Chapter 139: Lin Shu Poisoned

"All right! You may all withdraw!"

The zither music was enchanting, but the mature woman found it increasingly irritating.

"Yes, My Lady," the maidservant and the female zither player behind the screen hurriedly retreated.

Once the maid left, the full-hipped mature woman lit a special aromatic wood incense.

When ordinary people inhaled this aphrodisiac, it would induce drowsiness followed by intense desires, and the longer it was inhaled, the deeper the hallucinations would become.

However, this hallucinogenic fragrance aided her in cultivating her illusion techniques and strengthening her mental power.

Perhaps due to her poor mood today, the young matron was unable to calm her mind.

"Sigh! When will this endless night lift? When will I ever see the light of day again?"

The sighing matron chuckled bitterly as she reminisced: back when she was still a young maiden, she too was infatuated with her cousin, Bai Yi-fei, and actually believed his words, entering the deep palace to bewitch the King of Han!

Though she was merely following orders, many people had died because of her!

With the passing of springs and autumns, the maiden over the years had withered like an old flower, no longer the infatuated young girl she once was.

Day after day of solitude, coupled with having to watch a pig perform those filthy acts over and over again against the quilt and air!

Although there was no actual combat, touching was inevitable! Overwhelmed and confused, the matron could only watch the King of Han engage in a wrestling match with thin air! Meanwhile, that cousin of hers, absorbed in his cultivation, had never once touched her!

They say that a woman at thirty is like a wolf and at forty like a tiger; the thirty-year-old Mingzhu could simply no longer endure the loneliness of solitude!

As the aphrodisiac mist filled the air and no one else could approach, Lady Mingzhu, finally letting down her guard, began to undress...

A low, muffled sound echoed—

"What the hell! What is going on here?"

Why does this feel somewhat like a movie scene from my past life?

Lin Shu, hiding behind the wooden bed, could not help but crawl toward the front of the bed to take a stealthy peek.

When he looked up, Lin Shu's weathered face even turned red! He was actually witnessing her engaging in self-soothing right before his eyes!

"And here I thought she was practicing some demonic illusion technique!"

Swallowing hard in secret, Lin Shu panicked as well. Should he leave now, or wait a bit longer? After all, he had only seen that part, and hadn't even caught a glimpse of her face.

Besides, the show wasn't over yet! It would be impolite to leave prematurely!

With her eyes closed, the matron's nose twitched, and she abruptly opened her eyes.

"Ah! You—"

"Who are you?"

Amidst a startled gasp, a hairpin came thrusting forward.

Lin Shu, who had just been lost in thought, felt deeply distressed. Why had he been discovered when the movie wasn't even over yet?

Fortunately, Lin Shu was wearing a protective anti-toxin mask, so he wasn't afraid of being recognized.

"Bastard! Who are you! Let me go at once!"

The matron was thankful she hadn't taken off her upper garments entirely, but her intimate little activities just now had definitely been seen.

Pressed back onto the bed by a sudden field of force, Lin Shu really caught fire the moment he laid eyes on that rosy sight!

Sigh! Damn it! Why does it feel so intensely uncomfortable?

Forget it! Just treat it as going to a high-end spa session once!

Perhaps the smoke had permeated through the seams of his mask, but by this point, Lin Shu had also lost his rationality.

"Ah—you—no—" Lady Mingzhu was just about to scream for help, but unfortunately, even her mouth was sealed shut.

[Oh no! I was careless! The mask couldn't block these toxic gas molecules!]

Xin-ying was also inwardly panicked, worrying whether the Commander would blame her later!

"Huh! Didn't you stay with your cousin?"

After exercising for two minutes, the toxic gas in Lin Shu's system was extracted by Xin-ying, and even the fragrance in the room dissipated completely.

"Sigh! What kind of mess is this!" Since he had already joined the activity, Lin Shu had no choice but to finish the task quickly!

How was he supposed to know about her cousin? The matron was consumed by both hatred and shyness! She finally experienced what the true sensation tasted like! No wonder that pig-headed King of Han cried out in such ecstatic tones!

Finishing in a hurry, Lin Shu was left dumbfounded! He hadn't expected this woman who loved to play mahjong and draw her own tiles to actually still be a maiden!

"Sigh! Why on earth did you go and make aphrodisiac poisonous smoke for no reason, woman? And you're still not dressed—forget it! I don't care to blame you! Consider these twenty thousand taels of gold as a token gift!" Shaking his head with a wry smile, Lin Shu hurriedly slipped away!

Understanding the situation, Xin-ying promptly tossed over two chests of gold!

"Bastard, and you're still blaming me for this!" Coughing up blood in frustration, the matron felt even weaker!

After thinking it over carefully, Lady Mingzhu chalked it up to bad luck! Any man who smelled her poisonous smoke indeed couldn't resist it, especially when she was so alluring.

"What is this? Could it really be twenty thousand taels of gold? Impossible! What does that damned, shameless thief take me for?!"

