The white-robed youth was quite talkative. Along the way, he told Liu Le'er some interesting anecdotes about the city. However, Liu Le'er was somewhat absent-minded and only responded with a few words.
The group passed through several streets and soon arrived at the center of Mingyuan City.
This place was somewhat quiet. The roads were clean and tidy, and there were no shops on either side. Instead, there were many large courtyards. It was obvious that these were the residences of the rich and powerful families in the city.
After walking for a while, the group arrived outside a vermilion mansion.
Unlike the other buildings in the city, this mansion occupied a large area. The vermilion gate was about six feet tall, and it looked majestic. Two stone lions stood in the courtyard, each of them about ten feet tall. The gate was covered with shiny copper nails that shone brightly under the sun.
On each side of the gate, there was a guard dressed in bright armor. He wore the same clothes as the guards from before, but he held a spear in his hand and stood solemnly.
Everything here showed the power and status of the owner of this place.
A huge gilded plaque hung above the main gate, with the words' Yu Residence 'written on it in large gilded characters.
Liu Shi raised his head and glanced at Yu Prefecture, but he quickly withdrew his gaze.
Liu Le'er looked at the mansion in front of her in surprise. She felt slightly uneasy.
She had never seen such a large mansion before. From the condition of the gate, it seemed that Yu Prefecture had a very high status in Mingyuan City. It was likely that it was closely related to the Toyokuni Imperial Court.
"Younger Sister Liu, what's wrong?" The white-robed youth seemed to have noticed something and asked gently.
"Yu Prefecture is so big, and there are so many guards. It can't be an ordinary family, right?" Liu Le'er said with a forced smile.
"Younger Sister Liu is really smart. My father is the Prime Minister of Toyokuni. That's why there are guards in the mansion. Otherwise, how could a true Immortal Master be stationed here?" Yu Qi replied disapprovingly.
Liu Le'er couldn't help but widen her eyes when she heard this.
When the Youth saw this, his face was filled with arrogance.
"Seventh Young Master, Second Young Master!" Upon seeing them, the two guards at the entrance hurriedly greeted them and bowed.
Yu Qi nodded slightly at the two of them and led Liu Le'er and Liu Yue through the door.
"Seventh Brother, if you insist on bringing two outsiders into the mansion, be careful. Father will be furious if he finds out. Don't blame me for not reminding you." After entering Yu Prefecture, the Youth in the Confucian robe snorted coldly and left in a huff.
"Ignore him. Please follow me." Yu Qi smiled sweetly and led Liu Le'er and Liu Shi to another direction in the mansion.
Yu Prefecture covered a large area. There were pavilions, terraces, pavilions, gardens, and corridors everywhere.
The floor was also paved with white jade, green jade, and other high-quality jade stones. It was as smooth as a mirror and as hard as iron, showing off the extravagance of a wealthy family.
Yu Qi seemed to be very dignified in Yu Prefecture. The servants they met along the way all saluted her, and some even directly knelt on one knee.
When Liu Le'er saw this, she glanced at Yu Qi's back. Her two sparkling eyes rolled around, and no one knew what she was thinking.
When she and Liu Shi followed behind Yu Qi, they naturally attracted many people's attention. In particular, Liu Shi's strange behavior was even more eye-catching. However, these people seemed to be afraid of Yu Qi's dignity and didn't dare to stare.
Not long after, the three of them arrived at a long corridor. A tall servant girl wearing a long green dress walked over.
"Young Master, you're back." When the servant girl saw Yu Qi, she immediately revealed a happy smile and trotted over.
"Xiao Wu, there are honored guests here. Don't be disrespectful." Yu Qi reprimanded in a deep voice.
The servant girl Xiao Wu stuck out her tongue, but she wasn't afraid. She was completely different from the previous servants.
Yu Qi helplessly glared at the servant girl, and then said: "Xiao Wu, you came at the right time. These two are my honored guests. Younger Sister Liu Le'er and Brother Liu Shi, go to the west wing and clean up a courtyard for them to rest."
At this moment, Xiao Wu noticed the two people behind Yu Qi. Liu Shi's strange behavior surprised her, but when her eyes fell on Liu Le'er, her beautiful eyes suddenly lit up. She smiled and said: "Ah, such a beautiful little sister!"
"Younger Sister Liu is my honored guest. Don't be rude!
Both of you, Xiao Wu is my personal servant girl. Please don't blame her for her rude words. "Yu Qi reprimanded, and then turned to Liu Le'er and Liu Shi with an apologetic smile.
"I know." Xiao Wu said, but when Yu Qi didn't notice, she made a face at Le'er.
Liu Le'er was amused and couldn't help but laugh. She quickly covered her mouth with her hand, but her originally nervous mood relaxed a little.
"Right, I've been outside for a few days, in the mansion …" Yu Qi looked around, and then approached Xiao Wu and whispered.
The two bodies leaned against each other, and their expressions were intimate. Xiao Wu didn't seem to avoid it.
Seeing this scene, Liu Le'er curled her lips, and the little good impression she had of the white-robed youth was greatly reduced.
The two whispered a few words, and then Xiao Wu nodded. She turned around and walked away quickly.
"Both of you, please." Yu Qi said, and continued to walk.
After a while, the three of them arrived at a small courtyard. Xiao Wu was there to welcome them.
