"Where... did you go just now?"

Lin Mengya put out her hand to pinch Qinghu's cheek to make sure that he was not just an illusion.

"Ouch! That's painful! I was right before you, just that you couldn't see me."

He tried to pull away Lin Mengya to protect his cheeks and then looked at her in pain as he explained what had happened to her.

"It was an illusion created by using a person's blind spot? I didn't expect that people in ancient times already knew how to make use of this principle."

All of a sudden Lin Mengya realized why the a.s.sa.s.sins of Peach Blossom Dock always appeared and retreated quickly.

Herein lay the secret.

"Oh, and after you were liberated from Peach Blossom Dock, what happened to the other a.s.sa.s.sins?"

Peach Blossom Dock had basically been set up by Qinghu.

Now that Qinghu had broken away from Peach Blossom Dock, but other killers might not have started anew.

"They had found a new leader for themselves. From the day I was captured, I had been a dead man in the eyes of everyone in Peach Blossom Dock."

A cold smile flashed across Qinghu's face at the mention of the place where he likened to purgatory.

The person behind the evil plan would never expect Lin Mengya to be able to detoxify such a unique poison.

His appearance and voice had changed drastically.

Even if he were to come across any of the a.s.sa.s.sins, they would definitely not recognize him.

The two continued chatting all the way back to Liuxin Courtyard.

Suddenly, a doubt arose in Lin Mengya's mind, and she asked with a soft voice,

"Do you still remember the circ.u.mstance under which we first met?"

The first time they met? Qinghu's lips curled up into an awkward smile as he thought about the deep impression that their first meeting had left in him.

"Of course I remember, la.s.s, but there's something that I want to clarify, did you..."

"Of course not. The aroma you smelt that day was from barbecue pork."

Hearing what Lin Mengya said, Qinghu's expression was bizarre.

He forced a laugh and shook his head. He finally realized that he had been deceived by this la.s.s right from the beginning.

He was very fortunate to be this state now.

"I remember asking who the owner of Peach Blossom Dock was, and who exactly the person that redeemed my life with money was?"

At this juncture, they were almost approaching Liuxin Courtyard.

Since Liuxin Courtyard was their territory, Qinghu had no qualms for giving an honest answer, after a pause, he replied,

"The owner of Peach Blossom Dock was the one who trained and nurtured us, but I don't know who he was, because he wore a mask all the time. Nevertheless, one thing I'm certain is that this person holds great power and status. He had in fact handed over to me the day-to-day running of the dock. However, he had personally told me the things regarding you."

Qinghu might have left Peach Blossom Dock and had been completely cut off from it.

However, Qinghu could not help but shudder at the mention of the master.

This man was too terrifying for him.

A number of youths who trained with him but rebelled against their master had been executed by him through extremely cruel means.

Even up to this day, those b.l.o.o.d.y scenes had appeared in his nightmares.

"Qinghu? Qinghu?"

Lin Mengya was walking ahead of him called out to him while he stood frozen at the same place.

Lin Mengya walked up to Qinghu only to realize that his face had drained of its colors and his forehead was covered with cold sweat.

A look at Qinghu's eyes and Lin Mengya could see that they were out of focus.

Immediately, Lin Mengya realized that Qinghu's past must have been too traumatizing for him, so that once he sunk into the memory of it, he could not draw himself out.

Without hesitation, she embraced Qinghu. She wanted Qinghu to understand that he had been completely liberated.

"It's alright, it's alright, everything's over. From now on, that person won't have a hold on you. You're going to be alright."

With a tender voice, she comforted Qinghu.

Lin Mengya patted his back lightly, as a gesture of telling that he was no longer alone.

His tensed body gradually relaxed in Lin Mengya's embrace.

They stayed in this way until Qinghu embraced her back and suddenly, Lin Mengya felt that her shoulder had turned moist.

"I... Thank you, la.s.s."

A word of thanks told of how bleak his life before this had been.

Lin Mengya sighed and was about to say more comforting words to Qinghu when she suddenly spotted Long Tianhao standing near the gates.

At that instant, she subconsciously pushed Qinghu away from her.

She could see that Long Tianhao was expressionless, yet she had a feeling that he got upset.

"Prince..."

As Long Tianhao turned to leave, Lin Mengya took off and ran after him.

Qinghu was left alone in the garden, looking at Lin Mengya's back.

What a shame, he was not enjoying his intimacy with Lin Mengya and the prince had suddenly appeared to ruin it.

Lin Mengya ran after Long Tianhao all the way back to Qingwu Courtyard. Although Long Tianhao was wearing a poker, she was sure he was angry.

