The time has come

The man then fell silent, only letting out a soft sigh before standing to the side.

Time flew by, and it was already noon. After Li Yin and Wen Youqing had lunch, Li Yin put down the letter. She carefully rolled up the small paper strip and put it into a small bamboo tube.

She reached out and tied the bamboo tube to the white dove's leg, watching the dove fly away.

Wen Youqing had arrived beside her without her noticing. Li Yin smiled softly upon hearing the sound, and a delicate fragrance suddenly wafted to her nose.

She lowered her eyes and saw a bunch of red flowers. She looked up at Wen Youqing, whose eyes were full of tenderness.

Li Yin took the flowers and asked, "What's this?"

"Do you like it?" he asked, and Li Yin smiled and nodded.

Wen Youqing continued, "This is the kind of plant you mentioned in your sect before, the kind you really liked. I tried many methods before I was able to get it to grow."

This flower, with its straight stem, stands tall in the wind, and its fragrance fills the air when it blooms—it's just like you. I also tried many methods to get you to willingly come to my side.

Li Yin placed the flowers aside, stood up, tiptoed slightly, and gently kissed Wen Youqing's lips.

Wen Youqing curled his lips into a smile. After Li Yin relented, he said, "The capital is not peaceful today. Someone wants to rebel and cause chaos here."

Li Yin frowned slightly upon hearing this, and Wen Youqing continued, "A batch of gold appeared in the capital, and overnight beggars became rich. Merchants then inflated prices, which angered ordinary people, and shouts and curses could be heard everywhere on the streets."

Li Yin asked, "Are you going to interfere?"

Wen Youqing shook his head and looked at Li Yin, saying, "I don't care about any of that. I'm just a knife. Sharp weapons don't speak; they just obey orders. Before I met you, I listened to him. After I met you, I listen to you."

Upon hearing this, Li Yin said, "I don't need a knife, but the position next to me is suitable for you."

Wen Youqing smiled and said, "Alright, Madam, that position is mine alone. If anyone else covets it, I will kill them. Is that alright?"

Li Yin said, "Whatever you say."

He smiled again. But behind this joke, Li Yin knew perfectly well that chaos was brewing. Usually, when this situation arose, it meant either a foreign power or someone was vying for the throne and the position of crown prince.

The position of Crown Prince has always been vacant, and those who covet it are not only princes, but also people like the Prince of Song.

Inside the Prince Song's Palace.

Yu Ling pulled up her clothes and got out of bed quietly. A white dove appeared at the window next to her. The dove had red eyes and a bamboo tube tied to its slightly thin legs. The small bamboo tube seemed to contain something.

Yu Ling walked over slowly, gently waved her hand, and the pigeon flew in and landed directly on her hand.

She gently removed the bamboo tube from the pigeon's leg, then with a flick of her wrist, she sent the pigeon flying away.

She opened the bamboo tube and looked at the contents of the letter. After only one glance, she fell into deep thought. Then she closed her eyes, sighed, changed into a black outfit, and quietly climbed out the window.

She leaped over the wall in three steps and onto the tall building. Her steps were extremely light. She walked on the high platform and rooftop, and saw all kinds of people on the street. Everywhere was lively, but the crowds could not gather for long. Soon, soldiers came to disperse them, pushing and shoving while shouting, "The government has ordered that no one can gather."

She glanced at it indifferently and continued on her way. Before long, she arrived at the Wen residence, which was heavily guarded. She concealed herself in a tree and slipped in unnoticed.

Once inside, she got lost, and Li Yin never explained which courtyard she was staying in on the raft.

Just as she was hanging on the tree, a gentle breeze rustled the leaves, a leaf fell to the ground, and a gaze turned towards her.

She looked over and saw a familiar face, Li Yin. He was wearing a light green dress and stood straight under the tree like a lotus emerging from the water, with countless strands of hair gently lifted and kissed by the wind.

Yu Ling simply bent her knees slightly and jumped down gently. Her movements were so light that she landed without stirring up any dust.

She said directly, "I will cooperate with your plan, but he may not be as bad as you think."

Li Yin chuckled softly upon hearing this, and asked, "Who do you think instigated the killing of the Li family?"

Upon hearing his words, Yu Ling understood his meaning. She remained silent for a while, recalling the black robe with a missing corner hanging in the study, and the letter that the man had left in the study to inform her in advance. It turned out that she had already discovered everything, but she didn't want to think about it in that way. She sighed and then said, "I'll listen to you."

Li Yin felt that Yu Ling was acting very strangely today, so she tentatively took his wrist. As soon as she touched it, she noticed the disordered pulse, and her eyes widened immediately.

"What did you do?" she questioned Yuling.

Yu Ling smiled lightly, changing the subject, and simply said, "There's still a time limit; you won't die."

Li Yin frowned and said, "This doesn't look like poison, but more like a Gu. There's someone who can take a look at it for you."

Apart from the people of the Western Regions who know Gu magic, no one else in the world understands it. She hadn't held out much hope, and when she heard Li Yin say this, she just took it as a comforting remark and didn't take it too seriously.

Li Yin led Yu Ling to Wen Youqing's study. Wen Youqing was holding a brush in one hand, gently lifting the ink to write a powerful and sharp character. When he saw Li Yin, he stopped writing, leaving a large ink dot at the last slight pause in the character he had just finished writing.

He looked at Li Yin before turning to Yu Ling beside Li Ying, then back to Li Yin, his gaze lingering there. He smiled and said, "Madam."

Li Yin didn't mince words and went straight to the point: "She's been poisoned by a curse. Is there any way to break the curse?"

