As soon as Zha Muxi sat down, she felt as though her entire body was being torn apart by various fierce beasts. After all, so many different poisons were rampaging inside her, each one clashing recklessly as if determined to emerge victorious.
Her body had now become their battlefield, and the pain was hundreds of times worse than when Lan Chenyu's Heart-Corroding Poison flared up. It felt comparable to having every bone in her body forcibly broken, smashed to pieces, and then pieced back together bit by bit.
"Ah," Zha Muxi cried out in agony.
She could only amplify her hatred for Lan Chenyu to fuel her will to survive. Sometimes, a person's hatred was a stronger prop for staying alive.
The people outside heard her miserable screams and were frantic with worry.
Mo Xuanjing immediately flashed over, wanting to pick Zha Muxi up.
Enduring the bone-piercing pain, Zha Muxi cried out anxiously, "Prince, I'm fine. Don't come near me—my entire body is poisonous right now."
Seeing Zha Muxi's completely bloodless lips, Mo Xuanjing couldn't help but panic inwardly. Yet he knew he couldn't distract her at a time like this, so he clenched his fists tightly and walked back to his original spot.
After a while, Zha Muxi finally managed to pull through, though her complexion remained deathly pale. She softly said, "Prince, why don't you tell me about your time fighting in wars? Maybe it won't hurt as much if I'm distracted."
"All right," he replied, his voice seeming to carry a trace of gentleness.
"I went to the battlefield to kill the enemy when I was thirteen. The first time I killed so many people, I was actually a little scared. But I knew I could never back down, because I had to shoulder the responsibility of protecting the common people and guarding the Mo Dynasty. Yet back then, it felt as if everything had reached a dead end; my soldiers and I each prepared a coffin for ourselves, thinking that if anyone wanted to invade the State of Mo, they would have to step over our corpses first."
Zha Muxi smiled as well. "You are a good prince. The people of State of Mo must be proud and happy to be part of it."
Mo Xuanjing suddenly wanted to know what she thought of him now. Did she still love him? It must be terrible, he figured, since he had seemingly never shown her a kind face and had even abandoned her.
"Zha Muxi," Mo Xuanjing suddenly called out her name.
"Yes, Prince, I'm here."
Suddenly, Mo Xuanjing didn't know what else to say. Should he ask her if she resented him for abandoning her on the city wall? She surely hated him.
Zha Muxi didn't know what to say either. He called out to her and then said nothing—well, she could only remain silent. Anyway, as long as she wasn't the one feeling awkward, the awkwardness belonged to everyone else.
Who knew how much time passed before the poisons in Zha Muxi's body reached a state of mutual balance? Only then did she call someone in to replace the water with a fresh tub.
Mo Xuanjing finally felt relieved, though he grew increasingly curious about Zha Muxi's medical skills. He knew full well how formidable Lan Chenyu's Heart-Corroding Poison was, yet she had actually managed to survive it.
After washing up and changing, Zha Muxi realized that Mo Xuanjing hadn't left yet, but she couldn't bring herself to bluntly chase him away.
Seeming to sense something, Mo Xuanjing turned to look at Zha Muxi. "When will you need it?"
"Huh? Need what?"
Mo Xuanjing said somewhat awkwardly, "My martial arts are formidable, and my Internal Energy is extremely profound."
Zha Muxi was utterly shocked. Could Mo Xuanjing possibly want to personally help her force these poisons out? But since he was the male lead, his combat power must undoubtedly be off the charts.
Seeing Zha Muxi look so astonished, Mo Xuanjing couldn't help feeling a flicker of annoyance. "Forget it if you don't need it." Leaving behind an instruction for someone to take good care of the Princess, he strode away.
At that moment, Zha Muxi didn't even have the strength to call him back. She could only watch helplessly as he left, thinking she would find him later to explain. Although she didn't love Mo Xuanjing and would divorce him sooner or later, that didn't mean they had to become enemies who never crossed paths again. Cultivating a good relationship with this world's Son of Fortune wasn't a bad idea, after all.
Meanwhile, everyone watched as Mo Xuanjing—who had gone off to find the Princess in high spirits—returned with a foul expression. They privately speculated whether the Princess had stirred up trouble again, and for a moment, no one dared to speak.
Mo Xuanjing cast a glance at the group and finally spoke. "There are hardly a few people in the entire State of Mo who are my match. Tell me, could the Princess be unaware of this?" Then, giving them a meaningful look, he continued, "I truly hope the Princess learns of these things tomorrow."
A strange expression crossed everyone's faces. Was this really their Prince? Wasn't he just trying to let the Princess know how powerful he was? Although these men were straightforward, having followed the Prince for so many years, they naturally knew he had fallen in love.
A man only subconsciously hoped to show his strength and dependability to someone when he had lost his heart to her. But wasn't Miss Ye the Prince's true love? Still, it was fine—they could simply take Miss Ye in as a concubine later on.
The next day, Zha Muxi woke up wanting to go out for a walk. The moment those people caught sight of her, however, the strange routine began.
