On the third day, as evening approached, they arrived at a place of beautiful scenery. There the lake water was like a mirror, reflecting twin peaks like pagodas. Behind the lake was a quiet birch forest, and after a winding path, a manor appeared intermittently.

“That’s my traveling palace. You’ve never seen it before.” Yi Kingdom’s Great King pointed it out to her. “Do you remember? We hunted together here once. You said the scenery was beautiful and the water clear—if there were a manor here, it would truly be wonderful. Later I built this traveling palace. At the time, the court ministers collectively opposed it, saying this place wasn’t far from the royal city, so why build another palace, wasting financial and human resources. I ignored those pedantic old scholars. All these years, I’ve been hoping you could come see it. Now I’ve finally waited for this day.”

Jing Hengbo was busy blowing her nose, nodding with mumbled agreement. She knew this “Imperial Uncle” act couldn’t last much longer. For now she’d just take it one day at a time and quickly recover her health so she could successfully escape under the watchful eyes of over a thousand guards!

Gong Yin, why haven’t you come yet?

…

The traveling palace where Jing Hengbo was located was less than thirty li from Yi Kingdom’s royal city, Huan Capital.

At this moment the royal palace was brightly lit because they’d heard the Great King was returning. The palace consorts and relatives had all prepared to welcome the Great King.

They waited until deep night with empty stomachs before guards galloped over to report that the Great King wouldn’t enter the palace tonight, and the princesses and ladies need not wait.

The palace women returned to their quarters reluctantly, with Princess Yi Cheng walking fastest among them.

Her hurried figure disappeared into the palace walkways. Several palace consorts watched her retreating form and curled their lips.

“In such a rush—probably off to secretly meet some little eunuch again.”

“I heard she’s been keeping to herself recently, not visiting around like before. Maybe we’ll have a new prince consort candidate.”

“Come on. It’s been years—which time did anyone actually become prince consort? If they weren’t killed by her, they were driven to death. Heh, a twenty-year-old spinster who still can’t marry—isn’t she ashamed?”

“What use is it for us to look down on her? As long as the Great King dotes on her. It’s really strange—among so many princesses, the Great King treats only her differently. He’s actually indulged her personality to become dissolute and shameless. I don’t know what the Great King is thinking.”

“We don’t know what he’s thinking either. We’d better worry more about tomorrow’s masks. I heard the Great King likes impersonating the queen lately…”

…

Princess Yi Cheng hurried back to her palace, her face full of spring color. Before even entering, she called melodiously: “Ah Tan, I’m back.”

The room had no lamps lit, no brazier either—very cold. Frost flowers had even formed on the window lattice, and the palace servants standing below the steps were all shivering.

No one responded. In the darkness, something snow-white seemed to stir.

Princess Yi Cheng entered the hall with a face full of smiles, casually closing the door behind her. She sat across from that snow-white thing and said softly: “Brother won’t return until tomorrow. Tonight I have time to keep you company again.”

That snow-white thing slowly rose. In the darkness one could vaguely make out a youth wrapped in snow-white light fur. His face was even whiter than the fur, white to near transparency. His features weren’t particularly beautiful at first glance, but they were clear and light, clean as a handful of snow, soft as a handful of snow, making one not dare profane him, yet madly wanting to profane him.

As he stood, the temperature in the hall dropped several more degrees. Princess Yi Cheng wrapped her cloak tighter, staring at him without blinking.

This was her treasure.

Three days ago while hunting near Yi Kingdom’s border with Meng Kingdom and Yu Kingdom, she encountered this youth. He seemed to have come from Yu Kingdom, and she took a fancy to him at first sight.

However, this person was extremely cold, seeming to have no human emotions whatsoever, completely uninterested in her attentions. She’d never seen such a temperament light as frost and snow before. Immediately infatuated beyond redemption, she used every means to pursue and please him. Finally she brought out some extremely secret things of hers, which aroused his interest enough for him to agree to come play in Yi Kingdom’s royal palace.

