Chapter 190

Xuanyuan Hao stood before the window and looked at the moon in the sky, his eyes glistening with fierceness. The hand placed behind his back was balled into a fist with blue veins standing up on the back of his hand.

The stone door of the secret chamber behind suddenly rumbled. Xuanyuan Hao turned around all of a sudden.

A person wearing a black cloak suddenly walked out of the secret chamber.

Upon seeing the comer, Xuanyuan Hao slightly frowned, “It’s you.”

That person gently took off the hood, exposing her face. She knelt on one knee and hung her head, “Greetings, Region Master.”

Xuanyuan Hao looked at Huai’er and slightly narrowed his eyes, “It’s been so late. Are you here to update me on your task?”

Huai’er looked ashamed and hung her head again, “Region Master, please forgive me. I haven’t finished the task assigned by you.”

Xuanyuan Hao’s face instantly darkened. He pinched Huai’er’s chin and said gloomily, “You haven’t completed the mission. How can you have the cheek to meet me?”

Despite the pain in her chin, Huai’er was still poker-faced and looked at Xuanyuan Hao, saying word by word, “I have something to report to Region Master.”

Xuanyuan Hao looked at Huai’er’s straight face with a shimmer of vapidity in his eyes. He loosened Huai’er’s chin and stood up, “Say it.”

Huai’er’s chin was let go. She breathed out inwardly and hung her head, “Today, Prince Zhan sent Doctor Liu to take Sacred Maiden’s pulse. Sacred Maiden activated the Pregnancy Worm. Although we have slid through temporarily, Prince Zhan forbids us from entering the internal courtyard. Since we can’t enter the internal courtyard, we can’t approach Princess Consort Zhan. Hence, I’m here to ask for further instruction. What should we do next?”

Xuanyuan Hao directly smashed the table in front and shouted angrily, “You are so useless. You can’t even do this well. What’s the point of keeping you?”

The splashed bits of wood directly slit Huai’er’s face. Her face was slit instantly and blood dripped along the wound.

Regardless of the sharp pain in her face, Huai’er only hung her head as if repenting.

There was a long silence in the room. Xuanyuan Hao finally calmed his agitation slowly. Then, he took out a wooden box from his storage ring and threw it to Huai’er.

Huai’er picked up the wooden box and didn’t dare to open it. She only hung her head, “Please enlighten me.”

Xuanyuan Hao cracked a sinister smile, “This is Puppet Worm. Since you can’t approach her, let another person who can approach her complete the mission for you.”

What a perfect solution! He should have thought of it before. At the thought of having a spy around Xuanyuan Mo, he felt like bursting into laughter.

He bent down to pinch Huai’er’s chin. Upon seeing the slit in her face, Xuanyuan Hao was excited. He rubbed his long fingernails across the wound, “Don’t let me down.”

His voice was so gentle and his stroking was soft. Those not in the know would think that Xuanyuan Hao loved Huai’er dearly. Yet, only Huai’er herself knew how painful it was. However, no matter how painful it was, Huai’er was expressionless and didn’t even frown at all. She knew that as long as she showed a bit of fear and pain, she would be a lot more severely punished.

She slightly lowered her eyes and said respectfully, “Yes, I will complete the mission this time.”

Outside the Yonghe Palace, Long Yue waited for two hours and finally saw Huai’er appear again. She was still wearing the black cloak, except that her face was covered with a veil.

Long Yue slightly frowned and took a look at Huai’er’s figure carefully. After making sure that she was his target, he followed her in secret.

In Xuelan House of Prince Zhan’s mansion.

Xuanyuan Mo looked at the quilt in his hand and blinked his eyes, “Xi, can you really bear to see me sleep on the ground?”

Duanmu Xi supported her head against the bed with one hand and meanwhile looked at Xuanyuan Mo casually, “Or else? Do you think I was joking?”

Xuanyuan Mo stared at Duanmu Xi with an aggrieved look, holding a quilt in his arms.

“Xi, the ground is too hard.”

“Well, put more layers of mattresses on the ground then.”

“Xi, it’s too cold to sleep on the ground.”

“Well, cover yourself with more quilts then.”

“Xi…”

“Shut up!” She directly threw a pillow at him.

The next day, the sun shone through the window on the face of the soundly sleeping woman on the bed. She looked so beautiful.

Xuanyuan Mo stared at her with obsession and couldn’t help caressing the woman’s delicate figures.

Duanmu Xi seemed to feel something. Then, she subconsciously leaned against Xuanyuan Mo’s chest and buried her whole face in his arms.

Seeing her reaction, Xuanyuan Mo curled his lips and grinned quietly.

Duanmu Xi, who was sleeping drowsily, stroked Xuanyuan Mo’s chest and felt something was wrong but she couldn’t think of what was wrong.

Xuanyuan Mo saw that Duanmu Xi was about to wake up and felt that something was bad. It was too late for him to get off the bed so he could only close his eyes and pretend to sleep.

Duanmu Xi slowly opened her eyes and saw a sturdy body. She looked at Xuanyuan Mo’s strikingly beautiful face and couldn’t help being fascinated.

Xuanyuan Mo felt being gazed at by Duanmu Xi and couldn’t help smiling.

Seeing the smile on Xuanyuan Mo’s face, Duanmu Xi was instantly sober and cursed herself inwardly. She pinched Xuanyuan Mo’s ear, “Didn’t I ask you to sleep on the ground? Why are you sleeping on the bed?”

