Zha Muxi did not want to argue with him; she only wanted to cure his poison as quickly as possible.
To be honest, Mo Xuanjing was hardly anything special when it came to matters of the heart. Yet he was undeniably a fine general, and the people of State of Mo needed a peerless God of War like him, which was why she had to cure his poison promptly.
Unable to stop herself, Zha Muxi softened her voice. "Prince, let's drop this for now. Starting tomorrow, I will begin treating your poison."
"This Prince doesn't want to be cured. This Prince wants you..." Mo Xuanjing was gambling with his own body.
In a harsh voice, Zha Muxi snapped, "Mo Xuanjing, do you still remember what rests on your shoulders? It is the countless common people, the hopes and faith of millions."
"If your cold poison were to suddenly flare up on the battlefield and you died, do you have any idea what State of Mo would face? Do you know how many innocent people would die? And here you are, using your own body to gamble on my pity? How could you ever face them?" By the time she finished, the rims of Zha Muxi's eyes seemed reddened.
Mo Xuanjing was taken aback. He had never seen Zha Muxi speak to him like this. Even after he rescued her from the Secret Realm and she woke up, she had never once screamed or demanded to know why he hadn't chosen her.
Pain twisted Mo Xuanjing's heart as if it were being slashed by knives. Finally, with a conciliatory tone, he said softly, "Xier, treat me tomorrow."
A shudder of revulsion ran through Zha Muxi. *Xier?* Since when was he allowed to call her Xier? Still, it was a relief that Mo Xuanjing was willing to undergo treatment.
"Prince, then I'll head back first." Zha Muxi wanted to slip away as fast as she could.
With a sweeping wave of his large hand, Mo Xuanjing pulled Zha Muxi right back and pinned her against the wall.
Zha Muxi narrowed her eyes, thoroughly disliking the sensation, and her voice rang out cold and clear: "Prince, Ye Shuxin is still waiting for you."
Mo Xuanjing knew very well in his heart that Zha Muxi knew Ye Shuxin was a thorn stuck between them. Bringing her up at a time like this could only mean she wanted to provoke him into telling her to get lost.
Understanding Zha Muxi's little tricks and daring not to rush things, Mo Xuanjing had no choice but to let her go for now.
Yet little did he know that today's conversation would completely sever every single possibility between him and Zha Muxi. In the days to come, he would only be fit to watch her whisper sweet nothings to the one she loved, left to grieve in desolate solitude alone.
"Brother Mo, do you not like Xiner anymore?" Ye Shuxin looked anxiously at Mo Xuanjing.
A wave of softness washed over Mo Xuanjing. "Nonsense! This Prince is going to marry you and carry you across the threshold in an eight-bearer sedan chair!"
Only then did Ye Shuxin let out a relieved tear. After all, back when he married Zha Muxi, the Prince hadn't even shown up.
Now, with a beauty in his arms, that single tear seemed to drip straight into his heart. A lone man and a single woman, dry kindwood catching fire—coupled with the thought of Zha Muxi's icy gaze—they naturally leaned in and kissed.
"Brother Mo~" Her voice was dripping with coquettish charm.
"Xier." The name slipped out of Mo Xuanjing's mouth instinctively.
Both of them froze. Mo Xuanjing immediately pushed Ye Shuxin away, leaving Ye Shuxin's eyes brimming with tears, looking pitiful and forlorn.
Yet Mo Xuanjing's mind was miles away, and he didn't even bother to comfort her. He simply straightened his robes and hurried off.
Any trace of tears vanished from Ye Shuxin's eyes instantly, replaced entirely by jealousy and hatred. *Zha Muxi,* she swore, the humiliation she suffered tonight would be repaid a hundredfold another day.
After returning to his quarters, Mo Xuanjing felt a surge of restless irritation he couldn't quite suppress. Zha Muxi was able to stir his emotions with such ridiculous ease; it seemed she truly occupied a massive space in his heart. But she no longer loved him—could he really make her love him all over again? Mo Xuanjing couldn't help a bitter chuckle.