Having dressed herself, the matron cautiously looked around, only to find that the shameless villain had truly vanished without a trace.

"It really is gold! Who on earth is he?! He feels extremely powerful, yet at the same time his internal energy feels rather meager!"

Her purity, guarded for over a dozen years, had inexplicably been lost just like that in the end!

That night, Lady Mingzhu, with her mind in a turbulent whirl of complex emotions, suffered from total insomnia... Shame, hatred, and a lingering bittersweet yearning—she felt a chaotic mixture of everything.

"Xin-ying, is there any scent left?" Lin Shu washed himself twice, still feeling uneasy, and even had Xin-ying use psionic energy to bake his body dry.

[Rest assured, Commander, I have purged all foreign odors!]

"Sigh! Xin-ying, your mask is no good! I got dizzy after just a few minutes!"

Lin Shu shook his head in distress! In truth, he simply hadn't been able to help himself; otherwise, he could have held his breath and left immediately!

[My apologies, Commander! Xin-ying had not analyzed those toxic smoke molecules beforehand. I guarantee this will not happen again.]

"Never mind! Just remember not to mention this to Shao-shao! Otherwise, I'll blame you for everything!" Lin Shu certainly didn't want to admit that he simply lacked self-control!

[Guaranteed I won't say a word!] Xin-ying breathed a sigh of relief as well. It was indeed her carelessness that she hadn't isolated the toxic smoke in advance.

As for such embarrassing matters, Xin-ying did not care to dwell on them too much, as her attention earlier had mostly been focused on Nong-yu's side.

Feigning a heavy sigh, Lin Shu was utterly speechless!

He had still overestimated his own self-restraint!

"I never expected this big-hipped woman to still be pure! I really wonder if Bai Yi-fei is a eunuch! He passes up on both his cousin and Yan Ling-ji!"

If Lin Shu had transmigrated to become Bai Yi-fei, the children he had with Yan Ling-ji and Lady Mingzhu would probably be several years or even over a decade old by now.

Carrying a complex mix of emotions, the carriage finally returned to the entrance of Lady Hu's palace quarters.

"All right, you may all return."

Seeing that they hadn't come out yet, Lin Shu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The Six Sword Slaves immediately walked back toward the carriage, as they had no desire to wander around outside in the dead of night.

Although the carriage was enclosed, it had windows, and they could step out to look around whenever they wished.

"Xin-ying, I'm going to sleep! Handle things as you see fit for a while!"

For some reason, Lin Shu only felt a deep sense of emptiness, as if he had fought several grueling battles.

[Your will is my command.] Xin-ying immediately began tending to the Sovereign's recovery, as she noticed there was still a trace of residual toxin lingering in his body.

Time ticked by slowly, and Consort Yan and Shao-shao chatted with Lady Hu for quite a while.

The two bitter sisters could not help but bring up the events of the Fire Rain Manor.

"Fourth Aunt, baby is going back to see Dad now!" Little Yan-er, feeling somewhat stifled, finally could not hold back any longer.

Sigh! Lady Hu let out a gentle sigh. "It's been so long! Sisters, you should leave quickly, and from now on, you don't need to worry about me anymore!"

Though she lived deep within the palace, she was well aware of Han's precarious situation, and even more so of the King of Han's panic!

"This!" Lady Hu shook her head and looked toward Consort Yan.

Before she could speak, Consort Yan nodded. "Second Sister Hu, you should come with us too! Han won't last many more years, and King An of Han cannot even protect himself."

"This! Would it be too difficult?" Lady Hu naturally wanted to leave, but she didn't want to drag them down!

Consort Yan chuckled lightly. "Don't worry! Even if palace guards surround and attack us, we can safely leave Han."

"Hmph! Master and Auntie, the King of Han wouldn't dare try to stop us," Little Yan-er said with absolute confidence.

Nong-yu said nothing further, simply tugging at her aunt's hand—her intentions were already crystal clear.

"Alright, let's go!" Lady Hu had no desire to take anything with her; all of these things belonged to the King of Han, not to her.

At that moment, the two palace maids outside the door had already fainted, their memories partially scrambled, as Consort Yan had no intention of bringing them along.

With their departure imminent, Little Yan-er was the happiest of all.

"Huh? Where's Dad?" To find that her father was not in the carriage truly made Little Yan-er upset.

Xin-ying quickly explained, [The Sovereign was practicing his cultivation recklessly again and is currently recovering, but he will be fine by tomorrow morning.]

"Ah! That silly Daddy! I told him not to practice blindly anymore! From now on, baby will protect him!" Little Yan-er was both angry and worried about this stubborn old dad of hers.

"Don't worry, Yan-er. Fourth Aunt will look after him tonight." Shao-shao felt a secret surge of joy, figuring Consort Yan wouldn't come and interrupt them tonight.

Consort Yan gave a wry smile. "I'll give him a proper scolding tomorrow!"

Seeing that they asked no further questions, Xin-ying finally let out a relaxed breath.