Chapter 25：Hunt

That day, Xia Lian Bei was wearing a one-piece wrap around robes. And because his white hair would probably attract attention, he wore a veil on his head. Even his face was obscured.

He appraised that his gender was put to question because of the way he dressed but he wasn't bothered by it. People could think what they liked.

When it was time to eat dinner, he purposefully went down to the canteen of the inn later than most of the people. So, there were only a few people left.

He asked for the bestselling dishes because he was curious what the patrons liked the most. He told them to send the meal up to his room.

He wasn't in a hurry to go back so his eyes wandered about. As he was near the windows, he saw two stray kittens underneath a tree outside.

They were lovable and feeble looking.

He went outside and strode towards the kittens and picked them up. How would Brother Emperor react when he brought cats inside the imperial palace?

Xia Lian Bei's favorite past time was actually seeing how annoyed his brother was but the latter couldn't even vent it out because he had to play the part of being an ignorant ruler who doted on his cursed younger brother.

So he happily went upstairs and found that the meal had been served.

He was feeding the kittens some dumplings and chuckling while imagining his Brother Emperor's pent up face. Life was really good.

The adorable little things were happily munching on their food. But just moments later, one of them went stiff and struck dead. The other became crazed like a rabid dog and started clawing Xia Lian Bei's hand.

The cat shrieked and ran restlessly inside the room as though it was being chased and then like its sibling, went stiff and died.

Xia Lian Bei was speechless and had a silly thought for a moment. Was he really a death-bringing demon?

Casually putting this thought aside, his eyes darkened. The food was poisoned.

Cold sweat drenched his back. He was considered a veteran victim of poisons as there were countless attempts for his life since he was young so he became paranoid when it came to poisons.

Of course, he thoroughly checked this food earlier but saw no signs of any toxic substance. This could only mean that the gu[1] master was an elite among elites.

Xia Lian Bei made sure no one saw his appearance so it was impossible that his identity was revealed.

The gears inside his brain turned and creaked then he looked down on his body. He realized his façade was extremely androgynous.

He could have been mistaken as a maiden travelling alone. It was the same as screaming 'this lady is open for all sorts of crimes.'

Xia Lian Bei looked at the two lifeless creatures on the floor. His kittens...

A charming laugh with underlying currents of rage was heard inside the room.

The prince decided to do a hunt tonight.

Xia Lian Bei started off with the people inside the kitchen. The last thing these people saw was a white-haired demon claiming their souls.

Of course, Feng wang wasn't stupid. He was all by himself. And the inn's owner had unknown background so he wouldn't start a killing frenzy all of a sudden and alert the higher ups. He could only work slowly and clandestinely like a ghost in the dead of the night.

After interrogating some people inside a small room, he went out on the corridor. Still wearing a veil at this time.

But his steps involuntarily halted when he saw a familiar face. The person was wearing plain robes, was bare of any ornaments with her hair hung loose on her shoulders.

But he couldn't be mistaken because this yatou was a maidservant of a certain someone from the capital.

Did that person kick her maid out?

The maidservant, Xin Tao was quite confused why a veiled tall and slender lady was standing in the middle of the corridor but it was none of her business.

Xia Lian Bei had a bad feeling about this.

If that person was here... Was she was also targeted?

But what was it to him? They currently had nothing to do with each other. He even doubted if that person knew him.

Xia Lian Bei quietly slipped into his room. Earlier, he already sensed a group of people coming here but they were disguised to be strangers to each other. And he passed it off as some group of mercenaries who didn't want trouble.

But if it weren't the case, then that girl...

Why am I even worrying? She probably had guards surrounding her. Knowing her father, that man wouldn't let his daughter be slighted.

But what's with all the disguise?

Xia Lian Bei was unaware that he was getting more anxious by the second.

'Fine, fine... this great one will only check for a second. She is shifu's daughter after all. That guy will kill this great one if something happens to his daughter.'

He was smug because the Yin clan's hidden guards wouldn't even notice him even if they wanted to. He was taught by their master after all.

It didn't take long for him to locate Yin Hua Lei's room. He half expected that his assumptions were wrong and that Yin Hua Lei was still living her usual life in the capital. But reality proved otherwise.

Especially, when he had to kill a shadow creeping towards this room. It was evident that the person didn't have good intentions. Luckily, the other side was only one. Xia Lian Bei observed first before using an underhanded method to silence him forever.

He garnered that the shadow was from the jianghu. He'd have to thoroughly investigate this inn after checking up on Yin Hua Lei.

