This secret was known only to the trusted guards who had followed him since childhood.
Even Steward Chen was unaware of it.
It was not that he could not tell him, but even if Steward Chen knew,
he would only worry, and it would not alleviate the situation in the slightest.
So, he simply chose not to let Steward Chen worry.
"It is uncomfortable, and it has been for a long time."
It started the year he arrived at the border.
At that time, he had been severely wounded on the battlefield abroad, and after he recovered,
he felt that whenever he tried to circulate his energy, the flow in his Dantian was obstructed.
Every time he forced his Internal Energy to circulate, he would feel a dull pain.
Once, while breaking through an encirclement, he forced his energy and nearly died on the battlefield.
After that incident, Prince Jing had to act as a commander and stay in the rear.
He had invited countless miracle doctors to examine him, but they all concluded it was a hidden injury caused by martial arts training.
"The military doctor said it was caused by a hidden injury."
But Prince Jing always felt that his injury back then had not directly damaged his Dantian.
Seeing this young woman press her hand against that spot,
a preposterous thought faintly rose in Prince Jing's heart.
Could this woman not only keep him alive but also help him recover his martial arts?
Sure enough, Shen Qingyuan reached out and pressed down.
A wisp of Spiritual Energy was slowly injected.
Prince Jing only felt a stream of energy enter his Dantian.
It circled around once before finally settling slowly on the painful spot.
Prince Jing was overjoyed; the Dantian was indeed still intact.
Shen Qingyuan withdrew her hand.
"You were indeed injured, but this situation is caused by a Gu Insect."
"A Gu Insect?"
"Yes, a Gu Insect. The Miao Border is skilled in Gu; they can use Gu Insects to control people and obtain what they want."
"Oh? Then can you remove it?"
Prince Jing did not care what that person wanted right now; he only wanted to get this thing out.
Once he recovered, he would naturally find that person.
He would make them reveal who was behind them and then settle the score slowly later.
Shen Qingyuan glanced at Prince Jing and withdrew her hand with a look of disdain.
Tsk, with your broken body, if I take it out now, you will only die faster.
"There are two methods to remove the Gu Insect. One is to find the person who planted it and make them remove it.
The second is for me to use a knife to carve out this piece of flesh from you, and it will naturally be removed. Which one do you choose?"
Steward Chen knew Prince Jing's temperament and hurriedly spoke up.
"Your Highness, you cannot let her carve out your flesh; your body cannot withstand it right now."
Prince Jing was silent for a moment and asked, "If you carve the flesh, what are the chances of success?"
Shen Qingyuan raised an eyebrow, not expecting this Prince to be such a tough nut to crack.
A hint of admiration unconsciously appeared in Shen Qingyuan's eyes, and she spoke a bit more.
"This Gu is called 'Shi Yuan'; it is yin and cold in nature, loves to feed on Internal Energy, and is currently entrenched in your Dantian.
If you want to remove it completely, you must carve it out along with the flesh. By then, the meridians near your Dantian will surely be damaged, not to mention your martial arts will be completely crippled, and you still have severe poison and a Talisman Array Backlash inside you.
Right now, the three forces are barely maintaining a delicate balance. If I remove the Gu Insect,
the residual poison and the backlash will strike back, and you will surely die."
After Shen Qingyuan finished speaking, Prince Jing fell silent.
Steward Chen was dumbfounded and muttered.
"Inside the Prince's body, there is not only poison and a Gu, but also a Talisman Array..."
Shen Qingyuan shook her finger, correcting him.
"Not a Talisman Array, but a Talisman Array Backlash."
Steward Chen felt like crying; his Prince already had such a hard life.
The Empress passed away early, and the Emperor even sent the Prince to the border for training.
The Prince left the Capital City at such a young age, yet these people still refuse to let him go.
Do they only feel at ease if his Prince is dead?
Seeing Steward Chen's state, Shen Qingyuan hurriedly reached out to stop him.
"Wait, he isn't dead yet, don't start mourning."
Shen Qingyuan's words forced Steward Chen's tears back.
Prince Jing, however, caught the key point in her words.
"You mean, you can save me?"
Shen Qingyuan rolled her eyes and said nothing.
This guy looked like a huge trouble, and she didn't really want to agree to this.
For a member of the Xuan Sect, if one agrees, it is equivalent to making a contract.
One must truly try their best to save them.
Shen Qingyuan felt that saving him was not very cost-effective.
Seeing that there was no answer for a long time, Prince Jing continued.
"I know you have extraordinary abilities, and I know my situation is complicated. I only ask that you do your best. Regardless of the outcome, the Prince's Mansion will surely reward you generously."
That sounded quite sincere.
As for the reward...
Perhaps yesterday, she would have been quite tempted.
But now, Shen Qingyuan knew that her mother was a wealthy woman.
The most urgent task was how to let her mother get back all her Dowry while getting a Divorce.
And then drive that Scum Father out of the mansion.
Since ancient times, the common people do not fight with officials, and her father was not willing to truly Divorce her mother.
