Chapter 264: A Long Time
On a moonlit night, the light evening breeze rustled the branches and leaves on the forest floor, causing the few remaining drops of water to fall, making a rustling sound.

Zhao Wumian was practically carried back to the guest room by the Queen Mother and placed on the couch, but he couldn’t get up.

The Queen Mother patted Zhao Wumian on the shoulder and said with a smile: “I will go to cook for the Marquis. You should recover well. When the time comes in the future, you can make me younger too.”

Her manners, expression, and appearance were no different from those of a girl in her twenties, except that her temperament was too graceful and elegant, seeming untouchable.

“If it’s really used, the Queen Mother will not remember anything… and the fact that she can be retraced to her teenage years is pure luck. When I was mobilizing the Red Silk of Naraku, I had no idea at all. I might have retraced the Queen Mother into a baby.” As he spoke, Zhao Wumian took a few breaths.

At this moment, he found it difficult to move his fingers. Not only his internal energy, but even his energy was sucked in… He felt weak all over, as if he was moving with a thousand-pound chain, and his brain was groggy, almost like the feeling of having a bad cold.

Zhao Wumian even suspected that his life span had been sucked away by the red silk of Naraku and fed back to Madam Tang… It shouldn’t be the case. With Zhao Wumian’s martial arts at this level, he already had a vague sense of his own vitality, or life span.

His whole body was full of vitality, he was in his prime and full of vigor, but he did not feel even a little bit as if his life was being sucked away. He just felt hollowed out at this moment.

Zhao Wumian was a little surprised at the thought. His internal energy, which was the “Tai Xuan Jing”, had always been vast and powerful. Years ago, when he fought against others, he had never been depleted. After he entered the realm of heaven, the quality of his internal energy was like an abyss and a prison. No matter who he fought with, he could not use it up. But now, just by invoking the method of backtracking, he felt like half his life was almost gone.

However, since Naraku Hongsi has the ability to go back in time, it is only a small price to pay, so she should be relieved and happy… At least this thing is not giving back one’s own “time” to others, but really going back in time.

The Queen Mother curled her lips and said, “I have been in the palace for ten years, and I don’t have a single happy memory. If the Marquis can turn me into a teenage girl, it would be so great…”

After she finished speaking, the Queen Mother paused, glanced at Zhao Wumian, and suddenly smiled, “But since the Marquis came to the capital, he has been much happier… so forget it.”

“Haha, it’s an honor to make the elders happy.”

“Tsk, that’s boring.” The Queen Mother was joking with Zhao Wumian, but he didn’t even have an interesting reaction.

Zhao Wumian really didn’t have the energy to make the empress dowager happy now, he just wanted to eat.

The Queen Mother didn’t tease him any more and got up to look for the stove.

Luo Xiangzhu also walked into the room, sat next to Zhao Wumian, and looked at him with concern.

In the little mute’s heart, being able to allow a dying middle-aged woman to return to her prime must be an extraordinary feat, and Zhao Wumian must have paid a heavy price… He won’t die, right?
Zhao Wumian smiled at her, shook his head to indicate that he was fine, and then patted his belly.

So hungry.

Luo Xiangzhu rummaged in his arms, took out a persimmon cake wrapped in a handkerchief, and stuffed it into Zhao Wumian’s hand.

Zhao Wumian swallowed it in one gulp and chewed the Wangluo Xiangzhu with his eyes shining.

Luo Xiangzhu touched her body with her little hand again, and then shook her head… There is nothing for you to eat.

The Queen Mother hadn’t left the room yet. She glanced back at the interaction between the two, and a strange look appeared on her face… She had long noticed that Zhao Wumian didn’t like to talk when he was with Luo Xiangzhu. He had a kind of gentle feeling of “You are dumb, so I won’t talk either.”

Marquis Weiming and the princess are of suitable status, not to mention their looks. They are a perfect match, and they are from the same school, both of them are Mu Lier’s disciples… If you look into it carefully, these two are actually quite a match.

Does Zhao Wumian like this girl?

The empress dowager withdrew her gaze and secretly decided in her heart that she would spank Shen Xiangge with a willow branch after returning to Beijing. He just stayed at home every day, and if he continued to procrastinate, he would be intercepted.

“Where are Master and Imperial Master?” Zhao Wumian asked after swallowing the persimmon cake.

“They are still detoxifying. I don’t know where those two went in the afternoon. Mount Emei is so big, I don’t know where to find them. But one of them is in harmony with nature, and the other is poisonous. I don’t think they are dangerous.” The empress dowager answered simply, asked someone to bring some snacks to Zhao Wumian to fill his stomach, and then pushed the door and left.