She felt this person was like a banished immortal descended from heaven, a pure lotus born from snowy mountains. Worldly men couldn’t compare at all. To keep him, she hid away the things that most attracted him, changing tactics daily to please him. He seemed somewhat impatient, but really did stay day by day.

She knew in her heart he didn’t stay for her—eighty percent was for the things she’d shown him. But what did that matter? As long as this snow-like youth accompanied her for a while, her “Handsome Men Collection” would have another conquest.

Princess Yi Cheng of Yi Kingdom’s lifelong ambition was to experience every type of uniquely charming handsome man in this world.

This current handsome man was called Yelu Tan. She chewed over this name repeatedly, feeling the character “tan” was too suitable for him—a snow-white night-blooming cereus opening in darkness, pure and restrained, startlingly beautiful for an instant.

“Where’s that jar of mud you showed me last time?” Yelu Tan began persistently asking that question again.

Three days ago, it was that jar of marsh mud brought from Yi Mountain that caught the attention of snow-pure Yelu Tan.

This marsh mud was given to Princess Yi Cheng by one of her lovers, Yi Mountain border garrison commander Lu Zhuohong. Princess Yi Cheng had always been interested in researching various marsh muds’ effects, so Lu Zhuohong gave her this jar of mud, saying it was extracted from inside Yi Mountain and could corrode stone. Princess Yi Cheng had studied this jar of mud and discovered its composition wasn’t entirely natural—there seemed to be added components. To arouse Yelu Tan’s interest, she’d discussed this jar of mud with him. Yelu Tan was initially indifferent, but after hearing her guess at several components, he suddenly began paying attention to this mud. Seeing she’d aroused his interest, Princess Yi Cheng conversely became unwilling to discuss it further. But Yelu Tan was also stubborn—every day he saw her, he had to ask.

Princess Yi Cheng raised her eyebrows, placing both hands on his shoulders, leaning half her body over, laughing coquettishly: “Oh don’t be so impatient…”

Yelu Tan glanced at his shoulder. With a crack, a thin layer of ice formed on his shoulder.

Princess Yi Cheng had to withdraw her hands, not angry, smoothly changing to a hair-stroking gesture instead, smiling: “That mud was just lent to someone else. I’ll get it back for you. Or…” She leaned near his ear, quietly blowing air. “Outside the city at the traveling palace, there’s lots of this mud. Shall I take you to see?”

Yelu Tan slightly turned his head, avoiding her breath—he found it turbid.

All the aura around this woman made him feel turbid and uncomfortable, but for that jar of mud, he endured it.

That mud was too important.

Some days ago, following Sect Master’s wife’s orders, he’d come down from the mountain, first returning to Yu Kingdom’s Yelu family estate. He gave them the pills bestowed by the wife. The clan members were grateful yet also gnashed their teeth, saying with this batch of pills, they hoped to cultivate excellent descendants, retake Dige’s supreme power, and execute those siblings who’d betrayed the family. He had no reaction to this, directly leaving the family and heading toward Daimao.

The queen the Sect Master’s wife wanted executed was in Daimao.

It was said Yelu Xun was also in Daimao.

But at the border between Yi Kingdom and Yu Kingdom, he saw that jar of mud. The mud was marsh mud, but with additives—those additives were things only found in snowy mountains, specifically medicinal substances for tempering physique and changing human constitution.

The wife used such medicines to cultivate the snowy mountain special training camp. He was also a member, familiar with that scent. He knew all the wife’s open and underground training bases were in the snowy mountains. There was absolutely no possibility of any being in Yi Kingdom.

Who was using snowy mountain exclusive medicines here in Yi Kingdom? What was he doing? Might it be detrimental to the snowy mountains?

Having received great kindness from the wife, he had a responsibility to clarify all this.

For that noble and compassionate woman in the snowy realm, he willingly endured this worldly turbid woman’s violations and profanity.

But he was nearly at his limit—he still had things to do.

“The traveling palace has some?” He immediately stood. “Then let’s go now.”

