This Young Master Was a Potent Medicine

A cold moon hung over the chilly river, and the night wind rustled.

Lights blazed beneath Spring Morning Mountain. Three thousand imperial guards armed with powerful bows and crossbows surrounded Jade Pool Manor in an ironclad formation.

Outside the manor gates, the Black Bureau's chief constables had assembled, guarding every approach. Countless soldiers and constables searched both banks of the river for traces of the assassin, practically digging three feet into the earth.

A luxurious carriage drawn by five horses stood outside the manor.

Dressed in silver python robes, Dongfang Liren stood outside the carriage with her hands behind her back, a trace of anger in her voice.

"Is this how you carry out your duties? We had word of Blood Bodhi a month ago, yet he slipped right under the sovereign's nose and watched us for so long without anyone noticing..."

She Long and the other chief constables of the Black Bureau were filled with lingering dread. If anything had truly happened to Prince Jing today, they would have lost their heads regardless of the reason. At that moment, they wished they could climb into the carriage and kowtow twice to their valiant savior, Ye.

Dongfang Liren knew that her own momentary carelessness had given the assassin his opening. She did not punish the Black Bureau officers, returning to the carriage after delivering a warning.

The prince's carriage was enormous, like a small house, with a white screen shielding the bed.

Ye Jingtang lay on the bed. His outer robe had been removed, revealing the well-proportioned muscles of his upper body. Wearing only thin trousers, he slept peacefully.

A female physician dressed like the wife of a wealthy household sat beside him, taking his pulse and carefully checking his condition.

Maintaining her air of effortless authority, Dongfang Liren rounded the screen. At the sight of Ye Jingtang's bare upper body, her cheeks reddened. She retreated behind the screen and sat on the cushioned couch.

Looking at Ye Jingtang's profile, Dongfang Liren could not help recalling the day's events.

That afternoon, she had asked Ye Jingtang to teach her his saber technique. Seeing how clumsy he was, unable to explain it clearly no matter how he demonstrated it, she had thought he was nothing special.

She had spent ages posing as an expert, only to end up hiding behind him shortly afterward, watching him use the Tianhe Blade against an enemy...

Thinking back now, she truly wished the earth would swallow her. It felt like a half-educated dabbler telling a celebrated scholar that he did not know how to write.

The scholar might have said nothing outwardly, but inwardly, he had probably mocked her countless times...

Displeasure entered Dongfang Liren's eyes. She wanted to blame Ye Jingtang for being dishonest, for failing to tell her he had mastered it and making her lofty pride into a joke.

But then she recalled the sense of safety she had felt in the street, hiding behind Ye Jingtang as he stood before her...

On the few occasions Dongfang Liren had encountered assassins, the White-Haired Truth-Listener had dealt with them before she even saw their faces. This feeling of hiding behind a man and being protected was truly...

Truly unbecoming of a prince like me...

After a short wait, the woman taking his pulse rose. Dongfang Liren asked:

"Madam Wang, how are his injuries?"

Madam Wang was Imperial Physician Wang's daughter-in-law. She ordinarily treated only imperial consorts and titled ladies, and served as Dongfang Liren's accompanying physician.

Madam Wang withdrew her fingers and answered respectfully, "Young Master Ye has an exceptionally robust constitution. Even without the Palace-Calming Pill, he would recover on his own in three to five days."

Dongfang Liren could hear Madam Wang's implicit complaint that she was making a mountain out of a molehill, but paid it no mind.

"He practices martial arts. Does he have any hidden injuries or old ailments?"

"Young Master Ye has practiced quite a variety of martial arts, but has yet to attain mastery of them. This has left his qi channels somewhat disordered. Regular care to regulate his qi will suffice."

"Oh..."

"Secondly, Young Master Ye has an excellent natural constitution and trains too diligently, resulting in excessive yang energy building up in his internal organs. He needs to regulate it in moderation."

"Hmm?"

Dongfang Liren did not understand and asked:

"What do you mean?"

Madam Wang hesitated, but illness was no occasion for shying away from a physician, so she explained:

"He is eighteen or nineteen, young and full of vigor, with neither wife nor concubines. Suppressing himself for too long will cause problems. He should engage in marital relations in moderation to regulate his body and mind."

This time, Dongfang Liren understood. An odd look flashed through her eyes.

