Is it... Yi Yuan?
She suddenly looked up—
No.
Instead, it was Xie Huaiyue whom she hadn't seen for many days.
He stood in front of her, holding a sword, looking down from above.
"Xie..." Ye Xi blurted out.
Then she suddenly remembered that she was dressed as a Taoist nun now. She immediately changed her tone and said gruffly,
"Thank you, benefactor, for your generous help. This poor nun is extremely grateful."
Xie Huaiyue still looked half - smiling, with a sense of detachment in his eyes.
"You're welcome. Just be more careful next time, Immortal. Fortunately, you met my carriage. If it were someone else, something bad might have happened."
"Yes," Ye Xi had already stood up straight. She bowed to Xie Huaiyue and said, "Thank you for your reminder, benefactor. Although today's accident was unintentional, it was ultimately this poor nun's fault. I wonder if the benefactor was injured. This poor nun is willing to make full compensation."
"No need. I'm fine, but it seems the Immortal is more seriously injured than I am." Xie Huaiyue waved his hand.
"The Immortal may go. I still have something to do, so I'll leave first."
After saying that, he didn't care about Ye Xi anymore and turned away.
Since Xie Huaiyue didn't mind, Ye Xi didn't insist anymore. Only after the incident was over did she realize that her whole body ached badly.
"Hiss..." Ye Xi couldn't help but let out a soft cry.
"Miss," Sai Xing quickly stepped forward to support Ye Xi. "Let's go to the medical clinic."
"Wait a moment," Ye Xi endured the pain and led the horse to a big tree on the street corner. She gave instructions,
"First, find someone to send this horse back to the carriage - rental shop. Tell the shopkeeper that we'll come to settle the damages after we've been to the medical clinic. The officers from the Street Administration should be here soon. We need to talk to them about cleaning up the wreckage of the carriage, or we'll be punished."
"Yes, Miss."
Sai Xing took the order and left.
The sun in late April was already a bit scorching. People were coming and going on the street. It was not convenient for Ye Xi to lift her robe, so she could only do a simple check of her wounds.
Her legs and arms ached. Presumably, they were bruised from the impact. Her palm was probably scratched when she rolled off the carriage. A large piece of skin was broken and bleeding.
Ye Xi frowned slightly. She took out the brocade handkerchief from her bosom, wiped the blood while breathing out gently.
She didn't notice at all the person who was quietly approaching her.
The weapon reflected the bright sun, flashing a white light. Ye Xi suddenly became aware and instinctively took a step back.
The sharp blade slid across Ye Xi's arm, making a "tear" sound as it cut through the sleeve of her Taoist robe.
She really didn't expect that the attacker would dare to act in broad daylight and in full view of the public. Ye Xi forgot to call for help for a moment and just dodged to the side in a hurry.
There were few people on the street corner. When people saw someone committing murder, their first reaction was to avoid the scene. For a moment, no one stepped forward to help.
The assassin had already chased after Ye Xi. With a flash of cold light, the dagger was stabbing towards Ye Xi's chest.
"Clang—"
A long sword suddenly pierced in from the side and blocked the dagger. Then, with a reverse flick, the dagger flew out with a "whoosh".
The person holding the sword stood sideways in front of Ye Xi. He lifted his long leg and kicked the assassin right in the chest with a "thud", sending him flying more than ten feet away.
The tree shadows were dancing, and the sunlight was shining brightly.
It all fell on the broad shoulders and back of that person, reflecting a warm glow that was dazzling.
It was Yi Yuan.
Ye Xi's heart suddenly started beating fast. Those two words were stuck tightly in her throat.
She couldn't say them, nor could she swallow them.
"You're seeking death."
His voice was like the shattering of Kunshan jade, cold and heartless, just like his usual self.
The assassin had been subdued by Mian Xiao, but he immediately swallowed poison and died.
Sai Xing came back with someone. Seeing Yi Yuan standing with a sword in his hand and Ye Xi in a sorry state, she immediately let out a cry of surprise and stepped forward to check if Ye Xi was injured.
