What Bad Intentions can the Yandere Crown Prince have?-Chapter 261 - 257: The Handsome Young Man

"What do you think?" Tang Xiaobai asked curiously.

"You don’t understand, it’s an instinct only martial artists have," said Qin Rong.

"Like a killer instinct?" Tang Xiaobai guessed.

Qin Rong thought for a moment and nodded, "Something like that."

Tang Xiaobai turned to Yingying and asked, "Did you also feel someone was watching us with ill intentions just now?"

Yingying nodded.

"Mr. Lv is a gentleman!" Gu Hui couldn’t help but interject.

Qin Rong glanced at him, smiling faintly, "Fifth Son doesn’t know martial arts, nor how to read people. Next time, stand a bit further back."

Tang Xiaobai, standing right next to Gu Hui, clearly saw his ears turn red as if they were about to bleed.

Gu Hui had followed her from Longyou to Hedong, choosing not to return home to study for exams just to take care of her.

Though Tang Xiaobai felt it was unnecessary, she was still grateful and couldn’t stand seeing others criticize him, so she immediately spoke up, "Cousin Gu didn’t misjudge, Mr. Lv is indeed a good person—"

"In the past, concerning disasters in the world, it was always up to Prime Minister Zheng’s faction. When Hedong experienced a severe drought, some intentionally kept this quiet. Mr. Lin spoke about strange celestial phenomena, but no one believed him. It was Mr. Lv who, as Prime Minister Zheng’s junior disciple, stood up and supported Mr. Lin regarding the celestial phenomenon in Hedong."

For Lv Xia, this incident was a devastating blow. People did not see his compassionate righteousness but rather thought he betrayed his mentor.

Lv Xia indeed found himself isolated now.

Even though he was used as a pawn in Lin Xujiji’s scheme, he was aware of it.

In that incident, only Lv Xia was genuinely concerned about the disaster in Hedong.

He is someone worthy of respect.

Qin Rong gave a noncommittal "Oh," still appearing very confident in her instinct.

Tang Xiaobai thought for a moment and then asked, "After Mr. Lv came out, did your instincts tell you anything else?"

Earlier, Qin Rong’s glance at the corner was extremely cautious, her whole being like a tightly drawn bowstring, but after Yingying brought Lv Xia over, that tension in Qin Rong noticeably eased.

Indeed, upon her asking, Qin Rong shook her head.

Suddenly, Qin Rong’s expression changed again, looking back at that corner.

"Could there be another person over there just now?"

...

Inside Yunzhou Prefecture.

"...Miss Qin accompanied a young unfamiliar boy out of the city on a westward trip... They are very vigilant, and I was almost discovered!"

"An unfamiliar boy?" Li Shu repeated quietly, with a hint of confusion, "Age?"

"He doesn’t look very tall, probably eleven or twelve, and Miss Qin seems quite close to him."

Li Shu frowned.

Qin Rong appears easygoing but is generally distant, quite close...

"There are also Qin Xiao’s people among them, and I suspect this boy is someone Qin Xiao is hiding in the Central Army Tent."

Li Shu’s gaze grew deeper.

The person Qin Xiao regards so highly must have an extraordinary identity.

Qin Rong seems quite close...

Could it be the real Qin Xiao? Is the real Qin Xiao in the hands of that fake Qin Xiao?

Otherwise, why would Qin Rong obey him to such an extent?

"Keep an eye on that boy!" Li Shu ordered.

His subordinate hesitated for a moment after agreeing and asked, "His appearance is quite striking... should we find a similarly good-looking boy..."

...

Li Mu came over just before noon, replacing Qin Rong to train the troops.

The memorial to the emperor was sent out early this morning, and they were also intensifying their training to receive a response from Capital City within seven days. So, Li Mu trained in the morning, Qin Rong in the afternoon, and they would gather in the evening to draft battle plans.

It was indeed a busy time.

But he insisted on bringing hot lunch to find her, even carrying a small jar of lamb soup.

"You don’t have to come to accompany me when you’re this busy; there’s nothing much for me here," Tang Xiaobai said, trying to persuade him while watching him serve the soup.

The way they took turns keeping her company made her feel a bit guilty.

"Surveying the terrain is also part of military strategy," he said, very earnestly.

Tang Xiaobai: "Heh!"

I don’t believe him at all!

They have plenty of people in their army to survey the terrain, with a professional military perspective, much more effective than her, right?

The boy’s slender fingers held a porcelain bowl steadily, his soup-serving movements inexplicably elegant, while his voice remained calm and soft, "Now it’s me accompanying you. When the battle starts, it’ll be you accompanying me."

His voice was crisp and slightly hoarse. Just hearing it, Tang Xiaobai could picture a cold and frail beautiful young man. Looking at the little troublemaker in front of her, she wanted to tease him for some reason.

Her mind wandered, and she didn’t catch what Li Mu said.

But Gu Hui, who was watching intently, clearly heard and suddenly burst out, "Are you planning to bring Cousin Tang to the battle?! That’s simply reckless! Blades and arrows know no eyes on the battlefield, if anything happens to Cousin Tang—"

"As long as I’m here, nothing will happen to her!" Li Mu interrupted him coldly, frowning as he asked, "Why haven’t you left?"

Gu Hui sneered, "How can I feel at ease leaving Cousin Tang with some despicable people!"

Li Mu turned his face away, ignoring him.

Just when Qin Rong left, Gu Hui was staring for quite some time. Li Mu thought Gu Hui was smitten and might follow her.

Unexpectedly, he would only stare and do nothing, lacking the drive.

Tang Xiaobai was a bit numb to their constant bickering. She tugged on Li Mu’s sleeve and said, "Can’t I just wait for you in Yunzhou?" It didn’t seem appropriate to her.

Li Mu softened his tone, saying, "I’m going to take Mosen this time; don’t you want to include this place in the map?"

Of course, Tang Xiaobai wanted to, but—

"I could wait until you’re done, then go," Tang Xiaobai suggested, "Records from the Office of Territorial Affairs on this area are sparse. Once everything’s settled, the Jili Drum Car should be used to measure it properly. It’s not something I can do alone, anyway."

Li Mu pondered, "This expedition won’t leave many in Yunzhou. I’ll not feel at ease leaving you behind. There are already civil servants in the army who don’t fight on the front lines, adding you makes little difference. During the march, you’ll stay with the Central Army; even in the case of an ambush, you’ll be safe."

"If you truly cared about safety, why not return to Capital City?" Gu Hui interjected.

Before Li Mu could counter, Tang Xiaobai chuckled and said, "Cousin Hui is nice to everyone, but he enjoys bickering with Ah Xiao."

"I’m not bickering with him," Gu Hui blushed, "It’s just him, him..." He couldn’t find the words.

Tang Xiaobai intended to reconcile them: "We’ve been classmates for years, we know each other well. Ah Xiao sometimes speaks out of turn, but he means no harm. Cousin Hui, don’t be mad at him."

The little troublemaker quickly and obediently agreed, "What happened last time was my fault. Cousin Hui, please be gracious—"

"Who is your cousin!" Gu Hui almost jumped up, glaring fiercely at him before storming off with his bowl.

As if just glancing at him twice might make him explode in anger.

Li Mu turned to Tang Xiaobai, "Cousin Hui still won’t forgive me..."