The Ghost Fiend Sect Master gained fame thirteen years ago, but how old was he then? How could he be the Ghost Fiend? If the Master knew that the person he ordered him to kill was the renowned Ghost Fiend under his command, then... then...
Yu Chengxuan crouched down, picked up the sword from the ground, walked to the side of Ghost Face, and pierced his heart with a sword.
Ghost Face had to die, but not under the Ghost Fiend's mark, otherwise, his identity, hidden for thirteen years, would be revealed.
Ghost Face's eyes widened abruptly, and then the light in his eyes slowly faded.
Yu Chengxuan pushed him aside casually, and Ghost Face fell to the ground with a thud.
Nan Chaoyin only sent such a paltry number of people. Was he underestimating Ghost Face and the others, or was he looking down on him?
Ji Wu's panicked voice came from a distance. Only now did he realize something was wrong and rushed towards Yu Chengxuan. As he approached, the smell of blood that entered his nostrils made his eyes split with rage. It was only when he saw Yu Chengxuan unharmed that his terrified heart finally settled a little.
"Don't come in!"
Yu Chengxuan yelled at Ji Wu, then added, "The air is poisoned!"
"But Your Highness..."
"Go get the carriage, we're going to the Regent's Estate!"
...
News of Yu Chengxuan being ambushed and poisoned quickly spread throughout the capital. It was said that a minister by his side had driven straight to the Regent's Estate, and even the Emperor couldn't sit still, leading a large contingent of troops to visit the Regent's Estate.
This was the first time the Emperor had visited the Regent's Estate since reclaiming the imperial seal!
The hearts of the court officials immediately tensed, first because of Yu Chengxuan, and then because of the Emperor!
They could only pray that the Prince of Da Li would be blessed by the heavens and not die in their Lin Yuan; they also prayed that the Regent would not harbor any unseemly thoughts at this time, knowing that the Emperor's move was like a sheep walking into a tiger's mouth!
However, the estate was not as tense as everyone had imagined.
"Oh wow, Seven Absolute Powder!"
Nan Shiying simply checked his pulse. She was quite familiar with the poison Yu Chengxuan had taken. The fact that he was still alive could only be attributed to his profound internal energy.
Ji Wu was frantically pacing nearby. Seeing Feng Luan's unhurried demeanor, he anxiously urged, "Divine Doctor Feng, please save our Prince quickly!"
Nan Shiying turned and glared at Ji Wu, "What's the rush? I'm already treating him. If you rush me again, you treat him yourself!"
Ji Wu immediately shut his mouth, not daring to say another word. He didn't dare to anger this lunatic. If she refused to treat the Prince, even if the Emperor ordered it, she would definitely disobey and resist. If she got angry, she might even throw a handful of poison powder and poison them all!
Seeing Ji Wu sensibly fall silent, Nan Shiying nodded with satisfaction. She took out silver needles and inserted them into Yu Chengxuan's major acupoints, then instructed Ji Wu, "Go, go to Tongji Pharmacy to get some ingredients."
"The prescription?"
"Master, can you go with me?" Nan Shiying grabbed the Poison Elder, who was trying to slip away.
The Poison Elder gritted his teeth. Under the watchful eyes of Ji Wu and Ji Hong, he couldn't refuse and responded irritably, "Got it, got it. You kid, come with me!"
Ji Wu's eyes lit up. Was this the famous Poison Elder of Medicine King Valley?
Ji Hong couldn't help but look at him a few more times. It was also his first time meeting his Imperial Aunt's master.
Yu Chengxuan had taken a deadly poison, but his good fortune was that there were two... no, including the old ghost, three people in the capital who could save his life.
Seven Absolute Powder was difficult to resolve, but not impossible.
This poison was concocted using a废方 (fèi fāng - discarded prescription) thrown by his unlucky master.
Others didn't know what seven poisonous substances were mixed to form the Seven Absolute Powder, so they had to try them one by one to develop an antidote, but they didn't need to.
