"Shen Muzhou, Shen Muzhou."
Shen Muzhou groggily heard Lin Yanxi calling him. Her voice, soft, sweet, and tinged with an unnatural seductiveness, stirred something restless and itchy in his heart.
He was slumped over the table, his fingers twitching. A glazed cup toppled with a soft clink, fruit wine spilling onto the back of his hand. The cool sensation brought him some clarity.
"Hurry, get up. Something's not right here." Her breath was fragrant, her voice breathless and hurried.
Finally, her strength gave out, and she collapsed onto the floor. Her small face was flushed, and she was gasping for breath. Her fingertips brushed against his palm, tracing lightly.
*Must not fall asleep, must not fall asleep...*
He repeated this mantra inwardly, forcing himself to stay alert, his eyelashes fluttering slightly.
Shen Muzhou’s gaze was uncontrollably drawn to her neckline. The fair, rosy skin exuded a sweet fragrance, and her lips were even more crimson.
She was beautiful, he had known that the first time he saw her. But now, fueled by the drug, that beauty had become even more alluring and seductive.
His hands, calloused and hardened from years of wielding weapons, were brushed by two soft, slender fingers tracing patterns in his palm. It tickled. He closed his palm, grasping her fingertips. The warm, delicate texture of her skin sent a tremor through him.
He rubbed his rough thumb against her two soft fingertips, his breath catching. He suddenly released her fingers, gritting his teeth to suppress the surge of impulse.
Stiffly, he averted their entangled gazes, staggered to his feet, and drew the dagger at his waist.
"Urgh..." he grunted. The knife plunged into his arm. The sharp pain that shot through his body at the same time instantly cleared his head.
Hearing his muffled groan, Lin Yanxi struggled to open her eyes, her voice slurring his name: "Shen Muzhou..."
"His Highness is indeed decisive. Little does he know, this aphrodisiac only induces illusions for one’s beloved."
Meng'er, seated within the red curtains, strummed her zither, glancing at them indifferently.
Shen Muzhou ignored her, turning his attention to Lin Yanxi. Fortunately, she was unharmed, merely affected by the aphrodisiac.
Her fingers lightly plucked a clear string, and an elegant melody drifted out. Meng'er seemed to recall something, then suddenly swept her hand violently across the strings, pressing down on the zither with her palm. Silence returned to the room.
"Speak. What is your purpose in coming to Zhihai Tower?"
As the words fell, with a ripping sound, a long sword pierced the red curtain, lunging straight at her.
Fortunately, Meng'er's martial arts were not bad. She slapped the table, and the zither in the air flipped a few times before being split in two.
It was a pity that Shen Muzhou’s swordplay was faster. With a flick of his blade, it pierced Meng'er’s shoulder. She grabbed the sword with her slender hand, blood dripping onto the floor.
She hadn't expected him to wield such a sharp sword even while under the influence of an aphrodisiac.
She frowned in pain and gave a wry smile. "His Highness shows no mercy to delicate beauty."
Shen Muzhou had no time for her prattling, nor did he care who was behind this. He only knew this woman had harmed Lin Yanxi.
A faint blush of crimson appeared at the corners of his eyes. His cold gaze was filled with layers of killing intent. "Give me the antidote."
Lin Yanxi's consciousness began to blur. In her daze, she dreamed again of the day she first met Shen Muzhou, when her lips had accidentally brushed his jaw. It felt cool, yet she could smell the pleasant ambergris scent emanating from him.
Meng'er seemed to hear something amusing. She laughed heartily. "Does His Highness not know that you yourself are the antidote? Urgh..."
Her laughter quickly ceased because Shen Muzhou twisted the tip of his sword in her shoulder, pushing it deeper.
The killing intent in his eyes intensified, along with a worry hidden beneath layers of ferocity. "Do you think I dare not kill you?"
Meng'er's lips gradually turned pale, her face contorted with pain. "Your Highness, I meant no offense. It's just that we in Zhihai Tower have those we must obey."
Without a second thought, Shen Muzhou tightened his grip, his roar fueled by a loss of control. "I don't care who you obey! If Lin Yanxi suffers even the slightest harm, I will make your entire Zhihai Tower pay with its existence!"
"Your... Your Highness." Meng'er clutched the blade, her blood staining her Xiyu silk dress.
The blade could not be pushed further without damaging her tendons and bones, which would cripple her martial arts. But she hadn't expected this man to go mad.
He didn't care why she knew his identity, nor the purpose of the aphrodisiac. He only cared about the young lady's safety, relentlessly demanding the antidote.
"The antidote isn't with me, but I know how Your Highness can obtain it."
She watched in horror as his grim expression gradually softened. He spoke with arrogant, cruel indifference. "I hate being coerced above all else."
"No..." She shook her head in despair, tears welling in her beautiful eyes.
Just as Shen Muzhou was about to pull out the sword and sever her slender neck, a faint, sweet voice called out, "Shen Muzhou."
Lin Yanxi, mustering her strength, propped herself up halfway, staring intently at the person within the red curtain.
Shen Muzhou paused. He withdrew the sword and quickly strode to Lin Yanxi's side. He scooped up the small girl. She was so tiny, nestled in his arms. Even through the layers of silk, he could feel the abnormal heat radiating from her skin.
It burned, making his heart tremble.
Lin Yanxi mumbled unconsciously, "Uncomfortable..."
