Her voice was clear, filled with a confident determination and tenacity.
Even through the silk screen, Yi Yuan could see the burning light in her eyes, bright as stars.
His Adam's apple bobbed twice. Yi Yuan stared intently at the vague figure of the woman on the silk screen, his lips curving slightly into a smile:
"Sure."
I'll help you.
The words "I'll help you" lingered on his lips for a moment and then quietly dissipated in his mouth without reaching Ye Xi's ears behind the screen.
Although Ye Xi didn't understand what Yi Yuan meant by "sure", she knew that he was showing his stance.
The stance of standing by her side.
That was enough.
They fell silent. Ye Xi returned to the Ye Mansion and went through the motions of socializing as usual. Then she noticed that Qian Fangxue and her daughter were secretly looking for her, wanting her to read Ye Jueyao's fortune.
It seemed that Ye Jueyao was quite taken by her words at the State Uncle's Mansion...
In that case, let her get more anxious. When she was anxious, she would show her flaws. Ye Xi told Sai Xing to accept the Ye family's invitation a few days later and arranged the affairs in the courtyard. When the time was right, Ye Xi secretly slipped out of the door with Sai Xing under the pretext of going to rest.
The two were dressed in black cloaks and were almost invisible in the dark night.
However, just as they climbed over the wall along the big tree beside the courtyard, they saw Yi Yuan standing upright outside, with Mian Xiao following behind, holding a sword.
Ye Xi and Sai Xing were so scared that they almost let out a scream.
After confirming that it was Yi Yuan, Ye Xi took a deep breath and stepped forward, saluting with a puzzled look on her face:
"Your Highness? It's a dark and windy night. Why are you here?"
Yi Yuan's handsome face was hidden in the thick night, making it hard to see his expression.
However, his voice was as clear as the clinking of gold and jade, every word distinct:
"I'm here to pick you up."
Ye Xi froze on the spot.
The seed that she had finally suppressed broke through the soil again and grew wildly along that little bit of delusion.
Sai Xing and Mian Xiao:?
They didn't know this would happen.
The night wind gently blew by, stirring the green silk by her temples and tickling her face.
Ye Xi suddenly came to her senses and forced a smile:
"Then this little girl thanks Your Highness."
"Okay." Yi Yuan wasn't polite either. He led Ye Xi away.
When they arrived at the prince's mansion and settled down, Hun Yuan rushed over in a hurry. Before he even entered the door, his shouting could be heard:
"Yi Xiaoyuan, I'm putting it bluntly. My time is very precious. I'll only give you half an hour..."
As he said that, he stepped into the door and saw Ye Xi standing there gracefully, heavily made up. She looked a bit scary in the middle of the night.
Hun Yuan stopped in his tracks.
"Oh no, it can only be a quarter of an hour. I'm so busy that I even got the time wrong..."
He changed the time instantly.
Ye Xi:...
Yi Yuan smiled faintly:
"Really?"
"What if I say she is the Slow Ping Immortal Lady?"
Hun Yuan stopped again.
He had already walked to the wooden chair and was about to sit down casually. Before he could touch the chair, he immediately stood up.
He walked back to Ye Xi and sized her up carefully.
Ye Xi had only seen Hun Yuan from afar before and hadn't had the chance to look closely just now. Only then did she realize that although Hun Yuan was very famous, he looked quite young, about the same age as Yi Yuan.
He had thick black eyebrows and round eyes, and his face was handsome. He had an otherworldly air about him, making people want to get close to him.
Hun Yuan also finished sizing up Ye Xi.
He let out a strange "tut" twice and smiled:
"Your makeup is too thick. I can't read your face. And there is no spiritual energy around you. How can you 'divine fortunes' for others?"
Ye Xi felt a bit embarrassed.
In order not to expose that she already knew the Ye family's secret, she still did everything as Ye Jueyao and Qian Fangxue had arranged in her daily life, so as not to accidentally reveal a flaw one day. As a result, she forgot that the makeup on her face was too thick for Hun Yuan to see her face.
