Feng Yinwan's own body had not yet recovered. After thoroughly expelling the cold poison for Ye Tinglan from head to toe, her energy was completely depleted.
Before she could even retract her silver needles, her fair face turned pale, and she fainted straight into his arms.
Warm and soft against him, Ye Tinglan's consciousness cleared slightly from the agonizing pain. His thin lips pressed into a stern line as he struggled to hold her.
As Feng Yinwan had said, expelling the cold poison was indeed extremely painful and unbearable. Ye Tinglan closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing.
After a moment, the icy pain throughout his body gradually receded. Simultaneously, a slow stream of warmth began to surge.
His body was returning to normal.
As no sound came from the room for a long time, Ye Tingyun and Qi Xuan outside the door grew anxious. They had tried to enter several times to check on the situation, but they dared not act rashly, only daring to quietly peer through the door.
Ye Tinglan's dark eyes swept over them. He got up and covered Feng Yinwan with a quilt.
"Come in."
Come in?
Ye Tingyun and Qi Xuan, who had been secretly observing outside, were taken aback by his words. Immediately, a surge of joy washed over them.
It was the Prince!
It was Third Brother!
The two excitedly pushed the door open and entered. They saw Ye Tinglan, his figure like jade, sitting by the bedside and immediately rushed forward.
"Third Brother, you're awake!"
"Your Highness!"
Just as they were wondering where Feng Yinwan had gone, they caught sight of half a section of purple clothing subtly revealed behind Ye Tinglan. They exchanged glances.
"Damn, how did this woman end up on the bed while treating an illness!"
"The Princess has worked hard and achieved great merit..."
Ye Tinglan's thin lips parted, and his cold voice cut off their increasingly wild imaginations.
"The Princess expelled the cold poison for me, and her old injury relapsed, causing her to fall unconscious. Tingyun, go to the kitchen and order some nourishing meals to be prepared."
So it was a relapse of an old injury.
The savior of Third Brother was his great benefactor.
Ye Tingyun immediately nodded. "Yes, Third Brother, I'll go now."
With that, he retreated quickly. As Qi Xuan hesitated whether to follow, he saw his Prince's stern gaze fall upon him again.
"I ordered you to keep a close watch on the Second Prince's manor. Are there any unusual movements there?"
Qi Xuan shook his head.
"My subordinates and men have been monitoring day and night and have found no suspicious activity. The Second Prince has not stepped out of his manor, except to accompany the Emperor to the palace occasionally."
It was strange, really. The assassins that night had appeared out of nowhere. After obtaining the purple ginseng, they had vanished without a trace. It was as if their sole objective was the purple ginseng.
Pressing his lips together, Qi Xuan hesitated before speaking.
"Your Highness, could it be... that our information is mistaken?"
The biological mother of the Second Prince was merely a palace maid of low status. Therefore, even if he harbored ambitions, he had no power to rely on. How could he dare to make a move against Your Highness?
Ye Tinglan waved his hand. "You may withdraw. Recall all the hidden guards."
"Yes."
The room door was closed again. Ye Tinglan stood up, and the sash hanging loosely at his waist immediately fell.
He was only wearing an inner garment. His chest was fair and jade-like, and his lean and handsome physique was faintly visible.
Something that moved was far more alluring than something cold and stiff. If Feng Yinwan were awake, she would likely get flustered.
As if sensing something in her dream, Feng Yinwan let out a soft moan, her fingertips unconsciously clutching Ye Tinglan's robe.
His steps were hindered, and Ye Tinglan paused slightly. He turned his gaze to the sleeping woman on the bed. Her lips were slightly parted, as if inviting him to pluck them, silently seductive.
A warmth seemed to linger around his waist, and the scenes from before flashed before his eyes.
In an instant, Ye Tinglan's eyes darkened, as deep as ink.
This woman seemed quite pleased with herself just now.
When Feng Yinwan woke up, her body felt as sore as if she had run two kilometers in one go.
She turned her head and saw Ye Tinglan wearing a moon-white inner garment, his dark hair loosely falling, faintly revealing the jade-like skin of his chest.
