. This made Moxiu Yao rather helpless; if they were more willing to work hard and openly show their abilities, he could save a lot of time to spend with A’li.In his study at the inn, Xu Qingchen sat a...433. Prince Little Treasure is Rescued

This night seemed particularly long; in places where the citizens were unaware, a bloody storm was brewing secretly. The secret agents that had been Master Mo Jingli's source of pride and confidence were being eliminated one by one. By morning, many would notice that people who used to live beside them had suddenly vanished without a trace.

At this moment, Prince Little Treasure naturally wouldn't know how much his father had accomplished while he was busy scheming ways to torment Mo Jingli. At the time, Prince Little Treasure was smiling mischievously as he peeked through the roof tiles from atop a house where a person with decent martial arts skills lived. This act alone demonstrated how confident Prince Little Treasure was in his own lightness kung fu. The bodyguards who had been secretly protecting him were willing to let him climb onto Mo Jingli's roof, which showed that they believed firmly in the abilities of their young master.

Prince Little Treasure was grinning wickedly at the man below who was seething with anger. Every item inside the room had been smashed; originally intending to severely beat or even kill Mo Xiuyao, he ended up being made a laughingstock, which naturally infuriated Mo Jingli. After venting his anger thoroughly, Mo Jingli finally calmed down and ordered in a deep voice, "Bring me some wine!"

Soon, someone brought him a tray of wine and placed it on the table. Mo Jingli glanced irritably at the guard who had delivered the wine, then commanded, "Leave." Since he was injured by Mo Xiuyao in Linyang, Mo Jingli disliked being around others unless absolutely necessary, and usually preferred to be alone. This behavior naturally puzzled those around him; though Mo Jingli hadn't been particularly promiscuous before, he had still kept women close to him. However, they had always been on the run, so his lack of interest in women didn't attract much attention.

Sitting by the table, Mo Jingli poured himself a glass of wine and gulped it down, the fiery sensation of the liquor making his eyes bloodshot from the intense emotions inside. Tonight's crushing defeat and vague fear deep within him made him continue to pour drink after drink into his mouth.

On the roof, Prince Little Treasure wrinkled his nose at the pungent smell of alcohol. He smiled as he took out a tiny medicinal pill, ground it into powder, and threw it through the roof tiles. The powder drifted casually, some falling into the wine glass and some onto Mo Jingli's body. Prince Little Treasure frowned in disappointment and sighed helplessly. If he had directly thrown the pill into Mo Jingli’s drink, it would definitely be discovered; although grinding it into powder made it harder to spot, the medicinal efficacy might not be enough. In reality, if Mo Jingli wasn't drinking heavily due to his agitation, these scattered powders could also be noticed by someone else. Faced with this situation, Prince Little Treasure could only accept it helplessly and quietly left the roof.

In no time at all, the previously quiet courtyard suddenly became lively. A fire mysteriously broke out in the back garden. Although a fire was not an extraordinary occurrence, given the extremely sensitive circumstances now, any unusual event might attract the attention of Duke Ding’s secret guards. The small courtyard immediately descended into chaos; everyone except for those guarding the entrance rushed to put out the fire and search for clues.

Mò Jǐnglí, who was originally drinking, became even more displeased upon hearing the commotion. He suddenly pushed open the door and shouted angrily, "What’s going on!" A guard hurriedly reported, "My lord, there's a fire in the back courtyard..."

"A fire in the back courtyard" Mò Jǐnglí frowned but quickly reacted by rushing towards Qín Liè's room. He kicked open the door and found it empty with no trace of Qín Liè.

"Idiots! Why aren’t you searching for him!" Mò Jǐnglí turned around, slapped a guard who was following behind him, and roared. This place is Lì City, within the territory of the Dìng Prince’s Manor. As long as they leave this small courtyard, catching Mò Yùchén would become nearly impossible. After some thought, Mò Jǐnglí decided to leave quickly.

