Zhao Cong led a team of men, his expression hurried as he anxiously searched around the Temple of Sacred Sound.
Just as he was growing anxious and uncertain, it happened so coincidentally that he faintly spotted the figures of two young women beneath the marriage tree not far away.
Zhao Cong’s eyes immediately lit up, as if he had found a lifeline.
He slowed his pace, approaching while pricking up his ears to listen to their conversation.
The woman addressed as “young lady” spoke with a gentle and melodious voice, her words filled with longing for her future marriage.
It seemed she was already betrothed, and from her words, one could clearly sense her eager anticipation for the impending union.
However, as she voiced one fanciful wish after another—hoping for a handsome Liangren, endless affection, and more—her desires grew increasingly numerous and ethereal.
Listening nearby, Zhao Cong couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth slightly.
This young lady was far too naive!
In this world, finding such a perfect, ideal husband was no easy task.
Having witnessed the hypocrisy and scheming of Imperial Consorts in the palace, Zhao Cong almost felt reluctant to bring such an innocent, rabbit-like woman to his master.
Nevertheless, Zhao Cong had neither the inclination to dwell on such sentiments nor much compassion to spare.
What was urgent was that his master had been poisoned with an aphrodisiac and was in desperate need of a woman to relieve its effects.
His master was the most esteemed person in the world; not the slightest harm could be allowed to befall him.
Even if this young lady was betrothed, what did that matter in comparison?
To have the opportunity to share his master’s burden was a blessing others could only dream of. Perhaps this young lady’s future would be limitless.
Thinking this, Zhao Cong hesitated no longer and swiftly led his men to surround them.
“Who are you!”
Xi Tong, who had been engrossed in conversation with her young lady, was startled by the sudden appearance of over a dozen men. Instinctively, she stepped in front of her mistress.
Her eyes were wary, and though her voice trembled slightly, she forced herself to sound stern as she shouted.
Zhao Cong did not answer, merely giving a meaningful glance.
A nimble, black-clad subordinate beside him instantly understood his intent. Like a ghost, he closed in, raising his hand and striking with precision, cleanly knocking Xi Tong unconscious to the ground.
Seeing this, Shen Yuling turned pale with fright, her voice trembling.
“What do you want? Do you know who I am? If you dare harm me, neither my father nor my future husband will let you go.”
She spoke while retreating backward, her heart filled with terror.
Yet she tried to appear resolute, hoping to intimidate these uninvited guests.
Zhao Cong remained silent, only frowning slightly again, a thought crossing his mind.
Could this young lady be of unusual status?
However, the situation was urgent, and his master could not wait. No matter whose daughter she was, how could her safety compare to his master’s?
With this thought, Zhao Cong hesitated no more and raised his hand.
Another black-clad man swiftly stepped forward, his fingers lightly tapping, landing precisely on Shen Yuling’s pressure point for inducing sleep.
Shen Yuling’s body went limp, and she slowly collapsed, caught by the black-clad man before being hurriedly taken away.
But no one could see that Xi Tong, who had been knocked unconscious, opened her eyes after lying on the ground for a while. She gazed in the direction where her mistress had been taken away, a faint smile curling at the corners of her mouth.
Her mistress truly deserved to be called an actress extraordinaire—such acting skills, such cunning! Even she, as a system, had much to learn from her host.
Still, her own performance today wasn’t half bad either!
Inside the room, candle flames flickered, casting wavering shadows on the walls.
Quan Minghe was alone in the chamber, the feverish heat stirred by the aphrodisiac raging wildly within him.
His face flushed crimson, and fine beads of sweat had already formed on his forehead.
The lustrous black and gold brocade robe, which usually gleamed, now felt like a constraint.
Irritated, he untied it and tossed it aside carelessly.
Quan Minghe attempted to use his inner energy to resist the effects of the aphrodisiac.
But he had no idea what formula or method had been used to concoct this drug. The more he resisted, the more fiercely the heat would surge back after a brief retreat.
Wave after wave, it threatened to completely consume his rationality.
Quan Minghe lay half on the bed, clinging desperately to his last shred of clarity.
Just then, a sudden creak—the sound of the door hinge turning—abruptly broke the silence.
With his eyes closed, Quan Minghe initially thought it was Zhao Cong returning.
His ears twitched slightly, catching the sound of footsteps, and his heart sank instantly.
These footsteps…
No, they weren’t Zhao Cong’s!
In an instant, his eyes snapped open, sharp as blades.
The door slowly opened, revealing a young woman standing at the threshold.
She appeared to be around sixteen or seventeen years old.
Though her features were delicate, she was not the type to stun with breathtaking beauty.
Yet her eyes were clear and innocent, carrying a hint of naivety in the dim candlelight.
“Who are you?”
Quan Minghe’s voice was now hoarse and low, as if scraped by sandpaper.
Suppressed, agitated.
As soon as the woman entered, she saw the man bare-chested, wearing a terrifying mask.
Instantly, she panicked.
She came from a poor family, her younger brother gravely ill, and they had no money for treatment.
Earlier that day, someone had instructed her that if she came to the Temple of Sacred Sound tonight to care for a patient, they would pay for her brother’s treatment.
For her brother’s sake, she had gritted her teeth and come.
Now, faced with this strange and dangerous man, she was so frightened she could barely speak.
“I… I…”
The woman stammered, her face flushing bright red.
The man’s thin lips, visible beneath the mask, were pressed tightly together, his gaze as menacing as a demon’s.
The woman grew even more terrified, her tongue seemingly tied, unable to utter a complete sentence for a long while.
Quan Minghe watched the timid woman, a wave of disgust spreading within him.
Yet another person trying to climb the social ladder through him.
“Who sent you?”
He asked coldly once more.
“An auntie told me to come…”
The woman dared not look up, her voice as faint as a mosquito’s hum, her hands unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes.
Hearing her confirmation, Quan Minghe’s disgust deepened.
Yet, at this moment, the explosive sensation within his body was too overwhelming, his rationality teetering on the brink under the assault of desire.
He had no choice but to compromise for now.
Fine, tonight he would use this woman to relieve the aphrodisiac’s torment.
But tomorrow would be her death day.
Quan Minghe never did things that made him suffer, yet everything that had happened tonight, one thing after another, clung to him like a festering sore, filling him with displeasure and revulsion.
“Crawl over here.”
An icy, bone-chilling voice pierced the woman’s ears.
She was of lowly status, accustomed to following others’ orders. Hearing such a cold command now, she dared not disobey in the slightest.
Kneel.
Her knees hit the ground heavily, but she paid no mind to the pain.
She simply followed the instruction, trembling as she crawled toward Quan Minghe.
Slowly, she crawled to his feet, head bowed low, not daring to look up at the person before her.
Her entire body trembled like a leaf in the wind, completely unsure of what she should do next.
Was this the so-called “patient” she was to care for tonight?
His imposing presence suggested he was either a high-ranking official or a member of the royal family. As a poor girl from humble origins, how was she supposed to “care for” him?
Quan Minghe leaned forward slightly, reaching out to lift her chin.
Under the flickering candlelight, he carefully examined her face.
Though her features could not be called breathtakingly beautiful, they were still pleasing enough to catch his eye.