Chapter 119: Winning Against Nershil, Linglong's Life Still Hangs by a Thread

Why should I tell you? You didn't give me any silver, nor did you hire me to practice medicine, your attitude was terrible, and you didn't even ask a single question. Why should I say anything?" Night Lishang retorted proudly.

Uh...

Nuan Hill was truly furious. Clenching her fists and looking at Qin Daofei, who was snuggling with Linglong, she said harshly, "Big Brother Qin, is Feng Linglong really your only wife?"

"We are discussing the case right now. I must trouble the Imperial Physician to inform Princess Nuan Hill about what this so-called 'mother and child share one heart' poison is really all about," Qin Daofei said faintly.

The Imperial Physician glanced at the Emperor, only to be caught red-handed by Qin Daofei. He sneered, "What is it, does the Imperial Physician not know the state of poisoning from the mother and child share one heart?"

"You speak!" The Emperor was already too angry to speak properly.

The Imperial Physician hurriedly bowed and said, "The so-called mother and child share one heart means that the mother and the child are poisoned together, but this poison is not fatal—neither to the child nor to the mother. Therefore, Princess Nuan Hill's claim that her child died in her womb holds no ground."

Upon hearing the Imperial Physician's words, Nuan Hill and An Muya both slumped to the ground. Neither of them had expected that the poison Tan Xiyin administered to her was of this nature.

The Emperor, however, remained skeptical. He said coldly, "If it is a poison that causes miscarriage yet is not fatal, what kind of reasoning is that?"

"Your Majesty, the primary toxicity of the mother and child share one heart is not lethality, but rather inducing premature labor, while severely damaging the child. Even if this child were to be born safely, it would be a fool," the Imperial Physician said.

The Emperor looked at Nuan Hill coldly and asked, "Then why is the child in your womb stillborn?"

"Your Majesty, my child really died in my belly! This Imperial Physician must have colluded with the people of Xiaoyao Manor to frame me. I beg Your Majesty to uphold justice for me!" Nuan Hill was so desperate she was lashing out at everyone.

Humph!

Qin Daofei said calmly, "Do you have any proof for what you say? The Imperial Physician is an imperial doctor of the palace; who colluded with whom to frame someone is still up in the air."

Ah!

The Emperor was utterly speechless!

The Emperor glanced at the Imperial Physician and said indifferently, "Are you certain that a person poisoned by the mother and child share one heart will not lose their child?"

"This humble subject stakes his lifelong medical reputation on this. Your Majesty can ask any skilled physician—they all know that anyone poisoned by the mother and child share one heart will not lose the child!" The Imperial Physician knelt on the ground and swore to the Emperor.

Nuan Hill never expected that Tan Xiyin would poison her in this manner. She stepped back anxiously, not knowing what to do.

Qin Daofei looked coldly at Nuan Hill and said, "The deceased child of Princess Nuan Hill has been dug up by my subordinates. Does Your Majesty mind taking a look?"

"Qin Daofei, why are you doing this to me? My child is already dead, why did you have to dig him up? Put him back! I am not accusing Feng Linglong anymore, I won't accuse her, I'll never accuse her again! I beg you, don't treat him like that, he is our child too, I beg you, don't hurt him! I loved you so much, isn't that even worth your sparing me once?" Nuan Hill wept as she begged Qin Daofei.

Yet Qin Daofei remained unmoved. He looked indifferently at Nuan Hill and said, "You touched Linglong, and that is an unbridgeable chasm between us!"

"I will never target Feng Linglong again! Bury my child back, bury him back!" Nuan Hill knew that there must be numerous scratch marks on that child's body; if discovered, she would truly be finished.

Seeing Nuan Hill in such a hysterical state, the Emperor cursed inwardly, "Could this woman have killed her own child with her own hands?"

"Guards, bring the corpse of that child up!" At the Emperor's command, the men from Xiaoyao Manor waiting outside quickly brought in the child's body.

Seeing the child placed inside a basket and covered with a cloth, Nuan Hill shrank back in terror. An Muya, who had also taken part in murdering the child, trembled violently. Both of them stared at the basket, awaiting the verdict of fate.

The eunuch accepted the basket from Xiaoyao Manor's subordinate, walked before the Emperor, and uncovered the child for him to see. Unable to bear the sight, the Emperor closed his eyes and said to the Imperial Physician, "Take a look. Is this child the one poisoned by the mother and child share one heart?"

The Imperial Physician lifted the cloth and, upon seeing the wounds covering the child's body, clenched his fists and said, "This child was strangled to death!"

Ahhhhhhhhh!

