After being reborn, all I want to do is run away.

Chapter 272: Outgrowth

When Lin Xi and the other two arrived at Mo Jin Fang, they were shocked by what they saw.

Inside the building ahead, people were coming and going. Various dignitaries dressed in fine silks and satins moved about the shops. It was so crowded that the noise inside drowned out the bustling street outside.

Although Lin Xi had never been to Mojinfang before, he could tell that this situation was definitely not normal.

The brocade sold at Mojinfang is a luxury item, and only a small number of people in the entire Yunyang State have the financial means to buy it. How could there be such a scene as if people are fighting over cabbage at a vegetable market?

Moreover, the signboard hanging above is wrong, but there's only one shop selling brocade on the whole street, so he couldn't have gone to the wrong place.

"Now you believe it! The words 'Yunyang Yujin' were written by the King himself. Your family has truly turned your life around this time," Bi Xinrong said with some envy.

"Why?" Although the facts before him told him that everything was true, a sense of panic arose in his heart.

He knew perfectly well that the Lin family's contributions to the royal family were absolutely unworthy of such treatment.

He feared that all of this was a conspiracy against the Lin family, but the Lin family didn't seem to have the right to be targeted by the royal family, which filled him with unease and confusion.

"Why don't we just go in and ask Sister Qingxiang?"

Squeezing through the crowd, Lin Xi arrived at the counter inside the store. "Mr. Fang, do you still remember me?"

"Who are you? Young Master Xi?" Old Master Fang asked somewhat uncertainly.

"You guessed right, where's my sister?"

"Miss hasn't come to the shop these past two days; instead, she's been staying at her house in the east of the city."

"I know you have many things you want to ask me, young master, but some things only young lady knows. Besides, young lady hasn't seemed quite right these past few days. You'd better go and check on her as soon as possible."

"Yeah! I understand."

Seeing Lin Xi's worried expression, Yao Xixi comforted her, "Sister Qingxiang will be fine. Your family has received a title, which is a great joy. She must be very happy too."

“I know my sister. If she were really happy, she wouldn’t have skipped Mojinfang. Something must have happened to her.”

"Don't overthink it. With your brother-in-law around, Qingxiang will be fine."

“You’re right, my brother-in-law promised my father he would take good care of my sister.”

However, when Lin Xi and his two companions arrived at the mansion in the east of the city, they discovered an uninvited guest.

……

The Crown Prince's residence is located near the royal palace, so it's not something that can be approached casually.

Even if the Crown Princess is willing to see them, they still have to get past the guards patrolling near the Crown Prince's residence, since not everyone has the authority to let them in to announce their arrival.

"Do you have any way to get into the Crown Prince's residence?" Shen Xu asked Xiao Si, looking at the heavily guarded mansion in the distance.

Xiao Si shook her head innocently, "Why don't we go find the princess? She can definitely take us into the Crown Prince's residence."

"There's no need for that, let's just go in and find her!"

"Brother Shen, do you know the Crown Princess?" Xiao Si asked in confusion.

"I don't know her yet, but she'll know me soon. Just stick close to me."

"Huh?" But before she could react to Shen Xu's words, the fog had already enveloped her.

With Shen Xu's current mastery of the power of water, coupled with the enhancement of illusion techniques by the Cloud and Mist Illusion Technique, he is powerful enough to make those with lower cultivation levels ignore his existence.

Zuo Chen did indeed teach him a lot of very practical illusion techniques.

Following closely beside Shen Xu, Xiao Si curiously observed the surrounding fog, wondering if the thin fog could really help them avoid the guards' sight.

But when she nervously approached the main gate of the Crown Prince's residence, she found that the guards on both sides seemed not to see them at all, always dutifully looking ahead, while they swaggered into the Crown Prince's residence.

When the two reached a deserted corridor, she couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Brother Shen, how did you do that?"

"Just a simple illusion!"

"Illusion magic? Will I be able to do that in the future?"

"Of course you can, and you'll definitely do a better job than me in the future."

"I would like to ask where the Crown Princess and the Prince are? We were invited here to treat the Prince's illness, and we don't know the way since this is our first time here," Shen Xu asked a passing maid.

Xiao Si looked at Shen Xu in shock. No one would believe such an obvious lie! And when did he remove the illusion?

Sure enough, the maid asked with great confusion after hearing Shen Xu's words, "Didn't anyone take you there?"

"I don't know why, but that person disappeared after bringing us in." Shen Xu smiled helplessly.

"This is so irresponsible! If I find out who he is, I will make sure Lord Wang punishes him severely. The young master's illness cannot be delayed. I'll take you there first!"

Upon hearing the maid's reply, Xiao Si felt a sense of unreality. This was the Crown Prince's residence! It could be said to be the second safest place in the entire Yunyang Kingdom. Was this all the security they had?

Shen Xu did not randomly choose a maid to ask. He learned from the guards' idle chatter that a royal physician had rushed to the Crown Prince's residence last night, so someone in the Crown Prince's family must be sick.

Add to that the small spoon the maid is holding, and the answer is quite obvious.

Sometimes, even lies can be believed if the speaker is confident enough, especially in a place like the Crown Prince's residence where things seem strict on the outside but are actually lax on the inside.

Furthermore, given that neither he nor Xiao Si looked like ordinary people, he was not surprised that the maid would believe his story.

Unlike Shen Xu's relaxed and carefree attitude, Xiao Si was now very uneasy.

Although this would indeed allow them to see the Crown Princess, they were still deceiving her no matter what. She wasn't sure if the Crown Princess's relationship with her mother would be enough for her to forgive their offense.

After a while, the maid led them to an elegant courtyard. "Please wait a moment, I'll go and ask Consort Xue for her permission."

"Two young men, the physicians who treated the Crown Prince? I don't know anything about this. Could it be that the Crown Prince invited them?"

Inside the antique-style room, a beautiful woman with a haggard appearance frowned upon hearing the maid's words.

Her long-cultivated sense of danger made her sense something was amiss in this matter.

"Wang Daban, go to the Crown Prince immediately to verify this matter. Yuqin, come with me to meet those two people."

However, when she stepped out of the room accompanied by her maid and saw Xiao Si, she was stunned. "Huo Yan? No, you're Xiao Si!"

"Xiao Si of Fumo City greets the Crown Princess," Xiao Si said, bowing deeply.

"Xiao Si, is that really you? You've grown so much!"

The Crown Princess walked excitedly to Xiao Si's side, wanting to reach out and touch her, but then withdrew her hand for some reason.

"Why are you only thinking of coming to see Aunt Xue now? By the way, is there any news about your mother?"

“My mother has never come back to look for me, so I don’t know where she is. I only recently learned about the bond between my mother and you, and that she even left something for me here,” Xiao Si said sadly.

"How could she be so heartless?" Consort Xue sighed softly.

"Xiao Si, you've suffered so much these years. From now on, just treat the Crown Prince's residence as your own home, and I'll treat you as my own daughter."

It's chilly outside, let's go inside and talk. You should also go see your brother.

"That child suddenly developed a high fever last night for some reason, and the medicine prescribed by the imperial physicians in the palace was not working. Seeing his pitiful appearance, I wished I were the one who was sick. I really didn't dare to leave him for a moment..." Consort Xue couldn't help but wipe away her tears.

Although Consort Xue spoke with great emotion, Shen Xu sensed something amiss; she seemed to be avoiding any mention of what Huo Yan had left behind.

This put Shen Xu in a very bad mood, but he hadn't come to reminisce with Consort Xue.