The scenery behind the mountain was indeed beautiful; it would have been even better if she hadn't encountered a certain person.
Upon seeing Qi Yihan, Li Man'er felt as though she had stepped in dog feces. What a coincidence!
Ziyan quickly reminded Li Man'er, "Miss, it's His Highness the Ninth Prince." The implication was that Li Man'er should quickly pay her respects.
Li Man'er thought, 'I'm not blind, how could I not see such a large figure standing there?'
"Miss Li seems very unwilling to see this king." Before Li Man'er could speak, Qi Yihan preempted her.
"Your Highness, what are you implying? Your humble servant merely didn't react in time." Li Man'er curtsied briefly, then stood up with a smile, "I shall not disturb Your Highness's enjoyment. Your humble servant takes her leave."
She wanted nothing to do with this stoic god; just looking at him felt unlucky.
Just as Li Man'er turned to leave this place of trouble, a languid voice suddenly came from behind her: "Wait."
Li Man'er's lips twitched, then she turned around as if nothing had happened, "Does Your Highness the Ninth Prince have any instructions?"
"Don't you want to ask about the progress of this matter? Or perhaps you don't wish to sever ties with the Rongguo Duke's mansion, and this is all a ploy to play hard to get?"
Li Man'er smiled outwardly, but inwardly she was already cursing. If only Qi Yihan could read minds, he would know what a torrent of abuse he was receiving.
"Your Highness is busy with state affairs. Your humble servant can only patiently await good news. Does Your Highness think your humble servant dares to question you?"
"I think you have quite a lot of nerve."
Ziyan and Luyi were terrified. How could their young lady be so bold as to speak to the Ninth Prince in such a manner?
"Your Highness also has quite a lot of nerve."
Luyi...
Ziyan...
Had their young lady gone mad?
Just then, Li Man'er spoke again, "Your Highness comes to this place of cultivation and consumes bloody items. Is this not a blasphemy against the gods?"
Ziyan and Luyi nearly knelt. Miss, why are you provoking this killing god? Who is the Ninth Prince? Let alone consuming bloody items, he would dare to kill in a Buddhist sanctuary.
Qi Yihan's eyes narrowed slightly, "You do indeed possess some skill." The distance between them was three to four paces, yet she could discern that he had consumed bloody items, indicating she was indeed more capable than Duan Xu.
Li Man'er smiled charmingly, "Your humble servant knows many things, such as..." She looked up, meeting Qi Yihan's gaze directly, "such as the evil entity within Your Highness's body."
Qi Yihan's pupils contracted sharply, the shock in his heart far greater than his outward composure suggested. This matter had been kept extremely secret, known only to a few of his closest confidantes. How could Li Man'er possibly know?
It was impossible for anyone to have revealed it to her, meaning she must have seen it herself.
Without taking his pulse or drawing blood, she could see his physical ailment with just a glance.
Qi Yihan fell silent for a long time. "What do you want?"
Li Man'er glanced subtly behind her. Seeing this, Ziyan quickly pulled Luyi away. The two maids retreated more than ten paces, standing where they couldn't be seen, keeping watch.
"You send away your two maids, aren't you afraid I'll do something improper to you?"
"Improper? I wonder which kind of impropriety Your Highness is referring to?" Li Man'er smiled with great amusement. "I am already a woman of ill repute. One more or one less makes no difference. Even if someone were to catch us, accusing me of an illicit rendezvous would be no great harm."
"Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"
Tsk tsk, it's a pity for such a fine appearance, to be so quick to threaten and kill.
The smile in Li Man'er's eyes deepened, "Your Highness would not engage in a losing transaction. If I live, you may still have hope of survival. If I die, unless Physician Qiu is resurrected, Your Highness can only wait to die."
A cold glint flashed in Qi Yihan's eyes, and his gaze instantly became sharp. "What do you want?"
This was the second time he had asked.
"Your Highness, cooperation requires a cooperative attitude. Even though I am weak, I deserve respect. Moreover, I possess capital for negotiation, do I not?" Li Man'er said, then gave him a slight bow, "Your humble servant takes her leave."
This time, Qi Yihan did not stop her. Instead, he looked thoughtfully at her retreating figure.
Does she desire an equal footing? This is interesting.
Ziyan and Luyi had been waiting for Li Man'er. Luyi was nearly frantic, while Ziyan was much calmer.
"Sister Ziyan, why did you insist on pulling me away just now? Wouldn't our presence have made Miss safer?"
"You, where has your usual quick-wittedness gone? Don't you think that if His Highness the Ninth Prince wanted to kill someone, even with you and me present, we couldn't stop him?"
Luyi's voice trembled with fear, and tears welled up in her eyes. "Then, at least we could have held him off for a while."
"Don't worry, Miss will be fine."
"Why?" Luyi asked, utterly bewildered. "His Highness the Ninth Prince is a fearsome god of slaughter."
Just as Ziyan was about to say something, she saw Li Man'er walking towards them. She quickly signaled Luyi that their mistress had returned.
Luyi turned and saw Li Man'er. She was both shocked and delighted, and quickly ran towards her. "Miss, are you alright?" She looked Li Man'er up and down with wide eyes, and seeing that Li Man'er was indeed unharmed, she cried tears of joy. "Miss, it's truly wonderful that you're alright. This servant was so afraid."
Li Man'er said with a wry smile, "Alright, what's there to be afraid of? That Ninth Prince doesn't eat people."
"But... this servant is still so scared."
"Alright, let's go back! Be careful not to swell your eyes from crying later. Also, you are forbidden to speak of anything concerning His Highness the Ninth Prince to anyone."
Luyi nodded repeatedly, holding back her tears. "Miss, don't worry, this servant will not gossip." Her young lady was so amazing, having spoken so much with the Ninth Prince and not been killed. Alas, she was so capable.
Li Man'er, as if nothing had happened, led her two maids back to the main hall. She found Li Zha'er there, holding a fortune slip and looking puzzled.
She probably hadn't drawn an auspicious lot and was now distressed.
Li Man'er hadn't paid much attention to this matter initially, but after Li Zha'er saw her, she guiltily hid the fortune slip. This piqued Li Man'er's interest.
"Find an opportunity to inquire about what kind of lot the second young lady drew."
Ziyan understood and followed Li Man'er to the meditation room where Cui Shi was resting in the backyard.
Cui Shi had just freshened up and was drinking tea. Seeing Li Man'er return, she asked her how her outing was.
"What kind of fortune did you seek?"
"I merely went to enjoy the scenery and did not seek a fortune." Li Man'er replied, "Grandmother, I am grown now and will not be like I was in the past."
Hearing this, Cui Shi's heart gave a lurch.
This child appeared much more composed, but in reality, she remembered all the past incidents.
Just as Cui Shi was about to say something soothing, a servant woman entered. "Old Madam, young Master Xiao wishes to see you."
Cui Shi was first startled, then immediately asked, "Is it Xiao Yu, the son of General Xiao?"