The two old men stared at the man in shock. "Lord Lian Emperor, have you forgotten everything?"
The man glanced at the two old men, his brows furrowed, and remained silent.
Suddenly, the man clutched his chest. The color drained from his clear and beautiful face, and a searing pain, as if his flesh were being churned, shot through his heart.
"Lord Lian Emperor, what is wrong?"
The two elders cried out in alarm and rushed forward to support the man.
The man was in too much pain to speak, but the robe he had just put on was soaked with sweat, indicating the extreme agony he was in.
"Quick, quickly lay Lord Lian Emperor on the bed."
Old Man Guo said to the other old man. The two cooperated and quickly laid the man flat on the bed.
They took his pulse, examined him, and fumbled with a series of bottles and jars. Old Man Guo quickly fed the man a pill. After taking it, the man's complexion improved slightly, and the pain in his chest subsided.
"Lord Lian Emperor's injuries are too severe. Not only is his spiritual power damaged, but he has also developed a serious case of palpitations."
"What? Palpitations?" Old Man Wu exclaimed in surprise.
Old Man Guo put down the pill bottle and began to fiddle with other things. However, after preparing them for a long time, he found no success. He frowned and roared, "Damn it! Without a medicinal catalyst, I cannot administer the medicine to Lord Lian Emperor."
Old Man Wu, who had covered the man with a silkworm spirit blanket, turned to Old Man Guo and asked, "What are you doing? Why are you yelling? What medicinal catalyst? Explain it clearly."
"Lord Lian Emperor is different from ordinary people. To cure his palpitations, a very unique medicinal catalyst is required for the medicine. Otherwise, there is no cure."
Saying this, Old Man Guo put away all the bottles and jars. If they were useless, there was no reason to keep them.
"What medicinal catalyst?"
Old Man Wu followed him, pressing for an answer.
"The heart's flesh of the Purple Feather Maiden can be used as a medicinal catalyst for a full recovery."
"What? The Purple Feather Maiden? Old Man Guo, are you crazy? The Purple Feather Maiden is Lord Lian Emperor's..."
Seeing Old Man Guo's serious expression, Old Man Wu was not only surprised but also incredulous.
Old Man Guo looked at him. Although he did not want to say such cruel words, he still thought for a moment before speaking, "The Purple Feather Maiden's blood can detoxify all poisons, and her heart's flesh is a top-grade spiritual medicine. Using this as a catalyst, Lord Lian Emperor's palpitations can be healed, and his spiritual power can be restored to its full ten percent. Although I, this old man, also have a good impression of that girl, it concerns Lord Lian Emperor's life and the future of our spiritual realm. Therefore, as long as Lord Lian Emperor can recover, nothing else matters!"
"But... but... that Purple Feather Maiden is, after all, Lord Lian Emperor's..." Old Man Wu felt pity.
Old Man Guo glared at him. "But what? Old Man Wu, do you have the heart to watch our Lord Lian Emperor perish due to palpitations?"
"I... I..." Old Man Wu was still hesitant.
Old Man Guo patted his shoulder. "Alright, although taking flesh from the heart would be fatal for ordinary people, for the Purple Feather Maiden, it will only mean losing her heart. She can still live well, though her lifespan will be shorter. However, as long as I feed her with spiritual pills and transfer true qi to her, she will be no different from an ordinary person and will not die."
"You say it so easily. A person without a heart is like a walking corpse, better off dead!" Old Man Wu retorted.
"Then tell me, do you want to save him or not!"
Old Man Guo also lost his temper.
Old Man Wu sighed, walked to the door, opened it, and looked up at the sky. Dark clouds had gathered, signaling an impending heavy rain. He extended his finger and calculated. Without turning back, he said, "The sky is overcast and rain is falling, a purple star descends, and in the southeast lies Xia. Calculating this way, the Purple Feather Maiden's location is in the southeast."
"The Xia Kingdom? She is in the Xia Kingdom?"
