That night, the sky was cloudless, with stars scattered across it.
Moonlight poured through the windows like flowing water, spilling into the emperor's bedchamber and slightly easing the oppressive atmosphere.
Xu Lanqing stood before the bed, gazing at the emperor asleep upon it. A bright yellow quilt covered him, leaving only his old, sickly pale face exposed.
When Xu Lanqing had arrived, the gravely ill emperor had still been discussing state affairs with the prime minister, the ministers of the Military Council, and other important officials.
He coughed twice for every sentence he managed to speak, and even matters that should have been settled easily took two or three times longer than usual.
Xu Lanqing had waited quietly outside. But by the time all the officials had left and he went in, the emperor was already asleep from exhaustion.
After staying inside for a while, he left the hall with the imperial physician who had been tending to the emperor.
"Elder Sun, how is he? Can my father's illness be cured?" Xu Lanqing asked the physician beside him.
The physician known as Elder Sun was an elderly woman with white hair and a youthful face. Her full name was Sun Yuhuan.
She was not only the most skilled healing-type Soul Master in the imperial palace, but also the royal family's chief alchemist.
She had been the one to deliver Xu Lanqing when he was born.
"As long as His Majesty rests and recovers, avoids getting upset, takes his medicine, and has his body tended to once a day, he should be fine for another decade or so," Sun Yuhuan said kindly.
"Can't it be cured completely?" Xu Lanqing pressed his lips together.
"It's difficult."
Sun Yuhuan shook her head and sighed. "Given His Majesty's condition, ordinary medicine will do very little. It can only ease his symptoms."
Xu Lanqing pondered for a while. "What if we had rare treasures of heaven and earth, or even immortal-grade herbs? Could it be cured then?"
"That would be worth a try."
Sun Yuhuan nodded, then shook her head. "But the palace has already used every rare treasure that might have helped His Majesty. That was the only reason we managed to pull him back from the brink.
"There aren't any more treasures left. Even if we go looking, it'll depend on luck—and how much time we have."
"I understand."
Xu Lanqing turned and saw Snow Empress waiting in the garden. He said to Sun Yuhuan,
"Sorry for the trouble, Elder Sun. I'll take my leave."
"How could it be trouble? It's only what I ought to do. Go on." Sun Yuhuan waved her hand.
Xu Lanqing walked over to Snow Empress.
The night was quiet, and flowers bloomed all around them. Bathed in the cool moonlight, Snow Empress was stunning, like a fairy stepped out of a painting. The flowers surrounding her seemed to lose their color.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Xu Lanqing said with a smile.
Snow Empress shook her head, her sky-blue eyes calm.
"You're not in a hurry, but Ice Empress and the others are probably burning with impatience by now. We'd better hurry back and let them out, before they take their frustration out on the Undead Plane." Xu Lanqing smiled.
Snow Empress nodded. She was eager to see Ice Empress too.
A short while later, Xu Lanqing arrived at the palace where he lived.
He waved to the two guards standing outside and let Snow Empress go in first.
The guards glanced at Snow Empress, then quickly lowered their heads. They knew better than to ask questions that weren't their business. All they had to do was do their jobs.
Watching Snow Empress's retreating figure, he asked the guards, "Which of you knows how to make a Storage Ring?"
"I do, Your Highness," the guard on the left replied.
"Good. Come help me with something."
Xu Lanqing smiled at the two. "As for you, go ask the chef to prepare some delicious food. Make plenty."
"Yes, Your Highness." The two guards cupped their hands.
Suddenly, Xu Lanqing remembered something. "Oh, and don't make any bear or scorpion."
Inside the hall, Snow Empress's mouth twitched. Her calm heart stirred slightly.
When Xu Lanqing walked in, she couldn't help asking, "Have you eaten those before?"
Xu Lanqing froze for a moment, then said firmly, "No. Absolutely not. I was just worried they might make something stupid and ruin your mood."
Then he immediately added, "All right, I'll let them out now."
His dark eyes quickly turned gray. A cold yet sacred aura filled the brightly lit hall as Xu Lanqing traced lines in the air with his index finger.
Snow Empress watched with curiosity. It was the first time she had seen Xu Lanqing use this ability.
Before long,
he finished drawing and returned to normal. A six-pointed magic circle appeared in front of him, its light flickering as Ice Empress and Xiao Bai emerged.
Ice Empress's vision blurred, and she realized she was back in the real world.
The first person she saw was Xu Lanqing. Anger surged in her heart, her brows shot up, and she snapped,
"Xu Lanqing!
"Snow Empress suddenly disappeared. Where did you take her? If you don't give me an explanation today, I..."
As she spoke, Tengteng stepped forward and grabbed Xu Lanqing by the collar. A pleasant fragrance wafted toward him.
But before Xu Lanqing could say anything, she sensed something. She turned around and looked behind her.
"Snow Maiden!"
Ice Empress looked at Snow Empress in delight. She let go of Xu Lanqing and spun around, throwing herself into Snow Empress's arms. She buried her face against Snow Empress's chest, their bodies pressed close together.
Xu Lanqing watched them with envy.
Xiao Bai also cried, "Mom!" and rushed over, but Ice Empress slapped her away before she could get close.
Xiao Bai could only stand to the side, looking aggrieved.
Ice Empress's voice was full of concern:
"Snow Maiden, how did you get out? You disappeared so suddenly before, and I was worried sick. Let me see if you're hurt or anything.
"..."
"All right, I'm fine." Snow Empress pushed Ice Empress away, smiling helplessly. "You're still as fiery and impatient as ever."
Then she told them everything she knew about what had happened.
After hearing her out, Ice Empress pressed her lips together and said to Xu Lanqing, "Thank you."