The moment the Imperial Physician finished speaking, An Muya could no longer bear it and let out a piercing scream. Losing her mind, she rushed toward the exit of the palace. Noticing something was wrong with her, Night Lishang quickly grabbed her and shoved her to the ground.

"Why were you trying to run?" the Emperor asked coldly.

An Muya remained silent.

Night Lishang brought the basket over and forced An Muya to look at the child. Refusing to look, An Muya turned away, prompting Night Lishang to say, "Don't you want to see whether this child is a boy or a girl, and whether it looks pretty?"

"No, it wasn't me! It was the Princess! The Princess said she wanted to frame Feng Linglong. She strangled the child the moment her labor pains started, and didn't stop until she could no longer feel the child moving. Only then did she tell me to go find a doctor! It was the Princess who did it, it has nothing to do with me! It has nothing to do with me, I didn't do it, it wasn't me, it wasn't!" An Muya wept with her eyes tightly shut, refusing to look at the child.

Hearing An Muya's words, Nuan Hill fell into utter despair. She slumped to the ground and muttered hollowly, "Impossible, impossible... how did you find out?"

"What were you thinking when you killed your own child?" Qin Daofei asked.

Nuan Hill raised her head and looked pathetically at Qin Daofei. "I didn't kill him, I didn't... I was also... I was also poisoned... I was afraid he wasn't dead, so I... Big Brother Qin, I love you, you must save me, you must save me! I beg you, I beg you! This child is gone, but I can give birth to another one for you in the future. I can still bear children."

"Your child has not the slightest connection to me. My men in Great Demon City have already investigated this matter, so do not try to pin this on me..." Qin Daofei stood up, bowed to the Emperor, and said, "Your Majesty, it has now been proven that the person who killed Nuan Hill's child is herself, and it has nothing to do with Linglong whatsoever. Can we be permitted to return and treat Linglong?"

"No, it's not like that! Although I strangled the child, the mastermind behind the poisoning was Feng Linglong! Why is she innocent? She is guilty, she is guilty!" Nuan Hill went mad; at this moment, she just wanted to drag someone down with her as a scapegoat.

The moment she heard that Nuan Hill had personally strangled her own child, Linglong felt a murderous intent toward her. Walking over, she slapped Nuan Hill across the face. Staggering, Nuan Hill tumbled to the ground. Cupping her cheek with a look of madness, she shrieked, "Bitch, what right do you have to hit me?"

"You could commit such acts against your own flesh and blood. Nuan Hill, are you even human? Do you know how many people yearn for a child and cannot have one, yet you cherished nothing? You claimed I poisoned your child—if I had wanted your child dead, you wouldn't even have had the chance to notice! Bitch!" Linglong stepped forward and viciously slapped Nuan Hill twice more.

Nuan Hill tried to retaliate, but Linglong possessed martial arts; with just a fraction of her strength, Nuan Hill was completely powerless to fight back. She could only glare coldly at Linglong and hiss, "Feng Linglong, I curse you! I curse you for all eternity!"

"Your Majesty, since Nuan Hill herself is the source of the problem, her so-called witnesses are naturally entirely useless. Can I go home now?" Having exerted herself earlier, Linglong's body was exceedingly weak, and she swayed as she stood, looking barely able to endure.

The Emperor smiled faintly and said, "Naturally. Since this was Nuan Hill's treacherous plot, we certainly cannot wrong you. Guards, escort Princess Nuan Hill to the inner palace, and have her sent out of the territory of Hanshi at an auspicious date, never to set foot here again!"

"No! Your Majesty, you promised..." Before Nuan Hill could finish, a eunuch grabbed her by the hair and dealt her several fierce slaps across the face. The eunuch snapped harshly, "You framed the First Mistress of Xiaoyao Manor and nearly killed her in the prison cell. His Majesty spares your life out of consideration for you being a princess of Cangmo, yet you still do not thank him for his grace?"

Humph!

Qin Daofei gave Nuan Hill a cold look, then scooped Linglong up horizontally in his arms and walked out.

Dragged by her hair by the eunuch, Nuan Hill watched as Qin Daofei carried Linglong away. All her lingering reluctance finally dissolved into helplessness. She had originally thought herself a master strategist capable of controlling the entire board, yet she never expected to be counter-calculated by the two women of Xiaoyao Manor in the end. Before she could even accomplish the task assigned by her Imperial Father, her defeat was already absolute.

Nuan Hill was gripped by wandering panic and helplessness; she did not know where else she could go, nor was there any place left where she could find refuge!

Inside the carriage.

Qin Daofei held the shivering Linglong in his arms while Night Lishang administered acupuncture to her. Linglong had reached the absolute limit of her suffering, yet she still clutched Qin Daofei's lapel and muttered, "Kill Nuan Hill... kill her!"

