Chapter 185 Severing Ties "She already told you to forget her..."

In the past, the eldest princess was frail and bedridden for many years. In order to recuperate in peace, she chose a relatively secluded palace. Now that the eldest princess has returned, she does not like to be disturbed, so this already remote palace is almost devoid of palace servants.

The palace door was pushed open silently.

The person inside the palace was still lying unconscious on the couch.

The visitor stood by the tatami mat and watched quietly for a while.

The person on the bed was indeed seriously injured. He had been spied on for so long without realizing it, which was completely different from the vigilant, cunning, and scheming young master of the Li family he was usually.

In his drowsy state, Li Mengbai smelled a bitter medicinal odor, and someone brought the medicine to his lips.

"Fishing lights..."

He murmured to himself, "Did she come to feed me the medicine?"

The soup flowed into his mouth, so bitter that he instinctively wanted to spit it out, but he managed to hold back.

I can't... I can't hurt her heart anymore...

He definitely has a place in her heart, and he won't be as willful as he was last time.

I desperately wanted to open my eyes and see her, but my eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and my consciousness became increasingly hazy...

Watching the person obediently swallow the medicine, spoonful by spoonful, a smile crept onto the other's lips. The morning sunlight shone on the young man's handsome, fair face, making that smile seem innocent and naive.

Ji Qiu'an put away the bowl and spoon; the entire night's worth of medicinal soup inside was now completely empty.

He spoke slowly to the person on the bed who had fallen into a coma again, “She said it herself, that you should forget her…” The young man’s smile faded, and his handsome face moved into the shadows where the light did not reach, “Since you keep saying you love her, you should listen to her.”

Recalling the words she had overheard last night, Ji Qiu'an's face instantly showed disgust. Such a shameless and selfish madman actually fantasized about binding her with a contract.

However, it was thanks to Li Mengbai's crazy self-harm that he was able to find an opportunity to let this vicious person also experience what it's like to be drugged.

The humiliation of having his unbearable memories exposed was still fresh in Ji Qiu'an's mind. If he wanted, he could even take the opportunity to kill this weak and unconscious enemy with a single sword strike.

But if she did that, she wouldn't be able to break the bond she wanted.

Recalling that person's polite yet distant manner towards him, Ji Qiu'an felt a slight ripple in his heart.

Soon, very soon she will be able to break the bond.

After Ji Qiu'an left, the bedchamber returned to silence, and the unconscious man remained asleep on the bed as if nothing had happened.

Meanwhile, the alchemy room in the Xuanji Pavilion was in complete chaos, with chickens and dogs running amok.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness."

Zhou Sidao pulled Jiang Yuhuo aside, dodging a flying shard of pottery.

"Excuse me, Your Highness, please step aside for now..." He shoved the person behind the screen and hurried back to the alchemy room to put out the fire.

Listening to the continuous "bang" sounds coming from the alchemy room, Jiang Yuhuo couldn't help but wonder how the situation had spiraled out of control to this point.

After Zhou Sidao left, before they could even exchange a few pleasantries, something exploded in the alchemy room. First, a medicine furnace caught fire, spilling a lava-like liquid that burned a large area. Then, Zhou Sidao grabbed a jar of water and poured it over the fire, and the water, of unknown nature, instantly ignited.

Once the commotion inside subsided, Jiang Yuhuo pushed open the door, and a staggering cloud of thick smoke immediately rushed out. Jiang Yuhuo coughed a few times, choking on the smoke. As the smoke dissipated, the medicine jars of various sizes on the table were shattered, and the floor was a mess. The usually refined and elegant official was now covered in a layer of black ash, looking somewhat comical.

"I'm so sorry that Your Highness has encountered such a thing upon your arrival..."

Zhou Sidao wiped his face, his face covered in grime and he looked quite apologetic.

“I’m fine, but Mr. Zhou…” Jiang Yuhuo’s gaze swept across the mess, “The alchemy room is in such a state… the losses are considerable. How are we going to explain this to His Majesty?”

Zhou Sidao coughed awkwardly twice, "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness, but these things are not from the royal family. They were made by my distant nephew who found the materials and refined them every now and then. In truth, I feel bad for him."

