Qu Dubian admitted that when he heard about his uncle's legs, his mind was thrown into turmoil for a moment.
But he quickly regained his composure.
He picked up the imperially bestowed Black Dragon dagger from the table and exerted a slight force, unsheathing it.
A sharp, cold glint flashed across the blade, revealing a scarlet blood groove.
This couldn't be faked; it was undoubtedly bestowed personally by Emperor Chongzhao.
Even if he had doubts, he could write a letter to the capital to ask the Old Geezer if he had granted him the right to act first and report later. Cui Rong wouldn't lie to him about this.
But this poison...
No matter how petty the Old Geezer was, he would absolutely not send this to him and force him to choose between himself and his uncle.
If he guessed correctly, the Old Geezer sending him this dagger was to reassure him, telling him not to mind the boiling public opinion in the capital, and casually, albeit awkwardly, easing their father-son relationship.
Taking a step back, even if the Old Geezer didn't care about their bond at all and really wanted him to make a choice, there wouldn't be a delay in provisions and fodder.
He was currently leading an army in battle; what benefit would starving soldiers bring to the Old Geezer?
Qu Dubian said, "Eunuch Cui, you said you came under orders. Whose orders are you really following?"
"Although you denied that the medicine was a choice given by His Majesty and only said 'I think', you are His Majesty's trusted confidant. If it were anyone else, they would only think that His Majesty was using your mouth to express what he wanted to do."
"But I don't believe it."
Cui Rong's expression slightly restrained as he looked at the young prince before him, who could still analyze the situation calmly under such circumstances.
He sighed silently in his heart.
Fate was a trickster. A single word from the Directorate of Astronomy had burdened the Seventh Prince with the title of an evil spawn, causing him to be disliked by His Majesty, to the point where his health broke down, leaving him sickly for so many years.
If he had grown up like the other princes from a young age, with such magnificence, who else could take the position of the Crown Prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty but him?
Qu Dubian didn't notice his distraction. "Eunuch has been by His Majesty's side for so many years and is already at the age of honorable retirement. As long as you do your duty properly, you will enjoy a peaceful and healthy old age."
"What is worth you taking such a huge risk, daring to—"
"Falsify an imperial decree."
These words were spat out calmly from the young man's mouth.
With a clack, the imperially bestowed dagger was pressed onto the table. Qu Dubian looked up, "Eunuch, I wonder if this imperially bestowed dagger of mine can kill you?"
Cui Rong stood up, took a step, knelt beside the soft cushion, and respectfully performed a grand bow to Qu Dubian.
When he looked up again, his face was filled with sorrow.
He moved forward on his knees, grabbed the hem of Qu Dubian's clothes with both hands, and spoke in the lowest possible voice, "I beg Your Highness to save my little daughter!"
"Two days before I departed from the capital, my daughter was taken out by a nanny from the manor to buy food for the journey, but she never returned. Soon, I received a letter telling me to do as instructed. Once the matter is accomplished, my daughter will naturally wait for me at Shanming Pass, and from then on, the affairs of the court will have nothing to do with me."
After hearing this, it was unclear whether Qu Dubian believed him or not. "Having been the Director of the Eastern Depot for so many years, don't you think what you're saying is very foolish? Choosing to believe the words of the person threatening you—aren't you afraid they will kill the donkey once the grinding is done? After all, only dead men tell no tales."
"If His Majesty knows about this, neither you nor your daughter will survive."
Cui Rong smiled bitterly, "I know, which is why I am telling Your Highness everything now, only seeking a way out through the cracks."
Qu Dubian asked, "Do you know who is behind you?"
Cui Rong shook his head, "I am getting old and about to retire. I haven't directly managed the Eastern Depot's affairs for many years, and I didn't expect someone to exploit a loophole at the last moment. The only ones in the capital capable of doing this are the factions of the Second Prince, the Fifth Prince, and the Sixth Prince."
Qu Dubian asked, "Do you know where your daughter is?"
Cui Rong replied, "I don't know. But they will definitely let me see her; they are afraid I will fight to the bitter end."
"You know nothing, yet you ask me to save your daughter. Do you think I'm a god?"
"You only need to cooperate with me in putting on an act," Cui Rong said urgently. "I will inform you that someone wants to harm you so that you can be prepared, and you just have to pretend to take the medicine."
"Although the Bone and Sinew Destroying Poison has no cure, inner energy can be used to fake the pulse and symptoms. I can teach you."