Qin Daofei knew that what Linglong hated most were those who harmed children.

This was her pain, and his as well!

"Rest assured, once Nuan Hill leaves the imperial palace, I will find someone to dispatch her. I won't let you down. Right now, you must rest well, you must get better, Linglong!" Qin Daofei tightened his grip, pulling Linglong tightly into his embrace.

Night Lishang murmured softly, "Linglong's condition does not look good. Should we head straight to Wuyou Pavilion?"

"No, matters in the capital... Lingdang's corpse... We must steal Lingdang's corpse out. She was not willing to be buried alongside Chengxiang, and there are still so many things to handle. I can endure!" Linglong grabbed Qin Daofei's hand, refusing to let go.

Qin Daofei retrieved a jar of aromatic ointment from his tunic and placed it before Linglong. Moments later, Linglong drifted into a deep sleep.

"To Wuyou Pavilion!" Qin Daofei commanded.

The group galloped toward Wuyou Pavilion without stopping.

Elsewhere, Wang Liushu went to question Ziyu Mian regarding why he hired assassins to murder Feng Linglong. However, upon arriving at Ziyu Mian's residence, Ziyu Mian's entire household had already been massacred. Looking at the rooms filled with corpses, Wang Liushu felt his scalp tingle.

"Just who on earth is targeting Daofei?" Finding no clues here, Wang Liushu hurriedly rushed to Xiaoyao Manor.

He had originally intended to wait for Qin Daofei's return to break the news, but Jifeng informed him that Feng Linglong was critically ill and they had gone to Wuyou Pavilion. Having no alternative, Wang Liushu relayed the news of Ziyu Mian's assassination to Jifeng, leaving it to him to inform Qin Daofei for a decision.

Hearing that Ziyu Mian was dead, Jifeng narrowed his eyes and said, "That mysterious person is truly omnipresent, aren't they?"

"Still no way of finding out who it is?" Wang Liushu asked.

Jifeng shook his head and replied, "None. Now there is a matter requiring the Maternal Uncle's assistance."

"Is it about my elder sister?" Wang Liushu asked helplessly.

Jifeng nodded. "Nuan Hill strangled her own child to frame the First Mistress, and we've also tracked down the biological father of that child. Could you please persuade the Old Mistress not to resist unto death? The Manor Lord... has already had a hard enough time!"

Alas!

With a heavy sigh, Wang Liushu headed to Songbai Residence.

Just as before, Princess Qinwang Xiangyu knelt before the Buddha statue, clad in a thin, plain white robe. Perhaps fearing her body couldn't withstand the cold, Xiaha had draped a dark cloak over her shoulders. Food and water were placed before her, yet she hadn't touched a single bite. Kneeling in a precarious, swaying posture, her lips pale and complexion sallow, she didn't even turn her head upon hearing footsteps.

"My dear elder sister, you truly are my own flesh and blood sister. Tell me, what on earth are you doing day in and day out?" Wang Liushu began his reprimand the moment he arrived.

Princess Qinwang Xiangyu turned her head, her voice sharp and stern. "What? Did you come to watch my joke?"

"Elder sister, haven't I told you repeatedly to stay out of their affairs and not let yourself be utilized by others? But look at what you've done—getting Feng into prison yet again! That is the one thing Daofei can least tolerate, and yet you are still here complaining? Do you have any idea how much stress your son has been under because of Feng Linglong? If Feng Linglong were to die in the imperial palace, he would genuinely annihilate the imperial clan! Have you ever considered the risks of opposing the imperial clan? Furthermore, did you really think the child in Nuan Hill's belly belonged to Daofei? It has now been verified—the child is not Daofei's! Not only that, but the child wasn't even killed by Feng Linglong; Nuan Hill strangled the child inside her own womb herself just to frame Feng Linglong! Now do you see what kind of person Nuan Hill truly is? Your entire life has been a repetition of the same foolish mistake: using Feng Linglong to drive away Tan Xiyin. In the end, Tan Xiyin wasn't driven away, but Feng Linglong lost her child. The moment someone loses a child, you kick them while they're down, hoping to find someone to replace her. No matter how much affection Daofei holds for her, it's useless. To drive Feng Linglong away, you welcomed Nuan Hill in instead. Yet in the end, what did you gain? You merely exhausted your son and brought pain to your children. Your love is too selfish and too terrifying!"

Wang Liushu's words weighed heavily, causing the prayer beads in Princess Qinwang Xiangyu's hands to crunch and crack under her grip.