"He... he's so handsome, yet he's never touched a woman?"

"I cannot say about the past, but he has certainly adhered to a gentleman's principles this year and stayed away from women. Hmm... this young master's constitution is rather too robust. If he had a wife, she might suffer somewhat."

Dongfang Liren was baffled.

"Why?"

Knowing Prince Jing's physical constitution, Madam Wang was certain she would be unable to withstand Young Master Ye, hence her tactful warning. Seeing that the unmarried prince did not understand, she explained gently:

"Excessive bedchamber exertion harms a man's health, and the same is true for women. This young master is a 'potent medicine.' If his wife were delicate and frail, unable to withstand its strength, she would surely flee to her parents' home every few days."

Dongfang Liren understood, her expression turning rather peculiar.

"Then how can that be treated?"

"If this young master's wife does not mind, he could take a few concubines to share the burden. If she does mind, she could strengthen her own body, but matching this young master's physical condition would be... difficult."

With that, Madam Wang left the carriage with a maid's support.

Only after the footsteps faded did Dongfang Liren rise and step behind the screen. She sat beside the bed, studying Ye Jingtang's face and chest as she silently considered:

Is he really that potent? He doesn't look lustful...

No, he's potent because he's healthy and full of energy. It has nothing to do with his character...

Since the physician said so, doesn't he need to follow her instructions and hurry up and find a wife to regulate himself...

No, he needs several...

How am I supposed to tell him that? Wouldn't that be dragging a gentleman onto a demonic path...

While Dongfang Liren sat lost in thought, a sound came from outside the carriage:

"Your Highness, Official Wang of the Capital Prefecture has arrived."

Blood Bodhi had yet to be apprehended. Dongfang Liren needed to mobilize the Capital City's imperial guards and seal its entrances and exits. She quickly gathered her wandering thoughts, took a thin blanket from the bed, and covered Ye Jingtang...

It was nearly midnight. Imperial guards crowded densely around Jade Pool Manor, preparing to escort the Empress Dowager and Prince Jing back to the Capital City to prevent another mishap.

Officials who had hurried over from the Capital City reported to Dongfang Liren by the riverbank and awaited her orders.

Inside Jade Pool Manor, a carved sedan chair borne by eight eunuchs slowly emerged under imperial guard escort.

The Empress Dowager had gone to bed after soaking in the hot springs. Being dragged from her bed in the middle of the night had put her in a decidedly poor mood.

But after learning that something had happened to Prince Jing, she did not complain. She obediently accepted the escort back to the palace, ending her excursion to unwind.

Clad in a magnificent phoenix gown, the Empress Dowager boarded the carriage with the maid Hongyu's support, murmuring sleepily to her:

"Those wretches certainly know how to pick their day. Fortunately, Liren came through safe and... sound..."

The moment she entered the carriage, she saw a man lying on the bed behind the screen, covered by a thin blanket. His handsome, distinguished face was visible, an austere air radiating from within him. He was far more alluring than his portrait.

!

The Empress Dowager's drowsiness vanished. She swiftly folded her hands at her waist, assuming the dignified, noble bearing befitting her station.

"This young master... is asleep?"

Seeing that the man's eyes were closed, the Empress Dowager fell silent and walked over to the screen.

Hongyu followed with tiny steps. She had intended to remind the Empress Dowager to observe propriety, but one look at the man's appearance dispelled that notion. She crept closer and craned her neck to inspect him.

"Wow, this young master is really..."

As she spoke, she even reached out to touch Ye Jingtang's arm.

Slightly displeased, the Empress Dowager slapped the back of Hongyu's hand.

"What are you getting so lovesick for? Has being cooped up in the palace driven you mad?"

Aren't you doing the same... Hongyu hurriedly withdrew her hand and studied him curiously.

"Could this young master be Prince Jing's..."

"Almost certainly. Liren is thin-skinned, so don't say anything foolish."

Poised and elegant, the Empress Dowager settled her perfectly curved rear on a round stool and carefully studied Ye Jingtang's features. Perhaps wanting to see how badly he was injured, she even raised a hand to lift the thin blanket.

But just as her hand moved, hurried footsteps sounded outside, followed by Dongfang Liren's voice:

"Empress Dowager, why did you come out on your own?"