Outside the courtyard, Mò Xiǎo Bào and Qín Liè handed the sleeping Nan Zhou little prince to Lěng Jūnhán and Xú Zhīruì who were waiting outside, instructing them to take him back to Dìng Prince’s Manor. Xú Zhīruì grabbed onto the fleeing Mò Xiǎo Bào and asked, "Where are you going"

Mò Xiǎo Bào smiled and said, "I’m off to watch a show; there's no need for us anymore." Lighting the fire to notify Dìng Prince’s Manor of Mò Jǐnglí’s location was enough as an accomplishment. His father wouldn't expect him, at just ten years old, to take on Mò Jǐnglí with extraordinary prowess.

"Since everything's settled, let's head back to the Dìng Prince’s Manor together," Xú Zhīruì said seriously.

No way! Mò Xiǎo Bào was shocked and leaped several zhang away before Xú Zhīruì could react. He gave a dry laugh at Xú Zhīruì, "Cousin Zhīruì, I have something else to attend to. You and Cold Little Dummy take this little troublemaker back for Aunt Anxī. It’s an order." Then without waiting for Xú Zhīruì's response, Mò Xiǎo Bào jumped over the wall once more and disappeared into the alley. Qín Liè held up a face identical to Mò Xiǎo Bào’s and patted Xú Zhīruì saying, "Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on him." Then he too leaped over the wall.

Although Cold Little Dummy was wearing black night attire, his fair skin still stood out. He carefully glanced at the gloomy-looking Xú Zhīruì and asked in a low voice, "What should we do" Worryingly looking at the baby in Lěng Jūnhán’s hands, Xú Zhīruì called out, "Here!"

Xu Zhirui waved his hand and said, "Send Cong Junhan and the young prince of Nanzhao back to the Dingwang Manor." After saying this, he also climbed over the wall. Although Xu Zhirui came from a scholarly family, his skills in lightness kung fu were still impressive. In the narrow alleyway, only the dark-clothed covert soldier and Cong Junhan looked at each other blankly. After a while, Cong Junhan placed the child into the hands of the covert soldier and said, "That uncle…"

The covert soldier silently rolled his eyes, "I know, send the young prince of Nanzhao back to the Dingwang Manor."

Cong Junhan nodded in satisfaction and then climbed over the wall. In this somewhat dark alleyway, there was soon only a covert soldier holding an infant’s swaddling clothes, quietly looking at the empty roof with a slight sense of desolation.

In the darkness, two tall and handsome men stood on the rooftop, amusedly watching what happened below them.

Han Mingyi pointed to the covert soldier carrying the baby below and laughed so hard that he bent over. "Brother… Our young prince and these little rascals are quite amusing." The Bright Moon Young Master beside him leaned against the eaves; a faint moonlight reflected on his handsome face, revealing a hint of a smile. He looked at Han Mingyi and said, “The young prince's lightness kung fu is pretty good. I see you put in some effort.”

Han Mingyi’s smile instantly froze as he laughed awkwardly at his elder brother. He didn't know how his eldest brother figured out that the young prince’s lightness kungfu was taught by him, since there wasn’t any trace of it. The Wind and Moon Young Master’s unique lightness kung fu was unparalleled in the world; however, his reputation back then wasn’t very good to mention. Although no one had mentioned the name "Wind and Moon Young Master" for many years now, Han Mingyi still didn't want his own reputation to have any negative impact on Mo Xiaobao. Therefore, when Mi Xiaobao came to seek advice on lightness kung fu, he specially improved his own lightness skills. Unfortunately, Han Mingyi was unaware that in several years' time, someone's reputation would be even worse than his and thus his efforts were wasted.

Han Mingyue shook his head with a smile and looked at the lone covert soldier below, saying, "What you said is correct; these young men are quite interesting. In the future, they will surely become close confidants and trusted brothers of our young prince." The camaraderie among the children easily reminded him of the friendship he had in his youth with Mo Xiuyao. Although he was already older than these kids when they first met, their relationship was indeed stronger than that of blood siblings, which was a pity...

Han Mingyi knew what his elder brother was thinking about and patted Han Mingyue's shoulder as he said, "Big Brother, it’s all in the past. Mo Xiuyao has already forgiven you." With a smile, Han Mingyue nodded and stood up saying, "Let’s go see them; after all, they are still kids and we don’t want anything to happen to them."

"Dingwang said there's no danger of their lives being threatened so it’s fine not to worry about them."