Zha Muxi didn't give today's events a second thought. Wise people never fall in love, while fools trap themselves in sentiment; besides, the last person who went mad and risked their life for love was already dead, body and soul obliterated.
Yet Zha Muxi really was feeling quite annoyed. Lately, she kept having the exact same dream. And every single time she tried to see things clearly, the dream would wake her up.
"Seventy-seven," Zha Muxi called out.
"Little Master, I'm right here," Seventy-seven replied.
Zha Muxi asked, "Did I once save a nine-tailed fox just like you? Or is it that you actually are it?"
Stammering, Seventy-seven said, "Little Master, d-did you recover your memories?"
Halving her eyes, Zha Muxi said in a low voice, "You seem terribly afraid of me recovering my memories. Why is that?"
Seventy-seven didn't dare to answer again. It had to report the Little Master's condition upward immediately. The Master was so clever; they would surely know how to handle the Little Master.
Suddenly, Zha Muxi burst out laughing, a sound that sent an unprovoked chill through Seventy-seven.
"You're so terrified your voice is shaking. Is it because I possess Heaven-Destroying and Earth-Extinguishing power?"
Knowing that given its own intelligence there was no fooling Zha Muxi, Seventy-seven could only hug its own tail and reply with utmost caution, "You guessed right, Little Master."
"Oh, how did I die?"
Seventy-seven glanced sideways at Zha Muxi. "You destroyed your own Primordial Spirit. Afterward, the Master searched every corner of the Three Thousand Worlds and couldn't find you, so they sent me to try my luck in the Abyss outside the Six Realms."
As it spoke, its voice took on a slightly tearful note. "If even that place couldn't find you, Little Master, then you truly would have vanished from this world forever."
Zha Muxi let out a flat "Oh," and asked no further questions. No doubt these were simply the things her so-called father wanted her to know; as for anything else, pressing further would only be a waste of time.
As a woman of the imperial household's inner quarters, she couldn't show her face in public. Although she could currently use Mo Xuanjing's influence to evade Lan Chenyu, ultimately, placing her hopes in herself was the only way to feel truly secure.
It seemed she had to plan out how to build her own faction as soon as possible. Lan Chenyu was the type of man to hold grudges and seek revenge; he wouldn't let her go, and naturally, she wouldn't let him go either.
Early the next morning, Zha Muxi went to Song Wen to request a set of silver needles, then took the medicinal herbs she had prepared in advance and went to find Mo Xuanjing.
Mo Xuanjing was currently eating breakfast with Ye Shuxin, and both of them froze the moment they saw Zha Muxi.
Ye Shuxin had been sitting very close to Mo Xuanjing, practically on the verge of kissing him. Moreover, Mo Xuanjing had previously given orders that the Princess Consort did not need to be announced, which was how she walked in right on this exact scene.
Flustered, Ye Shuxin immediately spoke up, "Elder Sister Princess Consort, Brother Mo and I are not what you think." Yet her face was flushed crimson, looking as though she had been bullied.
Bypassing her entirely, Zha Muxi addressed Mo Xuanjing directly: "Prince, finish eating quickly. Let's begin today."
Furious inside, Ye Shuxin thought, *Begin? What are they about to begin? No way, I have to stay and watch this.*
Although Zha Muxi disdained fighting over a man with anyone—whoever loved her would stay by her side no matter what happened, and if someone wasn't hers, she wouldn't force it—since this Ye Shuxin kept trying to trap her over and over again, taking a tiny bit of revenge couldn't possibly be crossing the line, right?
With the corners of her lips curved into a smile, Zha Muxi said, "Prince, it would probably be best for all irrelevant personnel to step outside for now." With that, she cast a sweeping glance at Ye Shuxin.
A surge of delight bloomed in Mo Xuanjing's heart. *Could Zha Muxi be jealous? If she's jealous, does that mean she feels something for...*
Just as Ye Shuxin opened her mouth to say something, Mo Xuanjing interrupted, "All right, Xiner, you go on ahead. This Prince will come see you tonight."
