"The third year of junior high? In ten days?" Ji Wushang looked at him, "Isn't that a bit too fast?"
"Not fast. We don't have enough time. Let's go back and talk about it." Nan Xuzong placed her small hand in his palm, squeezed it slightly, and transferred his warmth into her hand.
Ji Wushang nodded.
In the Moxuan Garden, the air was warm and inviting, and a pleasant fragrance wafted from the incense burner. Ji Wushang took a small inhale. "What's that scent?"
"Lotus fragrance. It's good for your body; burning a small amount can refresh and improve your health." Nan Xuzong waved his hand and closed the door.
"Will it really work? I think it's unnecessary to go through all this trouble. It's always causing you worry." Ji Wushang walked over to him, and they went to the table together. "By the way, where's your master? I'd like to visit him!"
"Master? He... I don't know where he is." Nan Xuzong frowned slightly. "What do you want to see him for?"
"It's nothing, just some questions about medicine. You're so busy, I can't always ask you all at once. And I've never visited your master, I wonder if he'll look down on me for being so unfilial—I've been married to you for so long and haven't even served tea to my master." Ji Wushang lowered his head.
Nan Xuzong nodded. "What you said makes some sense. I'll send people to try and find Master. He's in the bamboo forest outside the capital. If you really want to go see him, I'll have Gong Shu take you. Don't go alone; it's dangerous."
"Hmm." Ji Wushang nodded, but he had other plans in mind. "Tomorrow I'm going to Panyao Residence to see my master!"
"Dr. Cui? Good. He's free, so it'll be good for you to bother him." Nan Xuzong smiled, thinking that perhaps he should find something for him to do!
"By the way, something big happened at the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion last night. Gao Fengfen behaved improperly and was divorced. Today she was drowned in the river." Nan Xuzong told him what happened at the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion.
Ji Wushang was startled. "What's going on? I heard before that Gao Fengfen was quite favored, and the Crown Prince..." Actually, she wasn't sure about Beigong Minhao's attitude. But at that banquet in the Imperial Garden, Gao Fengfen was so high-profile, as if she was enjoying Beigong Minhao's favor. Who would have thought it would be like this?
"Gao Fengfen brought this humiliation upon herself; she has no one to blame but the Crown Prince."
"Sinking her into the river...that's it!" Ji Wushang recalled their previous struggle. He originally thought she would die by his hand, but he was hesitant to spare her because he didn't know Beigong Minhao's intentions. Unexpectedly, Gao Fengfen died at Beigong Minhao's hands...
"It's alright, the Crown Prince must have his reasons for doing this."
"Yes." Ji Wushang nodded.
Nan Xuzong smiled, "Let's eat first."
"good."
After Nan Xuzong finished his meal with her, the two of them cleared away the food and then took a bath and rested. Since they still had plenty of time, they sat together and smoked their hair, while Ji Wushang looked at the mental cultivation manual he had given her at the desk.
Nan Xuzong gently dried her hair with a hairdryer, his hand caressing her silky black hair, which captivated him. His eyes were deep, and his heart pounded nervously.
Ji Wushang raised an eyebrow slightly, "Cong, how do I practice this mental cultivation method? I don't understand it at all; it doesn't seem to be the same as martial arts."
"Hmm, this is for cultivating internal energy." He glanced at the book, then reached out his hand, and Ji Wushang handed it to him.
He turned to the first page. "Look," he said, "this is about meditation, energy cultivation, and mental training. I'll teach you..."
"Hmm." Ji Wushang listened attentively, moving her hands and feet as she spoke, trying to imitate him. Nan Xuzong was pleased to see her earnestness and taught her even more diligently.
He gently placed one hand on her waist, and she trembled slightly when his hot hand touched her, but she did not refuse.
She continued practicing her martial arts, her body drenched in sweat. It was as if her meridians had been opened up, making her feel very relaxed and at ease.
Nan Xuzong held her in his arms. "Tired?"
"A little." Ji Wushang stopped moving, breathing softly in his arms. "These mental cultivation techniques are this difficult to learn; what about other martial arts techniques? Wouldn't they be even more difficult?"
"No." Nan Xuzong looked at her, took out a silk handkerchief, and gently wiped the fine sweat from her forehead. "These mental techniques are much harder to learn than physical martial arts, but you have a lot of talent, and I think you can definitely master them."
Ji Wushang pursed his lips and nodded. "I see. So, how long did you practice these cultivation techniques back then?"
"One year."
"A year? That long?" Ji Wushang was surprised. If he were to train on his own, how long would it take him to master it?
Perhaps sensing her inner thoughts, Nan Xuzong said gently, "You only need to learn a few basic skills to protect yourself. You don't need to learn so much. Learning so much will only harm your body, and I can't bear to see that happen."
Ji Wushang pouted, "I want to train hard enough to protect you!"
