Chapter 552: Chapter 543: Azhu
Alas, everything was irretrievable.
Ding Chunqiu sighed deeply, filled with regret and remorse. Had he known this would be the outcome.
He shouldn’t have fled in the first place when he was in Western Xia; surrendering directly to Ding Ling wouldn’t have been all that bad.
Instead, he repeatedly opposed the soldiers of Western Xia and later continued to go against the Great Ming Kingdom. If Ding Ling encountered him, would he not kill him? Who else would he kill?
The problem is...
He just happened to encounter Ding Ling, this emperor of the Great Ming Kingdom.
Is that emperor so idle?
Doesn’t he manage court affairs?
Doesn’t he handle state matters?
Why does he wander into this desolate wilderness?!
Ding Chunqiu passed on with a heart full of sorrow, frustration, entanglement, regret, and remorse.
[Acquired E-level Achievement Medal: You have intimidated Ding Chunqiu.]
[Note: Over the past few months, despite facing many hardships and troubles, Ding Chunqiu also encountered numerous opportunities, broke through his innate shackles, greatly advanced his martial arts, and even captured Azi, regaining the Divine Wood King Tripod. He thought his luck was turning around, but unexpectedly met you. Under your hand, he didn’t have a chance to resist and was swiftly killed! He was extremely shocked and frustrated!]
Ding Chunqiu also acquired an E-level Achievement Medal here.
Ding Ling, somewhat surprised, casually employed the Dragon Capturing Skill, flipping Ding Chunqiu’s position, uncovered his collar, and grabbed a wooden tripod out of thin air.
Examining it closely.
The wooden tripod was six inches tall, with a deep yellow hue.
The carving on the wooden tripod was exceedingly delicate, with thin red streaks appearing amidst the grain.
Sensing it carefully.
Ding Ling discovered that the wood of the Divine Wood King Tripod was extraordinarily special, seemingly forged from some kind of thousand-year cold wood, previously unseen or unheard of.
"This cold wood is inherently strange; if incense is burned upon it, it will attract countless poisonous creatures to gather. Needless to say, this thousand-year cold wood definitely has the effect of nurturing poison creatures. Indeed, the longer a poison creature stays on this cold wood, the more likely it is to grow smoothly."
Ding Ling did not know what other uses this thousand-year cold wood might have besides attracting poisonous creatures.
But he knew that this cold wood was undoubtedly a treasure, so he casually placed it into his storage pouch.
At this moment.
Ding Ling finally had a moment to look at the two other women.
These two women.
One seemed to be called Azi.
Ding Ling, possessing exceptional hearing, naturally heard their general conversation from a distance.
As for the other, if he guessed correctly, she should be...
"Azhu greets Your Majesty!"
Before Ding Ling could speak, the woman in red pulled Azi, kneeling before Ding Ling, paying deep homage:
"Long live Your Majesty, long live Your Majesty."
Azi rolled her eyes but followed suit, imitating the formality.
"Rise."
Ding Ling waved his hand.
He did not expect to encounter the sisters Azhu and Azi here.
It seems players have relentlessly leaked information.
Azhu found her birth mother.
Then went to find Azi.
It’s just that Azi, with her quirky and cunning nature, was in no way inferior to Azhu. Coupled with her shrewdness and ruthlessness, it was very likely that Azhu couldn’t handle Azi, which is quite normal.
But this had nothing to do with Ding Ling.
No matter what the future held for the sisters, Ding Ling had no intention of getting involved. He merely said to rise and then employed Soaring in the Void, ready to float away into the sky.
Seeing this, Azhu quickly cried out loudly:
"Your Majesty, please wait!"
"What is it?"
Standing upon the wind, Ding Ling hovered unsteadily, seemingly ready to drift away like the child of the wind, leaving Azhu and Azi secretly astonished, envious, and full of admiration.
Azhu knew Ding Ling because once, when she was within the Song realm, she saw Ding Ling from afar, waging war. She witnessed Ding Ling’s might firsthand, which left her heart trembling and full of fear!
Since childhood, she has admired Murong Fu.
But compared to Ding Ling, Murong Fu was merely a small witch facing a great witch, nothing at all.
Originally, she was somewhat afraid of Ding Ling.
After all, who in the Jianghu didn’t know that Ding Ling had bloodied the Four Great Manors beneath Canhe Manor?
She thought Ding Ling would be extremely fierce and bloodthirsty.
Only now, having seen him, she instinctively wants to overturn her previous notions, as Ding Ling, refined and courteous, exudes an extraordinary aura. Seeing him up close makes her instinctively have a good impression.
Azhu always admired heroic men.
Ding Ling’s impressive, formidable aura was so intense it almost seemed to condense into water.
With her heart pounding under such close appreciation, Azhu naturally felt compelled, and at this moment, when Ding Ling was about to leave, she instinctively called out to him. Yet, after calling him, she felt somewhat anxious. Seeing Ding Ling remained gracious, her heart calmed down, and she respectfully said:
"Your Majesty, my sister Azi is deeply poisoned. I heard from others that Your Majesty is unrivaled in the world, possessing god-like medical skills. I believe detoxifying her would not be a difficult task for you."
She knelt down and kowtowed to Ding Ling with Azi:
"Begging Your Majesty’s great mercy."
Azi, feeling unwell all over, also kowtowed, repeatedly chanting, ’Your Majesty’s great mercy, Your Majesty’s great mercy,’ without saying anything else.
Both girls’ voices were charming and melodious.
Hearing this, Ding Ling said:
"Alright, you can stop kowtowing."
He took out a strange flower he had obtained from the Wuliang Mountain Pool, pinched off a leaf, and gave it to Azi for her to swallow.
Azi obediently swallowed it.
She knew that if Ding Ling wanted to kill her, it would have been as easy as a wave of his hand; there was no reason he’d needlessly poison her.
If it were someone else, she wouldn’t have behaved so obediently.
Facing Ding Ling, she instinctively felt vulnerable, despite her usual rebellious nature, fearlessly challenging everything and everyone. Now she was watchfully docile, eyes lowered in submission before Ding Ling.
Poof!
After consuming the leaf, Azi couldn’t help but spit out a jet of black blood shortly after.
As soon as this blood was expelled.
Azi immediately felt the relief from pain, exuberantly overjoyed, and expressed endless gratitude to Ding Ling.
Azhu also expressed her gratitude alongside.
Ding Ling smiled, glanced deeply at Azhu, then soared away, vanishing within just a few breaths of time.
Indeed, Ding Ling had a favorable impression of Azhu, yet was unwilling to engage much with Azi.
This type of ruthless, rebellious young girl was not someone he wished to provoke.
"Just left like that?"
Azi felt her heart fluttering, gaze lingering longingly in the direction where Ding Ling had flown:
"This emperor is truly captivating. I wonder if his harem still needs a concubine. If they do, I’d like to give it a try..."
"Hey!"
Hearing Azi’s words, Azhu immediately snapped out from her daze, interrupting her thought:
"What are you thinking about! If Your Majesty heard this, it would be unacceptable."
"He can hear it just fine."
Seeing Ding Ling gone, Azi wasn’t afraid anymore. She played with her braid and pouted:
"I was just about to tell him face to face, asking him to take me into the harem as a concubine."
"You’ve got no shame."
"What’s there to be ashamed of?"
Azi glared:
"Dare you say you have no interest in His Majesty?!"
