It's alright, they should have started their operation over there. Xiliebao and Ziweiqing are only five days apart, and the changes in Dou Akou's situation here are not enough to affect the whole picture.
He quietly slipped the note into his sleeve, watched the two horses that had already gone far ahead, cracked his whip, and chased after them.
The Ding family of the Hundred Herbs Classic might be able to cure the poison that had been afflicting him since childhood; beneath the ruins of Haohui City in the ancient Siyou Kingdom, there might be a secret formula to cure all poisons... No matter what, he had to take the chance.
So what if I only live to be thirty? The heavens of this glorious dynasty will change because of him.
Ding Zisu
The Ding family's home is nestled against the mountains and beside the water, with the Grass Sound Valley behind them. The valley is filled with rare and exotic plants, and at the top of the valley is the Grass Sound Lake, which is very beautiful with its shimmering water.
Tang Xunzhen dismounted at the Ding family's gate, where someone was already waiting. He stepped forward to lead her horse and said, "Miss Tang, you've arrived. The side room is still the same courtyard where you used to live. If you're not satisfied, we can change it."
He turned to Dou Akou and Xu Liren: "These two are..."
"This is a direct descendant of Qingyong City, the daughter of the Dou family, a royal merchant family. Arrange for her courtyard to be closer to mine." Tang Xunzhen made no mention of Xu Liren.
The servant was completely bewildered, but seeing Xu Liren's beautiful face and noble air, and knowing that he had come with Tang Xunzhen and Dou Akou, he figured he must be someone of status, so he didn't dare to underestimate him.
They entered the Ding family residence. In the main hall, a woman was scolding a maid. Dou Akou recognized her; it was Ding Zisu, the eldest daughter of the Ding family. Beside her, wanting to intervene but not daring to, was the second daughter, Ding Baizhi.
Ding Zisu was very alluring, and her slightly upturned eyes gave her a bewitching air. When she saw Tang Xunzhen arrive out of the corner of her eye, she lashed the maid even harder, as if to give Tang Xunzhen a hard time.
When Ding Baizhi saw Tang Xunzhen arrive, she ran over happily, hugged her arm, and shook it, saying, "Sister Tang, you're here!"
Tang Xunzhen laughed: "You're almost my sister-in-law now, and you're still calling me Sister Tang."
Ding Baizhi shook her: "Quickly help me persuade my sister, she's angry again."
The Tang and Ding families were old friends. When their young masters were young, they often visited each other's homes. One day you would go to my house, and the next day I would go to yours. Tang Xunzhen disliked Ding Zisu from a young age and only played with Ding Baizhi. Ding Zisu also looked down on Tang Xunzhen from a young age. Whenever the two met, they would engage in verbal sparring and playful fights.
Tang Xunzhen snatched the whip from Ding Zisu's hand, rolled her eyes, and said, "Oh, Bai Zhi is getting married soon. Even if you don't care about your sister and don't mind ruining her happy occasion, you should at least do yourself a favor. Be careful you never get married in this lifetime!"
Ding Zisu was furious. The Gu family of Xiliebao had proposed marriage to her before, but she, relying on her beautiful appearance and illustrious family background, felt that she had not yet enjoyed enough of the attentions of those young men and looked down on Gu Huaibi, so she arrogantly refused.
Little did she know that Gu Huaibi would achieve great things at a young age, and his reputation in the martial arts world would soon surpass that of his father, which made her feel very regretful. Recently, she heard that Gu Huaibi and Tang Xunzhen, the young lady of Yiyantang, were together, and she disliked Tang Xunzhen even more.
She kicked the maid and said, "You lowly thing, get out!" Then she prepared to have a good fight with Tang Xunzhen, but when she turned around, she saw Dou Akou and Xu Liren.
Her gaze swept quickly over Dou Akou, and she vaguely concluded in her mind: an easy target.
Then her gaze lingered on Xu Liren. She stared at him intently for a long time, her face flushed, and she became surprisingly gentle. She bowed to Xu Liren, her voice so sweet that it gave Tang Xunzhen goosebumps: "This young master looks very unfamiliar. He doesn't seem to be a member of the martial arts world?"