Luo Xiangzhu clenched her fist towards Zhao Wumian, meaning “You have to recover quickly”, and then left with the Queen Mother.

The guesthouse on Mount Emei was built on the top of a peak. The houses were connected together and were clean and tidy, but not many people lived there…Now most of the martial artists in Shu have gone to Chengdu to wait for the battle between Zhao Wumian and Yangshe Congyun, so Mount Emei is relatively deserted during this period.

Zhao Wumian was somewhat worried about Mu Lier and Zi Yi, so he ate some snacks, took a breath for a while to regain some strength, then stood up and left the house.

The masters from the Imperial Palace had been following the few people. After Zhao Wumian asked a few questions, he found out that the two women were also at the top of the peak, but they did not let the masters from the Imperial Palace protect them closely. Perhaps they needed a quiet place to detoxify.

“Breathe—breathe—”

Inside the house, Mu Li’er collapsed on the bed, gasping for breath, her whole body covered in sweat, her clothes soaked, her brows tightly furrowed, her expression extremely painful, and cloud-like black lines could be seen faintly beneath her skin. The little white snake bit Mu Li’er’s wrist, and the ‘black lines’ under Mu Li’er’s skin rushed into the little white snake’s mouth like a tide.

I don’t know how long it was before the little white snake opened its mouth, and its two cute little fangs flashed by. Then she collapsed to her side, her little body heaving unsteadily.

Zi Yi came to the bed, picked up the little white snake, looked at her for a few times, and then looked at Mu Li’er. His slightly nervous expression relaxed, “It went well… How do you feel?”

“Not very good. I feel like I have been to the gates of hell several times. The Jiuli are really a group of beasts. They can actually develop such an inhumane method of refining poison…” Mu Lier lay on the bed, not wanting to move a finger.

Although she was not seriously injured, when the poison was formed, all the internal energy in her body was transformed into pure energy and merged into the poison. Now Mu Lier’s condition is somewhat similar to Zhao Wumian’s, but her condition is much worse than Zhao Wumian’s… Her whole body felt like it had been cut by a knife for the whole afternoon.

“I told you long ago that life is worse than death…” Zi Yi muttered, but could not hide her joy, “This poison is ready. Not only can it help Zhao Wumian’s innate all-poison body reach a higher level, it will also be of great benefit to Cai Cai… Thank you very much, Mu Lier.”

Zi Yi said this thank you sincerely.

“Don’t talk nonsense. I’m not doing this for your snake… Where’s my disciple?” Mu Lier remembered something and managed to muster up some strength. She looked back at Zi Yi and said, “Hurry up and give him this poison.”

“Why are you in such a hurry? It’s not like you gave birth to his baby.” Zi Yi took out a pill from her sleeve and fed it to the little white snake, then touched her little head. “The Xiayun Gu is currently in Cai Cai’s body. It will take some preparations to transfer it into Zhao Wumian’s body. Just leave these things to me.”

“Oh… then get me a bucket of water so I can take a shower. I’m all sweaty now and can’t even fall asleep…” Mu Lier didn’t know much about poison, so she didn’t ask any more questions after hearing that. She completely relaxed, closed her eyes, and lay down on the couch to rest.

Zi Yi looked at Mu Li’er deeply and said, “You are so good to him. He owes you a lot.”

“Is it owed? He was the one who took care of me when I was poisoned…” Mu Lier still closed her eyes and answered softly, “Besides, with the relationship between the two of us, why bother to go into details about who owes whom? I care about him, and he cares about me. If I dwell on these things too much, wouldn’t it make me seem utilitarian and my feelings are not sincere?”

“You make it seem as if you two are some kind of married couple.”

“Hey, didn’t I ask you to get me some water? Why are you talking so much?”

Zi Yi didn’t bother with Mu Li’er because she was a great contributor. She turned around and left. Then she saw Zhao Wumian outside the house, who was supporting himself with the wall and walking slowly towards them.

Zi Yi was slightly stunned, and hurriedly stepped forward, “Zhao Wumian? You, why are you so weak?”

“I tried Naraku Hongsi’s backtracking method, but it consumed too much energy.” Seeing Zi Yi, Zhao Wumian was delighted. He did not explain much, but asked with concern: “Has the master’s poison been cured?”

“Well… the solution is solved…”

“Why are you hesitating? Is there a problem?”

