211: Chapter 209 The Second Prince's Wrath

Life returned to the way it used to be.

Every day, Yun Ming would Cultivate, practice Alchemy, read the news, and snack on melon seeds.

The courtyard was very quiet; there were no footsteps, no voices, and none of that cloying, sweet fragrance.

He tidied Xue Ji's room, folding the bedding, wiping the desk clean, throwing away the withered bunch of wild flowers, and washing the coarse ceramic jar before placing it upside down on the windowsill.

Then he closed the door and never opened it again.

After some time, Zhou Qian arrived.

This time, he knew to knock.

He stood outside the courtyard gate and waited.

Yun Ming opened the door and saw Zhou Qian standing there, wearing a deep green robe. His face was a bit darker and thinner than before, but his spirits were high.

“Mr. Yun, I hope you have been well.” Zhou Qian cupped his hands in greeting, a smile on his face.

“Come in.” Yun Ming stepped aside to let him through.

The two of them sat down at the stone table.

Yun Ming brewed tea and poured a cup for Zhou Qian. Zhou Qian picked up the teacup, took a sip, set it down, and pulled a Storage Pouch from his sleeve, placing it on the table.

“These are the Materials and the payment for this month,” he said. “Please check them, Mr. Yun.”

Yun Ming picked up the Storage Pouch, scanned it with his Divine Sense, and then stored it inside the map of mountains and rivers. He didn't count the contents, nor did he ask any questions.

Zhou Qian took out another Storage Pouch and placed it on the table. “This is for last month. General Qin left in a hurry last time and didn't have a chance to settle the account.”

Yun Ming took that one as well.

The two exchanged pleasantries for a while.

Zhou Qian mentioned that the situation at the front lines had become tense recently. The Second Prince's side was attacking like mad, and the Third Prince was personally supervising the battles, having not closed his eyes for several days.

Yun Ming listened but did not respond.

Zhou Qian added that General Qin Zhao had slain countless enemies on the front lines and her fame was spreading far and wide.

Yun Ming nodded and said that it was good.

Zhou Qian also mentioned that Shen Yizhi's health hadn't been great lately—he had been coughing up blood—but he was still holding on, handling military affairs until late every night.

Yun Ming took a sip of tea and told him to take care of his health.

After finishing his report on the front lines, Zhou Qian asked about Yun Ming's Alchemy progress.

Yun Ming said everything was normal.

Zhou Qian nodded with a smile, saying it was a great blessing for the Third Prince to have Mr. Yun's assistance.

Yun Ming replied that they were simply each getting what they needed.

Zhou Qian stayed for less than an hour before leaving.

Yun Ming sat at the stone table, organizing the Materials Zhou Qian had brought and putting away the payment.

Then he picked up today's Official Bulletin, leaned back in his bamboo chair, and slowly flipped through it.

Life had returned to the way it used to be.

Quiet, peaceful, and uneventful.

What he didn't know was that tens of thousands of miles away, in the Second Prince's temporary palace, a storm was brewing.

Xue Ji had been sent back to the Second Prince's side by Qin Zhao.

Qin Zhao handed her over to the Second Prince's subordinates and, without saying much, turned and left.

Xue Ji stood there, watching Qin Zhao's departing back and then looking at the familiar faces around her, her heart filled with an indescribable feeling.

She walked into the palace. The Second Prince was sitting in the main hall, a map spread out on the table before him, clutching a transmission talisman in his hand.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up and saw Xue Ji.

There was no smile on his face, no surprise, not even any expression at all.

He just looked at her with a cold gaze, as if looking at a stranger.

The surrounding servants sensed the wrong atmosphere and withdrew one after another.

The doors closed behind them, leaving only the two of them in the main hall.

It was terrifyingly quiet.

During the time she was away, the Second Prince's situation had grown worse.

The Third Prince's side was pressing hard, and the Imperial Court was also exerting pressure; his allies were beginning to waver, and his subordinates were starting to complain.

He had pinned all his hopes on Xue Ji, hoping she could bring back that Alchemist—the key figure who could turn the tide of the war.

But she had brought nothing back.

She had returned alone, empty-handed, with her head bowed.

He looked at the woman before him with her head bowed, and the fire of rage in his heart burned hotter and hotter.

