Her hazy vision swayed, and everything seemed to be immersed in water. Layers of illusions overlapped and swayed. Amidst the slanted scenery, a half-naked man holding a bleeding palm walked forward with a hideous grin.
That smile was like that of a ghost or a demon, evil and sinister. That face was crooked, his eyes were horizontal, and his wide-open mouth was a black hole. All his white teeth could be seen, shining like sharp teeth.
Behind her, the sound of a woman's sobbing was disturbing. She struggled to pull out a needle from the back of her neck and stuck it behind her.
She stopped sobbing, but the man in front of her revealed a look of surprise. "You can still move?" Without hesitation, he strode forward, untied Qiao Ling, who was on Fuyao's back, and threw her to the side. Then, he grabbed Fuyao and lifted her up in his arms. With a kick to the wall, the wall rumbled and opened, revealing a dark room. Guo Pingrong carried Fuyao into it.
Meng Fuyao's consciousness drifted slightly, but strangely, she did not faint. She could vaguely smell a faint medicinal fragrance that was sharp and sharp, piercing through her chaotic brain like a sharp sword. The scattered consciousness immediately whirled around and gathered again. Little by little, like sand forming a tower, they solidified and piled up, gradually piecing together a complete blueprint.
Suddenly, she heard the sound of clothes being torn. She felt a chill on her chest as a pair of hot hands with a bloody smell approached her. When they touched her skin, they both trembled.
Guo Pingrong did not know about the changes in Fuyao. His bloodshot eyes were fixed on the spring scenery before him. The disguise on Fuyao's face had been wiped away, revealing the face he had glimpsed that night. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and her lips were full like pomegranate flowers. Guo Pingrong's gaze slowly slid down … The girl's clothes were torn, revealing her snow-white skin, which was even brighter than the snow outside the window. She had an additional luster and luster, and he could feel the softness and fragrance of a virgin. Rubbed by the blood-stained hands, the bright red reflected the pure white, giving off a shocking sense of fragility. It was as if a red flower had left its branch, making a pitiful and timid invitation to be ravaged.
This kind of silent invitation was the best way to stimulate a man's bestial nature and lust. Guo Pingrong growled and extinguished the candle in the room with a wave of his hand. Panting, he lowered his body.
The light in the room suddenly dimmed, making the space even more narrow and cramped. In the outer room, someone lit up a lamp, but the color was a rare light purple. A faint purple light leaked in through the cracks in the wall.
Suddenly, Meng Fuyao trembled.
A closed space … Purple light seeping through the cracks … This scene was so strange yet so familiar, as if he had seen it every day a long, long time ago …
"Ah!"
Her mind felt as if it had been ruthlessly slashed by a heavy sword. Intense pain pierced through all of her consciousness, and her swaying vision shook heavily. Amidst the shaking of heaven and earth, a corner of the distant past that she had been unwilling to open up suddenly peeled off, and several scenes appeared in front of her … a narrow space where she could not move … a purple palace lamp hanging high in the distance … a middle-aged man's smiling face … a hand with bulging veins reaching for her body …
The nightmarish reenactment of the past awakened her sealed and hidden memories. The last bit of her scattered consciousness gathered in an instant, and a spark of grief and indignation that had been hidden for a long time was ignited. All of a sudden, all of the true Qi in her body surged out from her elixir field, like a flood breaking through a dam, and was about to burst out of her chest!
Suddenly, Meng Fuyao jumped up, raised her head, and spat out a mouthful of blood, which then splashed onto Guo Pingrong's head and body.
Guo Pingrong scrambled to his feet and retreated hastily while holding his pants. He stared at Fuyao in shock, unable to understand how she had managed to break free from his Soul-Sealing Needle and return to normal after being struck by his Soul-Sealing Needle.
Meng Fuyao leaped up, spitting out a rain of blood. In the bright red, her anger burned like a raging fire. She lowered her head to look at her untidy chest, then suddenly turned around and stared at Guo Pingrong.
Her gaze was cold and scorching, like a Red Spider Lily burning in flames, emitting a murderous aura and death aura that belonged to the other side of the Yellow Springs. Her gaze that stared at Guo Pingrong was like an iron chain that had already bound Guo Pingrong's soul in an instant, and then he was bound to the flames of hell and instantly incinerated into ashes!
Being stared at by this gaze, Guo Pingrong's back suddenly broke out in cold sweat. He subconsciously reached out to pull out his sword and took three steps back.
Even he himself did not know why he retreated. It was clear that this young girl's martial arts might not be able to pose a threat to him, but at this moment, her eyes were too frightening. He had never seen such a sharp gaze in his life. It was as if a single glance could kill!
Oh, no, he had actually seen it once before. Many years ago, when the young crown prince had heard the news, he had also revealed the exact same gaze, causing him, who was present at the scene, to go weak in the knees …
After so many years, he had actually seen the same gaze in someone else's eyes, filled with endless murderous intent!