Ye Xi had regained her composure. She quickly tidied up her clothes and veil hat, then bowed to Yi Yuan and said,
"Thank you, Your Highness, for saving my life."
Yi Yuan quietly scanned Ye Xi from head to toe. He didn't see any obvious wounds. Only one section of her sleeve was torn, revealing her jade - like arm when it fluttered.
Yi Yuan's eyes tightened, but his tone was still the same as usual:
"It seems the Immortal was scratched. Why not come back to the mansion with this king? The golden sore medicine in the mansion is excellent. It can also be regarded as my thanks to the Immortal for your previous help."
Finally, he added,
"Mian Xiao will arrange things here properly. The Immortal can rest assured."
Ye Xi didn't answer immediately. She stared at Yi Yuan for a while. Then she suddenly let out a soft laugh:
"Okay, Your Highness."
The two of them walked towards the carriage one after the other.
Sai Xing gently tugged at the corner of Ye Xi's clothes and whispered,
"Miss, are we really going back to the mansion with the prince like this? When we get to the mansion later, where can we find another 'you' for the prince? According to the original schedule, you should be accompanying the young heir in the mansion now."
Ye Xi gently shook her head. Her voice was a bit helpless:
"No need. Yi Yuan already knows my identity."
"Ah?" Sai Xing was shocked. She instinctively glanced at Yi Yuan in front of them and was very confused:
"Then... why doesn't the prince expose us? No, when did the prince know? And how did he know?"
Ye Xi frowned slightly and looked at Yi Yuan:
"We'll know if we ask."
The two of them didn't say anything more. When they got into the carriage and it drove steadily towards the mansion, Ye Xi naturally spoke up:
"Why is Your Highness here? Have you found the person you're looking for?"
Her voice was like a silver bell, clear and clean. She no longer pretended.
A look of surprise flashed across Yi Yuan's eyes. He looked at Ye Xi but didn't answer her question. Instead, he asked coolly,
"What? Miss Ye isn't pretending anymore?"
"Since Your Highness already knows my identity, why pretend anymore? But may I ask Your Highness, why didn't you expose me but instead help me?"
Ye Xi didn't avoid the question at all and asked Yi Yuan back.
The carriage fell silent for a moment. Only the sound of the wheels turning slowly could be heard.
Why did he help her?
Yi Yuan didn't know either.
At first, he felt guilty for misunderstanding her. Then, he became a bit curious when he saw her acting furtively. After that, he found her current appearance quite interesting. Moreover, her ability of "divining the fortune" was truly rare. He had written to Hun Yuan about it, and even Hun Yuan couldn't match her attainments.
So... why did he help her? Because among all the women in the world, only this one had captured his heart.
Yi Yuan suddenly froze.
Was he having other thoughts about a woman who was already engaged?
How could this happen? And... how could he...
Yi Yuan let out a soft cough. He didn't intend to answer her question either. He just changed the subject:
"Miss Ye is really smart. How did you know that I knew your identity?"
The curtain fluttered, making it hard to see his expression clearly. Ye Xi simply took off her veil hat. Her almond eyes were bright as she looked directly at Yi Yuan:
"Because of the garden Your Highness gave me."
"Except for Sai Xing, I've never told anyone about my desire to buy a house. And the fact that this house must be kept secret from others is something that no one else knows."
"But Your Highness not only knew that I needed a house but also knew my intention to keep it a secret. That's why you specifically told Steward Chen to keep it confidential. I'm not boasting, but for something I've never mentioned, I don't think Your Highness's spies could have found out about it no matter how capable they are."
"But Your Highness just knew, and knew so much. There's only one thing that can explain it: You recognized me that day at the estate agency. You knew that I wanted to secretly buy an estate, so you arranged for Steward Chen to give me the garden and even used a false identity for the transaction registration."
"However, Your Highness," Ye Xi's eyes sparkled like water,
"Why?"