Chapter 525: Do you know? I like him (2/2)

He had watched and guessed her motives for days, wondering if a little genius like Mu Linger had come up with a novel way to make new medicines. Every daybreak, she’d place one pill into the bowl. He had puzzled over the problem from the perspectives of time, temperature, humidity, the strength of her grip on the pills and even the material of the bowl, but still couldn’t figure out what she was doing. He even analyzed how she’d swirl the contents of the bowl after putting in a pill, but couldn’t get anything out of it.

Mu Linger suddenly didn’t know how to reply.

“Bring it here, let me have a sniff,” Gu Qishao said earnestly.

Mu Linger looked at his unconvinced gaze and felt torn between laughing and being miserable. Qi gege, Linger isn’t making a prescription. Linger’s just keeping track of the days. She stared at him for a long time without responding.

Gu Qishao was a hopeless fool for medicine, so he didn’t give up. He scooted over with a smirk and said, “It’s a new way of making medicine, isn’t it? How about we discuss it together?”

Mu Linger smiled wryly. “Your Excellency Pill Fiend, I have no sense of time in this cell, so I rely on those pills to keep track of the days! As soon as it gets light, I put another pill into the bowl…”

Gu Qi Sha lost all interest by the time Mu Linger finished and muttered to himself, “This old fellow was overthinking things!” He leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes to rest.

Mu Linger looked and him and couldn’t resist murmuring, “Your Excellency Pill Fiend, do you know why I’m keeping track of the days?”

Gu Qi Sha didn’t reply. It was as if he’d fallen asleep. Mu Linger was all too familiar with his attitude. In the past, she’d tug and yell at Qi gege nonstop but he would still feign unconsciousness when he had trouble falling asleep.

“I’m keeping a record of the days left until I can go to Pill Fiend Pharmacy. If I can visit once every three months, that means there’s 77 days left before my trip,” Mu Linger smiled.

Gu Qishao’s eyes flew open as he asked doubtfully, “Do you really want to go to Pill Fiend Pharmacy?” Didn’t she only have to go because she lost to me? Strange!

“No, I want to meet my Qi gege. Pill Fiend Pharmacy belongs to Han Yunxi, so my Qi gege will definitely show up there,” Mu Linger said very, very earnestly.

Gu Qishao instantly averted his gaze before he retorted, “Absurd!”

But Mu Linger only said, “Your Excellency Pill Fiend, do you know? I like Qi gege.”

Gu Qishao felt his heart lurch at the sudden sight of Mu Linger’s large, clear eyes. It felt like something had stabbed the softest part of his heart, making him extremely uncomfortable. Still, the sensation only lasted a second at most. He immediately broke into long guffaws that didn’t stop until he glanced back her again. In an incredulous tone, he cried, “Don’t talk to this old man about love and sweet nothings or hovering between life and death! This old man is too old, I can’t take it!”

Mu Linger grit her teeth before finally uttering, “Oh.”

Like that, the two of them fell into silence. Still, Gu Qishao was quick to walk away and hide himself in the darkest corner of the cell to sleep. He also ordered Mu Linger, “Leave some food for this old man when they deliver the meal!”

Until he found a chance to escape, he would probably have to spend time waiting with this lass. Mu Linger could still smile despite the circumstances. “Your Excellency Pill Fiend, you’re getting on in years and can’t afford to be hungry. I’ll give all my food to you.”

There were many different ways to like a person. Some people demanded an equal relationship—if I like you, you have to like me back. If I treat you well, you have to treat me well, too.

Others blindly demanded love from their partners—no matter how I treat you, you have to treat me well.

And then there were others who would willingly hold onto a one-sided love—as long as I treat you well, it’s all sunny skies for me.

Qi gege, you are Linger’s sunny sky.

Mu Linger suddenly had no desire to leave the jail cell at all. She wished she could stay here forever instead. Of course, that was impossible.

—

The roundworms had hollowed out the entire stomach of the man sent by the Lin Clan. He died a horrific death. Naturally, the prisons suppressed all news of the incident so it wouldn’t spread, but they told Head Elder Xie straight away. Both Head Elder Xie and the Xie Clan head met with the Lin Clan head to see the man’s corpse covered in poison roundworms.

Head Elder Xie was greatly alarmed by the sight. “This is from the Hundred Poisons Sect!”

None of them knew poisons, but the most famous toxin of the Hundred Poisons Sect was recognizable on sight. The Lin Clan head was completely flabbergasted. “Mu Linger has relations with the Hundred Poisons Sect?”

Head Elder Xie and the Xie Clan head both exchanged glances before consoling the Lin Clan head. They told the guards to keep mum about the incident and get rid of the corpse quickly.

“Father, Mu Yingdong’s move was too finely calculated! It looks like Mu Linger’s long been in cahoots with Jun Yixie. She only went to challenge Gu Qi Sha as part of the stratagem to lure you over!” the Xie Clan Head said in shock.

Both of them assumed that it was Mu Yingdong and Jun Yixie who were working together, but it seemed that Mu Linger’s challenge against Pill Fiend Pharmacy was all pre-planned as well!

“Mu Yingdong! Do you think this old man’s so easy to trick?!” Head Elder Xie was incensed. He had wanted to wait for a better time to take action, but now he was going to counterattack first!

Whatever his schemes were, he asked to meet with Jun Yixie the very next day.