Master Guangzhi stroked his gray beard and hesitated for a moment, almost making Song Yinghuai's heart stop.
His face instantly turned pale. Caiyu felt the big palm in hers trembling.
Caiyu, however, was quite calm.
On her way from Pengcheng to Licheng, she had already made up her mind to face death.
Anyway, Sheng Jiangli had been saved. Her only regret now was worrying Song Yinghuai.
"Your Highness, everyone has their own fate. I should have died two years ago. Now I still have the chance to untie my knot in my heart and spend a few more months with you... I'm already content."
Song Yinghuai grabbed her tightly and rubbed her hand in his palm. His eyes turned red. "You're content, but what about me? How am I supposed to live the rest of my life?"
Master Guangzhi coughed. "Amitabha. I didn't say anything just now, and you two have already started saying goodbye as if it's a matter of life and death?"
Song Yinghuai and Caiyu turned their heads.
A sly smile flashed in the old monk's eyes. Then he said, "I guess, Your Highness and Miss Caiyu have already... you know?"
He held out his two thumbs and made a gesture.
Caiyu's face instantly burned like fire. She couldn't help but murmur softly, "... Master, you're a monk. Why aren't you being serious?"
Master Guangzhi smiled. "Men and women in the mortal world come and go for this very thing... Alright, alright. I won't keep you in suspense anymore."
He laughed heartily. "This is the will of heaven. I learned from Qingqing's letter that Miss Caiyu had been poisoned by the Heart - Eating Gu. I originally planned to match you two up when I came to Licheng... Hehe!"
"The Twin Snakes and the Heart - Eating Gu were both made by a Gu master in the northern border two hundred years ago. They are from the same origin. When the two Gu worms meet, since they can sense the aura of their masters on each other, they will desperately swim towards each other, entangle with each other, and devour each other..."
"The Twin Snakes on Your Highness's body. I've tried every means but couldn't make it leave your body. In these years of my wandering, I've also been constantly looking for other Gu worms left by that Gu master, hoping to lead out that Twin Snake. But I never thought that the Gu worm was hidden in the royal family in the capital.
Even more unexpectedly, Miss Caiyu ate it! You two are truly destined by heaven!"
Such a strange coincidence?
Fang Kuan asked excitedly, "Master, do you mean... Your Highness's Gu has also been cured?"
"Cured."
"Haha! Your Highness! Did you hear that? This is really turning misfortune into fortune!" Fang Kuan couldn't help but slap his thigh. "If Empress Dowager Lü knew that she had miscalculated, wouldn't she regret it to death!"
Song Yinghuai and Caiyu were bombarded by the good news one after another and could hardly speak.
Ma Mo, while being happy, suddenly remembered a question. "Wasn't Sheng Jiangli also poisoned by the Heart - Eating Gu? Can this Gu worm be split into two?"
Master Guangzhi said, "What he drank was just the residual poison in the tea. But if there was no antidote, even if he didn't die, he would end up looking neither human nor ghost for the rest of his life!"
So, it was really fortunate that Caiyu had given the antidote to Sheng Jiangli!
Song Yinghuai couldn't help but laugh out loud. He picked up Caiyu and spun her around a few times, scaring Caiyu into pounding on his shoulder.
"Hehe!" Song Yinghuai hugged her tightly and didn't want to let go. He planted a kiss on her forehead. "Yuer, did you hear that? We're destined to be together."
"Humph." Caiyu snorted twice and wasn't as overjoyed as him.
Song Yinghuai's Gu was cured. Now that he was free from any constraints, who knew if he would have a harem in the future?
Although he had sworn that he wouldn't marry again when he was trying to please her, if he proclaimed himself king, the court officials' spittle alone could drown her.
Noticing that Caiyu didn't seem particularly excited, Song Yinghuai couldn't help but get nervous. "... Yuer, what's wrong?"
As if remembering something, he asked fearfully, "You... aren't you planning to leave again?"
Before Caiyu could say anything, his eyes turned red, and he threw all his previous ecstasy out of the window. "Yuer, please don't leave, okay? Are you not confident in me?"
"No, wait. Let me think of a way to solve this, okay?"
He turned to Master Guangzhi and asked, "Master, is there any Gu that can be planted on a person to make me unable to touch other women for the rest of my life?"
