53 What Must Be Done, Will Be Done I (2/2)

Before he could complete the thought, he had already collapsed to the ground.

Zhangsun Wuji retracted his hand and rested it against his fur coat.

He raised his head slightly to look at the light coming in from the window. The expression in his eyes was unreadable, but it seemed almost as though he had seen a precious flower getting beaten by the strong wind and rain and had reached out to protect it only to get pricked.

After a long pause, he lifted a leg to give Guo Pingrong's body a contemptuous kick.

”I'm sparing your life, but you're only a puppet from now on... I was against using this method on any of my subjects, but you can be the first. Be honored.”

He turned around, waving his sleeve, and an imperial guard walked over. Far away, a whole group of residence guards kneeled on the snowy ground, not uttering a word.

Without turning his head, he entered his carriage. Before drawing the curtains, he said flatly, ”Pass the order.”

”Yes.”

”There have been abnormal movements within the 18 tribes, so go and regulate the situation. Dissenters shall be punished on the spot. Prince De will now be King Rong, so bestow upon him Rong, Zhen, and Lizhou, and have him subdue the southern border. The General will work under King Rong's subordinates to reach peace. Do it within the next few days.

”...”

”...”

”Eh?” Zhangsun Wuji's gaze shifted. Sweat trickled down the Captain's forehead, but he quickly wiped it off before answering, ”Yes!”

The carriage departed, and a wave of confusion emerged from the Captain's eyes. Some time later, he raised his head to look at the sky. The snow had stopped, but the clouds were stirring energetically.

The Captain let out a soft sigh, which transformed into a puff that dispersed into the cold air.

”Something's about to happen...”

Bang!

Meng Fuyao hung from a tree, cold beads oozing from her body, while the branch she was resting on was covered in blood and sweat. The chilly wind blew onto her back, but her chest area was hot as if being burned.

She made a flip, with much effort, and started panting for air. She pressed on her chest while moving into a cross-legged position and trying hard to regulate her inner energy. Meng Fuyao felt as though countless fire snakes were slithering on top of one another, and where they passed her channels seemed to catch fire and developing into even more fire snakes.

What strange ingredients did that needle contain? It felt like aphrodisiacs but not really. Yet, there seemed to be something tugging at her desires, but the moment she got excited her internal organs started to hurt. If there wasn't an overpowering herbal scent lingering on her collar to keep her alert and allow her to regulate the Cleaving Nine Heavens' inner energy to suppress the pain, she would've lost all control long ago. Having gone through such an exhausting battle, it wasn't surprising that her injuries were severe and difficult to endure.

Amid her hazy consciousness, Meng Fuyao broke into a daze, vaguely noting that she had underestimated Guo Pingrong. He was the disciple of a worthy man, and his serious lack of morals did not determine his abilities. She had come prepared and with caution but barely scraped by.

Meng Fuyao had taken all kinds of precaution against him and focused all her attention on him instead of the ”victim”, whom she had dropped her wariness toward out of sympathy. Actually, she had her misgivings about it. Hence, deactivating her acupuncture point. However, what she hadn't expected was for that girl to keep the needle in her mouth and make a move on her upon their arrival at the festival hall.

Nevertheless, it was a blessing in disguise as her all-out battle with Guo Pingrong had allowed her to undergo another breakthrough. What she couldn't understand was how the thin, poison-dispelling fragrance pouch, specially blended by Zong Yue and known to cure many types of poison and even aphrodisiacs, was unable to fully quell the effects of Guo Pingrong's needle.

”Mother,” Meng Fuyao cursed, ”Barefoot doctor! Remote doctor! Quack!”

Darkness took over her vision in a flash. Someone was close by, and Meng Fuyao immediately struggled to get up and grab hold of her dagger.

The person stopped before her, his appearance ordinary and languid. He turned out to be the black-cloaked man who emerged by Yuan Zhaoxu's side from time to time.

He looked at her hesitantly with a regretful expression. He had been ordered to protect this lady during his master's isolation but had lost focus along the way due to an accident, causing her to get into trouble. He was standing before her but dared not go closer as her cheeks were a peachy pink, clearly abnormal.

He stood there for quite some time until a whizzing sound of the wind was heard from behind. He whipped his head around to see a man in white emerging from within the darkness and looking calmly at him.

The man in black exhaled and bowed. ”It's good that you're here, Sir.”

”Leave it to me,” Zong Yue assured and had the man in black leave, before walking toward where Meng Fuyao was.

Meng Fuyao set her gaze downward, half-consciously making out that the man before her was a familiar person. At that, she hopped down with a grin on her face before extending a hand to push him. ”You... get away from me...”