âYes.â Bai Songling glared viciously at the Crown Prince before asking Luo Tian to give way.
The Crown Prince harrumphed in disdain before he took the lead and went in.
Elder Chen and Elder Xiao followed him into the house.
Ye Jiuge was smiling and sitting on the chair.
She wore an azure dress. Against her skin, the color made her look like a cloud in the clear sky. She was illusory yet beautiful.
Zi Shang stood quietly behind her. His eyelids were closed, and he seemed to be sleeping.
As soon as he entered the house, the Crown Prince struck first to gain the initiative. He pointed at Ye Jiugeâs nose and roared angrily, âYe Jiuge! You were brazen enough to stop us from entering! Are you trying to do something horrible to Imperial Uncle?â
Ye Jiuge said nothing. Even the smile on the corner of her lips was unaffected.
However, Zi Shang looked up slightly. A cold glint gleamed in his eyes as he raised his arms and emitted a violet ray of light at the Crown Prince.
With a terrible cry, the Crown Prince was sent flying. In a sorry state, he landed on a tree.
âYou should speak normally when you come in, or you might scare Great Master Dongfang.â
Ye Jiugeâs voice was soft and incredibly gentle. Dignified and composed, she looked as though she were unaware that her bodyguard had sent the Crown Prince flying.
âEldest Miss, you are right.â Elder Chen and Elder Xiao did not dare offend Ye Jiuge. As they spoke, they nodded repeatedly. Neither of them looked at the Crown Prince.
âEldest Miss, has the poison in Great Master Dongfangâs body been cured?â Elder Chen asked respectfully.
âBy a stroke of good luck, yes.â Just as Ye Jiuge finished speaking, Dongfang Yao, who was lying on the bed, suddenly moved his fingers. His eyelids began to twitch, and he finally opened his eyes.
âCity Lord, you are finally awake.â Elder Xiao hurriedly moved closer to support him. He was so emotional that tears began to stream down his face.
Dongfang Yao lifted a hand to stop the emotional Elder Xiao. Slowly, he sat up. He lifted the blanket that covered him and was about to get off the bed.
âCity Lord, your body had just recovered. You should lie down a while more!â Elder Chen said anxiously.
âI am fine. Where are Dongfang Jianming and Zhang Peng?â Although Dongfang Yaoâs face was a little pale, the razor-sharp glint that emitted from his eyes was like a cold wind scraping past an iceberg. It was frightening.
âThe Crown Prince is right outside. During these last two days, Zhang Peng had been busy with matters at Medicine Refinery Hall. I have not seen him for a while,â Elder Chen replied carefully.
âInstruct someone to capture Zhang Peng immediately,â Dongfang Yao ordered.
âYes.â Without any hesitation, Elder Chen sent the order to his men.
Then, Dongfang Yao gave another order coldly, âSend two men. Capture Dongfang Jianming, that d*mned beast, and bring him in.â
âCapture him?â Elder Chen was stunned, and he looked at Elder Xiao.
After all, Dongfang Jianming was the Crown Prince. It might be alright to reprimand him, but it would be another matter altogether if they were to capture him. Neither of them dared.
âAre my words useless because I fell ill?â Although Dongfang Yaoâs voice was not loud, and he gave off an intense presence.
âWe wouldnât dare.â Elder Chen shuddered. He immediately turned and instructed the guards, âWhat are you waiting for? Quickly, go and capture the Crown Prince.â
âYes.â Medicine Refinery Hallâs guards did not question his orders. Immediately, they captured the Crown Prince, who was hanging on a tree, and dragged him in.
âImperial Uncle, what are you doing?â The Crown Prince was alarmed. Then, to Ye Jiuge, he roared, âDid you manipulate Imperial Uncle with your Sorcerer techniques and make him arrest me?â
âShut up!â Suddenly, Dongfang Yao grabbed the teacup on the table and viciously threw it at the Crown Prince.
Bang!
The teacup struck the Crown Princeâs face, leaving behind a bloody bruise.
âDongfang Jianming, you crazy and ridiculous beast! How dare you collude with the Sorcerers to harm Eldest Miss Ye? You didnât even let me off. You deserve ten thousand deaths for this!â Gritting his teeth, Dongfang Yao rebuked him.
