Poisonous Goddess: I'm just lazing around in the mortal realm.

Shen Mu frowned slightly, and immediately said with displeasure.

"How did Xie Qiao allow the Crown Prince's men to get close? Where are they now? Did he send this message today?"

A barrage of questions left Haojing at a loss. He nervously avoided Shen Mu's gaze, trying to quickly come up with a solution, but Shen Mu suddenly grabbed his shoulder.

What else are you going to hide for him?

Shen Mu looked at Hao Jing with a livid expression; he had naturally noticed the other man's unusual behavior.

His cold voice made Hao Jing shudder involuntarily; he knew that his master had seen through his thoughts.

At this moment, he couldn't even bother to find excuses for Xie Qiao, and hurriedly lowered his head to answer.

"Of course I wouldn't dare, Master!"

"What about that person?"

"Still looking."

"..."

Hao Jing suddenly sensed a dangerous aura. As soon as he looked up, he caught a glimpse of Shen Mu's raised right hand. He instinctively closed his eyes, thinking that the palm would strike him.

But after a while

The large hand that should have arrived as expected did not fall.

When Hao Jing opened his eyes again, he saw that Shen Mu had already sat back down at the table, his face still showing displeasure, glaring at him with anger.

"Then why aren't you going to go find her? If something happens to her, you and Xie Qiao will never return to Cangling in this lifetime!"

Hao Jing subconsciously swallowed, stammering slightly.

"Master...do you want to bring Xie Qiao back?"

"Go back where? Do you have any information about Thirteen?"

Shen Mu immediately felt that Hao Jing's mind was still in Hecheng. Ever since Hao Jing came from Hecheng, his various actions made him feel that Hao Jing's heart wasn't here.

The man stood before him, but seemed to have lost his soul.

“Master is right, then I will hurry and urge Xie Qiao.”

Haojing wiped the sweat from his brow. He was drenched in cold sweat from fright and didn't know what to do. He quickly sat back down at the table.

Shen Mu frowned and looked at him, then said somewhat rudely.

"Why are you sitting down? Didn't I tell you to go find Xie Qiao?"

"Oh? Yes, yes, I'll write to him right now... I'll write to him right now."

Haojing reached out to take the calligraphy brush that Shen Mu had placed on the table.

"No need!"

Shen Mu slapped his hand away.

"Does Master intend to personally write a letter?"

Haojing thought it was Shen Mu who wanted to write, so he quickly got up to prepare ink for him.

"..."

Shen Mu glanced at the inkstone, then followed Hao Jing's hand to look at him. He was momentarily amused and annoyed by Hao Jing's actions.

Haojing's actions

It must be because he hasn't been beaten in a long time!

"What is Master laughing at?"

Hao Jing looked at his master with a serious expression. Thinking there was something on his face, he quickly reached out to wipe it off, but unexpectedly, the ink on his hand immediately splattered onto his cheek.

On the contrary, the more you wipe it, the dirtier it gets.

"go away!"

Shen Mu, after holding back for a long time, still pushed Hao Jing away from his desk.

"Yes!"

Hao Jing nodded blankly, assuming Shen Mu was telling him to leave, and turned to walk out of the house.

"Did I say you could leave? Come back!"

Shen Mu rubbed his temples helplessly, his head throbbing, which only strengthened his suspicions.

Haojing is definitely hiding something from him!

"Is there anything else you need, Master?"

Hao Jing turned around and saw Shen Mu carefully checking the scroll he had just written, then putting it together with a stack of scrolls on the right side of the table.

“I am really worried that Xie Qiao alone can find Thirteen. The war is not critical at the moment, so I suppose we don’t need you. You should go back to Philadelphia yourself.”

Shen Mu tied the heavy scroll tightly with hemp rope, stacked it on top of the other books, and picked it up.

"Am I going back to Philadelphia too? But you're all alone..."

Hao Jing then saw Shen Mu handing over a basket of books and quickly reached out to take it.

"Take these books back with you and find an opportunity to give them to Prime Minister Pei privately."

"Ah? Yes! These are all for Prime Minister Pei?"

Hao Jing was secretly delighted, and instantly forgot about angering Shen Mu earlier. A faint smile appeared on his tanned face.

Shen Mu frowned slightly, naturally taking in his worthless appearance.

He could immediately sense it

Haojing must have something on his mind to show his joy like this.

"How about I have someone else deliver it? I think you're right, it's really inconvenient for me to be alone in the Southern Barbarians right now."

After saying that, Shen Mu reached out to take the book from Hao Jing's hand.

Haojing quickly dodged Shen Mu's large hand and stepped back.

"My master also said that this matter must be discussed privately with Prime Minister Pei, and I suppose only I am in a convenient position. I will immediately depart for Philadelphia!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Haojing picked up the heavy books and prepared to leave.

"Come back? Do you still remember the important business of returning to Philadelphia?"

Shen Mu was really worried about Hao Jing's unreliable nature; he always felt that Hao Jing would completely forget the things he had been asked to do.

Hao Jing nodded quickly and echoed.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I understand. I will definitely bring the Thirteenth Miss back safely!"

Fearing that Shen Mu might continue talking and really prevent him from returning to Philadelphia, he quickly grabbed his books and left the house.

As Shen Mu watched Hao Jing's departing figure, a strange sense of worry welled up inside him.

He wasn't worried that Haojing would send the wrong books; rather, he was wondering if Haojing had done what he had repeatedly instructed him to do.

After all, the whereabouts of the remaining two horses are still unknown.

If they were to encounter the Thirteenth again, who had lost his divine power...

I'm afraid it's...

Thinking of this, Shen Mu's expression turned even colder.

It seems

He still needs to go back in person.

Nightfall

Because of Ye Taifu's identity as a medicine boy, Thirteen was able to stay at the Gu Marquis's residence, finding a secluded room to stay in so that he could check on the Crown Prince's injuries every night.

Having just finished changing the Crown Prince's dressing today, she was so exhausted that she didn't even want to speak.

Upon entering the small house, he casually placed the medicine box on the table.

The room was pitch black, without a single ray of light. Thirteen casually pulled out a tinderbox from his pocket and lit the candle on the table.

In the soft candlelight, Thirteen suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

She keenly sensed something unusual in the room.

"Who?"

Thirteen subconsciously reached for the sword at his waist.

Shen Mu left her with a self-defense item: a short, blue stone blade from the realm of gods.

She looked towards the areas of the room not yet illuminated by candlelight, and she had a feeling that someone was hiding inside.

"it's me."

Zhou Jinghuai slowly emerged from the shadows. Several days had passed, and his expression betrayed his weariness. He was still wearing that striking red robe.

Thirteen paused, then shoved the dagger he was about to draw back into his hand.

"How did you come?"

She secretly breathed a sigh of relief and slumped onto the stool.

She had spent a lot of time and effort taking care of the Crown Prince today. He had been unconscious for several days, and Eunuch Bao was extremely anxious. He had kept her behind to ask her some questions.

She was afraid that she wouldn't take the Crown Prince's illness seriously.

With weariness barely concealed in her eyes and brows, she naturally failed to notice Zhou Jinghuai's difference.

"Didn't you ask me to find the whereabouts of the second young lady of the Pei family? You've been at the Gu Marquis's residence these past few days, so I can't get close to you. That's why I can only come to see you at night."