Imperial henchmen? My divine skills are all hacked versions.

Ouyang raised his head and looked at him for a few moments before speaking.

"We call him Your Highness, but we don't know who he is. I've never seen the Fourth Prince or the Crown Prince, so I don't know which one he is. I only know that he has a limp and his right foot drags on the ground when he walks."

"He often met with a black-clad Gu master, and they were very close. He had a courtyard in the western suburbs of Kyoto, where I lived. He would often come over, mostly at night..."

"Sometimes they come alone, sometimes with their master, sometimes with a Gu master. They talk inside while I stand guard outside, and they never let me in."

Yang Xu let out a long breath, then used his elbows to prop himself up on the bed and moved up a little.

"At least our efforts weren't in vain. We were chased so many times in Qingzhou, and almost wiped out by Luoxia Lake, but at least we managed to get her to talk..."

"The lame prince—that's such an obvious feature. We can find out which one it is as soon as we get back."

Xu Xian was also somewhat surprised, not expecting things to progress so smoothly, and couldn't help but laugh.

"Although the information is limited, it's still useful: he has a limp, he met with the black-clad Gu Master, and he owns a house in the outskirts of the capital... Ouyang, we'll need your guidance when we return to the capital."

Ouyang nodded.

"Can."

  

Xu Xian looked at her, raising an eyebrow slightly. "You've come to your senses quickly. Last time at the academy, I almost drove you crazy, and you wouldn't say a word. Now you've seen through it all?"

Ouyang paused, closed his eyes, and suddenly two tears slid down his cheeks.

"Because what you said... might be true!"

"His Highness did indeed save my life and avenge me, but all of this is predicated on the premise that the massacre of my entire family was real. If he orchestrated the massacre, then saving me and avenging me are both fabricated!"

Xu raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Do you have evidence?"

"The person impersonating Mo Feichang... my master... I saw that face more than ten years ago, and those four words on his face will never be forgotten!"

"He led the massacre of my family, killed my father, and he also fell to the hands of His Highness's guards. I had a high fever for several days after the massacre, and I can't remember many things, but I will always remember that face!"

"For twelve years I've been looking for the person with the tattoo on his forehead, hehe... I never expected he'd always been right beside me."

Yang Xu pondered for a while, looking at Ouyang and then at Xu Xian, his eyes wide.

"You were absolutely right! When she was being interrogated at the academy, you said that her prince was the real culprit who massacred her entire family. I thought you were just making it up. You can tell fortunes?"

"If I had that ability, why would I need to investigate..."

Xu shook his head. "I just thought the plot was too classic, so I just said it offhand. An orphan girl's family is wiped out, a benefactor falls from the sky to save her, and she is raised to serve her benefactor. There are too many stories like this in novels."

"I told her that mainly to shake her resolve and stop her from stubbornly resisting, but I didn't expect it to be such a classic tactic."

But at that moment, the door was knocked open.

Two academy disciples walked in carrying food trays. On the trays were several dishes of vegetarian dishes, a bowl of white rice, a bowl of vegetable and tofu soup, and a dish of pickled radishes made by the academy itself.

The leading disciple placed the food tray on the table and bowed.

"Young Master, the Dean instructed that food has been prepared for you all, saying that you are seriously injured and need to replenish your energy. The food contains ingredients from the academy, which will help you recover your energy and blood."

Xu Xian used the edge of the bed to get out of bed and walked to the table. He clasped his hands in thanks to his two disciples.

The four of them sat around the table and began to eat.

The table was mostly vegetarian, but it was cooked quite well. The tofu was pan-fried until golden brown on both sides, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Hua Xi next door almost cried with envy!

Hua Xi ate with great relish, picking up a piece of tofu with her chopsticks and stuffing it into her mouth.

"Brother, this is even better than what you get at restaurants!"

Xu picked up a piece of pickled radish, chewed it a couple of times, and thought it was quite good. Moreover, after eating this meal, he felt warm all over, as if his injured meridians were being soaked in warm water, and his blood and qi flowed much more smoothly.

Yang Xu took a couple of bites of rice, then suddenly stopped, feeling the warm current flowing through his meridians. He looked up in surprise.

"I feel that my cultivation has improved. In just a few bites of food, it's more effective than if I practiced for an hour on my own. The dean is really good to you."

Hua Xi ate very quickly, finishing two bowls of rice in no time, while her chopsticks were still searching for the next target on the table.

