Chapter Fifty-One

dn’t do something that benefits others at his own expense,” she added."Right! That’s probably why Fourth Prince didn’t escalate it," Cailan agreed heartily.“Forget them; they’re troublesome. I’m hungr...Chapter 51

Without even turning around, Yun Qianyue knew that some annoyingly persistent individuals had arrived! She was surprised—was it really the case that men came here to pray for blessings Especially a crown prince of a nation

"Lady Yu Ning greets Crown Prince!" Upon seeing Ye Tianqing appear, Yu Ning hurriedly paid her respects.

Yun Qianyue pretended not to see him and did not turn around even once.

"Miss Qin, no need for formalities," said Ye Tianqing with a slight wave of his hand as he looked at Yun Qianyue. He smiled warmly, his tone unusually gentle compared to usual, "Sister Moon also came here to pray I thought your temperament would dislike this kind of activity!"

"Isn't Crown Prince here too A crown prince actually believes in such things" asked Yun Qianyue coldly.

Ye Tianqing did not mind Yun Qianyue’s indifferent face. He smiled, "I am returning to the capital tomorrow. I came here to pray for my mother's well-being." He paused and continued: "Sister Moon was drunk yesterday but looks fine today. Drinking is harmful to health, especially strong liquor. Better not drink it anymore in future!"

"Crown Prince really is filial," Yun Qianyue thought back to the day when he and the Empress had attempted to throw her into prison within the imperial palace. Her dear aunt! She truly doubted whether that woman calling herself the empress was indeed her own blood relative; it was rather ironic.

"Mother actually cares for Sister Moon, too. That day's incident was無奈之處，我和母親都隻是無奈之舉罷了。就算那天你被關進大牢，也隻是做個樣子而已，我也會將你救出來的。”夜天傾走到雲淺月麵前看著她嘲諷的臉色，眼神溫柔得膩死人，解釋道：“你我從小相識，青梅竹馬也不為過，我又如何會害你？月妹妹，你要明白我身處這個位置艱難。從那天之後這些日子心裡一直後悔冇有與你說清楚其實是在演戲而已，冇想到你會如此傷心絕情，是我不曾料到的。後來總想與你說說，你卻不給我機會。如今與你說明白了，你就不要再與我置氣了吧？好嗎？”

雲淺月抬眼望天，似乎冇聽到夜天傾說什麼。

那日在皇宮的情形曆曆在目。隱衛都出動了，他險些和夜輕染血染觀景園，居然如今在他口中輕飄飄一句做戲就接過了。說得倒是輕巧。她若還是以前對這個男人癡情的雲淺月也許會被騙過。但如今她不再是雲淺月了。又如何能被他騙過？

“月妹妹，我知道你心裡一定不舒服，要不你打我兩下解氣可好？”夜天傾伸手去抓雲淺月的手，柔聲詢問。

雲淺月躲過，身子後退了一步，冷聲道：“你離我遠些就行了！”

夜天傾麵色一僵。看著雲淺月，“你當真對我如此絕情？”

“你明白就好！反正不是假的！”雲淺月懶得跟這種人在這磨嘰，轉頭問已經躲得遠遠的彩蓮、聽雪、聽雨三人詢問，“祈福好了嗎？”

彩蓮三人搖搖頭。她們還冇開始祈福玉凝小姐就來了，然後太子殿下就出現了，她們哪裡能祈得上福？

雲淺月十分想走，但看著她三個婢女心心念念，怎麼也不能白來一趟吧。對她們擺擺手，“那你們現在就開始祈福，我們好回去睡覺！”

“是！”彩蓮三人看了夜天傾一眼，齊齊垂下頭，開始做雙手合十狀。

夜天傾目光追逐著雲淺月，一雙眸子深處不停變幻。須臾，他一笑，“我也是來給母後祈福的，月妹妹想必也是有所求，玉凝小姐也不是來玩的。既然如此我們就一起吧！心誠則靈。”

“太子殿下說的是。月姐姐，我們一起吧！”玉凝伸手去拉雲淺月衣袖。

雲淺月擺擺手，“你們祈福吧！我冇什麼要求的，看著就成！”

“那怎麼成？姐姐也快快和妹妹一起祈願吧！祈福節三年一次，下次再想祈願就要三年後了。今日姐姐既然來了，怎麼能錯過？”玉凝對雲淺月輕聲勸道。

“是啊，月妹妹一起吧！”夜天傾也勸道。

“小姐，一起吧！”彩蓮、聽雪、聽雨也齊齊勸道。

“淺月小姐，您快一起吧！要不大家都等著您。”玉凝的兩名婢女也立即道。

雲淺月心下煩悶，擺擺手，“好，好，一起，一起！”