Upon hearing this, Wen Youqing raised an eyebrow slightly and said, "That was the Life-Sharing Gu. She ate it herself to save her master's life."

Upon hearing this, Li Yin found it absurd. In her eyes, Yu Ling was someone who valued life highly and would not make such a foolish choice.

What he didn't expect was that Yu Ling would actually go to such lengths for this man.

She looked at Yuling incredulously and asked, "Are you really doing this voluntarily?"

Yu Ling hesitated for a moment before nodding slightly. Li Yin asked, puzzled, "What is it about him that makes you so willing to pay such a high price?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Ling chuckled self-deprecatingly and said, "Because I'm stupid, and also because he gave me my life."

The "Symbiotic Gu" is named "Symbiotic Gu," but it's actually used to transfer damage from one party to another. It's not about sharing life, but about taking someone else's place.

The cure for this poison is simple: just kill the master of the poison. In short, kill the King of Song, but the person poisoned by the poison must do it personally.

Li Yin could only gently rub his forehead and instruct the maid beside him, "Take the young lady to Changzhuxuan."

After Yu Ling left, Li Yin changed into a black outfit exactly like Yu Ling's. But as she was about to leave, Wen Youqing gently hugged her from behind, buried her head in her neck, and said in a resentful tone, "Don't let him take advantage of you. If you are forced to let him take advantage of you, tell me. I will cut off whichever hand he touched."

Upon hearing this, Li Yin gently reached out and patted his head, saying, "Don't worry."

He then gently pushed the man's head away and walked away.

But after she left, a shadow fell over Wen Youqing's eyes. He smiled softly and said, "My lady, I really wish I could go with you."

Inside the Prince Song's Palace.

The study, deep within a secret passage.

Zhao Song bowed three times gently to the clay statue of Guanyin, and then said sincerely, "If the Bodhisattva is divine, I have never prayed before in my life, but now I pray only for one person, to pray for her peace."

After sincerely saying these words, he bowed three times devoutly before carrying the lantern and walking out of the dark secret room.

In the dark, secret chamber, the clay Guanyin statue cracked softly with a click after he turned and left, but the sound was masked by the steady footsteps, like a drop of water falling into a river without causing a ripple.

He went up and put the lantern aside. Various documents were neatly arranged on the table. He glanced at them briefly, then pulled out a stack of papers from under the pile of documents. The papers recorded events from 18 years ago.

He glanced at it briefly, then took out a tinderbox from the drawer, blew on it gently, and lit a flame. Using the flame, he lit the candle.

He aimed the stack of papers at the flames, and the yellowish papers instantly burst into flames. But he let go just as the flames were about to engulf his fingertips.

In an instant, fine dust dispersed, and gray paper, still carrying sparks, floated into the air.

He murmured to himself, "After all these years, I'm afraid only His Majesty still remembers this matter."

Three soft sounds came from outside the door, and he casually said, "Come in."

With a creak, the door was pushed open, and a man sneaked in. He was dressed in a black robe, completely covered from head to toe. He said, "The people of the capital are in chaos. Now is the perfect time. Your Highness should make your move."

Zhao Song chuckled softly upon hearing this, and said, "You seem to be in a more anxious mood than I am."

The man said, "Of course, the situation is inherently unpredictable. Lamu is also afraid that Your Highness will miss a good opportunity, so as not to go against the will of Heaven."

Zhao Song said, "He does think things through carefully."

After saying that, he raised his hand, waved his palm, and used the force of his palm to extinguish the candle.

The palm strike, carrying a hint of killing intent, gently brushed against the man's black robe.

The man simply smiled and said, "Your Highness, are you cured?"

Zhao Song remained silent, only thinking of Yuling. He then heard the man in the long robe continue, "Your Highness is quite fast. Coincidentally, we also have something in our country that can achieve the same effect. However, that thing is called Tong Sheng Gu. I'm sure Your Highness has heard of it."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Song paused. The image of Yu Ling's slightly pale face flashed through his mind again, and everything made sense. A surge of anger welled up in his heart. Why was Yu Ling always unwilling to listen to him?

He said, "The plan will proceed as originally intended, with action only taking place three minutes after sunset."

Upon hearing this, the man said, "Then we will await Your Highness's good news."

After saying that, he turned and left, disappearing into the courtyard in his black clothes.

After Zhao Song mentioned Yu Ling, a strong sense of unease welled up in his heart. If it really was the Tong Sheng Gu, then Yu Ling was probably in excruciating pain right now. He had just lifted his foot to take a step forward when he thought of something and took a step back.

He was the master, the Prince of Song. Yuling had disobeyed him first, so how could he take the initiative to go to her? Thinking this, he lowered his eyes, his heart still pounding, feeling uneasy and extremely annoyed.

Finally, I returned to my original spot, picked up a pen, dipped it in ink, and began to write with a relaxed pace.

Inside Yuling's room, Li Yin sat on a stool, propping his head up with one hand and staring intently at the door. However, there was no movement from the doorway. The room was deathly silent, with only birdsong outside.

She slumped listlessly onto the table. Given the Song King's temperament, she expected that Yu Ling, who had been afflicted by the Tong Sheng Gu, would arrive soon. However, she hadn't anticipated that the person would not arrive for a long time.

She felt sorry for Yu Ling. Since that was the case, she would proceed according to the original plan, waiting for the Prince of Song to rebel, or for other princes to rebel, so that she could use them as a tool to kill him.

Time ticked by, growing increasingly anxious. Inside the study, Zhao Song gradually calmed his mind, wrote a long article, then put down his pen, put away his ink, and left the room. He then said "Dongcheng" to the person who had been waiting for a long time.