Chapter 61: This Meat Doesn't Taste Good

Inside the courtyard of the Eastern Palace, Yang Xing sat alone in the pavilion, gazing up at the sky while drinking by himself.

He drank cup after cup. Even when fits of coughing wracked his frame, he paused only briefly before resuming his drinking!

Chen Shu could no longer contain himself and stepped forward. "Your Highness, the night is cold, and the brazier out here has very limited warmth. Shall we return inside?"

Yang Xing ignored him and continued to drink.

A short while later, Yang Xing raised his head to look at the starry sky.

"How long have I been out here?"

"Nearly two hours," Chen Shu replied.

Hearing this, Yang Xing simply closed his eyes.

Yet he gripped the flagon so tightly that he did not relax his hold for a long time, his knuckles turning white!

Who knows how much time had passed.

Yang Xing sighed. "Life is like a dream, one should get thoroughly drunk once. Chen Shu, go fetch the wine and keep me company!"

Chen Shu looked at Yang Xing, then glanced off in another direction.

He cupped his fists and said, "Understood, this subordinate will go right away!"

Chen Shu did not return with the wine. Instead, he reported, "Your Highness, General Yang has left."

For some reason, Chen Shu noticed that Yang Xing's eyes were somewhat bloodshot.

"Then we won't drink. Let's go, back inside!"

...

Inside the bedchamber, chaos reigned. The table where they had been drinking was overturned, with wine and dishes scattered all across the floor.

Several stools were broken, and bloodstains marked the ground, as if a fierce battle had just been fought within these walls.

Yu Shu sat upon the floor, sweat beading on her forehead, her complexion slightly pale. The violent heave of her chest seemed to mirror the turmoil within her. She sat collapsed on the ground, her face tinged with paleness, her body trembling faintly.

In her eyes flickered traces of lingering tension.

Suddenly!

With a loud bang, Yang Xing returned.

Upon entering, he caught sight of the chaotic room and froze for a moment.

Yet immediately afterward, his gaze fell upon Yu Shu sitting on the floor, the sweat upon her face, and her trembling frame.

Most glaring of all was the blood upon the floor.

Yang Xing's expression grew gloomy.

Yu Shu hurried to stand, but the moment she rose, her legs buckled and she sank back down, as if she no longer had the strength to stand.

"Your Highness, I..."

Yang Xing said coldly, "Crown Princess, there is no need to say more!"

With that, Yang Xing turned around and walked toward the exit.

Yu Shu called out anxiously, "Your Highness, it's not what you think!"

Without looking back, Yang Xing replied coldly, "For over two hours—just look at what you've done to my Crown Princess. Rest well and recover, and do not fail this Crown Prince's expectations!"

"Your Highness, the Second Lord, he..."

Before Yu Shu could finish, Yang Xing had already walked away.

...

Yu Shu scrambled to her feet in a panic, but after taking only two steps, her legs grew weak and she collapsed straight to the floor.

It was a long while before Yu Shu managed to pull herself up.

Yet as she recalled the scene from just moments before, her complexion turned even paler.

Earlier, Yu Shu had believed they were on the verge of success, only for Yang Zhan to suddenly fly into a frenzy.

At that exact moment, a powerful surge of vital blood erupted from within Yang Zhan, blasting her back and inflicting internal injuries that made her vomit blood. At that time, Yu Shu genuinely believed she might not survive!

However, Yang Zhan quickly regained his composure.

Only, his eyes had turned completely crimson.

What shocked Yu Shu even more was that Yang Zhan had ripped open the sleeve of his right arm, and right before her eyes, used a blade to ruthlessly carve a large chunk of flesh from his own limb.

Before he cut it away, that same arm had already lost a considerable amount of flesh, appearing as black as ink—a horrifying sight that chilled the soul to the bone.

Yang Zhan had collected the flesh he carved off and taken it with him. As he left, his blood-red eyes had locked onto her: "Keep this a secret, even from the Crown Prince!"

To this day, Yu Shu's heart was still gripped by fear.

She reached up to wipe the sweat from her brow, offering a bitter smile. "To think the Second Lord's injuries are so severe, and the lingering poison so terrifying. He..."

...

Yang Zhan returned to the celestial prison at breakneck speed.

Without speaking a single word to anyone, he went straight into the interrogation room, locked the door, and descended into the underground cellar.

At this moment, Yang Zhan finally allowed himself to relax, collapsing directly onto the icy stone floor.

