As the ties of her collar were pulled open, a large expanse of snowy skin was about to be revealed. Shatana trembled all over, tears streaming down her face.
"Lin Tang, don't you go too far!" Shen Youling quickly helped her retie the ribbons.
Lin Tang curled his lip. "Aren't foreign girls supposed to be open-minded? Why does she seem so conservative?"
Lee Encai said with disdain, "You just wish she'd be open with you, don't you? She's a princess, extrely particular about the purity of her bloodline. She rarely ets with ordinary n, let alone allows one to touch her."
Wei Zichu added, "I've heard that many royal families don't intermarry with commoners, precisely for fear of diluting their royal bloodline."
"Well…" Lin Tang found it hard to comnt, only wondering aloud, "If that's the case, why did she co looking for my… counterfeit master, Long Tianji? Don't tell Long Tianji is a descendant of our ancient imperial family?"
"Who knows?" After soothing Shatana, Shen Youling glared at Lin Tang. "It's barely justifiable for you to tease Pavilion Master Ning, but the princess hasn't offended you. Why must you bully her?"
"I was just kindly helping her with the poison…"
"You might fool others, but you can't fool . I refuse to believe you have the patience to undress and apply needles to every single person poisoned out there. There must be another way to neutralize the poison." Shen Youling lowered her voice. "You'd better finish up quickly and make our escape."
"Alright, I'll listen to you. You're my wife, after all." Lin Tang handed the ointnt to her again, instructing her to apply it to her face and not wash it off all night.
Then he asked Wei Zichu, "Are you coming with , or are you staying?"
Wei Zichu's eyes darted around as she feigned helplessness. "I've already beco Uncle Long's woman, so how can I go with you? All I can say is that while we were destined to et, we were not fated to be together. Alas…"
"Drama queen!" Lin Tang rolled his eyes. He actually preferred that she stay.
Lee Encai, however, hurriedly clung to him, her words dripping with maudlin affection. "I have no reason to stay behind. Don't you dare abandon !"
Chen Yuyan was speechless. Wait, what? Is it really okay to act like this in front of his wife?
Shen Youling was already used to it and couldn't even be bothered to get upset. She just urged Lin Tang to hurry up with the antidote.
Lin Tang laughed loudly. "Actually, you just have to douse them with a bucket of cold water."
With that, he took Lee Encai's hand and strode away.
"Hmph!" Ning Yuexi was furious. There was another way to cure the poison, yet he had just toyed with her like that! How shaless!
Chen Yuyan exclaid in amazent, "You can detoxify soone just by dousing them with cold water? What's the principle behind that? It's incredible!"
Ning Yuexi froze and fell silent. She, on the other hand, couldn't do it. This proved that Lin Tang's mastery in this area was both effortless and supre. He could truly be called a Grandmaster of Poisons! It was impossible not to admire him. On my own, seeking revenge against Long Tianji seems like a distant dream. I wonder if this Lin Tang has the ability to poison a Heavenly King to death? Even if there's just the slightest chance… but what bargaining chips do I have to win him over and make him willingly take such a monuntal risk to go after Long Tianji?
Once everyone who had been poisoned had recovered, Xiao Xuanye and Guo Jufeng vanished without a second thought. They intended to hide in the shadows and remotely control the upcoming consort selection. Being exposed out in the open was simply too dangerous. As for Lin Tang… they wouldn't see him again until their injuries had healed. They absolutely could not tolerate being poisoned and bullied by him again!
"Old Xiao, are we just going to let this go?"
"Hmph, of course not! We only promised not to take revenge with our own hands. We can just borrow soone else's blade to kill him, can't we?"
"Exactly, that kid must die! And the recording on his phone must be completely destroyed! As for the Hua family father and son and those won…"
"They're not fools; they won't spread it around. Let's just monitor them in secret for now. No need to silence them just yet."
After settling on a plan, they made their calls to borrow a blade. This allowed Hua Fengchen and the others to narrowly escape death's door.
「In the bedroom.」
Shen Youling stared at the dark mark on her face in the mirror. She zoned out for a long while before carefully opening the jar. She applied the tiny, bean-sized portion of rare ointnt little by little onto her face. I hope a miracle happens…
Just as she was praying, her face suddenly felt as if it had been doused with pepper spray, burning and stinging. The sensation then escalated from pepper spray to boiling water, and from boiling water to sulfuric acid.
"Ah!" She couldn't hold back and cried out in pain again and again.
"Shen Youling, what's wrong?" Wei Zichu quickly ran over.
Chen Yuyan also appeared, pulling Ning Yuexi with her. Ning Yuexi picked up the ointnt jar and saw that half of Shen Youling's face was already swollen.
"She's having an allergic reaction," Ning Yuexi declared. "That dicine is clearly useless and might even cause severe disfigurent. We need to wipe it off imdiately!" Although she had conceded defeat to Lin Tang when it ca to poisons, she still didn't believe he could heal Shen Youling's face. Poisoning and healing were two entirely different things.
"That can't be right. Why would Big Brother Lin harm his own wife?"
"Don't forget, Shen Youling is also a candidate for the consort selection. If he completely ruins her face, she'll no longer have a chance of being chosen."
"Didn't Mr. Xiao promise that Shen Youling wouldn't have to participate?"
"And you think they won't go back on their word?"
"…"
"Alright, quickly hold her down. I'll force out the properties of this useless ointnt."
"Okay." Wei Zichu and Chen Yuyan did as they were told.
