Chapter 45: He himself had not realized he would react so strongly to Su Yingxue’s assassination attempt.

Chu Xingchen was lost in thought for a long while before finally replying with a faint smile, “Your Highness is too kind.”

“When His Highness awakens, please convey my gratitude to him on my behalf, Miss Qiushuang.” Chu Xingchen seemed to have countless words to say, yet suddenly, facing Qiushuang, he felt as though something was stuck in his throat.

It was as if he could not utter a single word, nor could he express anything clearly. At this moment, Chu Xingchen felt that there was much struggle and hesitation in his heart, yet it all dissolved into a simple “thank you.”

Upon hearing this, Qiushuang smiled and said, “It was nothing of great importance, so why the need for thanks? If the Chu Prince is pleased, His Highness will naturally be delighted.”

Chu Xingchen fell silent upon hearing this, his gaze drifting past Qiushuang toward the direction behind the screen, lingering on the spot where Su Yingxue lay. He could not tear his eyes away until Qiushuang gently reminded him with a smile, at which point he finally departed.

The first thing Chu Xingchen did upon returning to the side hall was to summon the Shadow Guard, intending to clarify the details of the day’s events.

To his surprise, upon arrival, he discovered that the Shadow Guard he had secretly dispatched to follow Su Yingxue had suffered severe internal injuries. When Chu Xingchen went to assess the situation, several Shadow Guards were channeling their inner force into the severely injured and unconscious guard to aid his recovery, while a physician simultaneously administered acupuncture treatment.

The Shadow Guard on duty for surveillance today was a Heaven-ranked Shadow Guard from Zhao Ying’s side. It could be said that the Heaven-ranked Shadow Guards under Zhao Ying were among the top experts within the Da Qi spy network.

Now, the person who attacked Su Yingxue had silently eliminated the Shadow Guards and death attendants around her while simultaneously severely injuring his own guard. If not for the fact that this Shadow Guard was a Heaven-ranked expert with formidable martial skills, and his orders were merely to gather intelligence rather than protect Su Yingxue at all costs, he would not have survived.

Judging by the wounds on the Shadow Guard, it was evident that the assassin’s martial prowess was truly extraordinary. The scale and determination of this assassination attempt suggested that from the very beginning, the intention was to ensure Su Yingxue would not return alive.

If not for Chu Xingchen and Mr. Liu arriving in time, and the assassin being preoccupied with torturing her for pleasure, Su Yingxue would likely have already lost her life, let alone survived with half a breath remaining.

Who was it, and why did they choose this moment to strike?

Chu Xingchen’s eyes suddenly turned cold, as if even he himself had not realized that he would react so strongly to Su Yingxue’s assassination attempt.

Chu Xingchen hastily ordered the Shadow Guards to take the severely injured guard away for proper medical treatment, while he calmly analyzed the situation.

Regardless of the motives of the mastermind behind this, it was clear that this person had already planned to shift the blame for the assassination onto him, the Da Qi hostage prince. Each time, they chose moments when he was present.

Chu Xingchen could not help but take a sharp breath. This tactic of diverting the blame would force him, the Da Qi hostage prince, and the innocent people of Da Qi to bear the brunt of Su Qinhuai’s fury and hatred after losing his sister.

The mastermind behind this scheme was truly as deep and unfathomable as an abyss, and utterly malicious.

Given this, at least until Chu Xingchen departed, he would have to protect Su Yingxue. Chu Xingchen’s gaze turned deep and icy as he stared intently at the black longbow and several sets of riding attire Su Yingxue had sent him, unable to look away for a long time.

Chu Xingchen remained silent for a long time. Dressed in a solitary white robe, he stood alone like snow amidst the pines, hidden behind a white screen as if melting into the snowy landscape painted upon it—something within his heart seemed to melt as well.

Suddenly, as if recalling something, Chu Xingchen spoke in a hoarse voice, “Zhao Ying, select a few highly skilled Shadow Guards to protect Su Yingxue. At least before we leave Dasheng, ensure no scheming individuals use the name of Da Qi to eliminate a thorn in their side, thereby endangering Da Qi and us.”

“Acknowledged,” Zhao Ying replied with a nod.

Chu Xingchen stared at the object before him, inexplicably reminded of Su Yingxue’s delicate face when she had gifted him the black bow. Today, her eyes were as gentle as water, clear and brimming with sincerity.

She seemed like a completely different person from before—less of the detestable, venomous malice and more of a fragile, gentle tenderness that evoked pity.

No. Chu Xingchen shook his head, as if trying to shake the image of the woman who had been speaking softly to him with a charming smile out of his mind.

He silently reasoned with himself: he was merely taking these measures to ensure that he and Da Qi would not be implicated in any trouble. Protecting her from harm was simply a precaution.

His gaze turned cold. Yes, that was it. He repeated the thought to himself, as if reaffirming that Su Yingxue was a vicious, serpent-like woman—not to be deceived by any facade she might adopt.

After all, the more beautiful a woman, the more adept she was at toying with people’s hearts, wasn’t she?

Imperial Physicians had been visiting for several weeks. The poison was cunning; although they had taken samples back to the Imperial Medical Institute for study and identified the main components of several toxins, the exact dosages and the sequence in which they were refined remained unclear.

The poison was called Seven-Day Fragrance. Those afflicted experienced cycles of agony every seven days—as if being gnawed by countless insects or cast into an icy and fiery hell. At times, their bodies felt pierced by bone-chilling cold; at others, scorched as if by burning coals. This poison was a long-lost secret formula from a previous dynasty, believed to have vanished long ago. Yet now it had reappeared, delivered by an arrow aimed at Su Yingxue.

Chu Xingchen had been visiting daily these past few days. During the day, he came as an adoptive younger brother paying a routine visit. At night, he would sometimes arrive under cover of darkness, using his extraordinary martial skills and inner force to easily evade the Shadow Guards and attendants of the Princess’s Palace, then slip into her inner chamber to examine and treat her.

The antidote pill he had secretly fed her that day had played a role in slowing the poison’s spread through her blood vessels and meridians, as well as protecting her heart. Over the past few nights, he had used his inner force combined with acupuncture to induce her to cough up some of the poisoned blood, then administered a herbal decoction he had prepared himself.

He had also secretly reviewed the prescription from the Imperial Hospital. It was overly cautious. Fearing that stronger medicine might overwhelm her severely injured and weakened body, the Imperial Physicians had halved the dosage and prescribed a conventional formula to clear residual toxins and regulate her constitution.

The prescription Chu Xingchen devised for Su Yingxue could complement the Imperial Physicians’ formula while transforming it from a gentle detoxifying regimen into a potent remedy. Using his specially crafted heart-protecting pill as a catalyst and combining it with acupuncture techniques, he aimed to safeguard her heart meridian.

Although this method was perilous, it was necessary for Su Yingxue at this moment. The Imperial Physician’s treatment might save her life, but she would likely become a lifelong invalid confined to bed, dependent on expensive warming tonics to barely sustain her existence.

Chu Xingchen’s approach, however, sought to gamble for Su Yingxue—to gamble for a complete recovery that would allow her to run freely like a young girl again, to live without lifelong dependence on medication and constant rest, to reclaim a life of freedom where she could live as she once did, following her heart’s desires.