Xia Fu'an was about to get out of bed and salute, but Su Li raised his hand to stop him, "Manager Xia is not feeling well, so there is no need to be polite."
"Thank you, Saint, for your thoughtfulness." Xia Fu'an was half-leaning on the head of the bed, hugging the brocade quilt. The dark blue brocade quilt covered his chin. A few hairs were hanging down from his forehead. The usually well-dressed steward of the altar looked pale at this moment. They were as dark as paper, but his eyes were as dark as ink, making them even more profound. He raised his voice and ordered: "Xia Tong, hurry up and serve tea."
"Oh. Yes, yes." Xia Tong responded repeatedly. Fang recovered from the shock of the saint's condescending arrival and hurriedly went down to make tea.
Xia Fu'an looked at his back disappearing outside the door and sighed: "Although this child is smart and sensible, he is still young and can't help but be irritable. He accidentally broke the water tank while working last night, and his subordinates happened to be nearby. My clothes got wet, so I hurried back to change them, but who knew I was infected with the cold." After saying that, he covered his lips and coughed a few times, and brushed off Su Li's doubts with an understatement.
Your clothes got wet due to water, and you become bedridden with a cold? It was too much of a coincidence. Su Li smiled lightly and said, "It seems that Manager Xia's health is indeed not good."
Xia Fu'an raised his eyebrows and sighed: "The Saint didn't know something. My parents died when I was nine years old. My family was destitute and only had a shotgun. I went hunting in the mountains and accidentally fell into a trap and was injured. It was the middle of winter. It was snowing heavily and it was freezing cold. I was unconscious for several days before I was rescued by a woodcutter who happened to be passing by. Although I saved my life, the root of my illness has since fallen into place and I can no longer bear the cold."
"I see." Su Li said calmly: "Since he has this disease, Xia Guanshi needs to pay more attention to his health. There is heavy dew at night, so it is not suitable to go out for a walk. It is better to go to bed early."
Xia Fu'an's eyes narrowed, and he heard the hidden meaning in her words. The corners of his lips raised slightly, "What the saint said is absolutely true."
"Dear angel, please prescribe more warm and tonic herbs to replenish Guanshi Xia's health.
. Su Li pondered for a moment, then turned to Jiang Yuan and ordered: "And... pills to soothe the mind and help sleep." "
Jiang Yuan took the order. Before going out, he looked back at Xia Fu'an, a hint of suspicion flashing away.
At this time, Xia Tong entered the room and was about to pour tea for Su Li, but she raised her hand to signal him to leave.
The door is closed again. Isolated from the scorching heat, the room was quiet and the air was slightly stuffy.
Su Li didn't seem to be in a hurry to leave. There was a new pot of tea on the table, and the steam was rising in front of her eyes, blurring Xia Fu'an's face. She reached out and poured a cup of tea, walked to the bed and handed it to him.
"Have a cup of tea and warm yourself up."
Xia Fu'an was slightly startled, obviously not expecting her to do this. He immediately stood up and reached out to take it. The moment his fingers touched the teacup, Su Li let go of his hand and the teacup fell straight to the ground!
Xia Fu'an's eyes flickered and he reacted very quickly. With a flip of his wrist, he held the teacup firmly and held it between his fingers without spilling any water.
Su Li stared into his eyes and said, "Manager Xia has done a good job."
He looked back at her, as if looking straight into the depths of her soul, with a trace of amusement flashing in his eyes, "Thank you for the saint." After that, he raised his cup and drank the tea in one gulp. The tea fell into my stomach, and the heat spread all the way. His throat suddenly felt itchy and he coughed violently. He quickly turned his head to cover his lips.
Su Li subconsciously stretched out her hand to support him, but was immediately stunned. She could hardly believe how his body temperature could be so cold. ! Like ice cubes! Through a layer of middle coat, the coolness seemed to penetrate right into her heart, and her heart trembled unconsciously.
He coughed violently and couldn't stop it. His tall body was slightly stooped, trembling violently, and he could hardly stand still.
Su Li quickly helped him sit down by the bed, frowning slightly, and gently caressed his back.
