Chapter 74: Chapter 74: Losing the Five Senses, Running Out of Strength
Ji Qingwu strained to turn her head away.
In Prince Yong’s eyes, it was merely the death throes of his prey.
He smirked wantonly. It wasn’t too late to wait until she had completely lost her five senses before starting.
Prince Yong summoned a few beautiful serving maids and went to the adjacent washroom.
Once the room fell silent again.
Ji Qingwu struggled to open her eyes, only to be met with darkness. It was as if her vision was shrouded in a thick, black fog.
Just as the old doctor had said, her eyes could no longer see. However, her constitution was better than that of an average woman, so the poison spread more slowly, and her hearing remained.
She panted lightly, "Peanuts, are you done yet?"
A moment ago, she had immediately asked the system to scan her physical condition. But this childbirth system, while well-versed in administering drugs, was a complete novice when it came to creating antidotes.
"Host, please remain calm. Current antidote development progress is at 3%."
’Remain calm...’
’I’m so agitated I could set all of Lin’an City on fire!’
Ji Qingwu couldn’t help but curse, "Calm my ass! If you don’t produce an antidote soon, I’ll take you with me to jump in the river and find Qu Zi. Neither of us will make it out alive."
"...Does the Host wish to activate the acceleration channel?"
’You had an acceleration channel and didn’t say so sooner?!’ A flicker of hope surged in Ji Qingwu’s heart. "Activate it," she said quickly. "To the max."
"This acceleration channel is a paid service. Would you like to purchase it with points?"
Ji Qingwu felt like she was about to melt. Her whole body was burning up. Her voice was as thin as a thread as she said, "However many points. Just deduct them."
"Deducting 10,000 points. Accelerating progress for you now. DING! Antidote development complete."
’This damned, worthless system.’ She worked herself to death to earn a hundred points, but it deducted ten thousand just like that.
Not only was Ji Qingwu burning with fever, but her temper flared even hotter.
The system’s ability was undeniable. A golden light showered over her. The antidote was quite effective. Wisps of coolness seeped into her body, instantly banishing the burning heat.
Ji Qingwu’s eyelids no longer felt so heavy. She opened her eyes and waved a hand in front of her face, but she could only see a rough outline.
’Why is my vision still blurry?’
Ji Qingwu furrowed her brow, about to complain to the system about its after-sales service.
With a CREAK, the door was pushed open.
The person who entered saw her hand, as pale as white jade, and seized it as she waved it in the air.
Apart from some trouble with her vision, all of Ji Qingwu’s other senses had returned to normal.
She snatched her hand back and said angrily, "Stay away from me."
But her angry voice was like that of a young cub—not frightening, but rather inspiring a desire to tease.
Prince Yong was wearing only a pair of under-trousers, his body still damp with steam. He said in surprise, "Cousin, you still have the strength to speak?"
He looked down at her hand. Her fingers were slender and pale, as if carved from jade—exquisite in every way.
It felt soft and boneless in his grasp. He laughed wickedly. "It’s good you have strength. Save it for the bed."
A few serving maids waited in the room, looking at the woman on the bed with envious eyes.
Prince Yong was fickle and amorous, never devoting himself to one person. Not even Princess Yong, the most talented woman in the capital city, could rein him in. Moreover, any woman he took to bed was given a formal title. As it was, Prince Yong’s Mansion already housed over twenty concubines.
They didn’t know the woman’s identity, only assuming she was a songstress presented to the Prince by some official. They were jealous of her good fortune. After tonight, she would be able to enter the Prince’s Mansion to enjoy a life of wealth and glory.
Prince Yong pulled Ji Qingwu’s hand, bringing it to his lips in a state of drugged-up bliss.
Suddenly, there was an urgent knock at the door.
The knee Ji Qingwu had been stealthily raising lowered again.
Just as he was about to taste the prize before him, Prince Yong snapped irritably, "Didn’t I say no one was to disturb me! Scram!"