Zi Yi shook her head slightly, “I extracted the Xiayun Gu from your master’s body. With this Gu, you don’t have to worry about it… Don’t worry, your master is fine, she just suffered a lot, and she was thinking about you. After all, we still don’t know the whereabouts of Jiuli Gu.”

Mu Lier asked herself not to mention this to Zhao Wumian, but Ziyi obviously didn’t take it to heart.

Zhao Wumian was stunned for a moment, “You used Master to refine the Xiayun Gu?”

“Don’t talk like I’m some vicious woman with a heart of a snake or scorpion. Before the Xiayun Gu killed your master, Caicai had already sucked out the poison. She’s just consuming too much poison right now, and her situation is similar to yours…” As she spoke, Ziyi glanced at Zhao Wumian.
“If you say anything to me that makes me feel wronged, I will run away now and never see you again. No matter how much you apologize to me, it will be useless.”

Of course Zhao Wumian would not blame Ziyi. For whom did Ziyi refine the Xiayun Gu? Even if Ziyi killed hundreds or thousands of innocent people for this, Zhao Wumian had no right to blame her.

“I don’t even have time to thank you…my master is in the room?” Zhao Wumian asked softly.

Zi Yi snorted and walked past Zhao Wumian, “Go check on her, but she’s sweaty all over now, don’t think your master smells bad, I’ll go get her some hot water~”

Zi Yi stretched out the last tone of her voice, and it was obvious that she was not very willing in her heart, but she did admire Mu Lier for working so hard.

Zhao Wumian smiled, said “thank you for your hard work”, then walked to the front of the house, pushed the door open, and stood with one hand supporting the door.

crunch————

The windows of the room were closed. It was the middle of the night, with only a lamp on. Mu Lier was lying on the couch, almost asleep. When she heard the noise, she was awakened from her sleep. Her body instinctively trembled slightly, but she did not turn around. She said weakly:
“Have you come back with water? I really don’t have much strength now, can you help me take off my clothes… Oh, I remember, you are full of poison, oh, I’d better let me take them off myself…”

“Master?”

Mu Lier paused, her body stiffened for a moment, and all her sleepiness disappeared in an instant.

She slowly turned her head and looked at Zhao Wumian. Her beautiful eyes gradually widened and she secretly thought that something was not good.

Using one’s own body to refine the Xiayun Gu was actually quite annoying. Mu Lier had wanted to wait until she had recovered for a night before going to see Zhao Wumian, so that she would appear to be fine, and Zhao Wumian would surely not feel guilty or sorry.

But now I’ve been caught… and I’m sweating all over, as if I’ve just recovered from a serious illness, looking miserable… How embarrassing would it be for him to see me like this?
Just turning her head, Mu Lier’s heart was filled with emotions, but when she saw Zhao Wumian, she was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously pressed her hands on the bed to support herself, “You, why are you so weak? Are you injured?”

As she spoke, Mu Lier didn’t even bother to put on her shoes. She walked barefoot on the ground, ready to carefully check Zhao Wumian’s physical condition.

Zhao Wumian was even more shocked, he never expected that the “suffering” that Zi Yi mentioned would make Mu Lier look so weak.

The two men walked quickly towards each other in the small and slightly dim room, but they were both too weak. They stumbled after taking a few steps, and fell to the ground together after holding each other’s arms with their hands.

bang——

The two fell to the ground, feeling pain, and then looked at each other up and down. Emotions such as worry, nervousness, and embarrassment flashed away, and they both found it a little funny instead.

The two of them actually became so weak at the same time… This could only be considered a coincidence, and it made them both feel delighted at the same time.

“I heard everything from Zi Yi.” Zhao Wumian couldn’t help but raise his hand and stroke Mu Li’er’s cheek, “Master must have suffered a lot.” Her skin was smooth, and slightly moist due to sweat. A few strands of hair stuck to Mu Li’er’s cheek, making her look pitiful.

“You can refine Xiayun Gu with a little bit of hard work, not to mention the extra money you can make…” Mu Lier rarely refused Zhao Wumian’s intimate gesture, “What about you? Why are you like this?”

Zhao Wumian briefly talked about the story of Tang Weiyu and his wife.

After the words were spoken, both of them fell silent at the same time.

Whether it is sympathy or sighing, no matter what emotions you have towards others, the last thing you think of is yourself. This is human nature.

Mu Lier is no exception.

She suddenly remembered what Tang Xingwen said today.

It’s too late for Tang Weiyu and his wife, but it’s still possible for you.

