The next morning, when Yaoying woke up, she rubbed her head and remained dazed for a moment.
Events from the previous night flashed through her mind one by one.
She had touched Luojia’s bald head and even kissed it.
The texture was much as she had imagined—fuzzy, and as her palm brushed over it, a tingling sensation spread through her.
Under the crystal curtain, light and shadow swayed as a tall, straight figure entered the inner chamber. Backlit, his crimson kasaya was bathed in a radiant glow, making him appear solemn and holy.
Their eyes met.
Yaoying recalled the scene from last night when she had held him and kissed the top of his head, feeling a bit guilty.
Tanmoroqie walked to the bedside, holding a bowl of warm medicinal soup, and asked, "Does your head hurt?"
His tone was gentle.
"No, it doesn’t."
Yaoying shook her head and answered softly, her gaze repeatedly drifting toward his head.
Last night, she had only kissed it once.
Tanmoroqie lifted his eyes, met her gaze for a moment, his Adam’s apple moving up and down before he averted his eyes and handed her the bowl.
"Drink it."
His voice was hoarse.
Yaoying took the bowl, sniffed it, and caught a sweet and sour aroma. After drinking it, she immediately felt refreshed and clear-headed.
Tanmoroqie watched her finish the soup, took the bowl back, stood up, and left.
Watching his retreating figure, Yaoying’s lips curved into a slight smile. It seemed he hadn’t been angry last night.
She got up, washed and dressed, wrote a letter, and had a guard deliver it to Li Zhongqian. At the banquet the previous night, she had discussed matters concerning Haidu Aling with Li Zhongqian, but with so many people around, they couldn’t speak in detail.
Suddenly, the Land of Brahma physician hurried in, looking panicked.
"Your Highness, Princess Manda has been detained!"
The Land of Brahma physician was now Mengda Ti Po’s assistant and had accompanied them to the Royal Court.
"When did this happen? Who gave the order?"
The physician replied, "Someone arrived at the guesthouse with a secret decree before dawn. It must have been an order from the Buddha Prince."
Yaoying’s lips twitched slightly. She had thought Tanmoroqie wasn’t angry, but it turned out he had sent someone to detain Princess Manda in the middle of the night.
She reassured the physician and went to find Tanmoroqie.
Mengda Ti Po was applying medicine to Tanmoroqie. Yaoying waited outside for a while until Mengda Ti Po emerged, then immediately went in.
The room was filled with a pungent medicinal smell and thick with steam.
Pushing aside the bead curtain, she froze for a moment at the sight inside.
Tanmoroqie was leaning against the desk, his kasaya half-removed, his upper body bare. His muscles were tense, his shoulders and back densely covered in sweat. His face was pale, and he looked pained.
Just that morning, he had brought her medicinal soup, and now, in the blink of an eye, he was in this state.
Yaoying bit her lip.
Bi Suo was wringing a towel nearby. When he saw her enter, his eyes shifted, and he quietly slipped out.
Frowning slightly, Yaoying walked to the desk, sat down, and picked up the towel.
"Did you change to a different medicine today?"
Mengda Ti Po had been testing new prescriptions these past few days, but in previous attempts, Tanmoroqie hadn’t reacted so severely.
Tanmoroqie didn’t answer, his brow furrowed tightly, his gaze icy.
Yaoying straightened up and pressed the towel against his sweat-drenched shoulder. Before she could even move it, his body tensed further, veins bulging, a faint aura of killing intent swirling around him.
When he was Tanmoroqie, he would never use his cultivation method. But lately, he had shown signs of losing control over it—his True Qi would surge even without activating the method.
Mengda Ti Po had said that if they didn’t find a solution soon, he might suffer from Qi deviation.
Thinking of Tanmoroqie’s fate, Yaoying felt a pang of sorrow in her heart. Meeting his cold, jade-green eyes, she did not retreat. Instead, she gently wiped his exposed shoulders and back with the towel.She lowered her head, focusing intently on wiping him down. Her breath brushed against his chest and shoulders, her fingers grazing his exposed skin.
Damp, warm, and soft.
Tanmoroqie trembled, beads of sweat rolling down as he pressed his hand over Yaoying’s.
“I’ll do it myself.”
His voice was hoarse.
“Stay still, let me help you.”
Yaoying gently pushed his hand aside and continued wiping him.
Tanmoroqie lowered his gaze, watching the crown of her head so close to him. He closed his eyes and remained still.