"It takes three months for the poison to act up, and even longer for those with strong inner energy. During this period, not only will my urgent crisis be resolved, but Your Highness will also no longer need to worry about the secret plots from the capital."
His eyes were earnest and full of bloodshot veins. After kneeling down, he never got up again. The hands gripping the hem of Qu Dubian's clothes were like clutching the last straw of hope.
Qu Dubian asked, "If I hadn't noticed and believed it was a medicine bestowed by His Majesty, would you still have kept this from me? After all, if it were His Majesty who feared my achievements outshining his own and wanted to cripple me, I would never tell anyone. It would become a dark imperial secret, a secret that could never see the light of day."
And a secret that is not known naturally cannot be called falsifying an imperial decree.
On the way here, this former Director of the Eastern Depot had already thought out these two scenarios and how to react in both.
He had maximized the probability of both himself and his daughter surviving.
Cui Rong didn't follow up on that, but simply said, "Your Highness, what is your choice?"
Qu Dubian replied, "In the end, your affairs have nothing to do with me."
A knock came from the door outside.
Their conversation inside was too low and took too long. Tang Yisu couldn't sit still anymore. "Your Highness, Eunuch, have you finished talking?"
Qu Dubian said, "Oh, I remember now. Lord Tang also said he wanted to talk to me. Eunuch Cui, what he wants to discuss with me is what actually concerns me, right?"
"For example, the provisions and fodder."
"If I don't take this poison today, will there be an accident with the provisions, or will they be delayed indefinitely?"
Cui Rong fell silent for a moment, then nodded.
Qu Dubian asked, "If an accident happens to the provisions, whose responsibility is it?"
Cui Rong answered, "The inspector of the two supply routes this time is the Fifth Prince. If something happens to the provisions, the first to be executed will be Tang Yisu, and the second to be implicated and heavily punished will be the Fifth Prince."
Now his Fifth Brother was dragged into this.
Who was the person behind Tang Yisu, or rather, who else had a hand in this?
Qu Dubian deduced the whole matter in his mind.
First, the mastermind was his Second Brother. After all, his father-in-law was the Water Transport Commissioner. Tang Yisu was the Second Prince's man, just hidden so well that no one knew.
Second, the mastermind was his Sixth Brother. After all, the Sixth Prince's faction had many members. Tang Yisu was the Sixth Prince's man, taking a gamble now to prevent Qu Dubian from shaking the Sixth Prince's status upon returning to the capital.
Third, his Second and Sixth Brothers joined forces, secretly formed an alliance, and pushed his Fifth Brother out to be the inspector of the two supply routes. This way, even if the incident was exposed, his Fifth Brother would be there to take the fall.
But...
Between the Second and Sixth Brothers, did his Fifth Brother actively volunteer for the inspector role so that one of the parties would believe in his stance?
Even his Fifth Brother had been entangled in hatred for half his life. Would he really not do something even more outrageous out of hatred?
Anyone was possible.
Based on this kind of speculation, no one could be completely trusted.
The deeper he guessed, the more he felt a pitch-black vortex under his feet, with the filthy schemes emanating from it slowly swallowing his ankles.
A chilling cold clung to his skin, slowly seeping into his flesh and bones.
Qu Dubian stopped his train of thought. He liked the warm sun; he only wanted to stay far away from this feeling.
Cui Rong whispered, "The waters in the capital are too muddy right now. Perhaps the people who took my daughter and the people behind Tang Yisu are not the same group, but merely colluding."
The emperor's order to bestow poison and the delay of provisions were two fatal moves. Cui Rong himself could hardly believe someone in this world dared to be so ruthless.
Qu Dubian: "Was what you said at the very beginning also a lie?"
Cui Rong: "What?"
Qu Dubian: "That my uncle's legs were crippled by His Majesty."
"That is true," Cui Rong said. "Back then, the Xu family held unrivaled power. Commander Xu was being groomed as the heir by the Sword-Wielding Marquis. His Majesty had long been wary of the military power in the Northern Frontier; how could he allow the Sword-Wielding Marquis to have such an outstanding successor?"
"At the time, Commander Xu committed a minor offense. I was ordered to lead the men to administer the punishment. After the punishment was carried out, Commander Xu's legs were crippled."
Qu Dubian fell silent.
To put it bluntly, despite everything Cui Rong had said, Qu Dubian's only concern from beginning to end was his uncle.