“這就對了！”夜天傾一笑，轉過身，對著祈福樹雙手合十。

玉凝也立即笑了，也對著祈福樹雙手合十。

雲淺月無奈，也有樣學樣對著祈福樹雙手合十，腦中想著她求什麼？上一世累死累活，這一世自然是求安逸閒適。希望老天爺看在她平生第一次信迷信的份上，讓她夢想成真吧！即便不成真，那也讓保佑她一輩子吃喝不愁。

很快雲淺月就祈福完了，又想起不管靈不靈，應該給她如今的爺爺祈福，又默唸了兩句保佑那老頭健康長壽好多多護她的話。又想起應該保佑容景那丫的一直有錢，時常有好東西讓她去蹭蹭嘴。

三個願望都許完，雲淺月放下手，看向身邊幾人。隻見玉凝極其忞誠地閉著眼睛，粉嫩的唇瓣一開一合，唸唸有詞。彩蓮、聽雪、聽雨、以及玉凝兩名婢女也口中唸唸有詞。而夜天傾幾乎和她同時罷了手，正轉頭看著她，眸光與前些日子的深沉如海大不一樣，而今是溫柔如水。

雲淺月不看夜天傾，轉開視線看向彆處。

"Sister Moon, after making a wish, you need to hang the ribbon on the tree for it to come true." Night Tianqiong glanced at the colored ribbon in her hand and noticed that she wasn’t doing anything. He reminded her, "Do you want me to help you hang it up"

"No thanks!" Yun Qianyue glanced at the red silk in Night Tianqiong’s hand and shook her head.

"Then I’ll go ahead and hang mine first." As soon as he finished speaking, Night Tianqiong flew up to a branch of the tree and tied his ribbon on it. He then jumped back down with an elegant posture.

After witnessing Ye Qingran and Rong Jing’s martial arts skills, Yun Qianyue thought that this person's kung fu was quite ordinary.

"Sister Moon, it’s your turn now! You go up!" Night Tianqiong turned to look at Yun Qianyue.

Yun Qianyue didn’t say a word. She lightly touched her feet and felt as light as a swallow as she landed on the tree trunk.

"Great! It looks like Sister Moon has really improved in your kung fu!" Night Tianqiong praised her, but his phoenix eyes seemed to have flashed something that was not noticeable at night.

The moment Yun Qianyue landed on the tree trunk, she felt surrounded by various fragrances. She disdainfully glanced around and saw many sachets hanging from the branches. She tied her three ribbons on a branch as far away from Night Tianqiong’s red silk as possible. Just after tying them up, a faint but distinct fragrance wafted towards her. Yun Qianyue was stunned and sniffed carefully with her nose. Her nostrils were filled with various strong scents, making her sneeze involuntarily; she wanted to jump down immediately. This tree wasn’t fit for humans to be on.

"Miss, wait! You tied my ribbon up, I can't reach it." Cailian shouted from below.

Yun Qianyue covered her nose with one hand and said, "Then throw it up!"

Cailian hurriedly ran forward and rolled the ribbon into a ball to throw upwards. "Miss, catch it!"

Yun Qianyue caught the ribbon with one hand but had to endure the strong fragrance of the sachets as she tied up Cailian’s ribbons. Originally, Yun Qianyue wanted to tie them together like her own, but Cailian shouted from below: "Miss, separate them and tie them separately or it won’t work!"

"What high standards!" Yun Qianyue could only tie up each of Cailian’s ribbons one by one.

"Miss, I have mine too!" Tingshu ran forward.

"Miss, me too!" Tingyu also rushed over.

"Just throw them all up here!" Yun Qianyue was helpless and had to endure her sneezes while telling the girls below.

Tingshu and Tingyu immediately happily rolled their ribbons into balls and threw them upwards towards Yun Qianyue.

Yun Qianyue caught the ribbon with one hand and tied each of them up on a branch. She thought that having too many maids around was indeed troublesome! Just as she wanted to jump down, Yu Ning’s soft voice rang out: "Sister Moon, could you also tie mine"

Yun Qianyue felt for the first time how inconvenient it was to have kung fu skills. She waved her hand and said, "Alright then, throw them up!"

"Thank you so much, Sister Moon!" Yu Ning held tightly onto a sachet with ribbons in her hands and threw them upwards at Yun Qianyue.

Yun Qianyue caught the ribbon and saw a beautifully embroidered sachet shaped like a double lotus flower. She asked, "How should I tie it"

"Tie them together, and put them higher up." Yu Ning stared at Yun Qianyue’s hand.

“Alright!” Yun Qianyue climbed up the tree as high as she could to tie Yu Ning’s sachet and ribbons onto a branch. When she finished tying them, she saw that the two maids were looking at her with anticipation. She waved her hands and said, "Throw them all up!"

“Thank you so much, Miss Qianyue!” The two women immediately smiled and hurriedly threw their ribbons to Yun Qianyue.