"Ji Qiu'an?"

"Well, he learned some alchemy and medica-making techniques from me, so I gave him this long-neglected alchemy room. Although he's practiced swordsmanship since childhood, this child seems to have a talent for alchemy as well, having concocted some extraordinary medicines. It's just a pity..." Zhou Sidao said dejectedly, "It seems my alchemy skills have been almost completely forgotten, which is why..."

"Sigh, I wonder if the child will be heartbroken when he comes back and sees all his hard work gone..." Zhou Sidao muttered to himself as he tidied up the messy room. "It's my fault, it's my fault..."

“Huh…” Zhou Sidao looked at the empty cell and narrowed his eyes in confusion.

Where did that bottle of broken heart go?

The child just concocted it two days ago; it was supposed to be a medicine that could make people forget their loved ones... Could it be that even the bottle exploded?

Seeing his self-reproachful expression, Jiang Yuhuo didn't dare to speak for a moment.

Just now, she suspected that Zhou Sidao was Jia Qianyang's clone. After opening the door and seeing the real person, she became even more tense. Her killing intent suddenly rose, and the fire in her blood surged rapidly and fervently. It was at this moment that the medicine furnace in the alchemy room exploded.

Exploding one wouldn't have been a problem, but she didn't expect Zhou Sidao to handle it so badly...

Thinking of this, Zhou Sidao, who had his back to her, suddenly turned around. "By the way, Your Highness, what brings you here?"

Jiang Yuhuo had already prepared his reason on the way here, and now he said unhurriedly, "It's nothing important, I just wanted to ask Mr. Zhou if the various sects have responded to the matter of the Qilin horn?"

Zhou Sidao pondered for a moment, "The invitation has already been sent by messengers to all the immortal sects, and spies and informants have been spreading the news throughout the mortal realm. Apart from the Heavenly Palace replying that it will send someone to the Western Capital, we have not yet received any responses from other parties. It seems they are still observing, after all, they are cultivators who have not been involved in worldly affairs for many years, and it is not so easy to get these people to interfere in the politics of the mortal realm..."

Jiang Yuhuo nodded slightly and said, "It's good news that we've received a response from one company in just one day."

“Yes, if we could gather the power of all the immortal sects…” Zhou Sidao said as he began to tidy up the broken ceramic bottles and jars on the table. The shards were sharp, and Jiang Yuhuo did not stand idly by but followed along to help.

Seeing her reach out, Zhou Sidao quickly stopped her, "Oh, no, Your Highness, you are of noble birth..."

Jiang Yuhu chuckled and casually tossed a sharp shard of porcelain into the pile of shards. "What makes you think you're made of money? Mr. Zhou knows who I am."

Zhou Sidao knew about the person who had possessed his body, but he knew nothing about her true identity.

Recalling His Majesty's words, Zhou Sidao hesitated for a moment, but still couldn't help asking, "This humble subject dares to ask, why is Your Highness so determined to annul the marriage with the Li family?" He looked up at the person beside him who was focused on cleaning up the shards, "Have you been bullied by the Li family during this time?"

Jiang Yuhuo paused, "Mr. Zhou, don't blame me for breaking the alliance between our two families?"

“How could I possibly blame Your Highness?” Zhou Sidao sighed softly. “Not to mention that Your Highness has found another way out for the Great Zhou, even if Your Highness were to simply abandon the contract and leave, no one could blame Your Highness. It was the Great Zhou that placed the burden of survival on Your Highness’s shoulders. Your Highness is merely borrowing a body that should have long since decayed and perished, and you owe the Great Zhou nothing. On the contrary, if Your Highness suffers any injustice in the Li family, it is the Great Zhou’s fault.”

Jiang Yuhuo lowered her eyes, her heart warming slightly, but her voice was cold, "You're wrong. I'm not doing this for the Great Zhou; I'm doing this for myself."

Zhou Sidao smiled slightly, not minding her cold attitude. "However, I am still very glad that Princess Yujing found Your Highness back then, and it is fortunate that Princess Yujing met Your Highness."