He had previously asked Xu Tingfeng two or three times about why his legs were like that, but his uncle had never given a direct answer. He only said he had violated military regulations and was beaten with heavy boards.
So this was the truth behind the violated military regulations and beaten with boards.
It should be known that at the time, the original host's mother was still alive and residing in the imperial harem.
Emperor Chongzhao loved Xu Yueqing, but this love did not stop him from crippling his uncle's legs to consolidate his imperial power.
His uncle probably never spoke of it because he did not want to destroy the familial bond between Qu Dubian and Emperor Chongzhao.
But even if this thin father-son affection existed, how much weight could it possibly hold?
Qu Dubian: "So you weren't exactly lying."
He looked at the celadon bottle on the table. "I am an imperial prince; he won't hurt me, but the same cannot be said for my uncle. If I return safely, whether it's because His Majesty doesn't want the Xu family to hold military power at the Zhennan Pass, or to pave the way for his chosen heir, my uncle will be suppressed and demoted to the absolute limit. Or, crippled once again."
If he didn't take this poison now, there was a chance it would be presented to his uncle after the war completely ended.
Of course, it might be swapped for a different poison.
Cui Rong could not refute this.
After all, His Majesty had already done such a thing once in his youth.
At this point, Qu Dubian finally fully grasped the situation.
It was nothing more than brothers scheming against each other, the struggle for power and position, and the emperor's suspicions...
He suddenly let out a laugh.
There was not a hint of anger in his smile; rather, it looked like genuine amusement.
Cui Rong felt a chill in his heart. "Your Highness, what are you laughing at..."
Qu Dubian: "I am laughing at how impatient you all are."
After bringing his older sister back this time, he hadn't planned to do anything in the imperial court anyway. He would have just obediently gone back to being a happy invalid.
He just didn't expect it.
While he was still at the borders of the Northern Frontier, so many hands were already eagerly waiting to give him a push, throwing him out of the whirlpool of the succession struggle.
They were so helpful that he didn't even know what to say.
Outside, Tang Yisu knocked on the door for the second time: "Your Highness, Eunuch, have you finished your discussion?"
Cui Rong took out another small celadon porcelain bottle, his speaking pace quickening. "This contains the honey water my daughter likes. Your Highness can pretend to drink it, and then I will teach you how to disguise your pulse."
Qu Dubian: "Eunuch Cui, how can I trust what you say about disguising my pulse? Perhaps it can indeed be faked at first, but the mid and late stages of the poison's onset have completely different pulses. Can those be disguised too?"
Cui Rong's body stiffened slightly.
Perhaps Cui Rong did intend to help him, but ultimately, he was only helping himself.
A single batch of provisions would last a month, and they had no way to break through the royal court within a month.
Once Cui Rong achieved his goal and Qu Dubian was exposed, who knew what unpredictable situation would arise then.
Would the soldiers' second and third batches of provisions arrive smoothly?
Who knew what other schemes would be waiting for him.
Qu Dubian: "Moreover, Eunuch, do you think the people who kidnapped your daughter wouldn't have thought of what you've thought of?"
Cui Rong: "What?"
Outside, Tang Yisu could wait no longer. He called out and actually pushed the door open and walked right in.
Qu Dubian swiftly stuffed the honey water Cui Rong gave him into his sleeve and unstoppered the initial small porcelain bottle containing the Bone and Sinew Destroyer.
Under Cui Rong's gaze, which shifted from shock to unbearable pity, he drank all the liquid inside.
Tang Yisu walked in just in time to see this scene.
Qu Dubian placed the empty bottle on the table, his expression instantly becoming a mix of sorrow, indignation, and gloom: "Tell His Majesty that I have accepted his reward. There is no need to give it to anyone else."
He suddenly started acting. Cui Rong almost didn't react in time, but upon catching a glimpse of the corner of Tang Yisu's robes, he immediately maintained his facial expression: "Rest assured, Your Highness."
"Please keep this dagger safe, Your Highness. After all, it is an item bestowed by His Majesty."
Qu Dubian said coldly, "Naturally."
As the poison entered his body, the meridians through which his internal energy flowed spasmed for a moment. He forcefully suppressed it with his internal energy, easing the spasms. After the relief, the meridians relaxed, and an indescribable sense of pleasure climbed along his meridians to his limbs and bones.
Qu Dubian couldn't help but close his eyes, his fingertips trembling.
