The cold moon hung over the frigid river, and the night wind rustled.
At the foot of Chunchen Mountain, the lights were ablaze. Three thousand imperial guards, armed with powerful bows and crossbows, encircled the entire Yutan Villa in an impenetrable formation.
Outside the villa's main gate, the chief constables of the Black Yamen had gathered, standing guard at various positions. Along both banks of the river, countless officers and constables were searching high and low for the traces of the assassin, leaving no stone unturned.
A luxurious carriage pulled by five horses side by side stopped outside the villa.
Dongfang Liren, dressed in a silver python robe, stood outside the carriage with her hands behind her back, her voice tinged with anger:
"How have you been handling this matter? There has been news of Blood Bodhi for a month now, yet he managed to get so close to the capital, under our noses. You didn't notice him even though he was keeping watch for so long..."
She Long and the other chief constables of the Black Yamen were filled with dread. If something had really happened to Prince Jing today, regardless of the reason, they would all lose their heads. At this moment, they wished they could enter the carriage and kowtow to Young Master Ye.
Dongfang Liren knew that it was her own momentary carelessness that had allowed the assassin to find an opportunity. She didn't punish the people from the Black Yamen. After giving them a warning, she returned to the carriage.
The prince's carriage was very large, like a small house, with a white screen shielding the bed.
Yejingtang lay on the couch, having already taken off his outer robe, revealing his well-proportioned upper body muscles. He was only wearing thin trousers and was sleeping peacefully.
A female doctor dressed like a wealthy lady's wife was taking his pulse beside him, carefully examining his physical condition.
Maintaining an imposing demeanor even without showing anger, Dongfang Liren turned around the screen. Seeing Yejingtang's bare upper body, her cheeks flushed, and she stepped back behind the screen and sat on the soft couch.
Looking at Yejingtang's profile, Dongfang Liren couldn't help but recall today's experience.
In the afternoon, she asked Yejingtang to teach her saber techniques. Seeing how clumsy he was and how he couldn't explain clearly no matter how he practiced, she thought he was just mediocre.
She had put on an air of superiority for a long time, but not long after, she was hiding behind him and watching him use the Tianhe Saber Technique to fight the enemy...
Thinking about it now, she felt really ashamed, as if a half-baked person who had only studied for a few days was criticizing a renowned scholar for not being able to write properly.
The scholar might not say anything on the surface, but he must have been scolding her in his heart countless times...
Dongfang Liren's eyes showed displeasure. She really wanted to blame Yejingtang for not being honest and not telling her that he had mastered the technique, which made her look like a fool with her haughty attitude.
However, thinking about the sense of security she felt when Yejingtang stood in front of her on the street and she hid behind him...
Dongfang Liren had only encountered assassins a few times, and each time it was the White-haired Diting that resolved the situation. She didn't even get to see the assassins. This feeling of being protected by a man while hiding behind him, to be honest...
It really doesn't match my image as a prince...
After waiting for a while, the doctor who had been taking the pulse stood up. Dongfang Liren asked:
"Madam Wang, how is his injury?"
Madam Wang was the daughter-in-law of Imperial Physician Wang. Usually, she only treated concubines and noble ladies. She was Dongfang Liren's accompanying physician.
Madam Wang withdrew her fingers and said respectfully, "Young Master Ye has an extremely strong constitution. Even without taking the Angong Wan, he will be able to recover on his own in three to five days."
Dongfang Liren could tell that Madam Wang was complaining about her making a fuss over nothing, but she didn't care.
"He is a martial artist. Does he have any hidden injuries or old ailments?"
"Young Master Ye has practiced many martial arts, but currently, he hasn't mastered them thoroughly, which makes his qi meridians a bit disordered. He just needs to regulate his qi more often in daily life."
"Oh..."
"Secondly, Young Master Ye has an excellent bone structure and is overly diligent in practicing martial arts, resulting in an excess of yang qi accumulating in his internal organs. He needs to be regulated in a moderate way on a regular basis."
"Hmm?"
Dongfang Liren didn't understand and asked:
"What do you mean by that?"
Madam Wang hesitated for a moment, but since there should be no taboos when it comes to illness, she explained:
"At eighteen or nineteen years old, he is full of vitality and has no wives or concubines. If this continues for a long time, it will cause problems. He needs to have sexual intercourse in moderation to regulate his body and mind."