After Yaoying finished wiping him down and saw that his complexion had improved slightly, she washed her hands and poured him a bowl of water to drink.
He took a sip, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed. He pulled up the Kasaya that had slipped to his waist, draped it over himself, put on his Buddhist Beads, and unrolled a Scripture Scroll.
Yaoying let out a long sigh and knelt before him. “Did the Dharma Master detain Princess Manda?”
Tanmoroqie nodded.
Yaoying felt both amused and exasperated. “Because she told me about Dual Cultivation?”
Tanmoroqie kept his eyes on the Scripture Scroll. “She made you drink Azure Flower Wine last night.”
Yaoying was taken aback. “That’s right, she offered me Azure Flower Wine… Is there something wrong with that wine?”
At yesterday’s banquet, both she and Princess Manda had drunk grape wine. Later, on the way back, she shared a few more cups with the princess and gradually grew tipsy. Last night, she had been somewhat dazed, more willful than usual, but her mind was still clear. When she left the banquet, her thoughts were lucid, and she even discussed Haidu Aling at length with Li Zhongqian. It wasn’t until she returned to the courtyard and relaxed that the full force of the drunkenness washed over her.
Tanmoroqie averted his gaze and produced Princess Manda’s confession.
The wine was problematic.
Azure Flower Wine had the effect of stimulating vitality and boosting courage. Warriors would drink it before heading into battle or competitions.
Moreover, when combined with the medicinal incense in his room, the wine would intensify the drinker’s reactions.
Princess Manda confessed that she knew which medicines the physicians from the Land of Brahma and Mengda Ti Po had been researching recently and had specifically prepared the Azure Flower Wine. The Azure Flower Wine she collected was more potent than the ordinary kind, capable of heightening one’s senses, allowing complete relaxation and encouraging actions one usually desired but dared not take.
“After drinking this wine, one feels cheerful and euphoric. When combined with the scent of medicine, the senses become even more acute. Moreover, if one is fond of a particular scent or person, drinking the wine can make them unconsciously want to immerse themselves in that scent or draw closer to the person they like…”
She swore vehemently that she only meant to help Yaoying and had not secretly laced her wine with any harmful drugs.
Princess Manda’s exact words in the confession were: “This wine truly isn’t harmful. I drink it often myself—not only is it harmless, but it also enhances the mood!”
After reading the confession, Yaoying’s eyelids twitched.
No wonder Princess Manda had warned her that the wine had a strong aftereffect when she offered it.
Yaoying set down the confession, pondered for a moment, then lifted her gaze to Tanmoroqie.
“It was just a cup of wine. I was a bit drunk last night… My elder brother never allowed me to drink much because I need to take medicine and shouldn’t consume alcohol. Besides, when I get drunk, I tend to cling to people and act mischievously…”
She paused, then explained, “Just like last night… when I wanted to kiss you.”
Last night, she had merely been somewhat dazed. She knew what she was doing—the Azure Flower Wine had only helped her relax completely, without clouding her judgment.
The room fell into silence, deep and still as unfathomable water.
Tanmoroqie tightened his grip on the Scripture Scroll.Footsteps sounded softly outside the window. Bā mǐ ěr entered the room and stood outside the felt curtain, cupping his hands in salute. "Your Majesty, Mobi Duo, the young prince of Wujili Bu, has returned."
Tanmoroqie snapped out of his thoughts, set down the scripture scroll, and looked at Yaoying.
"This time it was just a cup of wine. What if it had been something else?"
Yaoying froze.
He wasn't angry about the wine—he was worried that Princess Manda might have tricked her into drinking something harmful.
"I'll be more careful in the future."
"Princess Manda cannot be released yet," Tanmoroqie said. "I have matters to attend to. Please excuse yourself, Princess."
Yaoying hummed in acknowledgment, stood up, and left the room. She informed the physician from the Land of Brahma that Princess Manda would not be harmed.
...
The physician from the Land of Brahma went to see Princess Manda and relayed the news.
Princess Manda, who had been dragged out of bed in the middle of the night for questioning, was seething with anger but dared not show it. After confessing everything, she cursed Tanmoroqie inwardly. When she saw the physician arrive, her face lit up with hope, but upon learning that Tanmoroqie refused to release her for now, her expression darkened, and her eyebrows furrowed in fury.
"Did Princess Wenzhao fail to succeed last night?"