[Bone and Sinew Destroyer: A poison that acts on the true qi meridians. After ingestion, the meridians will spasm. When the meridians relax after the spasm, it brings extreme pleasure.
This repeats once a day, flaring up at midnight. After about three months, the meridians lose their elasticity. Following the most pleasurable relaxation of the meridians, the poisoned individual will face the most agonizing outbreak of the poison, where their meridians will shatter inch by inch, leaving them unable to walk.]
Tang Yisu hurriedly came over to support him, his fingers casually pressing against Qu Dubian's pulse point.
A sharp gleam then flashed in his eyes.
He said worriedly, "Your Highness looks a bit pale. Did you discuss something with Eunuch Cui that made you unwell?"
The young general paused for a few seconds, seemingly fighting to endure something: "...We were discussing why the provisions still haven't arrived."
Tang Yisu quickly replied, "They are arriving soon! Arriving soon! This humble official guarantees they will be here by the day after tomorrow at the latest!"
"The roads were indeed slippery. If Eunuch Cui hadn't said he wanted to present the imperially bestowed dagger to you as soon as possible, we wouldn't have left the convoy to come ahead."
Qu Dubian allowed him to support him, grasped the imperially bestowed dagger, and leaned on the table to stand up.
He said to Tang Yisu, "Didn't you have something else to tell me?"
Tang Yisu: "It's getting late. What this humble official had to say was just nonsense, it doesn't matter if it's said or not."
Qu Dubian: "Not the day after tomorrow. If I don't see the provisions by tomorrow, this dagger will take your life first."
Tang Yisu's expression turned serious: "This humble official obeys!"
Qu Dubian slowly brushed his hand away and left the room.
After he left, Tang Yisu finally stood up straight and inspected the tiny bit of residual liquid in the bottle on the table.
Instead of touching it with his hand, he held a small white flower unique to the Northern Frontier. When crushed into juice and rubbed on the body, this flower would cause red bumps to appear on anyone exposed to it for the first time.
But it also had another use: when exposed to most poisons, the small white flower would turn blackish-purple.
Seeing the small white flower turn black, Tang Yisu smiled.
"I didn't even get a turn to speak, yet you already made the Seventh Prince take the poison. It seems Eunuch Cui's status is indeed more trustworthy."
Being able to resolve this using His Majesty's name, with Cui Rong acting as the frontman, naturally meant he didn't have to step up. If one could play the good guy, who would want to play the villain?
Cui Rong: "He did it for Xu Tingfeng."
"Regardless of his reasons, the goal has been achieved."
Tang Yisu said, "You two chatted in there for so long, I thought you would collude with the Seventh Prince to deceive me. I didn't expect him to actually drink it."
Cui Rong: "Perhaps we really did deceive you."
Tang Yisu replied, "My internal energy may be weak, but I have a little-known trick up my sleeve. If it were fake, I would be able to detect a disguised pulse. If the Seventh Prince was pretending... Eunuch Cui, you wouldn't want to know what would happen next."
Cui Rong felt a chill run down his spine.
He said, "Working yourself to the bone for the person behind you like this won't lead to a good end for you either."
Tang Yisu took a step back and shrugged. "I don't need a good end. As long as the person I follow can reach the summit, what does it matter if I act as a stepping stone?"
He was originally just a pawn. If Eunuch Cui hadn't succeeded, he would have stepped in, using the military rations as a bargaining chip to make a deal with the Seventh Prince.
If the Seventh Prince could bear to watch the border soldiers starve to death and both of their plans failed, he would naturally drag the Fifth Prince down to take the blame together.
Cui Rong fell silent for a moment. "Since things have reached this point, you can tell me where my daughter is now, right? If anything happens to her, or if I die, don't blame me for tearing off all pretenses. The news of the Seventh Prince being forced to take poison will instantly spread across the world. When that time comes, guess whether His Majesty will fly into a rage, and how great of a storm will be stirred up in the capital."
Tang Yisu: "I will naturally fulfill what I promised you."
[Toxin 'Muscle and Bone Destroyer' detected in the host's body. Initiate simulation?]
[Yes.]
[Please set the simulation time limit.]
[Three and a half months.]
Qu Dubian pondered for a moment before deciding on this timeframe.
He had taken the poison. The simulator could eliminate the toxins from his body after one round of simulation, but the prerequisite was that the simulation had to be completed.