“Ah?” Princess Yi Cheng hadn’t expected him to want to go immediately, saying dazedly: “But brother hasn’t returned from the traveling palace yet. We’d run into him…”

“Won’t be discovered by him.” He put on his cloak, burying himself in familiar snowy qi.

“That…” Princess Yi Cheng panicked, grabbing him. “Can’t go now. Brother supposedly just found an… old friend. He definitely won’t like disturbances…” She bit her lower lip. “Brother changes constantly—you don’t know which is him. Very easy to run into him. I heard he’s recently impersonating the Black Water Queen, and brought back someone who looks even more like the Black Water Queen…”

“Black Water Queen?” Yelu Tan suddenly turned. “Jing Hengbo?”

“Yes.”

Yelu Tan closed his eyes, thought briefly, then suddenly said: “Yi Cheng.”

Princess Yi Cheng heard him call her title for the first time and immediately bloomed with joy. “Ah Tan!”

“I’m very interested in your disguise arts. You should disguise me too—that way your brother won’t recognize who I am.” Yelu Tan smiled gently at Princess Yi Cheng.

This smile was like breaking ice. Princess Yi Cheng’s eyes showed amazed ripples, immediately forgetting all concerns and hesitation, saying without reservation: “Good. What do you want to look like?”

As Yi Kingdom’s princess, disguise was naturally a basic skill. Moreover, few people knew that when truly ranking Yi Kingdom’s disguise masters, first was the Imperial Uncle missing for many years, second was Princess Yi Cheng, and only third could count Yi Kingdom’s Great King.

Princess Yi Cheng opened her kit box and personally disguised her lover.

“Eyebrows slightly thicker than mine, more straight and long, like distant mountains in dark blue-green…” Yelu Tan instructed in detail.

Princess Yi Cheng concentrated on the disguise, smiling: “These eyebrows are beautiful.”

“Eyes larger, double-lidded, rising to the middle section, widest at the tail, slightly upturned…”

Princess Yi Cheng clicked her tongue in admiration: “These eyes are truly beautiful…” thinking they were even more beautiful than Yelu Tan’s.

“Nose higher…”

“Like a jade peak! Truly perfect.” Princess Yi Cheng sighed.

“Lips fuller than mine, redder in color, but not too red—slightly glazed, with clearer lines…”

Princess Yi Cheng concentrated on selecting colors, trying several combinations before achieving the lip color Yelu Tan described. She stared at those lips mesmerized—if not for fear of ruining the makeup, she’d want to pounce and kiss them first. “This lip color, these features matched together—absolutely perfect…”

“Skin more lustrous than mine…”

“Unimaginable, unimaginable!” Princess Yi Cheng exclaimed loudly while hurriedly testing various powder combinations. Finally, with extremely precious ice crystal powder and peach blossom pearl powder, she barely approximated that “crystal-clear surpassing snow with radiant light” skin Yelu Tan described.

After finishing everything, Princess Yi Cheng habitually stepped back to see the overall effect. One look left her stunned as a wooden chicken, the powder brush falling from her hand with a thud.

A beauty!

This was a true beauty!

She’d thought Yelu Tan was already ice-snow extraordinary, but compared to this face, Yelu Tan could only be considered a pale youth.

True ice-snow extraordinary beauty made one think of lotus blooming in snow, or peach blossoms embedded in crystal ice, a fragrant lamp in a glazed world.

A kind of translucent beauty taken to the extreme.

Not belonging to the mortal realm.

Princess Yi Cheng stared blankly at this face, suddenly feeling Yelu Tan’s features, so vivid in memory just moments ago, instantly fade and blur. She could hardly remember his appearance, couldn’t understand why she’d been so infatuated with such a face before. She suddenly felt her past twenty years of supposed extensive male beauty appreciation was a joke, a completely unknowing ignorance. Before this face, those so-called beautiful men were like street peddlers.

“Whose face… is this…” She could barely breathe, asking dazedly.

“Made up myself.” Yelu Tan wouldn’t tell her the answer.

He looked at that face in the mirror, a trace of disgust surging in his eyes.

You who humiliated the snowy mountains—your peaceful existence is the greatest disrespect to the snowy mountains. Let me settle this account for the wife.

