Jade of Another World

Liu Si and Xuan Yuanche were chatting in the study, but the more they talked, the more dull and boring the atmosphere became. Xuan Yuanche's eyes lit up and he suddenly suggested, "It's really boring staying in this room. Brother Liu, let's go up to the roof and have a drink."

After saying that, Xuan Yuanche turned and left the room. With a flick of his feet, he gracefully leaped onto the roof and landed steadily on the rooftop. His movements were light and agile, showing his superb martial arts skills.

Looking at Liu Si again, he shook his head helplessly. As a civil official, he never had such skills on a normal day. He walked to the wall, grabbed the eaves with both hands, and with great effort, kicking his legs and using leverage, he finally managed to climb up little by little. After struggling for a long time, he finally reached the roof, panting heavily, with fine beads of sweat on his forehead.

After Liu Si settled down on the rooftop, Xuan Yuanche looked at his disheveled appearance and couldn't help but tease him, "Brother Liu, with your skills, you'd better practice them properly."

Liu Si rolled her eyes at him and said irritably, "Don't make fun of me. How can I compare to you? You are skilled in martial arts, while I am just a civil official who can't even kill a chicken."

At this point, a hint of melancholy appeared on Liu Si's face. He picked up the wine pot, poured himself a cup of wine, drank it all in one gulp, and slowly said, "In our Dayu, we have always valued military prowess over civil service. Civil officials like me are never really valued. Unlike my elder brother, who was highly regarded by our father from a young age and was groomed as the hope of the family, while I..."

Xuanyuan Che frowned slightly and asked curiously, "By the way, why don't you learn martial arts?"

Liu Si shook his head with a wry smile, poured himself another glass of wine, and said, "It's not that I don't want to learn. When I was a child, I accidentally fell into an icy river and was barely rescued. As a result, I was injured and my health has been poor ever since, so I can't practice martial arts anymore. That's why I can only offer advice to my father on weekdays."

Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuanche felt a pang of sympathy. He patted Liu Si on the shoulder and said, "Hey, it's not your fault. But whether you're good at literature or martial arts, each has its own use. Don't underestimate yourself. Come on, let's drink and have some fun. Let's live for today and forget about all those worries."

Liu Si nodded, clinked glasses with Xuan Yuanche, and the two gazed at the distant night scene, drinking one cup after another, as if trying to temporarily forget their daily troubles and worries with the help of the wine.

Xuanyuan Che and Liu Si sat on the rooftop, the night breeze blowing, drinking cup after cup of wine under the moonlight. Before they knew it, a while had passed, and the effects of the wine gradually took hold. Their eyes began to glaze over, their faces flushed, and their heads spun; they were already somewhat drunk.

Just then, Liu Si glanced casually into the courtyard and saw a man in black hurrying towards Grand Tutor Liu's study. The man in black walked very lightly and kept tugging at his black hat, as if afraid of being discovered. He exuded an unusual aura.

The man in black arrived at the door, knocked lightly a few times, and then stood there quietly waiting. After a while, the door slowly opened a crack, revealing Grand Tutor Liu's cautious face. He lowered his voice and carefully asked who the visitor was.

The man in black did not respond, but remained silent for a moment before slowly removing his hat to reveal his face. Xuan Yuanche and Liu Si, looking closely from the rooftop, widened their eyes in shock, for the newcomer was none other than Rosa, the woman Nangong Jin had brought back.

Liu Si rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was hallucinating from drinking too much. He muttered to himself, "How could it be her? What brings her to my father at this hour?"

Xuanyuan Che also looked puzzled, his brows furrowed, and said, "This is strange. Isn't Rosa always with Nangong Jin? Why would she sneak over here to see Grand Tutor Liu? Could she be hiding something?"

The two men immediately sobered up a bit and stared intently at the scene below, their hearts filled with curiosity and doubt. They both wanted to know what Rosa would say to Grand Tutor Liu next and what she was planning.

Liu Si and Xuan Yuanche exchanged a glance, both seeing a deep curiosity and a desire to investigate in each other's eyes. Knowing that this matter was likely not simple, they immediately decided to go and find out what Rosa's purpose was.

They hurried downstairs, their movements still a little clumsy from the alcohol, but their eagerness to know the truth made them disregard everything else. Once in the courtyard, Liu Si lowered his voice and said seriously to Xuan Yuanche, "I'll go to Father's place later, pretending to casually pass by to pay my respects, and see if I can find out anything. You, try to follow Rosa and see where she goes after she leaves here, and what they're planning."

Xuanyuan Che nodded solemnly and replied, "Don't worry, leave it to me. I will definitely not let her slip away from under my nose." After saying that, he flashed away, using his lightness skill, and flew away like a gust of wind, disappearing in an instant. Only Liu Si was left standing there, taking a deep breath, straightening his clothes and expression, and slowly walking towards Liu Taifu's room.

As Liu Si walked, she mentally planned how to deal with her father when they met, figuring out how to avoid arousing his suspicion while still obtaining crucial information. Meanwhile, Xuan Yuanche closely followed Rosa, hiding in the shadows and keeping his eyes fixed on her, observing her every move.

Xuanyuan Che followed Rosa silently. He saw Rosa walking hurriedly, turning left and right, passing through several streets and alleys, and finally stopping in front of a pharmacy.