Hearing this playful remark, Nan Xuzong burst into laughter, "Haha, haha, Wushang, what did you just say?"
"I said, I want to protect you!" Ji Wushang looked at him laughing like that, and although she wanted to pretend to be angry, she changed her mind halfway through and her words and attitude changed, leaving only a serious look on her face.
Nan Xuzong looked at her, his smile instantly vanishing, his face turning stern as he stared at her. "If you want to protect me, then you must live a strong and resilient life. Otherwise, you won't be able to protect me."
Ji Wushang looked at his handsome face and listened to what he had just said. After a long while, he said, "You're hiding something from me." It was a statement of fact, and his gaze remained fixed on Nan Xuzong's eyes, penetrating his heart.
His heart felt as if it had been stabbed. He looked at her more intently, his face expressionless, but the next second he pulled her tightly into his arms, fiercely, as if trying to embed her into his very being. "I haven't been hiding anything from you. I've been completely honest with you. Have you forgotten?"
He gently stroked her long hair, using his hand as a comb to gently brush her dark hair. She could feel his strong heartbeat and warmth.
"You know what? I only feel truly at ease when you're by my side. These past few days, I've been constantly worried about you. I'm afraid that when I wake up, I won't see you anymore. I'm afraid that if you go out, you'll never come back. I'm worried about you all the time," Ji Wushang said softly.
"I'm sorry, Wu Shang." Nan Xuzong's eyes flickered. His actions had been too obvious, arousing Wu Shang's suspicion. It was his mistake! He would never do that again!
"I'm just a little busy, nothing dangerous is happening. Don't worry," Nan Xuzong added. "But you, with all your worries and anxieties, you're making me worry too."
"Hmm." Ji Wushang nodded, looking up at him, whose eyes were also looking at him.
Nan Xuzong lowered his head and kissed her lips, then slowly explored her taste. She got into character with him and they became entangled in a passionate embrace.
His eyes, filled with passion, were tinged with intense desire, and his lips moved with increasing force, as if he wanted to merge her into his own body.
Nan Xuzong led her toward the inner room.
Reluctantly releasing her, her cherry lips swollen and her face flushed with shyness, Nan Xuzong gently breathed warm air into her ear, "Let's go to bed!"
She nodded shyly.
His movements were sometimes gentle, sometimes forceful, and she lay down to give in to his every whim. The feeling of their bodies and minds being united brought them an unprecedented sense of bliss.
The bed curtains were light and gauze, shimmering with pearls, and the large bed swayed back and forth all night.
It was late at night when a person emerged from the lake halfway up the mountain where the imperial city was hunting.
He exuded a sinister charm, dressed entirely in black, the night light enhancing his chilling aura. At that moment, the crystal ball in his arms emitted a brilliant light, illuminating the entire Yiyun Shangcheng.
Yiyun Shangcheng frowned, and only after moving her hands and feet did she realize that she was on the surface of the lake.
The crystal ball, however, emitted a dazzling light. Yiyun Shangcheng grabbed the crystal ball, then leaped out of the water, instantly standing on the shore.
I glanced back at the lake; it was calm and still.
Yiyun Shangcheng looked at the crystal ball in her hand with her purple eyes, a cold smile on her lips, and in an instant, she had already disappeared.
When they returned to the inn, everyone around them was already asleep. Yi Yun Shangcheng went straight into Yi Yun Muchen's room. Yi Yun Muchen was fast asleep, and standing next to him was Bei Gong Jue Shi.
At this moment, Bei Gong Jue Shi stared straight at Yi Yun Shang Cheng.
"Peerless," Yiyun Shangcheng said softly.
"Your Majesty," Bei Gong Jue Shi responded.
"Kill them within three days..." Yiyun Shangcheng said in a low voice.
"Yes!" Bei Gong Jue Shi replied.
Just then, a maid knocked on the door. Yi Yun Shangcheng glanced at Bei Gong Jue Shi, then went out.
Bei Gong Jue Shi watched as Yi Yun and Muchen slept soundly before leaving.
"Your Majesty, please return to the border immediately! The King of Bohai has reinforced his troops by another 100,000 and has already captured Yuecheng, Gucheng, and Haocheng!" Hei Wei knelt down and said immediately.
"Are Murs and Hao Yueyi dead?" Yi Yun Shangcheng squinted. "I, the King, will return to the city tomorrow! If Murs and Hao Yueyi still cannot win a victory to welcome me back, I will certainly send their entire clan to the front lines!"
"Yes!" The Black Guard immediately vanished into thin air.
Yiyun Shangcheng immediately went into her inner room and locked the door.
He opened the window, stretched out his hand, and whistled. Instantly, a black eagle swooped down from the night sky and landed on Evian's arm.