If there really is your woman in the traveling palace.

I will use your face.

To kill her.

…

The new year wasn’t over yet. The traveling palace was decorated festively, with big red lanterns extending from the palace gates all the way to the inner palace water pavilion. From a distance it looked like a string of coral beads suspended between heaven and earth.

In the center of the water pavilion was a warm chamber. Inside the chamber a feast was laid with delicacies, carved beams held twin candles. Yi Kingdom’s Great King finally felt secure closing the doors to properly reminisce about old times with his “Imperial Uncle.”

“How have you been living these years? You must tell me properly today.” Yi Kingdom’s Great King personally poured wine for Jing Hengbo.

He still wore Jing Hengbo’s face. It was said this type of extremely high-fidelity mask needed to be worn on the face for a while, “conditioned” by facial skin, to show its best effect. So Jing Hengbo still didn’t know what he actually looked like, but even if he really removed the mask, she felt what she saw might not necessarily be his real face either.

Yi Kingdom people lived lives of truth and falsehood mixed together. She seriously suspected they often slept with the wrong people.

“Me…” Jing Hengbo didn’t dare say much, afraid of exposure, only made sighing gestures. “It’s hard to explain in words…”

“I’d be happy to hear you talk for three days and nights.” The Great King smiled as he leaned against her shoulder. The water pavilion’s carved lattice doors were inlaid with bronze mirrors, reflecting a pair of identical women intimately nestled together. Jing Hengbo collapsed inside every time she looked.

“Great King…”

“You used to call me Little Yi Yi…” He pouted.

“Cough cough,” Jing Hengbo coughed. “Yi Yi…” What to do about wanting to vomit again?

“Shan Shan.” Yi Kingdom’s Great King stroked her face. “After walking away for so many years, did you really never think of me…”

Jing Hengbo was distracted.

Shan Shan?

Lightning suddenly flashed in her mind, understanding what was really happening.

Yi Kingdom’s Imperial Uncle—Ah Shan!

That taciturn woman beside Gong Yin who was skilled at disguise!

So the woman wasn’t a woman, and being taciturn was just protective coloring.

That’s why the disguise knowledge Ah Shan taught her could pass with Yi Kingdom’s Great King. This knowledge wasn’t what ordinary Yi Kingdom people could know—it must belong to advanced techniques jointly studied by Ah Shan and Yi Kingdom’s Great King.

The mask she’d initially worn on her face must have come from Ah Shan’s hands, could only have come from Ah Shan’s hands. It definitely had Ah Shan’s personal markings, which is why both Yi Kingdom people and the Great King recognized her as Ah Shan after seeing that mask.

But Ah Shan wasn’t in Daimao—she’d always stayed in Dige. This mask had fallen to her. There was a link she couldn’t understand. How did the mask reach her hands?

Possibly Ah Shan knew Yi Kingdom was searching for him. He didn’t want to appear, so made a mask with personal markings and sent it to Gong Yin. Gong Yin was in Daimao, always using masks made by Ah Shan.

When Gong Yin or his subordinates used this mask, it would divert Yi Kingdom people’s attention. Coincidentally, this mask somehow reached Jing Hengbo’s hands.

“Shan Shan…” Yi Kingdom’s Great King frowned, nuzzling her shoulder.

“Ah… miss! Miss!” Jing Hengbo immediately grabbed a wine cup to pour him more. “Every day and night I miss you, endlessly miss you, earth-shakingly miss you, dreaming and dying missing you… my good person, seeing you makes my heart race wildly, my eyes spin around, I can’t even speak properly. Come come come, another cup—my feelings are this rich wine. You must personally taste it…”

“After years apart, this mouth of yours has become sweeter and sweeter…” Yi Kingdom’s Great King giggled, leaning in her embrace, lowering his head to drink from her cup, sighing: “Back then… though you could also speak well, you were never willing to say so much to me…”

“Back then… was ultimately too young, made some mistakes. You must forgive me…” Jing Hengbo vaguely probed—anyway, this sentence could be interpreted any way.