Yun Qianyue caught the ribbon with one hand again and tied it onto a branch. Finally, they were all done. She looked down below and asked listlessly: "Is that all"

"That’s all!" The people below shook their heads.

Yun Qianyue was relieved like she had been pardoned from prison. She flew down from the tree, but as soon as her feet hit the ground, a sneeze came out one after another. She felt overwhelmed by the scent of sachets and couldn’t bear it any longer. She waved at Tingshu and Tingyu: "Let’s go back. I need to take a bath right away."

"Yes!" Cailian quickly rushed forward to support Yun Qianyue.

Yun Qianyue took out her handkerchief from her sleeve and pressed it against her nose. A scent like snow and lotus flowers came towards her, delicate and refreshing, making her feel better instantly. She didn’t even want to say a word more and started walking back.

“Sister Moon…” Yu Ning suddenly called out to Yun Qianyue.

“What” Yun Qianyue looked at her. What now This woman was really annoying!

"You… how come you’re using the Prince Rong’s handkerchief" Yu Ning stared closely at Yun Qianyue's hands.

Night Tianqiong, upon hearing this, also looked at Yun Qianmo's hand. When he saw the white handkerchief, his expression changed.

"Oh, I caught a chill and didn't have any handkerchiefs with me, so he generously let me use his." Yun Qianmo then remembered that she had used Yong Jing’s handkerchief. Although she knew that Yu Ning liked Yong Jing, it was just a handkerchief after all; besides, would she really avoid him like the plague because of this woman She shrugged her shoulders and shook the handkerchief in her hand, finding nothing written on it—not even characters marked on its surface. Confused, she asked Yu Ning, "There's no indication that this is his handkerchief, right How did you know it was his"

Yu Ning lowered her head and remained silent.

"The Prince Yong Jing’s handkerchiefs are the easiest to recognize. While others embroider their given names on their handkerchiefs, the Prince Yong Jing's handkerchiefs have always been empty and undecorated. Moreover, only the Prince Yong Jing in this era uses snow silk handkerchiefs—the Emperor once bestowed him with a unique batch of snow silk after he was hailed as the greatest prodigy in the nation. Therefore, his handkerchiefs are the easiest to recognize." Night Tianqiong explained, no longer speaking softly but rather more gravely.

"Oh, I see! No wonder it feels different from my own!" Yun Qianmo shook the handkerchief in her hand; so it was made of snow silk. She held the handkerchief up to her nose and said, "It's just a handkerchief—nothing special about it. I'll be heading back now."

With that, she stopped talking and started walking back. As she walked, she couldn't stop sneezing.

"Miss, why do you keep sneezing Didn’t the medicine Prince Yong Jing gave you work well" Cai Lian asked.

"It’s because I was stuck on that damn tree; it had all sorts of smells, driving me crazy." Yun Qianmo said, feeling miserable.

"After we get back, my servant will prepare some hot water for you to bathe with and you’ll feel better," Cai Lian said gently.

“Mm.” Yun Qianmo sniffed her nose and responded.

"Miss Yun, we have a shared route ahead. May I walk with you" Yu Ning caught up with Yun Qianmo.

"Sure!" Yun Qianmo felt dizzy in the head; could it be that this body was allergic to perfumes

“It’s already late, let me escort you back,” Night Tianqiong also followed closely behind her.

Yun Qianmo couldn’t even bother to say no—she felt her head spinning more violently. She leaned heavily on Cai Lian's arm; how could an allergy be so severe What was going wrong

Just as she thought that, a crack appeared beneath her feet and she slipped, falling down. At the same time, Yu Ning and Cai Lian let out cries of alarm. Yun Qianmo hadn’t had time to figure out what happened before Cai Lian released her hand—another small hand grasped hers tightly while another large hand reached for her waist. Without a second thought, she punched in the direction from which that large hand came. Although disoriented, she was still sensitive enough to realize it was Night Tianqiong’s hand reaching for her. Even though she didn't understand what had just happened, she knew something must have gone wrong—she despised Night Tianqiong so much; how could he dare touch her

After delivering the punch, Yun Qianmo herself felt it was not very forceful. Her heart sank upon hearing a faint groan from Night Tianqiong. He had only paused for an instant before successfully wrapping his arm around her waist.

Yun Qianmo tried to muster strength to hit him again, but she found that the qi in her dantian was disorganized and weak—she could barely sense it cohering together. Her head felt even more dizzy; she inwardly panicked.

The cold should not have worsened suddenly like this; before stepping under the tree earlier, she had been well. This didn’t seem to be an allergy either—it must be some form of poison or drug that caused her dizziness and lack of energy. With this thought, she noticed Night Tianqiong’s aura intensifying around her. Fueled by hatred, she immediately suspected him.

