The Demon Prince

Xiao Xingyue's face darkened. "Help him up!"

Feng Lie and several guards immediately helped Chen Manfu up.

Chen Manfu, looking embarrassed, said to Xiao Xingyue, "It was an accident, it was an accident just now. But don't worry, Your Highness, with this old servant here, this kid's poison is nothing to worry about."

As they were talking, Chen Manfu immediately took out a few leaves and let Feng Lie and the others smell them. They immediately felt refreshed!

Seeing that the old man had cured all his poison in one go, Ning Jing asked breathlessly, "I never imagined that the Prince of Zhenguo's mansion would have such a skilled physician!"

Xiao Xingyue glanced at Chen Manfu, who chuckled and whispered in his ear, "Back then, the Prince was worried that the young master was weak and needed recuperation, so he specially asked this old servant to stay by your side to help you take care of your health, but..."

As he spoke, Chen Manfu sighed again, "After years of treatments yielded no results, I never expected that after the young master and the ninth princess consummated their marriage, his health would actually improve. Indeed, women are more useful than this old servant."

Xiao Xingyue's face darkened. "Thank you."

Seeing Xiao Xingyue's dark expression, Chen Manfu frowned. "Could there still be residual poison? Young Master, the poison from the Beitang Manor should not be underestimated!"

Chen Manfu, his face radiating loyalty, declared, "This old servant is willing to suck out the remaining poison for the young master!"

As he spoke, he pouted and tried to get closer to Xiao Xingyue's face.

"Damn it!" Xiao Xingyue's scalp tingled, and he immediately slapped Chen Manfu back.

Just then, an aged voice came from outside the Prince's mansion:

"Manfu, it's been many years. Your medical skills have certainly improved..."

Chen Manfu's smile froze, and he looked towards the door, his eyes sharpening considerably.

An old man slowly walked in through the doorway. He was dressed in a gray robe, with gray hair, and was leaning on an ebony cane.

He wasn't tall, nor was he particularly broad-shouldered, but the way he stood there created an invisible sense of oppression, like a poisonous fog spreading out, making it difficult for people to breathe.

Behind him stood Princess Li Shunhua, dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, with a cold and stern expression and a sword hanging at her waist.

Her gaze fell on Li Miaoqing, her face full of speechlessness: "Seventh Sister, weren't you here to teach him a lesson? How come you got taught a lesson by him again?"

Li Miaoqing was so ashamed she wanted to bury herself in the ground. "Stop talking!"

She then looked at the approaching old man in the gray robe and immediately whispered, "Grandpa..."

As soon as he finished speaking, all the guards of the Prince's mansion fell down one after another. Feng Lie gritted his teeth and held on for half a breath, but his knees buckled and he slammed one knee to the ground.

Xiao Xingyue's gaze darkened, and he grabbed Chen Manfu in front of him, saying, "Block him; this man's poison skills are even more formidable."

"Of course my dear father is amazing!" Chen Manfu explained speechlessly, "That man is the king of the medical world in our Great Xia! He is proficient in both medicine and poison, the Great Xia Medical King Beitang Jimin!"

Xiao Xingyue blinked: "Is it that awesome? Don't tremble!"

Chen Manfu almost knelt down: "He's incredibly awesome! When the late emperor was seriously ill, all the imperial physicians in the court were helpless. It was he who pulled the late emperor back from the brink of death."

To express his gratitude, the late emperor personally bestowed a marriage upon his daughter, Beitang Yunjing, to the current emperor, who is also the mother of the current seventh princess, Consort Jing.

The powerful and wealthy in Kyoto all trusted his medical skills. The older people got, the more they feared illness, and the more they feared illness, the less they dared to offend him.

The head of the Imperial Medical Academy is his student, and the most renowned female physician in the martial arts world is his junior sister. This aristocratic family of Beitang may not hold official positions, but they truly have the power to stir up trouble!