"Wait for me, Your Highness!"

Lin Mengya lifted the hem of her dress to keep up with Long Tianhao, but he was too fast for her.

"Stop there, Long Tianhao!"

She cried out after him as she could not take it anymore but lost her temper at him. She was breathless from chasing him.

Surprisingly, her a.s.sertive cry stopped Long Tianhao in his tracks.

"Why are you walking so fast? Look, you are so much taller than me, and you've got such long legs. How could I ever catch up with you?"

Lin Mengya walked up to Long Tianhao and chided him.

"You're obviously upset. What wrong did I do to upset you?"

She thought she had been a really good girl lately. Not only did she not provoke Long Tianhao to anger, but also did not even step out of the mansion.

After he stopped to finish listening to what Lin Mengya had to say, Long Tianhao started off again.

Once again, Lin Mengya tried to catch up with him, and eventually, she reached out to grab onto his clothes.

"You... don't you try to walk off again!"

Even since Lin Mengya teleported here, she had not had such vigorous exercise.

Finally, Long Tianhao stopped in front of Lin Mengya and stared right at her face, which was flushed from all the catching up.

He instinctively reached out his hand and patted her on her back to help her catch her breath.

"Your Highness, the Prince..."

"Just call me Long Tianhao."

This was the first statement Long Tianhao made after all the chasing.

His deep, magnetic voice brought a bright smile on the face of Lin Mengya, who was dazed for a moment.

"Long Tianhao, although I'm not sure what I've done that upset you, I want to thank you for saving Baizhi and saving me."

She was keenly aware of how Long Tianhao had been protecting her, and she kept this in her heart.

Regardless of the reason for this action, she would be forever grateful to him.

"Thank you so much!"

Smiling sweetly, she went forward and put her arms around Long Tianhao to give him a big hug. For a second, Long Tianhao's body tensed but thereafter, and he hugged her back.

An idea flashed across her mind. Just now she...

Was her Big Boss jealous?

Oh my G.o.d! Was that even possible?

Just when Lin Mengya was about to confirm the fact, someone coughed. The two quickly got out of each other's arm, ending the unexpected embrace instantly.

"Your Highness, the Prince, a message has been sent from Prefecture Bing to say that Princess Linlang had fallen off the horse."

It was the voice of Steward Deng. Long Tianhao released his grip on Lin Mengya and asked,

"Is Linlang alright? Has the physician had a look at her yet?"

Linlang? This was the first time Lin Mengya heard the name. It was the first time Long Tianhao mentioned this name.

As she lifted her head to Long Tianhao, she saw concern written all over his face for the first time.

Lin Mengya's heart sank abruptly.

The romantic feeling inside her vanished into thin air.

She could read a lot from Long Tianhao's expression.

For some unknown reasons, she felt bitterness rising in her heart.

It appeared that she had a misunderstanding.

"Since Prince Yu is busy, I shall not impose on you. I should get going."

She tried hard to maintain an indifferent expression on her face.

Lin Mengya did not wish to stay on to listen to anything regarding Linlang.

Long Tianhao nodded as he looked at her, reached out to her and gently adjusted the clip on her hair.

"Thank you, Your Highness. Mengya will take my leave."

Although Lin Mengya had her doubts, she decided to keep it in her heart.

She turned and gracefully walked out of Jingwu Courtyard.

Had she not already prepared for this?

The fortunate thing was that she had not confessed her heart to him yet.

She could still leave without care when that day arrived.

"Your Highness, Your Highness, are you still listening?"

While in the study, it was the first time Long Tianhao had lost his focus.

He just heard Ye said that someone was secretly following Lin Mengya, then his legs simply instinctively brought him to Liuxin Courtyard.

However, he was caught off guard when he saw Lin Mengya embracing Qinghu and speaking words of comfort to him.

In his mind, he was contemplating whether to instruct the guards in the mansion to each give Qinghu a stab to kill him.

This was the first time in his entire twenty years of life that he ever conceived such a murderous thought.

"I'm alright, please continue."

Steward Deng cleared his throat and continued,

"Princess Linlang was apologetic that she wasn't able to attend your wedding personally because she had something to attend to. When she's recovered from the injury, she would like to come to the Prince's mansion to present her gifts personally."

Was Linlang coming? Long Tianhao's facial expression relaxed at the thought.

If she were to come, he supposed she and Lin Mengya would get along well.

Based on Linlang's character, he was sure she would be very fond of Lin Mengya.

"Alright, please send someone to make the necessary arrangements. Also, send Jiang Sheng to Prefecture Bing to see Linlang. Do not allow her to turn to just any quack physician."