"I know, and I also want to see how the young prince of Nanzhao plans to torment Mo Jingli."

I felt that Mo Xiaobao's smile when he left was a bit eerie. Han Mingyue secretly prayed for Mo Jingli in her heart.

Li city is neither big nor small. Finding a group of people might be easy, but finding one person, especially at night without alerting ordinary citizens, isn't an easy task. Mo Jingli soon noticed something strange about the fire in the courtyard and immediately understood that their whereabouts had been exposed after Mo Xiaobao and the young prince of Nanzhao went missing. Without further delay, he took only his two most trusted men and left the temporary residence amidst chaos.

However, they quickly discovered an oddity: within less than half a day, all of Chu Kingdom's undercover agents in Li city were removed, regardless of whether they originally belonged to the royal family or had been placed there by Mo Jinqi after the army broke away from the royal house, or even those placed by Mo Jingli himself. They were all under the control of the Ding王府 (Ding Prince's Manor). Moreover, Mo Xiuyao seemed indifferent about Mo Jingli knowing this information; wherever they went, they saw heavy troops of the Ding Prince's Manor watching them closely. Therefore, they had to flee again, rushing around Li city for nearly half a day but could not find any resting place and instead became breathless, while it was already approaching midnight.

Finally, Mo Jingli, forced into desperation, decided to take the risk and head towards the Ding Prince's Manor.

Mежду тем, Mo Xiaobao, Qin Lie, and others were also panting as they ran around Li city. Losing sight of Mo Jingli by accident made the young prince of Nanzhao extremely angry: "We're going to die anyway! Why run so fast What should we do now Where can we find him"

A bit tired after playing all night, Leng Junhan was somewhat disheartened: "If we are going to die anyway, why should I be laughed at by you in my last moments If I were Mo Jingli, I would still run as fast as possible."

Mo Xiaobao rolled his eyes and looked back at Qin Lie. Qin Lie shrugged, indicating that he didn't know where Mo Jingli had gone either. Mo Xiaobao felt somewhat aggrieved; without capturing Mo Jingli, he would die in a very undignified way.

"Oh, young prince, why are you still out this late" A cheerful voice came from the wall. Upon looking up, they saw Han Mingxi leisurely sitting on top of the wall and smiling at them. Mo Xiaobao's eyes lit up: "Uncle Han, do you know where Mo Jingli has gone"

Han Mingxi tilted his head to look at him, saying: "Uncle Han Is the young prince addressing me I am truly honored."

Moxiaobao has no psychological barriers when being playful and directly jumped onto the wall to sit next to Han Mingchi, smiling and saying, "Uncle Han, you're the best. Why are you here so late You must have seen which direction Mo Jingli ran towards, right"

Han Mingchi smiled at him and asked, “What if I did see”

Moxiaobao looked up at him with his big clear eyes filled with "Please answer me." Han Mingyue helplessly patted his little head and said, “He went towards the Ding王府 (Ding Prince's Manor).”

"The Ding Prince's Manor" Moxiaobao frowned. "Isn't he heading for certain death by going there now"

“It’s still early in the evening, but after another hour and a half or so it will be dawn. Then, his fate will surely be sealed.” Han Mingyue appeared on top of the wall and smiled lightly at Moxiaobao: “Since you’re going to die anyway, why not take a chance”

Moxiaobao tilted his head slightly as he thought about it and then nodded. "Alright. I'll go back now." He hoped that Mo Jingli could hold on until he rushed into the Ding Prince's Manor again. With agility, Moxiaobao leapt off from the high wall and grabbed several children to run towards the direction of the Ding Prince's Manor as fast as possible, fearing that if he arrived late, Mo Jingli would be killed by his father. While running, Moxiaobao silently pondered in his heart: Would the medicine I gave him work Could it be that it’s too long ago and it has expired or was there simply not enough to have an effect on Mo Jingli

Even though it was already past midnight, the Ding Prince's Manor still had bright lights everywhere. In the main hall, guests from various countries were still enjoying dance performances and drinking wine; the scene within the palace was filled with a festive atmosphere. The intentions of the Ding Prince were very clear: If something happens in Li City tonight, it would be their own misfortune. Therefore, they might as well stay at the Ding Prince's Manor to drink and enjoy themselves without worrying about anything else because the Ding Prince’s Manor should take responsibility for their safety.