Although it was a small courtyard, the area was not small. There was a small path paved with cobblestones. There was a pine tree on the left, and a cluster of dark green bamboo on the right.
A breeze blew, and the leaves of the pine tree rustled. It was incomparably quiet.
Although the furnishings in the house were simple, the workmanship of the tables, chairs, and benches was extremely exquisite.
The tables and chairs were clean and spotless. It was obvious that they had just been cleaned.
"Both of you look a little tired. Please rest here for a while. Later, I will host a banquet to entertain Your Elder Brother Younger Sister." The white-robed youth turned to look at Liu Le'er, and said with a smile.
"There's no need to entertain.
I only want to know when I can ask that Immortal Master to treat my elder brother's illness. "Liu Le'er looked around.
"Since both of you don't like to entertain, I will ask Xiao Wu to send dinner over later.
As for the Immortal Master, I'm afraid you will have to wait until tomorrow. "Yu Qi pondered for a moment, and said.
"Alright." Liu Le'er was somewhat disappointed.
"Oh, that's right. If both of you need anything else, you can ask Xiao Wu.
Both of you rest well. I will take my leave first. "Yu Qi said, and looked at Liu Shi.
Liu Le'er nodded, and her expression was somewhat absent-minded.
…
"Young Master, who are they?
Looking at their clothes, they are just ordinary people. Why are you so polite to them? "Outside the small courtyard, Xiao Wu asked curiously.
"Little girl, what do you know?
Today, my second brother's and my carriage was startled. It was that Liu Shi who single-handedly subdued the Green Wind Horse, and stopped the carriage. "Yu Qi frivolously pinched Xiao Wu's white chin, and said with a light smile.
"Green Wind Horse!
Single-handedly!
That Liu Shi … has great strength! "Xiao Wu was startled when she heard this.
"Do you understand now? If I can subdue this kind of mutant with divine strength, he will be very useful to me in the future.
Moreover, even if Le'er is older, she will still be a great beauty that can cause the downfall of a city. How can I bear to let her wander about outside and suffer hardships? Naturally, I will also take her into the residence.
Pass down the order that we must properly entertain them. Don't neglect them. "The white-robed youngster walked out with a smile on his face, and gave his orders as he walked.
"Yes." It was unknown what Xiao Wu had thought of, but her face blushed as she hastily complied.
…
Inside the small courtyard.
Liu Le'er had traveled the entire day, and she had just experienced a storm. She was somewhat tired, and so she pulled Liu Shi into the bedroom to rest.
Although they were men and women, the two of them had been living and eating together in the wilderness for the past few years. So, Liu Le'er didn't feel that there was anything wrong with it.
When the sky turned dark, Xiao Wu brought a sumptuous dinner.
Looking at the table full of fragrant dishes, Liu Le'er couldn't help but swallow her saliva.
She had never eaten such sumptuous food before. Although she was in the Prime Minister's residence, and the unfamiliar environment made her somewhat restless, she couldn't help but eat heartily.
On the contrary, Liu Shi didn't have any reaction to these delicious dishes.
The night gradually deepened, and a full moon slowly rose from the horizon.
Liu Le'er was lying on the bed. She tossed and turned for a long time, but she couldn't fall asleep. Her mind was filled with the matter of tomorrow's treatment.
"Brother Stone, do you think that Immortal Teacher can cure you?" Liu Le'er moved her body a bit closer to the bed, and softly said.
Liu Shi didn't lie down. He closed his eyes and sat cross-legged on the bed.
He had done this every night for the past few years, and he had never laid down to sleep.
Liu Shi was expressionless, and he didn't open his eyes either. It was as if he hadn't heard the young girl's words.
"Brother Stone, don't worry. If the Immortal Teacher here can't cure you, we'll go somewhere else. There will certainly be someone who can cure you."
Liu Le'er was accustomed to this. She whispered a few more words, and then revealed a relieved smile. She slowly closed her eyes, and entered into a dream.
Liu Shi remained motionless, like a statue in the darkness.
After an unknown amount of time, the tall Youth suddenly opened his eyes, and looked in a certain direction in Yu Prefecture. He subconsciously raised his hand, and stroked a dark green ornament on his neck.
…
At the same time, in the direction that the tall Youth was looking at, in a secret underground room in Yu Prefecture.
The four walls of the secret room were engraved with dark-red runes, and they converged from various parts of the wall to the center.
A black alchemy furnace was placed in the center of the secret room. At the bottom of the furnace was a fire pool, burning with raging flames.
The alchemy furnace was emitting a black light, and its lid was trembling slightly, as if it would fly away at any time.
An old man stood next to the alchemy furnace, and nervously looked at it.
This man wore a lotus crown on his head, and wore a grey-white Daoist robe. His eyes were deep, and his cheeks were thin. A long goat-like beard hung from his chin, and his hair was snow-white. He seemed to be in his seventies, and had the air of an immortal.
At this moment, a muffled explosion came from the alchemy furnace, and a burning smell spread out.
I's complexion changed. He waved his hand, and cast a magic art to extinguish the fire in the furnace. Then, he waved his hand, and the lid of the alchemy furnace flew up.
He didn't care about the scalding heat of the alchemy furnace, and put his hand inside. His complexion became extremely gloomy, and he took out a handful of black powder.
A strong medicinal fragrance mixed with a burnt smell was emitted from the powder.