This was Si Lang’s first time coming to the Poison Pavilion. Before, he, like everyone else, always thought the Poison Pavilion had no fixed location. If they wanted to do business, they would occasionally find a mysterious place to give those in the know a chance to buy deadly poisons.
Si Que agreed to help him so readily and even brought him to the Poison Pavilion’s lair, which surprised Si Lang greatly.
Upon arrival at the Poison Pavilion, Si Lang couldn’t help but be extremely cautious. He always felt that the dark Poison Pavilion was filled with all kinds of poisonous creatures and feared that a careless move might result in being bitten and losing his life.
But for the poison in Si Que’s hands, he had no choice but to take the risk.
Si Lang hadn’t slept the entire night. He hadn’t seen Si Que the whole day. Although he had stepped out of his room, no one in the Poison Pavilion stopped him. However, he didn’t dare wander around for fear of accidentally encountering some poisonous creature. Instead, he politely asked the people of the Poison Pavilion where Si Que was and requested them to tell Si Que he wanted to see him.
It was only in the evening, after You Yuji had fallen asleep, that Si Que had time to come see Si Lang.
Seeing Si Que, dressed in dark clothes with a crimson belt, walking towards him from a distance, Si Lang immediately put on a gentle smile and called out, “Brother.”
Si Que paused slightly, raised his hand, and removed the blood-red mask from his face. With the red glow of the evening sun reflecting on him, he slowly smiled and said, “Crown Prince Brother.”
Si Lang was burning with anxiety. He clenched his hands behind his back into fists to suppress his impatience and asked gently, “How’s it going? When will the poison be ready?”
“Poison.” Si Que repeated the word slowly.
His indifferent attitude made Si Lang even more anxious.
Si Lang had to admit that although he considered himself the person who understood his twin brother the most in this world, this understanding was still insufficient. Often, he could comprehend Si Que’s actions, but even more often, he couldn’t guess his thoughts.
Si Lang suppressed his anxiety again and smiled, saying, “Come in and talk, Brother.”
Only then did Si Que step forward and continue walking inside. Once inside, the brothers sat facing each other. Si Lang smiled as he picked up the teapot and personally poured two cups of tea.
“The preparation of the poison requires some time, and Crown Prince Brother needs a large amount,” Si Que began.
Si Lang’s hand paused slightly while pouring the tea, then continued.
“I have already gathered everyone from the Poison Pavilion to prepare it. It will probably take another seven days to gather the quantity Crown Prince Brother needs.”
The heavy burden in Si Lang’s heart finally lifted. He smiled, placed the tea in front of Si Que, and said warmly, “With your help, great things can be achieved sooner.”
Si Que picked up the tea that Crown Prince Brother had poured for him and took a sip.
If he remembered correctly, this was the first time in years that Si Lang had personally poured him tea. He took only one sip before putting it down and said, “I congratulate Crown Prince Brother in advance on unifying the Twelve Kingdoms and becoming an emperor for the ages.”
How delightful and tempting were these words?
Hearing Si Que’s praise, Si Lang’s heart couldn’t help but warm. Having been appointed Crown Prince since childhood and growing up as the heir apparent, he naturally longed to leave his name in history as a wise ruler.
After a moment of stirring emotions, Si Lang modestly said, “Not at all. I just want to restore the glory of the Si Kingdom for our ancestors and bring peace to the Twelve Kingdoms to end the suffering of the people.”
Si Que smiled, his slender white fingers caressing the smooth tea cup, and said slowly, “Crown Prince Brother will surely succeed in achieving his wishes.”
Si Lang carefully observed the expression on his twin brother’s face and added, “If we succeed, your contribution will be the greatest. At that time, we brothers will rule the vast land together!”
Si Que nodded, the smile in his eyes deepening as he looked at the Crown Prince. He responded softly, “Crown Prince Brother is right.”
The surging emotions in Si Lang’s heart calmed slightly. He did not fully trust Si Que, thinking that his brother was only willing to help him now because of his anger toward the Chen royal family due to personal feelings.
Si Que might help him this time, but what about the next time? That was uncertain.
Si Lang lowered his head and took a slow sip of hot tea from the cup before him. He made a decision in his heart—Si Que’s eccentric nature made him an unsuitable close ally. After obtaining the poison from him this time, he would need to be very cautious in future dealings. It’s not that they couldn’t cooperate again, but he must always have a backup plan. This person could not be fully trusted.
—
Five days later, Si Que brought news about Zhuo Wen.
“They are all alive?” You Yuji was extremely surprised, followed by a wave of joy.
On the day the Crown Prince kidnapped her, they frequently changed carriages to avoid leaving any trace. She had thought the Crown Prince would ruthlessly eliminate all those guards.
She slowly recalled the words the Crown Prince had said the two times she saw him. The Crown Prince clearly did not intend to keep her hidden forever, even giving her the identity of a Marquis’s daughter…
She was puzzled and murmured, “I wonder why the Crown Prince’s actions were so sudden…”
“Because he believed the words of a liar, thinking you have a phoenix destiny.”
You Yuji raised her eyes in surprise, looking at Si Que and asked, “The Crown Prince believes in that?”
At the mention of the Crown Prince Chen Lu, Si Que’s expression immediately darkened. He lowered his long eyelashes, picked up a winter jujube from the small plate, and popped it into his mouth.
After a brief contemplation, You Yuji understood the situation. So, the Crown Prince believed someone else’s words, thinking she had a phoenix destiny, and thus wanted to give her the identity of a Marquis’s daughter and marry her openly.
No wonder the Crown Prince had treated her courteously during the days he kept her captive, without doing anything to her. Since he hadn’t harmed her guards, it wasn’t surprising. The Crown Prince must have thought she would gladly agree to marry him, so he didn’t kill her trusted aides.
