Chapter 123 – Tonight, I’ll Find an Opportunity to Take His Life

Chapter 123 - Tonight, I'll Find an Opportunity to Take His Life

Feyi was naturally willing to have someone escort her.

Escaping from the palace, she had been evading pursuit the whole way. If not for her luck, her old bones would likely have been left behind long ago.

"I'll be much obliged to Duke Guo," she said.

Mo Jiuya had no intention of correcting Feyi's address of him; after all, they would never meet again in the future.

He gestured to Liang Hao and the others in the distance.

Liang Hao understood and led his group quickly towards Mo Jiuya.

Mo Jiuya deliberately slowed down his pace, trying to keep a distance from the exiled group.

Meanwhile, He Zhiran kept observing the He family's movements.

In the entire exiled group, only the He family had an uneasy relationship with the Mo family. Even though they had conversed with Feyi away from the others, caution was still necessary.

Should He Zhiyuan rashly speculate and divulge the events to others, it would undoubtedly invite unnecessary trouble.

Sure enough, He Zhiyuan was acting suspiciously, frequently casting glances in their direction.

Even though he knew that He Zhiyuan could obtain no information, his presence was still irksome.

It seemed that He Zhiyuan could not be spared, or perhaps some other means were needed to prevent him from spreading false rumors.

As He Zhiran pondered over how to silence He Zhiyuan, Liang Hao and the others had already approached them.

They bowed towards Mo Jiuya and called out, "Master Ninth," before standing obediently, awaiting orders.

Mo Jiuya pointed at Nurse Fei and said, "This is Consort Yuan's personal nurse. Due to certain circumstances, she has been pursued by Nan Qi. I wish to dispatch two of you to escort her back to the capital."

"We have no objections, Your Excellency. We are willing to go."

"I am also willing to undertake this mission."

Song Chao and Wang Dali took the initiative to speak first.

After all, there were too many people around, and Mo Jiuya didn't want Nurse Fei to linger any longer than necessary.

For the first time, he asked He Zhiran for money.

"I'd like them to have some silver as travel expenses."

He Zhiran was not a stingy person by nature, and besides, half of the silver that had been taken from the national treasury was thanks to Mo Jiuya's efforts. Thus, he had every right to allocate it.

Without hesitation, He Zhiran, using the cover of his sleeve, retrieved two hundred taels worth of banknotes from his hidden space and handed them to Song Chao.

"Take these for your journey and use them to purchase an ox cart; it'll make traveling easier."

Song Chao returned the banknotes.

"Madam Nine, we brought silver with us when we left the border."

Nurse Fei also turned her gaze towards Mo Jiuya and He Zhiran.

"Old servant's pouch contains some valuables, sufficient for the journey to the capital. In your current circumstances, it's reassuring to have some silver in hand."

Seeing that everyone had refused his offered silver, Mo Jiuya decided to let He Zhiran take care of it instead.

They are now individuals banished by the Emperor, and their overly prominent behavior might provoke unwanted speculation from others.

"In that case, be cautious on your journey."

Gazing at Feng Ma's snow-white hair, it was strikingly prominent.

It was likely that Nan Qi had dispatched assassins, and their first target would be her distinctive white hair.

For safety's sake, He Zhiran didn't let Feng Ma leave immediately.

Instead, she purchased a packet of hair dye called 'One Wash Black' from the Taobao Mall.

This product could easily turn her hair black with just a simple wash.

She transferred the 'One Wash Black' into small porcelain bottles within her space and handed them to Feng Ma.

"Nanny, take this to rinse your hair. It will soon turn black, and then you should change your attire. I believe it will greatly increase your safety."

Nanny Fei received the small porcelain bottle gratefully and sincerely expressed her thanks.

"Many thanks, Madam Duke. This old servant has been worried about my white hair being too noticeable on our journey. With this, I'll feel much more secure."

After making all the necessary arrangements, Mo Jiuya glanced at the sky.

"It's getting late. You should set off early."

Song Chao and Wang Dali obeyed, escorting Nurse Fei away safely.

Liang Hao led the other two, maintaining a distance from the main group.

Mo Jiuya and He Zhiran quickened their pace, determined to catch up with the exile convoy sooner.

On the way, He Zhiran whispered softly, "I just noticed that He Zhiyuan has been staring in our direction."

Mo Jiuya's gaze darkened. "I had intended to spare his life after he told me about Nan Rui. But it seems I was wrong; this person cannot be allowed to remain alive."

Noticing that they were on the same wavelength, He Zhiran asked, "What's your plan?"

Mo Jiuya made a slicing gesture with his hand. "Tonight, I'll find an opportunity to take his life."

Upon hearing this, He Zhiran instinctively glanced in Peng Wang's direction.

"Wouldn't this cause trouble for Brother Peng?"

Throughout their journey, Peng Wang had treated them kindly. It would be rather unjustifiable if they brought harm upon him for their own selfish desires.

Mo Jiuya raised an eyebrow. "Do you have a better idea?"

He Zhiran nodded. "Do you still remember the silver ring snake that bit Brother Peng when we first left the capital?"

"Of course," Mo Jiuya replied.

He Zhiran continued, "Not long ago, during my leisure time, I extracted venom from that snake and created two poisons. One of them is called 'Lethargy.' This drug can temporarily paralyze one's consciousness.

If I were to add just a few more ingredients to it, whoever takes it would end up like Sun Jiaba, living the rest of their life as a fool."

Mo Jiuya's eyes lit up. "In that case, I'll make my move tonight."

As they spoke, they had already caught up with the exile group. Both of them tacitly decided not to mention the matter further.

Their resting spot for the night was at the foot of a mountain. As usual, after dinner, everyone retreated early into their tents to rest.

He Zhiran thought of Liang Hao and the others. Although they were still some distance away from the exile group, they too would have to spend the night outdoors.

She suggested to Mo Jiuya, "Why don't I purchase a tent for them in my space and say we bought it from foreigners?"

Mo Jiuya was aware of Liang Hao and the others' predicament. However, he hadn't come up with a good solution to help them.

"That's a great idea. Leave the issue of the tent's origin to me."

With Mo Jiuya's approval, He Zhiran swiftly selected a tent on Taobao that resembled those used in ancient military campaigns.

Aside from its smaller size compared to ancient military tents, the main feature of this modern tent was its ease of use.

Mo Jiuya, after inspecting the tent, secretly delivered it to Liang Hao and the others under the cover of night, evading the watchful eyes of the crowd.

On his return, he purposely observed the area where the He family had settled for rest.

Most people were already asleep, but He Zhiyuan sat beneath a tree, engrossed in some task with his head bowed.

Silently, Mo Jiuya leaped onto the branches of a nearby tree, using the moonlight to observe He Zhiyuan's actions from above.

He saw He Zhiyuan tearing a corner from his garment, then biting his finger to write something on it.

Mo Jiuya's dark eyes narrowed slightly as he strained to see more clearly in the moonlight.

Unfortunately, the light was inadequate, and the distance was too great for him to discern what He Zhiyuan was writing.

Despite this, Mo Jiuya did not immediately intervene. He wanted to witness if the complete message He Zhiyuan was writing was indeed related to their encounter with Nurse Fei earlier that day.