Volume 1 Chapter 6: Meeting the Founding Master After Time Travel
Hua Xieyi first calmed Qingzhou, buying time, and asked the other party with difficulty: "There are guards outside the door, and the Prince Regent's mansion is heavily guarded. It won't be easy for us to leave together."
The masked woman replied without hesitation: "This subordinate will find a way to distract them. Master, you can go out through the back window and head straight to the rear gate, which isn't far."
"But wouldn't that put you in danger?"
The masked woman shook her head firmly: "Master, don't worry. I have the Poison Mist Bomb you gave me for self-defense. I will definitely escape safely."
After saying this, she tapped her toes lightly, as agile as a cat, leaped out through the back window, and flipped onto the roof ridge.
Hua Xieyi thought for a moment. Since this girl was risking her life to save her, it showed her loyalty. Regardless of who she was, her words should be trustworthy.
Time to slip away!
In that brief moment of hesitation, she heard Qingzhou shout outside the door: "Who's there?!"
Then, with a leap into the air, Qingzhou likely chased after the direction where the masked woman had disappeared.
For a moment, arrows whizzed through the air like locusts.
Seizing the opportunity, Hua Xieyi climbed out through the back window, dashed to the rear gate in a few quick steps, and cursed inwardly—it was locked!
The guards shouted about catching the thief, their footsteps chaotic, and someone yelled loudly: "Got her, shot her! Everyone, don't let her escape!"
Hua Xieyi felt a pang of worry. If something happened to the other person because of her, how could she live with herself?
But revealing herself recklessly now wasn't a wise move. Just as she hesitated, a deafening "boom" echoed, and smoke filled the air.
Hua Xieyi was startled. This wasn't the sound of ordinary firecrackers—its power was comparable to the Heaven-Shaking Thunder.
Moreover, amidst the flames, black smoke billowed upward. The guards shouted, "The smoke is poisonous! Hold your breath!"
Recalling the Poison Mist Bomb the woman had mentioned earlier, Hua Xieyi hadn't expected it to be so formidable. Not only did it have shrapnel and toxicity, but it also acted like a smoke bomb, providing cover for escape—truly killing three birds with one stone.
Did she really give this thing to her? Why was the original owner so generous? Even when she was in dire straits herself, wouldn't it have been better to keep one or two for self-defense?
The guards clamored as they searched everywhere for the assassin's trail, and it was only a matter of time before they reached the rear gate.
At this point, there was no choice but to fight.
Looking at the wall over two people high, Hua Xieyi rubbed her hands together. Even if she couldn't scale walls and leap over rooftops, climbing a wall shouldn't be too difficult, right?
She took a few steps back for a running start, aimed for the top of the wall, and pushed off with all her might. To her surprise, her entire body felt as light as a swallow, soaring upward.
Hua Xieyi felt a surge of secret joy. So the original owner actually had martial arts skills. As long as she could escape this Shezheng Wangfu, wouldn't she be free as a bird?
Before she could revel in her triumph, her vision suddenly blurred. A figure in blue flashed past, and a voice shouted: "Where did this little thief come from? Take a palm strike from your Second Master!"
Caught completely off guard, Hua Xieyi instinctively dodged to the side and met the opponent's palm with one of her own.
With a "bang" that shook the heavens, the other person was sent flying backward, clearing the wall with a muffled groan.
Hua Xieyi didn't fare much better either. Not only did she land back inside the Prince Regent's mansion grounds, but she also fell from a height, landing squarely on her buttocks. Her tailbone felt like it was about to shatter.
The Prince Regent's guards rushed toward the sound, drawing their swords and surrounding her in the center: "Here's another thief! Second Master Lu caught her."
Lu Er, following Gong Jinxing's orders, hurriedly rushed to the back gate. From a distance, he heard the guards shouting "Catch the thief!" and spotted a figure dressed as a servant sneaking around, attempting to climb over the wall to escape. Automatically assuming this was the culprit, he ended up taking Hua Xieyi's palm strike squarely.
