Ji Wushang watched him pour the wine and said with a smile, "Your Highness, you should drink less of this wine, it will be bad for your health."
"Thank you for the reminder, Princess Consort Nan. It's alright, the wine is warm." Bei Gongminhao smiled, glanced at her, and saw that she was becoming more and more beautiful and happier. She was growing more and more beautiful and charming.
Nan Xuzong coughed twice, and Beigong Minhao turned his gaze back, then raised the wine glass in front of him, "Come on, bottoms up!"
Ji Wushang glanced at Nan Xuzong, smiled, and then picked up his wine glass.
Nan Xuzong's complexion improved considerably. He picked up his glass and drank with him.
Bei Gongminhao laughed, "Let's drink three cups to warm up today, and then come and see how I am! To be honest, I don't want to die, nor do I want my martial arts to be crippled. You see, how tragic it is to be without martial arts. Really, that person was really ruthless; he almost killed me!" Bei Gongminhao spoke casually and poured another cup of wine for Nan Xuzong and Ji Wushang.
Nan Xuzong looked at him and said, "I will avenge you!" His gaze was firm; this was his promise to Beigong Minhao, and he would definitely keep it!
"Forget it, you won't find him anyway, he's nowhere to be found! Haha, but it's best if he disappears!" Bei Gongminhao said, "It's only three months, I can get through three months! But during this time, you guys have to keep me company and have a few drinks, otherwise I'll really get bored to death." Bei Gongminhao smiled, picked up the wine glass in front of him, "Come on, bottoms up."
His smile was hearty and friendly.
Nan Xuzong looked at him and said, "I'll definitely give you a good look later."
"Yes." Ji Wushang knew who did it, but to be honest, he didn't have the power to fight against those people. The only way was to stay behind the person he loved, silently support him, not hold him back, and take care of everything behind him so that he wouldn't worry.
The three of them drank a second cup.
Beigong Minhao poured another glass of wine for the three of them. "This glass, as I just said, is the third one. Come on, let's not waste any more words!"
Nan Xuzong grabbed his wrist. "Minhao."
"Xu Cong!" Bei Gongminhao looked at him with a somewhat unpleasant expression as he felt his hand being held so tightly. Nan Xu Cong sighed inwardly and released his hand. "Don't drink so much."
“You’re the kind of person who shivers!” Beigong Minhao sneered. “I said three cups, and if you don’t drink three cups, you won’t warm up!” He then cheered up.
After three drinks, Beigong Minhao picked up a lot of food and put it in his mouth. "Have you all eaten yet? I'm hungry, let me eat something first."
"Mm." Nan Xuzong nodded, letting him eat.
"Wu Shang, these dishes are good, you can try them." Bei Gong Minhao pointed to the braised pork in front of him with his chopsticks in a friendly manner, "It's cooked to medium-rare, so it tastes good."
"Thank you." Ji Wushang smiled.
"If you've thanked me, then try it. Don't thank me and then not eat it." Bei Gongminhao was a bit cheerful today, a little different from usual.
Nan Xuzong looked at Ji Wushang, who picked up his chopsticks, took a bite of braised pork, and put it in his mouth. "It's very good."
"Hehe!" Beigong Minhao chuckled dryly, ignoring them, and continued eating by himself.
Nan Xuzong wasn't hungry, so he watched him eat, and Ji Wushang also watched him. He knew he owed him a great deal, but he could never repay him in this lifetime.
"Nan Xuzong, I want to ask you something." Beigong Minhao put down his chopsticks and called Nan Xuzong by his full name. Nan Xuzong was taken aback; he had never been called by his full name before. "Go ahead."
"I want to ask you, what is your greatest wish?"
Nan Xuzong glanced at Ji Wushang, his eyes filled with deep emotion. He turned back, about to speak, but Beigong Minhao preemptively said, "No need to say anything." He poured himself a glass of wine, which Nan Xuzong and Beigong Minhao drank before they could stop him.
Nan Xuzong didn't understand why he would suddenly ask that question.
He knew his own heart very well, but today, something was strange.
Bei Gongminhao smiled. "If the Princess Consort of the Southern Heir disobeys your wishes, Nan Xuzong, how will you handle it?"
Nan Xuzong was taken aback, and Ji Wushang was startled!
Nan Xuzong immediately turned to look at Ji Wushang, "Wushang?"
"I... I haven't done anything to disobey you." Ji Wushang shook his head violently, looking at Beigong Minhao, "Your Highness, I don't understand what you mean. I don't know why you say that!"
"Hehe!" Bei Gongminhao shook his head and gave a bitter smile. "Brother, do you know what day it is today?"
“Today…” Nan Xuzong’s eyes deepened, “It’s the fifteenth of March.” The moon was full. His gaze sharpened. “Bei Gong Minhao!”
"Down." Bei Gongminhao lightly tapped his finger, and sure enough, Nan Xuzong had collapsed onto the table. Ji Wushang was extremely surprised, "Cong! Cong!" He immediately checked Nan Xuzong's pulse and found that there was no harm done to him. It must have been a strong sedative.