Slowly opening her eyes, she said indifferently, "You say the child in Nuan Hill's stomach wasn't Daofei's—whose was it then? You say she strangled the child herself—who can prove it?"

"You want proof? Get up and come with me to the palace, and I'll have His Majesty prove it to you personally!" Wang Liushu's tone grew increasingly agitated.

Ahhhhhhh!

The taut string within Princess Qinwang Xiangyu finally snapped. She wailed with a heart-rending cry, "Why? Why is fate so unfair to me? I only wanted my son to have a child to inherit the Qin family estate, so he could live a slightly better life. Am I wrong?"

"What did you say in the past? You used to say that any child would do! But on that day, for the sake of the wild seed in Nuan Hill's belly, you nearly slashed Qin Yixiao with a knife. If not for that, Feng Linglong wouldn't have severed your arm! Once you had a child, you complained it wasn't a son; if you had a son, would you then complain that the child wasn't as clever as Daofei? You always have an excuse, and you always want to control Daofei's life. But I told you long ago, your son is a capable man, and he will not allow anyone to control his life without reason. You never listened. The more you act like this, the further he distances himself from you, until in the end, you are left with nothing."

Finishing his piece, Wang Liushu heaved a heavy sigh and said coldly, "The Emperor has constantly sought to scheme against Daofei, and life is already difficult enough for him. I hope you will look after yourself in the future and cease making things difficult for him. I'm leaving."

With that, Wang Liushu departed Songbai Residence.

As for Princess Qinwang Xiangyu, no one knew how she would fare hereafter, for she was, after all, a person beyond comprehension.

Meanwhile, let us return to Linglong and her party.

En route to Wuyou Pavilion, Linglong suffered a high fever that induced convulsions. Sensing the critical situation, Night Lishang hurriedly halted the carriage and said to Qin Daofei, "Strip off her clothes! I need to use snow to bring down her fever—hurry!"

At this juncture, Qin Daofei had no leisure to ponder other matters and swiftly divested Linglong of her garments.

Night Lishang leaped from the carriage and gathered armfuls of snow with his lapel. Kneeling on the ground, he instructed, "Apply snow to her armpits, knees, soles of her feet, and forehead. Once you've applied it to her, I'll go gather some ice blocks from outside. Use the ice blocks to wipe her body and see if it brings down the fever. Coachman, move forward! Drive toward Wuyou Pavilion at maximum speed!"

Following Night Lishang's directives, Qin Daofei plastered those snow slushies across various parts of Linglong's body. Then Night Lishang darted away, scouring the base of the cliffs and trees for ice blocks, using qinggong to catch up with the carriage along the way so Qin Daofei could use the ice to cool Linglong down.

He himself took chunks of ice to massage the palms of Linglong's hands.

Hiss!

Linglong, burning with fever and half-delirious, shuddered violently at the sudden chill. Yet moments later, her complexion eased, and she visibly felt much better.

Qin Daofei held Linglong in his arms, his eyes brimming with uncontainable murderous intent.

"Come to think of it, to administer a poison as vicious as the mother and child share one heart to a borderland native like Princess Nuan Hill—this concubine of yours, Tan Xiyin, is truly no simple character!" Night Lishang mocked Qin Daofei while continuing to cool Linglong.

Qin Daofei said faintly, "I grew tired of waiting for Tan Xiyin and that person to make the first move. I intend to take the initiative and force that person to reveal their flaws!"

"However, Tan Xiyin has already lost everything she had. If you push her too hard, she would rather die than disclose the true identity of that person. After all, if that person can help her exact revenge, and her death drags the entire Xiaoyao Manor down with her as a burial companion, she would likely be quite pleased. You've endured this long, why not continue to endure?" As a bystander, Night Lishang perceived things far more clearly than Qin Daofei.

Qin Daofei let out a low sigh. "Linglong and I have endured too many trials. In the Imperial Clan Court, had she not fallen ill with a high fever, she would have been poisoned to death by those toxic mantou. Even if she escaped the mantou, had Lingdang not intercepted a blade for her, she surely would have died on the spot. Therefore, I refuse to let any more accidents occur. That is why I wish to take the initiative and force Tan Xiyin and the mysterious person out into the open!"

"In truth, you really could wait a little longer. After all, that mysterious person is currently capable of inflicting substantive harm upon you. To suddenly provoke them while remaining entirely ignorant of your opponent offers you zero benefit!" Night Lishang understood all too well the bitterness of longing to be together yet constantly facing obstacles, but isn't that simply what growing up entails?

Qin Daofei remained silent.

The two of them continuously applied ice to lower Linglong's fever until...

Chattering her teeth, Linglong mumbled, "Cold... so cold!"