Guo Pingrong swung his sword horizontally, using the world-famous Starlight Sword Technique. Opposite him, Meng Fuyao, with her black hair draped over her shoulders, pounced on him like a raging tiger.
True Qi surged from her body as she pounced on him, causing the tables and chairs in the room to overturn and the curtains to fly. The candles stuck in the porcelain plates on the table were all snapped. In the darkness, the curtains rolled up, and Meng Fuyao arrived like a black cloud. She grabbed a brocade stool and ruthlessly smashed it down on Guo Pingrong's head!
Guo Pingrong's pupils shrank to the size of a needle. When did this girl's skills improve so much? This strike actually had the power to split the heavens and split the earth!
However, as the disciple of one of the Ten Strongest, how could he back down at the last minute? How could he be afraid of a woman's angry strike?
Guo Pingrong's long sword swung furiously, creating a raging wave. A crystal wall as tall as a human was erected in front of him, but with a slight 'chi' sound, water separated from the crystal wall and turned into a sharp ray that went straight for Meng Fuyao's heart, which was left wide open.
The sky was filled with starlight, and the ray of light was as fast as a comet sweeping across the horizon. Everywhere the eye could see was starlight.
As the starlight enveloped Meng Fuyao, she only shouted.
"Break!"
With a flick of her wrist, a ray of jade light surged. In an instant, Meng Fuyao's arm looked as if it was made of jade. The jade color grew brighter and stronger, like an indestructible jade pestle.
"Cleaving the Nine Heavens," the fifth level, "Light"!
Meng Fuyao could not normally use her true strength, but today, under the intense stimulation, she finally unleashed it with all her might. Her arm was suddenly indestructible, and with a single stroke, it tore through Guo Pingrong's steel-like Gang Qi light screen and went straight for his throat.
Guo Pingrong let out a low grunt and blocked Meng Fuyao's attack with his sword. Suddenly, the sword's momentum changed. Like weaving a cocoon, it drew streaks of sword shadows in the air and tightly wrapped around Meng Fuyao.
In an instant, the two of them were entangled in a fight. In the dark room, there was no sound of swords, no shouting, no sounds of tables and chairs being overturned, no objects being broken, and not even the initial shouts. Only the vague silhouettes of the two could be seen moving up and down, and the swishing sound of their movements could be heard, as well as the smell of sweat and blood in the air.
It was a soundless, desperate struggle. That slender figure was forced out again and again, then turned around and pounced on again. Meng Fuyao, who was haunted by the chaotic nightmares of the past, felt her mind go blank. The only thought left in her mind was: Kill him! Kill these memories that scare me!
The 30th move … the 100th move … the 300th move!
Guo Pingrong's forehead was dripping with sweat, reflecting the light.
This woman was crazy!
He had never seen anyone fight like this before. He had never seen anyone fight without a care in the world!
Since the start of the battle, Fuyao had left seven bloody wounds on his body, while he had left even more sword wounds on her — a total of twelve!
He had trained his muscles and bones since he was a child, and he was much older than Fuyao. The injuries she had inflicted on him were not enough to restrict his movements, but the slightest graze from his sword was enough to make her bleed!
It was precisely because of this that Guo Pingrong became more and more frightened as he fought. He was familiar with the limits of the human body's pain tolerance, and his attacks were always aimed at the most painful joints. A normal person would have long lost the ability to fight under such vicious sword wounds, but this seemingly thin girl actually had such a powerful explosive power and endurance!
Guo Pingrong was even more alarmed by the fact that his opponent was getting more and more energetic while he was getting weaker and weaker. It was not a mental decline, but a decline in his strength. He finally understood that the picture of her taking off her pants was not just to provoke him to destroy the painting and injure his hand. The more insidious goal was to drain his genuine Qi.
The martial arts he practiced were of the toughest path, and any extreme Yang or Yin martial arts would make it easier for him to go berserk. He was provoked again and again, and evil thoughts grew in his heart. Unknowingly, his genuine Qi had deviated from the right path. After a series of quick attacks, the situation was getting worse.
This girl was amazing. She had actually determined his internal strength from the way he had blocked his arrow! She had actually calculated his personality and every move, and had come prepared and calculated every step!
Guo Pingrong's aura gradually receded, and his eyes were filled with shock. But Fuyao was laughing coldly.
What was this little bit of pain?
If a person had to receive endless beatings from the age of five, crawl and roll in the corrosive muddy water of the valley day and night, fight with all kinds of fierce beasts in the valley, and bury himself in a pit for several months in order to practice the pure True Qi of "Breaking the Nine Heavens", and even eat earthworms when he was so hungry, how could this little bit of suffering be considered a fart?
The Supreme Heart Sutra could only be broken through in a life and death battle with an expert!
So what if he was a first-rate expert?
As long as one's martial meridians were discovered and the right medicine was applied, one could still be ruthlessly defeated by someone weaker than one!
Now, with my blood and your sword, I will advance to the next level!
The 500th move!
Meng Fuyao, who was bathed in blood, suddenly dashed forward and used her arm to block Guo Pingrong's sword.