Just as Ning Yuexi was about to apply the needles, Shen Youling, who had nearly fainted from the pain, regained so clarity. "No, don't! I trust Lin Tang. He won't harm . I can endure this. You don't need to worry about !"
She clenched her teeth, cold sweat beading on her forehead. Curled up on the bed, she trembled uncontrollably.
Ning Yuexi tried to persuade her a few more tis, but seeing her unwavering resolve, she relented. "Fine. It's your face; I respect your choice."
Seeing Shen Youling in so much pain, she inserted needles into other acupoints, causing her to lose consciousness.
「In another room.」
Shatana was on the phone with her mother, the Empress of Sunset Country, tearfully recounting the day's events. The Empress was furious and promised to protest and apply pressure. The culprit had to be severely punished.
Shatana pleaded, "Mommy, I want to co ho now. I don't want to stay here any longer. I hate this place!"
But the Empress's voice was ice-cold. "You can co ho, but not now. You must bring that Heavenly King back with you. The throne needs him!"
"But…"
"No buts. That's final."
Shatana's lips pressed into a tight line, her heart filled with grievance. Yet, she had no choice but to comply. She stood up, gathered her skirt, and curtsied. Her hatred for Lin Tang grew stronger, as did her hatred for the still-unseen Long Tianji.
「The next morning.」
Shen Youling's brows furrowed as she slowly regained consciousness. "Where am I…" She was still a bit dazed.
"You're awake! Are you uncomfortable anywhere? Do you want so water?" Wei Zichu, who had fallen asleep at the desk, rubbed her eyes and ca over.
"You watched over all night? You shouldn't have!" Shen Youling was deeply moved and stood up to take her hand.
"It's nothing… Whoa, oh my heavens!" Wei Zichu stared at her face, completely dumbfounded.
Shen Youling was startled. "What is it?" Then she rembered the ointnt Lin Tang had given her and its agonizing pain. Am I completely disfigured?
Her heart seized with panic, and she scrambled to the mirror. Then she, too, froze in disbelief. The dark mark on her face had completely vanished!
But that wasn't all. Her skin was now in perfect condition—flawless, supple, and glowing with a rosy luster. It was as if she had a beauty filter and special effects applied. She looked like a goddess descending in a fantasy drama, or a magical girl in the middle of a transformation sequence from an ani. She was so beautiful! It made Wei Zichu's heart pound, even though she was a girl. She felt an overwhelming urge to lean in and give her a huge kiss—no, many kisses!
"I've finally, finally recovered!" Shen Youling cupped her cheeks, and the tears that welled up in her eyes seed to shimr like precious jewels.
CLICK! CLICK! Wei Zichu quickly captured the stunning image of the beauty in tears, deciding she would print the photos and treasure them forever.
When Ning Yuexi and Chen Yuyan saw the brand-new Shen Youling, they too were profoundly shocked.
"How is this possible?"
"In just one night, she not only fully recovered but beca even more beautiful?"
"I rember she only applied the ointnt to the small area with the dark mark. Why has her entire face, and even the skin on her neck, beco so perfect? This is completely unscientific!"
"What on earth is that ointnt made of?" Ning Yuexi once again snatched up the ointnt jar. Seeing a tiny trace still inside, she treasured it as if it were a priceless gem, determined to analyze its composition. She could have just asked Lin Tang directly, but she… still couldn't swallow her pride.
Wei Zichu was much more direct. She sent the photo of Shen Youling to Lin Tang and eagerly dialed his number. The mont he picked up, she shrieked, "Big Brother Lin, what kind of Immortal Elixir did you use on Shen Youling? Do you have any more? I want so too!"
"Immortal Elixir? It's rely Millennium-old Huangsun Resin," Lin Tang feigned nonchalance, putting on airs. "But I'm currently out of stock. We can talk about it later."
"What? Millennium-old Huangsun Resin? One of the main ingredients of the legendary Youth-Preserving Pill?!" Ning Yuexi was deeply shaken.
Hearing the words "youth-preserving," Chen Yuyan and Wei Zichu's eyes turned green with envy as they stared at Shen Youling. So envious, so jealous! Their feelings intensified when Ning Yuexi added how exceedingly rare Huangsun Resin was, let alone a specin that was over a thousand years old. To find even one dose was a stroke of unbelievable fortune; finding a second was impossible. Their hearts ached so much they could barely breathe.
They had missed it! They had missed their chance! No woman is immune to the allure of beauty, and the temptation of eternal youth was absolutely irresistible.
"Sigh, Shen Youling, your husband… is truly sothing else. You're so lucky!" Wei Zichu sighed, looking toward the heavens. She had only t Lin Tang one day after Shen Youling had. "If Youling was to be born, why was I, Zichu, born as well?!"
When Shatana saw Shen Youling, it was no surprise that she, too, was flabbergasted. Her entire entourage stared wide-eyed, exclaiming praises to God. They swore that this was, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman from Central Earth they had ever seen, no less stunning than their own national treasure of a princess.
"It's a miracle…" For the first ti in her life, Shatana felt the sting of defeat before the battle had even begun. With her around, will Long Tianji even choose ?
"Great!"
"This is wonderful!"
After Long Tianji and Guo Jufeng had a video call with Shen Youling, they both slamd the table in delight. Things were settled now! The Heavenly King wouldn't be leaving the country!
"Send the best photographers right away! Get hundreds of artistic photos of her. I want my daughter's pictures spread all over the world!"
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