The spring chill was bitter, the spring rain unending, the murky sky seeming as though it would never brighten again. Beneath the great tree, Jun Beiyue sat drenched to the skin, utterly motionless, like an ancient, unchanging statue.

Yet he had long since sensed danger approaching. Though he didn’t know who was coming, from the faint sound of footsteps alone he could tell the intruder was an elderly person, and one whose martial skill was not weak.

Although this elder’s martial arts surpassed his own at the moment, right now he was practically defenseless — utterly at the mercy of anyone, let alone someone versed in the martial arts.

He had been sitting here for several days and nights. On the surface he appeared calm, but inside, his true qi and the cold poison were clashing and colliding like ten thousand galloping horses, locked in mortal combat.

Once his true qi overwhelmed the cold poison, it could transform into internal power, and that internal power could then break through his sealed meridians, driving the cold from his entire body.

Now, he had reached the most critical step.

Just a little more, and his true qi would burst through the final obstacle and become internal power.

At this moment, what he needed most was total concentration — what he needed most was to give it everything he had.

But of all times, danger had chosen to draw near right now.

What was he to do?

The instant that person made a move, not only would all his efforts be wasted, but his dantian would be damaged — he would never again be able to gather qi, never again be able to practice martial arts. His skills would be ruined for good.

What could he do?

Jun Beiyue’s deep, composed eyes grew colder and colder. Just who was it, appearing at this damnable moment?

He did not raise his head. His hands clenched tightly.

Nanny Qin, however, drew closer and closer, stopping only three steps away from Jun Beiyue.

Seeing him this close, she guessed immediately what was happening to him.

Jun Beiyue was cultivating, apparently trying to break through something — and this was clearly the most crucial moment.

Whatever it was he was trying to break through, at a time like this Nanny Qin didn’t even need to raise a hand. She only needed to distract him, and he would inevitably fall into a deviant state, injure his dantian, and have his martial arts ruined entirely.

“Hahaha!”

Nanny Qin couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “Prince Yao of Da Zhou — it’s been a long time. Do you still recognize this old body?”

Jun Beiyue gave no response, not moving an inch. Yet Nanny Qin could clearly see that his hands were trembling, as though he were forcibly enduring something.

Very quickly, his lack of response only confirmed that her guess was correct.

“Jun Beiyue, so this day has come for you too. This old body had actually planned to seek you out — who would have thought… heh, truly this is heaven’s will. Heaven will not let Eastern Qin perish!”

Nanny Qin sighed with feeling, a shadow of malice flitting across her lips as she slowly drew out a dagger.

“Jun Beiyue, tell me — where should this old body plant this blade? Everyone says Da Zhou’s Prince Yao is a war god who never loses a battle. But once this blade goes in… you’ll have lost for good. Never any chance to turn things around. Ahahahaha!”

Nanny Qin laughed triumphantly, in no hurry at all. Being skilled in martial arts herself, she of course knew that at a time like this, there was nothing Jun Beiyue could do to her.

Whether he continued to endure in silence or struck back right now —

The outcome would be the same either way: he would fall into a deviant state.

Relishing the moment, Nanny Qin laughed on and on, lightly touching the dagger’s tip to Jun Beiyue’s chest. “Prince Yao… how is it you still haven’t recognized this old body?”

Nanny Qin’s very first thought had been to seize the chance and kill Jun Beiyue on the spot. But now, on second thought, it seemed keeping him alive would be far more entertaining — and would net her far greater gains.

Capturing Yelu Qianqian was nothing compared to capturing Han Ziqing, and capturing Han Ziqing was nothing at all compared to capturing Jun Beiyue.

With Da Zhou’s Prince Yao in hand, at the peace talks, no matter who Da Zhou sent to negotiate, they would all have to obediently bow to the will of her Eastern Qin!

The thought filled her with both smugness and excitement.

The dagger tapped lightly, again and again, against Jun Beiyue’s chest. She meant to force him into a deviant state, to see his martial arts ruined completely.

Only then could she fully control this man.

And yet, no matter how Nanny Qin provoked him, Jun Beiyue remained utterly unmoved.

Of course, if this dragged on too long, it wasn’t impossible that Jun Beiyue might still break through his final barrier. But though Nanny Qin felt no urgency, her eyes were sharp, and she kept close watch on his every sign at all times.

From his breathing alone she could judge his current state, and she knew she had all the time in the world to test his patience.

Moreover, Nanny Qin understood very well exactly what would most easily provoke the man before her.

“Prince Yao, tell me — if this old body plunges the blade in right now, your Princess Consort, she…”

At that, Nanny Qin abruptly stopped. Had she done that on purpose?

No — she had suddenly sensed something was wrong.

It seemed something had erupted from within Jun Beiyue’s body. Though it had no scent, no color, no sound she could name, being a martial artist herself, she could feel it all the same.

What was happening?

Nanny Qin didn’t have time to think it through. Her first instinct was to retreat, to get out of the way — but she didn’t even have time for that. In the blink of an eye, a powerful surge of internal energy erupted from within Jun Beiyue and sent her flying backward.

Caught completely off guard, Nanny Qin fell hard to the ground, clutching her chest as she coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood.

Only then did Jun Beiyue slowly lift his head. His face was pale as paper, yet his eyes remained as cold and clear as ever, showing not the slightest trace of having fallen into a deviant state.

Nanny Qin shook her head in disbelief. Impossible!

Just moments ago he had clearly been at an extremely critical juncture — his breathing had been unsteady, weak, as though his true qi were badly insufficient.

So how could he have suddenly erupted like that?

Judging by his complexion, he hadn’t broken through any major meridian point — and yet he hadn’t fallen into a deviant state either.

What in the world was going on?

Nanny Qin couldn’t make sense of it. As she watched Jun Beiyue’s face darken with malice as he walked coldly toward her, she felt a crushing pressure bearing down on her, leaving her mind utterly blank. She forgot entirely why she had come looking for him in the first place — instinct alone screamed at her to flee.

Because the icy chill in this man’s eyes told her plainly: he meant to kill her.

At last Jun Beiyue stopped, looking down at Nanny Qin from above, a flicker of fury stirring across his handsome brow.

How could Nanny Qin possibly have known he’d been poisoned — or known the secret of the Gu Clan’s internal art?

Just moments ago, just a hair’s breadth more, and he would have transformed his true qi into internal power and broken through his sealed meridians. But Nanny Qin’s arrival had been far too perfectly timed.

She had ruined everything for him. Fortunately, he had stopped himself in time and withdrawn all his true qi — otherwise the consequences didn’t bear thinking about.

The price of withdrawing his qi was that he would have to start all over again.

And starting over meant he would be delayed by several more days.

That damned Nanny Qin, ruining things like this — how could he possibly let her go!

Even as the cold poison within him began once more to gather, on the surface Jun Beiyue remained utterly calm, his cold gaze fixed on Nanny Qin, who was too frightened even to strike back.

“You’ve wasted this prince’s time. You’ll pay for it with your life. That Han Ziqing spared you doesn’t mean this prince will.”

With that, he abruptly raised his palm to strike — and it was at that very moment that Nanny Qin cried out urgently, “No, you can’t kill me! I’m the only one who knows the secret of Yaoshun Island!”