The long sword pierced through the elbow and came out from the bottom. The blade passed through the bone and made a bone-chilling sound.
Guo Pingrong was inevitably shocked by the cold-blooded response of using his own flesh and blood to control the sword.
Just that moment of shock made Fuyao not give him another chance to pull out his sword. She suddenly took a step forward and twisted the arm that had pierced through the bone. The long sword that had pierced through the bone was immediately bent 180 degrees and broke with a loud crack!
The broken sword flew up and blood splattered everywhere. She leaped up like a flying phoenix, raised her head, and let out a shrill cry. The cry was as clear as the cry of a phoenix, piercing through the clouds and splitting the lightning, reaching the firmament. Amidst the cry, Fuyao lifted her leg and kicked the broken sword straight at Guo Pingrong's lower body!
The blood-stained sword light was like a bolt of lightning, flashing into Guo Pingrong's infinitely magnified eyes. Alerted to Fuyao's intentions, Guo Pingrong let out a strange cry and hurriedly leaped up like a rocket.
But he was one step too late.
The broken sword brushed past Guo Pingrong's lower body. In mid-air, Guo Pingrong used all his martial arts to twist the sword with all his might. With a soft tearing sound, a thin line of blood sprang out and flew out of Guo Pingrong's body.
"Ah!"
Guo Pingrong fell from mid-air and bounced on the ground like a dead fish. His trembling hand covered his crotch, and his palm was full of blood.
Fuyao cursed under her breath. "Damn it. Why did you only cut one egg? "
She brandished her sword in preparation for another stab, but just as she took a step forward, she felt dizzy and staggered. She knew that she had lost too much blood and could no longer kill him in one go.
She staggered over and raised her sword, ready to slowly stab Guo Pingrong. If Guo Pingrong resisted, they could just fight again.
Suddenly, a drawn-out announcement came from afar.
"The Crown Prince has arrived!"
The announcement was clearly far away, but the sound of quick footsteps could be heard. The footsteps belonged to an expert. They were so light that there was almost no sound. In a split second, they had arrived not far away.
Fuyao staggered back. She was covered in blood and sweat, and had long since fallen into a semi-conscious state. The medicine on the needle had gone out of her control and preparation, affecting her consciousness. She could only vaguely hear the last two words. From the approaching footsteps, she could feel that the expert she could not fight against was approaching, and that there were even more people surrounding her.
She stomped her feet angrily, took a deep breath, and sprang up. She kicked open the door of the secret chamber and leaped out through the back window.
Almost at the same time that her figure disappeared through the window, the door of the secret chamber was opened again. A ray of sunlight poured in from outside. It was dawn.
Along with the sunlight were two rows of guards dressed in embroidered robes. Unlike the usual guards of the Prince's Mansion, these guards had stern expressions and sharp eyes. Just by standing there, they exuded an imposing aura. One look and anyone could tell that they were all experts.
They all wore jade pendants inlaid with gold, with the words "Shangyang" engraved on them.
The Limitless Crown Prince's Shangyang Palace guards were the world-famous Shangyang Flying Cavalry.
These top-notch guards, who would not be mobilized for trivial matters, had arrived in full force today. Once they arrived, they dispersed the guards of the General's Mansion to one side. The rest of them rushed into the Discipline Hall and quickly found the secret chamber. They lined up by the door and bowed in unison.
It had snowed the entire night, so much so that the sky was already bright at the fourth watch. Looking from the Discipline Hall, the courtyard was filled with jade trees and jade branches. The color was as white as a carpet, and the red plum blossoms were like blood.
In the midst of the crowd of guards, a slender figure gradually approached. He did not seem to be walking fast, but in an instant, his light purple robe with silver dragon edges fluttering in the wind. He wore a silver-white fox fur coat that shone brighter than the snow. The jade belt around his waist was warm and pure, and the mellow jade color suddenly added a touch of spring to the snowy field.
Although half of the man's face was covered by a mask, his hair was like ebony, his face like jade, and his silver fox fur coat shone brilliantly. Under the reflection of his eyes, they were as deep as the sea, the waves flickering. One look at him would make one feel as if one's soul was being sucked away.
Upon seeing this man, the proud, cold, and condescending Shangyang guards bowed deeply with extreme respect.
He was the most outstanding person in the world, the Emperor of the Dragon, who enjoyed the highest respect and reverence of the people. At the age of 15, he had been supervising the country and assisting the government. He had governed the Limitless Nation until it was prosperous and powerful. His name was known throughout the Seven Nations, and even the higher-ups of the Seven Nations feared him.
Zhangsun Wuji.
In the snow, the peerless Crown Prince Zhangsun braved the wind and snow, noble and elegant, not stirring even a speck of dust. Wherever he passed, not even a speck of snow was broken.
It had been snowing in the Hall of Discipline all night, and the steps were extremely slippery. The guard captain came forward to welcome him, but Zhangsun Wuji did not even pause. With a lift of his sleeves, he entered the Hall of Discipline.
