Since it got dark, Shen Li had been waiting for Xuan Yuan Jue to come. She still had many questions that needed him to answer.
It was deep into the night when Xuan Yuan Jue finally showed up. Shen Li was already a bit sleepy by then.
Xuan Yuan Jue didn't seem to have any sense of propriety about entering a young lady's boudoir. He just strode in casually.
Seeing his foot already stepping into the room, Shen Li quickly said, "Take your foot back!"
Xuan Yuan Jue ignored her words and still walked in with steady steps. "What's going on? Do you have some precious treasure hidden in here? So you won't let me in?"
Thinking that she had waited for him for most of the night while he had come so late, Shen Li felt annoyed. "There's no precious treasure, and you still can't come in!"
"Oh? But it's not my first time here!" Xuan Yuan Jue still had that annoying look on his face and smiled provocatively at Shen Li.
"Humph!" Shen Li simply ignored his words. "I have some questions about what happened last night."
Xuan Yuan Jue fanned himself with his fan and sat down gracefully. "Since you're asking for help, you should at least offer me a cup of tea!"
Jiao Yue immediately went out and obediently made some tea. After a while, she brought the tea and placed it on the table in front of Xuan Yuan Jue.
"I wonder if this tea suits Your Highness the Heir Apparent's taste?" Shen Li asked as she watched Xuan Yuan Jue lift the teacup and take a sip.
After taking two sips, Xuan Yuan Jue put down the teacup. "It's barely drinkable!"
At this moment, Shen Li regretted not asking Jiao Yue to put some laxatives in the cup just now!
"Cough, cough. Why were you also at Panhu Stockade last night? And how did you know we were trapped in the secret passage?"
Xuan Yuan Jue kept fanning with his folding fan, but his face became a bit more serious. "Last night, Xuan Shu and I just happened to go there to investigate some things. We overheard the bandits in the stockade saying something about two mice being trapped in the secret passage. They also said they were going to use the God - Destroying Incense to smoke them out."
"I was thinking at that time, which two fools were actually trapped in there? But as the saying goes, saving a life is better than building a seven - story pagoda. So I just asked Xuan Shu to distract them."
"Unexpectedly, I saw you two!" Xuan Yuan Jue closed his fan and pointed at Shen Li and Han Yue behind her. "You should be grateful. If it weren't for my kindness, you wouldn't even know where you were locked up by now."
Shen Li was a bit unhappy about Xuan Yuan Jue calling her a fool just now, but still thanked him again. "Thank you and Xuan Shu for saving us last night!"
"Hey hey hey! Stop! Stop! Don't say any more words of thanks! I'm just wondering if besides the words, you have any substantial gifts to show your gratitude?"
"I wonder what kind of gift Your Highness the Heir Apparent wants? Antique calligraphy and paintings, rare jewels. As long as I can find them, I can give them to Your Highness as a gift!"
After hearing this, Xuan Yuan Jue shook his fan and said, "Little one, those things are so unoriginal! How about this? You promise me one request, and I'll waive all those things!"
Hearing this, Shen Li asked, "Then... I wonder what request Your Highness the Heir Apparent will make. Please tell me so that I can consider it!"
"I haven't thought about the specific request yet! But you just promise it first. That's it! This matter is settled!"
Shen Li: ...
"Cough cough!" Xuan Yuan Jue seemed to realize that his request just now was a bit too much, so he changed the topic. "That Panhu Stockade is very dangerous. You're just a young girl. You'd better not get involved in it."
Shen Li gave a soft laugh and looked at Xuan Yuan Jue sitting on the chair. "I wonder if Your Highness the Heir Apparent has any prejudice against women?"
"Never!"
"Then Your Highness the Heir Apparent must have some prejudice against me?"
Xuan Yuan Jue also looked at Shen Li. "Never!"
Shen Li couldn't help but raise the corners of her mouth slightly and said with a smile, "Then why is Your Highness the Heir Apparent trying to stop me?"
"Little one, you saw it last night. That Panhu Stockade is no ordinary bandit den. The relationships inside are extremely complex. You almost got captured by them last night. If you keep getting involved with them, one day your life will be in danger. Even if it concerns your life, do you still want to keep investigating?"
Looking at Xuan Yuan Jue's face, Shen Li said seriously, "Even if it concerns my life, I still want to keep investigating."
Hearing this, Xuan Yuan Jue sat up straight, squinted his eyes slightly, and looked at Shen Li. "Little one, why do you have to investigate this matter about Panhu Stockade? Give me a reason!"
Shen Li didn't dodge his gaze and looked straight into his eyes. "I have my reasons for doing this. As for what the reasons are, I can't tell you for now!"
"Have you thought it through?"
"Yes! I've thought it through very clearly!"
"Are you mentally prepared?"
"Yes, I'm prepared!"
After getting Shen Li's definite answer, Xuan Yuan Jue pondered for a while and then said, "Okay! I can help you!"
Hearing his words, Shen Li was stunned for a moment in disbelief. She thought Xuan Yuan Jue would keep trying to stop her from getting involved in this matter, but unexpectedly, he agreed to help her.
"I'll tell you all the information I've gathered. It might be helpful to you. I've been paying attention to this Panhu Stockade for two years. At first, I just thought this stockade was strange. It wasn't until half a year ago that I found out that this stockade was recruiting a large number of people and digging secret passages in many places inside the stockade. That's when I started to officially investigate them."
Then, Xuan Yuan Jue continued, "You've already met Zhuang Yusheng, the second - in - command, and Mu Wulin, the third - in - command, of Panhu Stockade today. As for the leader of Panhu Stockade, his name is Wu Sixi. He's a mysterious figure. It's rumored that he always wears a mask, and no one has ever seen his real face."
"He hasn't been in the stockade these days. The information I've gathered is that they have a big deal, and he's gone out to take care of it. He'll be back in a few days."
After listening to Xuan Yuan Jue, Shen Li propped her chin with one hand and thought for a while. "Last night, I also heard someone in Panhu Stockade say that they had a big deal to do recently. I just don't know what kind of business they're doing in the stockade. How can they have so much money to support so many people in the stockade?"
Hearing her question, Xuan Yuan Jue just shook his head. "The defense inside the stockade is very strict. There are not only many patrol guards but also different passwords every night. If someone breaks in and can't answer the password correctly, they'll be captured."
Shen Li remembered that they had managed to sneak into the secret passage last night only because they had found out the password. Otherwise, they might have been discovered before even entering the secret passage.
"After last night, they're probably on high alert. I wonder if there's any other way to get in besides sneaking in at night?" Shen Li asked her question.
"Of course, there's a way. It just depends on whether you dare to do it or not?"