Chapter 133: Intoxication

Upon Su Yun Yun’s reminder, Lord Wuyou also fell into deep thought, but after a long while, he still couldn’t recall. He only felt that Su Yun Yun looked increasingly familiar.

Seeing that Lord Wuyou was truly stuck, Baili Xian chuckled softly, “Let me remind you—he was right there at my mother’s birthday celebration!”

Lord Wuyou’s eyes brightened as if something had clicked. He slapped his thigh and exclaimed, “Why do I find this so familiar! Miss, you must be Princess Su of Western Wei’s sister! I must say, you two look remarkably alike!”

Su Yun Yun and Baili Xian exchanged glances, both puzzled. What did he mean by “look alike”? The hint was so obvious, yet he still couldn’t figure it out. They weren’t siblings; they were one and the same person.

It wasn’t entirely Lord Wuyou’s fault. Su Yun Yun’s skill in disguising himself as a woman was truly masterful. Clearing his throat, Baili Xian said, “Ahem, Lord Wuyou, you’re mistaken. He’s not Princess Su’s sister; in fact, he is Princess Su.”

“Gah!” Upon hearing this, Lord Wuyou looked as if he had seen a ghost, his eyes wide as he scrutinized Su Yun Yun up and down, finally murmuring, “No wonder! I thought no woman with such a flat chest could be so flat-chested!”

Fortunately, Su Yun Yun was male and took no offense. Had Lord Wuyou said that to a real woman, he would surely have earned her eternal hatred, perhaps even a grudge lasting a lifetime.

Baili Xian tapped Lord Wuyou’s arm with a fan. “This is a secret, don’t let it slip. We’re here to drink today—bring out your fine wines. We won’t leave until we’re drunk.”

“Just as I thought, you’re like a weasel paying respects to a chicken—up to no good! You must be eyeing my good wine. Well, to honor Princess Su today, you’ll have all the wine you want!” Recently, Lord Wuyou had been feeling quite repressed; drinking a bit to ease his mind was a good idea.

“Princess Su, today I’m truly benefiting from your grace. Let’s go drink!” Baili Xian chuckled and took the lead, guiding Lord Wuyou and Su Yun Yun toward the backyard of the Machine Hall.

Lord Wuyou ordered his men to fetch wine from the cellar and prepare food. The people inside the Machine Hall had been having a hard time lately, with many unresolved matters. They feared Lord Wuyou’s wrath might fall upon them. Hearing his orders, they hurried with all their might, not daring to slack off on these small tasks.

In the Xian Prince’s Mansion, Liu Ling’er didn’t expect that the upset Xiao Tao could run so fast. After some brief words with Su Yun Yun, she chased after Xiao Tao for quite a while before catching up. Xiao Tao, it seemed, had only been teased by Su Yun Yun once in her life, so she felt quite wronged.

She stopped crying only when Liu Ling’er caught up, timidly calling out, “Miss.” Liu Ling’er looked at her tear-streaked face. Though she told herself not to laugh, she couldn’t help but chuckle softly. “Is it really worth it over something so small?”

“Miss!” Xiao Tao was clearly annoyed now, her tone sharper, obviously throwing a little tantrum.

“Enough. Look at you, crying like that—you’ll never get married if you keep this up. Wipe your tears! Next time I see Su Yun Yun, I’ll chop off his hand to teach him not to tease our Xiao Tao again!” Liu Ling’er said sternly, her words startling Xiao Tao into silence. She quickly took a handkerchief to wipe away her tears.

Holding Liu Ling’er’s hand, Xiao Tao said, “Miss, I don’t blame him. Please don’t chop off his hand, okay?” She was genuinely afraid Liu Ling’er might actually get mad and do it.

“Oh? Looks like you’re starting to care for him now. Weren’t you just crying about him a moment ago? No shame at all!” Liu Ling’er’s teasing words made Xiao Tao blush deeply, stamping her foot in embarrassment, handing over the handkerchief before turning to run away.

Heh, so innocent—it’s no fun bullying her. Pinching the handkerchief in her hand, Liu Ling’er suddenly remembered something: she still had a handkerchief from Chu Sheng. Last time at the palace she didn’t get a chance to return it; this time, she would give it to his son and have the boy find a chance to return it to him.

She also promised Chu Sheng to rid his son of the root of his illness, so she planned to cure him completely in one go. With this in mind, Liu Ling’er returned to her room.

Though it was daytime, Liu Ling’er closed the doors and windows before taking off the phoenix jade pendant hanging around her neck. Holding her breath, she pulled out a single strand of hair and threaded it through a small hole in the pendant, then clenched her hands tightly.

Clack, clack, clack—three faintly purple pills dropped from the phoenix’s mouth. Liu Ling’er carefully cupped the three Life Creation Pills in her hands. They represented three lives, and taking even half a pill was a great sacrifice. But for saving Chu Xiaosheng, she had to be willing.

Using her internal energy on the hair, in an instant it transformed into a sharp instrument. Liu Ling’er used it to easily break open one pill and carefully placed the remaining two and a half pills back into the phoenix pendant. Then she searched for the old handkerchief she’d obtained from Chu Sheng.

She went to Xiao Cui’s place and found Chu Xiaosheng practicing calligraphy, seemingly very focused. He didn’t notice her arrival, and she didn’t speak, just stood watching him write.

Though thin and frail in appearance, his brush strokes were firm and poised, each character bold and precise. It was clear Chu Sheng had taught him well. Not only was Chu Sheng a master of martial arts, but he was also skilled in literature—a rare talent who excelled in both arts and combat.

When Chu Xiaosheng finished the last stroke and put down his brush, he finally noticed Liu Ling’er and ran over, calling out, “Mother!”

Liu Ling’er groaned. “Xiaosheng, how many times do I have to tell you? I’m not your mother. I’m just entrusted by your father to help you with your illness. Come take your medicine; after you finish, I’ll explain everything.”

Pouring a cup of water, Liu Ling’er dropped the Life Creation Pill into the tea. The purple pill dissolved immediately, yet the water’s color did not change in the slightest. “Here, drink this cup.”

Though Liu Ling’er insisted she wasn’t his mother, Chu Xiaosheng obediently took the cup and drank it without hesitation.

“Actually, I don’t know who your mother is. But I have something that might belong to her. This handkerchief was left behind by your father and, by chance, came into my possession. I’m giving it to you. The next time you see your father, give it back to him.” Liu Ling’er handed over the handkerchief. Chu Xiaosheng stared blankly at the embroidered character “Qian” on it, lost in thought.

Sighing, Liu Ling’er sensed the knot in his heart and didn’t want to disturb him further. She instructed Xiao Cui to watch over him and quietly left.

Back at the Machine Hall, the backyard stone table was littered with empty wine jars, all toppled over. The wine had naturally gone to the three men sprawled on the table. They were all babbling nonsense, clearly drunk. Sharp-eyed onlookers could tell they were heavily intoxicated.

Su Yun Yun and Lord Wuyou were drowning their sorrows, while Baili Xian was clearly brought along just for show. Yet he drank no less than the other two, and all three had collapsed, still shouting for “one more bowl!”

Watching from the side, Tie Wula’s scalp tingled. When had their lord ever drunk so much without using internal energy to purge the alcohol? It was reckless to the point of courting death.

Liu Ling’er was eating inside when Xiao Tao came rushing in, panicked. “Miss! It’s bad—the prince drank too much.”

“So what if he drank too much? What’s the fuss? Just help him to sleep it off.” Liu Ling’er pursed her lips and went back to eating, clearly unimpressed by Xiao Tao’s alarm.