Seeing that she calmed down quickly, Bei Gongminhao poured himself another glass of wine with a smile on his lips. "Have you thought it through?"
"What have you thought about?" Ji Wushang looked at him, then glanced at Nan Xuzong. "Today is the fifteenth of March, the best time to treat Cong's legs. They're not in pain or itching. If the timing is right, they can recover in a short time... Thank you, Minhao!" Ji Wushang understood everything. The thing burning in the room was probably medicine for treating Nan Xuzong.
"I've asked Doctor Cui to wait inside. He'll help you." Bei Gongminhao's gaze didn't fall on Ji Wushang; instead, he kept drinking glass after glass of wine, as if he couldn't get enough!
Ji Wushang looked at him and said, "Stop drinking."
He was startled, and suddenly felt as if a thousand emotions were surging up. He picked up the wine jug in front of him and poured it into his mouth!
"Bei Gong Minhao!" Ji Wushang immediately stood up from his seat and walked over. "Are you still not taking care of your injury?!" He tried to snatch the wine away from him.
Beigong Minhao dodged away immediately, shouting, "Get out of the way!" His tone was filled with extreme anger. "Get out!" But when he said "get out" a second time, his anger and momentum had lessened considerably.
"Bei Gong Minhao!" Ji Wushang stepped forward and snatched the wine jar away violently. "Are you crazy!"
"I'm crazy!" Because his martial arts skills had been crippled and he had already drunk some alcohol, he didn't have much strength, so she took his drink away.
Ji Wushang looked at him coldly, "You weren't like this before!"
“I wasn’t like this before… Wu Shang, please don’t do this, okay?” He didn’t know where the courage came from, but he grabbed her waist and hugged her tightly. “Wu Shang, Wu Shang… please think about it again, okay? It doesn’t necessarily have to be your blood, I can use my own blood instead… Wu Shang, Wu Shang…”
Ji Wushang's heart skipped a beat; he was crying.
But he should know that only his own blood can act as a medicinal catalyst. His body is made of ice and cold, and only his cold blood can be infused into all the medicinal herbs to extract their essence. Moreover, cold things are most effective at freezing a person's consciousness. Therefore, he can reconnect the necrotic meridians without feeling any pain, allowing the cold blood to circulate through the newly reconnected meridians.
This is the method given by the old man who makes medicine; there is no other way!
How much blood will be needed? Ji Wushang doesn't know, Nan Xuzong doesn't know, and Beigong Minhao doesn't know either. That's why this is where the adventure lies.
Bei Gong chose today because it was the perfect opportunity. Within this optimal timeframe, he gave her a choice. He already knew that her choice would undoubtedly be to work for Nan Xu Cong without hesitation. However, he wanted to deceive himself, to make her give up…
Bei Gongminhao was conflicted. Before he met Ji Wushang and before he knew how to cure Nan Xuzong's legs, he felt extremely sad for Nan Xuzong and desperately wanted him to be able to stand up again, because Nan Xuzong was his brother.
However, when he learned that he and Ji Wushang had both fallen in love with the same woman, he wanted to compete for her, but when he learned that Ji Wushang loved Nan Xuzong, he backed down.
He wanted to wait silently. He knew that his abilities were inferior to Nan Xuzong's. He knew that once Ji Wushang married Nan Xuzong, Nan Xuzong would definitely give her the most beautiful marriage and the happiest period of her life. He knew that Nan Xuzong would do everything in his power to protect and care for her.
He told himself to put away his love for her. He had told himself to give up and find a woman who loved him. She might not be as smart or beautiful as Ji Wushang, but as long as she loved him, that was enough.
However, he discovered that his heart could no longer hold anyone else.
That day, she knelt before him, weeping, but wasn't she also weeping in her heart? She loved him to the core, and he could only grant her love; he was willing to sacrifice his own love to fulfill her wish.
She wanted to use her own blood as a catalyst to heal Nan Xuzong's legs, and Bei Gongminhao granted her wish, creating the perfect opportunity for her!
She will never know what it feels like to lie naked in the scorching desert, your skin cracked from the sun; she will never know what it's like to be pierced by datura straits, convulsing and unable to sleep all night; she will never know the feeling of watching Beigong Jueshi fight the North Sea Dragon until his eyes were bloodshot and his body covered in blood, while she, as his own brother, was powerless to help; she will never know the feeling of sleeping for three days and three nights in that ancient forest in the East Sea, on a half-eaten leaf fruit, nearly being devoured by insects… She will never know any of this!
All she wanted were four things: the blood of the North Sea dragon, the datura of the Western Regions, the withered fruit of the East, and the Bohai snow toad. If it weren't for Yiyun Shangcheng sending the Bohai snow toad to the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion as a wedding gift for Beigong Jueshi and Yiyun Muchen, she would definitely still be lying on that thousand-year-old frozen surface, waiting for that once-in-a-millennium snow toad!
I've asked myself this question before: Is it worth it? Is it worth it for the two of them, for a happiness that doesn't belong to me?
The final answer is glasses of wine.
I really want to get drunk and die at the moment my intestines are pierced, so that all the pain can be brought to an end.
But no.