Dusting off his clothes, he grimaced as he returned, his entire arm still numb. Raising his leg high, he thought, "Whoever you are, I'll kick you a few times in the gut to vent my anger."
"Damn, you pack quite a punch? I'll show you running!"
His foot was raised, full force, when Hua Xieyi lifted her face, locking eyes with him directly.
Lu Er shuddered and froze, maintaining a one-legged stance like a golden rooster. He forced an awkward smile, "Heh heh," and brushed the dust off his pant leg.
"So it's the Princess Consort! No acquaintance without a fight, forgive me, forgive me!"
Some of the guards in the courtyard had seen Hua Xieyi before, but her earlier disheveled appearance and now her servant's disguise made her unrecognizable to anyone.
Hearing Lu Er's words, the guards craned their necks to look, their swords clattering to the ground one after another, and they all knelt with a thud.
"Princess Consort, forgive us!"
Hua Xieyi supported her lower back, rubbing her tailbone as she struggled to stand up. She narrowed her eyes slightly at Lu Er, a threatening glint in her gaze.
"You know me?"
Lu Er retreated two steps, nodding then shaking his head, shaking his head then nodding.
"Guessed, just guessed. Never seen you before."
Hua Xieyi let out a cold laugh. "Dressed like this, you could still guess?"
Lu Er choked, fearfully retreating another two steps, stammering and clearly still shaken from the earlier strike.
"I guessed… I couldn't guess. Who would have thought the Princess Consort would be climbing walls?"
Now it was Hua Xieyi's turn to be stumped.
"Catching a thief. I just saw a thief climbing over the wall and was about to give chase when you intercepted me. And who are you? What are you doing here?"
Lu Er knew she was lying but didn't dare expose her, as if he had some leverage against her. He gave a guilty, awkward smile. "I am Lu Er, courtesy name Yuanqi. Ah, I almost forgot the main matter! The Prince suddenly fell unconscious from a poison flare-up, and his condition looks quite serious. So, I've been asked to request the Princess Consort to return to the front courtyard immediately."
Poison flare-up, unconscious?
Hua Xieyi was startled. Though escaping was important, she couldn't just stand by and watch the Prince Regent suffer from a poison attack.
If anything happened to him now, she wouldn't be leaving the capital alive either.
Without another word, Hua Xieyi turned and walked away. After about ten steps, she suddenly paused, turning back around.
Lu Er had been trotting along behind her, shaking his arm and grimacing in pain. Hua Xieyi's sudden turn nearly caused him to crash into her.
Hua Xieyi looked him up and down, her gaze somewhat peculiar.
This Lu Er carried himself with an elegant demeanor and was a handsome young man. The only flaw was his slightly small head and somewhat thick neck. Occasionally, when startled by her, his expression turned dopey, somewhat resembling a silly roe deer in the northeastern snow—the kind that, after being hit, doesn't run away but turns to stare at you foolishly.
"You said your name is Lu Yuanqi? The 'Yuanqi' as in 'loyalty can be expressed, trust can be extended'?"
Lu Er nodded. "Exactly. I'm the second son in the Prime Minister's household, Princess Consort. You can just call me Lu Er."
What a coincidence. That name—she was all too familiar with it.
The Ghost Doctor Hall has been passed down for centuries. Through the changes of time, much of its former glory has faded, yet some unique secret formulas have been fortunate enough to be meticulously preserved and passed down intact, remaining as pristine as ever.
These formulas are deeply ingrained in Hua Xieyi's memory, and the signature "Lu Yuanqi" appears frequently at the end of various prescriptions, written with bold and elegant strokes.
What’s even more coincidental is that the antidote for the Western Region Demon Lotus was created by this very Lu Yuanqi!
It is said that he was the founding ancestor of the Ghost Doctor Hall. Of course, this is merely hearsay, as the era is too distant to verify.
Today, she encountered someone with the same name.
But judging by his foolish appearance, he shouldn’t have any connection to her Ghost Doctor Hall.
Otherwise, wouldn’t that be like meeting her own ancestor through time travel?