The true horror of poison cultivation lay not in the process itself, but in its ultimate result!

Once a body developed a constitution immune to all poisons, just like the mistress’s own, it could be used indefinitely to test poisons and their antidotes, again and again—and even if Shiliang eventually became nothing more than a corpse, that body could still be used for months afterward.

Poison masters, for instance, would dismember such a body, preserving it piece by piece, each fragment brought out for testing again and again until it could no longer be used at all.

What a monstrously cruel thing to do to another human being—and yet, this very method offered the single best hope of curing the Enchanting Fragrance still lingering within their mistress’s body.

At the very least, it would yield a cure far faster than Prince Yao’s current painstaking, desperate search for the whereabouts of the Lonely Isle.

For a moment, Guxi found himself utterly unable to answer!

He wanted more than anything for his mistress’s affliction to be cured as swiftly as possible. Yet no matter how despicable Shiliang’s betrayal had been, he simply couldn’t bring himself to actually wish for her to be sacrificed this way, cultivated as a vessel of poison for his mistress’s sake.

To treat a person as something less than human, not even as an animal, but as mere flesh to be used and discarded—

After all, whatever bond of affection had once existed between them, however much he might resent her betrayal now, even if it meant wishing for her death, he couldn’t bear the thought of torturing her so cruelly in the process!

Watching Jun Beiyue’s sharp, probing gaze, Guxi suddenly understood something. If even he himself felt this troubled, how much more agonizing must this be for his mistress?

Prince Yao’s reason for not telling his mistress the truth could only be one thing—he feared she would refuse to allow the poison cultivation to proceed at all.

If his mistress learned of Shiliang’s betrayal, and learned that Prince Yao intended to use Guxi himself for poison cultivation as well, how deeply that would wound her heart!

He understood his mistress’s character well enough. When it came to dealing with genuine enemies, she had no shortage of methods to make them suffer worse than death itself.

But toward someone like Shiliang—someone she’d always cherished as a beloved younger sister—even after such a betrayal, she would only ever choose to end things quickly and mercifully with her own hand. She would never, ever allow such extreme, prolonged cruelty simply to extract a cure for herself.

Guxi had nothing left to say, his face etched with pure sorrow. What depth of helplessness could produce an expression like that?

Watching the grieving young man before him, Jun Beiyue found himself unexpectedly moved. Shiliang was perhaps like a sister to Guxi, or perhaps something more like a beloved companion—but what was Shiliang to Ziqing?

Unless he could somehow conceal this from Ziqing for the rest of their lives—using Shiliang here in Nanzhao as planned, then finding some reasonable excuse to send her away afterward once her usefulness had run its course—eventually, inevitably, the truth would surface someday regardless!

Could he really deceive that woman forever? He had to admit, of the countless things in this world he felt confident handling, this was the one matter where he genuinely had no certainty at all.

To tell her, or not to tell her—he had agonized over this for a very long time already.

Telling her would mean, in effect, closing off the path of poison cultivation entirely. Ziqing would only ever agree to turn Shiliang’s betrayal to their strategic advantage—she would absolutely never agree to something as cruel as poison cultivation to save herself. And if he told her, she would carry the pain of Shiliang’s betrayal with her for the rest of her life.

Jun Beiyue asked himself honestly—if someday Yingzi, or Physician Gu, were to betray him, what would he do?

He believed that even at his most ruthless, he would never go beyond simply killing the traitor outright with his own hand—he would never draw it out into slow, unbearable torment.

Perhaps it was Guxi’s own grief that had reminded him of this truth.

Whatever the outcome, regardless of his own worry or heartache over the matter, ultimately this had to be Ziqing’s own choice to make. It wasn’t truly his place to interfere.

With this realization, Jun Beiyue smiled helplessly, glancing at Guxi. “You’ve actually given this King something to think about.”

Guxi didn’t quite understand, but by then Jun Beiyue was already striding purposefully toward the royal palace.

Once inside, Jun Beiyue remained for a long while without emerging. It wasn’t for any ordinary reason—rather, it was because the Empress of Dongqin had already summoned the Xiliang general, Yelu Qianqian, and the others, gathering everyone early regarding the matter of the ominous omen.

The King of Nanzhao no longer had the luxury of worrying about how word had leaked out. He could only regret, deeply, ever having agreed to marry Chu Feiyan in the first place—before she’d even arrived, that totem had already surfaced, costing him countless sleepless nights, and now that she’d finally arrived, she’d brought this dire omen along with her, throwing the entire royal palace into turmoil, unsettling even the honored guests from every kingdom present!

