Lu Changfeng stepped forward as instructed, his expression calm and unruffled. "Please relax your mind, Your Highness. I need to examine the state of the gu poison."
Taiping nodded and held out her hand.
Lu Changfeng stilled his mind and laid his fingers on Taiping's wrist. He could clearly feel the slight chill of her skin and the gentle pulse beneath his fingertips. Deeper in her meridians, the cold, tenacious golden silkworm gu poison sensed his Shennong qi and began stirring again.
Lu Changfeng channeled his qi into her and began today's "purge."
Princess Taiping reclined against a soft pillow, her gaze fixed intently on his face.
She wore no makeup today, and her dark hair hung loose. With less of her usual regal bearing and more gentle grace, the slightly loosened neckline of her plain gauze nightdress traced the elegant line of her neck, rising and falling faintly with her breathing as a subtle fragrance drifted through the air.
She had deliberately struck no improper pose, yet the mature allure she naturally exuded already exerted a silent, powerful pull.
Lu Changfeng's mind, however, was wholly absorbed in circulating his true qi and battling the gu poison.
He carefully guided his Shennong qi like a trickling stream of clear water, washing her meridians, purifying the gu poison, and reinforcing the seals he had placed earlier. The process was slow and mentally draining. Fine beads of sweat gradually formed on his forehead, and his face grew slightly pale, but his gaze remained focused and clear, undisturbed by anything around him.
Only after a quarter of an hour, when the treatment reached a stopping point, did he withdraw his hand and softly exhale a stale breath.
A plain white silk handkerchief was offered before his eyes.
Princess Taiping's gaze was gentle. "Thank