"That's enough. Warm her with your own body heat!" With that, Night Lishang exited to sit alongside the coachman.

Understanding the intent, Qin Daofei stripped off Linglong's remaining garments, then shed his own as well. Clasping each other skin-to-skin, he wrapped Linglong entirely within his own cloak, finally causing her teeth to stop chattering.

Upon arriving at Wuyou Pavilion, Qin Daofei's very first action was to toss Linglong directly into the hot spring.

Night Lishang went to instruct Mother Hua to prepare food. Just as he reached the entrance, he heard a familiar voice shouting from outside: "Night Lishang, open the door!"

What brings him here?

"I'm not home!" Night Lishang crossed his arms over his chest with haughty amusement as he watched the door with a mischievous grin.

The Second Prince outside ground his teeth and said, "Yixiao has come, and it's freezing out here!"

Humph!

"Who do you think you're fooling?" Night Lishang had no intention of believing him.

Suddenly...

A figure in black vaulted over the wall. Taking a closer look, Night Lishang was startled and shouted loudly, "Fei, get your ass back inside right now! Do you think Wuyou Pavilion is some child's play? If you try to force your way in, you'll either be dead or maimed!"

"I say, Ghost Doctor sir, could you please open the door first? Yixiao is freezing to death!" Jifeng stamped his feet in exasperation, terrified that Afei might come to harm.

Humph!

Reluctantly and with great resentment, Night Lishang went to unlock the door, only to find Jifeng holding Feng Yixiao, the Second Prince standing with folded arms, and Afei gripping her sword, all glaring at him with cold gazes.

"Well... I thought there was only a stray dog barking at the gate just now; I didn't realize it was you lot as well," Night Lishang remarked, withholding any pleasantries for the Second Prince.

Unperturbed, the Second Prince strode into the house in a grand manner.

"Where is Linglong?" Afei asked Night Lishang.

Night Lishang replied, "Just now she was in the hot spring; by now I have no idea if she's gotten out... Hey, you... go to the kitchen and have Mother Hua brew some light porridge for Linglong. She hasn't eaten anything these past few days and has had a fever; she can only stomach light porridge."

Seeing Night Lishang boss the Second Prince around in such a manner, Afei and Jifeng exchanged amused glances, eager to see the Second Prince fly into a rage and tear Night Lishang's stronghold down.

Yet he did nothing of the sort. Casting an indifferent glance at Night Lishang, he simply headed toward the kitchen.

"He's truly courting death..." Afei remarked coldly. Standing outside the situation, they could see it crystal clear—the Second Prince had been wanting to deal with him for days, yet he remained utterly reckless.

Humph!

Ignoring them, Night Lishang scurried back to the hot spring with pounding steps, tapped a bamboo pole against the ground, and called out, "I say, if you're done, come out! Soaking for too long isn't good for her..."

"There's no one here!" Jifeng and Afei spoke simultaneously before turning around.

Scratching his head, Night Lishang followed them back to the quarters, only to find Qin Daofei, dripping wet, in the middle of tucking a quilt over Linglong.

"Manor Lord, take care not to catch a chill!" Seeing this, Jifeng stepped forward with an expression of concern.

Qin Daofei said faintly, "Night Lishang, fetch me a set of clothes!"

Gladly!

With a mischievous grin, Night Lishang scampered off.

Qin Daofei added indifferently, "Jifeng, you go. The largest room on the left side—bring me a set of clothes from there..."

After Jifeng had stepped outside, Qin Daofei casually finished his sentence: "Watch out for the traps!"

Pfft!

Afei ground her teeth. "Qin Daofei, you truly are a piece of work!"

With that, Afei hastily bolted after him.

The room Qin Daofei had sent Jifeng into belonged to Old Man Ye. That old fellow's favorite pastime was playing malicious pranks, frequently driving Mother Hua to chase him all over the courtyard with a stick, sometimes even forcing him to stay away from home for days on end.

Unaware of the trickery and solely focused on gathering clothes for Qin Daofei, Jifeng pushed the door open and stepped inside. He immediately noted that the room was exceptionally large and meticulously organized—not at all resembling the lair of someone like Night Lishang.

"This couldn't be Old Man Ye's room, could it?" Jifeng muttered to himself as he strode toward the wardrobe.

Reaching out, Jifeng casually pulled the cabinet door open. The moment he did, a woman dressed in red lunged out from inside. Startled, Jifeng threw his hands up in defense, shoving the red-clad figure against the wall. When she tumbled down, she shattered into pieces upon the floor.

As it turned out, this was merely one of Old Man Ye's prank ceramic figurines.

Patting his chest in lingering fright, Jifeng muttered, "Old Man Ye is really... decades old and still so childish!"