After a long while, Xia Fu'an took a breath and turned his head slightly. His pale face was stained with a light red, and his eyes were surprisingly bright when he looked at Su Li.
"How are you?"
He didn't answer, his eyebrows stretched, a smile appeared in his eyes, and he slowly removed the hand covering his lips.
Su Li's eyes suddenly changed and her breath froze.
.
Xia Fu'an's hands are very beautiful. The fingers are slender, the frame is well-proportioned, clean and tidy, and almost flawless, completely different from the feminine beauty. Just these hands... Why do these hands look so familiar? It seemed like the hand of the person who had held her hand a thousand times...
When she came to her senses, she found that Xia Fuan had held her hand in his! And he was lowering his head, staring at the hands held by the two of them. His cold fingertips gently rubbed her white jade fingers. An indescribable throbbing went straight into the apex of his heart. Su Li's body trembled slightly, and her heart... Immediately jumped up.
However, the cold touch between her fingers suddenly made her wake up. No, that's not right. That person's body temperature had always been as hot as fire, warm and powerful. It would never be so cold, let alone so sickly pale!
Although the hand shape in front of me resembles that person's, if I look closely, it seems to be more slender. Su Li was shocked, quickly rejected her ridiculous association, and quickly withdrew her hand.
Xia Fuan's palms suddenly fell empty, and a hint of desolation flashed in his lowered eyes.
Su Li's eyes darkened, and she stood up. Before she could speak, Xia Fu'an glanced at her hands hidden in her sleeves, and said with a faint smile: "I heard that before becoming a saint, Jing Zuo's attendant used to do chores in the church. . Now it seems that she has been well maintained. People who don’t know the inside story may mistakenly think that the saint only has her jade years."
Su Li's heart trembled, and she asked in a cold voice without answering: "As a man, Manager Xia, isn't he well-kept? I just heard you say that his family was poor when he was young, but your hands don't look like you have done menial work at all."
Xia Fu'an stood up slowly. He was tall and tall. When he looked at Su Li, his eyes were slightly lowered, but his pale face seemed to have a compelling aura. "Although my family was poor when I was young, my parents loved me so much." It's tight, so it didn't do much heavy work. It made the saint laugh."
This person is adaptable and has no flaws.
Su Li sneered in his heart, stopped staying, and said calmly: "You are well rested. After you recover, come to the Sacred Heart Hall and wait for orders." After saying that, he turned around and walked out of the door quickly.
But she could clearly feel the sharp gaze behind her, watching her closely like a shadow that couldn't be shaken off, until she left the courtyard gate of Siyuan Building.
In the Sacred Heart Hall, Jiang Yuan had been waiting for a long time. When he saw Su Li coming back, he hurriedly stepped forward to greet him.
Su Li asked: "Has the prescription been ready?"
"yes
. The subordinates have ordered people to go to Broken Moon Helm to get the medicine. "
"Yes." Su Li added, "Do you think Xia Fu'an's words are the truth?"
Jiang Yuan's face condensed slightly and he thought: "My subordinates have checked and found that it was indeed Xia Tong who broke the water tank last night. Although this is a bit of a coincidence, it is true that the cold poison in his body has entered his internal organs. Although he is not like ordinary people on weekdays, Strangely, once you are infected with wind-cold and cause cold poison, it will feel like you are in an ice cave in the hot summer. If you don't take good care of yourself, I'm afraid... you won't be able to live long."
"It's so serious!" Su Li's heart skipped a beat, and Xia Fu'an's pale face flashed in front of her eyes. She frowned and said, "Can you find out how good his skills are?"
"His pulse beats very slowly and it's hard to judge."
It is difficult to detect the inner strength, but his reaction is beyond the reach of a person with mediocre martial arts skills.
Su Li lowered his eyes and said, "In your opinion, is there a way to get rid of his cold poison?"
Jiang Yuan muttered: "It can only be alleviated by conditioning, but it is almost impossible to completely remove it..."
Su Li's heart sank and she said calmly: "Go down."
