As much of the Gu Poison was purged from her body, the agonizing pain that pierced her heart and gnawed at her bones faded.
Princess Taiping's taut body gradually relaxed. Her lashes trembled, and she slowly opened her eyes.
The first thing she saw was Lu Changfeng's profile, close beside her bed.
Sweat beaded at his temples, and his brows were tightly knitted. His left hand held a spherical stone wreathed in shifting light, while his right pressed against the back of his left. Working both palms together, he channeled pure, gentle Shennong Qi through the stone, transforming it into a mighty warm current that enveloped her upper body and poured ceaselessly into her without reservation...
What treasure was this now?
Taiping gave a weak smile. Like that [Peacock Plume], he had probably conjured it out of nowhere...
These things, like the man himself, were full of secrets.
Taiping quietly watched his face.
Focused, earnest, giving his all...
As she watched, perhaps from the weakness of having only just awakened, or perhaps for some other reason, she suddenly felt all strength leave her body. She went limp despite herself, gently listing toward the edge of the bed-and toward Lu Changfeng.
Lu Changfeng was wholly absorbed in controlling his true qi. His heart jolted when he sensed her losing her balance-this was the crucial moment in expelling the poison, and the slightest disturbance in his qi could undo all his efforts. Almost instinctively, his right hand left the back of his left, and his arm swept swiftly around her, catching her slumping shoulders and back just in time and holding her steady.
His left hand, meanwhile, still gripped the Nine Dragon Stone, suspended steadily above her Qihai Acupoint. The blue-green true qi imbued with the stone's miraculous power not only continued