Chapter 68: Sharing Trials and Tribulations (1)

Feng Shang let out a muffled grunt and turned his head away, refusing to look at Chang Ge Yue.

Chang Ge Yue pouted, though her mood was somewhat complicated.

To Zongzheng Moyin, Wen Wan's disappearance was merely a matter of a few days, but to her, it was a century.

Chang Ge Yue's fingers dug fiercely into her palms, and fresh blood dripped down, drop by drop.

Her gaze grew somewhat absent.

With the constant dripping sound, Feng Shang frowned, turning back to look at Chang Ge Yue. In his eyes flickered an eagerness he himself had not noticed: "Are you out of your mind, woman?" Was self-mutilation a source of pleasure?

Recovering her senses, Chang Ge Yue realized that the palms of her hands had been clawed into a bloody mess.

She averted her gaze slightly, only to hear Feng Shang say with a hint of awkwardness, "If you want the Pearl King, there is no need for self-harm. I will gift the Taihu Pearl King to you."

Chang Ge Yue's mood grew somewhat heavy. Gone was her usual banter, and she simply whispered a soft thank you.

Feng Shang narrowed his eyes, gazing at the woman's tranquil face. In her watery eyes seemed to linger an emotion that could not be unraveled.

It was neither affection nor indifference, neither love nor hate, as if she were completely lost and knew not what to do.

"What... are you thinking about?" Feng Shang suddenly asked.

Chang Ge Yue raised her eyes to look at Feng Shang. Pulling herself together, she said, "I was wondering if this Pearl King is enough to heal my face."

Though Feng Shang knew she was not telling the truth, strangely, he did not press further.

He merely glanced coldly at Chang Ge Yue and said, "With a hide as thick as yours, I suppose it's not enough."

Irritated, Chang Ge Yue glared fiercely at Feng Shang, but then suddenly chuckled out loud.

Feng Shang frowned. Seeing that Chang Ge Yue kept staring at him, he instinctively touched his own face, completely unaware of what the issue was.

Chang Ge Yue rose from the ground and asked, "How is your Nine Gardens now? Have all your subordinates perished?"

Otherwise, how on earth had Zongzheng Moyin managed to break in?!

Feng Shang curved his lips coldly. "My shadow guards would not perish so easily!" Did she think the people by his side were pushovers?

Chang Ge Yue pouted, noncommittal.

At that moment, Qin Qi walked in with an expression of barely concealed excitement. Upon seeing Feng Shang's face, a trace of awkwardness flashed through his eyes, but he quickly lowered his head and said, "Your Highness, this subordinate led men to search the entire Prince Chen's Estate, but the item was not found."

Chang Ge Yue looked up at the ceiling in speechlessness. They couldn't find it and yet he was still this excited!

Feng Shang raised an eyebrow. "As expected."

Qin Qi nodded and continued, "Your Highness is truly brilliant. To capture you, Zongzheng Moyin indeed deployed his entire force, allowing us to enter Prince Chen's Estate as if no one was there."

Chang Ge Yue's eyes widened instantly. Brilliant?

Noticing Chang Ge Yue's expression, Qin Qi immediately explained, "His Highness anticipated long ago that Shangguan Cheng was merely a decoy thrown out by Zongzheng Moyin, and that the person who came to the estate to discuss matters with Steward Qin was just a distraction to lure the tiger away from the mountain. Therefore, His Highness ordered us to play along and launch a surprise attack on Prince Chen's Estate. It's a pity that the item is actually not inside the estate." Qin Qi looked somewhat regretful.

Chang Ge Yue had no idea what it was that Feng Shang was looking for, but she frowned and asked, "Then what about your injuries?" Everything else was a ruse, but his injuries were real!

Feng Shang nodded. "When the false is taken for the true, the true becomes false as well. How else could we have deceived Zongzheng Moyin?"

Chang Ge Yue gritted her teeth. When it came to ruthlessness, she was indeed no match for him; he had actually placed himself in mortal danger just to succeed!