Jiang Yuan retreated, and Su Li slowly walked to the window. Outside the window, there was a lake with rippling blue waves and a clear sky. The weather was very good today, but she felt inexplicably upset.
Soon, the information Qin Heng found about Xia Fu'an was not very different from the religious records that Su Li had read before. This person behaves in a low-key manner and has been in the Saintess Cult for more than ten years without any achievements or faults. Originally he was just the personal servant of the previous manager. After the saint's defection, a long search failed. There were frequent civil strife in the church, and the former steward also died unexpectedly. There was no one left in the main altar. Elder Xuanjing saw that he was steady in his work, so he promoted him to the position of general manager and stayed in the main altar to take care of daily chores. No one knows who he was before joining the religion and where he lived.
This Xia Fu'an is really mysterious...
Two days later, Su Li was looking through the classics in the palace, and Xia Fu'an came to the Sacred Heart Palace to say hello.
"My subordinates pay homage to the saint!" He bowed and saluted. His face was still a little pale, and he seemed to be in good spirits. This showed that Jiang Yuan's medical skills were indeed powerful. Within three days, the coldness in his body was temporarily suppressed.
Su Li closed the book in her hand and said calmly: "No need to be polite. Are you feeling better?"
Xia Fu'an said: "There is no serious problem. I can recover so quickly because of the gift of the saint."
. "
Su Li said: "It was the ghost who saved you, there is no need to thank me."
Xia Fu'an smiled and said, "Although the ghost's medical skills are exquisite, his character is arrogant. If it were not for the order of the saint, he would not come to the rescue. The saint's great kindness should be kept in mind."
He seemed to suddenly remember something, "Bai Yunduo will go out to buy supplies these days. The fourth prince liked the cherries last time, but do you want to buy some more?"
Su Li looked up at him casually, "Those are no ordinary cherries."
Xia Fu'an said: "Yes, my subordinates heard that those are the 'black pearls' unique to the Sheng Kingdom. Unexpectedly, Qin Sheng had a unique vision and could buy such a good thing for the first time when he went out for shopping. He also made an agreement with the vendor, if If the master likes to eat, I will go to him again."
Su Li's heart moved. According to Qin Heng's investigation, the vendor never showed up again. Where would Qin Sheng go to buy more? Moreover, she clearly remembered that the person in charge of purchasing at Baiyunduo was not Qin Sheng.
"Why did Baiyunduo's purchaser change?"
"The person in charge of purchasing in Bai Yunduo was accidentally injured. Chief Lin has temporarily arranged for Qin Sheng to be the purchasing agent."
Su Li was thoughtful. This vendor was very mysterious. He appeared suddenly and disappeared inexplicably. He only sold "black pearls" once in the market. It was a coincidence that he happened to be met by Qin Sheng who was out shopping for the first time. Now that the two countries are at war and the situation is tense, who would risk their lives and come to the capital of Bian to sell a few kilograms of "black pearls" that are only for the royal family of Sheng
"Saint?" Xia Fu'an asked carefully.
"Since the fourth prince likes it, I will buy some more if I see it."
Xia Fu'an said "yes" and then retreated.
Su Li stared at the lake, her eyes gradually deepening.
"If Miss is worried that Qin Sheng is his, you might as well ask your subordinates to give him a try." Wan Xin suggested proactively.
Su Li thought for a moment, then stood up and said, "Come with me to Baiyundao."
The Baiyun Branch is the branch that is in charge of the financial power of the Saintess Sect.
. Lin Yao, the helmsman, is responsible for all matters related to financial revenue and expenditure, such as transportation of materials within the school and daily purchases. It is located in Luoxia Mountain in the northeast of Zongtan. It is the highest and most precipitous among the eight peaks.
Su Li and Wan Xin passed through the secret passage and traveled quickly, and soon arrived at Baiyun Branch. The mighty hall is where Baiyun helmsman Lin Yao conducts official business. The door is usually open, but today it is closed.
Before the two of them reached the door, they suddenly heard a crisp sound from inside, and someone was slapped hard. "What is your intention to sneak into this sect?"
It's Lin Yao's voice!
No one responded, only a low gasp from one person.