"Let go!" Yun Qianmo shouted angrily as soon as she figured it out. Her voice was low and sultry, even startling herself.

"We seem to have triggered a trap; we are falling now. Miss Yun, how can I let go Once I release you, you will fall," Night Tianqiong’s calm voice came through, tightening his grip on her waist.

Yun Qianmo then realized she was rapidly descending. She remembered there was another person hanging onto her other arm—the familiar scent of Yu Ning assailed her senses. "Yu Ning"

"Miss Yun…" Yu Ning was clearly frightened, clinging tightly to Yun Qianmo’s arm.

“How are you” Yun Qianmo wondered if Yu Ning felt the same way; she reached out and pressed on her pulse. She knew a little about medicine, though not thoroughly proficient.

"Miss Yun, I’m so afraid…" Yu Ning trembled violently while hugging Yun Qianmo’s arm.

Yun Qianmo felt for Yu Ning's pulse briefly before pulling back—Yu Ning seemed to be fine. Just as she was about to speak again, a powerful force enveloped them and made it difficult to breathe; Night Tianqiong and Yu Ning on either side of her appeared unable to bear this power and released their grip on her. Her body was suddenly propelled forward at an accelerated rate—faster than before by several times.

"Miss Yun!"

"Miss Yun!"

Simultaneously, Night Tianqiong’s and Yu Ning's alarmed voices came from far behind her.

Even if Yun Qianmo could speak now, she wouldn’t respond. She just wanted to know what was going on; she opened her eyes wide but saw only pitch blackness—her hands couldn’t see anything. Her body slid down a smooth and chilly surface as though it were stone. It felt like she had been bound by an invisible web of silk threads.

This continued for a moment, then the force abruptly vanished. A gust of wind brushed past her left side, carrying the familiar scent of lotus and snow; a hand reached out gently to embrace her.

"Yong Jing" Yun Qianmo asked. Having interacted with him these few days, she would have been clueless if she didn’t know who he was.

“It’s me!” Yong Jing replied as warmly as ever.

"What mischief are you up to" Yun Qianyue angrily罵了一句。

"It's not me!" Rong Jing shook his head, his tone gentle but不容質疑。 After speaking, he placed a pill at Yun Qianyue's lips and whispered: "Take it!"

"What" Yun Qianyue asked.

"Aren't you feeling very uncomfortable now Taking this will make you feel better," Rong Jing explained.

Upon hearing this, Yun Qianyue opened her mouth and swallowed it. Thinking about their recent interactions, if he had wanted to harm her, he would have done so already; she naturally trusted him. As the pill entered her mouth, her foggy mind became clearer, but her body still felt weak and limp against Rong Jing. She asked: "What's going on"

"I'm not sure yet," Rong Jing said with a shake of his head.

"Then where are we" Yun Qianyue asked again.

"This should be the secret passage of Fragrant Springs Mountain," Rong Jing replied.

Yun Qianyue pressed her lips together. She remembered falling after stepping into an empty space; had she really triggered a mechanism as Night Tianqiong said Thinking of Night Tianqiong, her tone turned cold: "Is it because of what Night Tianqiong did I feel so weak that even my martial arts skills don't seem to be working properly."

"Whether this is related to him remains to be verified," Rong Jing seemed to glance at Yun Qianyue and whispered: "Are you feeling dizzy, with an intense heat throughout your body, and a dispersal of internal strength"

“Yes!” Yun Qianyue nodded.

"You might have been poisoned by the Amorous Inducer," Rong Jing said.

"Amorous Inducer What is it" Yun Qianyue hadn't heard of it, but the words 'amorous' made her extremely sensitive.

“It’s said to be the first Spring Drug,” Rong Jing answered after a moment's silence.

Just as she thought. No wonder she felt so weak and feverish! Yun Qianyue widened her eyes, but in the dark, she couldn't see Rong Jing’s expression clearly. She immediately asked: "Is there an antidote Is that pill you just gave me the antidote"

"No, the Amorous Inducer has no known antidote. That pill was merely to clear your mind; it won’t help much. Soon, you’ll feel even worse," Rong Jing said.

“What should I do then” Yun Qianyue was confused. When had she been poisoned by this thing Rong Jing fell silent.

Yun Qianyue then remembered she was asking a man for help; how could he answer her Generally, the antidote to an amorous drug is given by men. Does he mean I should feel at ease and let him give me the antidote Her heart chilled as she immediately dismissed this possibility. She didn’t want to marry Rong Jing. Thinking about it in modern times, there were also aphrodisiacs that were extremely potent; she had trained with them before, but back then it was Li Yun's body. Now, however, she was in Yun Qianyue’s body—she didn't know if this Amorous Inducer would be as powerful or if her current body could withstand its effects. She asked: "Is this drug very potent"

"Yes! This Amorous Inducer is the most potent among such drugs," Rong Jing nodded.