The person at the door was silent for a moment, then said timidly, "Prince, something terrible has happened! Lord Li has surrounded Yucui Building with a large number of men."
’Trouble at Yucui Building?’
He could still distinguish between a moment’s pleasure and long-term security.
Prince Yong’s body stiffened. He rolled off the bed, strode over and kicked the door open, and grabbed the messenger by the collar.
His voice was vicious as he demanded, "Which Lord did you say?"
"L-Lord Li Chengxun. Lord Li."
Prince Yong’s face was grim as he threw on his clothes and hurried out the door.
Ji Qingwu breathed a sigh of relief. ’That news came at the perfect time. Li Chengxun really stumbled into doing a good deed, giving me more time to recover.’
「In a cabin on the first deck of the dragon boat.」
The sound of waves surging outside the cabin mingled with a man’s wails.
The old doctor who had just taken Ji Qingwu’s pulse was forced to his knees, his old face contorted in a tearful plea for mercy.
"My lord, spare my life! Spare my life! This commoner truly hasn’t done anything corrupt or illegal."
The ferocity in Duan Mingfeng’s eyes was intense.
"Still playing dumb? Where did you just go, and who did you see?"
This Mr. Duan of the Imperial City Department, though young, was famous for his ruthless methods. He had once hung a prisoner who wouldn’t confess from the city gates at high noon, letting him bake to death in the sun.
The old doctor’s beard was trembling. He could only tell the truth.
"I... I saw Prince Yong. The Prince ordered me to take the pulse of a young lady. That young lady had been drugged."
Duan Mingfeng stood in a subordinate position to another man and demanded fiercely, "What drug was the woman given, and what is the antidote!"
The old doctor repeated his earlier diagnosis without missing a single word.
"My lord, the drug is called ’One Life’s Joy.’ It’s an extremely potent neurotoxin that causes the gradual loss of the five senses—sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste. Intercourse is the only antidote. If it isn’t neutralized in time, she will lose her life."
Duan Mingfeng bowed his head and murmured respectfully to the person beside him.
"Master, your subordinate has already leaked the information to Lord Li. Prince Yong should be on his way to Yucui Building by now."
The man’s back was imposing and powerful.
He turned around. There was no obvious anger on his face, but his expression was nonetheless chilling.
The old doctor took one look and was so frightened his hands trembled and his heart pounded. He collapsed sideways onto the floor.
"I’ll leave this to you."
After Emperor Wu Su left, Duan Mingfeng’s palms also broke out in a sweat.
Even though he was a close confidant of the Emperor, he was often intimidated by that oppressive aura.
In the afternoon, an urgent military report had arrived from the Northern Border, and the meeting in the Diligent Governance Hall had lasted for more than four hours. The moment the Emperor learned that the Ji Family’s Fifth Missy was in trouble, his expression had turned to ice. He had summoned Duan Mingfeng and given him his instructions.
First, he was to leak a clue about Imperial Censor Yan’s case to Lord Li to lure Prince Yong away. At the same time, he was to lead troops to secretly surround the dragon boat.
’By the looks of it, the Emperor had known who the mastermind was all along.’
The one controlling the pieces on this chessboard was none other than the unpredictable Emperor.
「The loft on the second deck of the dragon boat.」
After Prince Yong left, the serving maids in the room filed out one by one to tidy the washroom, unwilling to pay any attention to Ji Qingwu.
She pushed herself up, leaning against the edge of the bed. Her waist and knees were still weak. Groping her way forward, she shuffled to the window.
She pushed open the window, and the sound of rushing water slapping against the hull filled her ears. ’No wonder I’ve felt a constant swaying,’ she thought. ’I’m on a boat.’
’I’m a good swimmer, but I don’t have the strength right now, and my vision hasn’t recovered. How am I supposed to escape?’
Just then, footsteps sounded from the doorway. Someone was running straight for the room.
Ji Qingwu’s heart tightened. She had no more time to think; she had to make a choice immediately.