With that, he took a step forward. With a sharp click, Jifeng froze. Staring at the floor tile beneath his feet, which clearly signaled a trap mechanism, he didn't dare make a single movement.

When Afei caught up, she found Jifeng maintaining that exact rigid posture.

"What's wrong?" Afei asked.

Exasperated, Jifeng replied, "Old Man Ye, that old madman, set a trap inside his own wardrobe! I've stepped on the trigger!"

Ah!

Afei cast a glance at the shattered fragments of the red-robed ghost woman on the floor, a shared sentiment of bitter resentment rising between her and Jifeng. Old Man Ye was truly an old madman; no wonder he could raise a little madman like Night Lishang.

"What do we do now?" Afei asked Jifeng.

Jifeng spread his hands. "How should I know? Why don't you go fetch the Ghost Doctor?"

"Not a chance!" With those words, Afei gave Jifeng a shove, grabbed him, and rolled across the floor in a dynamic maneuver, dodging what she assumed was the trajectory of incoming darts.

However, the mind of Old Man Ye was not something ordinary people could fathom. The direction Afei chose to roll happened to be precisely where the darts were designed to fire. Catching sight of arrows hurtling toward them out of the corner of his eye, Jifeng panicked and rolled away with Afei in his arms.

Yet no matter which corner the pair rolled into, arrows launched from that very spot, leaving them scrambling desperately to evade.

They rolled all over the room, failing entirely to escape Old Man Ye's hidden weaponry.

Jifeng, on the other hand, found himself holding a beauty while tumbling around the room several times over, until things began to heat up.

Sensing the physical changes in Jifeng, Afei grew both embarrassed and angry, raising her hand to strike him. "Bastard, I'll beat you to death!"

"Don't! I didn't do this on purpose. I like you, and after rolling around holding you for so long, if I didn't have any physical reaction at all, you'd really want to beat me to death, wouldn't you?" Jifeng caught Afei's hands and continued rolling.

Furious, Afei kicked Jifeng in the shin and snapped, "Force those filthy thoughts of yours back down!"

"Then stop rescuing me, because I can't force them back!" Letting out a groan, Jifeng sprawled flat on the floor in a sprawling star shape and refused to move.

Grit-gritting her teeth, Afei continued to grab Jifeng and roll him along. In the freezing snow, the two of them worked up a sweat, yet the hidden arrows showed no sign of stopping.

Losing patience, Afei flicked several copper coins into the firing ports, temporarily blocking the discharge of the arrows. Just as she relaxed her guard, Jifeng flipped over, pinning her beneath him. Flushing red with fierce determination, he growled, "Forget it, I'm taking a bite out of this first!"

"You..." Before the word 'dare' could escape her lips, Afei had both her hands pinned high above her head by Jifeng, plunging them straight into an intense, fiery intimate embrace.

Just as the two of them were on the verge of crossing the line and losing control, the door was suddenly kicked open with a loud bang.

Holding Feng Yixiao, Night Lishang stared wide-eyed at the pair on the floor. For a moment, all four of them turned to stone.

...

"Well... Yixiao, how strange, why didn't we see anything just now? How odd!" Clutching Feng Yixiao, Night Lishang prepared to make his exit. True to her nature of tearing down Night Lishang's pretensions, Feng Yixiao extended a chubby little hand and pointed straight at Afei and Jifeng. "Fei-fei, Feng-feng, hugging!"

Defeated, Jifeng buried his face in Afei's shoulder. "Yixiao, one of these days you're going to be the death of me!"

"Still not getting off me?" Afei's face was flushed scarlet with humiliation, and she longed for a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Hiss!

Clutching his chest, Jifeng continued to shamelessly play the rogue in Afei's embrace. "Oh my, I think my chest feels a bit tight. Could it be I was injured just a moment ago?"

"Where does it hurt?" Hearing Jifeng complain of pain, Afei grew furious and snapped at Night Lishang, "Why haven't you deactivated the trap yet?!"

"The mechanism has already stopped. You two... carry on!" With that, Night Lishang carried Feng Yixiao away. Everywhere he looked, people were displaying affection, making someone like him—who had no affection to display—feel as out of place as if he were an outsider!

Assuring herself that the traps would no longer trigger, Afei shoved Jifeng aside, flipped herself up, and checked him for injuries. Determined to keep the upper hand, Jifeng reached out, grabbed Afei, and pulled her down once more. Flipping her over beneath him yet again, he glared down with a fierce yet playful expression. "Today you're going to give me a straight answer: are you going to let me openly and proudly act like a scoundrel whenever I want?"

Bastard!

