Chapter Eighty-Two: The Cure

The light in the Prince of Yu’s eyes gradually faded away—a prince who had once been within arm’s reach of the throne died within his own manor.

“My lord—!” At the sight, countless guards cried out in alarm and drew their blades, charging toward Jiang Yuyan.

Unlike the prince’s own guards, the two Tantric monks and the disciple of the Starfall Sect exchanged a glance the very moment the Prince of Yu fell, and without a word, they both leapt away, fleeing into the distance.

Jiang Yuyan and Hua Wuque took in the entire scene.

No sooner had the three made their escape than Hua Wuque gave chase. Jiang Yuyan paused for the briefest moment, glanced back at the men of Blackstone, and said, “The Prince of Yu just now spoke words he should not have. Leave no witnesses in the manor!”

With her order given, Jiang Yuyan also pursued, following after Hua Wuque.

As for the battle within the manor, little need be said. With the departure of the Tantric monks and the Starfall Sect, only one guard ranked at the second tier among their number, far from enough to withstand Blackstone’s slaughter.

Elsewhere, by the time Jiang Yuyan caught up, Hua Wuque was already engaged in combat with the two monks.

Perhaps the Tantric arts were indeed unique—for two top-tier first-rate experts to withstand a grandmaster like Hua Wuque in even combat, even if only just begun, was no small feat.

Such things are not easily done; the gap between grandmaster and first-rate is not merely one of accumulation, but of understanding in the martial path. Ordinarily, it would take three ordinary top-tier first-rate masters working together to hold off a newly ascended grandmaster. Against a seasoned grandmaster, there is no fixed standard; it depends on the individuals.

Meanwhile, the Starfall Sect disciple, who had been lurking on the periphery seeking an opportunity to strike a treacherous blow against Hua Wuque, saw Jiang Yuyan’s approach and fled without hesitation.

Jiang Yuyan did not hesitate either, immediately giving chase. She understood well that her very life depended on catching him.

Her figure was like a wraith, and within a few breaths she had overtaken the Starfall disciple.

The moment they crossed blades, the disciple’s heart sank—another grandmaster!

After a desperate defense for a few moves, the disciple suddenly flung a handful of poison powder at Jiang Yuyan’s face and, without pause, dashed toward the two monks and Hua Wuque.

“Masters, another grandmaster is coming! Quick, one of you hold her off—I need time to channel my poison arts. Once I unleash the supreme skill of the Starfall Sect, these two grandmasters will surely die!”

The disciple ran toward them, shouting for help.

He had completely forgotten how, just moments before, he had so thoroughly betrayed the two monks as soon as Jiang Yuyan arrived.

In the midst of their fight, the two monks exchanged a glance and, as if by silent agreement, nodded slightly to each other.

“Benefactor Wusun Feng, come stand between us. We shall shield you as you unleash your mystic art,” one of them called loudly.

Wusun Feng was overjoyed, thinking to himself that these Mongol monks were not so bad after all. Once he finished channeling his skill, he would spare their lives.

Without hesitation, he darted between the two monks, shouting, “Quick, the female grandmaster is right behind—”

He had not finished speaking when, to his utter shock, he felt two mighty forces strike his back. Powerless to resist, he was sent flying straight toward Hua Wuque.

Hua Wuque, seeing the sudden turn, was not so foolish as to meet him head-on. He dodged swiftly aside.

When Hua Wuque raised his eyes again, he saw Wusun Feng sprawled motionless on the ground. From his keen perception, Hua Wuque could tell at a glance that Wusun Feng’s chest no longer moved—he was dead beyond doubt.

He quickly looked up, seeking the two monks, but they had fled the moment he dodged, their figures already receding into the distance.

“Where are they?” Jiang Yuyan, having evaded the poison, arrived in haste, glanced at the corpse-like Wusun Feng, and asked Hua Wuque about the monks’ whereabouts.

“They ran,” Hua Wuque replied, indicating their direction with a glance.

“What are we waiting for? After them—”

She had barely finished speaking before moving to give chase, but Hua Wuque stopped her.

“The only one who could cure your poison is dead. Why chase them? If you return to the palace, there might still be hope.”

“The imperial physicians are healers, not poison-masters. That’s not their expertise. If it were a slow-acting poison, I could trust them, but I have no time to let them study it. I’d rather use what little time remains to do something more for His Majesty.”

Jiang Yuyan’s words were full of resignation.

“So? You don’t wish to see His Majesty one last time before you die? Or you’d rather he not see you at the end?”

This question stunned Jiang Yuyan, breaking through her resistance.

Seeing her expression, Hua Wuque added, “Even if the imperial physicians are not versed in poisons, their skill is unparalleled, and the palace contains countless rare treasures. They can at least delay the poison’s onset. As long as there’s time, anything is possible.”

This time, Jiang Yuyan was convinced. She took a deep breath and said, “Old Hua, you’re right. Too much has happened today, too quickly; I was being stubborn. Here’s what we’ll do—you return to the Prince of Yu’s manor to settle things, I’ll head back to the palace. Remember to instruct Xiyu and the others to arrange the scene, put the blame on Blackstone, and do the same with the Prince of Duan.”

Having thought it through, Jiang Yuyan left Hua Wuque with these instructions and set out for the palace alone.

...

In the imperial palace, within Zhu Yu’s private quarters.

“What!?” Zhu Yu was momentarily thrown into confusion by Jiang Yuyan’s report.

Two grandmasters with a squad of Blackstone’s elite—this should have been overwhelming force. How could so many complications have arisen?

Yet the outcome was, in the end, satisfactory. Despite the twists and turns, the goal had been achieved.

But now was not the time to ponder these things. Zhu Yu was still deeply concerned for Jiang Yuyan’s safety. After hearing her account, he immediately ordered the imperial physicians to attend her.

Several hours later, dawn had broken, and the imperial physicians had given their verdict.

As Jiang Yuyan had suspected, the physicians were not confident in neutralizing the poison.

However, with the application of many rare medicines from the palace stores, they assured that the poison within Jiang Yuyan could be suppressed for at least three months, and during that time, they would do their utmost to find a cure.

Her life was no longer in immediate danger. Though this was cause for celebration, Zhu Yu could not feel at ease. He began to doubt whether all the stipends given to the imperial medical bureau over the years had been justified.

He knew nothing of medicine, and could not judge the physicians’ skill, but he could not shake the feeling that if he simply fed Jiang Yuyan those precious medicines on their own, without the doctors’ concoctions, the effects might last even longer.