The captain froze and turned his head in surprise to look at the Crown Prince's back. For some reason, the Crown Prince was not quite right today. His steps and expression were clearly the same, but as an old man who had followed him for many years, he felt that the Crown Prince seemed to be a bit impatient. His eyes, which were usually so deep that it was impossible to tell what he was thinking, seemed to be faintly anxious, and even a bit … angry.
While he was trying to figure it out, Zhangsun Wuji had already walked directly through the opened door of the secret room.
He stopped at the door, and slowly put down the hand that had been hidden in the fox fur coat. He swept his gaze around the room and took a deep breath.
The guard lowered his head even more.
Inside the room, the tables and chairs had been overturned, and the floor was covered in blood, dripping from one end to the other. It was a ghastly sight to behold. There was also a small object lying in a thick pool of blood. Everyone's sharp eyes discovered what it was, and they looked up in shock.
At the end of the room, Guo Pingrong's eyes were lifeless, and he covered his lower body. He had not been so heavily injured that he had completely lost the ability to fight, but the blow of his treasure being destroyed had been too sudden, and he had not been able to react for a moment.
Zhangsun Wuji's gaze swept over the object, and his pupils constricted. He suddenly took a slow step forward.
He took this step casually, but with this step, all the objects in the room, including the tables, chairs, curtains, and candles, suddenly and strangely turned into fine powder, rustling as they fell to the ground.
The guards looked at each other in astonishment. It turned out that these things had been destroyed a long time ago, and were only barely maintaining their original form. With an external force, they turned into ashes. It could be imagined what kind of earth-shattering battle had taken place in this dark room just now, so much so that everything had been used as weapons, and then destroyed by Zhen Qi.
Zhangsun Wuji's eyes were fixed on the blood on the ground. His gaze swept over Guo Pingrong's body, and he immediately determined that based on the wounds on Guo Pingrong's body, it was impossible for so much blood to flow out. At this moment, Zhangsun Wuji's gaze changed. It was as if a wave had suddenly rolled up, and then disappeared in an instant.
He raised his hand, and the guard immediately retreated without a sound.
The door of the secret room was closed again, and the snowy light penetrated through the half-closed door, reflecting the divine light in the Crown Prince's eyes. It was as if the wind and clouds were rolling in the vault of heaven.
Guo Pingrong had already regained his senses. He kowtowed deeply to the Crown Prince, and choked with sobs. "Your Highness … Your Highness …"
He prostrated on the bloody ground, smelling the scent of fresh blood. Some of it belonged to him, and some belonged to Fuyao. He thought of the ever-changing, domineering, and heroic woman who had pierced his lower body with a broken sword filled with her blood, ruining his life from then on.
He could not help but tremble in the cold, bloody atmosphere. He felt as if the first half of his brilliant and glorious life had come to an end at this moment. It was as if fireworks were easily extinguished, and beautiful dreams were easily shattered. In an instant, it had unexpectedly and helplessly come to an end.
"Your Highness … I want revenge …"
The pool of blood in front of him reflected light and shadow, reflecting the corner of a light purple luxurious robe. The corner of the robe stopped in front of him. Guo Pingrong raised his head and looked at the Crown Prince that he respected and feared with hope.
He looked at the familiar pair of eyes that had always been as gentle as the spring breeze. Although they were deep, they always carried a slight smile. At this moment, however, he felt that the expression in those eyes was extremely unfamiliar. He looked at that expression as if he was looking at a dragon coldly looking down from the Nine Heavens, watching a mortal who dared to trespass into its inviolable territory.
It was distant, threatening, cold, and slightly murderous.
His vow to kill was instantly shattered in his throat, and his entire body began to tremble involuntarily.
Opposite him, Zhangsun Wuji gently squatted down, squatting in the dripping blood on the ground. He gazed at the hot blood, and the light in his eyes seemed to be ignited as well. "Pingrong, you've made a mistake," he said lightly.
Guo Pingrong raised his head in shock. He didn't understand why the Crown Prince would suddenly say such a thing, and why he didn't call the imperial physician to treat him.
You were born at the bottom of society and suffered too much before you became famous. After you became successful, you couldn't control your temper and became narrow-minded. You once ran three hundred miles in one night and exterminated the entire family of the person who spat on you. You once ordered people to torture your sister-in-law just because she didn't treat you well when you were poor. You once bumped into someone in an alley because you were drunk at night. You drew your sword in anger and killed that person. You even killed that person's friend and the innocent person who kindly came to help you and tried to stop the fight. "
Guo Pingrong listened to these secrets that he thought no one would know in his lifetime. His entire body trembled slightly. He looked up at the unfathomable Crown Prince and didn't understand why he would bring up these past matters at this time. Since he knew these things, why didn't he say a word in the beginning?
