ru jested. Only then did Long Feiye rise to his feet, but it wasn't to reply Aunt Ru. Instead, he was going to untie Tang Li himself. Aunt Ru reached out a hand and pressed it against Tang Li's body. "Why are you in such a rush?"
"He's been holding it back to his limit. Do you want to owe my aunt a son?" Long Feiye asked mildly.
Tang Li's mother was the wife of the Tang Clan head. She was well-known for doting on her son; otherwise, how could Tang Li have left home for so long? If this was before, Aunt Ru would definitely back off. She still rather dreaded the the wife of her younger brother. But this time she didn't. Over the past three to four days, she'd seen how well Long Feiye treated Han Yunxi. This wasn't some minor issue. She could admit that Han Yunxi had the right to stay by Ye'er's side, but they had to investigate her background thoroughly first.
"Tang Li, where did Han Yunxi learn her poison skills?" Aunt Ru asked, but her icy eyes were on Long Feiye.