Qiao Xiaoxian did not stay at Yongning Palace. Instead, she brought Jiang Ke’er back to her own quarters and placed her on the bed.
Jiang Ke’er was restless. Taking advantage of the moment Qiao Xiaoxian turned to pour some water, she struggled to crawl down.
However, because her entire body was weak and limp, she fell to the floor with a heavy thud.
“Where are you going?” Qiao Xiaoxian asked, exasperated. She hurriedly scooped Jiang Ke’er up and put her back on the bed.
In her hazy state, Jiang Ke’er’s voice sounded helpless and hollow. “I want to go home…”
“Where is your home?”
“…”
Jiang Ke’er was stunned by the question.
As she sat there dazed, her eyes began to redden.
“Don’t move around. You’ve been affected by a Strange Poison,” Qiao Xiaoxian said softly as she held Jiang Ke’er, stroking her back.
“You need to perform Dual Cultivation with someone to neutralize the poison, or else you will die.”
“Dual Cultivation?” Jiang Ke’er shuddered, appearing to snap out of it for a brief moment. “Never!”
Unfortunately, this clarity lasted only a second. It wasn’t nearly enough to let her regain her reason to study an antidote.
Moreover, in her current state, she lacked any normal Cognitive Ability.
“I won’t let you die.” Qiao Xiaoxian slowly pressed Jiang Ke’er’s body down onto the bed. “I will save you…”
Jiang Ke’er stared blankly at the “Prince Hao of Qin” who was inches away.
In her vision, “Prince Hao of Qin” suddenly became so handsome, possessessing a beauty that triggered an involuntary longing and an uncontrollable, strange desire within her.
It was as if she had been captivated by Qing Cheng.
“No… I can’t…” Jiang Ke’er gritted her teeth and turned her head away. “I’d rather die… Don’t touch me! Otherwise, I’ll kill myself!”
This time, Jiang Ke’er was prepared. She had hidden a lethal poison bag in her mouth beforehand.
Dazed, she opened her mouth and looked quite smug, showing off the poison bag to Qiao Xiaoxian as if she were flaunting a prize.
Qiao Xiaoxian’s palm suddenly moved with the speed of lightning, finding an opening.
She thrust two fingers into Jiang Ke’er’s mouth and snatched the poison bag out before the girl could even react!
“Guh… Eh?!”
The effect was outstanding; Jiang Ke’er lost all Cognitive Ability once again.
Taking in Jiang Ke’er’s panicked expression, Qiao Xiaoxian gave a faint smile and slowly lowered her head toward the girl’s neck.
“Don’t…”
The slick sensation brought a wave of numbness. Even more terrifying was that this action acted like a fuse for a stick of dynamite! Stimulated by the contact, the effects of the poison erupted instantly!
Jiang Ke’er suffered a total defeat on the spot. Her body turned as soft as mud, and even the fur on her tail stood on end.
In her desperation, Jiang Ke’er steeled her heart and used her last shred of reason to speak with a trembling voice. “I’ll give everything back to you. Just… send me away from here…”
Qiao Xiaoxian looked up, a sharp pain stabbing her heart.
“Do you really hate me that much? You would rather die than let me save you…”
“No, it’s just…” In her delirious state, Jiang Ke’er didn’t even know what she was saying. Her mind felt like it had short-circuited as she subconsciously blurted out, “It’s just, I already like someone…”
The pain in Qiao Xiaoxian’s chest intensified, becoming heart-piercing and gut-wrenching.
“Who?” A hint of murderous intent had crept into her voice.
“You don’t know her…”
“Tell me!”
“Ugh…” Jiang Ke’er looked pained. “I won’t tell you…”
“Tell me!” Qiao Xiaoxian pinned Jiang Ke’er’s arms down firmly. “Tell me her name, and I will agree to whatever you want!”
“Really?” Jiang Ke’er’s consciousness cleared slightly once more.
“Really!” Qiao Xiaoxian said resolutely.
“Heh… Her name is…”
The corners of Jiang Ke’er’s mouth curled up slightly. With an affectionate tone, she spoke the name:
“Shirakami Fubuki.”
“???”
Qiao Xiaoxian’s head was filled with question marks. She had no idea where this strange name had come from, but it only made her heart feel more miserable.