After seeing her asleep on her bed, he was about to go on his way and continue his mission of slaying the ones who attempted to poison him but instead accidentally killed his newfound pets.

But the person on the bed stirred so he froze on his tracks.

Yin Hua Lei's eyes were glazed over like she was yet to really wake up and she was still dreaming.

Seeing this, Xia Lian Bei was about to sneak off. He didn't want to add 'pervert' on his list of negative labels even if he half looked like a woman right now.

But he forgot that the person on the bed was his shifu's daughter who more or less had the same level of martial arts as him. Even though she was half asleep, her sixth sense was still open.

"Nin-ninth brother... don't go. Don't leave Hua Lei!" Her voice was feeble and shaky as though it took all of her energy to say those words.

Xia Lian Bei knew something was wrong the moment she spoke. Even if she just woke up, Yin Hua Lei shouldn't be this weak.

And she even mistook him for his ninth nephew! This imperial daughter was simply asking for a beating.

He ignored her and was having a mental dialogue on how to call her maidservants without being caught.

"Please..." she was sobbing now.

Xia Lian Bei's eyes grew wide. When did the proud imperial daughter Gao Le show weakness? And it was all for his two-faced ninth nephew? This woman had bad taste like all the other women in the capital.

He couldn't help but look back at Yin Hua Lei.

She was trembling all over but she was also sweating like crazy. There were tears in her eyes, her cheeks and neck flushed. She was weakly reaching out to him while whispering ninth brother repeatedly.

This woman was delirious.

He couldn't help but be suspicious now. Why did she look like she was dying?

He stepped closer towards her. Only now did he realize that her veins were popping up from her skin. The purple veins looked ghastly in comparison to her pale skin.

She was poisoned! This was an emergency so without care for his reputation, he was about to speed off to alert her people.

Unexpectedly, the girl clutched his wrist in a death grip. Her burning hand was scalding his skin.

"Yin Hua Lei, listen to ben wang or you'll die. I'll get your-"

"Ninth brother, Hua Lei...needs you. Drugged... aphrodisiac..." she whispered while gasping for air.

The only rational thought she had now was that she'd been drugged. Or else, why would she feel this way?

Xia Lian Bei wanted to curse. "Even if it's aphrodisiac, the toxicity is also high. We need someone to treat you."

His voice was earnest, almost pleading. But he couldn't get away from her claws.

There was no way he'd be eaten while being mistaken by someone else. This woman was courting death, wanting to bed him. He'd rather die than lose his chastity in this way.

"No other way..." Was her reply.

Xia Lian Bei could also deduce from the symptoms he was seeing. This poison was disguised as an aphrodisiac. But a normal aphrodisiac could be worn out by submerging oneself on cold water for a long time. It wouldn't make you severely hallucinate or make your veins bulge out like this.

There was a mythical poison in the jianghu with the same effects. Dire Ring.

He read that one who consumed this poison would die in an hour after the symptoms rose. There was only one solution for this poison.

"I am not Xia Yu Heng." Xia Lian Bei said through gritted teeth in hopes of waking this damn girl up.

Xia Lian Bei was in a dilemma. Any other woman who dared touch even his clothes had long been dead. But this was Yin Hua Lei ah...

Just then, something from the corner of his eyes caught his attention.

A blood red ring on Yin Hua Lei's forefinger.

He sighed. Xia Lian Bei knew she'd regret this in the morning.

Troublesome woman.

But Yin Hua Lei was even more merciless as the one her lips called in that blissful moment had only been 'Ninth Brother.'

Xia Lian Bei's cheeks and tongue had all been bitten raw by him because of his frustration.

The first time he was embracing a woman and she was thinking of another man.

His heart couldn't help but feel murderous but none of his thoughts were seen in his gentle actions. He held her like the most fragile treasure. Held his own desire to conquer just to please her and make this night unforgettable even though he knew that she'd probably hate the man who stole her innocence.

Even if it was really her who was repeatedly stomping on his very soul every time he heard how she called him.

"Is it really too much to ask?" He whispered after gingerly dressing her. She was unconscious now and her skin was back to normal although her cheeks still adorned a faint blush.

Xia Lian Bei rested for a while. When he gained strength to his legs again, he tenderly kissed the woman's forehead.

He secretly watched her grow up only to see her fall in love with another. Now that this happened, he knew that the engagement couldn't be concealed anymore.

Even if you hate me forever.

He walked away to resume the hunt that he began earlier. Now, he had all the more reason to make these people pay while also having the place to vent his anger. They could only blame their dogshit luck for trying to harm him, his newfound pets and his... was she even considered his?

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[1]Gu- poison