Her father was not stupid; how could he voluntarily give up such a huge mountain of gold?
Borrowing this Prince's influence would be a good method.
"Fine, but I have one more request."
"Name it."
"I want to borrow the influence of the Prince's Mansion to help my mother get a Divorce."
Prince Jing curled his lips; that was simple.
"No problem. Uncle Chen, you will follow this young lady later to handle it."
"That won't be necessary; you just stay here obediently."
Beating a dog that has fallen into the water is only satisfying if you do it yourself.
Prince Jing: ?
Confusion aside, Prince Jing still agreed.
"Good, if you need anything, you can directly ask Uncle Chen for help."
Steward Chen also hurriedly cupped his hands and bowed deeply to Shen Qingyuan.
"Yes, Miss Shen, please rest assured, the Prince's Mansion will do its utmost."
Shen Qingyuan was very satisfied with the attitude of these two.
"However, the promised payment should still be prepared. For such a troublesome Gu Insect, let's make it ten thousand taels."
Shen Qingyuan thought about the Prince's net worth and tried to quote a large number.
Her father, a fifth-rank Vice Minister of Rites, only had a salary of a hundred taels of silver a year.
For the Prince's life, ten thousand taels is not expensive, right?
Although she said she would borrow his influence, the reward that should be given must still be given.
After all, who would complain about having too little money?
Steward Chen felt this amount was a bit high, but not outrageous.
He was just about to go get the silver notes.
Unexpectedly, the usually calm Prince Jing suddenly said to Steward Chen.
"Give her fifty thousand taels first, and after the Gu is removed, give her another fifty thousand."
His life is only worth ten thousand taels?
Who are you looking down on?
Prince Jing casually raised his own price.
After saying it, Prince Jing realized what he had done.
When did he become so childish?
But the words were already out, and there was no turning back.
Besides, he was indeed very good at making money.
Steward Chen was slightly stunned. Is the Prince usually the type to throw money around like this?
But Steward Chen did not make the Prince lose face and ordered toward the door.
"Xiao Liu, go find Nanny Cui and get fifty thousand taels in silver notes, and also bring a Token of the Prince's Mansion."
Prepare the credentials for Miss Shen so she can treat him with peace of mind.
The Prince is not the type of person to go back on his word.
Xiao Liu did not dare to delay and used his light-foot technique, returning quickly.
Shen Qingyuan held the fifty thousand taels of silver notes and a Jade Pendant of excellent quality, remaining silent.
Ahhh, I quoted too low!
Sometimes, I really want to fight you rich people!
But since the money had been delivered to her, Shen Qingyuan did not have the habit of raising the price at the last minute.
The contract was set, and Shen Qingyuan did not waste words.
She fished out a blank piece of yellow paper from her bosom.
She then instructed Steward Chen.
"Go get a bowl of clean water."
Steward Chen looked at Prince Jing on the bed and still did not dare to leave himself.
Instead, he opened the door and ordered outside.
"Xiao Liu, go get a bowl of clean water."
Xiao Liu took the order and left.
Shen Qingyuan also sat at the table and began to draw the Talisman.
She always carried Cinnabar and brushes with her.
Steward Chen watched from the side, seeing Shen Qingyuan set everything up.
She did not pick up the brush, seemingly hesitating for a moment.
She put her left index finger into her mouth and bit it open.
（Shen Qingyuan: Sigh, since it's a big client, I'll bleed a little.）
The blood of a Cultivator carries Spiritual Power; a single drop of Essence Blood can ward off evil.
Adding it to a Talisman can greatly increase its power.
Using it to suppress a mere Gu Insect was overkill.
With a drop of Fingertip Blood mixed into the Cinnabar, Shen Qingyuan finally picked up the brush.
Shen Qingyuan drew very quickly, and the Rune was complex, so Steward Chen could not understand it.
But at the very end, he seemed to see a flash of light on the Talisman.
It vanished in the blink of an eye, and Steward Chen rubbed his eyes.
The Talisman showed no abnormalities; it seemed he had just seen it wrong.
At this moment, Xiao Liu also brought the clean water.
"Steward Chen, the clean water is here."
Steward Chen hurriedly opened the door and took the bowl of water.
Shen Qingyuan held the Talisman Paper and was about to put it into the water.
Steward Chen hurriedly spoke up.
"Miss Shen, does this Talisman Paper need to be burned?"
In the past, Steward Chen had seen Daoists performing rituals.
They always burned the Yellow Talisman with fire and mixed the ash into the water.
Shen Qingyuan shook her head.
"This one doesn't need it."
It had her Fingertip Blood added to it; it was not an ordinary Yellow Talisman.
As she spoke, Shen Qingyuan had already put the Talisman in.
Steward Chen watched as the yellow paper dissolved the moment it touched the water.
The water in the bowl remained clear, not even leaving a trace of paper residue.
Steward Chen was dumbfounded.
"Miss Shen, this... did you put it in?"
Shouldn't there be a pile of black ash at the bottom of the bowl, and the water be murky and yellow?
✦✦✦