Old Man Guo, holding his sword, walked over and looked up in the direction Old Man Wu was gazing. Although he did not understand celestial divination, Old Man Wu was very skilled in this area, and what he said was not wrong.
"If that is the case, you stay here and guard. I will go to the Xia Kingdom immediately to find the Purple Feather Maiden and cut out her heart's flesh."
"Yes! Go, I will stay here and guard." Old Man Wu agreed with Old Man Guo's decision. Once decided, there should be no more hesitation.
"No need! I will do it myself!"
Suddenly, a voice echoed.
Old Man Wu and Old Man Guo turned around simultaneously, startled.
"Lord Lian Emperor!"
The rain outside suddenly intensified, and a cold wind whipped up, rustling the edges of the man's robes. His immaculate white brocade robe remained spotless. The man stood behind the two old men, his clear, desireless eyes filled with icy coldness.
When he heard the name Purple Feather Maiden, his chest suddenly ached, and some very vague images flashed through his mind before disappearing instantly.
Although these things made him feel strange, he inexplicably felt compelled to go to the Xia Kingdom and find that Purple Feather Maiden.
"Lord Lian Emperor, absolutely not! Your internal true qi and spiritual power have not yet recovered. If you go out now, you will be like an ordinary person with no martial arts. You will be in danger if you go out like this."
"Yes, Lord Lian Emperor, your injuries have not yet healed. Please don't go. Let your subordinates go."
The two old men tried to persuade the man.
The man remained unmoved and said directly, "Do you two not want your tongues?"
The two old men immediately fell silent.
The rain fell all night, the air was damp, and the weather was cold and gloomy.
At this moment, within the Xia Kingdom's imperial palace.
Gu Qianying led a hundred men in green robes, with the cooperation of Prince Qimu's men and Ouyang Qinglin's men, into the imperial palace.
Inside the Xia Kingdom's imperial palace, all the imperial guards had been slain. Bodies lay everywhere, and blood flowed like rivers.
On the grand hall.
Ouyang Ting hid behind a few young eunuchs.
The young eunuchs trembled, wanting to escape, but Ouyang Ting pointed his sword at them, forcing them to be his human shields.
Ahead, about half a zhang away, Ouyang Wan'er lay prostrate on the ground, her limbs having been dislocated. She had no strength to stand. She raised her head, her reddened eyes looking at the woman in black robes standing about two zhang away. The woman's clothes were stained with blood, but due to the dark color of her dress, it was impossible to tell how much blood was on her.
Her arm was also slightly injured. Behind the woman were a hundred men in green robes. The faces or bodies of those men in green robes had several bloody cuts, but they were all superficial wounds.
"Gu Qianying! You slut, how dare you treat this princess like this! Even if I become a ghost, I will not let you go!"
"Slap!"
Lu Zhu, who stood to Gu Qianying's left and held a sword, walked over and slapped Ouyang Wan'er.
Lu Zhu's slap was very powerful.
"How dare you insult my mistress! You deserve a beating!"
Ouyang Wan'er's mouth was split by the slap, and she bled. She swallowed a mouthful of blood and glared at Lu Zhu resentfully, "You..."
Before she could finish her words, Lu Zhu grabbed her hair and began to beat her.
At this moment, Ouyang Ting, surrounded by a few young eunuchs, remained indifferent, only concerned about his current predicament.
"Gu Qianying, the one who designed this scheme against you was Ouyang Wan'er. Now that your great revenge has been served, it is the greatest leniency I can show you. I will let you all go on account of you saving my offspring. If you are still not appeased, you can take Ouyang Wan'er with you. Whether you put her in a pig cage or throw her into a snake pit, you can deal with her as you please. Furthermore, I can pretend that everything that happened in the hall today never occurred. As for my third brother, Ouyang Qinglin, I am magnanimous and will not hold him accountable for usurping the throne, as long as he behaves himself in the future."