Su Li's heart trembled. Someone had sneaked into the Saintess Cult? who is it? She quickly looked at Wan Xin, then silently moved to the window, listening attentively.
Wan Xin carefully poked the window paper, and through the small hole, she saw Lin Yao sitting in the main seat with a sinister look on his face. There was a person kneeling at his feet. She was petite and had long hair. She was a woman. She cut her arms behind her back, lowered her head and said nothing.
"Don't say anything yet, okay! Qin Sheng, pull out her tongue!"
The woman was shocked and shouted angrily: "You, you are not a human being!"
Suddenly hearing this voice, Su Li and Wan Xin were startled. How could it be her? !
Qin Sheng immediately stepped forward to catch the woman, and she struggled desperately. It's just that Qin grew up tall and strong, how could she make a living? The big palm like a cattail fan slapped her face hard, and the woman immediately fell to the ground. Half of her face was red and swollen, and blood dripped from the corner of her mouth. She couldn't hide her fear, but she still raised her face high, as if she refused to admit defeat. It was Su Li's personal maid Mo Xiang!
After Su Li led everyone to leave Sheng Kingdom, they went to the Saintess Cult to save people. Mo Xiang didn't know martial arts, so he placed her at a contact point in Shenmen to wait. He had been safe all this time, so why was he suddenly caught in Baiyun Branch
"If you don't eat the toast, you'll have to drink wine as a penalty!" Qin Sheng firmly held Mo Xiang's chin, stared, and was about to pry her mouth open.
"Stop!" There was a cold cry, followed by a loud bang, the door of the mighty hall was split open by a palm, and the flying wood chips were scattered like fly ash. The powerful airflow suddenly shocked several people in the house, and they all took a few steps back.
"Who is so bold and dares to break into my Baiyun Helm, but he is tired of living?" Qin Sheng was the first to react and shouted sternly
.
The smoke and dust dissipated, and there were two people standing at the door. The first one was dressed in white as snow, with flying black hair. A golden mask shone brightly, covering her appearance, but it could not conceal her overwhelming aura. It was the person who had just taken office not long ago. of saint. The woman in black next to her is the first of the four envoys under the Holy Lady!
Everyone's expressions changed immediately. Qin Sheng immediately let go of Mo Xiang's hand, lowered his head and stepped aside. After all, Lin Yao was the master of the helm. Although he was shocked when he saw it was Su Li, he managed to calm down and quickly stood up and led the crowd to prostrate themselves: "Baiyun helmsman Lin Yao pays homage to the saint!"
Su Li went straight to the main seat in the hall and sat down. Her cold eyes swept over everyone's faces, focusing on Mo Xiang's swollen cheeks.
With tears in her eyes, Moxiang looked at her with surprise. From the moment she heard the stern "stop", she knew she was saved. She finally breathed a sigh of relief and was about to speak when she noticed the stern look from Wan Xin. She shrank her neck in fright and quickly lowered her head.
Seeing Su Li staring at the woman on the ground, Lin Yao's heart skipped a beat, and he cautiously stepped forward and asked, "The holy lady has come, why don't you know why?"
Su Li raised her eyebrows slightly and sneered: "If I hadn't come here in person, I wouldn't have seen how majestic and majestic Captain Lin is!"
Lin Yao's heart trembled and he said quickly: "Lin Yao didn't dare! Qin Sheng came back from going out for business, but he unexpectedly found this woman hiding in a carriage where supplies were placed. His subordinates didn't know what she had planned, so they took her here for interrogation. .”
Su Li sneered, "I have always only known Bai Yunduo to be in charge of finances. When did I also take charge of Qiong Youduo's execution?"
Lin Yao hurriedly defended: "This woman is very tight-lipped..."
"So you ordered the tongue to be pulled out?" Wan Xin's eyes were cold and sharp, and he said harshly: "Master Lin, you have been in the religion for decades, and you are already a veteran in the religion. It has not been a day since you took charge of Baiyun Helm. Today, Baiyun Someone has infiltrated the rudder, and Baiyun rudder has been lax in its management, and you cannot escape the blame! Who gave you the right to catch suspicious people, conceal them, and torture them in private? "
In front of everyone, Lin Yao's old face suddenly lost control after receiving such a stern reprimand, his face turned red and white. He snorted coldly and said in a deep voice: "Why is Miao Envoy so aggressive? I have already reported this matter to Elder Xuanfeng."