With word already spreading, there was little the King of Nanzhao could do now but proceed. Though the Ancient Music Cavern was strictly forbidden ground, he now had no choice but to invite all the honored guests along as well, to help dispel this calamity together.

The King of Nanzhao and the three clan elders convened within the inner chamber to deliberate, while the Empress of Dongqin and the rest of the assembled guests waited outside.

The moment Jun Beiyue arrived, Situ Haonan hurried over at once, informing him urgently about the extinguished dragon-and-phoenix candles.

“Heh, this King doesn’t put much stock in such superstitions. In fact, I’ve come specifically to take my leave of the King of Nanzhao,” Jun Beiyue said with a smile. At these words, everyone nearby turned to look at him at once—they all understood the dire implications of such an omen. Could it be that Prince Yao genuinely didn’t believe in it at all?

Yelu Qianqian hurried forward at once. “Prince Yao, better safe than sorry with matters like this—might as well come along regardless. I hear it’s forbidden ground, too! Let’s all go together and see something we’d never otherwise get the chance to witness!”

She was desperate to stay just a few more days—once she returned home, her life as she knew it would be over for good.

“Ziqing is tired and wishes to return home,” Jun Beiyue said flatly.

Just then, the Second Young Beast Master couldn’t help but speak up. “Prince Yao, Consort Yao would surely find the Ancient Music Cavern fascinating.”

“Heh, and why would that be?” Jun Beiyue asked, turning the question back on him.

“I hear Consort Yao is deeply accomplished in music, having received the treasured qin Wuzheng as a gift from Xuanyuan Lige himself. That Ancient Music Cavern is, in fact…” Before the Second Young Beast Master could finish, the maid beside him quickly interjected, “Young Master! You mustn’t speak further of matters concerning the forbidden ground!”

The Second Young Beast Master shrugged sheepishly, glancing at Jun Beiyue with a look that clearly said “you understand what I mean,” but Jun Beiyue simply feigned complete ignorance, giving no reaction whatsoever.

The Second Young Beast Master leaned in closer, lowering his voice. “Prince Yao, the Ancient Music Cavern holds sounds of pure nature itself, divine melodies beyond compare—Her Highness would absolutely find it captivating!”

At these words, Jun Beiyue’s brow furrowed thoughtfully, regarding the Second Young Beast Master with renewed interest. The young man grinned sheepishly. “Consider it my way of making up for that mishap at the hunting grounds—please pass along to Consort Yao that this melody isn’t merely meant to dispel misfortune, but according to legend, every generation of sacred musicians who has ever heard that divine melody has found themselves utterly unable to transcribe it into notation afterward. Consort Yao really mustn’t miss this opportunity.”

Jun Beiyue finally nodded, taking a seat off to the side, and murmured quietly, “Haonan, send someone to fetch Her Highness, would you?”

Watching this exchange, the Empress of Dongqin’s lips curved into the faintest hint of a smile, though she remained careful not to exchange any obvious glances with the Second Young Beast Master. Since the hunting grounds incident, neither Jun Beiyue nor Han Ziqing had given the Second Young Beast Master any further trouble—a clear sign, at least, that he hadn’t aroused their suspicion after all!

Their scheme might have failed, but at least it hadn’t failed too disastrously!

Had Shiliang not revealed that connection between the totem and the Ancient Music Cavern, the Second Young Beast Master might never have uncovered even the faintest trace of a clue, no matter how thoroughly he investigated!

The Empress of Dongqin had no idea what secret truly lay hidden there, of course, but she certainly had no intention of sharing it generously with Jun Beiyue and his consort—though, as it happened, they were destined to learn of it far too late regardless.

With this thought, the Empress of Dongqin found herself glancing toward the Second Young Beast Master once more. The humiliation from before still burned too fiercely within her to wait any longer—she wanted nothing more than to cast Han Ziqing straight down into the deepest pits of hell, never to rise again!

Meanwhile, Jun Beiyue watched Minister Bomiluo with seemingly idle interest, his long, elegant fingers tapping absently against the table’s edge. After a long moment, he finally spoke quietly. “Physician Gu, has Shiliang taken her medicine today?”

“She has, my lord. The Poison Den’s remedy truly is remarkable—one more dose tomorrow, and her poison-resistant constitution should be fully established,” Physician Gu replied in a hushed voice.

“Send word to Her Highness—have her leave Shiliang behind to watch over Wuzheng, and come here at once. Tell her there’s a matter to discuss,” Jun Beiyue said flatly, his eyes darkening with quiet calculation, giving no hint of whatever plan was forming in his mind.