Advice from the Enemy

As if sensing Lin Ran’s thoughts, Liu Hongshan raised his hands and walked around slowly. Then, he cupped his hands and asked, “Lord Lin, my outfit today is not suitable for fighting. I wonder if you can ask Your Majesty to come out.”

Lin Ran hesitated when he heard this. Although he had just confirmed that Liu Hongshan was not armed, with their cultivation levels, it did not matter if they were armed or not if they wanted to kill a low-level martial artist like the empress.

However, their hiding place had already been discovered. If they did not let the empress come out, he would seem like he was afraid of Liu Hongshan.

Just as Lin Ran was hesitating, the treetop above his head suddenly shook. Then, the empress jumped down lightly.

“Why did you come out?”

Lin Ran immediately shielded the empress behind him and handed her the Thunderball Sword. “This person has impure motives. Leave first. I’ll hold him back.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

The empress didn’t take the sword. She patted Lin Ran’s shoulder and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, “I don’t have much internal energy left. It won’t be long before I’m caught up. Let’s take a gamble.”

Lin Ran looked at the empress in surprise. He didn’t expect the empress, who had always wanted to play it safe, to say something like “take a gamble.”

However, on second thought, it made sense. Now that the two of them were at the end of their rope, no matter if they fought or ran, they would not have a good ending.

Just as Lin Ran was thinking, the empress walked out from behind him. She looked at Liu Hongshan from afar and asked coldly, “What’s the matter?”

Liu Hongshan glanced at Lin Ran, then turned his body slightly and made an inviting gesture. “Your Majesty, can we talk in private?”

“No!”

Lin Ran immediately said, “If you have something to say, say it here. If not, get lost!”

Liu Hongshan smiled mysteriously. “Lord Lin, do you want to hear about Liu Ruxi too?”

Lin Ran was stunned when he heard this. He was about to ask Liu Hongshan when the empress raised her hand and instructed softly, “Wait here.”

“Are you crazy?”

Lin Ran grabbed the empress. “Don’t you know what kind of person Liu Hongshan is? If you leave my sight, what if he harms you?”

“It’s fine. I know what I’m doing.”

The empress smiled reassuringly. “Besides, if he really wanted to harm me, would he need to waste time talking with us?”

Lin Ran was embarrassed and speechless, but he had to admit that the empress was right.

In just a short while, the empress had already walked towards Liu Hongshan.

Lin Ran tensed up. Fortunately, in order to show his sincerity, Liu Hongshan did not go too far. After taking a dozen steps, he stopped.

Then, the two of them chatted in a low voice. Liu Hongshan took out something and handed it to the empress. Because it was too far away, Lin Ran couldn’t see what it was clearly. He could only see that it was a small green thing that looked like jade.

Then, the two of them chatted for a while before turning around and walking back together.

When the empress returned to his side, Lin Ran relaxed a little and asked in a low voice, “What did he say to you?”

historical

The empress shook her head. It was unknown if she did not want to say it or if it was inconvenient, but it was obvious that she was distracted.

Lin Ran sighed and didn’t ask further. He turned to look at Liu Hongshan. “Is there anything else? If not, leave!”

“We know each other after all. Why are you so hostile, Lord Lin?”

Liu Hongshan smiled. Before Lin Ran could speak, he suddenly continued with a serious expression, “Since you’ve helped me a few times, let me give you another piece of advice—don’t rest here for too long.”

Lin Ran narrowed his eyes slightly. “What do you mean? Are you saying that Xuan Wushang will send people to hunt us down?”

“Not really. Although he is ruthless, his words can be trusted.”

Liu Hongshan chuckled. “In short, the two of you should go back as soon as possible. Otherwise… you might regret it.”

With a mysterious smile, Liu Hongshan turned around and walked out of sight. His speed was abnormally fast. In the blink of an eye, he was already a thousand feet away.

Seeing that Liu Hongshan was really leaving, Lin Ran heaved a sigh of relief. However, what Liu Hongshan said at the end still caught his attention.

Since Xuan Wushang did not send anyone to chase after them, why did Liu Hongshan advise them to leave?

After thinking for a moment without getting an answer, Lin Ran put this matter to the back of his mind. He turned to look at the empress and asked, “Your Majesty, you look distracted since you came back just now… What did he say to you?”

At this moment, the empress was still in a daze. She only reacted after Lin Ran asked her again. She frowned and said in confusion, “He said that Liu Ruxi’s matter is not as simple as we think.”

Lin Ran was stunned. “What do you mean? Is there something we don’t know about?”

The empress shook her head and didn’t say anything. She handed the thing Liu Hongshan had given her to Lin Ran. “He even gave me this and asked me to take good care of it, saying that I’ll find out the truth in the future.”

Lin Ran had also seen Liu Hongshan give the empress something just now. Previously, when he saw that the thing was green, he thought that it was jade. Now, he realized that it was just a small bamboo tube.

“What is this.”

Lin Ran asked casually as he held the bamboo tube in his hand and observed it carefully.

The bamboo tube was about the thickness of two fingers, and both ends were sealed with beeswax. Through the thin beeswax, one could vaguely see a brand new cut. It must have been cut off not long ago.

“I don’t know.”

The empress shook her head helplessly. “I asked, but he didn’t say anything. He only asked me to take good care of it. When the time is right, we will know the truth.”

“Stop pretending!”

Lin Ran snorted in disdain and injected his divine sense into it. Only then did he realize that not only were the two ends sealed with beeswax, but inside was also filled with beeswax.

In the middle of the beeswax was a cylindrical object the size of a broad bean. As for what it was, he could not sense it with his divine sense.

“Do you want to open it?”

Lin Ran looked at the empress and asked, “Liu Hongshan is not a good person. It’s better to be careful with what he gives.”

The empress hesitated for a moment before shaking her head. “Forget it. I don’t think he has any ill intentions this time. Since he wants me to keep it carefully, I’ll do as he said.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the empress took the small bamboo tube back.

Lin Ran didn’t insist. Firstly, it was because the empress was determined. Secondly, he really didn’t feel any danger from this small bamboo tube.

...

After the empress put away the bamboo tube, Lin Ran rode his sword and flew up. He was very concerned about Liu Hongshan’s last sentence and had an ominous feeling.