Turning his head slightly, he saw Bilian sitting not far away, watching him.

For some reason, at this very moment... he felt an immense sense of peace.

"What happened to you?"

"The poison flared up. I need to sleep for a while!"

"Mn."

A brief exchange.

Yang Zhan closed his eyes.

That Crown Prince and his wife were truly absolute menaces, actually slipping him a drug. If it had been ordinary poison, he would have tasted it upon the very first sip.

Instead, it had been a potent aphrodisiac meant to heighten vigor.

Who the hell could have anticipated that!

Still, he had only himself to blame for his carelessness. Having long since perceived Yu Shu's intentions, he had actually failed to guard against this particular trick.

Even so, he truly had not expected the Crown Prince and his wife to be such a pair of... exemplary contemporary spouses, utterly devoid of human decency!

Yet it was he who suffered for it. The aphrodisiac's potency was fierce, and that woman Yu Shu was alluring to boot!

It had instantly unsettled his mind, allowing the deeply suppressed malefic poison to seize the opportunity and erupt directly.

It had sent his vital blood surging out of control, driving him mad with pain.

Fortunately, he had managed to endure it in the end, promptly carving away the hopelessly corrupted flesh tainted by the poison, and once again gathering his vital blood to suppress the toxin.

However, the poison had already seized the chance to spread inward along his meridians.

He now had to force the poison back into his arm as quickly as possible and seal it there, otherwise it wouldn't simply be a matter of amputation next time!

Yang Zhan threw his all into resisting the poison invading his meridians.

Waves of vital blood surged across his body.

Nearby, Bilian watched Yang Zhan indifferently, saying nothing.

After a short while, Bilian walked over. A finger, as white and flawless as jade, lightly prodded an object that had fallen from Yang Zhan's bosom onto the floor.

The item had been wrapped in leaves, which had come loose when it dropped.

Bilian extended another finger, pinching between them a lump of black, flaccid flesh.

She tilted her head to examine it, then gave it a sniff.

Bilian looked at Yang Zhan, who still had his eyes closed. "Is this meat brought for me?"

Naturally, there was no reply.

She examined it once more and sniffed it again.

Then, looking at Yang Zhan, she muttered, "You brought it; if I don't eat it, you'll probably be unhappy."

With that, Bilian parted her lips, tore into the blackened chunk of flesh a few times, and swallowed it whole.

When she finished, Bilian frowned, showing a hint of dissatisfaction. "Doesn't taste good!"

...

Not long after, Yang Zhan woke up.

He felt around his chest, intending to take the chunk of flesh he had brought back and bury it in a pit.

Otherwise, if anyone accidentally touched it, they would be done for.

As a result, the robes across his chest were completely empty.

Turning his head, he saw that the leaves had unfurled, and the piece of flesh he had carved off was gone.

Yang Zhan froze.

Then he raised his gaze toward Bilian, only to find that she had fallen asleep, emitting soft, even breaths.

Yang Zhan frowned. "Could Little Gray have dragged it away? Damn it, I'll have to train another one. What a pain."

Following that, Yang Zhan looked down at the wound on his arm. Even for him, looking at this wretched limb of his stirred a sense of self-pity!

This malefic poison was indeed formidable and exceptionally stubborn.

Fortunately, he had used his vital blood to seal several acupoints, containing the poison within a specific boundary.

However, Yang Zhan dared not act rashly, lest he trigger another flare-up of the toxin.

Moreover, he had yet to find a method to cure the poison. If he could not find a cure, he would eventually succumb to it and die.

Given his current circumstances, the fewer people who knew, the better, lest certain individuals thought the snow had stopped and believed they could rise again.

Even if the old Emperor, the Crown Prince, or the Empress were to find out, it would undoubtedly breed all sorts of ulterior motives.

At this thought, Yang Zhan furrowed his brow. "I wonder if the Crown Princess can keep her mouth shut..."

Recalling the aphrodisiac, Yang Zhan lowered his gaze to inspect his own body, hurriedly using his vital blood to dissolve the lingering medicinal potency. Otherwise...

Parading such vigor everywhere would hardly be appropriate!

Suddenly, Yang Zhan heard shouts coming from above.

"Second Lord! Second Lord! The Empress has sent someone to fetch the Second Lord!"

"Second Lord! Second Lord..."

Yang Zhan swiftly rose, headed up, re-secured the stone slab, and called out, "Understood, tell them to wait!"

"You got it, Second Lord!"