“If I can hold on, will I be fine after enduring it What are the consequences” Yun Qianyue had initially only felt slightly feverish but now began to feel intensely hot. Indeed, she seemed to have been poisoned by an amorous drug. She gritted her teeth and asked.

"If the antidote isn’t administered within two hours, one will bleed from all seven apertures before dying," Rong Jing replied.

靠！ So霸道？ Although Yun Qianyue’s body was hot, she felt a chill in her heart at this moment. She angrily said: "How did I get poisoned with such a drug Tell me what characteristics it has and under what circumstances one gets poisoned"

"The Amorous Inducer is made from the most potent aphrodisiac flower pollen, with a history of over a hundred years. It was created by a notorious thief a century ago. Its terrifying aspect isn’t its霸道ness—it can cause someone to die within two hours if not treated—but rather that it uses an odorless and tasteless drug as an inducer. Anyone who gets this inducer will become poisoned upon contact with flower pollen or fragrance," Rong Jing explained slowly.

"So, I was exposed to the inducer earlier and only got sick when I came into contact with flower pollen later" Yun Qianyue was taken aback as she thought about what she had done today. She told Rong Jing: "I didn’t go anywhere today; I just stayed in your place for a day, then returned home to my room. Later, I went to the Prayer Tree at Nanshan Temple, and everything seemed fine before that. But after hanging a ribbon on the Prayer Tree, I began feeling ill. The tree has sachets filled with pollen, so it seems like I got poisoned there"

"The inducer needs half an hour of exposure to become effective when encountering flower pollen afterward," Rong Jing said. "So according to time, you probably weren’t exposed at the Prayer Tree but before that and then triggered by the pollen on the tree.

Especially a type called Love Flower powder can trigger your inner amorous poison to its utmost effect instantly. Think about when you might have been exposed," Rong Jing added.

Yun Qianyue frowned as she thought, speaking out loud: "I arrived at the Prayer Tree not long ago and it took only two tea breaks' time from your place there. In total, less than half an hour. After returning to my room, I didn’t go out until now; could I have been exposed in my own room It was exactly half an hour before that when I was still at home,"

"That’s likely it then," Rong Jing said.

“Who would want to harm me” Yun Qianyue asked, “Is it Cailian？ Or Tingshu Tingyu Oh yeah, could my brother Yun Muhuan be the culprit"

"The Young Prince of Yun is also affected by the Amorous Inducer," Rong Jing said.

“What” Yun Qianyue was shocked again. "Are you saying he was poisoned too Does this mean there's something wrong with my room then Could it be Cailian, Tingshu, and Tingyu who wanted to hurt me They would indeed have an easy time putting such a thing in my food or drink,"

"Such things are usually placed into food or water. Did you eat or drink anything when you returned from my place" Rong Jing asked.

“I ate half a box of pastries that Cailian said were given by Princess Qingwan and drank one cup of tea,” Yun Qianyue recalled the pastries and felt chilled, having eaten so much.

"Well, if it's not about the pastries, then it must be about the tea." Rong Jing nodded.

Yun Qianyue thought that Cai Lian, Ting Xue, and Ting Yu were all innocent, and she treated them well, so they shouldn't have harmed her. If this was true, then the issue had to be with Princess Qing Wan's box of pastries. She felt frustrated and angry, "My maids wouldn’t harm me. So it must be about that princess. I have no grudge against her, why would she want to harm me Doesn't she like my brother If she wants to marry my brother, then why harm me Is there something wrong with her brain"

Rong Jing did not answer Yun Qianyue's series of questions but calmly said, "I sent Xian Ge to fetch Young Marquis Yun from your place. Originally I knew that you didn’t want to return to the Yun王府, so I planned to stay with you at Lingtai Temple for a couple more days. But as soon as he arrived at my place, you dispatched Cai Lian to tell me that you were returning to the capital tomorrow. I felt it was unnecessary to bring up again and was about to say that if you didn’t want to meet Venerable Ling Yin, then there’s no need to see him. It all depends on fate and can’t be forced. But before I could speak, I noticed something off with Young Marquis Yun’s face. He seemed to have the symptoms of being affected by the love potion. I did not point it out but simply said a few words and let him leave. After he left, I too came out from my room intending to secretly follow him and see what was going on."

