Several months ago, when Xu Qing first arrived, he witnessed with his own eyes the Celestial Heart Sect’s demon decapitate Corpse Driver Liu Youdao.
This caused him great trauma during his childhood.
A wise person once said that the way to face fear is to conquer it.
Now, Xu Qing decapitated Bai Luo using the Hidden Blade Technique with his own hands, inadvertently healing his previously wounded and fragile heart.
Bai Luo’s head rolled to the ground, and in his dying moments, the terror in his eyes was even greater than that of the young zombie fresh out of the grave!
Xu Qing sheathed his blade, and before him, the neck cavity continued to spurt hot liquid, like a floodgate opening, staining his vision red in an instant.
At this moment, what should have made him shudder inexplicably made him swallow.
Just as Xu Qing couldn’t resist the urge to stick out his tongue and lick the warmth from the corner of his mouth, a trembling voice suddenly sounded from beside him.
"Brother Xu... Xu Qing?"
Xu Qing’s face twisted and changed, and after regaining his usual appearance, he turned to look at the trembling Crown Prince Zhu Sheng.
Xu Qing felt a moment of annoyance, but considering his usual sense of grace and warmth, he released the corpse in his hand and came before Zhu Huai’an.
He crouched down, looked at the Crown Prince paralyzed on the ground, and smiled faintly.
Zhu Huai’an retreated in fear.
At this moment, Xu Qing’s pale face was covered with blood stains, like a blood-red plum blossom blooming in the winter, incredibly enchanting.
"Don’t be afraid, my prince, sleep, and everything will be fine."
Xu Qing took out a porcelain bottle from the Mountain and River Map, containing two Forgetfulness Pills.
Swallowing these pills would make one forget their past and present lives, allowing them to start over. The effect lasted for three days.
He had obtained these pills when he transcended the Corpse Craftsman Li Shuangxi.
At that time, he had jokingly referred to the pills as ’Three Days Dummy Spring Experience Card,’ not expecting them to come in handy today.
The half-awake and half-drunk chubby boy gagged continuously from the pigeon egg-sized pills.
He hadn’t died at the hands of the Celestial Heart Sect’s demons but almost choked on the pills Xu Qing forcibly fed him.
Watching Zhu Huai’an ’obediently’ swallow the pills and fall asleep, Xu Qing finally stood up and looked at the wrecked courtyard.
Four corpses were scattered in the courtyard, each in different postures. As he glanced around, he felt that these bodies were no different from the flirtatious girls in the Flower House.
Ignoring the Prince Mansion Guard’s corpses, he only focused his gaze on Bai Luo’s body.
Xu Qing’s thoughts moved slightly, trying to store Bai Luo in the Mountain and River Map, but he failed.
"Could the grid be full?" Xu Qing’s spirit entered the Mountain and River Map, discovering there was still plenty of space inside.
After hesitating for a moment, he took out the rare treasure Box Garden, and then he lifted Bai Luo’s body, communicating with the Box Garden. The next moment, he appeared in the rear garden of the Box Garden, carrying the corpse and head.
Xu Qing breathed a sigh of relief. He couldn’t indiscriminately dispose of the prince’s guards, but Bai Luo, the intruder’s corpse, was his deserved prey.
Casually tossing Bai Luo in the rear garden, Xu Qing couldn’t bother to handle him carefully. He needed to quickly return to the outside world to conclude this matter.
Leaving the ’Golden House,’ Xu Qing held the Box Garden with both hands, and with a thought, the Mountain and River Map was once again useful.
Looking at the ink-wash courtyard that appeared at the foot of a mountain in the Mountain and River Scroll, Xu Qing was speechless.
This Mountain and River Map was purely superfluous!
Though this minor interlude happened, the final result was good.
Xu Qing changed his clothes, wiped off the blood stains, and then sprinkled some Deodorizing Powder on himself.
This powder was also a reward he obtained from the Corpse Craftsman Li Shuangxi, capable of eliminating all odors.
After doing all this, Xu Qing followed the route in his memory to the banquet site beside the winding river.
The place was still bustling with people, and in the pavilion, Miss Han Meng, who had just finished playing ’Seeking a Kindred Spirit’ for the Crown Prince, now spontaneously performed ’General’s Order’ for Prince Changting.
Xu Qing found the guards on duty at the venue, explained with gestures, and his panic-stricken expression didn’t seem fake.
In brief, the story was that the Crown Prince was assassinated, but midway, a reclusive expert in white clothes and white veil saved him, preventing the Celestial Heart Sect’s demons from succeeding.
However, the Crown Prince was in poor condition, seemingly having fainted from fright.
The guards’ leader remembered Xu Qing, knowing he was one of the Crown Prince’s recent new friends.
Upon hearing this news, they couldn’t sit still!
A group of people drew their swords and crossbows, rushing urgently to the scene of the incident.
In the pavilion with melodious music, the Prince’s steward hurriedly reported in.
Seeing the situation still unclear and mysterious, the steward dared not announce the Crown Prince’s assassination attempt publicly, only gesturing for the Prince to step aside.
They leaned against the pavilion’s railing, with the water reflecting the moonlight before them, as a group of koi just happened to disperse the moonlight.
"Your Highness, something has happened!"
The steward frowned, glanced at the Crown Prince who nodded and smiled at him, then lowered his voice and said, "The Crown Prince was assassinated while returning a drunk friend to his room. Fortunately, a reclusive expert saved him, so his life is spared..."
The steward paused, not daring to say the Crown Prince had become an idiot, carefully choosing his words:
"Although the Crown Prince’s life is spared, he was so frightened that he lost his mind. The house physician is treating him, but he has yet to show signs of waking."
Zhu Sheng’s face darkened instantly upon hearing this.
Returning to the banquet, Zhu Sheng did not say much to the Crown Prince, only excusing himself with a pretext, then left the pavilion.
The Crown Prince Zhao You watched Zhu Sheng leave thoughtfully, then shook his head.
The banquet continued, with song and dance, while Miss Han Meng’s rendition of ’General’s Order’ grew even more intense.