Yun Shuiyao stood in the pavilion on the top floor of Drunken Immortal Tower.
She gazed into the distance toward the imperial city.
The dim, misty night obscured everything.
The only thing visible was the countless glowing fluorite lamps.
Qingxuan stood behind her master, arms crossed over the hilt of her blade.
Her long braid draped over her right shoulder, and her bright, star-like eyes gleamed.
"Qingxuan, do you think your senior brother Qin Ming will be alright?"
"That depends on whether the Grand Princess is willing to save him!"
"It's all Master's fault for taking Liu Zonghuo as a disciple.
That traitor secretly colluded with the Heavenly Dao Sect!"
Yun Shuiyao sighed deeply, regret and worry clouding her delicate, fair face.
Just then—
A large number of Demon Suppression Guards appeared on the yellow streets of the imperial city.
They moved in groups of ten, searching every corner.
"By order of the Grand Princess, conduct a house-to-house search for the transmigrator!
Anyone connected to the assassination of Eunuch Qin today shall be executed without mercy!"
At these words, both Qingxuan and Yun Shuiyao were stunned.
"It seems Qin Ming is seriously injured! Heaven help him!"
"Master, the Grand Princess actually dispatched the Demon Suppression Guards to avenge him!"
Yun Shuiyao nodded.
"That's why I said he is the key to breaking the situation!"
—
Inside the upper hall of the Lunar Palace,
Grand Princess Han Yuexi continued channeling spiritual energy into Qin Ming.
His wounds, originally closed, burst open under the force of the energy, and blood gushed out.
Lingyin stood beside him, wiping away the blood with a white cloth,
her heart aching with worry, on the verge of tears.
"Why is he bleeding so much?! Grand Princess, look, it won't stop!"
Mengtu stood nearby, holding a basin of hot water.
She frowned. "Why does he have both sword wounds and burns? What exactly did he go through?
Damn those transmigrators!"
Just then—
Meiyang arrived with the captain of the patrol unit.
The captain immediately knelt upon entering the room.
"Reporting to the Grand Princess! The transmigrator Eunuch Qin encountered was highly skilled and could wield fire.
When I arrived, I saw Eunuch Qin snatch the blade and stab the transmigrator seven or eight times in the throat!
Eunuch Qin suffered fatal injuries! I hurried to help him up—
but even then, he endured the excruciating pain just to grab a red bean glutinous rice dumpling from the street vendor."
Hearing this, the Grand Princess, who had been channeling icy spiritual energy, felt her heart ache sharply.
"Grand Princess, what shocked me most was that the transmigrator Eunuch Qin killed was at the sixth level of Body Tempering."
"What?!"
Everyone in the room was astonished.
"What?! Xiao Qinzi was only at the third level of Body Tempering, yet he killed someone at the sixth?!"
"This is unbelievable! Normal cultivators can only fight one level above their own, two at most!
But Xiao Qinzi killed someone three levels higher, and the enemy even wielded fire!"
At last, the Grand Princess and the others understood why Qin Ming was so severely injured!
But what shook the Grand Princess most was—
Qin Ming wasn't just unwaveringly loyal to her.
He wasn't just a cultivation prodigy.
He was also a combat genius!
A sudden wave of sorrow struck her.
She must save Qin Ming!
She must treat this subordinate well in the future!
She could not continue as she had before!
The Grand Princess raised her hands once more, channeling another surge of powerful spiritual energy—
—
It wasn't until deep into the night that she finally stopped.
Exhausted, her face pale, she could barely stand.
Lingyin carefully spoon-fed Qin Ming a tonic made from blood ganoderma and other precious ingredients.
Qin Ming's wounds had long been sealed by ice, stopping the bleeding.
His breathing was much steadier than before.
He was finally saved!
Lingyin felt a surge of joy in her heart, and even the Grand Princess let out a breath of relief.
Lingyin wanted to change Qin Ming's clothes.
But she hesitated—if his fake eunuch identity was exposed here, it would be a disaster!
After some thought, she bit her lip and mustered the courage to speak.
"Grand Princess, Qin Ming is covered in blood. Allow me to take him back and clean him up."
"Do it here," the Grand Princess replied.
"Grand Princess… if I take off his pants, it would be inappropriate.
Please grant me permission to bring him back."
The Grand Princess was silent for three breaths before waving her sleeve.
"Fine, take him back. Place him in your room—it's warm by your hearth."
"Understood!"
Meiyang and Mengtu hurried over to help.
Lingyin carried Qin Ming on her back, while Meiyang and Mengtu supported them from behind as they left.
Just as they stepped outside, the Grand Princess's voice rang out once more.
"It's snowing heavily—walk carefully on the stairs. Don't drop him."
"Understood!"
That simple remark made all twelve zodiac guardians realize one thing—
The Grand Princess valued this little Qin Zi immensely!
—
Qin Ming remained unconscious for three days and three nights.
During that time,
Lingyin wiped his body six times.
The Grand Princess visited him five times.
The twelve zodiac guardians came even more frequently.
They had fed him nearly a dozen different medicinal decoctions.
As a result, now that his consciousness was gradually returning, his entire body was brimming with strength!
A powerful energy was surging wildly through his meridians.
He could hear Lingyin crying softly beside him.
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't open his eyes.
It was as if his entire body—his skin, muscles, and bones—had been frozen solid.
His mind drifted into the Locking Heaven Gourd and saw that his Luck Points had reached 100.
That meant he could draw twice!
[40 Luck Points consumed—Successful Draw! Acquired: Gale Sword Art]
[Gale Sword Art: Mid-tier Profound Rank sword technique, consisting of 108 moves. The faster the execution, the stronger the power—where the sword energy sweeps, nothing survives.]
Sounds pretty good.
Qin Ming decided to start practicing as soon as his body recovered.
[40 Luck Points consumed—Successful Draw! Acquired: Mighty Strength Pill]
Why do I keep getting these Mighty Strength Pills?!
What do I even need such insane endurance for?
If I keep taking these, my future wife will probably be scared off!
Qin Ming suddenly felt Lingyin feeding him another bowl of medicine.
This time, he had no idea what he was drinking.
It had a strong, bloody taste.
The moment it entered his lungs, it transformed into a warm surge, spreading through his organs and meridians.
His internal energy flared up even more vigorously.
Under the stimulation of countless energy currents, Qin Ming felt an immense sense of relief and pleasure.
Finally!
He had broken through to the fourth level of the Body Tempering Realm!
His eyelids no longer felt as heavy. Slowly, he opened his eyes.
At that moment—
He realized he was inside Lingyin's room.
Lingyin, dressed in a light green embroidered dress, was lying beside his bed.
Her eyes were red and brimming with tears.
On the table beside them, more than a dozen bowls of different sizes were stacked up, each containing remnants of medicine.
So this was how much he had drunk!
Qin Ming reached out his hand and gently stroked Lingyin's cheek.