He could have used the simulator to shorten the simulation time, such as compressing it into a single day, and conveniently write a thesis along the way.
But he had just experienced the initial onset of the poison.
That feeling... He could endure the pain; after all, his many years of experience with the simulator were no joke.
However, the terrifying sense of euphoria that subsequently transmitted from his body's meridians to his brain, pushing him to the absolute peak in an instant, was what was truly frightening.
He worried that if he experienced the extreme speed version all in one day, he wouldn't be able to resist self-harming to suppress the euphoria that made his entire body tremble.
Qu Dubian liked to think calmly. Since childhood, no matter what he did, he had his own set of behavioral principles.
He could get used to steadily holding a pen and writing a thesis amidst pain, but he strongly resisted the feeling of losing control.
It was more convenient to set the simulation time to the normal duration of the poison's onset. This way, he wouldn't waste his simulation attempts, nor would he have to worry about preparing in advance if Tang Yisu or someone else unexpectedly tried to verify whether he had taken the poison next month.
If he accidentally revealed a flaw, there was no telling what other dirty tricks that group of people in the capital might pull.
Qu Dubian: [Let's make a deal. Since this simulation time is so long, with early, middle, and late stages, I'll submit three theses. Can you settle the lifespan reward for me as if it were three separate simulations?]
The lifespan gained from three simulations would be 270 days, almost a year! Even if some were deducted in the process, there would still be one or two hundred days left.
A massive profit.
Simulator: [For phased submissions, the review and grading process will be much stricter.]
Qu Dubian understood: [Deal.]
[Phased submission has been set.]
[Simulation has begun. Wishing the host longevity and good health.]
Whatever poison couldn't kill him would only make him live longer.
Qu Dubian rolled his wrists, feeling that his body was no different from usual.
From the very beginning, he hadn't taken this bottle of poison seriously, nor did he care about Cui Rong's so-called disguised pulse.
He simply didn't need it.
The first reason he chose to take the poison was his intuition that Tang Yisu didn't fully trust Cui Rong either and would have a backup plan. If he faked taking it, a situation he didn't want to see might arise.
The second reason was to ensure that after the war ended, his uncle would at most be demoted, reducing the possibility of him being stripped of his position to almost zero.
The third reason was simply going with the flow.
Having taken the Muscle and Bone Destroyer, at least during his time at Zhennan Pass and the border campaigns, there would be no more schemes coming from their own side.
The soldiers would be able to eat their fill, and everyone could have a temporary peace.
It even saved him the trouble of racking his brains to figure out how to fall ill later on. It could be said to be a permanent solution.
It was a bit of a dark joke, but in a sense, it really was like someone handing him a pillow just when he was feeling sleepy.
As for the rest... he would cross that bridge when he came to it.
Qu Dubian walked out of the courtyard. Yi Shier was standing far away under a tree, hugging his saber and waiting for him.
Seeing his Highness come out, Yi Shier stepped forward. "Your Highness, you were in there for a long time."
Qu Dubian waved the imperially bestowed dagger in his hand and said with a smile, "Of course, I was getting this."
Yi Shier's gaze tightened; he clearly recognized what it was.
"An imperially bestowed dagger, granting the right to execute first and report later."
"Right," Qu Dubian explained. "Eunuch Cui is inside. His Majesty asked him to pass this on to me, saying that if there are any more incidents like the one with the Supervisory Department, I can just kill them directly."
"That still took a bit too long."
Qu Dubian narrowed his eyes and looked at the sky. It had been early morning when they arrived, and now it was almost noon. By the time they returned to Zhongyi City, the sun would probably be setting.
"It was a bit long. Let's hurry back; we can still make it in time for dinner."
The personal guards under his command greeted him, "Your Highness, we bought a flatbread for you to eat on the way."
Qu Dubian raised an eyebrow. "Thanks."
The soldiers of the personal guard felt a bit embarrassed. "It's nothing."
"Let's go, let's go. Mount up."
The team departed just as they had arrived; nothing had changed.
Sure enough.
Without stopping for a moment, by the time they reached Zhongyi City, the sun was almost setting.
Qu Dubian looked around but couldn't find Xia Fuyang; who knew what that guy went off to do.
He simply finished his meal, placed his hands behind his back, and strolled up the city tower by himself.
"Greetings, Your Highness!"
"Greetings, General!"
"The Little General is here."
"..."
