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Meng Fuyao bit on her tongue once she said that sentence. ”Shucks!” she exclaimed and promptly covered her mouth. Feeling like she was about to cry, she thought, 'Sh*t, how unlucky, I don't even know to speak when I'm anxious. What a low-standard sentence…'
Yet, that dude who always capitalized on every possible opportunity immediately looked back and smiled. ”Okay, once this is settled, let's sleep together…”
In the meantime, Zong Yue continued to stand straight on his spot. Solemnly, he spoke, ”Crown Prince, you have yet to answer me.”
Zhangsun Wuji looked down, and moments later, he frowned. ”Mr. Zong, since we all have no intention of harming Fuyao, let's not dwell too much into this matter. I'm sleepy, please excuse me,” he replied and stood up, ready to walk away.
Clang!
A glimmer of light flashed, tracing a clean arc in mid-air, and landed coldly in front of Zhangsun Wuji.
Slowly looking down at the knife directed towards his heart, and then at the emotionless wielder, Zhangsun Wuji waved his hand and stopped the dashing motions of both Meng Fuyao and his guards who were in hiding. Gently, he laughed. ”Mr. Zong, knives are not meant to be pointed towards friends.”
”I'm not deserving to be the Crown Prince's friend,” said Zong Yue. ”And I have always disliked a particular habit of yours - you always spoken in half sentences, always looked down upon others, and always handed out things out of pity. Those receivers don't even understand why they have been pitied.”
Silently, Meng Fuyao thought of how Zhangsun Wuji hinted that Zong Yue used his medicine wrongly, but intended to walk away without offering an explanation. That was equivalent to shutting Zong Yue up and not offering him a chance to defend himself. No wonder Zong Yue was angered.
As Meng Fuyao was absorbed in deep thought, her expression must have turned to one of disapproval, and Ya Lanzhu and Yun Hen must have had similar expressions too. Only the guinea pig dashed out and started to chatter and wave his arms in the air. Meng Fuyao grabbed him and stuffed him inside her sleeve. ”Don't create trouble!” she chided.
Suddenly, Zhangsun Wuji gazed at her, but his emotions were a little strange. He seemed to feel helpless and sighed at her.
After staying quiet for a while, he reached out and gently pushed away the knife. Sitting down slowly, he questioned, ”Do you really want me to say something, Mr. Zong?”
”Why not?” Zong Yue retorted calmly.
”I'll only ask you a few questions.” Once Zhangsun Wuji made up his mind, he no longer hesitated. He asked, ”When Fuyao was injured at the Fallen Phoenix mountain, her inner energy was severely disrupted by Cloud Soul. Did it show signs of instability?”
”Yes,” Zong Yue agreed straightforwardly. ”However, I treated it for her and even used precious herbs to remove the blood clots. What's wrong with that?”
He spoke with a provocative tone, to which Zhangsun Wuji ignored. He added, ”Okay. So, when Fuyao participated in the third round of the True Martial Arts Meet, she forcefully advanced into the next level, and almost erupted and died on the stage. It was only because of Sir Yun's extremely frosty inner energy that this did not happen. I believe you know that too.”
Nodding, Zong Yue answered, ”Yes, I also did not forget to remove that frosty inner energy from Fuyao's body when I was soothing her blood vessels. What exactly do you want to say?”
”I'll only ask a question.” Zhangsun Wuji smiled. ”How did Fuyao successfully incorporate her own inner energy with Gale's and Moon Soul's energies?”
Zong Yue opened his mouth to reply, but realization struck him, and his expression changed.
”During that period, Fuyao continuously got herself injured and did not properly rest at all. Yet, her inner energy improved at a miraculous speed, to the point that it defied norms, for her to be able to combine three gusts of superior inner energy so quickly,” Zhangsun Wuji said speedily, ”There's a limit to one's energy, and any advantage comes with a flaw. Her inner energy improved quickly, but what about her meridian system? At what time of the day were those lines repaired? They are not like steel trees, which can continue to grow even after they are slashed, not to say that even steel trees can't abstain from a weakened foundation after continuous damage.”
Zhangsun Wuji added, ”So I want to ask Mr. Zong - to accomplish such a miraculous feat, to improve at a pace that defied nature's laws, how did Fuyao do it?”
Then, he asked, ”I want to ask Mr. Zong - have you not heard of the story of plucking the weeds to accelerate growth, which teaches that too much zeal spoils everything?”
Zong Yue fell silent.
His expression changed numerous times, and his already ashen face further paled by a few shades. The gentle light shone and reflected his clear yet misty eyes, which resembled a cup of crystalline but rippling alcohol.
Meng Fuyao was once again dumbfounded.
No wonder she was always surprised by how fast she progressed. The old Taoist priest was known as a genius, but even he entered the sixth level of the ”Cleaving Nine Heavens” technique six years after her. No wonder she felt that her inner energy was not stable, and after every round she passed, the time taken to stabilize her energy was more than the duration she used to advance in her skills. No wonder she was always confused as to why she had continuously suffered serious injuries - and while normal people would take days to recover, and suffer setbacks in their skills to protect the meridian system - she seemed to advance even while she recuperated. No wonder!
Zong Yue used medicine to suppress injuries in her meridian system, causing her body to prioritize advancement over the protection of her organs. But that didn't sound right either. If her meridian system never had time to fully recover, problems should have arisen by now. Why was she still feeling fine?
Furthermore, no matter what, she adamantly refused to believe that Zong Yue would harm her. His intentions were to protect her. If she didn't advance and incorporate those inner energies before the True Martial Arts Meet, she would have lost long ago, right?