“Past matters are past. Anyway, we both know the truth.” Yi Kingdom’s Great King waved his hand, laughing mockingly. “What rebellion or not? How could you rebel against me? It was just acting for those ill-intentioned royal brothers to see. Your staged rebellion forced out all the brothers eyeing the throne. My fire burned them clean, burned them clean! It’s just that it burdened you with having to flee abroad, constantly assassinated by the brothers’ remaining followers, forced to hide your identity and serve under others. For your safety, while I hadn’t rooted out the brothers’ remaining followers, I didn’t dare seek you. I waited until my subordinates basically cleaned up those bastards before starting to send people searching everywhere. But by then I’d lost contact with you long ago, without any leads, delayed until now. Heaven have mercy, finally let me find you…” Saying this while gently stroking Jing Hengbo’s face, his eyes misty.

“…These years I’ve actually lived quite well, didn’t suffer too much…” Jing Hengbo urged another cup on him. “Under the State Preceptor’s command, I disguised as a woman, specifically responsible for handling disguise matters for him…”

Speaking of Ah Shan’s recent situation, when she said this sentence her heart suddenly flashed with lightning, seeming to feel something was wrong, but couldn’t grasp it.

“…Hehe, I learned quite a while ago that you were under the State Preceptor’s command,” Yi Kingdom’s Great King didn’t refuse, draining another cup. “But didn’t know specifically what you did. Fortunately, found you as soon as I searched… Hearing you were under the State Preceptor’s command, I felt somewhat relieved. Your disguise arts are always exquisite—the State Preceptor must rely on you heavily. But then again, the State Preceptor controls the Great Wilderness, with high position and great authority. His own face is his command—no real need to disguise as others. You probably just handle disguise matters for his subordinates working outside.”

Jing Hengbo’s heart grew more alert, smiling as she said: “Yi Yi, you’re absolutely right. I just do some disguise work for the State Preceptor’s subordinates working outside, and not even frequently. Fortunately the State Preceptor has always treated subordinates generously—I’ve lived without worry.”

“Excellent, excellent,” Yi Kingdom’s Great King drank another mouthful from her hands. “…No need to work for others anymore. I… uh… I’ll support you…”

“What relationship do we have…” Jing Hengbo poured him another cup, watching his body soften down from her arm, secretly delighted, saying softly: “You’re drunk. Let me call someone to help you sleep…”

“Don’t call those people… right here… right here…” Yi Kingdom’s Great King grabbed her arm, panting: “Just us… just us…”

Jing Hengbo turned her head, looking in the pearl lamplight, couldn’t help being stunned.

The thin mask could no longer hide Yi Kingdom Great King’s face full of peach blossom color—eyes brimming with water, corners tinged red, breathing rapid with hot fingers. His whole body was like a soft noodle hanging on her shoulder. In his breath Jing Hengbo smelled a sweet intoxicating scent. This kind of scent…

There was medicine in the wine!

This guy actually drugged himself with aphrodisiac!

Her hand loosened, and Yi Kingdom’s Great King fell soft beneath her with a thud. He giggled, hooking Jing Hengbo’s calf with his leg. Jing Hengbo stumbled and fell on top of him.

“Sweet spring joy…” Yi Kingdom’s Great King laughed. “You used to love using this medicine on me… Today you kept pouring cup after cup for me—I knew you missed me again…” Giggling as he hugged Jing Hengbo’s shoulders.

He rolled on the brocade carpet, his clothes somehow already half open, revealing chest skin like marble, with peach blossom color spreading to his collarbone. His skin was burning hot. Jing Hengbo immediately felt masculine changes, rubbing and rubbing and rubbing. She broke out in sweat, reaching for the wine pot on the table, preparing to smash him into stars.

Just as her hand reached the wine pot, suddenly a shrill whistle sounded, from the palace gates all the way to this water pavilion.

Jing Hengbo’s hand paused. Yi Kingdom’s Great King instantly flipped up to sitting.

Though spring colors hadn’t faded from his face, his tone immediately returned to calm. “What’s happening?”