Therefore, despite some old or young guests being unable to attend due to unforeseen circumstances, all the envoys from various countries were still having a wonderful time drinking together.

"Father, Mother, Xiaobao is back!" Inside the Ding Prince's Manor, Moxiaobao happily bounced into the flower hall and threw himself into Ye Li’s arms. Sitting on one side, Mo Xiuyao frowned unhappily and lifted his hand to pull Moxiaobao out of Ye Li’s arms: "Look at your age! You’re still jumping into Ahli’s embrace. What if you hurt your mother

Moxiaobao struggled unhappily, "I would never hurt Mama. Xiaobao loves Mama the most."

Seeing her son return safely, Ye Li also heaved a sigh of relief and quickly rescued him from Mo Xiuyao's hands. She stroked his little face and asked, "Where have you been all day Did you get injured" Moxiaobao looked down on the matter with disdain as he said, "That foolish idiot Mo Jingli never even got to see this young noble’s face. How could I possibly be hurt He was only able to escape because of that. Han Mingchi mentioned Mo Jingli ran to Ding王府 (Ding Prince's Manor). Mama, did you all get him"

Ye Li sighed helplessly and said, "He has yet to arrive. You’ve done well already; leave the rest to Mama and Father King to handle. Just behave yourself." Moxiaobao shook his head repeatedly, "No, I must see Mo Jingli with my own eyes to know whether or not the medicine worked."

Sitting by the side, Mo Xiuyao looked at his son with disapproval as he spoke to Ye Li, "Liyu, stop comforting him. What has he done well It’s already in front of us and you still let Mo Jingli escape. If I had known this would happen, I would have killed Mo Jingli the moment we arrived in the王府 (Prince's Manor). We could all be resting peacefully now."

Moxiaobao was furious, "It wasn’t my dark guards arriving too late! Do you think that I can fight against both Mo Jingli and his many retainers" Moxiaobao gestured to his height before looking at Mo Xiuyao with a glare. Mo Xiuyao sneered in disdain, "If not by force then surely by intelligence When I was 14 years old going into battle, my height wasn’t much different from yours." This statement was not false; over the past half year, Moxiaobao had grown rapidly like bamboo shoots breaking through the earth. His round chubby face was no longer visible as he now stood at an impressive height for a boy of 11.

"Capture by intelligence" Moxiaobao frowned and started considering this possibility. In reality, it wasn’t that he couldn’t capture Mo Jingli with his wits; rather, it was the fact that he had been in high spirits back then and hadn’t even considered a more effortless method. He cautiously glanced at Mo Xiuyao before blinking his big eyes and said bashfully, "But... Father King said… wouldn't it be less fun if I did"

Ding Wang shot Moxiaobao an exasperated look for not being able to turn him into a better person as he whispered something in the boy’s ear. The more Moxiaobao listened, the brighter his eyes became; Ye Li beside them felt her eyelids twitch uncontrollably just looking at his expression. From the evil smile on his face, it was evident that Mo Xiuyao was not teaching him anything good.

Unable to watch any longer, Ye Li huffed and both of them quickly sat obediently with eyes fixed upon her. She sighed and said to Mo Xiuyao, "Don’t teach him such nonsense; he’s still a child." Mo Xiuyao smiled at Ye Li, "I know, Liyu. I haven’t taught him anything improper."

The father-son duo seldom worked together like this; Moxiaobao nodded seriously, "Yes yes, Father King is teaching his son how to deal with bad people! Bad people!" Mo Xiuyao discreetly waved a hand at Moxiaobao and the boy immediately understood. He said to Ye Li, "Mama, I’m tired and will go rest now. Good night Mama." With that, he rushed out like a gust of wind. Mo Xiuyao smiled at Ye Li innocently, "Xiaobao’s lightness skills are indeed quite good; this wasn’t taught by me."o Yao often liked to act out, Ye Li wagered that even as a child, he couldn't have reached the level of crying on command and controlling his tears effortlessly. If one considered his playful nature,...