Touching the thick makeup on her face, Ye Xi smiled shyly and said:
"I forgot about this. Could Your Highness please send someone to lead Sai Xing to fetch some water so that this little girl can wash off this makeup?"
"Okay."
Yi Yuan waved his hand, signaling Mian Xiao to take Sai Xing to fetch water.
He was also a bit curious to see Ye Xi's true appearance.
Hun Yuan was still asking Ye Xi about her "fortune - divining" technique and wanted Ye Xi to divine his fortune to see for himself.
Ye Xi couldn't refuse, so she had to divine Hun Yuan's fortune just like she had done before to bluff people.
Hun Yuan was amazed and became even more interested in Ye Xi.
While they were talking, Sai Xing had fetched the water and helped Ye Xi wash off the thick makeup on her face.
However, when the makeup was washed off, the few men in the room were all stunned.
She had a natural beauty without any adornment. Her hair was piled up high like a cloud, and her eyebrows were slender and curved. Her red lips were full and her white teeth were bright. Her bright eyes were full of charm, and her face was well - proportioned. Her graceful figure was charming and elegant, and her manner was calm and composed...
Except that there were no dimples on her cheeks, the rest seemed to describe Ye Xi exactly.
Everyone present had seen many beautiful women. Yi Yuan and Hun Yuan were especially so. One was usually surrounded by many beautiful women, and the other had seen countless beauties in the palace.
But the beautiful women in the world came in all shapes and sizes, with different charms. None of them could compare to the woman in front of them, with her pure beauty and an otherworldly air.
Feeling a bit uncomfortable under their gazes, Ye Xi couldn't help but cough lightly and said:
"Ahem... I wonder if the master can interpret my fortune now?"
Everyone suddenly came to their senses, each with their own thoughts.
Hun Yuan was very straightforward. He let out a loud laugh and said cheerfully:
"This trip is worth it."
Then he carefully examined Ye Xi's face.
However, the more he looked, the tighter his brows frowned. His solemn expression and the increasingly strange look in his eyes made Ye Xi more and more nervous.
Was this evil curse really so powerful that even Master Hun Yuan couldn't break it?
Was she really doomed to take the life - threatening calamity for others?
Her heart sank bit by bit. Finally, Hun Yuan spoke:
"According to what I can see, miss, there is no evil curse on your face..."
"What!?"
Everyone present was stunned.
Ye Xi was especially shocked. She never expected this result.
"But... I heard this with my own ears. There can't be a mistake. How... how could this be..."
Ye Xi was in a complete mess.
If she wasn't bound by the evil curse to take Ye Jueyao's life - threatening calamity, why did the Ye family go to so much trouble to hide it and stage this whole play? Why were they so secretive about her identity?
Maybe... the evil curse the Ye family put on her didn't work, and she didn't need to exchange her life for Ye Jueyao's. Then... did she no longer need to be so cautious? Did she no longer need to be afraid that the Ye family would find out that she knew the secret and make things difficult for her because of the life - threatening calamity?
Her heart began to beat faster, and her eyes gradually lit up.
But how could that be?
This was the Ye family's painstaking effort for more than ten years. Ye Xi didn't believe that they didn't even know whether the life - threatening calamity curse had been successfully cast.
The light in her eyes gradually faded.
Ye Xi said bitterly:
"Master, I'm sure there is something on me. Since the master said there is no such evil curse, please help me check if there is anything else on me?"
"Hmm..." Seeing Ye Xi so determined, Hun Yuan suddenly felt her pulse.
Everyone was waiting nervously. After a moment of silence.
Hun Yuan's eyes suddenly brightened, and he said in a deep voice:
"There is indeed something else, but it's not any curse. Instead..."
A cold smile suddenly appeared on his lips, and his eyes were filled with a cold light:
"A Gu worm."