In this way, he would only belong to Miss Lan San for the rest of his life. Maybe she would feel at ease?
"Your Highness!" Caiyu called out and objected. "You've just been cured of the Gu, and now you want to be poisoned by another one. Do you think Gu worms are just for fun?"
Song Yinghuai sighed. "But I'm afraid you don't trust me. I'm afraid you'll leave at any time... Yuer, between you leaving and being bound by a Gu, I choose the former."
"Your Highness, if I want to leave, even if you have a Gu on your body, I'll still leave." Caiyu said calmly. "Just like two years ago."
"Yuer, please don't mention the word 'leave' again, okay?" Song Yinghuai's tone was eager, filled with deep attachment and cherish. He carefully held her hand and said seriously, "... Alright, you don't want me to be poisoned by a Gu. I won't think about it anymore. I'll listen to you. But please don't mention leaving again, okay?"
The man's expression was cautious, completely different from the strategic God of War of Daye.
Caiyu choked back the words she wanted to say. She finally swallowed them back and put on a proud look. "Your Highness, before leaving Pengcheng, I said that it depends on your performance."
Second Sister was right. When dealing with a man, one shouldn't pour all their feelings on him.
Being able to handle him with ease, he would cherish her.
As soon as the little girl showed her stubborn look, Song Yinghuai's hanging heart finally landed.
Wasn't this the Caiyu from Yanjing?
He hugged the woman into his arms and said softly with a smile, "Alright, it depends on my performance. If there's anything that doesn't satisfy you, you can beat me up at any time. But you can't leave."
...
In December of the second year of Xuanwen in Daye.
As the year was about to end, the young emperor and Empress Dowager Lü received one bad news after another.
Prince Yan, Song Yinghuai, "defeated" Sheng Jiangli's Hu cavalry, recaptured Licheng, blocked the northwest front line, and then turned his army south. His troops were now on the north bank of the Yangtze River, while the Hu cavalry commander Sheng Jiangli was missing.
Then, the 100,000 reinforcement troops of Prince Liao were attacked northward by the Yan army led by Tan Xiong. The 100,000 - strong army was routed.
Next, the naval forces of Japan and Korea heading towards the southeast were attacked by an unknown army. Hundreds of their warships were sunk, and they suffered heavy losses when entering the Yangtze River area.
As for Prince Ning, he immediately defected to the Yan army and surrendered after hearing the news.
Empress Dowager Lü was shocked and personally went to the Yangtze River area to check.
At the naval base on the Yangtze River, Lü Baiwei rushed in front of Lan Guangling. Her gorgeous face was full of anger.
"General Lan! Why did the naval forces of the vassal states encounter an attack from an unknown army on the Yangtze River? You've been in charge of the defense on the Yangtze River for so long. How could you not notice the appearance of an unknown army?"
Lan Guangling put down the writing brush in his hand, looked at the woman who was blustering but actually timid, and slowly stood up.
He was tall, and his shadow fell from above Lü Baiwei's head, covering her whole body in darkness.
Lü Baiwei felt the darkness in front of her. Looking up at the man's half - smiling eyes, she suddenly felt a chill in her heart. "You... you..."
As if realizing something, she staggered back in shock. "The unknown army on the Yangtze River... is it you?"
"Your Ladyship has finally realized it now." Lan Guangling said slowly. "It's a pity. It's too late."
Lü Baiwei's legs went weak. Her eyes darted around, and she trembled as she questioned, "You... you really don't care about Caiyu's life anymore?"
Lan Guangling said, " Shu'er is the youngest daughter of the Lan family. We will naturally cherish her life... Speaking of which, we should thank Your Ladyship. Your Heart - Eating Gu and Prince Yan's Twin Snakes actually devoured each other. Isn't it a coincidence?"
"What?" Lü Baiwei looked incredulous and shook her head frantically. "Impossible. How could this be possible..."
She shouted angrily, "You're lying to me! You're lying to me!"
Lan Guangling smiled faintly. "Your Ladyship, what's there left for me to lie about?"
He held Lü Baiwei's shoulders with both hands, turned the stiff woman around, and faced the surging Yangtze River in the distance. He said in a deep voice,
"Your Ladyship, look. The Xuan Yao you've been longing for is boarding the most elite naval warships of Daye. He's about to land in the South of the Yangtze River!"