They knew it all.
The unlucky fellow who administered the poison probably never expected that Yu Chengxuan's internal energy would be so profound that he could hold on and return to the capital. It was truly a case of losing a wife and an army.
However, just thinking about Nan Chaoyin's furious reaction upon hearing the news made Nan Shiying find Yu Chengxuan more likable.
...
"That one, that one, and that one!"
The Poison Elder directed Ji Wu. Tongji Pharmacy had the common medicinal ingredients, but one main ingredient was still missing – the blood of a person infected with the蛊 (gǔ - a type of venomous insect or poisonous curse).
While boiling the medicine, the Poison Elder pricked his finger with a needle and dripped his blood into the medicine pot.
Half an hour later, Ji Wu fed the brewed antidote to Yu Chengxuan, and Yu Chengxuan's complexion returned to normal at a visible rate.
Ghost Face was a master of poison in the martial arts world. Because he tested poisons on himself, he became less than human, less than a ghost. It was said that even his blood contained deadly poison, and he often killed people invisibly. Yu Chengxuan's escape from his hands could be considered as his ancestors' tombs emitting smoke.
"These people are simply audacious!" Ji Hong heavily slammed the table, appearing very angry, as if truly enraged by the fact that these martial artists had dared to carry out an assassination under his nose. "Seventh Prince, you can rest assured, I will definitely give you an explanation!"
Nan Shiying removed the silver needles inserted into Yu Chengxuan. The tips of the needles were as black as ink. She sighed leisurely. These were the silver needles crafted from meteorites that the young master had "borrowed" from the national treasury... no, taken out!
Yu Chengxuan's complexion was still a little pale, but his body had recovered some strength. Although he wasn't in a complete mess at the moment, he wasn't much better. After being poisoned, Ji Wu only had time to put an outer garment on him. The clothes clung to his not-yet-dry body, appearing as if they had been rolled with countless wrinkles.
Yu Chengxuan was in no mood to discuss these matters at this time. He said, "Your Majesty, these people came with great force. I suspect they were not just targeting me alone... I know that Your Majesty will definitely give me justice, but in the current situation, I fear I will have to trouble Lin Yuan for a while longer."
Yu Chengxuan was ambushed, and Lin Yuan had to give an explanation. Although the poison on his body had been resolved, it had damaged his foundation, making it indeed difficult to travel.
Ji Hong nodded, "That is natural. Your Highness should rest and recuperate in Lin Yuan with peace of mind. As for other matters, we will discuss them in detail after Your Highness has recovered."
"Guards, escort the Prince back to the post station!"
Ji Hong ordered the imperial guards to escort Yu Chengxuan back to the post station. Because of this assassination attempt, the guards at the post station were doubled. Hui'an heard that Yu Chengxuan had been assassinated and immediately went to visit him, but Ji Wu blocked him, citing that the Prince was unwell.
Seeing Yu Chengxuan leave the Regent's Estate alive and the Emperor return to the palace, the court officials' hearts finally settled.
Nan Shiying looked at Ji Jinmo and sighed.
Ji Hong couldn't stay at the Regent's Estate for long. As he left, he winked at them: Imperial Uncle, Imperial Aunt, come to the palace to find me~~
This back-and-forth exertion was simply exhausting.
It was the Imperial Study again.
After Jingren Palace caught fire, the Empress Dowager moved to Huanyu Palace. Fortunately, Ji Hong had already had Huanyu Palace renovated to a considerable extent. Although the Empress Dowager moved in hastily, everything inside was complete, so she was not wronged.
Ji Hong recounted the events of the past few hours. After the other party set Jingren Palace on fire, he sent out secret guards to investigate, but found no clues at all, as if the fire was truly a warning from heaven.
Just thinking that Nan Chaoyin, that old bastard, had planted such deep moles in the imperial palace made Ji Hong want to issue an immediate decree to have him beheaded.