"So you do know those two words," Xu Lanqing teased.
"Hmph."
Ice Empress turned away, showing him her fair profile to make it clear she couldn't be bothered with him.
Just then, footsteps sounded outside.
"Your Highness, the dishes are ready," a guard called.
"Mm. Put them on the table."
"Yes, Your Highness."
The guard was surprised to see two extra people, but he remained professional and went about his duties.
Soon, the empty table was covered with delicious-looking dishes, leaving only the center bare. The main course had yet to arrive.
Xiao Bai couldn't help drooling.
A thin chef followed behind the guard, carrying a pot of steaming chicken soup.
The chef cheerfully set the soup in the middle of the table. "All the dishes are ready, Your Highness. You should eat while they're hot."
Xu Lanqing was just about to nod when a clear voice suddenly rang out.
"Wait!"
Ice Empress glanced at the chicken soup, then fixed her gaze on the chef and said coldly, "Someone poisoned this soup."
To poison food right in front of her with such a crude toxin was practically a blatant insult and provocation.
"Your Excellency, you must be joking." The chef showed no sign of panic. He smiled and said, "Go on, eat while it's hot. I won't disturb you. I'll be leaving now."
With that, he turned to go.
"You can't leave," Xu Lanqing said.
The guards immediately blocked the doorway, barring the chef's way out.
The chef turned around and looked over the people standing by the table, all of them staring at him coldly. The atmosphere was icy.
His smile didn't fade. "Your Highness, surely you don't believe this lady's nonsense too?"
"I do. I absolutely believe her," Xu Lanqing said calmly.
Ice Empress nodded slightly. At least this guy had some conscience.
"Your Highness, how can you make jokes like that too?" the chef said, still smiling.
Xu Lanqing ladled out a bowl of chicken soup and set it in front of him. With a faint smile, he said, "If you didn't poison it, drink this bowl."
The chef glanced at the soup, then at Xu Lanqing, and smiled again.
"Your Highness, this chicken soup is incredibly precious. It was made with a thousand-year-old Seven-Colored Brocade Chicken. It should be served to the ladies and gentlemen first. How could a mere chef like me drink it?"
"You've been working hard all this time. What's a bowl of chicken soup to you? If you won't drink it..."
A cold glint flashed in Xu Lanqing's eyes. "That means you really did poison it."
"This—this isn't right. Which lord is trying to frame me today?"
The chef's smile grew strained. He looked at everyone, then pointed at Ice Empress. "It was you, wasn't it? You're the one trying to frame me. Fine, I'll drink it. I'll drink it."
He stepped forward. His hand trembled slightly as he lifted the bowl to his lips. "Drinking soup is such a wonderful thing."
Then he gulped down the whole bowl.
Patting his chest, the chef looked pleased. "It's not too salty or too bland. It tastes wonderful. Your Highness, see? I'm perfectly fine. Go on, drink up while it's hot.
"Your Highness, you should lead by example. Everyone else will only drink if you do. Drink up! Why aren't you drinking?"
Seeing that everyone remained coldly unmoved, he began to sway. Suddenly, he charged forward and slapped the table, rattling it so hard that soup splashed out of the pot.
His face twisted as he roared, "Damn it, why aren't you drinking? Drink! Drink!"
As if he could no longer hold on, he staggered backward, swaying on his feet.
"You won't drink, is that it?"
The Storage Ring on his finger flashed, and a Level 8 Fixed Soul Guidance Shell, about a meter long, abruptly appeared.
His Soul Power surged as he shouted frantically, "You won't drink? Then I'll blow you all to pieces!"
"None of you will drink? You're all afraid of dying, are you? Let me tell you, if you won't drink, you won't be leaving here alive!"
Xu Lanqing stopped the guards and calmly watched the chef.
With Snow Empress and Ice Empress beside him, how could he possibly be afraid?
The chef raised his chin and looked down on everyone. "Since you've already seen through me, I'll stop pretending.
"I'm the powerful subordinate of the famous Third Prince—and a senior double agent for the Great Star Luo Empire.
"Code name: Pangolin!"
With that, he snatched the white chef's hat from his head and threw it to the ground.
"I arranged the assassination attempt earlier, and I put the poison in this chicken soup too.
"But I drank it, so I'm definitely going to die. If you don't drink it, none of you will survive either!"
He tilted his head back, his voice fervent and his eyes blazing with fanaticism. "My lord Duke, Your Majesty, my mission is complete! Hahahahahaha!"
Soul Power poured into the Level 8 Fixed Soul Guidance Shell, and a terrifying force was about to erupt.
Snow Empress's eyes flashed as she stood beside Xu Lanqing. An invisible chill seeped into the Level 8 Fixed Soul Guidance Shell, freezing its interior solid.
"Ha ha ha..."
His laughter cut off abruptly. Pangolin stared at the unresponsive Level 8 Fixed Soul Guidance Shell, his face blank with confusion.
Then he glared at Xu Lanqing through clenched teeth. "Damn it, you played dirty! Come on, then!"
He clutched the shell and charged at Xu Lanqing.
But after only a few steps, he stopped. Bright red blood trickled from his mouth, and the shell fell from his arms to the floor.
His face reddened, contorted with pain and unwillingness. He pressed a hand to his stomach.
"Thud."
He dropped to his knees. Blood dripped onto the floor before he finally fell onto the cold tiles, raising a cloud of dust.
Xu Lanqing curled his lip. "What a nuisance. He even got my floor dirty."
Then he turned to the guard and said, "Go tell my Third Brother."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
The guard glanced at the corpse on the floor and left, still unable to believe what he had seen.
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