She licked her lips, looked at the half-full bucket of rice remaining in the wooden tub, and turned to ask Xu Xian,

"Brothers, are you all full? Don't waste food! I'll finish it all for you!"

He then carried the wooden bucket to his front, scooped out a full bowl, and began frantically swirling the rice.

Xu Xian watched the bucket of rice dwindle at a visible rate, his lips twitched, and he gave a helpless smile.

Ouyang Ruiming seemed to have no appetite, slowly eating with his bowl in hand, poking around in the bowl with his chopsticks, but barely picking up a few grains of rice.

She watched Hua Xi wolf down her food, her lips twitched as if she wanted to laugh but didn't.

She put down her chopsticks and looked at Xu Xian. "After you're done, what are you going to do with me?"

Xu Xianzheng was chewing on a piece of tofu when he heard this and glanced at her.

He swallowed the tofu and put down his chopsticks.

"After you return to the capital, write down everything you know: His Highness's affairs, your own deeds, your master's affairs—write everything clearly from beginning to end. As for how to deal with you... that will naturally be decided by the relevant authorities..."

"You stabbed me once at Taibai Tower and a second time at the Jiaofangsi. According to the law, this is a capital offense. I will speak to the Director of the Department and spare your life. You can be a witness. As long as you expose the true face of that prince, your crime can be reduced accordingly."

Ouyang was silent for a moment, then nodded, picked up his rice bowl again, picked up a piece of pickled radish, and slowly chewed it.

...

The next morning, Xu was awakened by a strange fragrance.

He opened his eyes and found a small, white foot stuffed in his mouth.

Hua Xi lay sideways, her head resting on the foot of the bed along with the turtle's, her toes sticking up on the headboard facing his face.

He silently pulled the toe out of her mouth and glanced at the little girl who was sleeping in an extremely unrestrained manner.

She lay sprawled out, the blankets kicked off to the floor, her clothes slightly open, her two small mounds appearing and disappearing in the morning light.

Last night, Hua Xi insisted that he tell the story of Diao Chan and Ultraman Tiga's seven entries and exits. Not daring to neglect his savior, he made up a story for half the night, and sure enough, he managed to lull himself to sleep first.

Xu Xian turned his face away, pulled the blanket over her, and covered her completely, obscuring her two peaks.

"When will this girl learn to sleep properly..."

...

After breakfast, the group met the fully equipped team at the entrance of the academy.

Three carriages were parked side by side at the foot of the stone steps, each carrying several book boxes and bags. A dozen or so young Confucian scholars were loading the last few bundles of bamboo slips onto the carriages.

As Xu Xian led Yang Xu, Ouyang, and Hua Xi over, they heard a woman in white directing the scholars to load the carts; her voice was cold and clear.

Jun Jingyan turned her head and saw Xu Xian, nodding slightly as a greeting.

Master Meng stepped forward from beside the carriage, straightened his clothes, and bowed with his hands clasped in greeting.

"Young Master."

The dozen or so young scholars behind him simultaneously stopped what they were doing, straightened up, and bowed to Xu Xian in unison.

"Greetings, Junior Tutor."

Xu Xian felt a little uncomfortable with this display of force, but he laughed and returned the greeting.

"Senior brothers and sisters, you are too kind. I am just a martial artist. I am honored by the dean's kindness and have some affinity with Confucianism. I am not worthy of your kind greeting. Please do not be so polite. Just call me Xu Xian."

Master Meng straightened up and looked at him, his smile gentle.

"Ritual must not be abandoned. Whether it is this old man or any of you Confucian disciples, we have all listened to his lectures before the Stele of the Questions and Answers between the Two Sages. As the Junior Tutor, he naturally deserves our respect..."

"Your words in the inscription on the monument, 'Human nature has desires, and if these desires are not controlled, chaos will ensue; propriety and law must not be neglected,' are words that everyone here keeps in mind..."

"Among the current generation of disciples of the academy, several have broken through their bottlenecks by meditating in front of the stele. Although you are not a Confucian disciple, you are my Confucian mentor."

Xu Xian chuckled, knowing he couldn't refuse, so he didn't insist, cupped his hands to the crowd, and mounted his horse.

Hua Xi sat in front of him, holding a tortoise, while Ouyang rode another horse beside her.

Yang Xu's left arm was still in a sling, and he held the reins in his right hand as he followed beside Xu Xian.