Xu Liren smiled slightly at her, and sure enough, he saw a blush spread across Ding Zisu's face. He returned the greeting: "I am a musician from the Dou family. I am honored by Miss Dou's kindness in allowing me to accompany her to the Hundred Herbs Classic to broaden my horizons."
Ding Zisu was somewhat disappointed; he was just a musician. However, he did have a very handsome face.
Dou Akou was dumbfounded. This was the first time she had ever seen such a heated and direct fight. At home, her aunts always got along well; in Qingyong City, even when they fought, it was always a friendly contest, stopping short of a fight, with both sides being amicable. It was nothing like the violent fight between Tang Xunzhen and Ding Zisu.
Xu Liren lowered his eyes without showing any emotion. Ding Zisu, the eldest daughter of the Ding family, is skilled in medicine and poison. Very good.
The Hundred Herbs Classic is only a three- or four-day journey from the Hall of One Words. After resting for two more days, Tang Xunzhen's brother, Tang Yuanzhi's, wedding procession will also set off. Tang Xunzhen and Ding Baizhi hadn't seen each other for a long time, so they went out together that night to whisper sweet nothings. Dou Akou was alone in her room with nothing to do, so she sat on the doorstep counting stars.
She was terrified. In the prime of her youth, when love was just beginning to blossom, she had fallen for the wrong person at the right time. Her "sir" was her brother; he would marry another woman, have a child who would call her "aunt," and she would never again have the right to hug or kiss him. "Sir! Sir!" She hated the title "sir!"
Dou Akou suddenly stood up. What gentleman! He was clearly her Axin!
She angrily threw a stone into the bamboo grove ahead, but heard a cry of pain from inside, as if someone had been hit.
Dou Akou was startled and ran towards the sound while repeatedly apologizing, "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to..."
She exchanged a glance with the person in the bamboo forest: "Xu Li?"
Xu Liren, holding his guqin, brushed the dust off his clothes with annoyance: "Dou Yacai, thank goodness you didn't do it on purpose. If you had, you would have killed me by now."
He was always sharp-tongued, which made Dou Akou feel even more guilty. She wanted to see him and asked, "Where did I hit you?"
Xu Li frowned and avoided her, coldly saying, "Alright, it's nothing."
He was rushing to Ziyin Pavilion, where Ding Zisu lived, to play the zither for this young lady. To him, Dou Akou and Ding Zisu were both simply divided into two categories: those he could use on his path to advancement and those he had to eliminate. He was merely moving from seducing one woman to pleasing another.
He took two steps, then another wave of excruciating pain surged through him. He grabbed a bamboo stalk beside him, gasping for breath. This poison had been mixed into his milk since he was born, meant to kill him, the second prince, so that no one could challenge his elder brother for the throne. But heaven had taken pity on him; he had survived. He had lived nineteen years in bitterness, how could he give up at this crucial moment? How could he possibly be willing to give up!
Dou Akou was very familiar with his expression when he was ill, and said worriedly, "Xu Li, it's only been ten days since the last time he fell ill."
And each time it came, it was more intense and painful than the last. Xu Li gritted his teeth, the excruciating pain making him irritable. He pushed away Dou Akou's hand that was trying to help him and roared, "I don't need you to remind me!"
Dou Akou was at a loss and didn't know what to do.
Ding Zisu appeared at just the right moment and quietly asked, "You two, do you need my help?"
Dou Akou turned around and saw that it was her. She was overjoyed and said, "Miss Ding, you've come at the right time. Xu Li has fallen ill."
Ding Zisu acted decisively, ordering people to carry Xu Liren into the warm pavilion, where she took off his clothes, took his pulse, and performed acupuncture without hesitation.
She turned around and saw Dou Akou still standing there. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she scolded, "What are you still standing here for? It's late at night. It's not good for your reputation to be alone in a room with a man. You'd better leave."
Dou Akou obediently agreed, stepped outside the door and stood there for a while. Thinking that with Ding Zisu there, Xu Liren should be safe, she left. She had no idea that Ding Zisu herself was also alone with Xu Liren in a room.
