FRGNM -Chapter 16 Wanted

She had only just stretched out her right hand when Ling Ruoxi froze. A milky-white halo flickered over both of her hands, vanishing in an instant. Startled, she quickly brought her hand to the tip of her nose and faintly caught a subtle medicinal fragrance.

Something wasn’t right. Hadn’t she just been dreaming last night? How could she really have gone off to refine pills or anything like that?

“Ruoxi, Ruoxi, quick—come with me!” A panicked figure burst into the room. Seeing Ling Ruoxi standing there in a daze, he immediately grabbed her hand and dragged her toward the door.

“Hey, hey, hey, wait! What’s going on? Why are you in such a hurry? I haven’t even brushed my teeth or washed my face yet!” They sprinted wildly the whole way. Ling Ruoxi was dragged by Fang Xu for several kilometers, nearly coughing up a mouthful of blood.

This body still couldn’t handle intense exercise. Her lungs felt as if they were about to explode, a faint metallic taste rose in her throat, and she nearly collapsed to the ground. Propping herself against a large tree, she gasped for breath. “So… so what exactly happened? Why are you so flustered…?”

“The Crown Prince was assassinated last night. The guards all say it was you. Your portrait is posted all over the streets. If you don’t leave now, are you waiting to be arrested?” Panting heavily, Fang Xu wiped the sweat from his forehead and warily scanned their surroundings, afraid of pursuers catching up.

Ling Ruoxi nearly choked on her own saliva. She slapped her chest and stared at Fang Xu in disbelief, her jaw almost hitting the ground. “Y-you said what? I assassinated the Crown Prince? Are you kidding me? I don’t have a habit of sleepwalking!”

“This isn’t about sleepwalking or not, my dear auntie. The entire capital knows you’re the one who tried to kill His Highness. Even if I believe you, they won’t. What’s more, there’s a bounty of a hundred thousand gold coins for capturing you! I’m even tempted to sell you off myself.” Fang Xu clutched his hair in frustration. Overnight, everything had changed.

He had slept in the room next to Ling Ruoxi last night—there hadn’t been the slightest disturbance. How could she possibly have slipped out to assassinate Nangong Mo?

“Are they crazy? I didn’t provoke him at all. Why would I assassinate him? Could it be because I took his money, and now he’s using this to mess with me?” Ling Ruoxi shrugged, not taking it too seriously. Feeling a bit better, she let out a long breath. “Alright, alright. Since we’re already out here, let’s head to the next town.”

“The next town? You’re just wandering around without a goal?” Fang Xu laughed helplessly. He was about to say more when he noticed something off about her expression. Before he could speak, she calmly said, “Right, you still have your own matters to attend to. How about this—half of the gold Nangong Mo gave me goes to you. I’m a wanted criminal now; it’s easier for me to run alone.”

She grabbed a handful of gold coins, tossed the money pouch to Fang Xu, and whistled as she headed forward.

A sudden warmth rose in Fang Xu’s heart. He said in a deep voice, “Ruoxi, wait. I have money—I don’t need this. If you don’t have anywhere to go, come with me. I’m a Dou Qi cultivator, and also… a formation master. If the Crown Prince wants to capture you, he’ll still have to give a formation master some face.”

“What? You’re a formation master?” Ling Ruoxi’s eyes lit up with excitement. She immediately squatted down and began drawing a formation on the ground, tugging at Fang Xu’s hand. “Perfect timing! I’ve been reading books on formations but can’t find any inspiration at all. This layout here—”

“Hm? Third Miss of the Ling family, we meet again…” A familiar voice rang out. Even Ling Ruoxi couldn’t believe her own rotten luck.

Pursing her lips, she looked at the man ahead and rubbed her nose. “Young Master Ye, rich guy—we meet again. What are you doing here? I’ve got bodyguards with me this time, no need for you to shoot arrows.”

“I heard you were wanted, so I came to see if I could claim the reward.” Ye Ningfeng raised an eyebrow at Ling Ruoxi. The woman before him was still as carefree as ever—was she really not afraid at all?

A hundred thousand gold coins was enough to make countless people jealous. Every Dou Qi cultivator was practically tearing the town apart searching for her, yet she still had the leisure to swagger around here.

“To hell with your reward! Nangong Mo, I only took a little of your money—was it really necessary to put out a warrant for me?” Glowering angrily ahead, Ling Ruoxi took the money pouch from Fang Xu and said helplessly, “Help me return it to Nangong Mo. I don’t want it anymore, alright?”

“Hm?”

“Fine, fine—take everything I have on me too!” She obediently put all the gold coins from her clothes back into the pouch. Seeing Ye Ningfeng’s grim expression, she shook her head helplessly. “That’s all I can return. I really can’t give back the rest—I spent it on lodging last night. If you don’t believe me, you can ask him.”

“Miss, have you even figured out what’s going on? His Highness is lying in bed right now. The original wound wasn’t serious, but he rushed into town overnight, the wound got infected, and he caught a chill. Even the medical physicians say his life is in danger. I advise you to go see him. At the very least, with me around, no one would dare harm you in the slightest.” Ye Ningfeng sighed, a complex glint flashing through his cold, beautiful eyes.

Was it really that serious? Ling Ruoxi frowned. After taking Nangong Mo’s money, no matter what, she should at least go check on him, right?

Thinking of that smooth, fair skin, Ling Ruoxi nearly started drooling. She nodded and smiled. “Alright then, let’s go take a look.”

“You’re not afraid this is a trap—that once you go, you won’t be able to leave?” Ye Ningfeng was taken aback. She trusted him just like that?