Dongfang Liren understood the meaning this time, and a hint of异色 (strange color) flashed in her eyes:
"He... He is so handsome. Has he never been with a woman?"
"I'm not sure about the past, but this year he has definitely adhered to the way of a gentleman and has not been close to women. Hmm... This young master has an extremely strong constitution. If he has a wife, she might suffer a bit."
Dongfang Liren was puzzled:
"Why?"
Madam Wang knew how physically strong Prince Jing was and was certain that she couldn't withstand this Young Master Ye. So she gently reminded her. Seeing that the unmarried Prince Jing didn't understand, she explained softly:
"For a man, excessive sexual activity harms the body, and the same is true for a woman. This young master is a 'potent remedy'. If his wife is delicate and frail, she won't be able to bear the effect of this 'medicine' and will surely run back to her parents' home every other day."
Dongfang Liren understood the meaning and her eyes showed a rather strange expression:
"Then how can it be cured?"
"If this young master's wife doesn't mind, he can take a few concubines to share the burden. If she minds, she can strengthen her own body, but it will be difficult... very difficult to match this young master's physical condition."
After saying that, Madam Wang, supported by a maid, left the carriage.
After the sound of their footsteps faded away, Dongfang Liren stood up, walked behind the screen, sat down beside the soft couch, and scanned Yejingtang's face and chest, thinking to herself:
Is he really that potent? He doesn't seem like a lecherous person...
No, it's because he has a very good physique and abundant energy that he is so powerful. It has nothing to do with his character...
The doctor said so. Doesn't he have to follow the doctor's advice and find a wife quickly to regulate his body...
No, he needs to find several...
How can I tell him this? It's like dragging a gentleman into the path of evil...
...
While Dongfang Liren was lost in thought, there was a commotion outside the carriage:
"Your Highness, Lord Wang from the Jingzhao Prefecture has arrived."
Since Blood Bodhi had not been captured yet, Dongfang Liren needed to mobilize the imperial guards in the capital and seal off the entrances and exits of the city. She quickly put aside her distracting thoughts, took a thin blanket from the couch, and covered Yejingtang with it...
----
It was already close to midnight. Dense imperial guards surrounded the Yutan Villa, ready to escort the Empress Dowager and Prince Jing back to the capital to avoid any further accidents.
The officials who had rushed from the capital reported matters to Dongfang Liren by the riverbank and awaited her instructions.
Inside the Yutan Villa, a carved palanquin carried by eight eunuchs slowly emerged under the protection of the imperial guards.
The Empress Dowager had fallen asleep after taking a hot spring bath. Being pulled out of bed in the middle of the night, she was really in a bad mood.
However, upon learning that something had happened to Prince Jing, she didn't complain and obediently allowed herself to be escorted back to the palace, ending her leisurely trip.
Dressed in a magnificent phoenix dress, the Empress Dowager, supported by the maid Hongyu, boarded the carriage. With a hint of sleepiness, she murmured to Hongyu:
"These thieves really know how to pick their timing. Fortunately, Liren is safe and sound..."
As soon as she entered the carriage, she saw a man lying on the soft couch behind the screen, covered with a thin blanket. His handsome face, with an imposing and noble air, exuded a cold and composed demeanor, which was much more captivating than in the portraits.
!
The Empress Dowager's sleepiness vanished instantly. She quickly folded her hands around her waist and assumed a dignified and noble posture as the Empress Dowager:
"Is this young master... asleep?"
Seeing that the man had his eyes closed, the Empress Dowager stopped speaking and walked to the front of the screen.
Hongyu scurried behind her in small steps. She had originally wanted to remind the Empress Dowager to avoid being inappropriate, but when she saw the man's appearance, she gave up the idea. She sneaked up to him and craned her neck to take a look:
"Wow, this young master is really good-looking..."
As she spoke, she even wanted to reach out and touch Yejingtang's arm.
The Empress Dowager showed a bit of displeasure and slapped Hongyu's hand:
"What are you thinking about? Are you going crazy from being cooped up in the palace?"
Aren't you the same... Hongyu quickly withdrew her hand and looked at him curiously:
"Could this young master be Prince Jing's..."
"Most likely. Liren is shy. Don't talk nonsense."
The Empress Dowager maintained a dignified and elegant posture. Her perfectly curved hips rested on a round stool as she carefully examined Yejingtang's appearance. Perhaps she wanted to see how seriously he was injured, and she even raised her hand to lift the thin blanket.