Feng Yinwan was utterly speechless.
"Good heavens, what is this male-beauty temptation! I can't handle it in my current condition!"
If she had known expelling the cold poison would be this tiring, she should have asked the bracelet for a body-strengthening elixir first!
As she was regretting her decision, she sat up, and the thin quilt slid off her shoulder, a chill immediately creeping in.
Feng Yinwan blinked, then instinctively looked down. She saw her bare shoulder exposed to the air, and her clothes were completely… gone!
After a moment of stunned silence, anger surged through her. She glared fiercely at the culprit.
"You scoundrel!"
She had just removed the poison for him, and he had taken advantage of her unconsciousness to do this!
Why hadn't the cold poison killed him!
Ye Tinglan's narrow eyes closed, and he effortlessly caught her small fists.
"You're already trying to attack the moment you wake up. It seems the Princess's body has recovered well."
His voice was neither warm nor cold, making it particularly infuriating.
Feng Yinwan gritted her teeth and threw another punch. To her surprise, it carried a gust of wind.
The candlelight on the table was extinguished by the force of her movement. This time, she herself was a little stunned.
"What is this..."
Her body seemed different somehow.
Ye Tinglan glanced at her indifferently and released his grip. A flicker of admiration crossed his eyes.
"Try again."
Her anger had long been forgotten. Upon hearing his words, Feng Yinwan immediately swung her palm again.
This move was undisciplined and lacked much power, but the silk ribbon by the bed snapped off, and the green curtains immediately fell.
Feng Yinwan was even more astonished.
She could… do martial arts?!
She raised her eyes in surprise, meeting the faint smile on Ye Tinglan's lips. Feng Yinwan blinked.
"Is it because of your internal energy?"
Ye Tinglan had transferred some of his internal energy to her, and that was why she could do martial arts?
"Reasonably smart."
Ye Tinglan's thin lips curved slightly. "To be precise, you merely possess this portion of internal energy but have not learned any techniques."
"If you wish to learn martial arts, you must practice diligently, starting from each move and each stance."
Feng Yinwan's eyes sparkled with excitement after hearing this.
Although she had never practiced martial arts before, from a literal perspective, this internal energy should be much harder to cultivate than techniques.
So, she had directly obtained it ready-made, and from the God of War, Ye Tinglan, no less! Hadn't she struck it rich?!
In an instant, her gratitude towards Ye Tinglan completely dispelled her lingering anger.
"Thank you, Your Highness. This concubine will surely cultivate diligently!"
Once she mastered martial arts, she would be both a master physician and a formidable warrior!
With poison in her left hand and a sword in her right, she could take down any opponent!
As Feng Yinwan reveled in her bright future, Ye Tinglan's cold words poured down on her like icy water.
"To practice martial arts, one must begin from childhood. You are already past that age, and your aptitude is still slow. It will be very difficult to achieve mastery."
Past the age…
Slow aptitude…
Extremely difficult to achieve mastery…!
The dramatic shift from elation to despair was too sudden. Feng Yinwan felt like spitting blood.
Seeing her spirits plummet, Ye Tinglan's eyelids flickered slightly.
"However, I can teach you myself."
Ye Tinglan would teach her personally?!
Feng Yinwan's spirits immediately soared. "Really?"
Ye Tinglan nodded.
"How far you can go depends entirely on your own dedication."
Feng Yinwan had unwavering faith in her own intelligence.
She nodded and was about to get up to practice a few moves, but as she bent her knees, the chill returned.
Her clothes were gone!
"Your Highness, this concubine feels it is necessary to say something."
Clearing her throat, Feng Yinwan spoke with a solemn expression. "When this concubine returned to the manor, we made an agreement. No improper conduct shall occur."
No matter how much internal energy he transferred to her, she couldn't break their rules arbitrarily!
Unexpectedly, Ye Tinglan glanced at her indifferently, his face showing no trace of emotion.
"I have kept my promise and have not engaged in any improper conduct."