Immediately someone outside the water pavilion answered: “Reporting to Great King, palace intrusion alert. Please don’t leave the water pavilion, Great King. Security here will be increased.”

Jing Hengbo broke out in cold sweat—what would have been the consequences if she’d really smashed him just now?

She silently became alert. This Yi Kingdom Great King seemed frivolous and dissolute, but was actually calm and cautious—more difficult than the several tribal leaders she’d encountered before.

“Who comes?” Yi Kingdom’s Great King asked.

Outside was quiet briefly, then someone answered: “Reporting to Great King, a white-clothed man, extremely fast, already passed three gates.”

Jing Hengbo’s expression changed.

Gong Yin had come?

“What does this person intend?”

“Reporting to Great King. He said nothing, but headed straight for the inner palace. His expression seemed to be searching for someone.”

Yi Kingdom’s Great King suddenly turned to stare at her, smiling: “Shan Shan, why the sudden color change?”

“I heard the assassin was formidable—afraid the Great King might be harmed.” She answered.

“Shan Shan truly cares for this king.” Yi Kingdom’s Great King giggled, reaching to stroke her face. “It’s just that this king sees worry in your eyes. Is it really worry for me? Not worry for some messy little lover?”

“Who’s the messy little lover?” She also giggled, pinching him back. “You jealous little rascal.”

“Good if there isn’t one.” Yi Kingdom’s Great King laughed heartily, extending his arms to embrace her. “Then shall we watch a play? Watch a great drama of a thousand guards on water slaying an assassin?”

As his words fell, the lattice doors on both sides of the water pavilion had opened, silk curtains were also raised. Jing Hengbo saw a white figure shooting toward them like lightning.

That white figure seemed born from darkness—first a blur of white light, instantly brightening into a lightning bolt. White qi surrounded the white figure, seeming to have fragments floating. Looking carefully, it was frigid qi around him making air moisture automatically condense into ice and snow. Wherever the person went, snow fell there.

This technique—only Gong Yin possessed it.

Jing Hengbo’s heart was both joyful and worried. Happy that Gong Yin had indeed pursued, arriving just before major trouble. Worried that with Gong Yin’s power not yet recovered, was it really good to use true qi like this?

Beside her, Yi Kingdom’s Great King suddenly smiled, pressing her down in one motion.

There was a table in front of them. This press immediately hid her behind the table. Yi Kingdom’s Great King leaned against her shoulder, smilingly playing with her hair while bundling up his own long hair and tucking it into the collar behind his clothes.

Jing Hengbo was puzzled why the calm Great King would have lustful thoughts at this moment. Seeing this action, looking at that face again, her heart was greatly alarmed.

This guy wanted to use her face to deal with Gong Yin!

They originally looked identical anyway. Across a lake there was no way to distinguish them. The only difference was hair length—her burned hair hadn’t grown back yet. But now with Yi Kingdom’s Great King bundling his hair and tucking it into his collar, even this last distinction was gone.

If this guy performed a live erotic show and Gong Yin saw it…

She moved to escape, no matter where—even if very likely into the lake, it was better than letting this guy wear her face to stimulate Gong Yin.

As her waist moved, the wooden board beneath suddenly creaked and sank halfway. She suddenly discovered the board was very sticky, actually sticking to her so she couldn’t move.

“Don’t move, behave and don’t move…” Yi Kingdom’s Great King laughed by her ear. “If you move, you’ll fall into this water pavilion’s hidden level. Then you won’t be able to watch the good show…”

Jing Hengbo didn’t dare move. She’d rather stay in the water pavilion where she could think of ways to warn Gong Yin. If she fell into the lower level, who knew what would happen above.

She was somewhat puzzled why Gong Yin didn’t try to infiltrate the traveling palace and secretly rescue her. But looking at the countless lights that suddenly appeared around and this lake completely unconnected on all sides, she knew so-called infiltration was simply impossible. He could only reach the center by the fastest method.