Inside the room, Xu Liren lay on the bed, staring at Ding Zisu, who was administering acupuncture to him. Ding Zisu was captivated by his gaze, her hand trembling as she held the silver needles, unable to insert them any further.
Xu Liren turned over intentionally or unintentionally, and his already open robe opened even wider, revealing his smooth, jade-like chest. Ding Zisu steadied herself, located the acupuncture points, and was about to insert the needles when Xu Liren suddenly pressed his hand onto her chest.
Her first reaction was to struggle, but Xu Liren held her down very tightly. His palms were icy cold, but his chest was hot. Between these two contrasting temperatures was Ding Zisu's hand.
Xu Liren observed Ding Zisu's expression and slowly said, "Miss Ding, this poison cannot be cured, can it?"
Ding Zisu replied, "It's very difficult to treat if it's accumulated toxins over many years."
“I know. I knew when they poisoned me. In the palace, there is only the ruthless elimination of the weeds and the roots. There is never any room for leniency.”
Ding Zisu was startled: "The palace?"
Xu Li said with remorse, "I misspoke, Miss Ding, please pretend you didn't hear me." As he spoke, he inadvertently revealed a jade pendant he wore close to his body, in which a five-clawed golden dragon was soaring into the sky.
Ding Zisu didn't speak. She stared at the jade pendant for a while, then slowly turned her gaze away. Her hand, which was pressed against Xu Liren's chest, curled slightly, and she gently scratched the skin under her palm with her nails—deliberately and seductively.
Their eyes met, and they both understood something from each other's eyes.
Dou Akou stayed at the Ding family home for three days in a sullen mood. Tang Yuanzhi's wedding procession had already set off from the Yiyantang (a place for one-man rule). She and Tang Xunzhen had been comforting the anxious Ding Baizhi who was about to be married for the past few days, and hadn't seen Xu Liren and Ding Zisu for a long time.
She missed her husband. They had agreed that he would prepare gifts and leave from the Dou family to meet her at Yiyantang. If they were quick, they might even run into each other on the way. But so many days had passed, and there was still no news.
Tang Xunzhen initially tried to comfort her. But one day, he received an urgent letter from Ziwei Qingdu and fell silent.
The letter was addressed to Dou Akou. It stated that Emperor Huang Taizu was gravely ill, beyond the reach of medicine. The Imperial Advisor, observing the celestial phenomena at night, declared that the dimming of the imperial star was due to excessive evil energy within the palace. The tenth day of the third month was Emperor Huang Taizu's birthday, and the palace had decided to hold a grand Golden Dragon Banquet to bring him good fortune. The Dou family was also to prepare gifts for the celebration, and this time the gifts could not be taken lightly. Fu Jiuxin would be staying at the Dou family's residence for some time, likely missing the weddings of the Ding and Tang families.
At the same time, a man in black appeared silently behind Xu Liren: "Second Prince, the time has come."
Xu Li suppressed a laugh: "What gift did my elder brother give to Father Emperor?"
"A newly cultivated 'Longevity Without End' bonsai."
"Is this a bonsai from the Dou family?"
"Yes, I bought it specifically from the Dou family."
Xu Liren smiled slightly: "Since elder brother has figured out Father's preferences and sent a potted plant, let's not join in the fun. Let's send something else. The original painting by Du Pei in my palace is quite good."
The man in black took his orders and left.
Whether it's the Hundred Herbs Classic, Xilie Fortress, or the One-Man Hall, the martial arts world remains bustling, unaware that the storms of the imperial court are sweeping towards this place.
Unexpected changes
Tang Xunzhen said, "Akou, you should get a new pair of earrings. You only have one left."
She wore a pom-pom earring given to her by Fu Jiuxin. One of them was ripped off by Pi Xiaoli during the last disciple trial, and now only one remained, dangling alone on her right ear.
Dou Akou touched her ear and stammered, "No, no, it looks quite nice hanging up."
Afraid that others would discover her lust for the man, she dashed out, leaving behind the words, "I'm going to find Xu Li!"