After listening, Xiao Xingyue nodded: "Oh, a monopolistic giant in the pharmaceutical industry."

Chen Manfu didn't understand. "Anyway, we really can't afford to offend him. Even the old prince would have to treat him with utmost respect when he was alive. Young Master, if it really comes to it, why don't we apologize to him later?"

"Don't worry, I, Xiao Xingyue, have always respected the elderly." Xiao Xingyue smiled slightly, his smile as warm as the sun.

Upon seeing Beitang Jimin, Ning Jing rushed forward as if he had seen a savior, exclaiming, "Master! The Ninth Prince just hit me!"

But he had barely arrived in front of Beitang Jimin, before he could finish speaking—

Snapped!

A slap landed on Ning Jing's face, and he didn't even dare to dodge. His face was turned to one side, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

Beitang Jimin's voice was icy: "This is, after all, the Prince's Mansion of Zhenguo. Your insolence here is a disgrace to the Beitang clan! What use are you to me?"

Ning Jing covered his face, his arrogance shattered: "This disciple knows his mistake, please punish me, Master!"

"Go back and receive your punishment." Beitang Jimin completely ignored him, went to Li Miaoqing, and examined her with a worried expression. Only after confirming that she had no external injuries did his brows relax.

Li Miaoqing lowered her head, "I'm sorry to have worried Grandpa."

"It's good that you're alright." Beitang Jimin quickly noticed her strange expression. "Did you get poisoned by your own family? How could you be so careless?"

"Poisoned?" Upon hearing this, Li Shunhua immediately stepped forward to support Li Miaoqing, her face showing disgust, but her movements were steady: "Seventh Sister, you didn't take the dispersing medicine yourself, did you? You've fallen in love with Xiao Xingyue too? And you couldn't bear to use the drug?"

Li Miaoqing gritted her teeth: "Say it again! I'll drug you to make you mute!"

Beitang Jimin took out a pill from his sleeve and handed it to Li Miaoqing: "Take this and you'll be fine. Come back with me first; your mother has been waiting for you for a long time."

After taking the medicine, Li Miaoqing's complexion improved significantly.

Just as Beitang Jimin was about to take her away, he discovered that her waist was empty—the medicine pouch was gone.

Those things inside are all miraculous medicines!

Beitang Jimin immediately looked at Xiao Xingyue: "Young Master, bring me the Seventh Princess's medicine pouch."

Chen Manfu thought Xiao Xingyue would truly avoid his sharp edge. "Young Master, shall this old servant go and fetch it?"

"What are you taking?" Xiao Xingyue shrugged. "What medicine pouch? I've never seen one before."

Li Miaoqing's face darkened with anger. Just as she was about to speak, Beitang Jimin raised his hand to stop her, then looked at Xiao Xingyue with icy eyes, "Young Master Xiao, have you thought this through? What does offending me mean?"

The wind in the courtyard stopped, and Chen Manfu's back was soaked with sweat. This was the sentence he feared most.

When Beitang Jimin made his threat, few in Kyoto could withstand it.

Xiao Xingyue pointed at the group of guards on the ground: "You need to think this through, you old fool! You trespassed into my Xiao family and poisoned my guards. Do you think I, the young master, am just here to freeload?"

Chen Manfu's legs went weak, and his big buttocks slammed onto the ground.

"If I wanted to kill them, they would already be corpses. They will naturally return to normal in an hour." Beitang Jimin maintained his usual aloof calm, glancing at Xiao Xingyue a few more times. "Since the young master has made up his mind, I take my leave!"

After speaking, he turned around, leaning on his cane.

Li Miaoqing was helped out by Li Shunhua. When she reached the door, she turned around and glared fiercely at Xiao Xingyue.

Her eyes were filled with shame, anger, and heartache; heartache for the pills, and shame for losing to him again today.

Li Shunhua also turned to look at him. She didn't say anything, but just opened her mouth.

Xiao Xingyue read the mouth lines aloud, and they were three words: "You're finished!"