Ji Wushang was shocked. The man in front of her, this man who was much taller than her, this high and mighty prince, was actually crying in her arms. She was at a loss for what to do.
"Your Highness..." When she came to her senses, she could only utter these three words.
Bei Gongminhao cried uncontrollably, "Please don't do this! Can't you think things through? I don't want you to hurt yourself like this... Wushang, sob sob, please don't..."
Ji Wushang's heart skipped a beat, "Your Highness... I, I want him... to stand up..."
“There must be another way. Shall we look for another method?” Bei Gongminhao released her and looked into her eyes.
Looking at his red, tear-filled eyes, Ji Wushang was at a loss for words. But he truly, truly wanted to help Nan Xuzong stand up again… Bei Gongmin burst into tears… He cried so hard…
"I...you know...Your Highness, I...I thank you for everything you've done for me. I'm afraid I can never repay you in this lifetime!" Ji Wushang knelt down before him and kowtowed. "Ji Wushang knows Your Highness's heart, but Your Highness, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry!" She looked at Nan Xuzong. Compared to what she had done for him, what that man had done for her was insignificant!
“It’s just a little blood loss, nothing serious, right?” Ji Wushang turned to look at Beigong Minhao. Beigong Minhao seemed to have calmed down. He took out a silk handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his face, removing his tears and snot. “I really made the Princess Consort of the Southern Dynasty laugh at me just now!” He put the soiled handkerchief back into his pocket. His tone was serious, and his face was cold. He gently pulled her up. “You don’t need to kneel anymore. I understand your feelings… I will grant your wish! Indeed, now that his legs are healed, he will be more confident in facing the difficulties ahead and will be able to take care of you more easily. I am very relieved.”
Ji Wushang looked at him suspiciously, "Your Highness..."
"No need to say anything more, come and help him inside. Doctor Cui is brewing the medicine, it should be ready soon." Bei Gongminhao said as he walked towards Nan Xuzong. He didn't dare to turn around, afraid that if he looked into her eyes, he would change his mind.
She used her own blood to heal Nan Xuzong's legs, and Bei Gongminhao didn't dare to think about whether she would bleed too much.
The three of them went inside and passed through several more rooms before finally arriving at their final destination.
This is a secret room. The most conspicuous feature is a large pool of red water. The pool is connected by thin bamboo pipes to a large stove with boiling steam, from which a fire is burning. And from there, a large bathtub is formed.
Doctor Cui looked at the scalding hot medicine with a worried expression. When he saw Ji Wushang and the others arrive, he immediately extinguished the fire.
"Come, help him here." Doctor Cui immediately stepped forward.
After helping Nan Xuzong sit down to the side, Doctor Cui instructed Beigong Minhao to prepare the medicinal herbs, but then pulled Ji Wushang aside, saying, "My child, have you thought this through?"
“Master, I’ve made up my mind.” Ji Wushang glanced at Nan Xuzong. “I can give everything for him, including my life.”
"Do you think it's worth it?" Dr. Cui looked at her, his face showing some concern.
“It’s worth it.” Ji Wushang said earnestly, “Master, if you knew all the things that have happened between us, you would think it was all worth it. The fact that he can stand up is the greatest worth.”
"Sigh. Extend your hand." Doctor Cui sighed.
Ji Wushang obediently stretched out her hand, and Doctor Cui felt the veins on her wrist. "Hmm... he hasn't had sex with you these past few days?"
Ji Wushang blushed and shook his head. How could he say such a thing to him in front of so many people? Especially Bei Gongminhao… Bei Gongminhao was sorting the medicinal herbs when he heard the conversation and was slightly taken aback; stunned.
"Yes, it's alright. I did everything I could, risking my life to avoid hurting you," Doctor Cui said.
"Really?" Beigong Minhao turned around and looked at the two of them.
Ji Wushang was taken aback, and the three of them found themselves in a slightly awkward situation.
"Thank you, Master." After a while, Ji Wushang came back to his senses and said.
Bei Gongminhao was thrilled. Good! Since Doctor Cui could guarantee it, that was great! He worked even faster sorting the medicinal herbs. "Old Cui, hurry up and check if it's done!"
Hearing his cheerful tone, Ji Wushang felt a little relieved.
I don't want to hurt him, but I always end up hurting him unintentionally.
Ji Wushang didn't know how to repay him for all the help he had given her.
"Help him into the bathtub to soak." Doctor Cui saw that the water was almost hot and quickly ordered, "This is the key to success or failure. The whole process must be handled with utmost care! There can be no mistakes! Otherwise, Cong'er's meridians will be damaged, and he might end up lying in bed as a living dead person!"
Ji Wushang and Beigong Minhao nodded. They both agreed that they absolutely had to handle this situation carefully! There couldn't be any mistakes!
Ji Wushang turned around, and Beigong Minhao and Doctor Cui removed all of Nan Xuzong's clothes and helped him into the bathtub.
"Quickly add the medicinal herbs. First, add the withered leaves and fruit to paralyze his nerves and meridians, then add datura powder and snow toad dung," Doctor Cui said unhurriedly.
As Beigong Minhao listened, he added things in, and Ji Wushang looked at him and asked, "What should I do?"