"Then" Yun Qianyue recalled how she had run into Rong Yun Muhuan right after coming out of her room. No wonder it happened so fast! He didn’t say anything either, did he Rong Yun Muhuan wanted to drag her over to Venerable Ling Yin’s place, but just a few steps later Princess Qing Wan's servant girl came saying that the princess fainted. She immediately understood everything. If Rong Yun Muhuan was affected by the love potion and went to meet with Princess Qing Wan, what good would come of it She bitterly said, "Indeed, it’s all because of this woman, Princess Qing Wan! It's understandable if she plans against my brother; after all, once we leave today, tomorrow they'll descend from the mountain. If they make some progress, won’t His Majesty order a marriage between them With my brother being so inflexible, if he misses out on today, it’ll be even harder when back in the capital. But why would she plot against me"

"Whether or not she’s plotting against you can't yet be determined. Love potions are forbidden drugs and princesses find them hard to obtain. However, Princess Qing Wan frequently leaves the palace so it's possible for her to get one," Rong Jing said calmly. "I observed you in secret but saw nothing unusual, and your personal bodyguards were also looking after you from a distance, which is why when Young Marquis Yun left I immediately followed him over to Princess Qing Wan’s place instead of going with you to the prayer tree. Back then it seemed that you had been affected by the love potion already and I hadn’t realized it at first. Had I noticed earlier, there were methods for me to prevent you from being affected."

Yun Qianyue thought about how she had just eaten those pastries and they were yet undigested; it was normal that he didn't notice right away. She asked, "What happened later What did you do when you went over to Princess Qing Wan’s place"

"Princess Qing Wan has also been affected by the love potion," Rong Jing said.

"Hmm" Yun Qianyue was surprised. That woman too had been affected by a love potion She raised her eyebrows, "So my brother has no way out and can only die now"

"Die" Rong Jing asked puzzledly.

“He just ends up having to sleep with her.” Yun Qianyue gritted her teeth as she explained. The fire that had started burning in her moments ago seemed ready to engulf her, but the only place still cool was where it touched Rong Jing’s body.

Rong Jing remained silent for a moment before shaking his head, "No. Your brother would rather die than resolve the love potion."

"So loyal" Yun Qianyue was stunned and found it hard to believe. "Princess Qing Wan isn’t unattractive. He’s a man too; he won't lose out in any way. Why not just sleep with her"

"Do you really want Princess Qing Wan to be your sister-in-law" Rong Jing didn’t answer but counter-asked.

“It's the situation that forced me.” Besides, she mused indifferently, "If he marries her, it’s not like she’ll marry me. I don't care who my sister-in-law is."

"I can’t understand why Young Marquis Yun won’t resolve his love potion either. Everyone knows that Princess Qing Wan has had feelings for him these past years. Although he seems to show resistance, it’s not a definite refusal. Now with life at stake, I thought they would end up together and resolve the love potion. But I underestimated your brother." Rong Jing narrated casually. "After he arrived at Princess Qing Wan's place, he saw that she wasn’t unconscious but instead was pouring cold water all over herself while wearing practically nothing, her mind already gone. He found out she had been affected by a love potion and simultaneously realized he too had become affected."

"Then what" Yun Qianyue asked.

“Although Princess Qing Wan’s mind isn’t entirely gone, she still has some sense left. Seeing him there naturally made her happy. Young Marquis Yun only asked one question—whether she wanted to find another man. She said no, she wanted only him. He told her he wouldn’t resolve the love potion for her but also wouldn't go look elsewhere either, so they both decided to wait and die.” Rong Jing explained.

Yun Qianyue knew that sometimes Yun Muhuan was rigid, but she didn’t expect him to be this rigid. Or did he dislike Princess Qing Wan so much that he preferred death over resolving the love potion She had to admire her brother for this and asked again, "Then what happened later Did they die"

"I waited a while but seeing how determined Young Marquis Yun was, I reluctantly gave them two more Heavenly Snow Lotus. These lotuses are cold in nature and can resolve the heat of love potions," Rong Jing said.

“But you said there’s no cure for love potions There actually is” Yun Qianyue’s limp hand suddenly gained strength as she grabbed onto Rong Jing's arm, "Give it to me!"

"Before coming to Lingtai Temple I had only three Heavenly Snow Lotus left. One was given to you; the other two were used by Young Marquis Yun and Princess Qing Wan. In all these years there have only been two such lotuses in this world—one obtained by Venerable Ling Yin, and another that fell into my hands coincidentally a decade ago. The one Venerable Ling Yin had was split to save Young Marquis Yun and the Southern Liang Crown Prince ten years back. I made medicine pills from mine; now they’re all used up. Where am I supposed to find more This world wouldn’t be able to provide another such lotus." Rong Jing spoke calmly, unhurriedly.

Yun Qianyue was immediately disappointed and let go of his arm, angrily saying to Rong Jing, "Why bother saving that princess too Let her die!"

"If I only saved your brother but left the princess to die, do you think she would survive when under your brother’s care Would it make sense for me to waste one lotus pill" Rong Jing asked in return.

Yun Qianyue thought about this too and had no anger left; tears welled up but didn’t fall. She felt unlucky again and complained, "That day I came here only because my carriage made me dizzy. Why did you give me such precious Heavenly Snow Lotus pills then If I still had them, they would be useful now."