Xuanyuan Mo felt pain and immediately opened his eyes. He grabbed Duanmu Xi’s hand and said with a grin, “Xi, please don’t be mad. How dare I not listen to your order? I did sleep on the ground last night. I just woke up early.”

Xuanyuan Mo pointed at the mattress on the ground and asked Duanmu Xi to look at it.

Duanmu Xi glimpsed the mattress on the ground and kicked Xuanyuan Mo down.

Xuanyuan Mo rose from the ground and looked at Duanmu Xi with an aggrieved look. Somehow, he felt that his wife was so bad-tempered. She would lose her temper without rhyme or reason.

“Your Highness Princess Consort, I have something to report.” Someone knocked on the door.

Upon hearing the voice, Duanmu Xi was slightly dazed. It was Long Yue. It was early in the morning. What did he want to report?

She glanced at the mattress on the ground and said to Xuanyuan Mo, “Put these things away.”

Hearing that, Xuanyuan Mo had a twitch on his lips and started to put away the mattress resignedly. Unexpectedly, the beast god would have to put away the mattress. If this was known by the beasts, he would be utterly disgraced!

Duanmu Xi paid no heed to Xuanyuan Mo’s mind. After washing up in the wing room, she opened her door and let Long Yue come inside.

“Greetings, Your Highnesses.”

Upon seeing Xuanyuan Mo and Duanmu Xi, Long Yue immediately saluted but he was stopped by Duanmu Xi, “Just say it if anything.”

Long Yue knew that Duanmu Xi disliked the mere ceremony so he stood up and looked at her, “Huai’er got out of the prince’s mansion last night. I followed her into the imperial palace.”

“Imperial palace?” Duanmu Xi frowned. Even Xuanyuan Mo knitted his eyebrows.

Hearing that, Long Yue said respectfully at once, “Yes, I saw her enter the Yonghe Palace. She didn’t come out until she stayed in the Yonghe Palace for two hours.”

Yonghe Palace again? Duanmu Xi was absorbed in meditation with a frown. It seemed that Consort Hui absolutely had something to do with the Wilderness Holy Region.

When it came to the Yonghe Palace, Xuanyuan Mo had a shimmer of fierceness in his eyes.

Seeing that neither of them said anything, Long Yue said, “Afterward, I looked into Huai’er and found that she was Her Highness Consort Hui’s close maid.”

Hearing that, Duanmu Xi frowned more deeply. Consort Hui’s close maid came to serve the sacred maiden of the Wilderness Holy Region. Consort Hui must have something to do with the Wilderness Holy Region. In this case, Third Master…

Duanmu Xi looked at Long Yue, “Do you think Third Master is still in the imperial palace?”

Long Yue was slightly dazed and then thought of something, “You mean she is in the Yonghe Palace?”

Duanmu Xi nodded and said with a serious look, “Back then, Third Master was suddenly lost in the palace. No one knows where she has gone. Neither did anyone see her get out of the palace. Maybe she isn’t taken away but locked somewhere in the imperial palace.”

“Very likely.” Long Yue nodded in agreement.

Duanmu Xi said with excitement, “I’ll go into the palace and meet your father. I must ask him to search the palace.”

“Wait. No rush.” Xuanyuan Mo immediately stopped her, “We don’t have any evidence now. And we are not sure whether Father will agree to search the imperial palace. Even if he agrees, the lifeguards will only alert the enemy rather than find any clue.”

Hearing that, Duanmu Xi gradually calmed down. Snow had got a point. When Third Master was missing, the imperial palace had been searched before but no clue was found.

Duanmu Xi looked at Xuanyuan Mo, “Snow, what should we do?”

Seeing the weakness in Duanmu Xi’s eyes, Xuanyuan Mo felt his heart aching and turned to look at Long Yue, “Gather several secret guards. We’ll visit the Yonghe Palace in secret tonight.”

“Yes,” Long Yue replied with a bow and then turned to get out of the room.

Xuanyuan Mo went forward and held Duanmu Xi into his arms.

Duanmu Xi put her arms around Xuanyuan Mo and leaned against his chest, “Snow, I’m so worried about Third Master. It’s been such a long time. And I still haven’t got any information about her.”

Xuanyuan Mo rubbed against the top of Duanmu Xi’s head and comforted, “Don’t make wild conjectures. Third Master is a lucky person. She will be fine for sure.”

In the Northern Courtyard of Prince Zhan’s mansion.

Huai’er looked at Liqing whose face was still pale and slightly knitted her eyebrows, “Sacred Maiden, are you sure?”

Liqing waved her hand and said with a straight face, “Do as told.”

Huai’er heaved a sigh inwardly and turned to leave the room.

Huai’er arrived at the gate of Prince Zhan’s mansion. Upon seeing Lishang, she walked to him and curtsied, “Guard Li, Sacred Maiden wants to meet you.”

Lishang also frowned and glanced at Huai’er. Even though she was wearing a veil, he still recognized that she was Qing’s maid. Now Qing wanted to meet him. He was displeased with this sister but he still cared about her.

He turned to say something to the guard behind before following Huai’er into the Northern Courtyard.

Huai’er ushered Lishang into Liqing’s room, “Sacred Maiden, here is Guard Li.”

Liqing nodded and waved at Huai’er, “You may leave now.”

“Yes.” Huai’er bowed herself out and took a glance at Lishang in secret before leaving the room.