Furious, Afei readied a strike against Jifeng. However, knowing her personality well, Jifeng leveraged his height advantage to pin her down before she could land a blow, trapping her firmly within his grasp.

"Little trick, if you don't give me a definitive answer today, then I'll..." Jifeng looked Afei up and down, only to realize there was actually very little he could do to her.

Noticing his persistence, Afei suddenly altered her demeanor, softening her tone. "Jifeng, I know the matter between the two of us cannot drag on indefinitely either. I'm not willing to stay in this ambiguous limbo with you either. Why don't you let me up so we can discuss it properly?"

"No way, you're far too vicious; you'll beat me to death!" Jifeng's instinct for self-preservation was exceptionally strong.

Afei smiled. She rarely smiled, but this particular smile carried a thawing warmth akin to melting ice. Softly, she assured him, "Rest assured, I promise I won't beat you to death!"

At that moment, Jifeng's mind was entirely captivated by Afei's radiant smile; any lingering caution evaporated completely. Chuckling foolishly, he said, "Then give me a kiss first. Once you kiss me, I'll let you up!"

Alright then!

With surprising readiness, Afei leaned in and planted a kiss squarely on Jifeng's lips, instantly sending him floating into the clouds.

"So, does that mean you've agreed?" Jifeng asked expectantly.

Afei replied, "Let's discuss it first!"

"Right, let's discuss it!" Jifeng released her.

The instant he let go, however, a flash of cold, murderous intent crossed Afei's eyes.

What transpired inside the room afterward remained unknown to outsiders, but those lurking outside—namely Night Lishang and Feng Yixiao—could hear nothing save for Jifeng's increasingly agonizing shrieks.

"Woman, didn't your damn self swear you wouldn't beat me to death?!" Jifeng wailed in rage and profound regret!

Humph!

Afei let out a cold snort. "That's right, I promised not to beat you to death, I never said I wouldn't beat you!"

After what felt like an eternity, Afei kicked the door open and strode out. Catching sight of Night Lishang lurking by the wall, she cast a murderous glare in his direction. Terrified, Night Lishang hastily buttered her up. "Feng Yixiao, we didn't see anything at all, did we? We just came here to fetch your daddy's clothes, right?"

Humph!

With a final cold snort, Afei swept past and left.

Seeing her disappear into the distance, Night Lishang hurried back inside to spectate.

What met his eyes was Jifeng, hair disheveled and bound tightly to a pillar with ropes, both eyes bruised black like a panda's, his handsome face marred by scratch marks from fingernails, clothing half-undone and chest exposed in a flurry of pink welts.

Tragic!

Truly tragic!

Beyond wretched!

"Jifeng... my brother sympathizes with you!" Though the words came out of Night Lishang's mouth, the corners of his eyes and brows were brimming with malicious amusement.

Jifeng gazed toward the heavens in speechless despair. "And here I thought she was a chivalrous martial artist of her word. Hmph!"

He had never felt so aggrieved!

"Don't forget, even if she is a martial artist, she's still a woman. If she had treated you with her martial artist methods, you'd already be kicking the bucket by now. Consider yourself lucky she used a woman's methods instead—you should be thanking her!" Night Lishang could no longer suppress the upward curve of his lips; it was simply too comical.

Angered, young master Jifeng gasped for breath and barked at Night Lishang, "Untie me right this instant! Today I am going to reclaim my authority as the husband!"

The phrase 'reclaim husband's authority' was pronounced by young master Jifeng with booming resonance.

"Then go on, off you go to reclaim your husband's authority!" Night Lishang knew from bitter experience that before opponents who were ruthless, cold-blooded, and devious, attempting to preserve one's dignity was nothing more than a delusion.

Well...

After pondering for a long while, Jifeng shrunk back into a cowardly ball. "I think I'd better go fetch some fresh clothes for my Manor Lord instead..."

"Didn't I already give you some earlier?" Night Lishang teased with a smirk.

As he shuffled over to retrieve Old Man Ye's garments, Jifeng couldn't resist a sharp retort: "You think my Manor Lord is as foolish as you? And as a subordinate of my Manor Lord, do you think *I* am a fool? You don't look like an honest person at all; my Manor Lord doesn't trust you. You'd better hurry up and take that child to join the Second Prince—you're only ever good for bullying him anyway!"

A fallen demigod of a physician!

Hmph!

Incensed, the Divine Doctor scooped up Feng Yixiao and stormed off to find the Second Prince indeed!

Meanwhile, back with Qin Daofei.

After Night Lishang made multiple trips back and forth, the clothes he eventually brought back turned out to belong to Mother Hua. Glaring coldly at Night Lishang, Qin Daofei said, "Are you certain you're not courting death?"