"The two strong true energies inside your body were about to clash; if not for that lotus pill on that day, how could the energies have merged like this today You might have died long ago from being blown apart by those energies," Rong Jing said with raised eyebrows.

“I see. That’s why these days I feel more comfortable as my two streams of energy merge in my Dantian area!” Yun Qianyue sighed and bitterly said, “Does this mean that I’m truly doomed Damn it!”

Rong Jing remained silent.

“How did you find me” Yun Qianyue asked again.

"After rescuing Young Marquis Yun and Princess Qing Wan from her place, I was concerned about your safety so came to check on you. When I saw how determined he was in waiting to die, there was no choice but to give them the remaining two Heavenly Snow Lotus; they’re cold in nature and can resolve love potions." Rong Jing said.

"You didn’t say before that these lotuses could cure love potions So there actually are cures" Yun Qianyue’s limp hand suddenly gained strength as she grabbed onto Rong Jing's arm, "Give me one!"

Rong Jing spoke calmly and unhurriedly. "Before coming to Lingtai Temple I only had three Heavenly Snow Lotus left. One was given to you; the other two were used by Yun Muhuan and Qing Wan Princess. In all these years there have been only two such lotuses in this world—one obtained by Venerable Ling Yin, and another that fell into my hands coincidentally a decade ago. The one Venerable Ling Yin had was split to save Young Marquis Yun and the Southern Liang Crown Prince ten years back. I made medicine pills from mine; now they’re all used up. Where am I supposed to find more This world wouldn’t be able to provide another such lotus."

Yun Qianyue felt disappointed when she heard this and let go of his arm, angrily saying to Rong Jing, "Why bother saving that princess too Let her die!"

"If I only saved your brother but left the princess to die, do you think she would survive under your brother’s care Would it make sense for me to waste one lotus pill" Rong Jing asked in return.

Yun Qianyue thought about this and had no anger left; tears welled up but didn’t fall. She felt unlucky again and complained, "That day I came here only because my carriage made me dizzy. Why did you give me such precious Heavenly Snow Lotus pills then If I still had them, they would be useful now."

"The two strong true energies inside your body were about to clash; if not for that lotus pill on that day, how could the energies have merged like this today You might have died long ago from being blown apart by those energies," Rong Jing said with raised eyebrows.

“I see. That’s why these days I feel more comfortable as my two streams of energy merge in my Dantian area!” Yun Qianyue sighed and bitterly said, “Does this mean that I’m truly doomed Damn it!”

Rong Jing remained silent.

“How did you find me” Yun Qianyue asked again.

"After rescuing Young Marquis Yun and Princess Qing Wan from her place, I was concerned about your safety so came to check on you. When I saw how determined he was in waiting to die, there was no choice but to give them the remaining two Heavenly Snow Lotus; they’re cold in nature and can resolve love potions."

"Thankfully you came down here for me; otherwise I would still be stuck with that annoying Night Tianqiong," Yun Qianyue said.

Rong Jing remained silent, not speaking further.

“Why did it take so long This cave is so deep and we’re not hitting the bottom. Don’t tell me this time we’ll die from falling to our deaths” Yun Qianyue suddenly remembered that she was still falling after talking to Rong Jing for a while, and sighed.

"It's not a straight downward slope, but rather a smooth inclined plane. My feet have been touching the ground the whole time; you were just held by me and didn't touch it. Since you couldn’t hear or see anything, you naturally thought we were falling, but in fact, that wasn’t the case." Rong Jing seemed to sigh with some helplessness.

“Oh, I guess I won’t die then.” Yun Qianyue said.

"That's not necessarily true. There seems to be a trap mechanism here; if we trigger it and things don't go well, we might really die before you can even initiate the drug." Rong Jing shook his head.

“What a pity!” Yun Qianyue thought of the mechanical devices! She didn’t know what kind of arrangement they were. She once learned some from an eccentric person and was somewhat interested upon hearing this, but she could no longer bear the increasing discomfort in her body and gritted her teeth without speaking.

Rong Jing remained silent as well.

After a moment, Rong Jing spoke again, "We've reached the end! Be careful!"

Yun Qianyue struggled to regain some composure. After being in darkness for too long, she could now see things somewhat clearly. She found herself and him together in a dark passage with smooth walls as Rong Jing had said.

Before she could take a closer look, Rong Jing spun her around; it seemed he stepped on something, and she heard a few crisp clicks followed by a sudden force that made her head spin. Her body abruptly turned 180 degrees, and the arm Rong Jing had been holding her with tightened suddenly as they were knocked flying in one direction.