“Where are they settled? And what about Zhenxu?” You Yuji asked warmly.
“Don’t worry. They, like you, have a poison that temporarily paralyzes. Once the poison wears off, they will come to see you,” Si Que replied.
You Yuji nodded slowly, feeling much relieved knowing they were all fine. She turned to look at Si Que beside her, seeing him munching on crispy winter jujubes one after another.
She took one to eat as well.
It was not sour at all, very sweet.
She casually remarked, “I wonder which liar spouted nonsense and dragged me into this.”
Si Que smiled, biting into the crisp winter jujube, and said, “A liar who deserves to die a thousand deaths.”
“Knock, knock, knock.” A maid knocked on the door, and upon Si Que’s response, she pushed the door open and entered.
You Yuji glanced over. It was a girl with cold eyes. She had seen her a few times in the past few days and vaguely remembered her name was Tinglan.
“The person has been brought,” Tinglan reported.
Si Que leaned in close to You Yuji, smiling as he said, “Sister has been at the Poison Pavilion for a few days now and hasn’t properly toured it yet.”
In an instant, You Yuji thought of spiders.
Her gaze shifted, lightly glancing at Tinglan, then she softly coughed and leaned into Si Que’s ear, whispering, “The master of the Poison Pavilion is so powerful, surely he can keep those strange creatures away from his sister, right?”
Si Que moved even closer, their noses almost touching.
“Then sister must stay very close to me, not leaving my side,” he replied.
Tinglan, standing nearby, couldn’t help but raise her eyes to glance at the two of them, heads close together, intimate and inseparable. She then silently averted her gaze.
For the five days You Yuji had been here, Si Que had taken care of everything. She had been in a state of restful recuperation, eating and sleeping without worry. This was the first time she had stepped out of her room.
Having not been outside for a few days, You Yuji felt a moment of discomfort stepping into the warm sunlight.
Her gaze fell on a weeping willow in the corner of the courtyard, with a touch of new green climbing up its branches.
The year had passed, and spring was about to arrive, bringing everything back to life.
To You Yuji’s surprise, the courtyard was quite ordinary and not very large, unlike what she had imagined the Poison Pavilion to be.
“If sister gets tired, just say so.”
You Yuji, holding onto Si Que’s arm, looked around while nodding casually, cautious of encountering spiders.
Si Que led You Yuji to a small hut beside the weeping willow. The hut was quite inconspicuous, the kind often found in many courtyards, used for storing tools or housing the servants temporarily.
Once inside the hut, You Yuji saw Si Que push open another door, revealing a dark passage. It turned out this little hut led to the real Poison Pavilion.
Following Si Que into the dark passage, You Yuji soon felt her legs grow weak and lose strength. She looked ahead and saw a long path still before her. Helpless, she grabbed Si Que’s sleeve and gently tugged.
Si Que bent down, bringing his face closer to hers.
The soft light from the luminous pearls embedded in the walls spread a gentle glow, creating a small pool of light around them.
You Yuji’s lips curved into a smile. Just as she was about to plant a soft kiss, she stopped. She raised her hand, cupped Si Que’s face, turned it towards her, and directly kissed his lips.
Using the last of her strength, she pushed Si Que against the wall, gripping his collar tightly to pull him down, kissing him passionately.
In the dim passage, their shadows intertwined as they kissed deeply.
Si Que’s hand, supporting You Yuji’s waist, tightened, pulling her soft body close, responding to and then dominating the kiss.
As the long kiss ended, You Yuji slumped against Si Que’s chest, completely out of strength, leaving him no choice but to carry her forward.
In the quiet darkness of the passage, the only sounds were Si Que’s footsteps and the lingering echoes of their intimate breaths.
You Yuji leaned her face against Si Que’s chest, listening to his heartbeat.
The luminous pearls on the walls cast long shadows of the two of them, stretching into the darkness.
As the light approached, You Yuji gently pushed against Si Que’s chest, indicating she wanted to walk on her own. Si Que set her down and opened the door.
Immediately, You Yuji was hit by a thick, medicinal scent. The smell of various herbs mixed with some smoke, slightly pungent and irritating.
Beyond the hidden door was a small platform. On one side, a stone staircase wound downward.
Curiously, You Yuji walked forward and stood at the edge of the platform, looking down.
Below, many busy people were moving quickly between small rooms. Dozens of alchemical furnaces of various shapes and sizes were arranged below the platform.
The smoke wafting from the furnaces was somewhat choking.
You Yuji frowned slightly and asked, “Are they making poison? What kind of poison?”
“General poison,” Si Que replied, holding You Yuji’s hand and leading her down the stone steps. As they descended, all the busy workers paused, respectfully bowing their heads and stepping aside.
You Yuji couldn’t walk fast, so Si Que led her slowly, passing by the alchemical furnaces.
You Yuji looked around curiously at the equipment.
Tinglan and Tingyun, carrying books, approached from a distance. Upon seeing Si Que, they stopped like the others. After Si Que and You Yuji moved to a lower level, Tinglan asked softly, “How long has the master been with her?”
Tingyun shook the glass bottle in her hand, listening to the sound of the two poisonous insects inside biting each other, ignoring Tinglan.
Tinglan glanced at her, expressionless, and left with her books.
As they reached the next level and approached another stone door similar to the one above, You Yuji couldn’t help but ask softly, “Where are you taking me?”
She had long realized Si Que didn’t bring her here just for a tour.
“To find the pig with the phoenix destiny,” Si Que’s lips curled up mischievously, “and to let you watch the show.”
His smile deepened, changing from cunning to a more dangerous one.
He raised his hand and pushed open the heavy stone door in front of them.