Qu Dubian had many titles in the military camp.
He waved and greeted everyone along the way, inexplicably feeling like a teacher walking through a crowd of students on a school campus.
It wasn't until he reached the top of the city tower, where there was no one around, that things finally quieted down.
He stretched lazily and gazed far into the distance.
When Xia Fuyang arrived, this was the scene he saw.
The blood-red light of the setting sun filled the sky, its edges connecting with the sands and grasslands of the northern frontier, desolate and vast.
The youth stood languidly on the city tower, his hair tied up in a high ponytail. The ink-black tips of his hair were blown by the wind, the hairband tangling with the strands of hair.
A soft, dark-orange glow enveloped his body.
Behind him stood the unyielding city flag and the Great Zhou battle flag.
Xia Fuyang watched for a moment, thinking to himself that when this guy smiled, he was very sunny and cheerful, but when he wasn't smiling or was lost in thought, a hint of coldness would spill from the corners of his eyes and brows.
It was probably because of his appearance. He had distant-mountain brows, long but faint at the ends, and thick, long eyelashes that didn't curl upwards. When he got angry and his face turned expressionless, he was incredibly cold and quite intimidating.
Perhaps it was also due to the slaughter on the battlefield. With blood on his hands and an aura of killing intent seeping into his body, his temperament had undergone an invisible change.
He walked over to Qu Dubian's side. "How about the military rations?"
Qu Dubian gave a soft hmph. "With me stepping in, the rations will arrive tomorrow."
If they didn't arrive, no one could blame him for flipping the table.
Xia Fuyang: "That's good then."
Qu Dubian: "What were you off doing? I didn't see you when I got back."
"Hehe," Xia Fuyang winked playfully, spun in a circle, and used his hands to fan the air towards him. "Smell it, what's the scent on me?"
"..."
Qu Dubian couldn't smell it.
He glanced at this blockhead who was fanning vigorously. "Spit it out, or I'll beat you up."
Xia Fuyang said, "You can't smell such a strong meat aroma?"
Thinking Qu Dubian was too lazy to guess, he stopped playing the fool. He pulled out a paper-wrapped roast duck from his robes—two duck legs and wings roasted to a fragrant, oily crisp—and stuffed them into Qu Dubian's hands.
"I hunted it while patrolling outside the city. I didn't touch the rations in the city, just secretly roasted it to give you an extra meal. The city has been short on food these past few days, and everything has been prioritized for the soldiers. I heard from Liuliu that you haven't been eating much."
"Eat up, eat up."
Xia Fuyang watched him with a delighted expression.
Qu Dubian had a sudden, inexplicable vision of Yidianbai returning from a hunt and offering him prey in its mouth.
He tore off a piece of oiled paper, wrapped it around the duck leg, and took a bite.
"Not bad, you've got skills," Qu Dubian praised.
Xia Fuyang was satisfied. "Oh right, I also wanted to ask you, why did Tang Yisu want to see you?"
Qu Dubian replied, "Actually, it was His Majesty who had Eunuch Cui deliver an imperially bestowed dagger to me. They didn't want to delay, so they came early." He briefly repeated what he had told Liuliu to Xia Fuyang.
"Eunuch Cui, it should be about time for him to retire with honors."
Qu Dubian said, "Yeah, after this time, who knows where he'll go."
"Oh, I have this too." He suddenly remembered he also had a small treat. He placed the duck leg back into the oiled paper, dug into his clothes, and brought out that small bottle of honey water. "Eunuch Cui's sugar water for his daughter. I asked for a bottle, here, for you."
Out of curiosity on the way, he had dipped a finger in and tasted a little. It was sweet and sour, quite nice. He wouldn't eat someone else's food for free; he considered this an exchange.
Xia Fuyang didn't think much of it and took the small celadon bottle. He stared at it for a moment before saying, "It's quite exquisite. I don't even know which is worth more, the bottle or the sugar water."
He sniffed it first, then tasted a tiny bit.
Finding that it actually tasted quite good, and that it wasn't Little Seven playing a prank on him, he felt relieved enough to finish it.
It was just a small mouthful, and after smacking his lips for a few seconds, the taste was gone.
"Hey, not bad. Next time we return to the capital, I'll look for the shop that sells this. But there was only this little bit; if you let me drink it all, you won't have any for yourself."
Qu Dubian bit into the duck leg, looking out at the front of the city tower.
"It's fine, I already had some."