This was about removing the poison, but at this moment, Mu Lier could only think of her and Zhao Wumian’s affairs.

At this moment, the Xiayun Gu has been cured, and Zhao Wumian will never kiss her again under the self-deceiving excuse of removing the poison. The two of them should continue to be the same as before, she as her gentle master and he as his intimate disciple.

When the poison had not been resolved, Mu Lier was unwilling to face the matter and tried to avoid it in her heart. But now that the poison has been resolved, the last fig leaf has completely disappeared… She can no longer avoid it.

In the capital, because of the cold poison, Mu Lier spoke her mind. She admitted that she had fallen in love with Zhao Wumian unknowingly, but that night she not only expressed her feelings, but also expressed her deep emphasis on etiquette and ethics.

As long as they were master and apprentice, Mu Lier would never get over it… How could a master and apprentice do such a thing? Even among the people in the Benwo Hall, there were very few masters and apprentices who did such a thing.

If I had had sex with Zhao Wumian without any scruples, wouldn’t that mean that I would be no different from those unruly women in Benwo Hall?

What a joke! She lived a clean life, roaming the world in an upright manner, and lived her life with the word “chivalry” in mind, but in the end, she had an affair with her apprentice? Not to mention the negative impact that this matter would have on the Mu family and the Sword Sect after it got out, Mu Lier herself couldn’t get over it.

What about Zhao Wumian? Mu Lier knew that he must like her. He would walk with her and often secretly look at her. Mu Lier knew it all along… After she was poisoned, how many chances did Zhao Wumian have to pull open her clothes and have sex with her under the pretext of removing the poison?
There were countless of them, but Zhao Wumian never did it once. He knew that he didn’t want to do it in his heart, so he never forced it…

Oh… at this moment, Mu Lier suddenly realized that this was what she liked about him. He always had special stubbornness and principles in special places.

It is often said that a friend in need is a friend indeed. Although poisoning could not be considered a hardship, it was enough for Mu Lier to know Zhao Wumian’s feelings.

Mu Lier opened her red lips slightly, her breath was as sweet as orchid, and she suddenly leaned forward and hugged and kissed Zhao Wumian.

A moist and soft touch came from his mouth, but Zhao Wumian was not surprised. While Mu Lier was thinking about the two of them, Zhao Wumian was also thinking.

He is a modern man and doesn’t care about the ethics between master and apprentice, but that doesn’t mean he can use the modern perspective to ask Mu Li’er to give up the ethics between master and apprentice… Zhao Wumian has been wondering if he has pushed Mu Li’er too hard, but now it seems…

Zhao Wumian’s hand slid down Mu Li’er’s cheek and then hugged her slender waist.

The two of them lay on their sides on the cold floor, hugging each other tightly.

The ground is cool, but the embrace is warm.

After an unknown amount of time, the two separated for a while, and Mu Lier whispered: “Even if you are not as good as those seductresses in my hall, I will accept you as my master… You are more important than the ‘chivalry’ in my heart.”

“Master…”

“Don’t call me Master!”

“…It’s more exciting to call you Master.”

“You evildoer!”

Zhao Wumian came forward, interrupting the curse that Mu Lier was about to blurt out, kissed her thin and affectionate lips tightly, and then turned over and pressed her down.
The yellow light is dim, and the candle flame flickers gently without wind.

Outside the house, Zi Yi carried a small stool to add firewood to the stove, fanning it with a small fan in her hand, and boiled water for Mu Lier.

She herself was not very skilled in martial arts, so she certainly could not hear any movement in the house. At this moment, the Queen Mother came over and said, “Master, where are those two? The food is ready, but there is no sign of Zhao Wumian. Doesn’t he know how weak he is now?”

“Oh, when refining the Xiayun Gu…”

The two girls were chatting outside. Mu Lier, who was already half-undressed in the house, suddenly widened her eyes and clamped the mischievous hand with her plump legs. “Wait, wait, someone is coming! Don’t, don’t let anyone know what happened between you and your master… Especially don’t let the Queen Mother and Xiang Zhu know!”

crunch————

The Queen Mother and Zi Yi pushed open the door, only to see Mu Lier still lying on the bed, covered with bedding, while Zhao Wumian was sitting at the table drinking water silently.

Mu Lier was lying on her side on the couch, her exposed little face covered with sweat… The Queen Mother and Zi Yi did not suspect anything, after all, they knew Mu Lier’s situation.

“How are you?” The Queen Mother walked closer to the couch and looked at Murier with a little concern.

