Sprained Ankle

Ask us about a major matter? What major matter could we possibly have? Could it be related to the Heavenly Law Organization? It couldn't possibly be such a coincidence that the very first day we shouted out the message, someone would actually show up.

Ma Tianqiong felt a surge of energy. He glanced left and right, then directly led Supervisor Liu into the house, urging Mei Long to quickly finish selling the breakfast items.

Usually, they sold breakfast at a leisurely pace, stopping to chat for a bit when they ran into acquaintances. Today, however, Mei Long was in no mood for pleasantries; she simply collected the money and shooed the customers away. The people buying breakfast were quite happy with this arrangement—finishing early meant they could head home sooner, and perhaps even catch a nap before getting back to the arduous chores of a wealthy household.

In about a quarter of an hour, Mei Long had sold out all the breakfast food. She called out to the people still waiting in line outside, "Scatter! Everything is sold out for today. If you want any, come back tomorrow morning!"

As the words left her mouth, she nimbly packed up the breakfast stall, shut the door with a few swift motions, and walked straight toward the room where Ma Tianqiong was.

Upon entering, she found Ma Tianqiong and Supervisor Liu staring blankly at each other, holding their teacups without drinking or putting them down, rendering both men as still as carved stone statues.

Seeing this bizarre scene, Mei Long walked over to Ma Tianqiong and gave him a nudge. "Dear, what is the current situation? How has this major discussion of yours gone?"

Ma Tianqiong jolted back to reality, grabbed Mei Long's hand, and said with ecstatic joy, "Xiao Mei, we've found another follower of the Law! We've completed the task assigned by the Master of Law!"

"Supervisor Liu is the follower we've been looking for?" Mei Long asked, pointing at Supervisor Liu.

Ma Tianqiong nodded, and Supervisor Liu also gave a slight nod in confirmation.

"Ahem!" Mei Long cleared her throat. "Heavenly buns, divine soy milk, and longevity peach buns—everyone, have one."

With that, she looked expectantly at Supervisor Liu. This was the secret code passed down by Liu Ling'er. Seeing is believing, and hearing is doubting; she needed to verify this for herself. Only if Supervisor Liu could respond correctly to the code could she trust him.

Hearing the secret code, Supervisor Liu immediately replied, "Ahem, Little Law-Law loves eating breakfast the most! Give me a serving of everything!"

Goosebumps erupted all over Mei Long's skin in an instant. She finally understood that this secret code was practically tailor-made for an eunuch. She had originally thought the contact sent to meet them would be a manly man, but reality fell rather remarkably short of that expectation.

That was simply how things were. Supervisor Liu said somewhat anxiously, "Now that our identities have been confirmed, do you know what task is being arranged for me, and who the current Master of Law is?"

Ma Tianqiong and Mei Long exchanged glances. "Supervisor Liu, the current Master of Law is none other than Princess Xian, Liu Ling'er. She holds the Master of Law Token rather than the Deputy Token. However, Her Ladyship the Master of Law departed hastily on a diplomatic mission to the Zhongtong Kingdom with Prince Xian, and didn't leave specific instructions regarding any tasks."

"What! The Master of Law is actually Princess Xian!" Supervisor Liu stood up with a start, clearly having never calculated that the role would fall upon Liu Ling'er, no matter how many times he tried to guess.

About half an hour later, when Supervisor Liu walked back into the imperial palace carrying tea pastries, he was still in a daze. It was not until he was nearly at Baili Hai's bedchamber that he finally snapped out of it. It was predestined that he must pledge his allegiance to the Master of Law, and continuing to agonize over who that master was no longer served any purpose.

Liu Ling'er and Baili Xian had been walking along a narrow path for quite a while. During this time, Liu Ling'er finally learned from Baili Xian why the two of them had bypassed the main road in favor of this rugged trail.

As it turned out, the moment they left the imperial capital, a tail had been following them. Before dawn broke, someone had been trailing them for so long; whenever they stopped, the pursuers stopped, and whenever they set off again, the pursuers did too. To claim it was just a coincidence that they were heading the same way—only a ghost would believe that!

Baili Xian's men were no fools, and they quickly informed him that these followers were assassins. While individual identities could be disguised, the killing intent radiating from them was not so easily concealed.

You could hardly say these assassins were trailing them merely to admire the roadside scenery; that was clearly impossible. The ultimate target of these assassins was naturally Prince Xian. Therefore, Prince Xian had no choice but to divert onto a narrow path. On one hand, once these assassins discovered Baili Xian was no longer in the main entourage, they naturally wouldn't waste time attacking the guards; on the other hand, it allowed them to transition from the open to the shadows, facilitating future countermeasures.

Baili Xian did not mention who had dispatched these assassins, but Liu Ling'er had already guessed it: they were sent by Baili Hai.

By this point in the journey, Liu Ling'er's stomach was rumbling with hunger. Having set out early in the morning and walked until now, how could she not be hungry?

She stepped in front of Baili Xian to block his path. "Your Highness, we haven't had a single drop of water since we started walking. If we keep going like this, we'll starve and collapse before we even reunite with the escort guard!"

"Not a single drop of water? How would I not know? Didn't you just drink from the stream a moment ago? And not just one or two sips either—aren't you just telling barefaced lies with your eyes wide open?" Baili Xian stared at Liu Ling'er with wide eyes, wearing an expression that said lying was deeply wrong.

Liu Ling'er was so angry she felt ready to explode. She had merely misused a single word, but the general meaning remained unchanged! She was certain that Baili Xian was expressing dissatisfaction with her service just now, and was simply trying to strike a blow to her confidence.

He was doing it on purpose; he was definitely doing it on purpose! Liu Ling'er shot Baili Xian an indignant glare and stomped ahead in a huff.

When a person's luck is down, even drinking cold water can get stuck between their teeth. Before Liu Ling'er had taken two steps, her foot landed squarely on a small pebble. Her ankle turned inward, and her brows knitted together instantly as she hissed, drawing in a sharp breath. Damn it all! Of all the times to sprain her ankle, it had to be now!

The sprain was severe enough that Liu Ling'er collapsed right on the spot, sinking straight to the ground. Her ankle swelled up like a blown-up balloon in the span of a few breaths.

Baili Xian walked over. "Oh, what's wrong with my lady? Why are you sitting on the ground? Let me take a look; I've treated plenty of minor injuries like this!"

He took off Liu Ling'er's shoe, examined her foot, and then placed his hand gently around her ankle, effortlessly snapping the dislocated joint back into place. Afterward, he fetched two branches, tore off a strip of his robe, and expertly bandaged it up for her.

Liu Ling'er knew this kind of emergency first-aid method herself, but as Baili Xian tended to her, some inexplicable sentiment prevented her from stopping him, and the anger she had felt toward him earlier largely dissipated.

She stood up and took a couple of steps. Walking with a limp was exceptionally difficult, especially on this uneven path, and Liu Ling'er nearly had another intimate encounter with the ground. Seeing her clumsy appearance, Baili Xian chuckled, walked over, and squatted down in front of her. "Hop on! I'll carry you!"

Liu Ling'er's eyes flickered, and she said with a bashful air, "How could I possibly impose? Besides, you are Prince Xian; how would I ever dare let you carry me? I truly cannot bear such an honor!"

Baili Xian turned his head back, rolling his eyes fiercely at the woman who had climbed onto his back. *My dear lady, can we please stop telling barefaced lies with your eyes wide open? You make it sound sweeter than a song—you say with your mouth that you don't want me to carry you, yet you climbed right up anyway! Why do I get the distinct impression that your words completely contradict your true desires?*