A life of two souls traveling through time

Chapter 506 A long late-night conversation

It was late at night and the wooden city to the south of Xiyue Country was already asleep in darkness. Only the study in the Prince's Villa was lit with candles, and a pair of figures were faintly visible in front of the window.

"I just sent someone to Sanxiu Pharmacy to deliver a message. You don't have to worry." Yan Zong changed into a comfortable casual outfit and sat back in front of Si Yao. He raised his hand to pick up the teapot on the stove and poured two cups of willow-yellow hot tea. He continued, "The green plums in Shangjing City are in full bloom this year. I asked someone to pick them and make scented tea. Would you like to try it?"

Si Yao picked up the teacup and brought it to her lips. A fresh floral fragrance with a hint of sweetness permeated her heart. It was a little bitter at first, but after a few sips, it became sweet and refreshing, as if plum blossoms were blooming in her mouth.

"Sweet plum fragrance, are these the green plums you mentioned growing in your house?" Si Yao raised her eyes happily and asked.

"Yes, the green plum trees under the lush snow on the mountain, when I planted those plum trees, I was thinking of you." Seeing that she liked it, Yan Zongzi also smiled happily.

"You must be tired after traveling all day. You should go and rest early." Si Yao's eyes were full of tenderness, but seeing the fatigue on his face, she couldn't help but feel sympathy.

Yan Zong shook his head. He was as willful as a child at this moment. He poured more tea before saying, "I'm not tired as long as you accompany me."

After tomorrow they will have to part again. The road ahead is long and he has no time to be distracted on the battlefield. Who knows when he will see her again? Thinking of this, Yan Zong naturally didn't want to waste time resting. He wished he could talk with her all night in this study.

Si Yao saw what he was thinking, and her brows knitted slightly unconsciously. The north and the south were thousands of miles apart, and the battlefield was full of dangers. She didn't want him to go north out of selfishness, but she also knew that she had no right to stop him. He was born in the royal family, and he was not only the prince of Xiyue Kingdom, but also an ambitious soldier on the battlefield. She understood the mission he had to shoulder and respected the path he insisted on taking, just as he respected her.

"I will be back in half a year at most, don't worry." Seeing the sadness between her brows, Yan Zong comforted her softly.

"Okay, I'll listen to you." Si Yao smiled. He didn't want to talk more about the war and she didn't take the initiative to ask about it.

"You took so long to come back after the New Year. I believe you already know that it's because of my second brother's matter?" Yan Zong's tender eyes always stayed on Si Yao's face. The calmness in her eyes also made him feel particularly at ease. There was silence in the room for a moment, and then he spoke again.

"Rumor has it that Prince Han died suddenly of an old illness on his wedding night. Is that true?" Si Yao nodded and asked curiously.

"My eldest brother asked the imperial physician to lie to the public in order to save the royal family's reputation. I have never heard of any old illness of my second brother since he was a child. As for the cause of death, it is still a mystery." Yan Zong shook his head and sighed.

"Even the imperial physician couldn't find out what's going on?" Si Yao was surprised and asked again.

"Second brother is neither poisoned nor has any wounds, and there was nothing unusual in Prince Han's Mansion on the wedding night." Yan Zong frowned and said after taking a sip of tea.

"There is another rumor among the people... But if King Han really died of excessive sexual intercourse, his body would definitely reveal clues." Si Yao hesitated for a moment and said solemnly.

"The imperial physician examined the body and found nothing unusual. I only remember that my second brother left with a smile on his face."

After hearing this and noticing the sadness flashing in Yan Zong's eyes, Si Yao stopped talking. She knew that Yan Han was a prince of Xiyue Kingdom and had a noble status. Even if the imperial physician really found out that he died of excessive sexual intercourse, the Emperor of Xiyue would definitely not let the imperial physician tell the truth for the sake of the royal family's reputation.

"I heard that the antidote for Hua Yao's poison has been found? Has the poison in Yan Yu been cured? In that case, the two sisters should leave Sanxiu Pharmacy, right?" Seeing that Si Yao did not continue talking about his second brother, Yan Zong simply changed the subject.

"Although the antidote has been prepared, it will still take forty-nine days to detoxify." Si Yao looked thoughtful and raised her eyes to ask him, "Do you also hope that the two sisters will leave as soon as possible?"

"They are not decent people after all, and they are deeply involved with the Shadow Clan. If they stay at Sanxiu Pharmacy, there will be hidden dangers sooner or later. I am about to go north, so I am naturally worried that you will be implicated by the two sisters."

"Then the Shadow Clan really won't let them go?"

His worries were not without reason, but Si Yao knew clearly that neither Yan Yu nor Zeng Si were evil people. As for Hong Hua, although she was the leader of the Southern Xinjiang Poisonous Insect Valley and often spoke vicious words, seeing that Mr. Zhou, who hated evil, was actually with her, she must not be as evil as the outside world rumored.

"Once you enter the Shadow Gate, it's hard to get out once you become a ghost. Don't believe the lies that Youmei said. Anyone he holds a grudge against will never escape in this life. I can protect Sanxiu Pharmacy, but we shouldn't get involved in the future of the two sisters." Seeing the hesitation on Si Yao's face, Yan Zong restrained his expression and advised seriously.

"Don't worry. Madam Honghua mentioned that they will go back to Southern Xinjiang after the poison is resolved." Si Yao said nothing more, just smiled faintly. She couldn't just stand by and watch him die, but she couldn't make him worry when they were about to leave.

"That's good. As long as they leave, Yingmen will naturally stop targeting Sanxiu Pharmacy." Yan Zong nodded with satisfaction.

"Since the Xiyue Kingdom has the ambition to end the troubled times, shouldn't it first eradicate assassination organizations like the Shadow Gate? I heard that their influence is spread across various countries. Aren't you afraid that the Shadow Gate will disrupt the situation?" Si Yao thought for a moment before speaking again.

"Although Yingmen is a powerful assassination organization, they can recognize the situation. Now our Xiyue is the most powerful in the Central Plains, so they dare not offend Xiyue easily." Yan Zong lowered his eyes and smiled guiltily. It was not that he intended to deceive her, but it was a good thing that she didn't know about this.

“But didn’t the Yingmen still dare to wantonly kill people in Xiyue? Back then, they broke into Sanxiu Pharmacy. If it weren’t for your timely appearance, the entire Sanxiu Pharmacy would have been destroyed and people would have died. How could the imperial court not care about their wanton killing of innocent people?” Si Yao was naturally dissatisfied when she saw that Yan Zong was so tolerant of the Yingmen.

"Ayao, don't rush into anything. If we try to clean up the Shadow Sect at this time before Xiyue's great cause is accomplished, they will surely become desperate. We must not cause ourselves any big trouble in the rear while we are united against the outside world." Yan Zong had no choice but to come up with this reason temporarily and explain patiently again. He was afraid that Si Yao would continue to mention the Shadow Sect, so he quickly changed the subject before she opened her mouth:

"When I'm not around, you have to come often to look after this villa for me. Don't let it fall into desolation."

"You have someone to look after the yard, why do I need to worry about this?" Si Yao didn't understand the meaning of Yan Zong's words, so she asked puzzledly.

"How can they compare with you? You are this..."

You are the mistress of this villa.

Yan Zong was afraid that Si Yao would be unhappy, so he didn't dare to say it out loud. He just smiled and said, "They are paid to do things, so naturally they are not as dedicated as you are to me."

"Okay, I promise you." Si Yao lowered her eyes and smiled sweetly.