Blossom In Adversity - Vol. 2

C299. Matters Upon Matters.

Chapter 299: Matters Upon Matters

Over six months had passed, but Hua Zhi finally ran into Chen Tu again in that same damn village. This time, she wasn’t clueless like last time. She could see it right away from his cold, calculated behavior toward Yan Xi. The guy was most definitely from the Seventh Stars Bureau.

After an unremarkable meal—plenty of food, but bland as hell—Hua Zhi pushed back from the table and said, “You two talk, I’m gonna rest.”

Yan Xi followed her into the room. Without missing a beat, he poured her some tea and handed it to her, his voice low, “You barely ate anything.”

“Rough trip, lost my appetite,” Hua Zhi said with a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Half of it was vegetarian. He made an effort. Tell him thanks for me.”

“Get some rest. We leave early tomorrow, aiming to reach Yinyan Pass the day after tomorrow.”

“Got it.”

Yan Xi gave her a soft pat on the head before turning to leave.

Outside, Chen Tu stood waiting, like some stiff soldier. He followed Yan Xi into the side room.

“Reporting, Leader,” Chen Tu saluted again.

Yan Xi waved it off, not in the mood for any of that. “Cut the formalities. You get the word from Yingshan Pass?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. Don’t waste time with the formalities next time. From now on, you make sure everything’s locked down every six months. This place stays as a stopover point. No surprises.”

Hua Zhi already knew who the hell Chen Tu was. No point in keeping up the charade anymore. With her mind, she would’ve cracked it the moment she stepped foot here.

“Any updates from Gu Chengde?”

“Two assassination attempts last month,” Chen Tu reported, his tone even. “One from the Second Prince. The other? The Emperor himself.”

It wasn’t a shocker that the Emperor had tried to kill his own son again—he’d done it before.

But the Second Prince? That one got under Yan Xi’s skin.

He’d expected the bastard to move sooner. Not sit on his hands this long.

That caught him off guard.

Progress.

"Tell me about the situation."

"Got it." Chen Tu was already on top of things, his report ready and his tone calm. "As you predicted, the First Prince is suspicious of his bodyguard, Wu Shoujiang. I spoke with him, and Wu Shoujiang wasted no time taking the blame. He met with the First Prince once, but then he started dodging further meetings. Eventually, the First Prince got the message and stopped pushing. The person who’s been with him for the past two months hasn’t left his side, and I haven’t been able to get a read on who they are."

Yan Xi's eyes narrowed, lips curving slightly. "It’s clearly someone from the capital. Everyone’s got brains, and even if they’re loyal to Gu Chengde, they wouldn’t risk angering the Emperor right now. As for not knowing their identity... that’s hardly an obstacle."

Chen Tu bowed slightly, continuing without missing a beat. "I had people keep an eye on the generals. On the surface, there’s nothing between them, and they’re not exactly best friends. But just like you said, they’ve got their own way of talking to each other. No one else buys into it, though, and they’re not bringing anyone else in. So far, we’ve got nothing useful."