"I'm using the term 'General', not 'Saint'." Zhangsun Wuji seemed to see his confusion and looked down at him indifferently. "A General does not need to talk about morality. As long as you have a murderous aura, as long as you are good at fighting and brave, able to resist and kill the enemy, able to defend the eighteen restless tribes of the Southern Border for me, able to make contributions to the Wuji court, what does it have to do with me if your personal morals are lacking and your personal integrity is not scrupulous? What does it have to do with the court? "
He stood with his hands behind his back, his clothes moving without any wind, giving off a strange and faint fragrance.
"But, Pingrong, you have done something that I cannot tolerate today."
Meeting Guo Pingrong's increasingly confused gaze, Zhangsun Wuji suddenly smiled without a smile. He bent down and softly said a few words in Guo Pingrong's ear.
Guo Pingrong's expression immediately changed. It was like he had suddenly swallowed a piece of burning charcoal. His entire face was flattened by extreme shock. He opened his mouth as though he suddenly couldn't catch his breath. He also seemed to want to jump out of his mouth, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not smoothly say a word.
He stared at Zhangsun Wuji, his entire body trembling. The expression on his face gradually changed from the initial shock to regret, confusion, despair, and other emotions. In the end, he gave a loud shout and knelt on the ground. He crawled over and tightly grabbed the corner of Zhangsun Wuji's robe.
"Your Highness! Spare me! "
Zhangsun Wuji's hands were in his sleeves. He looked at this beloved general whose personality had been twisted because of his unbalanced life. There was no emotion in his eyes.
"… One more thing … Tory's brothel, the Deep Spring Pavilion, used child prostitutes because of you, right?" Zhangsun Wuji smiled faintly. "You really know how to play, and you really play without any scruples. Do you really think those girls are the children of poor families in the Central State? Those are the girls of the eighteen tribes of the Southern Border. They were captured by Tory and became prostitutes. You, the general in charge of the Southern Border's expedition, actually provoked the rebellious Southern Border first. Pingrong, you really disappoint me. "
Guo Pingrong let go of his bloody hand in a daze and stared at Zhangsun Wuji in disbelief. He did not understand how the busy crown prince knew about the child prostitutes in the Deep Spring Pavilion. He did not understand why Tory would lie to him. He looked at Zhangsun Wuji in despair, but he could not find the answer in the other's eyes.
"No …" Guo Pingrong suddenly jumped up like a madman and rushed out of the door while howling. "You want me to die without doing anything? I can't do it! I am the Jianwu General! I am the fourth in the True Martial Assembly, I am a disciple of Xing Hui, ranked ninth in the Ten Emperors! I … "
His voice suddenly froze in his throat.
The light snow outside the door had not yet stopped. Fine snowflakes penetrated through the half-covered door and window and flew towards the body emitting heat. However, they seemed to encounter an invisible obstacle a foot away, paused for a moment and then floated down.
The sky was bright, illuminating the frozen silhouettes of a man standing and a man kneeling in the room. A few snowflakes landed on a finger. The finger was slender like jade, and it touched the forehead of the man who was half-kneeling.
With just such a gentle gesture, Guo Pingrong, who was as crazy as a tiger and had outstanding strength, could no longer charge one foot in front of Zhangsun Wuji.
Guo Pingrong's consciousness suddenly spun and became chaotic. There were many horizontal and vertical lines in his mind, intertwining and twisting into a rope. The rope creaked and tightened, squeezing and twisting his memory and lucidity until it was twisted into a mess.
He slowly tilted down, and the last clear consciousness suddenly jumped out of his mind.
"My teacher is ranked ninth in the Ten Emperors, and Zhangsun Wuji …"
"I should not have offended the wrong person …"
Before he could finish this thought, he had already fallen to the ground in exhaustion.
Zhangsun Wuji slowly withdrew his hand and put it back into the fox fur coat.
He raised his head slightly and tilted his head to look at the sky outside the window. The expression in his eyes when he tilted his head was hard to describe. It was like he had seen a precious flower suddenly slanted by the wind and rain. He stretched out his hand to protect it, but the flower pricked his hand.
He was silent for a long time. Suddenly, he raised his foot and kicked Guo Pingrong with extreme contempt.
"I will not kill you … but from now on, you are really just a machine. I really did not want to use this method on my subjects … it is your honor to be the first."
He turned and left with a flick of his sleeve. The guards trotted over to greet him. Even further away, the guards of the General's Residence were all kneeling on the ground, not daring to breathe loudly.
Zhangsun Wuji boarded the imperial carriage without looking back. The moment the curtain of the carriage was lowered, he ordered indifferently,
"Pass on my order."
"Yes."
"The Eighteen Tribes of the Southern Border are acting strangely. Those who do not submit will be punished. The Prince of De will be conferred the title of Rong King. The Rong, Zhen, and Li Prefectures will be conferred the title of Rong King. He will forever guard the Southern Border.
"…"
"Hmm?" Zhangsun Wuji's gaze shifted. The guard captain, who was shocked and hesitant because of the order, immediately broke out in a cold sweat. He hurriedly saluted and replied loudly, "Yes!"