This is the little princess's good fortune, and it is also the good fortune of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

A sudden sharp pain shot through his hand. Zhou Sidao looked down and saw a cut on his hand that he didn't know had appeared at the time. He moved his hand away and saw a broken porcelain cup with a sharp edge lying beneath his palm. He must have accidentally cut himself on the broken edge. But he remembered that the broken porcelain cup was a distance away from his hand just moments before. How did it end up under his hand?

Fresh blood flowed out instantly, dripping quickly onto the white porcelain bowl.

Zhou Sidao quickly used his spiritual power to stop the bleeding. He was covered in dirt and had injured his hand, so it was not appropriate for him to clean up the mess. He bid farewell to Jiang Yuhuo, saying that he should change into clean clothes before discussing the matter of the Qilin horn with her.

Jiang Yuhu nodded slightly, staring blankly at the porcelain cup, and Zhou Sidao took it as her agreement.

"Wait!" Just as Zhou Sidao was about to leave, he heard Jiang Yuhuo's voice, "On the eve of the marriage ceremony, Mr. Zhou led people to pick orchids in front of Bishui Pond. Could you tell me who accompanied him that day?"

This request seemed out of the blue, and Zhou Sidao was slightly taken aback.

Jiang Yuhuo smiled and said, "I just wanted to know the personnel involved in the orchid-picking ceremony. I may never see such a ceremony again in the future."

Zhou Sidao assumed she was just having a young girl's emotional outburst, lamenting her future marriage. He offered a few words of comfort and then told her everything that had happened that day. When he returned to the alchemy room after changing into clean clothes, the person who was supposed to be waiting for him there was gone, along with the broken porcelain cup stained with blood.

Seven days later, in the Princess's bedroom.

Li Mengbai suddenly opened his eyes. He stared at the ceiling for a moment, at the unfamiliar patterns and unfamiliar surroundings. Instead of getting up immediately, Li Mengbai calmly surveyed his surroundings. In this completely unfamiliar palace, he saw palace servants, his subordinates, and even… the Medicine Master?

Jingzhe was the first to notice that Li Mengbai had woken up. She immediately went to pat the white-bearded old man who was sitting quietly to the side with his eyes closed, "Mr. Medicine Master, look, the young master has woken up!"

The old herbalist, still half-asleep, looked at the person on the bed, only to be met with a barrage of questions from Li Mengbai: "What are you doing here?"

The old medicine man said irritably, "Young Master has been unconscious for seven days and seven nights. If I hadn't come, I don't know how long he would have remained unconscious."

Li Mengbai sat up, feeling sore all over and his head heavy. It was indeed a reaction to being unconscious for too long, but how could he have been unconscious? He had no recollection of it at all.

After dismissing the unfamiliar palace servants, Li Mengbai pressed his forehead and asked, "What happened?"

The old medicine man glanced at him and said coolly, "You'll have to ask the young master. If you don't take care of your body and fall into a coma, who can you blame?"

Others might not know what this young master—or rather, soon to be the head of the family—had done, but he did. Seeing the pool of water turn blood red, he was finally forced to climb out, preventing himself from bleeding to the last drop, thanks to his desperate efforts.

Knowing the old man's character, Li Mengbai didn't expect to hear what he wanted from him. He turned his gaze to Jingzhe, and the quick-witted boy immediately understood.

"The young master was seriously injured that day, but he rushed over overnight to see the young mistress, and told me to wait until the next day. I didn't expect that when I arrived here the next day, the young master had been unconscious ever since... I had no choice but to invite the old doctor. It has been seven days since we arrived."

Li Mengbai frowned. "Young Madam?"

Jingzhe was filled with unease, thinking he was asking about the whereabouts of the young mistress, so she replied, "The young mistress has not returned, and this subordinate... does not know where to look for her."

This answer was cryptic and left Li Mengbai impatient. "I asked, who is the young mistress?"

Who is the young mistress?

Even the old herbalist was stunned.

"Is the young master still half asleep? She's your betrothed, isn't she? Didn't you come here to see her?"

Li Mengbai scoffed dismissively, "What nonsense are you talking about?"

The Li family members present finally realized that their young master remembered everyone except for one person.