"Fine then, wear mine!" Night Lishang tossed a set of his own garments to Qin Daofei, supremely confident now that he had Feng Yixiao as his hostage.

Looking at Night Lishang's clothes with utter disdain, Qin Daofei remarked indifferently, "The clothes of a cripple... Do you assume I am a cripple as well?"

Pfft...

Night Lishang was so angry he wanted nothing more than to bite Qin Daofei to death.

"Wear them or freeze, dying of cold is your own business. I'm going to go brew medicine for Feng Linglong!" With that, Night Lishang fled the scene to head toward another theater of operations.

When Jifeng returned with a fresh set of robes, he found Qin Daofei sitting on a small stool beside Feng Linglong's bed, clad in Night Lishang's clothes that were several inches too short, staring blankly into space.

"Manor Lord, the clothes have arrived!" Jifeng suppressed a chuckle as he surveyed Qin Daofei, who was desperately trying to maintain his stately dignity while wearing such a ridiculous outfit.

Casting a chilly glare at him, Qin Daofei snatched the garments away, retreated behind a screen to change back into proper attire, and then lashed out venomously: "How was the experience of flirting with a female assassin?"

"I... when did I?" Jifeng refused to acknowledge it, instantly covering his eyes with both hands to prevent his incriminating evidence from being exposed.

Too lazy to bicker with him, Qin Daofei asked indifferently, "Go to the kitchen and check if the thin porridge is done."

"It's done, it's done, I'll go get it right now!" Having just narrowly escaped Afei's clutches, Jifeng had zero desire to fall into Qin Daofei's wolf den, and scampered off at top speed.

The moment he left, Afei stepped into the room.

"How is Linglong?" Afei asked with concern.

Giving Afei a sideways glance, Qin Daofei drawled, "Why is Afei's face flushed so red?"

"Are you blind? Which of your eyes saw me blushing?" Afei snapped furiously.

Ahem!

Someone stirred awake from their slumber, opened their eyes to give Afei a look, and stated coolly, "Both eyes saw it."

"Go back to dying, this has nothing to do with you!" Afei strode over, poked Linglong on the forehead, and forbade her from talking back.

Clutching Afei's hand, Linglong uttered, "Hungry!"

"Jifeng has gone to prepare the porridge, wait a moment!" Hearing Linglong voice her hunger, Qin Daofei immediately stepped over to soothe her, stepping in to support her when she attempted to sit up.

Leaning against Qin Daofei, Linglong cast a vacant glance around the room and asked weakly, "How did I end up in Wuyou Pavilion?"

"I told you, your high fever wouldn't break, and Night Lishang feared your old ailments might flare up fully, so he had me bring you here to soak in the hot spring. How do you feel now? Any better?" Qin Daofei asked softly.

Pointing toward the tea table, Linglong rasped, "Water!"

Afei hurriedly poured a cup of water. Gulping it down, Linglong polished off a whole cup yet remained unsatisfied, whining coquettishly to Afei, "I want more!"

"Jifeng is bringing the porridge back now, you can drink some then. I'll go check if he's back yet," Afei said, fearing Jifeng might dawdle, and went out to look for him.

Snuggling into Qin Daofei's embrace, Linglong murmured, "The capital is an utter mess, why did you bring me here?"

"I've told you before, everything in this world combined doesn't matter as much as a single you!" Qin Daofei kissed Linglong's forehead as he spoke.

Linglong did not smile. Staring fixedly into space, she asked softly, "Has Lingdang been taken care of?"

"Rest assured, everything has been arranged. Just focus on recovering your health!" Qin Daofei refused to let Linglong dwell on these matters any longer.

Closing her eyes, Linglong whispered, "If she had simply listened to me from the start, how could she have ended up dying for me in the end?"

"Don't think about it anymore. That was her destiny. But waking up to her senses wasn't too late; everything she did for you was simply repaying her debt of gratitude!"

Creak!

The door was pushed open, and Jifeng entered carrying a bowl of porridge. Seeing that Linglong had regained consciousness, he smiled and said, "First Mistress, some fresh thin porridge, care to try some?"

Pfft!

"Were you beaten up by Afei for molesting her?" Linglong didn't even need to use her brain; seeing the injuries covering Jifeng's face made the culprit obvious instantly.

Humph!

Refusing to concede, Jifeng retorted, "I was letting her win! Otherwise, how could she have scratched me up like this?"

"Letting her win, sure!" Linglong didn't believe a single word.

Jifeng truly wanted to drag Linglong out for a sparring match to prove his prowess, but in the presence of Qin Daofei, his instinct for self-preservation remained fully intact.