Feng Qihe was caught off guard and, after being pushed away by her, crashed heavily onto a chair.
A mouthful of blood escaped his lips.
Chu Qianli was somewhat stunned, looking down at her hand, not yet having processed what happened.
Her power had increased significantly again, progressing entirely without her conscious effort.
"Your Highness!" Jinghong, hearing the commotion, burst in from outside. Seeing Chu Qianli had injured Feng Qihe, he swiftly drew his long sword, about to thrust it at Chu Qianli.
Feng Qihe said hoarsely, "Stop."
Jinghong hesitated. His long sword, about to touch Chu Qianli, was suddenly withdrawn with a swish.
"Your Highness, how are you?" He quickly went over and helped Feng Qihe to his feet.
His gaze remained guarded towards Chu Qianli, ready to attack at any moment.
Feng Qihe took a breath and then looked at Jinghong, waving his hand.
"Your Highness?" Was he to dismiss him again? But now, the Prince, weakened by the蠱毒 (gu poison), was no match for the woman before him.
"She is... the real Li'er."
"What?" Jinghong seemed unable to comprehend.
He looked at Feng Qihe, then at Chu Qianli, still unwilling to accept it. "Your Highness, she... she seems to have strong martial arts."
"Compared to Yu Linglong?" Feng Qihe had already stood up and sat down on a nearby chair.
If there had been any doubts before, they had completely vanished after Chu Qianli struck him.
She was not Yu Linglong; how could Yu Linglong possess such formidable internal energy?
This brat, however, her internal energy always advanced by leaps and bounds inexplicably. She was truly an existence beyond estimation.
Jinghong continued to stare at Chu Qianli.
Indeed, she felt more powerful than Yu Linglong, but could it be that she only seemed so because His Highness was injured?
"Do you want to spar with me?" Chu Qianli was also growing impatient. Fighting was the best way to avoid pointless talk and explanations.
Jinghong hesitated.
"You really want to fight me?" Chu Qianli felt a slight urge to laugh.
In the end, he was just a loyal guard protecting his master.
Whether Feng Qihe was a good or bad person was not for her to judge, but this Jinghong was undoubtedly loyal to Feng Qihe.
"Yu Linglong is dead, and it is because of her death that the蠱毒 (gu poison) in your Prince's body suddenly flared up."
Seeing his loyalty to his master, Chu Qianli decided to expend a little more effort to explain to him.
After all, fighting could potentially injure herself.
"I have already mastered the method to resolve the蛊毒 (gu poison). If you do not allow me to remove it now, his essence and spirit will continue to be devoured by the蛊虫 (gu insects) like a trapped beast. In no time..."
"This subordinate was reckless! I beg Your Majesty the Empress for forgiveness!"
Jinghong quickly sheathed his sword and knelt on one knee towards her. "This subordinate deserves death, but I implore Your Majesty to save my Prince first."
"Get me two basins of hot water."
Upon hearing this, Jinghong immediately rushed out.
Not long after, he returned with a basin of hot water in each hand, moving with speed.
Chu Qianli had Feng Qihe lie down on the bed, wrung out a warm towel, and washed his face.
Afterward, she unfastened his collar.
"To resolve the蛊毒 (gu poison) for you, you must trust me completely, because I will be making an incision at your heart's gate."
Hearing this, Jinghong began to feel uneasy again.
Making an incision at the heart's gate—if she harbored malicious intent and found the right moment to strike, the Prince would have no chance to evade!
But Feng Qihe merely looked at Chu Qianli calmly and said, "If I don't trust you, I am still bound to die. Since it is a dead end, why not trust you and seek a path to survival?"