Meanwhile.
Anren Ward, Prince Cheng's residence.
The night was deep, yet a lamp still burned in the concealed chamber of the study.
Unlike the splendor of Princess Taiping's Residence, the study of Prince Cheng, Li Qianli-the eldest legitimate son of Li Ke, Prince of Wu-was simply furnished, with a touch of Lingnan's rugged character.
A faint fragrance of medicinal herbs lingered in the air, rather than the incense favored by most dignitaries.
Wu Zhaoyun sat cross-legged on a rush cushion and slowly opened his eyes.
He had just taken a Clear Heart and Purify Filth Pill bestowed upon him by Li Qianli. The true qi that had churned restlessly within him for years because of his sinister cultivation method now flowed through his meridians like a gentle stream. He had not experienced such effortless control, as natural as an arm directing its fingers, in many years.
"Your Highness has hidden your talents well."
Wu Zhaoyun looked toward Li Qianli, who was leafing through the Compendium of Essential Herbs behind his desk. His voice carried sincere admiration and a barely perceptible trace of wariness. "I never imagined Your Highness possessed such attainments in the Pill Dao as well. This pill's marvelous effects surpass those of my own gu medicines tenfold!"
Li Qianli raised his head. With his lean features and gentle eyes, he looked more like a scholarly physician tending to the suffering than an exalted prince of Great Tang.
He set down the book and smiled faintly. "You flatter me, Cave Master Wu. Lingnan is a land plagued by miasma. After my father passed away, my family and I were exiled there. Merely staying alive was difficult enough. Had I not learned to recognize a few herbs and acquired some medical skills to sustain myself, my bones would long since