Startled, the Empress Dowager snatched her hand back and hastily rose, maintaining the dignity appropriate to an imperial mother. Only after Dongfang Liren entered did she speak unhurriedly:

"You were busy, so I came out myself. This is Young Master Ye, I presume? How are his injuries?"

Dongfang Liren approached and ushered the Empress Dowager outside.

"There was trouble outside just now. He risked his life to protect me and suffered some injuries. He needs rest. Let's speak outside!"

Feeling as though she was being pushed out, the Empress Dowager could not help feeling helpless. Still, she could hardly say anything and obediently stepped out from behind the screen...

Late that night.

Somewhere downstream on the Clear River, a solitary boat floated on the shimmering water, with no one aboard.

Splash-

Water splashed, shattering the silver moon's reflection. A figure climbed up the boat's left side like a water ghost and rolled aboard. He tossed his iron crutch beside him, picked up the medicine he had prepared, and dressed the wound where his right ear had been sliced off.

The old man had roamed the martial world his entire life without ever revealing his real name. Even he had almost forgotten it. The martial world had nicknamed him "Blood Bodhi," and so he called himself Blood Bodhi as well.

Over a decade ago, Blood Bodhi's name had struck terror throughout the martial world of Southern Heaven. His most famous feat had been assassinating a Grandmaster of Southern Heaven's Seven Profound Sect. Dozens of first- and second-rate experts had died at his hands.

Only after assassinating the governor of Chongzhou and offending both the imperial court and Southern Heaven's martial world had he fled to Northern Liang.

As an assassin long retired from the martial world, Blood Bodhi had no shortage of money, nor did he owe Wandering Alone for Ten Thousand Miles any favors. Getting him to emerge from retirement was no easy task.

The reason Blood Bodhi had returned from Northern Liang to accept the contract to assassinate Prince Jing was that the Green Bandits had offered a price he could not refuse-the Dragon-Mingling Diagram.

Blood Bodhi was over seventy. Barring anything unexpected, his soul would return to the yellow earth in a few more years. As a supreme expert who had swept through the martial world for a lifetime, who would not want to return to his peak and roam freely for another sixty years?

Though what the Green Bandits promised was not the Eternal Life Diagram, any one of the nine Dragon-Mingling Diagrams could improve his constitution and extend his lifespan.

Blood Bodhi had not believed them at first, but faced with the impassable barrier between life and death, he had still come to the Capital City and met his contact.

The contact called himself "Yan Bugui" and was most likely a local of the Capital City. The Green Bandits had not lied, either. Yan Bugui had shown him abilities far beyond an ordinary person's-a powerful physique and boundless strength. He had practiced the Dragon-Elephant Diagram, one of the Dragon-Mingling Diagrams.

Blood Bodhi had disregarded the risks and helped the Green Bandits attempt to assassinate the Empress's younger sister solely to learn the Dragon-Elephant Diagram.

But Yan Bugui would never pay him in advance. When he would be able to learn it remained unknown.

Today, however, Blood Bodhi had unexpectedly discovered something.

His iron crutch had struck his opponent's chest earlier, yet failed to pierce his defenses. The man must have placed something over his chest.

That object was inconceivably tough, certainly no chest guard forged from metal. Judging by the young saber wielder's reaction, he had absolute confidence in the object against his chest and knew that Blood Bodhi could not pierce it by any means.

Blood Bodhi had spent a lifetime roaming the martial world and had heard of every sort of extraordinary weapon. Faced with something "small, thin enough to remain invisible beneath clothing, and utterly impervious to a martial Grandmaster's attacks," the first thing that came to mind was the heavenly scroll he had dreamed of obtaining.

If that young saber wielder truly carried a Dragon-Mingling Diagram, then judging by the complete mismatch between his martial prowess and his age, it was very likely the legendary Youth-Preserving Diagram. Practicing it could restore one's youth; remaining in the prime of life until a hundred would be no problem at all...

At that thought, Blood Bodhi's heart stirred, and he looked toward Cloud Peace City.

But recalling the young saber wielder's utterly domineering technique and exceptionally cautious temperament, Blood Bodhi felt his scalp prickle again and temporarily calmed down.

After all, if his opponent had not been so cautious today, forget eternal life-this very day next year would have been the anniversary of his death... and there would not even be anyone to burn paper offerings for him...