Whenever there were three or more of them together, one person would shout at the top of their lungs, "The Prince's martial arts are the greatest under heaven, peerless, aren't they?" Whereupon a crowd of men would roar the slogan in unison, terrified that Zha Muxi might miss it. If it was just one person, they would suddenly raise their volume to praise Mo Xuanjing right as they passed her.
Zha Muxi's forehead was covered in black lines. Was this Mo Xuanjing's doing? Could he be taking revenge today because he flew into a rage from embarrassment yesterday?
Having heard about yesterday's events, Ye Shuxin was already burning with green-eyed jealousy. Now, as she came out for a stroll, she saw those people treating Zha Muxi in such a manner.
She refused to believe anyone would dare pull such a stunt without Mo Xuanjing's orders, and a fierce sense of crisis arose in her heart. *Could Brother Mo be falling for her? No, impossible.*
Zha Muxi spotted Ye Shuxin as well, gave her a faint sweep of her gaze, and turned to leave.
Believing Zha Muxi was afraid of her—especially since Brother Mo had chosen her in the past—Ye Shuxin hurriedly called out, "Princess Sister."
Zha Muxi knew she couldn't escape today, so she turned around and looked at Ye Shuxin expressionlessly. "Something the matter?"
Though Zha Muxi didn't want to entangle herself with them, that didn't mean she would back down if someone actively provoked her.
Seeing Zha Muxi's haughty demeanor, Ye Shuxin found it thoroughly nauseating, yet she forced a smile. "Princess Sister, are you still blaming me?" She was waiting for Zha Muxi to fly into a rage and strike her in full view of everyone.
As soon as those words were spoken, the sharp-witted onlookers naturally sensed the gunpowder in the air, and Wang Jun hastily dispatched a subordinate to notify the Prince.
At a single glance, Zha Muxi saw right through Ye Shuxin's intentions and stared at her coldly.
Frightened, Ye Shuxin took a step back. She actually felt a bit scared of that gaze; it was the exact same look she had once seen Brother Mo direct at his enemies.
Zha Muxi said coldly, "I have never blamed anyone. People are called human precisely because they have emotions—they grieve, they cheer, they love, and they have biases. Therefore, in times of danger, people will naturally lean toward saving the ones they love. It is human nature, and I believe everyone present would make the same choice. It's a matter of common human feeling; what is there to blame back and forth?
"Besides, by your logic, what did you do wrong? You had no choice either. So I don't blame him; he simply doesn't love me. Once we return to the capital, I will naturally divorce him."
The crowd suddenly felt a bit dissatisfied with Ye Shuxin. Hearing a dignified Princess state that her husband did not love her and loved someone else instead, they couldn't help feeling a pang of sympathy for her.
Without even glancing at Ye Shuxin's face—which alternated between red and white—Zha Muxi turned and left, only to find Mo Xuanjing standing right behind her.
Before Zha Muxi could say anything, Mo Xuanjing grabbed her hand tightly and dragged her straight into his tent.
Zha Muxi let out a cry of pain. "Prince, you're hurting me."
The grip on her wrist loosened slightly. It seemed this man hadn't completely lost his reason yet, but what was the reason for him being so angry?
Mo Xuanjing suddenly pulled Zha Muxi into an embrace. "I'm sorry."
Zha Muxi felt a slight trace of surprise. The God of War Prince was actually apologizing to her. She tried to break free, but the gap in their combat power was simply too vast.
After holding her for a long while, Mo Xuanjing finally let go. Gazing deeply into her eyes, his voice tinged with obsession, he said, "I will not divorce you. In my world, there is no such thing as divorce—only widowhood."
*Ah, right. Mo Xuanjing, why don't you just go die?*
Zha Muxi looked at Mo Xuanjing quietly for a long moment before finally speaking. "Prince, do you like me?"
Mo Xuanjing fell silent. The moment he heard she was going to leave him, the moment he imagined all those frantic affections of hers being given to someone else, he felt as though he were losing his mind.
At that very moment, he had no choice but to admit that his heart had been stirred. He didn't know when it had happened; love seemed to strike so unawares—perhaps at that moment in the Secret Realm when he saw her running toward him and collapsing into his arms, or perhaps during the days he spent accompanying her through the parasite poison.
"Yes. My heart has been stirred."
Zha Muxi smiled and asked softly, "And what about Ye Shuxin?"
Mo Xuanjing was taken aback. "I will take Xin'er into the household, but you will forever be my only Princess. She will not affect your position as my legitimate wife."
Zha Muxi's smile vanished. With a tone of utter indifference and detachment, she said, "Prince, true love is equal and exclusive. Your kind of love is something I cannot afford."
Mo Xuanjing hurriedly said, "In this lifetime, I will only ever have the two of you. There will never be a third person."
Seeing that Zha Muxi's expression still remained unchanged, Mo Xuanjing couldn't help panicking a little. He didn't understand why she was still looking at him with such a stranger's gaze.
Since ancient times, people of the royal family and even ordinary nobles all had three or four wives and concubines. Yet he was only marrying two in his entire life, and still she was unwilling? Why must she be so obstinate with him?