No matter how angry Ye Shuxin felt inside, she had no choice but to swallow it down. She was pure, kind, and magnanimous, meaning she couldn't display even a hint of possessiveness toward Mo Xuanjing.
"Prince, let me take your pulse first." Obediently, Mo Xuanjing held out his wrist.
Mo Xuanjing's hands were slender and clean, every knuckle distinctly defined, making them quite pleasing to the eye. Even though he had spent years on military campaigns, aside from the calluses born from years of practicing the sword, his hands remained fair and immaculate, free of an ounce of excess fat.
Staring unblinkingly at Zha Muxi, Mo Xuanjing murmured, "Princess Consort, you are so beautiful."
Ever since baring his feelings, Mo Xuanjing wanted to seize every single opportunity to whisper sweet words to Zha Muxi.
Seeing that Zha Muxi was ignoring him, Mo Xuanjing transformed into a chattering nag. "Xier, have you eaten? What did you have?" "Xier, what kind of things do you like?" "Xier, Xier, pay attention to this Prince."
Song Wen, watching from the side, was dumbfounded. Was this really that wild, arrogant, and cool-headed Prince of his? How could he act so... well, like a total lapdog?
"Prince, if you interfere with my diagnosis and I accidentally poke the wrong spot later, it might result in you becoming permanently impotent," Zha Muxi said with a smile.
That shut Mo Xuanjing up instantly; he didn't dare speak another word, though he kept gazing at Zha Muxi with deep affection, even as her expression remained completely expressionless.
A short while later, Zha Muxi said, "Prince, please take off your upper garments now so I can administer the acupuncture." Mo Xuanjing followed her instructions to the letter.
He possessed a tall, imposing build with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, though his upper body was crisscrossed with saber scars of all sizes. Far from looking terrifying, they added a layer of rugged masculinity—a classic case of looking slender in clothes while packed with muscle underneath. Mo Xuanjing was exceptionally confident in his physique, yet seeing not a single ripple of emotional fluctuation in Zha Muxi's eyes, he couldn't help feeling a tinge of disappointment.
Half an hour later, Zha Muxi finally concluded the first course of treatment. Her forehead was slick with beads of fine sweat, and her body felt somewhat exhausted. One had to realize that during acupuncture, absolute mental concentration was mandatory. Slip up and puncture the wrong acupuncture point by sheer carelessness, and you might get lucky and be fine, or face severe consequences like high-level paralysis or even death.
Song Wen was utterly stunned as he watched from the side. He had never witnessed such brilliant acupuncture in his life. Furthermore, medical skills of this caliber were usually tightly guarded secrets that people would never deign to let others observe; he couldn't help casting a grateful look toward Zha Muxi.
Seeing the sheer admiration on Song Wen's face, Mo Xuanjing naturally guessed just how supreme Zha Muxi's medical expertise must be. Song Wen's medical skills were among the very best in State of Mo and indeed the entire world, yet Zha Muxi was even more formidable than him.
"Prince, how do you feel right now?" Zha Muxi asked coolly.
Channeling his Internal Energy, Mo Xuanjing was astonished to discover that his Internal Energy was flowing through his meridians with utter smoothness, a sudden spike of excitement hitting him. "I feel wonderful! The cold poison that had clogged my meridians is actually being converted into my own Internal Energy. Just what on earth did you do?"
A confident smile blossomed across Zha Muxi's face. "I heard from Song Wen that every time the flare-ups happen, you have to exhaust the majority of your Internal Energy just to barely suppress it. I figured that since Internal Energy and cold poison both operate under the law of mutual annihilation, is it possible to convert one into the other? Combined with my acupuncture techniques, it really worked!"
Both Mo Xuanjing and Song Wen were struck dumb listening to this. Converting poison into Internal Energy was something they had never even heard of! This medical art was simply defying the heavens.