"Hey—" Tang Xunzhen called to her, but Dou Akou had already run far away. She could only mutter, "Why are you looking for Xu Liren? He's really getting along well with Ding Zisu. They're always practicing martial arts and getting acupuncture treatments together. They're such a perfect couple..."
She pursed her lips, but ultimately didn't say those four words.
Dou Akou wanted to ask Xu Liren how her poison was progressing, as she had heard that Ding Zisu had been searching for an ancient antidote for her. Although she didn't like Xu Liren, she still felt it was too pitiful for such a beautiful and talented musician to die like this.
She searched the entire Hundred Herbs Classic, but could not find Xu Liren or Ding Zisu.
The servant of Baicao Jing thought for a moment and told her, "Miss Dou, at this time, the eldest young lady and young master Xu are probably practicing martial arts in the Grass Sound Valley in the back mountain."
Dou Akou followed his instructions and headed towards Caoyin Valley. She walked all the way to the top of the valley but did not see the two of them.
Further up is Grass Sound Lake, and in the distance, voices can be heard. They sound like intermittent groans, interspersed with the sound of water.
Dou Akou's heart skipped a beat. She walked closer and saw that it was indeed Xu Liren and Ding Zisu practicing martial arts.
Ding Zisu was half-submerged in the water, her upper garments stripped down to her waist, swaying with the lake's current. Her fair skin, reflected in the azure water, made her look incredibly alluring. Xu Liren stood before her, also disheveled, embracing her and thrusting in the water.
The two were indeed practicing kung fu, and their kung fu looked quite sophisticated. Standing like that in the lake, maintaining balance while swaying, was certainly not easy.
Ding Zisu wrapped her arms around Xu Liren's neck, her voice soft and sweet as she cried, "Xu Lang, Xu Lang, this skill... ah..."
Xu Liren breathed heavily, "How is it? The direct descendant of Qingyong City, the Twelve Forms of Peak Slaying, Flowing Clouds and Startling Wind, are all top-notch martial arts! How does it compare to your Ding family's Rain of Pear Blossoms Needles?" As he spoke, he suddenly slammed his waist forward and pinched her chest hard with his palm. Ding Zisu let out an extreme scream, seemingly extremely happy.
"Ah... compared to the torrential rain of pear blossom needles... um... this is so much more intoxicating..." Ding Zisu was completely infatuated, lewd words escaping her lips, utterly shameless.
"Heh..." Xu Li sneered, "I'm just not feeling well. Once I'm cured of the poison, I'll teach you how to advance to the ninth level of the skill!"
Ding Zisu said excitedly, "Xu Lang, your poison... I can cure it, I can cure it, but one ingredient is missing..."
They made love in the lake, and then Ding Zisu asked Xu Liren to teach her a different martial arts move. So they changed positions, with Ding Zisu lying face down on a large blue stone by the lake, while Xu Liren thrust into her from behind. Waves rose and fell, lapping against the shore.
Dou Akou hid behind a tree, listening to the moans and gasps of men and women, her stomach churning and she felt nauseous.
What she saw today was beyond her capacity to bear. Disgusted, she even thought: "Xu Liren, Xu Liren, I taught you my Twelve Peak-Slaying Techniques for fitness and self-defense, but I never knew you could use them like this!"
The two over there finally finished practicing a whole set of moves, their voices rustling as they dressed.
Ding Zisu said, "Xu Lang, I've given you my body. You'll have to take responsibility for me in the future."
Xu Liren's voice was already captivating, and now, having just escaped the throes of passion, it became even more alluring and husky: "Of course. Zisu, once you've cured me of this poison, I'll naturally bring you a grand wedding procession to make you my Crown Prince..."
His voice grew softer and softer until Dou Akou could no longer hear him. She had been greatly shocked, but now that she had recovered, she knew that if she didn't leave now, they would definitely find out that she had caught them in the act, so she decided to sneak away.
However, her lightness skill was not good to begin with. She had been squatting behind the tree for a long time, and when she suddenly stood up, her legs were a little numb. There were also many fallen leaves in the forest, so she made some noises when she stepped on them.
"Who?!" Ding Zisu shouted, scattering a handful of pear blossom needles toward the source of the sound.