The physician from the Land of Brahma rolled his eyes at her.
Princess Manda narrowed her eyes. Princess Wenzhao was still too restrained—she needed to think of another plan.
...
Mobi Duo returned to the Holy City with the surrendered nobles of the Northern Rong, and the news quickly spread through the streets.
Tanmoroqie went to Wang Temple to receive Mobi Duo, accompanied by Bi Suo and Yuanjue.
Bā mǐ ěr smiled and said that Jin Bo and the others, after surrendering, would formally present their surrender documents at the upcoming ceremony in a few days.
Yaoying handled some miscellaneous tasks while waiting for Tanmoroqie to return.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed from outside the corridor. A guard rushed into the room. "Seventh Lady, the young master and the Crown Prince are fighting! The young master is trying to kill the Crown Prince, and we can't stop him!"
Yaoying's face paled. She threw down her brush, not even changing her clothes, and galloped straight to the post station on horseback.
The Gaochang envoy was staying in a pavilion to the south of the post station. Li Xuanzhen, who was injured, had been under the watch of Yaoying's guards. She had planned to send him back to Gaochang and then to Liangzhou once he was well enough to ride. For the past few days, her guards had been keeping him under surveillance to prevent him from encountering Li Zhongqian.
Yaoying was frantic with worry—not for Li Xuanzhen, but for fear that Li Zhongqian might get into trouble if he harmed him.
She urged her horse forward and asked, "Why did my brother suddenly want to kill the Crown Prince?"
The guard followed closely and replied, "Last night, the young master got drunk at the banquet. You instructed us to keep an eye on him, so we escorted him back to his quarters. He lay down and fell asleep... Everything was fine until this morning when he woke up with a hangover and suddenly remembered the Crown Prince. He questioned the guards watching the Crown Prince, flew into a rage, grabbed his sword, and charged into the Crown Prince's residence, slashing and hacking wildly. He nearly killed the Crown Prince... We tried to stop and reason with him, but the young master wouldn't listen..."
"The young master cursed the Crown Prince, calling him a beast!"
Yaoying's heart tightened.
What had Li Zhongqian found out?
She whipped her horse, urging it faster, and arrived at the post station. The guards were in chaos, but upon seeing her, they immediately rallied around her and escorted her inside.
Li Xuanzhen's courtyard was secluded. She hurried through the corridors without stopping, panting heavily like a bellows, and burst into the innermost room.
The place was in disarray—the sturdy door had been hacked to pieces, and the earthen windows bore deep slash marks. Figures darted and shifted inside the room, and from a distance, the clashing of swords could be heard, mingled with the guards' shouts and pleas.The guards pushed aside the collapsed cabinets blocking the doorway, and Yaoying stepped into the room. Before she could clearly assess the situation inside, a blade of sword light, carrying an icy killing intent, swept toward her.
"Seventh Lady! Be careful!"
"Master, Seventh Lady is here! Stop at once!"
Before Yaoying could react, the sword light flashed close. From the corner of her eye, she saw a figure rushing forward, swift as a lightning bolt.
The surging killing intent and palm winds in the room abruptly froze. Everyone stared, not daring to make a sound.
Yaoying remained motionless as a cold gleam flashed before her eyes.
A long blade infused with inner energy and a sword clashed just a finger's breadth away from the tip of her nose. Sparks flew, and gusts of energy surged.
Everyone in the room was stunned.
Yaoying covered her eyes and collapsed softly to the ground.
"Bright Moon Slave!"
"A Yue!"
Two panicked voices rang out simultaneously as the long blade and sword fell from their owners' hands.
Both men rushed toward Yaoying.
Yaoying was turned over as someone held her. Her vision was blurred, and she could see nothing clearly.
"Elder Brother?"
She called out softly.
Li Zhongqian trembled all over, his phoenix eyes filled with ferocity as he shoved Li Xuanzhen away and gritted his teeth, growling, "You beast, dare to even touch the hem of her robe?"
Li Xuanzhen lowered his gaze and released his hold.
Yaoying followed the sound and grabbed Li Zhongqian's sleeve. "Elder Brother, my eyes hurt."
Li Zhongqian quickly bent down, his heart burning with anxiety. Gently pulling her hands away, he saw no trace of blood and breathed a sigh of relief.
A guard brought hot water and a towel. Frantically, Li Zhongqian placed the warm towel over Yaoying's eyes, lifted her into his arms, and turned to leave the room.
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