"There is an order in the religion that all important events in each branch must be reported to the elders and to the four envoys. Can Baiyun Duo report the matter to the envoy according to the order?"
A vein in Lin Yao's forehead jumped, and his face suddenly turned blue.
.
Without pausing, he continued to ask: "What crime do you deserve if you dare to disobey the Holy Lady's order?"
The sentence hit the point, Lin Yao's face changed, and cold sweat fell down his forehead. He looked up at Su Li's sharp eyes, and suddenly remembered the fate of the former Qiongyou helmsman Zhou Yue who despised the saint at the saintess succession ceremony... He actually said this sentence There is no way to refute it.
Su Li just looked at him coldly and said nothing.
After a while, he forced out a smile, stepped forward and knelt at Su Li's feet, bowed his head and worshiped: "Saintess Mingjian! I am loyal to the Saintess and will never dare to disobey the Saintess's teachings, but... Subordinate... I see that this woman doesn’t know martial arts, but she can sneak into Baiyun Duo. It’s really weird. I want to find out her origin before reporting it.”
This explanation sounded nice, but it was obviously an attempt to evade the important and blame one's own mistakes, but it was exactly what she wanted. Su Li stared at Lin Yao coldly for a moment, and said in a deep voice: "There are rules in the religion. Whether she is a spy or not, you can't decide with just one sentence. My envoy, bring this woman back to the main altar, and I will interrogate it myself!" As for you, Master Lin, go to Qiongyou Duo to receive your punishment on your own!" After that, he stood up and walked away.
Lin Yao knelt on the ground. It wasn't until Su Li's retreating figure disappeared that his tense nerves relaxed. He fell to the ground, only to find that his clothes were soaked!
Su Li and the others did not dare to delay, and returned directly to the Sacred Heart Hall. Huan Xin took off his mask and asked Mo Xiang in a low voice: "What's the matter with you? The lady told you to stay in Xanting Pavilion, why did you follow them here?" You don't know martial arts, and you're not familiar with the situation here. If my lady and I hadn't happened to go to Baiyunduo today, you wouldn't have known how you died!" Thinking of the thrilling scene just now, she was still frightened.
Mo Xiang was really scared. She knew that her actions were really dangerous, so she murmured for a long time, not knowing what to say. He quietly raised his eyes and looked at Su Li.
Su Li's eyes were calm and she didn't speak. Xianting Pavilion looks like a teahouse on the surface, but is actually Shenmen's new stronghold. Before entering the Saintess Cult, Mo Xiang was left there specially. Although this little girl is naughty, she always listens to her words. There must be a reason for boldly following the teacher here today.
"What's going on?" Seeing that her face was red and half of her face was swollen, Lao Gao couldn't help but soften his tone.
Mo Xiang lowered her head and said aggrievedly: "This morning, I was cleaning upstairs and found a loose brick in the corner of the room. I stepped on the chair to see what was going on. I heard a few men discussing next door. Things, mentioning the saint..."
Su Li frowned. Next door to Xanting Pavilion is a brothel. This kind of place has always been a mixed bag of dragons and snakes. It can be a good way to hide people's eyes by using it to conspire together.
.
He was startled, "Who is it?"
Mo Xiang shook her head, "I don't know, I can only hear the sound, they said..." At this point, she suddenly stopped talking and looked around cautiously, as if there was something extremely important, for fear that... Listened to by outsiders.
"It's safe here. If you hear anything, just say it."
Mo Xiang looked solemn. This matter was of great importance and she did not dare to say it easily. She walked to Su Li and whispered in her ear.
Su Li's eyes suddenly changed, "Are you sure you heard correctly?"
Mo Xiang nodded heavily and said with certainty: "I heard it very clearly. Otherwise, this servant would never dare to disobey the young lady's order and follow them privately. I just want to see who they are! Unfortunately, I only followed the Baiyun Duo The helmsman, I don’t know who the other one is.”