Just as she moved her hand, there were rapid footsteps outside, followed by Dongfang Liren's voice:
"Empress Dowager, why did you come out by yourself?"
The Empress Dowager was so startled that she quickly withdrew her hand and stood up. She maintained the dignified posture that a mother of the emperor should have. When Dongfang Liren entered, she said unhurriedly:
"You were busy, so I came out by myself. Is this Young Master Ye? How is his injury?"
Dongfang Liren came forward and escorted the Empress Dowager outside:
"There was just a disturbance outside. He risked his life to protect you and got a bit injured. He needs to rest. Let's talk outside!"
The Empress Dowager felt as if she was being pushed out. She couldn't help but feel helpless, but she couldn't say anything either. She could only obediently step out from behind the screen...
--------
Late at night.
Somewhere downstream of the Qing River, a solitary boat floated on the shimmering river surface. There was no one on the boat.
Hua la—
The sound of water splashing rang out, shattering the reflection of the silver moon. A figure, like a water ghost, climbed up from the left side of the solitary boat, flipped into the boat, threw the iron staff to the side, picked up the prepared wound medicine, and bandaged his right ear that had been sliced off.
The old man had been roaming the martial world all his life and never revealed his real name. He had almost forgotten what it was himself. People in the martial world gave him the nickname "Blood Bodhi", and so he also called himself Blood Bodhi.
The name of Blood Bodhi was terrifying in the martial world of Tiannan more than ten years ago. His most famous achievement was assassinating a grandmaster of the Tiannan Seven Profound Gates. Dozens of first-rate and second-rate masters had died at his hands.
It was only after he assassinated the prefect of Chongzhou and offended both the court and the martial world of Tiannan at the same time that he fled to Beiliang.
As a retired assassin from the martial world, Blood Bodhi didn't lack money at all. He was a lone traveler and didn't owe anyone any favors. It wasn't easy to get him to come out of retirement.
Blood Bodhi came back from Beiliang this time and took on the task of assassinating Prince Jing because the "Green Bandits" offered him a price he couldn't refuse—the Minglong Diagram.
Blood Bodhi was over seventy years old. If nothing unexpected happened, he would pass away in a few years. As a top martial artist who had roamed the martial world for a lifetime, who didn't want to return to the peak of their abilities and enjoy another sixty years of freedom?
Although what the Green Bandits promised wasn't the "Eternal Life Diagram", any one of the nine "Minglong Diagrams" could improve one's physique and prolong one's life.
At first, Blood Bodhi didn't believe it, but facing the inevitable barrier of life and death, he still came to the capital and met the contact person.
The contact person called himself "Yan Bugui". Most likely, he was from the capital. The Green Bandits didn't lie. Yan Bugui showed him something beyond the ordinary—he had a strong physique and extraordinary strength. He had practiced the "Dragon and Elephant Diagram" from the "Minglong Diagram".
Blood Bodhi took the risk to help the Green Bandits assassinate the younger sister of the Empress because he wanted to learn the "Dragon and Elephant Diagram".
But Yan Bugui wouldn't give him the reward in advance. It was still unknown when he could learn it.
And today, Blood Bodhi made an unexpected discovery.
When he stabbed the opponent's chest with his iron staff just now, he couldn't break through the defense. The opponent must have padded something on his chest.
That thing was incredibly tough. It was definitely not a chest protector made of metal. Judging from the reaction of the young saboteur, he was extremely confident in the object on his chest, knowing that no matter what method he used, he couldn't pierce it.
Blood Bodhi had been in the martial world all his life and had heard of all kinds of strange and magical weapons. The first thing that came to his mind for such an object that was "not large in size, so thin that it couldn't be seen when placed on the chest, and that no grandmaster in the martial world could break through the defense" was the scroll of celestial scripture that he had been dreaming of.
If the young saboteur really had the Minglong Diagram on him, considering the fact that his martial arts skills didn't match his age at all, it was very likely the rumored "Youth-Preserving Diagram". Practicing it could make one return to youth, and it was completely possible to remain in one's prime until the age of a hundred.
Thinking of this, Blood Bodhi's heart stirred, and he looked in the direction of Yun'an City.
However, thinking of the young saboteur's extremely overbearing saber technique and extremely steady personality, Blood Bodhi felt a bit scared and calmed down for the moment.
After all, if the other party hadn't been so steady today, not only would he not be able to achieve eternal life, but he would be commemorated on this day next year... and no one would even burn paper for him...