Seeing the imperial carriage leave, the guard captain's eyes gradually filled with confusion and haze. After a while, he looked up at the sky that had yet to clear up after the snow. There were layers of clouds surging like endless waves.
After a while, he let out a low sigh, which dissipated in the cool air after the snow.
"Something bad is going to happen …"
*****
"Bang!"
She was drenched in cold sweat as she threw herself onto a tree. The trunk of the tree was stained with her blood and sweat. A cold wind blew from behind her. Her back was cold, but her heart was scorching hot, as if it was on fire.
She struggled to turn over, opened her mouth to catch her breath, and pressed on her heart. She tried to sit up cross-legged, trying to regulate the true Qi in her body. However, there were countless fire snakes entangling, crowding, and rolling. Wherever they passed, her meridians seemed to be on fire, as if they had turned into fire snakes.
'What's the strange ingredient in that damn needle?' It was like an aphrodisiac, but not at the same time. Something seemed to be teasing her, but once she was aroused, she felt a stabbing pain in her internal organs. If it weren't for the sharp medicinal fragrance emanating from her collar, forcing her to sober up from time to time, and the fact that she had mobilized all of her Nine Heavens True Power to suppress it, she would have lost her composure long ago. However, after the fierce battle that had exhausted all of her True Yuan, she was seriously injured and could no longer control herself.
Meng Fuyao smiled foolishly, vaguely thinking that she had still underestimated Guo Pingrong. No matter how bad his character was, the disciple of the Ten Strongest would not be too weak. She had come prepared and was careful with every step, but she had still almost fallen into his trap.
All her attention was focused on the strong, and she was not vigilant towards the 'victim' due to her habitual sympathy. In fact, she had already taken precautions. She had sealed Qiao Ling's acupoint from the start, but she had not expected that Qiao Ling, whose acupoint had been sealed, would have kept the needle between her teeth, waiting for her to rush to the Discipline Hall before harshly attacking her.
Although it could be considered a blessing in disguise, as her Nine Heavens Cleaving seemed to have made a breakthrough in her battle with Guo Pingrong, she still did not expect that the poison repellent incense in her coat, the one personally concocted by the Medical Saint Zong Yue, which could detoxify hundreds of poisons and even block the effects of aphrodisiacs, could not completely resist the poison in that damn needle!
"Damn it!" Meng Fuyao cursed under her breath. "Barefoot doctor! Jianghu doctor! Quack doctor! "
Suddenly, a black shadow flashed in front of her. Someone was approaching. She immediately struggled to get up and grabbed the dagger in front of her.
The newcomer stopped in front of her. His face was ordinary and haggard. It was the black-robed man who occasionally appeared beside Yuan Zhaoxu.
He looked at Meng Fuyao hesitantly, his eyes filled with regret. His master had gone into seclusion to recuperate, and he had been ordered to protect her. However, because of an accident, he had been distracted and caused her to be in trouble. Now that the person was right in front of him, he did not dare to approach her. Her cheeks were flushed and obviously abnormal. How could he dare to approach her now?
After hesitating for a long time, he suddenly heard a gust of wind behind him. He quickly turned around and saw a man in white standing behind him, looking at him calmly.
He heaved a sigh of relief and bowed. "It's good that you're here, Teacher."
"Leave it to me." Zong Yue sent the man away and walked up to Meng Fuyao. She raised her head in a daze, trying to make out a familiar face in her chaotic vision. She grinned and reached out to push him away. "You … stay away from me …"
Zong Yue did not say a word. He squatted in front of her and reached out to take her pulse. She waved her hand to avoid his touch. "Quack, I think I've … been poisoned …" she muttered.
Zong Yue laughed. "It has always been a beauty who has been poisoned with aphrodisiacs. What makes you think you're qualified?"
Meng Fuyao smiled weakly. She no longer had the energy to bicker with this sharp-tongued man. "Can you cure it? If you can't, then get lost … Don't tell me that Yin and Yang can't be cured by medicine … If it can only be cured with that … I'll … despise you for the rest of my life. "
Zong Yue suddenly smiled. Although he looked gentle, he rarely smiled. His smile was like the gentle sunlight shining from behind the clouds, compassionate and warm.
"Actually, I don't mind you despising me for the rest of your life …" He reached out and picked Meng Fuyao up. She shuddered as if she had been electrocuted and was about to struggle, but Zong Yue said calmly, "This is the back door of King De's residence. You've already come back. Don't tell me you don't even have the willpower to persevere from here to the residence?"
Meng Fuyao cursed in a low voice, "… You could have sealed my acupuncture point, but you wanted me to endure it …"
Zong Yue lowered his head and saw her flushed face. Her eyes were intoxicating. They were the combination of the willows in spring, the peach blossoms in April, the clear waters in May, and the lotuses in June. They were the most beautiful things in the world.
Looking at her face, his usually steady hands could not help but tremble. Suddenly, Meng Fuyao opened her eyes. Her eyes were slightly red, but her gaze was clear. It was as if she could see the white sand at the bottom of the clear stream, vivid and clear.