"You mean, among the people who talked in secret at Piaoxiang Tower, the one who mentioned Miss was the Baiyun Helm?"
Wan Xin was shocked. Just now at Baiyunduo, Lin Yao only said that Mo Xiang was following Qin Sheng, without even mentioning himself.
"Miss, there must be something weird about this Lin Yao!"
Su Li's expression did not change, if what Moxiang said was true... Her eyes gradually became cold, and she ordered in a deep voice: "Let people keep an eye on Lin Yao of Baiyun Duo, and... the recent actions of the two elders of Xuanjing Xuanfeng , don’t relax at all!”
Wan Xin knew that the matter was serious and quickly responded: "Yes."
"Moxiang has been discovered by them. It's not safe to stay outside alone, so she stayed here first. When anyone asked, she said she got lost in the mountains and that's why she came here. In order to prevent the secrets of the sect from being leaked, she stayed here. I will be a rough servant maid."
Thinking of Bai Yunduo's thrilling experience, Mo Xiang hurriedly agreed.
Wan Xin's eyes suddenly turned sharp, "Someone is coming!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the door opened immediately, "Hey, what are you doing with the door closed in broad daylight?" A man poked his head in, his eyebrows were crooked, and the dazzling light of the sun behind him couldn't help but dim a bit. He smiled and said: "I came back!"
It’s Yang Xiao whom I haven’t seen for many days.
. Su Li's heart sank, why did he come back at this time
Mo Xiang subconsciously looked at Su Li, and she said calmly: "You guys go down first."
The two of them stepped forward, saluted Yang Xiao, and quickly exited the hall. Yang Xiao looked at Mo Xiang's leaving figure, "Huh? Isn't this your former maid? Why is she here too?"
Su Li said a faint "hmm", obviously not intending to say more. When Yang Xiao saw this, he didn't ask any more questions. He rolled his eyes and came to her, "I haven't seen you for many days. Did you miss me?"
To his surprise, Su Li did not dodge, but looked at him steadily with her clear eyes, and said softly: "Is the Emperor's Holy Body recovered?"
"Yeah. Much better." Yang Xiao nodded. He lay down on the seat, stretched his limbs, and sighed loudly, "It's better here, it's quiet and quiet, no one will disturb me. I've been back to the palace for so many days. I haven’t had a good night’s sleep, my father is not feeling well, and there are a lot of things waiting for me to deal with, and I am almost exhausted.”
Su Li picked up the tea cup and took a sip, "You are the only remaining prince in the current dynasty. In the future, the country of Bian will also be yours. It is natural for you to share the emperor's worries."
Yang Xiao turned his head and curled his lips and said: "If I still have brothers, I don't want to be such a useless emperor. I will spend my whole life toiling in the palace. To put it nicely, what's the difference between being the king of a country and being in jail?"
Unexpectedly, he had such thoughts. Su Li looked at him deeply, pondered for a moment and said, "Have you offended anyone recently?"
"I'm so busy that I don't have time to offend anyone?" After Yang Xiao finished speaking, he was suddenly stunned for a moment. He felt that there was something in her words, and immediately sat up straight and alertly, "Is something wrong?"
Su Li laughed but said nothing. The fragrance of tea lingered and the steam was thick. Her eyes behind the mask were as cold as snow.
In the evening, a heart-warming message came, "Yu Qianji, the helmsman of the Broken Moon Helm, went to Siyuan Tower in an instant."
Su Li's eyes darkened. Yu Qianji was about 20 years old. Su Li had only met her once at the succession ceremony. This woman had a delicate appearance, natural charm, and a graceful figure. She was born to be the nemesis of men. I heard that she was quite talented in making poisons. Under her control, the Broken Moon Rudder developed many special poisons, so they were highly valued in the Xuan Realm.
Siyuan Tower is Xia Fu'an's residence. When Yu Qianji came to the main altar, he didn't see the mysterious realm or pay homage to the saint, but why did he go straight there to find Xia Fu'an