How am I feeling? I was so stingy that I was shaking all over, and then you suddenly barged in. How am I feeling? Mu Lier resisted the urge to curse and shook her head slightly, “Nothing… What are you doing here?”

“The food is ready, let’s get ready to eat. You and Wei Ming Hou consumed a lot today, so eat more after you take a bath.”

As she spoke, the Queen Mother’s nose twitched slightly, and a hint of suspicion appeared in the depths of her beautiful eyes. However, she herself had no experience, and although she felt that the smell was a bit strange, she didn’t know what it was. She just thought it was the smell of Mu Lier’s sweat, and added: “No wonder you want to take a shower, you sweat so much, the smell is a bit strong.”

Zhao Wumian sat at the table, silent, but his mind was in a state of confusion.

Back in Jin, Ziyi said that Master was the type with a juicy complexion. Now it seems that it is true… She has sweated so much, but she still…

And the master is also different from Miss Su. Miss Su is fair and clean, like a young girl who has not grown up, while the master is mature and attractive, with everything that should be there…

While she was thinking, the Queen Mother pulled at the corner of his clothes and said, “Your master wants to take a bath, why are you still sitting here as calm as a rock? What? Do you still want to wipe your master’s body?”

More than just a thought… Zhao Wumian shook his head slightly, without saying anything, he stood up silently and left with the Queen Mother and Zi Yi, “What did the Queen Mother cook?”

“The Marquis loves to eat fried pork with chili peppers. I didn’t expect that I still remember it, right?”

After the door was closed, the voices of several people talking gradually faded away.

Mu Lier then opened the quilt a little,

The Queen Mother prepared a lot of food, and Zhao Wumian wolfed it down without caring about his manners. The Queen Mother thought he was just starving because he had consumed too much, so she couldn’t help but serve him a few more bowls of rice.

“Eat slowly, eat slowly, the princess and I have done a lot.”

Although Mu Lier also consumed a lot of energy, she was extremely silent at this moment and ate in small bites. Somehow, she seemed a little nervous.

After dinner, everyone went back to their rooms to rest. Mu Lier sat alone on the couch, her plump legs tightly clamped together, her hands neatly placed on her legs, motionless, as if waiting for something.

crunch————

There was a sound of the door opening. Mu Lier looked over and then suddenly looked away.

Zhao Wumian looked up and saw that Mu Lier had washed herself carefully. She was now wearing the white dress she wore in the past. Her long black hair was not decorated with a red hairpin and was casually draped behind her waist. As a warrior, her waist was always straight, which further highlighted the amazing curves of her waist and hips, as well as the plumpness that was not much different from that of the empress dowager…

Zhao Wumian stepped forward, and Mu Lier lowered her head, “Keep your voice down. Xiangzhu and the Queen Mother must not know about this anyway… Otherwise, I won’t know how to put my face.”

“Hmm? What do you mean, keep your voice down? I just want to ask how Master’s health is recovering…”

Mu Lier’s beautiful eyes widened slightly, revealing an unspeakable shame and anger. When she raised her eyes, she saw Zhao Wumian kissing her red lips.

“Well–“

Zhao Wumian pulled Mu Lier’s arm, and the two stood up and hugged each other tightly. After an unknown amount of time, Mu Lier stood leaning against the wall, and Zhao Wumian pulled up one of Mu Lier’s plump long legs with one hand…

As a warrior, her flexibility is naturally impeccable. For Mu Lier, the splits are just basic skills. At this moment, even if she is standing, she can easily put one leg on Zhao Wumian’s shoulder.

The white boots fell to the ground, revealing Mu Lier’s small feet wearing pure white stockings.

Her feet stretched out from behind Zhao Wumian’s shoulders, and her cute little toes suddenly exerted force and the arch of her foot tensed.

I can’t sleep tonight, and I feel sleepy all day long.

But of course, there were more than just the master and disciple who didn’t sleep.

Zi Yi didn’t sleep either. She was still staying up late to prepare for Xiayun Gu.

After struggling for most of the night, Zi Yi excitedly took the little white snake to look for Zhao Wumian, but did not find him.

She was stunned for a moment. Where was the person?

The lights in the surrounding houses were off. The little white snake shook its head and hissed at Mu Lier’s room.

The little white snake likes Zhao Wumian’s blood very much, and can smell his scent if it is close to him.

Zi Yi blinked her eyes. Zhao Wumian was in Mu Lier’s room… why was the light off?
(End of this chapter)