What made the Second Prince angriest wasn't that she hadn't brought back the Alchemist, nor that she had been held by the Third Prince's side for so long, nor that he had paid a massive price to trade for her return.

He could endure all of those.

What he could not endure was that—she had changed.

When she left, she was wearing deep red gauze clothing, thin as a cicada's wing, with a very low neckline. Her makeup was heavy and vivid, and the rouge at the corners of her eyes looked as if it were about to drip blood.

Her lips were bright red, her nails were bright red, and even her hair was tied with red silk ribbons.

She was like a ball of fire; she was the center of attention wherever she went.

That was his woman, his plaything, a masterpiece he had personally crafted.

Every glance, every movement, every inch of her skin was his work.

He could not tolerate others touching her, and he certainly could not tolerate others changing her.

But now?

She was wearing plain green clothes, her hair loosely held up by a wooden hairpin. Her face was devoid of makeup, her lips were pale, and her eyes were dull.

There was no polish on her nails, no jade bracelet on her wrist, and no pendants hanging from her earlobes.

She looked as if she had been washed clean, all color faded away, as plain as a peasant woman from the countryside.

This was not his woman.

This was not the masterpiece he had crafted.

This was someone trained by another, changed by another, belonging to another—his fists clenched until they cracked, his nails digging into his palms until blood seeped out.

The Second Prince stood up and walked toward Xue Ji step by step.

Xue Ji kept her head down, not looking at him, nor retreating.

Her body trembled slightly; it was unclear whether it was from fear or cold.

The Second Prince reached her, raised his hand, and squeezed her neck.

His hand was large, his fingers long and bony, like an iron pincer.

Xue Ji's throat was constricted, and breathing instantly became difficult.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but no sound came out.

The Second Prince didn't use full force yet; he just held her, as if feeling the temperature of her neck, as if confirming whether she was still the same person.

Then he began to apply pressure.

Xue Ji's face turned bright red, her eyes bulged, and her mouth gasped, like a fish thrown onto the shore.

She raised her hands, trying to pry his fingers away, but they wouldn't budge.

Her legs went weak, and her body slumped, but she was lifted by the neck and suspended in mid-air.

Her consciousness began to blur, black spots appeared before her eyes, and her ears rang.

She felt like she was about to die.

The Second Prince suddenly threw her, slamming her onto a nearby table.

That table was made of rosewood and was quite sturdy, but before the Second Prince's strength, it shattered like paper.

Wood splinters flew everywhere as Xue Ji's body hit the ground, her back slamming into the broken wood. Sharp pain radiated from her spine to her limbs.

She spat out a large mouthful of blood, which splattered onto the broken wood, her own clothes, and the Second Prince's boots.

She lay on the ground, gasping for air, like a drowning person finally pulled ashore.

Every breath tasted of blood, and her throat burned with pain.

The clothes on her body were also stained red with blood.

The Second Prince gave her no time to catch her breath.

He bent down, grabbed her hair, and hauled her up from the floor.

Xue Ji's scalp stung from the pulling, and tears flowed involuntarily.

She looked up at the Second Prince's face, which was twisted with rage.

“You slut,” the Second Prince's voice was very low, as if squeezed from the depths of his throat, “how did you go out once and turn into this?”

Xue Ji's lips moved, but no sound came out.

“Do you know how much I paid for you?”

The Second Prince's voice rose, “That beast of a Third Prince took advantage of the situation—do you have any idea how many supplies and Spirit Stones he demanded? My subordinates are all cursing me, saying I'm not fit to be the commander, that I ignored the big picture for a woman. My allies are all watching from the sidelines, thinking I'm indecisive and unable to achieve great things. My enemies are all mocking me, saying the Second Prince is led by the nose by a woman.” He paused, his fingers clenching tighter, “I said nothing; I accepted it. Because I thought you were worth it. But now look at you, what have you become?”

A flash of panic crossed Xue Ji's eyes.

She subconsciously tried to mobilize the thin wisp of Spiritual Qi in her body, wanting to use her Charm Technique, wanting to use Wangdao Chenghuan, wanting to use any means to escape her current predicament.

But her cultivation was sealed; her spiritual power was like it had been frozen, crawling with great difficulty through her Meridians, impossible to mobilize.

Her eyes brightened for a moment, then dimmed.

That bit of light was a remnant of her Charm Technique, an instinctive reaction of her body.