“Fine, I’ve told you,” Jiang Ke’er gave an awkward cough, her voice continuing weakly. “According to our agreement, you have to promise me one thing now…”
Qiao Xiaoxian let out a cold laugh. “Fine, I promise.”
“Take me out of here,” Jiang Ke’er leaned against Qiao Xiaoxian’s shoulder, her voice as soft as a mosquito.
“Take me to find a member of the Dragonkind named Qiao Xiaoxian…”
By now, Jiang Ke’er could no longer hold out. She didn’t even realize what she was saying.
The medicinal properties were far too fierce.
She was lost in a blur of passion, her mind filled with things that would never pass a public screening.
“Qiao… Xiaoxian?” The girl’s body froze instantly, but she still tried her best to appear calm as she asked, “Who is that?”
“Mm… Her hair is a blue as pure as the sky, and so are her eyes. She’s very beautiful,” Jiang Ke’er whispered, her expression intoxicated.
“…”
“Even though that bastard is annoying most of the time, she’s occasionally a little gentle… Of course, that’s probably just an act to fool me,” Jiang Ke’er gave a silly laugh.
“I’m sorry. I’ll pay you back ten times what I owe you, but right now… only she can save me.”
In this half-dreaming, half-awake state, Jiang Ke’er suddenly felt that ‘since I’ve already been with Qiao Xiaoxian more than once, it doesn’t matter if I’m with the same person a few more times…’
She didn’t know where this strange logic came from, but that was indeed what she was thinking. There was no other meaning to it.
Looking at Jiang Ke’er’s awkward, conflicted eyes and her little face that subconsciously pouted at the mention of “Qiao Xiaoxian,” Qiao Xiaoxian couldn’t help but helplessly scratch the girl’s nose.
The pain in her heart vanished completely, replaced by a profound sense of happiness.
“You really are something…” Qiao Xiaoxian said with a wry smile.
“Ugh…” Jiang Ke’er’s breathing became increasingly rapid.
She felt as though the fire in her body was about to turn her to ash. In a moment like this, the slight coolness provided by the Cold Poison had become her only life-saving straw.
“You promised me…” Jiang Ke’er said with great difficulty.
At this point, every word she spoke carried a seductive charm that could melt one’s bones.
Her entire body emitted a strange, warm fragrance.
In this moment of passion, her off-the-charts Enchantment attribute could no longer be suppressed, exploding forth at twelvefold intensity.
She didn’t want to die, and she certainly didn’t want to die in such a humiliating way.
If she died here, it would be far too easy on those bastards who spent every day wishing for her death!
“So… take me to find her… go find Qiao Xiaoxian…”
Jiang Ke’er’s hand tightly gripped the corner of the blanket as she tried her best not to become a slave to the poison, maintaining the last few shreds of her dignity.
However, in Qiao Xiaoxian’s eyes, this look of desperate resistance only made her more alluring.
Looking at Jiang Ke’er, Qiao Xiaoxian felt as if she had been poisoned as well, completely unable to control the thoughts rising within her.
“It’s a good thing it was me you encountered.”
With a soft sigh and a smile, she reached out and gently peeled away a thin layer of dyed film covering her hair.
Then, she used her Spiritual Power to shake off the makeup on her face.
Her cold yet peerless face shed its disguise, revealing its true appearance.
With the corners of her mouth upturned, she looked at Jiang Ke’er teasingly and with satisfaction, saying softly:
“I promise you. I’ll take you to find Qiao Xiaoxian… just as you wish.”
“!!!”
Jiang Ke’er was startled awake, nearly scared out of her stupor.
Her mouth hung open. She felt like she might be hallucinating because the poison had gone too deep.
Qiao Xiaoxian practicedly tilted Jiang Ke’er’s chin up, forcing her to look directly into her eyes. “Did you miss me?”
Jiang Ke’er was so scared she was nearly twitching. “Can… Can you be any more of a schemer?!”
“Sorry, but you delivered yourself to my door. I’m just being forced to accept this gift of yours.”
“…”
‘My life is too hard.’
Jiang Ke’er! You’ve done it now! How dare you like my wife! This time you’re really finished!