Yiyun Shangcheng stroked its feathers with his other hand. "Zhi, this time, I'll let you control these black corpses in my place and force the King of Bohai to retreat, understand?" He took out all the items related to Gu poison from the cabinet, opened a box, and immediately some black insects began to writhe and swirl. The black eagle saw the insects and immediately flew to the table, then pecked them all into its belly, one by one.
Yiyun Shangcheng stroked its feathers, slowly covering the black eagle's head with the power in his hands. After a while, he withdrew the power, and the black eagle flapped its wings and flew away.
Morning always arrives as scheduled, and Ji Wushang habitually wakes up to see Nan Xuzong. Seeing that Nan Xuzong is by his side and has not left, his heart finally settles down.
I'm sure I'll give him a wonderful surprise!
Before the two could exchange more than a few words, they heard Zhu'er outside say, "Your Highness, Your Highness's Consort, are you awake?" Zhu'er looked at the sky; it should be about time!
"She's awake!" Ji Wushang called out immediately. Zhu'er's anxious state meant something must have happened. Ji Wushang immediately got out of bed and quickly dressed. Nan Xuzong watched her from the bed, seemingly quite relaxed.
"The Third Prince has returned to the palace and is hosting a banquet for the people. He has also invited the Crown Prince and his consort to the palace for the banquet," Zhu'er immediately said.
Nan Xuzong frowned slightly as he listened. This Huangfu Xuan really knows how to make trouble for himself!
That's enough!
Ji Wushang was startled and turned to look at Nan Xuzong. "Actually, what I wanted to say is, we're not royalty, so why are we so frequently invited to palace banquets?"
"My mother is the eldest princess. My maternal grandmother is the Empress Dowager. Cough cough, so even if the palace banquet doesn't invite people from this household, it will still invite me. Whether I go or not, they will always ask for my opinion as a token gesture." Nan Xuzong propped himself up from the bed, and Ji Wushang quickly dressed himself and went to help him.
"I see. We need to hurry, I wonder what might happen now. How is Princess Muchen's marriage to the second prince going? Have you heard anything about it?" Ji Wushang helped him dress and then tied his belt.
Nan Xuzong cooperated while saying, "Things are almost done. The Prince of Zhenbei's Mansion is very efficient; everything is ready, and we're just waiting for the wedding. It's just that these days have been passing a bit slowly."
"Just wait a bit." Ji Wushang nodded, then they washed up and had breakfast together. After reporting to the mansion, they set off from the courtyard to the palace.
Nan Jinxue and Aunt Zhao were saved, but Nan Jinxue suffered internal injuries from being crushed on the back and needed to rest in bed for at least three months to recover. Aunt Zhao, on the other hand, had half of her face burned and suffered extensive burns all over her body, leaving her barely recognizable. Recovery would be harder than climbing to heaven.
Ji Wushang didn't concern herself with their affairs. She instructed her servants to take good care of them and to have the doctor keep an eye on them before setting off with Nan Xuzong. She had already planned that after leaving the palace, she could either go to see Doctor Cui the next day, or try going directly to the forest to find the herbalist.
The carriage slowly began to move.
Ji Wushang was wearing a phoenix jade hairpin, signifying her unique identity as Nan Xucong. The two quickly arrived at the main hall of the palace. Most of those attending the banquet were royal nobles or important court officials.
Ji Dingbei and Ji Tiankui were also invited to join the banquet, as were the Prince of Zhenbei and his heir. High-ranking officials, including Prime Minister Gao, were also seated. The princes and princesses chatted and laughed, discussing various extraordinary people and events.
Ji Wushang and Nan Xuzong exchanged glances and then went to sit with Ji Tiankui and Ji Dingbei.
"Father, elder brother," they both said at the same time.
"Wu Shang, Your Highness, please sit down." Ji Dingbei nodded and pointed to the seats next to him. Ji Wu Shang nodded and sat down with Nan Xu Cong.
At this moment, Bei Gongminhao also noticed Ji Wushang and Nan Xuzong's arrival. He looked at Ji Wushang opposite him, who was trying to discern his expression. He must be upset that his woman had betrayed him.
However, apart from that ardent, warm gaze, Ji Wushang couldn't discern anything else.
Seeing the gazes of the two, Nan Xuzong silently placed his hand on Ji Wushang's slender waist. Ji Wushang was startled and turned around, while Nan Xuzong looked at her with doting eyes and tightened his grip on her waist.
Nan Xuzong was in a wheelchair, and she happened to be sitting at the table, which gave him this opportunity.
Bei Gongminhao frowned slightly, and when he met Nan Xuzong's gaze, Nan Xuzong seemed to be issuing a warning, declaring his ownership.
Sensing this scene, the Prince of Zhenbei coughed lightly, "Minho." Could it be that his son still harbors feelings for the already married Crown Princess?
"Father." Bei Gongminhao immediately bowed to the Prince of Zhenbei.