Yun Qianyue felt dizzy; she was being held tightly by Rong Jing and rolling downward. She seemed to hear him grunt softly, probably because he hit something with his body. But since she was wrapped up in his arms, all she felt besides the dizziness was no contact with anything else. It made her feel warm inside. Who would have thought that this black-hearted fellow would actually be so manly and protective when it mattered.

After rolling for about a stick of incense's time, they heard another sound as if a door had opened. Their bodies rolled into the room with the force, spinning several more times before finally coming to a stop.

Yun Qianyue was already disoriented and now felt dizzy-eyed. She lay in Rong Jing’s arms for some time without making any sound.

Rong Jing also remained silent for a while; after a moment, he asked gently, "Are you alright"

"If I’m not alright, then there's something wrong with the world!" Yun Qianyue poked her head out of Rong Jing’s arms and just as she opened her eyes, an odor of dust seemed to rush into her nose. She couldn’t help but sneeze several times.

"We are temporarily safe," said Rong Jing, loosening his hold on Yun Qianyue.

Yun Qianyue squinted at the scene before her with a weak body; she saw a large hall roughly ten zhang in area. There were many Buddha statues enshrined above. The statues and the floor and walls had accumulated thick layers of dust, indicating that no one had cleaned them for a long time. Yun Qianyue and Rong Jing lay on the ground before the Buddha statues, covered with soil, and there was rolling dust all around her; she felt suffocated by the dust. Apart from the Buddha statues and smooth walls, there wasn’t anything else in sight. Where were the sound of the door opening and the door itself that she had heard She frowned and asked Rong Jing, "Where are we"

"Probably a shrine under Lingtai Temple," replied Rong Jing, looking around with a frown.

Yun Qianyue nodded upon hearing this. Although it seemed they had slid for quite some distance, she doubted they could have rolled out of Qingquan Mountain. Now that there was a shrine here, they were undoubtedly still within Lingtai Temple. However, judging from the dust-covered condition, it might be an abandoned one; the dirt on the ground and statues wouldn’t have accumulated to this extent in less than ten years.

"How did we enter" Yun Qianyue asked Rong Jing as she saw no trace of their entry apart from the dust they had left behind.

“Behind a Buddha statue!” replied Rong Jing.

Yun Qianyue nodded. At this point, her body felt like it was about to explode with heat; she couldn’t speak anymore and gritted her teeth in silence.

Rong Jing turned his head to look at Yun Qianyue; he saw that her small face was flushed an abnormal shade of red, as if the reddish hue had overwhelmed her whole body. Even though they weren't touching now, she was still emitting heat like a furnace, and Rong Jing frowned slightly as he watched her.

Yun Qianyue’s hands were tightly clenched together almost to the point of breaking; in her past life, she had never dated anyone or been intimate with men. The closest contact was sleeping clothed along with others during training sessions—just comrades-in-arms. How could there be any romance Now, being forced to use a man as an antidote was beyond her capabilities. Therefore, she relied on the strong willpower of twenty years’ training to resist it. If she could get through this, then it would be worthwhile; after getting out, she had to figure out who poisoned her and make them suffer. If not, then whoever did it would profit, and she wouldn't even think about revenge.

With that thought in mind, she closed her eyes and asked Rong Jing, "Can you move further away"

Rong Jing didn’t budge; he just watched her.

"Do you know that right now I feel like a Heavenly Snow Lotus or a platter of lotus flower fish stewed in soy sauce and want to gobble it all up When I can't take it anymore, if I pounce on you, don’t say you didn’t warn me," Yun Qianyue bit her teeth as she spoke.

“Mm,” Rong Jing responded almost imperceptibly but still did not move.

Yun Qianyue could only distance herself from him; after taking two steps, she found it difficult to go any further. She held her palms tightly in an attempt to clear out the chaotic thoughts by focusing on the pain.

"Hold onto them, or you'll break your hands." Rong Jing stuffed two handkerchiefs into Yun Qianyue's hands; without much effort, he managed to loosen her grip. He looked at her reddened palms and placed one handkerchief in each of her hands.

Yun Qianyue clutched the handkerchiefs tightly but couldn’t help reminiscing about the cool sensation that had spread through her palm when Rong Jing touched it. This stirred up a tempest within her heart, making her almost want to discard the handkerchief and grab his hands instead. She immediately thought silently: “The person in front of me is not a beauty but a charlatan, yes, a Lingyin Temple’s charlatan. I don’t have feelings for charlatans, especially old ones…”

With this thought, the previous idea vanished instantly and she exhaled softly.

Sure that no one could hear her silent thoughts, Yun Qianyue didn't know that she had actually spoken them out loud; though soft, they were quite clear. Rong Jing heard it very distinctly, and his face revealed a rather good-looking expression for an instant.轉碼失敗！請您使用右上換源切換源站閱讀或者直接前往源網站進行閱讀！