Chapter 91

91 As long as you hold on Part II

“I know where it is.” A muffled voice was heard from the woman in his arms. Bai Yu moved away from him. She wiped her tears then lifted her face to say: “Wangye, take me with you.”

“No,” Ouyang Feilong instantly refused. He did not pause even a moment.

“In order to get the magic hare’s heart, one must kill it. The problem is that this hare is the symbol of the royal family. There are only a few of them in Da Chu, and the only places that we can find them are at the Empress’s palace and the second prince’s palace.”

Ouyang Feilong frowned. “How did you know that?”

“It doesn’t matter. The most important thing right now is that our only chance is to take the hare from the prince’s palace since security within Da Chu’s royal palace is much tighter.”

“Now that we have the location, benwang can slip in to steal it.”

Bai Yu shook her head. “The second prince’s palace might not be as fully guarded as the royal palace, but it’s still a residence of the crown prince. Security would not be that different from the royal palace’s. Moreover, the second prince was adept in poison. The only way to get inside is to use a disguise.”

“And the reason that you have to go is?”

“Second prince is a licentious man who loves to entertain himself with banquets. The only people that could freely enter his palace and come close to him were dancers and courtesans.”

.....

Hearing her explanation, Ouyang Feilong easily made the decision. “Benwang doesn’t allow you to go.”

“But I’m a woman. I can be of help.”

“You’ve said that benwang is beautiful, haven’t you? Disguising as a woman should be a simple matter.”

“It’s true that Wangye is beautiful. But you’re too broad and tall. It’s impossible that you would look more convincing than me, a woman who also knows how to dance.”

Ouyang Feilong fell silent. Bai Yu kneeled in front of him, her pride entirely disregarded.

“Wangye, I beg of you...” Her trembling voice was hoarse as her tears welled up once again.

“Bai Yu only had this one brother in my life. He is the only man who loves me so earnestly. The only person I can sacrifice anything for, including my life. Wangye, please, let me follow you.” She bowed until her forehead touched the floor. Tears rolled down her cheeks, each full of her helplessness and self-blame for being unable to save her brother despite knowing the future.

A soft touch transmitted warmth to her body. Bai Yu was supported up by the person she had begged for mercy. Ouyang Feilong rested his hands on the small shoulders that should not have to bear such a heavy and dangerous burden.

Golden eyes gazed at the tear-stained face of the wicked woman who had turned into a kitten yet again. His hand gently touched her cheek, where the red mark showing five fingers started to appear. “This journey is highly dangerous. You must obey benwang’s every word.”

Bai Yu suppressed a sob as she hurriedly nodded.

“If anything happens, do not let yourself be injured. Not even a scratch.”

“I promise.”

“Most importantly...” He stared into her dark eyes, wet with tears. “Do not leave benwang’s sight.”

Two dimples appeared amidst her tears. She smiled and nodded, again and again, until the other person could not help himself but smile as well. He could not protect his subordinate, but this time, he would protect her, the sister of his brother in arms. As long as you hold on, benwang and your sister will come back and save you from that suffering.

Bai He.

———————-

“I had sent people to observe the palace that Da Chu’s second prince resides in. Miss Bai’s plan is the most possible one.”

“Apart from beauties, he does not let anyone enter or leave. If someone has business with him, that person will only be welcomed at the garden in front of the palace.”

“Tomorrow’s night, new dancers will be sent from the Floral House for a performance there. That is our prime opportunity to infiltrate the palace.”

“The problem is the location of the magic hare. Obtaining information about anything inside the prince’s palace was extremely difficult.”

Ouyang Feilong nodded. “What about Qin Wang’s condition?”

“His Highness was injured and poisoned. But the poison was not deadly. Miss Bai Hua has already provided treatment.”

“Guard him,” Ouyang Feilong ordered his men from the secret corps that had been protecting Ouyang Mingxian. They had sent him an update not half a shichen before. He waved his hand once, and the black-clad men of the black dragon unit melted into the darkness. Within this hotel room remained only her and Ouyang Feilong.

The villainess closed her eyes, trying to revise everything that happened and everything she knew.

This time, Ouyang Mingxian was not attacked by a serious poison. Instead, the one at the brink of death was Bai He. No matter how fast she had sent Bai Hua to help Ouyang Mingxian, she could change fate only slightly. In the end, everything led to this same magic hare.