He held her tighter, his heart aching, while discreetly hiding the blood-stained sword behind him, fearing it would frighten her.
Her small hand clutched his sleeve tightly, and she hid in his embrace, then tilted her head slightly to look at Meng'er. "Meng'er, you're not a bad person, are you?"
Having experienced so much life and death in her past life, Lin Yanxi was not a soft-hearted person. But killing Meng'er now would yield no benefit. It was better to gain her trust first and discover the mastermind behind Zhihai Tower.
Meng'er was stunned for a moment. Even through Lin Yanxi's hazy, unfocused eyes, she could see the genuine innocence. This question, however, made her truly ponder.
Was she a good person?
"I've done many unsavory things for Zhihai Tower. I've killed for the man I love. Do you think I'm a good person?"
Lin Yanxi, affected by the aphrodisiac, draped her arms around Shen Muzhou's waist, clinging to him like a wistful vine. "As long as you want to be a good person, you can be one."
As she spoke, her eyes gazed at Shen Muzhou, as if her words held a double meaning.
He lowered his gaze, staring at the hand around his waist. Recalling Meng'er's words, he wondered if Lin Yanxi harbored some affection for him, to hold him so tightly.
At this thought, he felt a flicker of joy, a subtle smile gracing his lips.
Immediately, tears welled in Lin Yanxi's eyes, and she said with feigned innocence and grievance, "I'm uncomfortable."
His heart tightened again with her distress. He placed one hand on her back, while the hand holding the sword behind him tossed it away. Meng'er barely dodged, the blade grazing her ear and cutting a lock of her hair.
The black strands fluttered to the ground. Meng'er stared blankly, lost in thought.
This drug made one's head spin, feeling hollow and clawed at from within, losing control of their body. Unless one self-harmed, like Shen Muzhou, to alleviate the drug's effects with pain.
Seeing the young lady's discomfort, Meng'er's heart finally softened. She had grown up in the Ghost City, where everyone taught her how to survive, believing everyone was like her, resorting to any means for survival and for the one they loved.
But there were other people in the world, innocent and beautiful like Lin Yanxi. She didn't want to harm someone who was willing to believe she was a good person.
After a long pause, she took a bottle from her waist. "The antidote."
"This medicine can only temporarily alleviate the aphrodisiac. If you wish to remove it completely, you must help me with something."
He glanced at her, snatching the medicine bottle from her hand, his gaze deep and cold. He said nothing.
The bottle contained the juice of an herb, exuding a refreshing scent. Inhaling it immediately cleared the head, as if waves of coolness were surging from the tip of the nose to the crown of the head.
He did not give the medicine to Lin Yanxi directly. Instead, he inhaled it himself first. After confirming it could indeed counteract the aphrodisiac, he held it under Lin Yanxi's nose.
Meng'er watched them. "It seems His Highness cares greatly for Miss Lin."
She had met many men, some debauched, others outwardly virtuous. But he seemed different. Even under the influence of an aphrodisiac, he would rather self-harm for a moment of clarity than lay a finger on her or tarnish her reputation.
He had even tested the medicine on himself before giving it to her.
Meng'er seemed to recall something else, a bitter smile touching her lips.
The refreshing scent stimulated Lin Yanxi, causing her to cough twice. She slowly opened her eyes, her senses clearing somewhat.
Her voice remained soft, devoid of the seductive allure from before. "Your injury?"
Shen Muzhou glanced at his arm, only then noticing the blood dripping onto the floor, a stark sight.
"I'm fine. Are you feeling better?"
She looked at Meng'er with a wary expression. "What do you want us to help you with?"
Meng'er smiled, her peerlessly beautiful face now tinged with bitterness.
"Rest assured, I will only delay you for the duration of an incense stick."
As she spoke, the incense on the table burned down to its lowest point, its ashes falling into the small octagonal burner. Precisely one incense stick.
"Your friends are waiting for you."
Friends... it must be Shen Yu and the others.
Shen Muzhou said, "What have you done to them? Where are they?"
Lin Yanxi used to think Shen Muzhou was inscrutable, but now she could sense the tension beneath his cool, indifferent facade.
And his concern for those he cared about. Good.
Meng'er said, "Don't worry, your friends are in another private room."
Shen Muzhou asked coldly, "How did you know our identities?"
Meng'er tore off a piece of red curtain and wrapped it around her shoulder wound. "In the Ghost City, we are all people living at the bottom, struggling to survive, doing illicit business. People like you, with fine clothes and uncovered faces, are either wealthy or noble."
"I heard that in the capital, there is a Prince who always wears a cloak, regardless of the heat or cold."
As she spoke, her gaze fell upon Shen Muzhou's cloak. He grudgingly accepted her explanation and continued, "You mentioned earlier that Zhihai Tower has someone to obey? Who is it?"
Zhihai Tower had always been an unregulated entity in the Ghost City, permeating Yueyou yet independent, privy to all its secrets. He hadn't expected such an organization to have someone they must obey.
Meng'er said, "Besides selling information, Zhihai Tower engages in other activities to earn money. In short, they will do anything if the price is right. Someone informed us a day in advance that Your Highness would be coming. They offered ten thousand taels of gold for one incense stick of Your Highness's time."
Lin Yanxi asked, bewildered, "So you knew we were coming, and with our attire, you quickly confirmed our identities. Who is the person who bought our time?"
Meng'er stared at their faces and slowly uttered the name. "Jiang Cong."