Zong Yue lowered his eyes and did not say another word. He carried her back to his courtyard, sealed her acupuncture point, fed her a pill, massaged her, and bandaged her wounds. He did all of this personally. When he was done, he stood in front of the window for a long time, muttering to himself with his hands behind his back.
When Meng Fuyao woke up, her first reaction was to check her clothes to see if she had XXOO with anyone while burning with lust. She felt as if the scorching fire snake had retreated back into its cave, curling into a ball and no longer wreaking havoc. However, there was a sudden burning sensation in the depths of her dantian. She tried to circulate her Qi and seemed to understand something. Sitting cross-legged, she asked, "You can't even get rid of this drug?"
Zong Yue turned to look at her and frowned. "What you've been hit with isn't an aphrodisiac. Or rather, it's much more powerful than an aphrodisiac. It's called 'Love Lock', using the essence and blood of a ten-thousand-year-old brothel. The victim's desire is strong, and they crave intercourse day and night. However, every intercourse harms the body. After three months of this, death is certain."
"Using one's life in advance to burn one's desire?" Meng Fuyao mumbled. "Who's so wicked to come up with such a thing?"
"Guo Pingrong's master, Fang Yimo," Zong Yue said with a strange expression. Zong Yue's expression was a little strange. "It is said that Fang Yimo fell in love with a woman when he was young, but that woman had an affair with someone when he was traveling around. After Fang Yimo came back, he made this thing so that the woman and the adulterer would have sex day and night until the man died of ejaculation and the woman's bloodline dried up."
Meng Fuyao gasped, shaking her head and sighing. "No wonder Guo Pingrong didn't follow the rules. His master isn't a good person either."
Zong Yue continued, "Guo Pingrong's body has been drained by wine and women for the past few years. His cultivation isn't even 30% of his master's, and … Mr. Fang is very protective."
He looked at the fearless Meng Fuyao and sighed. "Actually, a coat that has been dyed with the Poison Repellent Incense concocted from the Seven Leaf Grass is really immune to all poisons. You should be safe, but I just found out that there's a hidden poison in your body that complements the Love Lock. There's no trace of this poison, and there are no symptoms on normal days. However, there are some poisons that can kill you. Fortunately, you didn't encounter any of them in the past 17 years. If it weren't for the Poison Repellent Incense, the Love Lock and the hidden poison in your body would have killed you instantly …"
"After talking for so long, you're still afraid that I'll call you a quack, so you specifically told me that it wasn't your medicine that was bad, but my own hidden illness. But from your tone, it seems like you're also helpless against this poison?" Meng Fuyao looked at him from the corner of her eyes. "No way, you're a Medical Saint."
"If I can't do anything, then no one else can either." Zong Yue's calm tone carried a hint of arrogance. "But I have a way to reduce the effects of the medicine."
"What?"
"One is to use the medicine and turn it into a real aphrodisiac. As long as you're willing to …" Before Zong Yue could finish, Meng Fuyao put on her shoes and walked out of the room.
Zong Yue smiled bitterly and waited for her to reach the door before saying, "There's another way. This medicine is a combination of an aphrodisiac and a poison. Since it can be turned into an aphrodisiac, it can also be turned into a poison. I can turn the medicine's effects into poison, but as long as the poison isn't cured, you can't fall in love. Otherwise, you'll bleed from your seven orifices and die … Make your choice."
Meng Fuyao walked back and sat down cross-legged without a care in the world. "Is there a need to ask which one I'll choose?"
Zong Yue stood by the window and looked at her. His face was bathed in the pale sunlight, and his eyes and lips, which were paler than normal people's, seemed to be painted white by the light. He seemed to be drifting and worried. After a while, he said, "Are you … sure?"
Meng Fuyao waved her hand. "Stop nagging."
"Do you really think you won't fall in love for the rest of your life?" Zong Yue looked at her. "You're in the prime of your youth. What reason do you have to resist the arrival of love?"
"The direction of my love shouldn't be here in the first place." Meng Fuyao pursed her lips, her expression suddenly filled with a sense of melancholy. "Now that I've been poisoned, I'll just take it as a protective shield and remind myself to keep my heart in check … Sigh, that's pretty good."
She raised her head and smiled. Her smile contained a hint of regret and melancholy, as well as a helpless acceptance of the heartless world. Finally, she said softly but firmly,
"That's it."
*****
In the winter of the 15th year of Wuji's reign of peace, there was a rebellion at the southern border of the Wuji Nation. The Wuji Crown Prince issued a decree, and Prince De Zhangsun Jia was conferred the title of King Rong. He led an army of 200,000 to the southern border to quell the rebellion, with General Jianwu, Guo Pingrong, as the vanguard.
Because King De was suffering from an old illness that had yet to fully recover, he hired Medical Saint Zong Yue to accompany him with a large sum of money. Zong Yue heard that there were many exotic flowers and herbs in the Southern Border that could be used as medicine, so he gladly agreed.
