Though tonight was the night of the full moon, with bright moonlight overhead, the deeper one went into the forest, the darker it became.
Baili Weisheng didn’t dare fall too far behind, because in the increasingly dim conditions, losing sight of someone could happen in the blink of an eye. Of course, he didn’t dare get too close either.
By rights, Jun Buli’s martial skill shouldn’t surpass his own, but he had no idea what secrets this boy might have kept hidden over the past decade—it wasn’t impossible that this brat’s skill had already surpassed his own father’s!
Baili Weisheng followed cautiously, his heart in his throat. He’d tailed plenty of people in his life, but this was the first time he’d ever felt like a thief.
Yet no matter how careful Baili Weisheng was, the surroundings eventually grew so dark that he couldn’t see his own hand in front of his face.
Baili Weisheng had no choice but to stop. In complete darkness, a martial artist’s hearing became several times sharper than usual—even the sound of a fine needle dropping might be discernible.
Baili Weisheng stayed still, listening intently to the sounds ahead. What puzzled him was that Jun Buli and Consort Li had also come to a stop.
This made Baili Weisheng nervous!
Could it be that the two of them were about to do something in this darkness?
Baili Weisheng felt as though he were violating Jun Buli’s privacy, which struck him as somewhat immoral—but at the same time, he pricked up his ears, concentrating hard to catch some clue.
Before long, out of the silent darkness came a sudden “scratch” sound. Baili Weisheng startled, thinking something was about to happen—only to see a flash of firelight ahead the next instant. It was Jun Buli striking a flint and lighting a torch.
Baili Weisheng rolled his eyes repeatedly—all that anticipation for nothing.
With the torch lit, Jun Buli continued forward. Baili Weisheng soon discovered that the path through the deep forest had been cleared in advance—though it looked overgrown, there was in fact a trail.
Could Jun Buli have arranged this location beforehand, bringing Consort Li here whenever the need arose?
The thought made Baili Weisheng’s mind wander somewhere improper—though on second thought, he reasoned that if Jun Buli simply needed that, there would be no need to go to such elaborate lengths!
Unless he had some special fetish!
Baili Weisheng couldn’t help but consider this too, and immediately shook his head, warning himself not to keep thinking such crooked thoughts.
Keeping a certain distance, Baili Weisheng continued to follow.
This time, however, they hadn’t gone far before arriving at a stretch of forest so dense it blotted out the sky.
Great trees leaning in from every direction, along with countless wildly growing vines, all wove together to form an enormous green sphere that blocked out sun and sky alike. Let alone at night—even in broad daylight, not a single ray of light could penetrate it.
There was only one entrance, clearly carved out by human hands.
By the torchlight, Baili Weisheng got a good look at the place from a distance, marveling inwardly—he had been in Nanzhao so long, how had he never discovered such a wonderful spot! He loved this kind of natural green vine-cave the most—the sort of place where one could hide and sleep for days on end.
Jun Buli led the way in front, brushing aside several vines blocking the path, and brought Consort Li inside. Watching them enter, Baili Weisheng couldn’t help but feel excited, like a thief who had spotted something worth stealing, his heart pounding nervously.
Suppressing his excitement, he waited a moment before carefully approaching, finding a spot with the sparsest foliage to sit down. He gently snapped a few vines to open a small gap through which he could observe what was happening inside.
At this point, Consort Li, who had said nothing the whole way, finally spoke.
“Your Majesty, this is all because of that Situ Jing’er! That little girl has no manners at all. I never provoked her, and she drugged me! It’s outrageous!”
Facing her complaint, Jun Buli said nothing, not even glancing at Consort Li. Perhaps it was the firelight, but his face looked somewhat pale. He sat down cross-legged, seemingly taking deep, faint breaths.
Baili Weisheng also paid no attention to Consort Li—his gaze was fixed on Jun Buli. Seeing his state, he couldn’t help but grow puzzled. Something seemed off with this boy!
Was he unwell? But he’d been perfectly fine just moments ago. And during the day, facing the beast army, he hadn’t exerted himself much either—he was young, staying up one night without sleep shouldn’t have tired him out this much.
Consort Li pouted and leaned in close, wrapping an arm around Jun Buli’s shoulder, cooing, “Your Majesty, it’s me she bullied, but it’s your face she’s smeared. Even if you don’t respect the monk, respect the Buddha—even a stray dog gets consideration for its owner’s sake! I think Situ Jing’er did it on purpose, deliberately putting on a show for you!”
Jun Buli kept his eyes closed the whole time. Had Baili Weisheng gotten even a little closer, he would surely have noticed the sweat already beading at his temples.
Unfortunately, Baili Weisheng couldn’t see clearly, his line of sight blocked by Consort Li, which irritated him enough to want to kick her out of the way.
“Your Majesty!” Consort Li pressed on, refusing to let it go.
Jun Buli never answered, his eyes remaining shut. Baili Weisheng could only wait.
Before long, though, he saw Jun Buli move—he reached out an arm and pulled it around Consort Li’s neck, drawing her close and pressing her into his embrace.
At this, Baili Weisheng finally got a clear view of Jun Buli again. Yet aside from his somewhat pale complexion, there was nothing else unusual about him.
Seeing this gesture, which was remarkably intimate, Baili Weisheng thought that aside from his own mother, Jun Buli had probably never been this close with any other woman.
Seeing this, the improper thoughts Baili Weisheng had just had resurfaced unbidden in his mind. He glanced suspiciously at Consort Li, only to find her face flushed red all over—though whether that was from the blood rushing to her head from the position, or from bashfulness, he couldn’t tell.
Surely he doesn’t actually have some strange fetish for taking a woman like this! Baili Weisheng muttered to himself. If that were the case, he’d have to seriously reconsider whether to marry Baili Xiaosheng off to this scoundrel.
Just as Baili Weisheng was reeling with shock, he saw the corner of Jun Buli’s lips curl into an unusually ambiguous, wicked arc. He gave Consort Li a smile, then slowly lowered his head into the crook of her neck.
They’re really being intimate? No way!!!
Baili Weisheng’s eyes went wide, staring fixedly, not even knowing why he was so worked up.
But!
Just at that moment, a rustling sound suddenly came from off to the side—not a small disturbance at all!
Only then did Baili Weisheng calm down, discerning that the sound came from not far to the right. By then, Jun Buli had already released Consort Li, his eyes turning cold, his voice low. “Someone’s there.”
Consort Li hurriedly pulled up her slipping garment, saying in alarm, “Could it be that annoying Baili Weisheng has found us?”
At this, Baili Weisheng nearly choked on his own saliva, and only barely managed to clamp his hand over his mouth in time, forcibly swallowing down the fury lodged in his throat.
Consort Li actually dared to badmouth me in front of Jun Buli. This grudge just got a lot bigger!
Baili Weisheng seethed with anger. Jun Buli, apparently truly believing it might be Baili Weisheng, muttered irritably, “How annoying.”
With that, he rose and headed toward the right, gently parting several vines in his way.
Who could it be, off to the right?