“That black-clad man is Yelu Chenyi!”

Xuanyuan Zhaoxi’s voice rang out sharp and piercing, like a blade scraping across glass, echoing across the entire stretch of sea!

Yet the moment these words left her mouth, everything fell into utter silence!

Situ Haonan and Jiao Cha stared at each other in stunned disbelief, neither having ever imagined such an outcome!

As for Jun Beiyue, he remained utterly motionless, staring coldly at Xuanyuan Zhaoxi, the icy chill in his deep, sharp eyes seeming to have frozen solid for a thousand years, the kind of cold that would instantly encase anyone who dared meet his gaze.

Xuanyuan Zhaoxi didn’t dare even glance at Jun Beiyue further, exhausted, terrified, and desperate all at once, wanting nothing more than to gasp for breath, yet not daring to make a sound.

Indeed, that black-clad man was none other than Yelu Chenyi himself—the very last person anyone could have expected!

Even Xuanyuan Zhaoxi herself had never once suspected it was him; she hadn’t even treated this whole affair as a matter of national importance, dismissing it as nothing more than a private feud between an orphaned survivor of the Lone Island and its guardians.

It was only once Yanzi had promised that, should she see this matter through successfully, Eastern Qin would gain control over the entirety of Western Chu’s territory, that she finally understood—Yanzi herself was not truly the mastermind behind all of this. Yelu Chenyi was.

Only he could possibly promise her the complete destruction of Western Chu!

A man second only to the king himself in Xijing, holding immense power and authority, and yet simultaneously the most low-profile, the most mysterious figure in all of Xijing.

“Well, well. So it’s the Crown Prince of Xijing himself!”

At last, Jun Beiyue spoke. No one could mistake the emotion woven through his voice—something between a cold sneer and bitter mockery, something between resentment and fury, and yet, at the same time, something resolute, as though a decision had already been made, unshakeable as forged steel.

With that, he immediately gave the order. “Someone, submerge her in the corpse-toxin blood.”

At these words, Xuanyuan Zhaoxi immediately let out a piercing scream, shrieking until her voice tore raw—so consumed by terror that she couldn’t even think of what to say, forgetting even to cry out for help!

But Jun Beiyue paid her no attention at all, turning and walking away, instructing Yingzi as he went. “Send word ahead to prepare the horses and clear the way—this prince is going to pay a visit to Xijing!”

He already held in hand an invitation from the King of Xijing himself, and in just a few days’ time would come the sand-worshiping ceremony at Mingsha Mountain. He had promised Ziqing they would attend together—how could he possibly break that promise now?

Not only would he go, but he intended to deliver a magnificent gift to the Crown Prince of Xijing as well!

By the time Jun Beiyue had already walked some distance away, Xuanyuan Zhaoxi finally came back to her senses, thrashing and wailing like a madwoman. “Let me go, let go of me, I demand to see my mother the empress! You can’t do this, you haven’t even negotiated with my mother yet, you cannot execute a prisoner of war! Jun Beiyue! Jun Beiyue, do you hear me! You cannot execute a prisoner of war! You’ll be violating the sacred laws of Longyuan itself…”

The laws of Longyuan did indeed forbid the execution of prisoners of war before formal negotiations between warring nations had concluded!

But Jun Beiyue, who no longer even held Nanzhao in any particular regard, was hardly likely to care one whit for Eastern Qin’s protests now!

Whoever dared insult his woman, whoever they might be, would pay the price without exception!

He never forgot a grudge, and he intended to settle this debt without delay.

Yanzi. Yelu Chenyi. You’d both best be ready.

No one paid the slightest attention to Xuanyuan Zhaoxi’s warnings, and she was soon dragged away.

Jun Beiyue personally carried Ziqing aboard, transferring to a smaller, swifter vessel, racing at full speed straight toward the harbor!

At this moment, he had grown quiet—truly, genuinely calm, quite unlike before, when his suppressed fury had radiated an unsettling, silent menace.

In the ship’s cabin, Physician Gu arrived with medicine, initially intending to withdraw, but seeing his master’s mood had settled considerably, he hesitated a moment before retreating instead to wait quietly off to the side.