Meng Fuyao and Yao Xun, as Zong Yue's' manservants', naturally followed the army. When Meng Fuyao passed by the Pavilion of Spring, she found that the brothel that used to be bustling with people and carriages had been sealed off. The romance of that day had now dissipated. Meng Fuyao stood in front of the empty brothel, thinking of something. The corner of her mouth gradually curved into a smile, but it gradually faded away.
She stood in silence for a long time before finally turning around. Suddenly, she heard a soft breathing sound from the corner of the wall behind her. She reached out and grabbed a small person.
The child was only six or seven years old, but his face was covered in thick makeup. However, it was extremely dirty. His eyes were wide open when Meng Fuyao pulled him out of the wall, but he did not cry.
Meng Fuyao felt that the child looked familiar. After sizing him up for a long time, she remembered that he was the child prostitute she had seen when she had visited the brothel with Yuan Zhaoxu. She frowned and asked, "Didn't you say that the Pavilion of Spring was sealed off because it kidnapped young girls from the Southern Border without permission and that you were taken in by the imperial court? Why are you here alone? "
The child stared at her with his big brown eyes. After a while, he said, "Little Dao wants to go home."
The child's words were short and concise. His voice had a rare metallic quality to it, and there was an unconcealable sharpness to it. Meng Fuyao raised her eyebrows. She was a little worried that the child had gone insane from the repeated hardships. However, the girl named Xiao Dao only gripped her clothes tightly and repeated, "Xiao Dao, I want to go home."
Meng Fuyao wanted to leave a few times, but she could not forcefully pull the child's skinny hand away. She was also unwilling to use martial arts to pull her away. In the end, she could only drag him back. Yao Xun raised his eyebrows in surprise when he saw her dragging a child back. Before he could ask, Meng Fuyao had already answered in a bad mood, "Little Dao wants to go home."
Thus, there was an additional servant named Little Dao in the group. He was very quiet, his eyes always fixed on the south.
As the army left the city, Meng Fuyao turned her head to look in the direction of the Cang Lan Temporary Residence. She let out a slight smile. Over there, a certain profound beauty and a certain narcissistic fat rat, were they enjoying the rare warm winter sun? Was the fat rat sleeping in the palm of its master, revealing its adorable pink belly? And was the first snow that had just melted on the eaves dripping into the crystal-clear center of the Canglan Lake?
She did not bid farewell to Yuan Zhaoxu.
She chose to leave with King De because he was in charge of all the affairs of the southern border and the neighboring prefectures, including the issuance of passes to the neighboring countries of the Boundless South. She hoped to reap some rewards. Secondly, she still wanted to find a chance to obtain the antidote from Guo Pingrong, who was said to have suddenly changed. Thirdly, she wanted to leave Yuan Zhaoxu.
She left because she was close to him.
She should not have stayed in this foreign world for the sake of worldly love. It was a slow parting from the past. After transmigrating, she had gone from anxiety to acceptance of reality. She had gone through a turbulent psychological journey. When her turbulent emotions calmed down, it did not mean that she had given up, but that she was willing to lay dormant, willing to fight against time and opportunity for an eternity.
She believed that as long as she kept moving forward, there would come a day when she would touch the end.
However, there would always be variables in a person's life. Such variables were approaching with an irresistible fate. She could almost see the consequences of such a variable. All her persistence and dreams for the past 17 years would be for naught.
She hoped that before Yuan Zhaoxu completely became the variable that could subvert all her obsessions, she would be able to personally extinguish that sprout of flame. That way, she would not have to hesitate at the final critical moment because of any guilt or longing.
She hoped that she could leave no trace behind and not leave any traces that would change her fate or the fate of others in this world that did not belong to her.
The battle with Guo Pingrong had been a blessing in disguise for the Cleaving Nine Heavens. As she neared the fifth level, she was also stained with the deadly poison. She felt that it was the will of the heavens that aided her in breaking through the barrier with greater strength and using the sword of fate to cut off some of the entangling threads that grew in the dark.
She paced back and forth in front of the city gate for a long time. Finally, when Zong Yue turned his head back, she resolutely patted her horse and hurriedly chased after him.
Her black hair fluttered in the wind, and her slender back was plated with a huge bright red sunset. In the distance, the evening glow filled the sky, and the colors of the sky were rich and colorful. The back of the woman who rode away on the horse gradually faded into a faint gold and crimson.
But she did not know.
In the direction she was looking, at the top of the tallest building in the Cang Lan Palace, the Spring Return Tower, stood a dignified man with his sleeves fluttering in the wind for a long time. His long robes fluttered in the wind, and his jet-black hair scattered like ink. The fluttering strands of hair covered his eyes, and only a hint of a meaningful smile was embedded in the corner of his mouth.
He looked in the direction of the city gate, and after a while, he turned his head and said to a certain animal on his shoulder, "She left without saying a word. Women are the most ruthless …"
A certain animal happily spread its paws and seized the opportunity to confess, "I will never treat you like this …"
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