The pharmacy had a very unique appearance. From its exterior, whether it was the architectural style with upturned eaves or the intricately carved patterns on the doors and windows, it exuded a strong exotic flavor. You could tell at a glance that it was not run by locals, but rather it was very similar to the style of the Nanzhao Kingdom.

Xuan Yuanche thought to himself, "I heard that Rosa claims to be just a peasant girl from Nanzhao, but her current actions and involvement with this Nanzhao-style pharmacy suggest that her identity is not as simple as she claims."

Rosa looked around the entrance of the pharmacy to make sure no one was following her, then quickly went inside. Xuan Yuanche didn't dare to follow rashly, fearing he might alert them. So, he darted away and silently hid under the eaves of a building opposite the pharmacy. Under the cover of shadow, he kept his eyes fixed on the pharmacy's door, wanting to see what would happen next.

After a while, no unusual sounds came from the pharmacy. Xuan Yuanche became increasingly curious and puzzled. What was Rosa doing at this pharmacy? Was she meeting someone to pass on a message, or did she have some other ulterior motive? He secretly decided that he must stay here and keep an eye on her until she came out, and then continue to follow her until he found out the secret behind this.

Meanwhile, Liu Si arrived at Liu Taifu's door, hesitated for a moment, then gently knocked on the door. He was still thinking about how to get some useful information out of his father, since this matter was just too strange.

Liu Si braced himself and knocked on Grand Tutor Liu's door. After hearing his father's response from inside, he pushed the door open and went in. Grand Tutor Liu frowned slightly when he saw it was Liu Si and asked, "What are you doing here so late?"

Liu Si quickly smiled and said, "Father, I was walking around in the yard when I saw that you had guests, so I came over to see if there was anything I could do to help."

Grand Tutor Liu's face darkened, and he said sternly, "There's nothing I need your help with. Go back and rest."

Liu Si wanted to try to find out more, so he continued, "Father, the person who came just now looked unfamiliar. Did he have something important to discuss?"

Grand Tutor Liu glared at Liu Si and scolded, "Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask. Just do your job well."

Liu Si was rebuffed and knew that he would hardly get any useful information from his father, so he could only helplessly reply, "Yes, Father, I understand."

Just as Liu Si was about to take his leave, Grand Tutor Liu suddenly spoke up, saying, "By the way, keep a close eye on the Crown Prince's movements lately. Although he has been stripped of his title, his remaining forces might still cause trouble in secret. If they were to rise again one day, all our previous efforts would be in vain."

Liu Si quickly nodded and replied, "Father, don't worry, I've remembered it and will definitely pay close attention."

Grand Tutor Liu waved his hand and said, "Go."

Liu Si bowed respectfully before leaving the room. As he walked towards his residence, he pondered to himself that his father was unwilling to reveal anything about Rosa, yet he specifically instructed him to pay attention to the Crown Prince's movements. It seemed that the situation behind this was still quite complex. However, the exact connection between Rosa and all of this remained to be further investigated.

Xuanyuan Che lay quietly on the roof opposite the pharmacy, staring intently at the pharmacy's door. Time passed by, and about fifteen minutes later...

Finally, the tightly closed door of the pharmacy slowly opened, and Rosa stepped out. She looked around cautiously before quickly walking back the way she came. The pharmacy clerk then closed the door, and the entire pharmacy instantly became quiet and dim, as if nothing had just happened.

Seeing Rosa leave, Xuan Yuanche quickly used his lightness skill to follow her silently. He thought Rosa would go somewhere else to continue doing something secretive, but to his surprise, Rosa did not go anywhere else. Instead, she went straight to Nangong Jin's mansion and soon entered the mansion's gate.

Xuan Yuanche dared not follow rashly inside, so he found a secluded corner to hide himself, his eyes still fixed on the movements within the Prince's residence. At that moment, he read Rosa's lips; she seemed to be asking the maid beside her, "Has the Prince woken up?"

Xuan Yuanche thought to himself, "It seems that Rosa went out behind Nangong Jin's back. Nangong Jin is probably still in the dark and has no idea that Rosa went out secretly at night, let alone where she went. What is Rosa's true nature? What is she planning? She is becoming more and more unpredictable."

Xuanyuan Che felt that he had to tell Liu Si and the others about this as soon as possible. The secret hidden on Rosa might cause them a lot of trouble. So he stopped lingering and quietly left the vicinity of the palace to find Liu Si and tell him everything he had seen, so they could discuss how to deal with it together.

After dealing with Yingchun's matter, Lin Ning finally breathed a sigh of relief. But before she could recover, she remembered the poison that Nangong Jin had been poisoned with. Her relationship with Nangong Jin used to be quite good. Although there were many entanglements in the relationship, there was always a special affection between them.

But now, with Rosa by Nangong Jin's side, Lin Ning felt she might not even have a chance to speak to him anymore. She knew that if Nangong Jin's poison wasn't treated promptly, it would likely worsen, but even if she wanted to treat him, it was impossible. After all, Rosa lived in the Prince Xian's residence, and going there rashly might cause misunderstandings. Besides, Nangong Jin had even defied the Emperor for Rosa's sake; what was she compared to him? He would probably refuse to treat her. Since returning, he had acted as if he didn't recognize her at all; he was probably afraid of upsetting Rosa. Lin Ning sighed helplessly, thinking to herself, "Forget it, forget it. It's not that I don't want to treat him, it's that he doesn't care about his illness. Even if I wanted to, I'm powerless. What can I do?"