Jun Beiyue held Ziqing cradled in one arm, the other hand holding the medicine. To draw out the corpse toxin required forcing large quantities of medicine into her system, followed by soaking her entire body in medicinal broth—the slowest method available, yet also the most effective.

Jun Beiyue lowered his head. When enraged, his expression turned terrifyingly cold; yet even now, in this moment of quiet seriousness, his expression carried an unsettling weight all its own, leaving one to wonder just how frightening this man might become once he truly set his mind to something.

Physician Gu understood well enough—this matter was far from over. It had only just begun.

“Qing… wake up, won’t you? I’ve come for you. It’s Beiyue.”

“Silly girl, stop pretending to sleep. It’s alright now, nothing’s going to happen to you. I’m right here.”

He murmured softly, his handsome face—so striking it could stir envy even among the gods—slowly leaning close to that grotesquely disfigured face, close enough that anyone watching couldn’t help but worry on his behalf, fearing that repulsive, ruined flesh might somehow taint him in turn.

Yet he showed not the slightest hint of revulsion, as affectionate and tender as ever, gently pressing close, gently nuzzling against her, trying to coax her awake.

“Wake up, won’t you? I recognize you. I’ve always recognized you. Don’t be afraid… it’s alright now. I’m here.”

…

But Ziqing remained utterly unresponsive, her body instinctively curled inward, her hands still clenched tightly shut even now, tense and fearful, unable to relax even in her unconscious state.

How could this man, who only moments ago had been consumed by uncontrollable fury, now show such gentleness, such patience?

He spoke to her tirelessly, again and again, at times pressing his cheek affectionately against hers, at times letting his exhausted, stubble-roughened jaw brush gently against her neck, quietly disturbing her rest.

Yet still, she would not wake.

He let out a soft sigh, gently pressing a kiss to her lips, lingering there with reluctance, before kissing her nose as well, and then her forehead—his expression so full of tender heartache that even Physician Gu, watching from the side, felt his own heart ache in sympathy, not for either one of them alone, but for the two of them together.

To finally find someone capable of truly reaching Prince Yao’s heart, only for her to be wounded so deeply, so cruelly—why did fate have to be so unkind?

Given the current state of affairs, Physician Gu understood all too well: once Da Zhou’s ships returned to port, once Eastern Qin realized their own ships had never returned, with no word or news of any kind, the truth of this battle would inevitably spread far and wide!

Da Zhou possessed hardly any navy to speak of—how could they possibly have achieved such an overwhelming victory against Eastern Qin’s well-equipped fleet?

This talk of “sea monsters” was nothing more than a convenient cover story.

The Empress of Eastern Qin would surely investigate, and Nanzhao would almost certainly dispatch Jiaoren of their own to uncover the truth!

Should it ever come to light that this was indeed the work of the Jiaoren, there would be serious trouble ahead!

And at a time like this, Prince Yao intended to leave Da Zhou entirely, to travel to Xijing—should Eastern Qin retaliate, should Nanzhao make trouble as well, what would become of Da Zhou then?

Physician Gu couldn’t help but worry deeply.

No one knew whether Jun Beiyue had truly considered any of this, whether he’d already worked out some countermeasure. All anyone knew was that, for now, only this unconscious woman had the power to calm him at all.

Yet no one knew when she might finally wake—nor what might happen once she did.

Unable to wake Ziqing, Jun Beiyue drank the medicine himself, feeding it to her mouth to mouth. Physician Gu watched in silence, yet found he simply couldn’t bear to keep watching—not out of any disgust of his own, but simply because the truth was what it was: her face truly was so hideous that he could hardly bear to see his prince showing such tender devotion toward it.

Physician Gu couldn’t help but recall a remark Prince Baxian had made just before they’d left the capital: “Han Ziqing is nothing but a curse—sooner or later, she’ll bring ruin upon Da Zhou’s peace!”

At this thought, Physician Gu finally couldn’t hold himself back any longer, stepping forward. “Your Highness, about the matter of the Jiaoren…”

But before he could even finish, Jun Beiyue waved a hand, silently dismissing him from the room.