âImperial Uncle, I did not!â The Crown Princeâs head was shaking like a pinwheel.
âYouâre still quibbling even though things have reached this stage? Over the past few days, Su Junqing and Xiong Yunhu have spoken at my bedside about the terrible things which you have done!â Hearing Dongfang Yaoâs words, the Crown Princeâs face paled in fright.
The Crown Princeâs body collapsed onto the floor. Kneeling, he wailed and begged piteously, âImperial Uncle, I have been wronged! Su Junqing was trying to frame me!â
âYou need not say anything more. Our Dongfang Clan will not stand for a beast with the heart of a wolf and lungs of a dog like you. Come, men, and lock Dongfang Jianming in the jail. I will fix a date to send him under escort back to the capital.â Having said this, Dongfang Yao looked as though he had aged ten years in a short while.
Although he did not like this nephew of his, he was still heartbroken to know that Dongfang Jianming had joined hands with one of his disciples and tried to harm him.
âImperial Uncle, I was forced to! Su Junqing used me with his Mental Manipulation. I am innocent!â Dongfang Jianming continued to shout as he struggled desperately. The guards did not dare move closer to him.
âWhat are you all waiting for? Do you need me to make a move myself?â Infuriated, Dongfang Yao bellowed.
The guards no longer hesitated. They quickly grabbed Dongfang Jianming and dragged him away.
âWhat about Su Junqing? Where has he gone to?â Dongfang Yao asked.
âSu Junqing has gone to the Red Mud Valley to dig up Liu Yunfeiâs corpse,â Ye Jiuge replied.
âSend someone to look for him at once. Donât let him escape.â The person that Dongfang Yao hated the most at this moment was Su Junqing.
âI can go.â Bai Songling stepped forward voluntarily.
âMe too,â Ye Yu said.
He had a death feud with Su Junqing, and he wanted badly to be the one to capture him.
âYe Yu, bring some men with you to the Red Mud Valley. Brother Bai, send out a message immediately and make sure the Su Clan is closely watched. Many things happened in Medicine Refinery City last night, and I fear that Su Junqing will be able to escape,â Ye Jiuge said.
âOkay. I will do so immediately,â Ye Yu and Bai Songling agreed in unison.
Bai Songling decided to rush back to the capital through the night and personally watch the Su Clan.
âEldest Miss Ye is more considerate than me,â Dongfang Yao sighed. After this incident, he had finally realized that Medicine Refinery City was ill-equipped to deal with such emergencies. The Sorcerers had merely exploited an opportunity.
âGreat Master Dongfang, you flatter me. But your body has just recovered, so please, rest more!â Ye Jiuge hurriedly advised.
âI am not tired. Eldest Miss, if you are free, are you willing to accompany me to have a look at Zijun?â Dongfang Yao had become extremely respectful toward Ye Jiuge, and he no longer addressed her as âLittle Girl.â Instead, he called her âEldest Miss.â
âI wish to see Senior Li too.â Ye Jiuge followed Great Master Dongfang to go and have a look at Li Zijun.
Although Li Zijun had been poisoned as well, his ordeal was nothing compared to the Great Master Dongfangâs King Poison.
He had not yet woken up because everyone had been focused on saving Great Master Dongfang. Nobody had paid any attention to him.
Great Master Dongfang personally undertook the task. He produced an antidote soup and poured it down Li Zijunâs throat. In no time, Li Zijun was awake.
âMaster, Zhang Peng was the one who poisoned us,â Li Zijun said as he struggled to get up.
âI know.â Dongfang Yao forced Li Zijun to lie back down and said, âElder Chen has already instructed some men to capture him. He canât escape for long.â
âMaster, I donât understand. You have treated Zhang Peng so well, and you even put him in charge of Medicine Refinery Hall. Why did he poison us?â Li Zijunâs expression was sorrowful. Being stabbed in the back by someone close was the most painful experience.
âWhat other reason can there be? It all boils down to benefits.â Dongfang Yao sighed. Then, to Li Zijun, he added, âWe must learn from this lesson.â
âYes.â Li Zijun nodded as he began to reflect on his mistake.
Standing to the side, Ye Jiuge was bored, and she was about to give a reason to excuse herself.
Just then, Luo Tian arrived and reported to Ye Jiuge, âEldest Miss, Fourth Miss requests to see you outside.â