The man was gone, leaving only a group of old soldiers lying on the ground in front of the Prince's Mansion.

Chen Manfu stamped his foot in frustration: "Your Highness! Didn't you say you respected the elderly? We really can't afford to offend the Beitang gentry!"

Xiao Xingyue glanced at him sideways: "Manfu, huh?"

Chen Manfu immediately bent down: "Hey."

Xiao Xingyue sighed, "You know the Emperor wants to harm my Xiao family, right?"

Chen Manfu nodded. "I know."

Xiao Xingyue continued, "I forced the royal family to fulfill the marriage agreement, which offended the emperor, you know that, right?"

Chen Manfu nodded again, "I know that too."

Xiao Xingyue slapped Chen Manfu on the back of the head. "What are you afraid of! You've already offended the emperor, what's one more Beitang clan member to offend?"

After thinking it over, Chen Manfu suddenly realized, "...That makes sense!"

He hurriedly went to detoxify Feng Lie and the others.

Xiao Xingyue turned and went back into the house, his medicine pouch heavy in his sleeve, and the follow-up manual of the Holy Dragon Technique also close to his chest.

"Once I master the Sacred Dragon Technique and marry nine princesses, I don't care if you're an emperor or a member of the Northern Hall aristocracy, you'll all be wiped out!"

Xiao Xingyue sat down cross-legged, took out his undergarment, and began to study the mental cultivation method.

The Qi circulation route of the second level of the Holy Dragon Skill is much more complicated than that of the first level. The first level is like opening a door, while the second level is like climbing a building. Every step must be taken steadily.

He studied it for half an hour and finally realized one thing: "Damn it, it's impossible to master in a short time. This number one martial art in the world is still too difficult."

He carefully put away the bellyband, knowing that slow work would only produce substandard goods, and haste would only result in a mess.

"We need to find another opportunity to exploit the nation's fortunes. Where is Li Wangshu?"

No sooner had he said that than footsteps came from outside the door.

Xiao Xingyue looked up and saw that Li Wangshu had already entered the courtyard. Seeing Xiao Xingyue practicing his skills, Li Wangshu praised him, "You're quite diligent, Xiao Xingyue. My mother asked me to invite you to the poetry and painting gala tomorrow."

"I won't go to pointless social events." Xiao Xingyue refused, glancing at Li Wangshu. Today, she was wearing a light purple palace dress, with a belt tightly fastened around her slender waist, highlighting her curvaceous figure.

Xiao Xingyue was trying to trick Li Wangshu into giving him some of the nation's fortune to help him practice the Sacred Dragon Technique.

But the Ninth Princess suddenly scoffed, "Ineffective socializing? How superficial! The poetry and painting festival is a major annual event for the literary circles of Kyoto!"

The Hanlin Academy will go, the Great Xia Poets Association will go, along with scions of prominent families, newly appointed scholars, and wives of powerful officials. What the Xiao family needs most right now is to form cliques and pursue personal gain, do you understand?

Xiao Xingyue swallowed back the question that was on the tip of his tongue about whether to meet up tonight, and changed the subject instead: "That's not like something you would say. Did Consort Shu teach you to say that?"

"Never mind that! Anyway, my mother said that if you, the prince consort, don't attend, I'll lose face." Li Wangshu raised his chin slightly: "Hurry up and get ready. Don't pretend you're too busy, after all, you don't have many friends."

Xiao Xingyue's eyelids twitched; this woman was getting more and more adept at delivering the final blow.

He also realized that Consort Shu wanted him to make contact with the civil officials, but he wasn't sure if it was paving the way for him or giving him a hard time.

"Okay, I agree, but we can prepare for tomorrow's matters tomorrow. I have something urgent to attend to today..."

Upon hearing this, Li Wangshu blinked her big eyes. "What is it? Ah!"

Before she could finish speaking, Xiao Xingyue swept her up and carried her to the bed.

……