Yi Kingdom’s Great King chuckled softly, bending to blow air by Jing Hengbo’s ear. He didn’t get too close to Jing Hengbo or touch any of her skin, but the table blocked Jing Hengbo. From the lake’s angle, one could see “Jing Hengbo” entangled with someone else in fragrant, romantic intimacy.

Gong Yin coming from the lake also saw this scene.

He saw a lake of blue water with a water pavilion in the center. The pavilion had hidden fragrance, deep hanging curtains, octagonal palace lanterns hanging deep red silk tassels, swaying light red shadows. Under the light and shadow was Jing Hengbo—short hair, snow skin, blushing cheeks, eyes misty with love, tenderly loving someone unknown below.

That charm, that expression—familiar to his very bones.

His first glance was stunned, second glance frowned, third glance wondered if Jing Hengbo was drugged.

She couldn’t possibly make such intimate gestures with any other person!

Thinking this made him somewhat distracted. His steps slowed slightly, speed decreasing a bit. At this moment masters intercepted him, barely stopping his stride that was about to enter the lake.

Yi Kingdom’s ruler smiled slightly, pressing the floor again. The floor sank another three parts.

Seeing his performance hadn’t caused major emotional disturbance in Gong Yin, his eyes flashed with slight disappointment.

Jing Hengbo struggled and shouted: “Chrysanthemum!”

After one shout she immediately stopped, because she saw Yi Kingdom’s Great King sit up, supporting himself on the floor with one hand, lip-syncing along with her words!

It looked like a duo performance—she was the voice behind the scenes, Yi Kingdom’s Great King the performer.

Jing Hengbo immediately shut up. Yi Kingdom’s Great King smiled, saying: “So you’re called Chrysanthemum. What a fine name!”

At the lakeside, Gong Yin heard this cry of “Chrysanthemum!” and saw “Jing Hengbo” calling urgently. His eyes contracted, almost unbelieving.

Really was Jing Hengbo? The name Chrysanthemum—besides her, no one else could call it out. What drug had she taken?

Yi Kingdom’s Great King chuckled lowly, saying to Jing Hengbo: “Let me show you a magic trick.” He pulled out a silk cloth to gag her mouth, kicked with his foot, and a sliding board silently slid over, covering Jing Hengbo. The floor returned to its original state.

Simultaneously he pushed something under the table. That thing fell into the water with a plop, sounding like a person falling in. A group of people shouted: “The Great King fell in the water!” and took boats to rescue him.

The table had brocade surrounds. That thing under the table couldn’t be seen from Gong Yin’s angle—only a corner of brocade cloak could be seen sliding down from the floor into the water pavilion. It appeared as if Jing Hengbo, while drinking and making merry with Yi Kingdom’s Great King, saw him coming to rescue her and rose up to push down the Great King.

Then Yi Kingdom’s Great King rushed toward the pavilion railing, continuously beckoning to Gong Yin.

At this time everyone went to “rescue the Great King,” abandoning their siege of Gong Yin. Gong Yin rushed toward the lake pavilion, and Yi Kingdom’s Great King immediately rushed toward him.

Gong Yin had originally planned to catch her, but seeing her flushed face and disheveled clothes, his heart stirred. He only grasped her wrist, sending true force to investigate what was wrong with her.

He didn’t take that romantic scene seriously at all. His queen seemed frivolous and loved taking advantage, but when it came to the real thing, she ran faster than a rabbit.

He only wondered if Jing Hengbo had some problem.

How could Yi Kingdom’s Great King let him probe with true qi? He quickly dodged aside, saying: “I pushed their Great King down. Let’s go quickly.”

Jing Hengbo had learned voice mimicry from Seven Kills. Earlier she’d been using a similar male voice. When shouting “Chrysanthemum,” she used her original voice. Now Yi Kingdom’s Great King imitated her voice perfectly—for those who played with disguise, this was basic skill.

“Are you alright?” Gong Yin stared at “Jing Hengbo’s” back.

“I’m fine.” Yi Kingdom’s Great King came to pull Gong Yin’s hand. “Let’s go quickly. I know a road with fewer people!”