Because of this, Bai Yu had to travel to the border between the two nations. It took them only one day and one night since the black dragon’s gold magic could greatly hasten their travel.

Ouyang Feilong pushed himself and used up most of his magic for this journey. Now he had to rest and make a plan before moving forward further. That also included gathering information regarding the magic hare.

Obviously, everything was according to what Bai Yu had told him. In her last life’s memory, she could remember that because Da Yang people had intruded into Da Chu’s territory, the war broke out. She was uncertain whether this was the cause or not since Bai He was not injured in that storyline.

Back then, she was quite close to the actor who played Da Chu’s second prince. And so, she roughly knew that the prince used his licentious habit as a facade to hide his evil. Possibly, this cause for war was his doing. This was also the reason she chose to go to steal the magic hare herself, avoiding the alternative that would require several people that would risk discovery and confrontation which would eventually lead to war.

She knew that the war had to happen. But it did not happen at this point in the series, so she had to try and struggle against fate one more time.

Magic hare was an outwardly ordinary hare. However, it possessed magic and could give out that magic for the people close to it to absorb. Its heart and blood were excellent medicine. On the set, that actor had to use his own imagination since the hare was CGI. Bai Yu’s memories about his complaint combined with the time she had helped Li Wenrou practice his lines were useful. From them, she was able to know that the hare could be with the second prince and Da Chu’s Empress.

In order to not let precious time go to waste, she chose to tell it to Ouyang Feilong instead of watching him fumble around in the dark. It would make him suspicious of her, but at least right now he did not bring it up or interrogate her.

“Tomorrow morning I will disguise myself among the women in that Floral House.”

The second prince had been living near the border for quite some time because of his position as the army commander, similar to Ouyang Feilong’s. Thus, his palace was located near Da Chu’s border. It was Bai Yu’s luck that she would not have to waste more time and travel all the way to the capital.

Said ‘Floral House’ was also an establishment near the border as well. Another good luck for Bai Yu, since this place normally had courtesans from various nations.

Though the people were of different nationals, their proximity made it so that their language and culture were similar. Still, Da Yang and Da Chu had many parts that differed from each other. Da Yang resembled ancient China more, while Da Chu’s people had more freedom in their lives than citizens of Da Yang.

Da Chu’s topography was mountainous. It carried the atmosphere that was suitable for practicing martial arts and magic, resulting in various famous sects being located in Da Chu. It can be said that Da Chu was the nation where all martial artists gathered. Furthermore, it was also home to ‘Divine Valley’ the sacred location for magic users everywhere.

Da Chu was smaller than Da Yang in its territory, but it had strong and capable soldiers. It did not bow its head to Da Yang that had many alliances and possessed over a hundred thousand soldiers advantage over Da Chu.

Because of this geographic difference, features in Da Yang and Da Chu people were also distinct. Da Yang women were small, slender, and had white skins. They might know magic, but they used it for entertainment rather than fighting. On the other hand, Da Chu women practiced magic for hunting, the significant tradition of the nation. The level of their magic could be recognized through various things such as their hair color, eye color, or embellishments that resembled tattoos on their bodies. This was different from magic users of Da Yang where only the eye color of those with silver and gold levels of magic would change.

And so, Bai Yu’s mission to disguise herself as one of the Da Chu dancers was met with a hitch. She was smaller and more fragile-looking than other Da Chu women. However, that could be ignored since Floral House had many foreign dancers and courtesans as well.

The most important part she had forgotten was how she would infiltrate Floral House. Bai Yu had only seen disguises from the dramas. She had no real-life experience at all!

“Benwang will contact the person who will help you gain access to Floral House. He should arrive in a few shichens,” Ouyang Feilong said as he put down a brush and started folding his letter. A golden butterfly formed out of thin air then quickly flew past Bai Yu.

“Who is it?”

There was a saying that truth was stranger than fiction. She was the one who thought up the plan to disguise and was troubled by herself trying to figure out how to execute it. Now when a shortcut had appeared, she was relieved and immediately asked.

“Yue Nan.”

Bai Yu frowned. Ouyang Feilong used his brush to tap at the wrinkle between her brows. “It’s your biaoge.”